German wins nobel prize

On a separate note: German physicist Theodor W. Hänsch said he was overwhelmed by winning the 2005 Nobel Physics Prize but admitted he had long believed his work was worthy of such an honor. Not only smart but modest, too…

Schneeballen

DAY 17 of “Chancellor Watch” – One of many opinion polls cite 34% of Germans want a "Chancellor Merkel". Now, that is a really helpful stat, since that was about the same percentage of the voting public who voted for her in the first place.

DAY 18 of “Chancellor Watch” – Germany's two main parties will meet on Thursday to thrash out who will lead a coalition government to break Germany's political deadlock following inconclusive elections. CDU leader Angela Merkel said after exploratory talks on Wednesday, the two sides had found common ground. And the beat goes on…

Besides seeing the inside of a client conference room and hotel room, my tour of Chicago has pretty much encompassed only those things I have seen enroute from O’Hare Airport to the northern suburb of Northfield. Tiring trip, and further complicated by the challenges of getting wireless internet to work in my hotel room and the fact that my EDS business phone is apparently not ”tri-band” compatible.

With that said, access to the blog has been somewhat limited, so uploading of pics has been too time intensive. Trust me…they will be forthcoming. However, let me share one such small anecdote from our recent tour of Bavaria….we discovered the edible treats known as schneeballen.



The best thing I can liken these little tasty morsels to are pieces of pie crust that have been compacted into a ball about the size of a snowball (hence the name). Then, the item is baked and covered in some sort of item such as chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, nuts…. All throughout the German city of Rothenberg, we cwandered past store windows tempting passers-by with a view of these sweets. And yes, they were good, although Buddy did remark that his was a tad bit dry. We just love coming across these little regional foodstuffs….

My Kind of Town…Chicago Is

DAY 16 of “Chancellor Watch” – I have no new updates…it is too early in the morning yet for a news brief.

Well, another nice long weekend comes to an end and the reality of work sets in. This week, my travels take me to Chicago for a series of business meetings, but thankfully my flight is not too early on Tuesday morning and I will be surrounded with some of my fun work colleagues for the majority of the week. Apart from either a really good slab of pizza or hamburger that is a “must” when visiting the windy city, I am looking forward to a trip to the drug store and 4 nights of Late Night with David Letterman. It's the little things.

Germany's Day of National Unity

DAY 12 of “Chancellor Watch” – Both candidates are waiting to see what the Dresden elections hold on Sunday…not much new is expected to change, with a grand coalition the likely course of action.

DAY 13 of “Chancellor Watch” – Merkel and Schroder head to “stump” on the final day before the election in Dresden.

DAY 14 of “Chancellor Watch” – The citizens of Dresden show up amidst rain to cast their votes.

DAY 15 of “Chancellor Watch” – Merkel’s CDU party gains one more seat in Parliament, but nothing really changes. A grand coalition is still the most likely scenario, although sources close to Schroder hint that he is likely to step down from the post of Chancellor. We shall see...

Yippee! A three day weekend in Germany, courtesy of a Monday holiday. The best part of a long weekend is the travel options it affords…hence our tour of the upper section of the Romantic Road. Still, one should at least know the name of the holiday and the meaning behind the day that results in a day off from work.

Thus, October 3rd is known as the Day of German Unity. It was on this day in 1990 and with the agreement of the four former occupying powers, that the former communist East Germany – or the German Democratic Republic (GDR) - was officially dissolved, creating a sovereign unified German state.

Sorry for the lapse in postings but some of these little inns don’t have a lot of high-speed internet connections. Suffice to say, we have returned from a great weekend touring several towns in the upper section of the Romantic Road, including Rothenberg-ob-de-Tauber, Wurtzberg, and Dinkelsbuhl. I promise…pictures will follow.

Although it was one soggy weekend, and a cold front blew through, we braved the tourist buses at several locations, a Friday night “stau” (German word for traffic jam) that turned our trip into a 4 hour rather than 3 hour drive, and generally drizzly weather. Highlights include lots of Franconian fare (brat, sauerkraut, and potatoes), Christmas shopping, and a quirky but fun “Nightwatchman tour” in Rothenburg.

