Sat, Mar 8th 2008, 01:49
On Thursday night, February 21st, Mike and I boarded our night train to Zurich. Whatever we had envisioned our cabin to look like, I'm sure for both of us it was something a little...roomier.
After our restful sleep in the spacious train cabin, we awoke at 8am to hear a woman announcing that we were about to arrive at our final stop, Zurich, so please "go out".
Luckily for us, Mike's friend Christian was there to pick us up from the train station. I don't think Mike or I could understand the Swiss very well, who speak a "cuter" version of German.
Our first day in Switzerland Christian showed us Zurich. We opened up a Swiss bank account (shh!) and saw some flashy Protestant churches. For lunch we met up with Alex, who is from Switzerland (Christian is not, he is German). We climbed up to a tower and got a view of all of Zurich, which would have been so much nicer on a clear summer day, when we could have seen the Alps.
We went out for lunch where I discovered my new favorite addiction, Espresso. Alex shared a story with us from when she was in the U.S. ordering a sandwhich at Subway. The woman told her they had American Cheese, Swiss Cheese, etc...and Alex asked, what kind of Swiss cheese? The woman and Alex were both confused.
That night Christian took us out for a traditional Swiss meal at a Fondue restaurant. Let's just say, I was not a fan.
On Saturday we rented a car and drove to Luzern (or Lucerne) which was a beautiful little place on a lake and you could see the Alps (if it wasn't February). Christian made us climb up a hill, but we thanked him afterwards because the views were amazing.
Mike and I parted ways with Christian and headed to Konstanz (or Constance) in Germany to visit our friends Jürgen, Annette, and Laura. But first we made some stops in Liechtenstein and Austria, but no one would stamp my passport! Stupid European Union...We stayed in my first (and last) youth hostile in Konstanz and went out to dinner with them. But Mike and I are old farts, so we didn't stay out late.
The next day Mike and I drove further South in Switzerland to the Italian part where they only speak Italian. We stayed in a town called Locarno which was also very beautiful, even for February.
From there we made a trip to Milan in Italy. Mike and I were both a little frightened because we don't speak Italian. Once we got to Milan we realized we had no clue what you are supposed to see when you are there. So we wandered around until we found this church which made the trip worth it, because it was so beautiful and HUGE! I can't imagine the people building it so long ago.
I got a little scared of the African guys outside the church who would tie "free" bracelets around your wrist and then demand money for them. So we decided we had seen enough of Milan.
Mike couldn't go skiing this time because he was with me, and I hate fun. But he wanted to atleast see it and live vicariously through others, so on the way back to Zurich we drove through the Alps and up to a place called Andermatt. We took the gondola up to the very top, and I got very frightened and couldn't look out. Mike told me not to be such a chicken, and then after we were through with the ride he told me how a gondola had gotten loose of its tracks recently and fallen down killing everyone inside. Atleast he told me afterwards and not before.
We had a beautiful trip, but we were both happy to come back home to our computers and to our little Penny who missed us. And now I am already planning our next vacation.
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Mon, Feb 18th 2008, 04:13
Like in any other country, the elderly folk in Germany like to share their wisdom with us young hooligans. But, it seems to me, that they are much more generous with their advice here, meaning that even if they don't know you, they will educate you if you are doing something inappropriate:
"Immer über den Rasen latschen!"
...means they don't appreciate it when you walk on the grass...
"Junger Mann, wir haben hier auch eine Garderobe!"
...means they would like you to hang your coat up...
I went to the oral surgeon today, which was quite upsetting, as I was told by Mike, who was translating for the doctor, that he would like to do it (remove my wisdom teeth) in two sessions, that I will be unable to use my mouth for about a week, that there could be complications with my nerves and my sinuses, and that he'd like to do it with a local anesthetic. Awesome! Sign me up!
Going to several different doctors has been lots of "fun", since Mike has to come with me and translate everything. But I'd like to finally get this done while I am here and while it is affordable. My surgery is scheduled for April.
Yesterday Mike and I went to see The Golden Compass in English. It was very good, but nobody told me it was part of a series and would end without a resolution! Guess we will have to read the books since the Magisterium will probably stop them from filming the next one.
Before the film there was a Marlboro commercial, which was very strange, since I don't think I've ever seen a cigarette commercial. Are they even legal in the U.S.? I know I've seen magazine ads, but never commercials. Anyways, the commercial was very romantic and had cowboys riding around in somewhere that looked like the Grand Canyon and lighting up. Then at the end it said "Rauchen kann tödlich sein" which means smoking can be deadly, which only seemed to add to the allure. It almost made me want to be dangerous and cool, and smoke like those cowboys. Almost. Somehow, the cowboys in the ad and the ones that I have experienced while living in Arizona aren't quite comparable.
Over the last couple of weeks Mike and I have spent a weekend in Poland, and we also had friends over and had a party. So check out those photos.
