Last Monday, another very last minute business to Bristol, UK required that my flight journey take me through the Amsterdam airport. Bristol is a lovely city BTW…so green, on the western coast of England, close to much history – Stonehenge, Bath, etc. – we’ll be going back, for sure! That is another blog topic, though.
Normally, I am quite bummed about having to “do the connection thing”. Invariably that is a recipe for disaster for me. As it turned out, I did have a little flight delay issue, but it was not a show-stopper and in the end, what can you really do?
On the return trip home, I did have a bit of window of time to kill in the Amsterdam airport. Let me just say this: I would go back to Amsterdam for no other reason that just to shop at the airport. OH...MY...GOSH! Just like Tom Hanks character in The Terminal, I could live for weeks on nothing but the items purchased from the airport shops. I would never have to leave the airport. This includes high-end luxury goods, clothing for pretty much any need (suits, dresses, casual, shoes, handbags, accessories), jewelry, newspapers and books (much in English), restaurants, drugstores, and grocery stores (yes, I can even buy food at the grocery store), post office, every type of telecommunication device required under the sun….and of course, all the perfume, chocolate, liquor, and tobacco products I could possibly ever need (which aside from the perfume is not much). Surely I could land a paying gig, possibly even take up residence at the airport hotel?
Before you start telling me that all airports are like that, let me say, "Not the ones I've travelled through". That includes Hong Kong, which I still consider the best airport I have ever flown in/out of.
For once, I was bummed that my layover between flights was as short as it was! Plus, how many airports offer the option of buying tulip bulbs in nearly every airport gift shop? It cheered me immensely just knowing that was possible…for a fleeting moment I was tempted to bring home some Dutch bulbs. Then, the thought of the face of a German customs clerk appeared in my head and I thought better of it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Pick a Tap, Any Tap
Well, it comes as no surprise that Germans are “pulling out all the stops” in trying to predict Sunday’s election results for chancellor. There are a number of ways to try to predict the winner, with these methods ranging from the scientific to downright wacky (exit polls, newspaper polls, “the man-on-the street” opinions, think tank techies who “have the inside track”). We are familiar with many of them as they are often used in US presidential elections.
Personally, I like one of the German approaches because…well …it is so German. It seems that while beer has always been a national symbol, a mark of local pride, and a diet staple, it now have been given a new role: election indicator.
Called "Vote with Your Throat," the poll, sponsored by a local newspaper, consists of two beer taps, each one decorated in honor of an election candidate, either Schroeder or Merkel. It appears that one bar has decided to measure its patrons' thirst for change -- one beer at a time.
Planning to vote conservative? Then order a Merkel Pilsner (from the black tap). Prefer to stick to the current regime? Then, take a sip from the red tap for a Schröder Pilsner. Apparently, the volume of beer poured is digitally measured, and published daily on the paper's Web site.
At last count, the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) is in the lead with 1,312 liters (346.5 gallons), a fact that many are attributing to the fact that Berliners are anticipating the goodbye party for the SPD," and that many of those who ordered the Schröder Pilsner are drinking it "to drown their illusions”. Supporters of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on the other hand have so far only drunk 1,199 liters. Unfortunately, I can’t read German so I am not sure how the voting, or shall I say, drinking is going.
It seems that many agree with the overall assessment of the beer experiment: in the end, it may not really matter. A Merkel Pilsner and a Schröder Pilsner may come out of different taps, but they both pour the exact same beer.
Personally, I like one of the German approaches because…well …it is so German. It seems that while beer has always been a national symbol, a mark of local pride, and a diet staple, it now have been given a new role: election indicator.
Called "Vote with Your Throat," the poll, sponsored by a local newspaper, consists of two beer taps, each one decorated in honor of an election candidate, either Schroeder or Merkel. It appears that one bar has decided to measure its patrons' thirst for change -- one beer at a time.
Planning to vote conservative? Then order a Merkel Pilsner (from the black tap). Prefer to stick to the current regime? Then, take a sip from the red tap for a Schröder Pilsner. Apparently, the volume of beer poured is digitally measured, and published daily on the paper's Web site.