Sidenote: The Bear lost a close one in overtime…man, I hated to read that once I returned to the land of the WWW.

Road trip

DAY 11 of “Chancellor Watch” – Both the SDP and CDU parties called Wednesday's talks "fruitful" and "serious". But added they were still not ready to formally negotiate, or decide on a chancellor.

A three-day weekend is quickly approaching, thanks to a German holiday on Monday. Never to waste the travel possibilities of a long weekend, Buddy and I have decided to check out a stretch of Germany known as The Romantic Road, or Romantische Strasse. This section of German countryside runs for 180 miles between the cities of Wurzburg in the north and Fussen, located in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps to the south. Clearly, this vast amount of touring cannot be adequately done in three days by “Young travel standards”, so we have decided to visit the upper section of this area in our upcoming weekend.

The name itself is not intended to attract lovebirds, so to speak, but rather uses the word romance to mean wonderful, fabulous, and imaginative. And of course, this road started out as a road on which the Romans traveled.

For this trip, we’ll concentrate on the crown jewel of The Romantic Road, Rothenburg-ob-de-Tauber. Although it can be fraught with hordes of tourists, this time of year should help us manage this challenge. We’ve been told if we only have time for one town on the Romantic Road, then this is place to visit. Supposedly, this town is the best preserved medieval city in Europe. So, we’ll start in Wurzburg on Friday PM and head south as far as Dinkelsbuhl, seeing Rothenburg-ob-de-Tauber somewhere in the middle.

Wurzburg is about a 3 hour drive, so this is Friday night’s destination. And yes, road trips do require the careful packing of the vehicle to ensure that all necessary roadtrip paraphernalia are included. This includes the proper selection of CDs to ensure road trip appropriate music is in order, travel books in the offchance we see something not on the itinerary and need more information, road snacks and beverages, camera, reading material (usually in the form of Entertainment Weekly magazines that are now piling up in my living room), sunglasses (although today’s clouds, cool weather, and gray sky may negate the need for these)…just to name a few.

Pictures will be forthcoming, so check back regularly.

A Visit to the Local US Consulate

DAY 10 of “Chancellor Watch” – Word on the street is that prior to today’s next round of exploratory talks, both CDU and SDP parties are beginning to find some common ground with both sides still very interested in Sunday's Dresden election. It is unlikely that the election in Dresden will tip the scales firmly in either direction. The slight advantage that the conservatives currently hold may diminish, however, which could further complicate the negotiations and strengthen Chancellor Schröder's claim to power.

This morning, I trekked down to the Düsseldorf US Consulate office for a purpose that will become apparent in just a moment. By way of background, there is not a full-blown US embassy in Düsseldorf (or “mission” as they are technically called in embassy lingo) like we had in Taipei and Seoul. No, this is just a small office located on the 10th floor of an office building in Düsseldorf. Easy enough to find, with hours of operation while not technically “user-friendly” (9 am-12 noon daily) are well published, and of course, English-speakers to handle my multiple “pre-visit” questions by telephone. Still, it is a government office with the government mindset for rules and regulations…do you get the visual?

Today, the purpose of my visit was to request additional passport pages to be inserted into my US passport. So, after passing through the first floor obligatory US security check including passport review, handbag inspection, “body-wanding”, and requests to turn off of my cell phone and leave handbag in a locked area, I was whisked into an elevator where the security guard granted me access to the 10th floor. I was unable to punch the floor I needed; rather the security guard had to do that for me with a key of some sort. Upon exiting the elevator, I then walked through a metal detector, showed my passport a second time for inspection, signed into the visitor book, and was “buzzed” into the inner sanctum of the US Consulate Office. So far, so good. And yes, that is exactly the kind of security I expected having been to other embassies in the past and in light of heightened US security measures worldwide.