On Thursday we are taking a night train to Zurich and spending a week there. We plan on renting a car and driving to Milan. I will post pictures when I get back!
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Fri, Jan 25th 2008, 01:29
Guide to Not Getting Your Feelings Hurt in Germany
(This guide is a work in process, as I am only beginning to learn how not to get my feelings hurt in Germany)
Even for an American, I am especially sensitive and have a very fragile ego. So some of my negative reactions to Germans may be amplified because of this. The generalizations that I will make, are of course, just generalizations. Not every German is like this, just like not every American is identical to myself. But I have noticed definite trends.
Germans value honesty. Which is a very admirable thing. But they aren't afraid to hurt peoples feelings in order to be honest. (I wonder if they have ever heard of "the little white lie"?) Don't ask a German for their opinion about something unless you are prepared for the truth. You will often get their opinions without asking for them, as well. If it is in regards to your clothing or favorite music, do your best to ignore it. But if it is in regards to some behavior of yours, once your ego has recovered, try to see if there is some truth in the observation and if you can use it to make yourself an easier person to be around.
You will be asked your opinons about President Bush and the Iraq War, because just as you will have your preconceived ideas about the Germans being lederhosen-wearing, wurst-eating, beer-drinkers, they will also have their own stereotypes about you and your gas-guzzling SUVs, fast food, and wonderful foreign policies.
Don't be offended when the waitress, cashier, secretary, or bar tender does not smile at you or exchange pleasantries. The idea of the customer always being right is beginning to make an appearance in Europe, but for the most part, Germans will gladly sacrifice friendly service for a better price. Germans also think it is very strange that waitresses are overly-friendly and that people bag your groceries for you in America.
Don't get your feelings hurt if you feel that you have gone out of your way to do something nice for someone, and the gratitude they show does not seem equal to the effort that you made. They are, of course, very grateful, but they have an entirely different way of showing it. They will thank you once, and probably tell you that you shouldn't have. I can only imagine how strange they must think it is for someone to thank them "too much" for a small gift or a good meal.
The main thing that I have learned is that I should stop and think about it before I get upset by a comment or behavior in Germany. Because chances are, it is just a cultural misunderstanding. So, being informed about these typical differences in attitude and behavior, may go a long way in helping you to not get your feelings hurt in Germany.
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Sat, Jan 5th 2008, 07:31
It is almost dark when I set out at 3:30pm to buy groceries. The walk is about 10-15 minutes on my short legs, and the weather is cold and windy. My ears ache from the cold, because I'm too ridiculous to wear a hat. If I decide to use a cart at the grocery store, I will have to deposit one euro to take it, but I would not be able to carry a cart full of groceries home on my own, so I only buy as much as I can carry.
When I check out, the cashier might say "Guten Tag" or "Hallo", but usually she says nothing and does not smile. Nor does she bag my groceries, and I must shove them back into my cloth sack that I brought myself as quick as she rings it up, or the people waiting in line behind me may give me dirty looks for wasting their time. "Achtzehn euro sechzig" she says quickly, and if I am lucky there is a display on the cash register to show me the number because I don't understand her Sachsen accent.
With my groceries in hand, I begin to walk back. The streets are littered with firework debris after New Years (which they call Silverster). That night when we looked out of our top floor window, we could see fireworks all over our neighborhood, because there were people lighting them on almost every block. Never before have I seen such a good firework display, and so close up. Apparently, the Germans love fire hazards. I wonder how many people blew their fingers off that night in Dresden alone.
I have purchased a couple of German fire hazards, myself. This is called a Pyramide. It is made of wood and when you light candles underneath the windmill, it turns, spinning the figures inside.
This one is called a Rauchenmännchen, which means "little smoking man" in English. You light an incense cone and put it inside his belly and then smoke comes out of his mouth. Do you think they would have toys that smoked in America? I am surprised by how prevalent smoking is here. It is rare to find someone who does not smoke. And in America we have almost shamed most smokers into smoking a distance away from everyone else, but not here. People smoke right next to you as if they expect you to enjoy it.
The Christmas traditions here do not differ that much from in America except on a few points. There are markets in every town during the holidays (I posted a blog and pictures from one before called Striezelmarkt). The markets sell handcrafted items, such as the two I showed above, and they also sell Gluhwein, sauerkraut, wurst, etc.
They have Christmas trees just like we do, but some people still put real candles in their trees (another fire hazard!). On Christmas Eve they open their presents, instead of on Christmas morning like we do at my house (When does Santa have time to sneak down the chimney during the day, I wonder?). The traditional meal on Christmas eve is Bratwurst. On Christmas day they usually eat duck or goose, and the day following (the 26th) is also a holiday. After meals, the whole family (including grandparents) have a shot or two of alcohol to help the digestion. I can't imagine that happening after the Christmas meal with my family.