At last count, the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) is in the lead with 1,312 liters (346.5 gallons), a fact that many are attributing to the fact that Berliners are anticipating the goodbye party for the SPD," and that many of those who ordered the Schröder Pilsner are drinking it "to drown their illusions”. Supporters of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on the other hand have so far only drunk 1,199 liters. Unfortunately, I can’t read German so I am not sure how the voting, or shall I say, drinking is going.
It seems that many agree with the overall assessment of the beer experiment: in the end, it may not really matter. A Merkel Pilsner and a Schröder Pilsner may come out of different taps, but they both pour the exact same beer.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
German Class Update
Sorry that the sequel blog post for German school is a bit overdue. You see, I did not attend class on Thursday.
It wasn’t as if I intentionally planned on not returning to the scene of the crime: session 2 of German class. Especially, after my less than enthusiastic reaction to the introductory session. I can report that Buddy did attend the second class and had a much more positive reaction than I. No, my reason for not attending had everything to do with a business trip to Warsaw that resulted in a late night flight back to Düsseldorf.
I had just about made my peace with the idea that I was going to proceed with German school and enroll in the 8 week semester. Now, as I look at upcoming travel schedules for work, I can already see 5-6 potential conflicts when I am going to be traveling on business. Seems that may not be the best recipe for learning a language if you are going to miss 40% of the classes. A new dilemma unfolds….
Perhaps I should investigate this 1:1 tutor option....
It wasn’t as if I intentionally planned on not returning to the scene of the crime: session 2 of German class. Especially, after my less than enthusiastic reaction to the introductory session. I can report that Buddy did attend the second class and had a much more positive reaction than I. No, my reason for not attending had everything to do with a business trip to Warsaw that resulted in a late night flight back to Düsseldorf.
I had just about made my peace with the idea that I was going to proceed with German school and enroll in the 8 week semester. Now, as I look at upcoming travel schedules for work, I can already see 5-6 potential conflicts when I am going to be traveling on business. Seems that may not be the best recipe for learning a language if you are going to miss 40% of the classes. A new dilemma unfolds….
Perhaps I should investigate this 1:1 tutor option....
Friday, September 09, 2005
A Debate About the Debate
Last weekend, German Chancellor, Gerard Schröder and Chancellor Candidate, Angela Merkel, held a televised debate. Polls show that while Schröder seemed to best Merkel during the debate, observers believe she gave a better performance than expected. Most critics concur that there were no apparent gaffes on either side, and that most likely, the debate did not really do anything to swing the election back in Schröder’s favor.
With that said, I am starting to either (1) observe a trend in lack of independent thinking on the part of Ms. Merkel, or (2) a really good job of trashing Merkel in the media is being done by Schröder operatives. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Merkel has already had that little issue about using the Rolling Stones song Angie without getting copyright approval (see blog posting of 8/31/05 for more details). On Tuesday, she was accused of copying her closing statement in a TV debate from former US President Ronald Reagan. This time, Merkel's short speech at the end of her head-to-head duel with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder bore a striking resemblance to Reagan's statement at the end of his debate with then President Jimmy Carter in October 1980.
Here is where politics come into play. Schröder's Social Democratic Party outed the story to a German magazine that Merkel's speechwriters had copied the statement because they were convinced that it had helped swing the election in Reagan's favor. Merkel's CDU party, who have a clear lead in the polls, acknowledged that she may have borrowed something from Reagan's plea to voters. Merkel’s people say she “simply drew inspiration from it”. I might suggest a different word for it…plagiarism.
You remember the bit: Reagan encouraged his prospective voters to ask themselves a set of questions before going to the polls: "Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions yes, why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree…then I could suggest another choice that you have."
In her closing statement, Merkel asked her potential voters to engage in a strikingly similar kind of electoral soul-searching: "Is our country better off than seven years ago (when Schroeder came to power)? Is growth higher? Is unemployment lower? Do we have less bureaucracy? Are our pensions and health care better? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then I think you have probably already decided who you will vote for. But if you have any doubt, if you do not want things to carry on as they are, then you have a choice." Yes, sounds similar to me.
Some things are the same the whole world around: death and taxes. I would also add politics to that group.