Amazingly, I was the first person into the office that morning, as no one else was waiting ahead of me. “OK, I’ll be in and out in a jiffy”, relatively speaking. I already knew my visit might take up to 30 minutes as that had been one of my “pre-visit” telephone inquiries. Strolling up to the counter, I greeted the US official with a cheery, “Good morning,” only to be met with stone cold silence. And, yes, he was an American and yes, he did speak English. Pressing on, I succinctly explained the purpose for my visit, slid my passport under the bullet proof glass, and awaited next instructions.

I was quickly informed that previous immigration officials from other countries had used the “wrong pages” located at the back of the passport for general visa and passport stamps. Oops, sorry about that but I did not stamp the pages…others did. I tried to gamely interject that “yes, I could see that but did the nice Mr. G-man see that I had already had passport pages inserted once before? And this had been done in the center of passport?” Oh, yes, he saw that, and yes, those had been “done wrong, too”. (Mrs. Roark, 12th grade English teacher is rolling in her grave right now…"done wrong”????). I decided that nothing would be gained by pointing out the grammatical error, as I still needed to get new passport pages.

After listening to this diatribe (I just let him lecture me for a few moments, as I was not going to get a word in edgewise), I politely asked, “So now what do I do?” Moments later, I was informed that the “rules had just been changed on Monday”, and that an exception would be made in this case. “Oh wow, thanks a million” – I mean we are only talking about putting blank passport pages into a passport here…

After completing the required paperwork (there is always at least one form required in any governmental transaction), I left the office fifteen minutes later with a new and improved passport in hand. As I departed, I began to hear the next lecture beginning for a woman who needed a marriage form for getting married in Germany. Her third trip to the office, and each time a “new” requirement was unveiled requiring a new document to be produced. Bless her heart…I feel her pain.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that government bureaucracy is alive and well the world over?

Beware of Bikers

DAY 9 of “Chancellor Watch” – Essentially, no side is budging. Both Merkel and Schroder believe that they have the right to be German Chancellor. Merkel’s team says that they won’t even begin grand coalition talks until the Schroder camp admits upfront that Schroder will not be chancellor. Essentially, this is pre-requirement before any other discussions can take place. On the flip side, Schroder’s team admits that no one group has a mandate and he has as much right as anyone to stay in the job. He has thrown out the possibility of the two parties sharing the chancellery, each for a couple of years. That would be akin to saying, “OK, Bush you have the first 2 years; Gore you get the last 2 years”. Amazing.

I have heard of driving defensively. Now, I can add this to the list: in Germany, one must walk defensively. Tell me more, you say….

Well, throughout the city of Düsseldorf and other German cities, there are biking paths that have been clearly laid out for city bikes (not motorbikes, though – they ride on the streets, unlike Korea). These paths are usually denoted in red paver bricks in one section of a gray concrete sidewalk or marked off in white paint. Kinda like an HOV lane on the sidewlk but for bikes only. Walkers beware! If you walk in a biking path, you do not have the right of way; if you are hit, you could be held responsible. Fortunately, most of the bicyclists have a pleasant little bell on their bike that they ring ever so courteously as they ride up behind you to alert you of their presence.

Still, I can get caught up in checking out my surroundings and be totally unaware that I have ambled into a bike path or worse, the path of a biker. I feel like I need a license just to walk to around to ensure I can interpret and adhere to the traffic signs for pedestrian traffic. So far, no walker-biker altercations, but I have had a couple of close calls.

Please note: Let me allay any concerns regarding the trams. I have no trouble watching out for these. I clearly “check left, check right, check left again” (thank you, catch phrase from high school driver’s education course) before crossing a tram track.

Passport Stampage

DAY 8 of “Chancellor Watch” – German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said he's in favor of a grand coalition government between his Social Democrats and Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats. Yet, he is not willing to give up the leadership of Chancellor just yet. Neither is Merkel prepared to back down on that point either, as she continues to say she deserves the post since she received the most votes. Further discussions to be delayed until after next Sunday’s vote in Dresden due to the death of a local candidate just prior to the election halted all voting in that district, including Chancellor (see blog post for 9/15 for details). So, is Dresden destined to become “Florida” in this election?

