Trip to Berlin

So my friend from Alabama came over last week and we decided to take a weekend trip up to Berlin to check it out since it was on my list of places to see. Ironically, it was actually cheaper to fly to Barcelona, Spain (which is also on my list) and much much warmer... but I guess we just forgot about that. Anyways, after 5 hours on a train from Frankfurt to Berlin we got off and headed towards our hotel and assaulted the first McDonald's we could find... best meal ever. Then we took a little nap and headed out to go check out the nightlife with a group of about 150 Americans... very weird experience being in Germany and not a German in sight.

The next day we woke up and did all of the typical Berlin touristy junk. First we saw the Brandenburg gate and the US Embassy... which we the American people now own our own street in Berlin near the embassy where our tax dollars have paid for them to move it back a hundred meters or so. Then we headed over to the Reichstag with plans to climb to the top and check out the city... unfortunately everyone else in town had the same plan, so we had to wait in line outside for over an hour... luckily it wasn't terribly cold and not raining. By the time we got in and through the security checkpoint and made it to the top the sun was setting... made taking any pictures of the city kinda hard.

From there we headed down to Checkpoint Charlie... on the way we found this super famous chocolate shop with huge replicas of Berlin buildings al in chocolate where we did a little shopping. Then we finally made it to the checkpoint and took a bunch of pictures... wasn't very impressive, just a couple signs and a little wooden building in the middle of the road... but we did see a 'peace' of the wall. By this time we were both starving because we hadn't eaten all day and it was about 6pm, so we grabbed a bratwurst and walked through one of the many Berlin Weinachtmarkts (Christmas Markets)... probably second best meal ever. After that we went home and passed out.

Overall I think Barcelona would have been a better choice... at least for my well being, but Berlin was definitely a fun time... don't know if I'll go back, but I do recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Germany.

Smoke... everywhere... can't breathe...

So I know it is somewhat common knowledge that more Europeans smoke than in the US, but I never knew to what extent. Everywhere I go there is always someone lighting up or looking miserably while puffing away. I have found that whenever I go anywhere in public I am always breathing in someone else's secondhand smoke. There are these wonderful little cigarette dispensers all over, as seen in the picture to the left. You can find them at every train station, street corner and even near schoolyards... I guess so parents can get their fix while they watch their children play. The funny bit about these machines is that they only require a credit card , or in some case a few pieces of change to operate, so anyone can buy them... even kids... and they do.

The really ironic part though is that all cigarette packs and boxes are required to have large warnings on them (see image to right). My favortite warnings include "smoking will kill you" and "smokers die younger". Unfortunately though it seems as though these warnings are not heeded, in fact it seems more like they actually encourage the habit. I guess there is some reverse correlation to the size of the warning on the package to the number of people who will smoke it.

Interesting German food offerings...

We all know that Germans are not incredible chefs and often have an intriguing taste palatte that is rarely shared by most other people around the world, but this time they have gone too far...

I saw an add last night on TV for a new line of burgers from Burger King apparently aimed at stimulating those 'festive' taste buds. The new burgers are called the XXL burgers and come in 3 flavors... Regular, Crunchy Cajun and Spicy Cranberry... Cranberry, on a burger... you've got to be kidding. I know it's Thanksgiving and Christmas time and all, but seriously. Check it out for yourself, I found this short version of the ad on YouTube... here

The part I love best is that they spread the cranberry sauce on top of the 'flame broiled 100% angus beef' whatever patty like it was a piece of toast... so not appealing. McDonald's isn't doing so well either when it comes to the German menu. Much like their popular Chicken McNuggets they now have... well, see for yourself... here

Shrimp cocktail... at McDonald's... uh uh... no way... not happening. There is no way that eating shrimp at McDonald's could ever end well. I love shrimp more than the next guy, but I am not despreate enough to get it from a fast food joint... especially one that doesn't regularly serve seafood outside of their 'fillet-o-fish' sandwich. I wonder how many lawsuits will come out of this one.