With that said, I am starting to either (1) observe a trend in lack of independent thinking on the part of Ms. Merkel, or (2) a really good job of trashing Merkel in the media is being done by Schröder operatives. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Merkel has already had that little issue about using the Rolling Stones song Angie without getting copyright approval (see blog posting of 8/31/05 for more details). On Tuesday, she was accused of copying her closing statement in a TV debate from former US President Ronald Reagan. This time, Merkel's short speech at the end of her head-to-head duel with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder bore a striking resemblance to Reagan's statement at the end of his debate with then President Jimmy Carter in October 1980.
Here is where politics come into play. Schröder's Social Democratic Party outed the story to a German magazine that Merkel's speechwriters had copied the statement because they were convinced that it had helped swing the election in Reagan's favor. Merkel's CDU party, who have a clear lead in the polls, acknowledged that she may have borrowed something from Reagan's plea to voters. Merkel’s people say she “simply drew inspiration from it”. I might suggest a different word for it…plagiarism.
You remember the bit: Reagan encouraged his prospective voters to ask themselves a set of questions before going to the polls: "Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions yes, why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree…then I could suggest another choice that you have."
In her closing statement, Merkel asked her potential voters to engage in a strikingly similar kind of electoral soul-searching: "Is our country better off than seven years ago (when Schroeder came to power)? Is growth higher? Is unemployment lower? Do we have less bureaucracy? Are our pensions and health care better? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then I think you have probably already decided who you will vote for. But if you have any doubt, if you do not want things to carry on as they are, then you have a choice." Yes, sounds similar to me.
Some things are the same the whole world around: death and taxes. I would also add politics to that group.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
What Do I Know About LOT? Not a lot.
A little more than 24 hours ago, I was informed of a last-minute requirement to travel to Warsaw, Poland on business. Having been there once before, I felt I could maneuver the airport, ATM machines, taxi queues, etc. relatively easily, especially since I was a return traveler. Long story short, it was a quick in-and-out trip, which was relatively hassle-free.
As my meeting broke up earlier than expected, I was hoping to catch an earlier flight back to Düsseldorf. Unfortunately, no earlier flight was available on Lufthansa, the carrier I had flown earlier in the day. However, LOT, the Polish national airline carrier, a Lufthansa partner as well as a Star Alliance partner, had seats on its 5 pm flight.
Suddenly, I was faced with this quandary: do I fly an airline carrier I have never heard of or no nothing about their safety record? Or do I just take a deep breath, and climb on board a no-name carrier, resting calmly in the blind assurance that all will be well? Truthfully, I would most likely have passed on flying an unknown entity, but the thought of a bath and an early-to-bed routine (my morning had started at 4:30 am) rated a bit higher in priority than any potential safety concerns.
While the Warsaw airport, named after Frederic Chopin (how refreshing - cities actually naming their airports after cultural icons as opposed to only politicians), is quite old and dilapidated, a renovation project is currently underway. Still, you can imagine my trepidation as to the potential condition and age of LOT’s fleet as I stepped off the bus and walked across the tarmac to walk up the stairs to board the plane (you got it: regional flight, so we board the aircraft on the tarmac).
Well, it was lovely flying experience. Very new plane, albeit only a 70 seater. Clean. Leather seats throughout. Smooth flight. English and Polish speaking pilot. I must confess, though, that I actually did read the safety brochure, locate my exit rows, and watch the safety demonstration, just in the off chance I might need that knowledge…
Would be curious to know what you would do, so post a comment below by clicking on comments or the pencil. (I know, a shameless ploy to get people to post comments on my blog).
As my meeting broke up earlier than expected, I was hoping to catch an earlier flight back to Düsseldorf. Unfortunately, no earlier flight was available on Lufthansa, the carrier I had flown earlier in the day. However, LOT, the Polish national airline carrier, a Lufthansa partner as well as a Star Alliance partner, had seats on its 5 pm flight.
Suddenly, I was faced with this quandary: do I fly an airline carrier I have never heard of or no nothing about their safety record? Or do I just take a deep breath, and climb on board a no-name carrier, resting calmly in the blind assurance that all will be well? Truthfully, I would most likely have passed on flying an unknown entity, but the thought of a bath and an early-to-bed routine (my morning had started at 4:30 am) rated a bit higher in priority than any potential safety concerns.