Call me crazy, but I LOVE to get stamps in my passport as I enter and exit various countries. Fortunately, travel in Asia afforded me multiple opportunities for ample “passport stampage”. So many stamps have been received to date that I have had extra pages inserted into the passport already on a previous occasion; I’ll need to do that again, most likely this week, as I am running out of room once again.

Now a different scenario plays out in Europe. With the receipt of a German resident visa and this thing called an “EU zone” which is supposed to allow for freer movement between EU countries, I simply show my passport to an EU immigration official, he/she looks at my document, checks the computer for whatever it is they are checking for, and then hands me my passport back…with no passport stamp. Bah humbug!

Now, I am primarily speaking about air travel here, as there are no passport stamps at all for rail and/or car travel. A recent train trip from Germany to Paris resulted in no one even asking to look at a passport, let alone receipt of a passport stamp.

So far, the only exception to this rule has been in the UK, where entry into Britain will result in receipt of a passport stamp, but no stamp is received upon exit. Not sure why the rules are different for the UK, but they are…

Again, why should I care? I don’t really know except that I simply like the look of a nice thick passport. Yea…it’s kinda dumb.

Girlfriends

DAY 7 of “Chancellor Watch” – Clearly, Sundays are slow news days for these kinds of topics. Things are supposed to pick up next week and some type of progress is supposed to be made. TBD. Germans do seem a tad pessimistic on this one, as well as the German business markets and EU business analysts…

Lots of business trips and late nights at the office (Deloitte and EDS home office) of late. Other than work and the occasional weekend trips (which we do love and avail ourselves of at every opportunity), I am afraid we have been quite the boring people. This has created a bit of challenge on the “girlfriend front”.

In all seriousness, a rather big challenge for me right now is meeting some girlfriends. Although we have been here for about 6 months, we have had few opportunities to make any deep friendships, in part due to the hectic work week (which sometimes spills over into the weekends) and our business and pleasure travel schedule. We have located one English church, but summer traveling schedules for everyone has not allowed for any connections there. I know, summers are always a time when people are traveling with family, go home to the states, etc. We hope that will change and that we'll be able to meet some more folks this way.

I have also joined the American Women's Club in Düsseldorf in the hopes of connecting with some women as well, as I am finding that I do miss the girl-chat and GNOs (girls’ nights out). Many of the activities are designed for non-working women as you can imagine, and are scheduled during the day. Yes, I know this will not come as a shock, but most women are still the “trailing spouses” so they have lots of time on their hands and bit more flexibility, unlike me with a day job. For example, this coming week, the monthly coffee, the pumpkin patch shopping, and a few other events are planned as day activities. Sadly, I must opt out (not that the pumpkin patch shopping would really be high on my list, but the "meeting people” aspect would have drawn me in). There are also some evening events that I will check out, so I have not despaired yet.

Third new city…third new expat assignment…so this should not be anything new. Still, it can be hard to make those connections. And yes, as a working woman (with no kids), I can be the “proverbial square peg in a round hole”.

So, for all those girlfriends of mine out there reading this blog, know that you are thought of fondly on this day, and very much appreciated.

And to think, I thought the sound of that police siren was rather charming

DAY 6 of “Chancellor Watch” – Well, this is by no means a political science lecture, but here is the latest: Neither of the 2 main political parties have enough votes to push their candidate into the chancellery. So, both parties are required to find another smaller/lesser party with which to build a ruling coalition. Problem is that even if 2 parties band together, they still don’t have enough votes. Thus, it appears that Schroder’s and Merkel’s parties are going to have to work together to build what is being called a grand coalition. The opposition conservative Christian Democrats, who narrowly won last Sunday's election, are demanding that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Social Democrats step down. Leading CDU politicians said that their leader, Angela Merkel, should be chancellor in a grand coalition. However the Social Democrats are insisting that Schroeder should lead any such coalition. Yea…next week’s round of meetings look to be productive, huh?