I had a very nice Christmas with Mike's family. I didn't expect many gifts so was surprised by all of the nice things I got from Mike's family. I was also very surprised by my gift from Mike. I expected him to get me some electronic thing, but instead he completely surprised me with a beautiful ruby ring. He's a keeper.
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Thu, Dec 13th 2007, 15:26
We were spending the weekend in Markersdorf with Mike's parents, so I thought I should bring some cookies. Even though they probably wouldn't like them, it would be a nice gesture! This time I planned to bake both sugar and chocolate chip cookies. The main problem I had in finding ingredients this time was that there was only one type of chocolate chip (no semi-sweet, etc), and the brown sugar was granulated, not packed. Oh well, I figured, sugar is sugar, and chocolate chips are chocolate chips, right?
Well the recipes I found online at AllRecipes.com called for a LOT of butter and sugar. Which I guess is what makes them sooo good.
I made the dough for the chocolate chip cookies and put some in the oven. I knew the dough looked funny, but I was hoping for the best. When they came out they were flat and greasy. Luckily, my roommate Carl is some sort of Chef-Boy-Wonder and he informed me that they needed more flour, and the day was saved. Mike also saved the day by eating the flat greasy ones.
I used cute little star cookie cutters for the sugar cookies, but when they came out of the oven they were blobs, instead of cute little stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed my cookies. His parents each tried one, and strangely enough, didn't ever have more. Mike and I ended up eating them all. But they did make comments about how buttery they were. Yumm. But if I had to describe German sweets I would probably start by not using the word sweet. All of the Christmas stuff is gingerbread which is not sweet at all and is rather hard. I ate some bread at their house that had brown swirls which I thought were cinnamon or chocolate, but they turned out to be poppy seeds. Yuck. So I guess I am more used to my cookies, with a whole cube of butter and lots of sugar. Mmm lecker (German for delicious or tasty). And also sehr gesund (very healthy)!
My little Penny-cat is doing well. She still has schleim (as the Germans like to call it) in her chest, but I hope eventually she will sneeze it all out, and hopefully not all of it in my face as she likes to do. She is 12 weeks old now, and we are starting to give her more freedom to roam around the apartment, since she seems to know how to find her way back to her box now. She is very sweet and needs constant affection. She gets very jealous of the computer and other things that take the attention away from her. And she loves to talk.
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On Thursday night, February 21st, Mike and I boarded our night train to Zurich. Whatever we had envisioned our cabin to look like, I'm sure for both of us it was something a little...roomier.
After our restful sleep in the spacious train cabin, we awoke at 8am to hear a woman announcing that we were about to arrive at our final stop, Zurich, so please "go out".
Luckily for us, Mike's friend Christian was there to pick us up from the train station. I don't think Mike or I could understand the Swiss very well, who speak a "cuter" version of German. 
Our first day in Switzerland Christian showed us Zurich. We opened up a Swiss bank account (shh!) and saw some flashy Protestant churches. For lunch we met up with Alex, who is from Switzerland (Christian is not, he is German). We climbed up to a tower and got a view of all of Zurich, which would have been so much nicer on a clear summer day, when we could have seen the Alps. 
On Saturday we rented a car and drove to Luzern (or Lucerne) which was a beautiful little place on a lake and you could see the Alps (if it wasn't February). Christian made us climb up a hill, but we thanked him afterwards because the views were amazing. 
Mike and I parted ways with Christian and headed to Konstanz (or Constance) in Germany to visit our friends Jürgen, Annette, and Laura. But first we made some stops in Liechtenstein and Austria, but no one would stamp my passport! Stupid European Union...We stayed in my first (and last) youth hostile in Konstanz and went out to dinner with them. But Mike and I are old farts, so we didn't stay out late. 
The next day Mike and I drove further South in Switzerland to the Italian part where they only speak Italian. We stayed in a town called Locarno which was also very beautiful, even for February.
From there we made a trip to Milan in Italy. Mike and I were both a little frightened because we don't speak Italian. Once we got to Milan we realized we had no clue what you are supposed to see when you are there. So we wandered around until we found this church which made the trip worth it, because it was so beautiful and HUGE! I can't imagine the people building it so long ago. 
Mike couldn't go skiing this time because he was with me, and I hate fun. But he wanted to atleast see it and live vicariously through others, so on the way back to Zurich we drove through the Alps and up to a place called Andermatt. We took the gondola up to the very top, and I got very frightened and couldn't look out. Mike told me not to be such a chicken, and then after we were through with the ride he told me how a gondola had gotten loose of its tracks recently and fallen down killing everyone inside. Atleast he told me afterwards and not before. 
We had a beautiful trip, but we were both happy to come back home to our computers and to our little Penny who missed us. And now I am already planning our next vacation. 