While the Warsaw airport, named after Frederic Chopin (how refreshing - cities actually naming their airports after cultural icons as opposed to only politicians), is quite old and dilapidated, a renovation project is currently underway. Still, you can imagine my trepidation as to the potential condition and age of LOT’s fleet as I stepped off the bus and walked across the tarmac to walk up the stairs to board the plane (you got it: regional flight, so we board the aircraft on the tarmac).
Well, it was lovely flying experience. Very new plane, albeit only a 70 seater. Clean. Leather seats throughout. Smooth flight. English and Polish speaking pilot. I must confess, though, that I actually did read the safety brochure, locate my exit rows, and watch the safety demonstration, just in the off chance I might need that knowledge…
Would be curious to know what you would do, so post a comment below by clicking on comments or the pencil. (I know, a shameless ploy to get people to post comments on my blog).
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Guten Abend! Mein name ist Hachie Gal
(Technically, my first and last name would appear in the above phrase but the name has been changed to protect the innocent).
Yes, my first session of German language school was last evening. I was psyched, pumped, an eager beaver, ready-to-roll, locked and loaded, rarin’ to go, …in the famous words of that screen legend, “let’s get a move on, we’re burning daylight”. I couldn’t wait to start German class. And, I must confess, I was less than impressed.
Let me say upfront that I know I am a type A, highly motivated, and at times, anal retentive person who is probably every language teacher’s nightmare. (A recent work colleague has said that if he had to pick out the one Friends character that is most like me, it would be Monica. Guilty, as charged.). Yet, my idea of language school is not memorizing German phrases. I want to know why, how the language hangs together, and to be able to put into context what I am learning. Perhaps I expect(ed) too much from the first class?
Interestingly, my class only has 3 students, and we all speak a different native language: Japanese, Korean, and English. How the teacher is going to pull this one off is of great interest to me. Yet, 8 weeks is a long time to sit in class if you are not on-board with the instruction methodology or the teacher. I am thinking that if I am even referring to it as an ”instruction methodology” that I may be putting way too much thought into this thing. Can’t I just show up, and go-with-the-flow? Apparently, that remains to be seen.
Oh yea, my language book has no dictionary, so I can’t even look up a word. How is this possible? Had I not been around-the-block on this language school thing before, I might not have known any differently. But I do… (Surely there is no way German is harder to learn than Chinese - say it isn’t so?)
Check back on Friday morning for a follow-up report on German class. I shall return to the site of my linguistic demise of last evening…more resolute…more determined to make this thing a go. Side note: the jury is still out on whether I actually sign up for the entire semester.
Yes, my first session of German language school was last evening. I was psyched, pumped, an eager beaver, ready-to-roll, locked and loaded, rarin’ to go, …in the famous words of that screen legend, “let’s get a move on, we’re burning daylight”. I couldn’t wait to start German class. And, I must confess, I was less than impressed.
Let me say upfront that I know I am a type A, highly motivated, and at times, anal retentive person who is probably every language teacher’s nightmare. (A recent work colleague has said that if he had to pick out the one Friends character that is most like me, it would be Monica. Guilty, as charged.). Yet, my idea of language school is not memorizing German phrases. I want to know why, how the language hangs together, and to be able to put into context what I am learning. Perhaps I expect(ed) too much from the first class?
Interestingly, my class only has 3 students, and we all speak a different native language: Japanese, Korean, and English. How the teacher is going to pull this one off is of great interest to me. Yet, 8 weeks is a long time to sit in class if you are not on-board with the instruction methodology or the teacher. I am thinking that if I am even referring to it as an ”instruction methodology” that I may be putting way too much thought into this thing. Can’t I just show up, and go-with-the-flow? Apparently, that remains to be seen.
Oh yea, my language book has no dictionary, so I can’t even look up a word. How is this possible? Had I not been around-the-block on this language school thing before, I might not have known any differently. But I do… (Surely there is no way German is harder to learn than Chinese - say it isn’t so?)
Check back on Friday morning for a follow-up report on German class. I shall return to the site of my linguistic demise of last evening…more resolute…more determined to make this thing a go. Side note: the jury is still out on whether I actually sign up for the entire semester.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Another icon of childhood TV...