I must confess that the exporting of certain American products and concepts overseas does not especially make me shout from the rooftops with glee. Yes, there is something a little disheartening about seeing a KFC or Burger King restaurant on every corner in Seoul, Taipei, and even a few in Germany (or for the rest of the world for that matter). Likewise, I am often quite proud that the only Hollywood movies that are seen fit to show outside the US involve either comic book characters, space aliens, or young men driving fast cars and shooting guns. No wonder the world has just a skewed view of our country at times.

I think you get the picture (although there are exceptions: not that I mind being able to find a Starbuck’s anywhere in the civilized world, including the new one that just opened up less than a 10 minute walk from the apartment).

Add another export to the list: NYPD sirens and flashing red cherry lights are now being put onto all German police cars. Yes, that quaint sound of European police sirens (you know the one I mean….watch any movie with its location set in Europe and listen for the siren sound…it is quite distinctive).

Once again, the exporting of America has now moved into the vehicles of German police cars. Why? What is the rationale? I really kinda liked the other siren sound…it was just so…European! Supposedly, German citizens are becoming less responsive to the old look and siren sound after years of absorbing US popular culture, especially crime shows on television.

Ah, yes, such TV stalwarts as Starsky and Hutch, Hill Street Blues, Kojak, and The Law & Order Franchise (although I am a personal fan of this last one)…are not only another excellent example of the American export but apparently the impetus for change within German police departments.

Makes me so proud….

Update on Friends

Don't you love mobile phones? Even in the middle of an impending natural disaster when you can reach almost anyone, it makes me wonder why we even use landlines anymore? (Sorry to those friends who work for SBC; I am sure there is a response for that one, but even 2nd and 3rd world countries are skipping over putting in any more land lines in and going straight to mobile phones).

With that said, on to the reason for the post. My college roommate and family (Kim, Scott, their clan of 4 daughters, and 2 dogs) have safely evacuated the Houston area and are now ensconced in central Texas at their ranch. We spoke by phone...they're out ahead of the traffic snafus, they're OK, and they're waiting to see what happens next....

Rita

DAY 5 of “Chancellor Watch” - First coalition talks between Germany's two biggest parties broke up Thursday with conservative leader Angela Merkel saying there were "clear differences" between her and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's ruling party. Uh, I think we knew that BEFORE the elections. So, still no progress on who is to be declared chancellor….

Not much of a blog post today. I am just sick to read of impending Hurricane Rita and the possible devastation and loss of life. As if some of those people have not been through enough. It is at times like this, I do wish I was back in Texas, to check on friends and family, and to do something productive to help. It is not easy to read and watch from afar….

Traffic Signs...they are not that intuitive

DAY 4 of “Chancellor Watch” - 12 out of 16 German election experts polled predict Angela Merkel will eventually top incumbent Gerhard Schröder in the fight for the chancellery. Only one analyst believes Schröder has a chance at forming a coalition government and blocking out Merkel in the coming weeks. Merkel and Schröder still both claim Germany's top job after Sunday's election decided nothing. It now appears we are in the phase entitled “there is no ‘new’ news on this situation so we’ll fill our media airtime with ‘expert’ chatter while we wait for the ‘real’ news”.

On to today’s blog post….

Now that the driver’s license and car order are behind us, thought I’d share with you some our recent learnings regarding streets signs. Perhaps the Germans are right to require foreign drivers to take a written test, because I swear, there are at least 60 plus street signs that we had never seen before moving to Germany. For those of you who have lived in other parts of Europe, I’d be interested in knowing your experiences on the subject…did you have a similar reaction?

With that said, we have located this handy-dandy little book that shows all the street signs used on German roadways today, with a brief explanation in English no less. Thank goodness, because we failed our quick quiz on several of them. And yes, let me answer your question upfront: some of the signs are intuitive, some of them are not. Why don’t you try your hand at interpreting the following signs by choosing the best answer…correct answers at the end of the post.



a. this road is not a two lane road
b. no cars allowed to drive side by side on this road
c. no overtaking allowed on this road
d. no red car can drive next to a black car



a. drive ahead only
b. you may drive straight
c. one way road
d. this sign actually should tell me something useful?



