21 Sep 2016 - Pizza Hut

1. We went to Heidelberg over the weekend, so Gillian (Beth's best friend) could see it.  We'd planned to visit the SchnitzelHaus (they have 100 different kinds of schnitzel!) for lunch but in the end, Robin decided she wanted American style pizza. And there happened to be a Pizza Hut restaurant there.

Fast forward to sitting in the restaurant and looking at the menu.  They had the same stuffed crust pizza, the same toppings (except no Italian sausage, and Pepperoni was called Salami.) and the pizza sizes were in cm. We ordered a couple of pizzas, a salad and an appetizer plate.

The salad was just OK with tiny, nasty boxed croutons.

The pepperoni pizza was pretty much as we remembered it.

The wings, fried cheese and other stuff was just as bad as I remembered.

They didn't have ranch dressing.

I can't say that it was particularly satisfying, and frankly, we wasted a Heidelberg lunch on Pizza hut, but it did feel a little like the US for a minute.



2. We also took Gillian to our favorite schnitzel place in Hagsfeld, Hofacker Stuble.  That's the place were you can get Groß (large) sized schnitzel larger than your head.



It was good, as usual, but when I ordered the JägerSoße for it, the waitress very patiently taught me how to say it.  Yaw-ger-saws-eh. I repeated it a few times, and don't think I ever really got it right (to her satisfaction), but I felt like it sounded the same every time I said it.  BTW, jägersoße is a mushroom sauce, whereas rahmsoße is cream sauce, and jägerrahmsoße is mushroom cream sauce.  As you can see, some words get really long, but they're just smaller words all smashed together.

3. I found out that if you have private insurance (as opposed to the public, state run insurance), you
often get seen at doctors much more quickly.  That is, you can get appointments sooner.

4. Our house here is unusually well insulated.  At 12c (53f) at night, the bedroom dropped a single degree, without the heater on (from 75f to 74f) by morning.  I'm sure it's partly the metal shutters and partly that many houses seem to be made from concrete.

5. I was talking to a friend about feeling safe here as compared to the US.   Here, I have no fear of a B&E (breaking and entering), getting mugged, a home invasion or anything of the sort.  When we lived in the US (LA, Seattle), it was a nagging worry the entire time.  In both places (LA and Redmond), we had break-ins, muggings, AND home invasions relatively close to our homes, even in the most upscale neighborhoods. My (german) friend was shocked that such things were relatively common.  Perhaps in other areas of the US it's safer, but I've never lived in a place where I wasn't as afraid.

6. What the heck is a wintergarten? We have what's called a Winter Garden by the side of the house, that is just a covered area, but without walls.  In theory, you put plants there during the winter so they don't freeze?  In our case, when it rains, the entire floor of the garden area gets soaked.  Im sure if it freezes, anything out there will freeze. Maybe ours is just a very poor example.

This is NOT our wintergarden

7. I tried my best to construct a german sentence to say that We will be in Paris for 5 days. The best I could come up with on my own was:  Wir gehen Paris für fümf Tage!       Turns out I should have used Wir fahren für fúmf Tage nach Paris which is "We are five days in Paris".

Fahren instead of gehen (to drive or travel) instead of walk.

8. We haven't been to the grocery store in a few weeks.  What that means for us is that we have at least one car-load of empty plastic bottles and cases to bring back.  I also have a wallet full of slips that show how much credit I have due to previous returns. I just can't ever seem to remember to use them. I hope they don't expire.



When I was a kid, every bottle had a return value and you could return it to the store to get a nickel.  Now in the states (at least in Redmond), the only use for glass and plastic bottles is recycle.

Here you specifically pay something called a "Pfand" on every bottle.  I think it must translate to ransom.  It's the amount you get back when you return it.  It can be a significant part of each purchase.

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Even at outdoor venues (like fairs), you pay a pfand, and when returning bottles to the vendor where you bought it, you get your pfand back.

9. I heard that Oktoberfest was really celebrated in September, yet here it is the 21st of September and I haven't been to a single one.  Bad info?

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Today I learned in Paris 11-Sep 2016

Today I learned in Paris 11 Sep 2016

1. An imagined conversation:

.
.
.

Me: mit pommes, bitte
Waiter, french accent: You want your hamburger with apples, Monsieur?
Me: Oh, um. With freedom fries? American fries?
Waiter: You're in France
Me: …. Kartoffeln? Potatoes? Fries? Apples of the ground?
Waiter: …
Me:… Pomme Frites?
Waiter: (sigh)

2. The girls got an appetizer: Marrow bones and toast. Literally, giant cow bones, cut in half, with jelly-like marrow in the middle, and small spoons. Almost made me gag. The girls thought it was just bland. They are far more open to trying new things than me. I would be fine never having tasted marrow or snails.

3. Generally, every non-alcoholic drink has cost us at least 5 euros. Even the tiny bottle drinks.

• Alcoholic drinks were at least 12 euros.
• Dinner at a moderately priced restaurant cost at least 150 euros.
• Breakfast cost between 50 and 100 Euros for four of us.

It's a little expensive here.