After school must-see TV always included Gilligan...the man whose red shirt and white pants always looked so fresh even after years of being stranded on that blasted desert isle. Simply put, the day can't come to an end without saying, "Little buddy, we are going to miss you."
Looks like he'll be taking another trip of sorts that is definitely longer than a three hour tour...
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/denver.obit.ap/index.html
Looks like he'll be taking another trip of sorts that is definitely longer than a three hour tour...
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/denver.obit.ap/index.html
PS re: Lucerne
Appeared to have my facts a little inaccurate (thanks, Stefan, for the heads-up). Lake Lucerne is bigger than the Lake Zurich but it's not the biggest lake in Switzerland. That title apparently goes to another lake....Lake Geneva.
A Foggy Day in “Lucerne” Town
(Hopefully, Gershwin won’t mind the slight title alteration).
Our recent trip to Zurich also included a day-trip to Lucerne, which is about an hour or so by car from Zurich. Lucerne is a much smaller city than Zurich, with only about 100,000 people, but interestingly, Lake Lucerne is the biggest lake is Switzerland.
A thoroughly charming city and one worthy of revisiting. Apollo did play a cruel joke on us by allowing the sun to come out only as we were getting into the car to drive back to Zurich. Guess we’ll just have to make another trip (smile).
Our recent trip to Zurich also included a day-trip to Lucerne, which is about an hour or so by car from Zurich. Lucerne is a much smaller city than Zurich, with only about 100,000 people, but interestingly, Lake Lucerne is the biggest lake is Switzerland.
A thoroughly charming city and one worthy of revisiting. Apollo did play a cruel joke on us by allowing the sun to come out only as we were getting into the car to drive back to Zurich. Guess we’ll just have to make another trip (smile).
Monday, September 05, 2005
Zurich … a great weekend
Last weekend, Buddy and I made our inaugural trip to Zurich, Switzerland. Many reasons to go, which will become self evident as this posting continues….here they are, in no defined order:
• A first time visit to Switzerland (let alone Zurich) allowed us to add another “stamp” to the passport, figuratively speaking, of course. (Buddy and I are still hacked that we can't get passport “stampage in Europe, as we like the look of these bulging passport pages).
• Zurich is a great city, with just enough to see and do for a weekend without feeling rushed or overloaded.
• Lovely city that is extremely user-friendly. I am thinking that the 1 hour and 15 minute flight will be an easy repeat weekend trip when international necessities, such as English language books, cheap DVDs and CDs, clothing, etc. require a trip outside of Germany.
• We actually saw the city through the eyes of “locals”…which really is the best way to visit a city. Our friends went “way above the call of duty”, doing much advance legwork for sightseeing, restaurants, hotels, and shopping. Thanks, Stefan - you are the best!
• Easy daytrip to Lucerne…charming, indeed.
• Visiting new friends who will hopefully become old friends….
Although the weather was cloudy for some of the weekend, it did not dampen our enjoyment….we’ll be back….
• A first time visit to Switzerland (let alone Zurich) allowed us to add another “stamp” to the passport, figuratively speaking, of course. (Buddy and I are still hacked that we can't get passport “stampage in Europe, as we like the look of these bulging passport pages).
• Zurich is a great city, with just enough to see and do for a weekend without feeling rushed or overloaded.
• Lovely city that is extremely user-friendly. I am thinking that the 1 hour and 15 minute flight will be an easy repeat weekend trip when international necessities, such as English language books, cheap DVDs and CDs, clothing, etc. require a trip outside of Germany.
• We actually saw the city through the eyes of “locals”…which really is the best way to visit a city. Our friends went “way above the call of duty”, doing much advance legwork for sightseeing, restaurants, hotels, and shopping. Thanks, Stefan - you are the best!
• Easy daytrip to Lucerne…charming, indeed.
• Visiting new friends who will hopefully become old friends….
Although the weather was cloudy for some of the weekend, it did not dampen our enjoyment….we’ll be back….
Friday, September 02, 2005
Go speed racer… go speed racer…go, speed racer go…
I thought we might be the slowest drivers on the Autobahn. Well, apparently, there is someone else a bit slower than us. It seems that an 80-year nursing home resident decided he wanted to go shopping at a local area up the road from his residence. Gramps did not have a car, but he did have wheels of a sort…his motorized wheelchair.
