The British Pub Quiz, Alive and Well in Munich

The British Pub Quiz, Alive and Well in Munich

By  Monday, 23.3.2015, 18:56    What's Happening

There is no institution quite like the British Pub Quiz, an event which brings together people from all walks of life (and all levels of knowledge) into one social environment for an evening of brain stimulation and good company. I was delighted to hear that there was a well-established pub quiz happening on a monthly basis in Munich, organised by a chap called Malcolm Phillips, and I thought I would head out to Zum Wilden Mann in Anzingerstrasse near Karl-Preis-Platz to see if it was any good.  

The pub normally has its Ruhetag (day off) on Sundays, but it always opens for the pub quiz, and it was not difficult to see why, with some 50 people forming nine very competitive groups. Average age was the wrong side of 50, which also seemed to be the age group for many of the questions (at least that was my defence for not knowing many answers...). At 5 euro per person entry fee, it was a very affordable evening's entertainment. 

It was also very well thought out by Malcolm, with lots of diversity, and each group started with these photos to identify. Nobody got Jihadi John or Wallace Simpson, and it was an early indication that this was going to be tough! 

In addition to the rounds (I think there were 8 in all), there was a nice addition of a 'spot question', where people could buy as many blank pieces of paper as they wished for a euro a time, then enter a guess to Malcolm's spot question. First up was 'How many Sultans were there in the Ottoman Empire?'

While some tried to employ logic and analysis, others simply plucked a number from the air, and I was astonished to hear that my second guess of 37, was just one off the correct answer, 36. It put me in a tie-break with a lady across the room, and we both showed that our guesses had been lucky when challenged by the tie-break question: How many countries in the world have an IKEA store, with my wildly inaccurate guess of 41 only marginally closer to the correct answer of 23 than that of my rival.

My prize was 10 euro and a 20 euro voucher from British Allsorts, a shop for expat needs, which describes itself as Purveyors of Soulfood to the Needy, and I stocked up on all sorts of forgotten goodies for my team - chocolate Buttons, Salt and Vinegar crisps - from the available selection. Many thanks to British Allsorts for their generosity. It is a shop we will be checking out, but you can learn more on their website www.british-allsorts.com  

There were one or two contentious answers (who IS the manager of 1860 Munich), but Malcolm had done his homework and preparation extremely well. Each team got a joker, and we played ours on Geography which, coupled with a few very lucky guesses, catapulted us into the lead, and we just held on at the end to win the quiz, and a prize of 5 euro per team member.

An excellent evening, and a nice social mix of expat and local. Many thanks to Malcolm, who ran the evening with aplomb. The next one (last before the summer break) will be at April 18 at 19:15 at the same location Zum Wilden Mann. To contact Malcolm for more information, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Paul Bradbury

After 12 years living on the most gorgeous island in the world, Hvar in Dalmatia, I have begun to wonder if there is still life beyond its shores. Prior to discovering Paradise in 2002, I was a world traveller, living and working in Japan, Georgia, Somalia, Rwanda, Russia... and Munich.

After 95 countries and some 25 years have passed, the memories of my year in the hotel industry in the Bavarian capital (fired by the Sheraton for losing our pet snake, the first male chambermaid at Hotel Arabella, and a truly eye-watering introduction to five-star living in  my days as a bellboy in luxury Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten) are strong, and the call of Munich has been a constant theme over the last quarter century. 

And so here I am, answering the call some 25 years later. Twelve years of island living have changed me for sure, but also left me curious about life in a big city, and whether or not I could adapt to it after such an insular decade. 

I was surprised to see that for such a magnificent multi-cultural city, English-language blogs and regularly updated information are not that available. Static tourism information, such as that provided by the excellent tourist board website yes, but accounts of daily life delivered daily? Hard to find.

And so I have decided to take a break from my idyllic island and see if I could live in a city again. And what better way to try than to discover modern Munich in all its facets after so many years. It is a journey of discovery which I am relishing, and I hope the site proves to be of interest for Munich residents and its numerous visitors.

About Paul Bradbury

Author of Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski, Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes and Hvar's first comprehensive guidebook, Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, as well as co-author of Split: An Insider's Guide with Mila Hvilshoj, I have lived in Dalmatia full time since 2003. In addition to running Total Munich, I also run Total Split (www.croatia-split.com), Total Hvar (www.total-hvar.com) and Total Inland Dalmatia (www.total-inland-dalmatia.com), as well as being an accredited Google News journalist for Digital Journal in Canada.

I also have various blogging clients, including the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board, European Coastal Airlines, Touristar TV and Andro Tomic Wines, and print clients include Qatar Airways inflight magazine, Out! magazine from New York, and Croatian Hotspots. 

In December 2014 I was delighted to receive the Marko Polo 2014 Award from FIJET Croatia (Federation of International Travel Writers and Journalists)  at a ceremony for the Croatian Journalists Society for the best international tourism promotion of Croatia. More here.

Ongoing writing projects:

A History of Hajduk Split, co-author with Frane Grgurevic - in 2015

Around the World in 80 Disasters - out in 2015

Total Hvar in the Media:

Interview of the Month, Croatian Embassy in Washington (May 2013)

Special Feature in Globus Magazine (May 2013)

Featured on Croatian TV show, More (2012) - watch the report here

Interviews in Slobodna Dalmacija, Dalmacijanews, Radio Split

I am available for writing services. Please contact me on [email protected] or visit my main writing website, www.bossandblogger.com 

Website: total-hvar.com Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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