4. When I was a teenager, I liked a band called Berlin (!), who had a song called The Metro:


I'm alone
Sitting with my empty glass
My four walls
Follow me through my past


I was on a Paris train
I emerged in London rain
And you were waiting there
Swimming through apologies


I remember searching for the perfect words
I was hoping you might change your mind
I remember a soldier sleeping next to me
Riding on the Metro


You wore white
Smiling as you took my hand
So removed
We spoke of wintertime in France


Minutes passed with shallow words
Years have passed and still the hurt
I can see you now
Smiling as I pulled away


I remember the letter wrinkled in my hand
"I'll love you always" filled my eyes
I remember a night we walked along the Seine
Riding on the Metro


I remember a feeling coming over me
The soldier turned, then looked away
I remember hating you for loving me
Riding on the Metro


I've had this song in my head for four days. I walked along the Seine, I was on a Paris train, but I didn't ride the Metro, oddly.

5. Nearly everyone was very nice: waiters, people we've met at dinner and nearly everyone else we interacted with. I expected rude waiters, mean people speaking to me with disdain, etc. But it's been a great experience.

6. We saw few dogs here. In Germany, there are many, many more dogs around.

7. Being in the Louvre was surreal. Seeing all that iconic art that I never thought I'd experience in person. The Mona Lisa was disappointing, but the other DaVincis were amazing. Sadly, we were very tired from all of the adventures, so we didn't see as much as I'd have expected.

8. I wish we had time to visit the D'Orsay and I could have seen some Van Goghs.

9. I was surprised at how relaxed it was in the Louvre. In many galleries in the states, there are strict rules about taking pictures, getting near art work, and a docent in every room watching everyone. Here, there was very little of that.

10. When we did the river tour, the Seine was lined with people sitting, eating, kissing, and just spending quality time with each other. It was inspiring.

11. Near the various landmarks, there were often artists sitting and drawing or painting . Also inspiring (as an artist.)

12. The French VigiPirate security people walking around with automatic weapons was actually comforting.

13. I assumed originally that VigiPirate meant that they were vigilantly protecting us against Blackbeard.

14. There was a terrorist scare near the Notre Dame Friday. Put my stomach in knots, but didn't ruin the trip.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/09/cell-of-french-women-radicalised-by-isis-behind-failed-notre-dame-attack

Today I learned in Paris 09-Sep 2016

1) I've never seen more beautiful people in one place. Every other one could be a model, male or female. Some could be BOTH.

2) Mom jeans are definitely IN

3) It's interesting seeing what "walking food" different countries have. In Germany, I've seen bakery goods mostly. In Seattle, it's often a wrap of some kind. In Paris, it can be small quiches.

Get it? Walking food?

4) All of the beauty here is mixed in with sadness. There are many homeless, beggars and children. One asked for my soda and then asked for money, then asked for my soda. There are people sleeping in in the archways of old churches. One slept in the middle of the sidewalk with her arm out, with a cup extended. It tore at me.





5) I generally feel safe, but I still avoid empty alley ways.






6) There is an amazing hobby shop right next to the Louvre full of models that I've never seen before. I wish I lived near it. But then I'd be broke.





7) So much small food. Little quiches, little eclairs, and again, a city with so many small drinks, cups, bottles, etc. And the 30cl sprites cost 5 euros. Tap water is free though.






8) Everything here is in CL instead of ML like in Germany.

9) Had the best croissant I've ever tasted at breakfast.

10) We've been beset by French wasps nearly every time we've sat at a café. They have been unfailingly polite, and they love jam.

11) We got a Caesar salad, and it had actual anchovies in it! In all of the years I've had these salads, never real anchovies.









12) I can't stop speaking German to people here. By the time I get used to using some French, I'll be back in Germany, no doubt.

TILIP (today I learned in Paris) 07 Sep 2016

1. I don't know why, but I expected the graffiti to be more.. Um...French. I guess I thought there would be long french slogans or something. Viva La Revolution! But it's the same crap. Someone's initials or a short word. Boring.

2. I also expected the graffiti to be of better quality. Maybe with some impressionist influence.

3. I've already found a cheesemonger. Excuse me, Fromaggerie. Can't wait. Please don't tell me that french cheese is boring. You'd crush my dreams.

4. In Germany, we have a very famous "walking man" traffic signal, called the Ampelmännchen. He's the green guy that shows when you can cross the street. He's very jaunty and seems serious about where he's going. The corresponding signal here in Paris is a skinny, thin guy who seems to be a little shiftless, maybe someone who doesn't think that work is important and who is going to a cafe to have a smoke and whatever it is that french people drink. (Tea? wine? Probably wine.)

5. In Germany, the "don't walk" man looks like a traffic cop directing traffic. Here's it's a fat guy.

6. SO many Doner places in Paris. At least near the train station.

7. I'm having a really hard time not using Deutsche when speaking to people. Of course, so far, everyone speaks excellent English.

8. There were police at the train station stopping people to look at passports (security is still tight, understandably.) I, however, am apparently not any kind of threat. It's kind of like when you stop getting asked to see your ID in order to buy a drink.

9. SO MANY CAFES.

10. The first thing we saw when we got off the train? Starbucks. And two more starbucks stores on the way to the flat.

11. I was disappointed that I did not see a single person wearing a beret, nor did I see anyone in those horizontal striped blue and white shirts, and NOBODY did any "dance fighting". My expectations are clearly not set correctly.