As necessity is the mother of invention, Gramps struck out in his wheelchair for a little road trip. I like his thinking, but the execution was a little faulty. Top speed on the wheelchair is only about 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph).
Picture it this way: You are a trucker rolling down the highway. As you clear the hill, what do you see up ahead of you on the Autobahn but Grandpa “put-putting” in his wheelchair? Several passing truckers notified police and one quick-thinking driver even positioned his rig behind the man, thereby, protecting him from the speed demons that normally travel down Germany's largely speed-limit-free expressways.
Police were on hand to collect the man after he made a slow exit off the freeway and returned Gramps to his home, via a more conventional mode of transportation….an automobile.
Now, what I what I want to know is this: did Gramps ever get his shopping completed?
As necessity is the mother of invention, Gramps struck out in his wheelchair for a little road trip. I like his thinking, but the execution was a little faulty. Top speed on the wheelchair is only about 10 kilometers per hour (6 mph).
Picture it this way: You are a trucker rolling down the highway. As you clear the hill, what do you see up ahead of you on the Autobahn but Grandpa “put-putting” in his wheelchair? Several passing truckers notified police and one quick-thinking driver even positioned his rig behind the man, thereby, protecting him from the speed demons that normally travel down Germany's largely speed-limit-free expressways.
Police were on hand to collect the man after he made a slow exit off the freeway and returned Gramps to his home, via a more conventional mode of transportation….an automobile.
Now, what I what I want to know is this: did Gramps ever get his shopping completed?
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Excitement in the Hachie
Forgive the dual blog posting, but it is not often a celebrity personality has a brush with the law in Waxahachie. It appears that the Rev. Al Sharpton’s driver was driving a tad bit too fast on I-35E last Sunday afternoon. According to the Daily Light, “too fast” is defined as 110 mph. Yep, that is too fast.
According to Mr. Sharpton, the story is a fabrication and an outgrowth of Texas politics. Not sure I buy that explanation; can’t I get someone in the Ellis County DA’s office to fill me in on the “rest of the story”?
You can check out the story for yourself on the Daily Light website: http://www.waxahachiedailylight.com/articles/2005/08/30/dailylight/news/02%208_31%20sharpton2.txt. Any driver worth his or her salt knows that you can’t speed through Hill and Ellis Counties….you’ll be stopped for sure!
And yes, we do read the on-line version of the WDL every day from Germany...
According to Mr. Sharpton, the story is a fabrication and an outgrowth of Texas politics. Not sure I buy that explanation; can’t I get someone in the Ellis County DA’s office to fill me in on the “rest of the story”?
You can check out the story for yourself on the Daily Light website: http://www.waxahachiedailylight.com/articles/2005/08/30/dailylight/news/02%208_31%20sharpton2.txt. Any driver worth his or her salt knows that you can’t speed through Hill and Ellis Counties….you’ll be stopped for sure!
And yes, we do read the on-line version of the WDL every day from Germany...
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
“And we’ll have fun, fun, fun in the warm European sun”
(Note: Yes, that is my shameless Beach Boys lyric reference).
It was just a small news item, tucked away at the bottom of the page. So small in fact, that I almost missed it. Thankfully, I am armed with the correct information and can now be prepared for future “sun lounger encounters”, lest they turn nasty or I am accused of being “all wet”.
What in the world could I be commenting on? Trust me, you’d never guess…not in a million years…unless you have been the unwitting victim of this pool-side scam. Although my time in Germany has been brief, and my sunbathing opportunities minimal, I have no first hand knowledge of this ongoing feud between the sun lounger “haves” and “have nots”.
Apparently, the long-running feud between the Germans and the rest of the world regarding the reservation of sun loungers is coming to an end. As the story goes, Germans have a reputation for getting up at the crack of dawn to scope out prime sun real estate, either beach or pool-side. Once the sun lounger or deck chair of choice has been identified, the stake is claimed with the towel being strategically draped across the chair. New flash: Tourists are within their rights to remove towels if there is nobody there.