a. maximum speed in this zone is 30 kph
b. ending speed in this zone is 30 kph
c. beginning speed in this zone is 30 kph
d. I am confused….aren’t answers a-c very much the same? (if you pick this one, you’re wrong (buzzer sound is going off))



a. maximum speed in this zone is 30 kph
b. ending of speed zone of 30 kph
c. beginning speed in this zone is 30 kph
d. I am really confused now (if you pick this one, you’re technically correct, but it is not the best answer)



a. stay to the right of this sign
b. no parking to the right allowed
c. no stopping here
d. end of prohibition to no stopping



a. no trucks allowed
b. no vehicles or combinations over length shown allowed
c. no trucks or combinations over length shown allowed
d. trucks or combinations over length shown must take this route

How do you think you did? At least you had multiple choice answers. When Buddy and I tried to do this, I think we were unable to accurately interpret over 80 % of the signage. Granted, once you get the system into your head, it actually does start to make sense.

Answers: 1- c, 2 – a, 3 – c, 4 – b, 5 - d, 6 - b

German Potpourri

DAY 3 of “Chancellor Watch” - The inconclusive poll has left Schröder and Merkel jockeying for power. By law, either one can become the next chancellor. But, it's the German president who can eventually weigh in and name a candidate if talks drag on.

A few updates…in no particular order…

* Tidbit #1 - it should be a crime to travel to London on business and see nothing except the inside of hotel and conference rooms. Two days in London and I have nothing to really show for it. I take that back; I have a stamp in the passport (future blog topic) and a Starbuck’s city mug.

* Tidbit #2 – A new blog topic will grace the start of each blog posting entitled “Chancellor Watch”. This little blurb will appear at the start of each day’s blog posting to provide nothing but a quick update on the status of the new German chancellor. And while we are on the subject, can I just say how refreshing it is as an American to see that the US is not the only country that has “election hiccups”. For once, we are not the only nation that is the brunt of bad election jokes and electoral circuses. So, Americans take heart: the United States is apparently not the only major western democracy unable to pull off an election.

* Tidbit #3 – After almost 5 months of waiting on the car order (yes, we ordered a standard black BMW, with leather seats, CD changer, and sunroof – that was the extent of our special options), we finally have our new car. Sans leather seats and sunroof. Heck: 2 out 4 ain’t bad. And to think, we waited all this time for that (she says with a smile on her face and a song in her heart).

* Tidbit #4 – We received a request by the landlord to have an apartment handover meeting. Excellent! Only been here 5 ½ months (heavy sarcasm noted). We sense there is another issue…more to come…

And the winner is….

Well, apparently…no one. That’s right. Merkel and Germany's conservatives won a narrow victory on Sunday but fell short of the majority needed to form a coalition government with their preferred partners, the pro-business Free Democrats. Weeks ago, Merkel had been predicted to handily win the election, but in the weeks leading up to the election, either voter indecision, the ability of Merkel to differentiate herself as the “voice of change”, or a series of political gaffes resulted in Merkel only claiming 35% of the parliamentary vote.

Schroder, on the other hand, gained 34% of vote, but cannot be declared the victor either. Neither candidate has the required majority to govern based solely on the votes they received.

To make matters worse, there are still the 2-4 seats up for grabs in the election in Dresden, due to the death of a candidate resulting in the election for all candidates, including Chancellor, being delayed for 2 weeks in that district.

So, as things stand now, we have both candidates claiming they have a “clear mandate” from the people to serve as Germany’s next chancellor. Sorry, ladies and gents, 34-35% is not a clear mandate. In my book, a clear mandate should be at least 50% or more. I realize it is just the rhetoric of politicos, but still, basic math should be a prerequisite for government service. Maybe that is why Merkel had problems explaining the new tax proposal…

Secondly, neither of the two people can become chancellor without forming a coalition government with another party. So, who is going to take whom to the big dance? Which parties will now put aside party platform differences that were once so divisive, and form a coalition that will allow either Merkel or Schroder to become chancellor?

Bottom line: No new German chancellor just yet. This topic should be fodder for at least 2-3 weeks of media speculation, water cooler talk, and yes, more campaign stumping…