Return to Germany

Well, I am finally back from the wedding in Alabama. It was a very fun time and also very beautiful (aww)... the only downside was the 14 hour round trip by car to New Orleans only to spend one day there. Anyways, the flight back here was awesome. It was on Delta out of Atlanta and they had these personal entertainment screens for every seat where you could watch all kinds of movies, tv shows and HBO specials. They also had tons of music and games to play too, but I never made it past the movies. There were a bunch of new releases on there that I hadn't seen yet since I've been in Germany and I got to watch them all (Tropic Thunder is hilarious). The best part was that it is all free for intercontinental flights. I didn't get this luxury flying to the US since my plane must've been older or something, but it's probably for the best because I would've watched everything I wanted to on the first flight and then had nothing to do on the return. For both flights though I got the entire row to myself since it wasn't very busy, which was very nice, except that some french lady tried to steal my seat while I wasn't paying attention by putting her pillow and book there... they ended up on the floor.

Anyways, it seems that in my week away from Germany the entire place fell apart without me. The internet at the hotel costs money again... I guess they finally found out that no one was paying for it and got suspicious... nothing like paying 120 euro (~$160) a month for crappy sub-dsl speed internet that breaks all the time... The laundry woes still continue... aparently the lady I called about 2 weeks ago about the washing machine being broken didn't take me seriously, so now they have a washing machine filled with almost 2 week old soapy water that smells like a sewer... not my problem, I am done struggling with them. I watched a 7 minute video made by a 22 year old british woman on how to properly hand wash clothes, so now I consider myself somewhat of an expert... did you know that a little white vinegar adds sheen to silks? I bet not. The water machine at work also broke and has been replaced with something that has a cold water button that puts out hot water and warm water button that puts out cold water... They also switched everyone's email over to Microsoft Outlook while I was gone... prepare for disaster.

Luckily I am only here for another 3 weeks so I think I can manage by laughing at everyone else's misfortune in the apartment and at work as they run around in panic not know what to do with no laundry, broken email and cold tea (God forbid their precious caffinated beverages be tainted).

PS - Thanks for pointing out all my spelling mistakes in my last post... I'm not perfect y'all :-(

Darmstadt tour... City Center

Well this is about it for Darmstadt. The first of the two pictures shows you the main drag through the city, called Rheinstrasse. Nothing really special about it other than this is how you get everywhere, especially if you're like me and have to walk/take public transport everywhere. In the ditance you can see the city center, or the Luisenplatz. This is the main shopping center of the city and this is where I get most of my stuff. There are tons of walkways you can take that have all kinds of stores lining them where you can buy just about anything. This is also the main connection place for all trams and busses running through the city.

Well I hope the tours were somewhat educational and gave you a little bit of a glimpse at the scenery that surrounds me. Right now I probably enjoying myself in Alabama and hopefully not even thinking about Germany at the moment... actually I should be at a wedding in New Orleans right now, so even better. I will be back and reported when I reutn next Tuesday. Until then...

Darmstadt tour... Die Waldspirale

This interesting piece of architecture was built by one of those hippy artists I mentioned that wanted to explore new ways of living. The entire building and everything in it, including the floors and walls, have no straight lines. The architect, named Friedensreich Hundertwasser, wanted the place to feel completely 'natural', and since there are no straight lines in nature, there would be no straight lines in the building. The building has 105 apartments in it for someone looking to live somewhere a little alternative, with little living space and lots of money. It is kind of weird walking around there when the floor is constantly changing beneath you. I can only imagine what it must be like for someone coming home from a night out partying with the floors being all curvy on you.

At the top of the building there is a nice little restuarant/bar that services mexican food and has a walk around balcony that you can get a fantastic view of the city off of. Unfortunately they close the balcony in November so I was not able to get up there and take pictures, but 'm sure I will try again sometime next spring.

Darmstadt tour continued... Mathildenhoehe

The Mathildenhoehe is a giant hippy colony of aspiring artists. Originally it was built in 1899 by the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig. The artists that originally resided here presented their ideas of a new living and working world, and thus the colony was founded. The tower was built as a wedding present for the Duke. The church was built later as a request by the Duke's wife, a Romanov, who wanted a Russian Chapel that she could worship in privately... talk about being whipped.













The whole place is very nice and relaxing with its own Plane Tree Grove where people will come on the weekend to play lawn bowling, or whatever they call it here. It is situated in a very nice quiet part of town that I wouldn't mind living in, but unfortunately I can't afford it, nor am I even allowed to live there since I am not a German resident, bummer.