Sadly, this legal revelation will come as a blow for all those German tourists who believe that the draping of a towel is enough to secure possession. And it will hit them harder still to discover that it was one of their own countrymen who discovered it. A German lawyer by weekday, sun worshipper by weekend (and who incidentally has also been a victim of the sun lounger scam in the past) has finally set the record straight. There is no legal precedent that supports the water-logged notion that sun lounger possession is “9/10s of the law” when blanketed in terry cloth.
While his revelation is likely to bring him hero status among the many tourists who have engaged in heated discussions with Germans over the towel issue, it is unlikely to gain him any points from his fellow Germans. Still, it is nice to know that this notion “doesn’t hold water”...
German elections are around the corner…
With only about 3 weeks left in the campaign season, Germans head to the polls on September 18th to vote for their new Chancellor. What we have noticed in our brief time here is that politics are politics the world over…and this election is no different. And please, I am no spitfire political commentator...consider this the "layman's" view of things.
What are the big issues? The usual ones: high unemployment (about 20% in Germany), high taxes, a generally faltering economy, and immigration issues. No real surprises, as these are election issues in many countries around the globe.
The main candidates for German chancellor are Gerhard Schroeder, the incumbent, who is pitted against Angela Merkel, the challenger. Schroeder called for an early election (they have that option in Germany); most analysts contend that it was primarily a political strategy, as Schroeder is hoping to get elected to another 4 years before his approval rating drops any further. Apparently, he is an outstanding campaigner and can often make up ground when he is behind. At least that is the thinking.
Merkel, on the other hand, became the darling of the media and surged ahead in the polls early on. As best I can tell (remember, my primary source for news is the International Herald Tribune, which is not the bastion for political commentary), Merkel does not appear to be advocating too many radical or different positions than the incumbent. In fact, many of her positions are in the same vein and/or even go a little further than Schroeder’s. It seems that Germans are just tired and are ready to try “something new”, even if that person’s ideas are not altogether new. Unfortunately, a series of political gaffes and miss-steps have not served her well, and the race has tightened. Her most recent one involved using The Rolling Stone’s song Angie as her campaign song... without their permission. That pesky copyright infringement thing again… hope she has a better command of other international laws (smile).
As Buddy and I ran our Saturday morning errands, we noticed that the CDU, CSU, and SPD (political parties in Germany) had set up campaign booths manned by volunteers supposedly prepared to hand out brochures and talk “election” turkey. Either the limited foot traffic at 10 AM was a result of the fact that people can’t talk politics that early in the morning, or Germany has the same level of voter apathy we have in the US. As Buddy and I walked past the booths donned in party colors, we waited for a campaign volunteer to approach us to talk about their candidate or party platform. No one stepped forward…no one even tried. Volunteers just talked amongst themselves and sipped their coffee. I thought the idea was for the campaign worker to approach the pedestrian, not the other way around? There was not too much action going on at any of the booths, until some volunteers at the CDU booth showed up with freebies. Once they started handing out free t-shirts, the foot traffic increased at their booth.
Got it…people like the free stuff….
What are the big issues? The usual ones: high unemployment (about 20% in Germany), high taxes, a generally faltering economy, and immigration issues. No real surprises, as these are election issues in many countries around the globe.
The main candidates for German chancellor are Gerhard Schroeder, the incumbent, who is pitted against Angela Merkel, the challenger. Schroeder called for an early election (they have that option in Germany); most analysts contend that it was primarily a political strategy, as Schroeder is hoping to get elected to another 4 years before his approval rating drops any further. Apparently, he is an outstanding campaigner and can often make up ground when he is behind. At least that is the thinking.
Merkel, on the other hand, became the darling of the media and surged ahead in the polls early on. As best I can tell (remember, my primary source for news is the International Herald Tribune, which is not the bastion for political commentary), Merkel does not appear to be advocating too many radical or different positions than the incumbent. In fact, many of her positions are in the same vein and/or even go a little further than Schroeder’s. It seems that Germans are just tired and are ready to try “something new”, even if that person’s ideas are not altogether new. Unfortunately, a series of political gaffes and miss-steps have not served her well, and the race has tightened. Her most recent one involved using The Rolling Stone’s song Angie as her campaign song... without their permission. That pesky copyright infringement thing again… hope she has a better command of other international laws (smile).
As Buddy and I ran our Saturday morning errands, we noticed that the CDU, CSU, and SPD (political parties in Germany) had set up campaign booths manned by volunteers supposedly prepared to hand out brochures and talk “election” turkey. Either the limited foot traffic at 10 AM was a result of the fact that people can’t talk politics that early in the morning, or Germany has the same level of voter apathy we have in the US. As Buddy and I walked past the booths donned in party colors, we waited for a campaign volunteer to approach us to talk about their candidate or party platform. No one stepped forward…no one even tried. Volunteers just talked amongst themselves and sipped their coffee. I thought the idea was for the campaign worker to approach the pedestrian, not the other way around? There was not too much action going on at any of the booths, until some volunteers at the CDU booth showed up with freebies. Once they started handing out free t-shirts, the foot traffic increased at their booth.
Got it…people like the free stuff….
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Friday night at the movies
We have a pretty good movie theater in our neighborhood of Oberkassel. It does not show everything I would want to see, but then again, neither does the Theater at Buffalo Creek! As is becoming our habit on Friday evening when we are in town, we check out the latest flick…last Friday night was no exception.
One of the things I find so amusing are the German titles that have been given to US films. One does not need a huge command of the German language (really, none at all) to know which film is being shown, although having the movie poster in the lobby does help. Sometimes the titles stay in English, sometimes they are translated into German, and sometimes they are an English-German combo thing. Apparently, the fact that the films have either been dubbed into German or remain in OV (original version, which for us, means English) does not indicate into which language the title is translated.
This past weekend, we saw the new John Cusack-Diane Lane film Must Love Dogs. The title for the OV version is Frau mit Hund sucht Mann mit Hertz. With a little translation assistance, that works out to be Woman with Dog is Looking for Man with Heart.
Here are a few others that I throw out, simply for the sake of discussion:
* Der Date Docktor - Translated as "The Date Doctor", although technically there is no German word for date doctor. Originally, this was the Will Smith film entitled Hitch.
* Herr und Frau Schmidt –OK, technically, this is easy to figure out (Mr. and Mrs. Smith). I just like saying it.
* Das Comeback - Literally translated as "The Comeback". In actuality, this is the new Russell Crowe movie Cinderella Man.
* Das Wandelnde Schloss - Translated as “The Changing Lock”. In actuality, it is The Skeleton Key, the new film with Kate Hudson.
One other point to note: I am still not used to seeing people buying bottles of beer at the movie concession line and taking them into the theaters. I still do the double-take when I see and then I remember, “Oh yea, I am in Germany”. And no, “sweet popcorn” is not that good to eat either.
One of the things I find so amusing are the German titles that have been given to US films. One does not need a huge command of the German language (really, none at all) to know which film is being shown, although having the movie poster in the lobby does help. Sometimes the titles stay in English, sometimes they are translated into German, and sometimes they are an English-German combo thing. Apparently, the fact that the films have either been dubbed into German or remain in OV (original version, which for us, means English) does not indicate into which language the title is translated.
This past weekend, we saw the new John Cusack-Diane Lane film Must Love Dogs. The title for the OV version is Frau mit Hund sucht Mann mit Hertz. With a little translation assistance, that works out to be Woman with Dog is Looking for Man with Heart.
Here are a few others that I throw out, simply for the sake of discussion:
* Der Date Docktor - Translated as "The Date Doctor", although technically there is no German word for date doctor. Originally, this was the Will Smith film entitled Hitch.
* Herr und Frau Schmidt –OK, technically, this is easy to figure out (Mr. and Mrs. Smith). I just like saying it.
* Das Comeback - Literally translated as "The Comeback". In actuality, this is the new Russell Crowe movie Cinderella Man.
* Das Wandelnde Schloss - Translated as “The Changing Lock”. In actuality, it is The Skeleton Key, the new film with Kate Hudson.
One other point to note: I am still not used to seeing people buying bottles of beer at the movie concession line and taking them into the theaters. I still do the double-take when I see and then I remember, “Oh yea, I am in Germany”. And no, “sweet popcorn” is not that good to eat either.
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