13 Nov 2016

City/Utiliity vehicles are cool here.  The street sweepers are small enough that you can drive by them.  They're about as wide as a car, and seem to be used to sweep sidewalks too.

What's the difference between JägerSoße, Pils Soße, and Champignon Soße?  They all seem to be mushroom sauces/gravy.

 

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I've heard exactly one car alarm go off.  Are they rare here? Do the noise laws mean many don't install them?

We _really_ enjoy Sundays now.  Truly a day of rest.

Because of Sundays, stores closing early during the week, and many things closed from noon to 2 for lunch, we spend far, far less here than in the US.

Takeout is something of an art here.  There are many "combination" takeout places, such as ""Pizza Hit and China Thai" .  Not Pizza Hut, Pizza hit.  And many, no matter the type of food, offer burgers and pizza, so Indian and pizza,  Thai and pizza and Chinese and pizza aren't unusual.  Granted, the pizza at many of these places is not great.

A KFC opened here in Karlsruhe (In Ettlinger Tor, I think), and there were lines outside.  Honestly, if we'd known, we'd have lined up too.

The lack of fast food means that stopping for food takes more thought.  In the US, nearly every highway exit has 2-4 fast food, drive through places.  Here, drive-thrus are rare, at least in Karlsruhe.

With the election last week, we honestly wondered if people would blame us (as Americans) for Trump's election.  So far, most are cautiously curious.  They ask us what we think, we tell them that we worry for America with Trump's election.  Invariably, they say that they worry for the World now.

I see many memes that show Brits that are elated that now they're aren't the biggest screw ups of 2016 anymore.

I was in a meeting where a Scotland was called European.  I think the Scott in the room was offended. Maybe the EU wants Scotland, but the Scotts just want to be left alone?

08 Oct 16

Being tall is great, but it has it's bad parts too:

Regular 2XL shirts don't fit. I need 2XLT (tall) shirts. More fabric seems to mean 3x the price. And I have really no idea yet how to find such shirts in Germany.

Tiefgarages (underground garages) are often just 1cm taller than me.  And sometimes not.  I end up scraping all of the dirt, cobwebs and bugs from the ceilings if I'm not careful, or getting a bloody gash if I'm really not careful.

Sometimes this is how I feel

Spiral staircases cause problems for big feet and there are a LOT of them in Germany. The inside of the tread is tiny compared to the outside, so small diameter stair cases are scary.

EVERYONE asks you to reach for things on the top shelf. Or replace a light bulb because you don't need a ladder. I've learned the universal body language used by older German ladies for "get me that on the top shelf, bitte"

I've got a permanent bump on my forehead from all of the times I've hit the tops of doors, especially going down stairs.

My calf and feet hang off the end of most beds, especially ones here in Germany.  I was once in Japan, and if I laid down on my back on the bed, with my head touching the headboard, my knees could fully bend and my feet would be on the floor.



Here in Germany (Karlsruhe), the stoplights are on the near intersection rather than on the far side, which means if I'm the first car in the queue, I have to bend over the steering wheel to see the stoplights.  At least in france, they often have a smaller stoplight at eye level.


I often "accidentally" knock over little children. I just can't see down that far.


I once sat in a Toyota MR2 (with a targa top, thank goodness) and my whole head stuck out of the top.

I can't use most wall mounted mirrors. Or rather, I can use them to check my shirt, but not my hair.

Few cars fit me.  When I bought my corvette (a car I've wanted since I was a child), I barely fit, even when scrunching down.  I have neck problems (partly) because of that.

I can't hide in crowds or grocery stores.  On the plus side, Robin and Beth can always find me. I was once in a train station in Japan and it was standing room only, and I could see the far wall, but I'm sure nobody else could.

Nasal sprays don't come in sizes long enough to use.  I can't press down on the spray part AND have it far enough up there to be useful.

I can't wear baseball caps of any kind.  My head is far too large.

I can't wear regular fit jeans, because I can't get them past my calves and thighs. Then again, my leg muscles are huge since I've been in Germany because of all of the walking/hiking. (humblebrag)

I find myself wanting to sit in the back of theaters because I'm afraid my big head is in the way of the viewers behind me.  I was once at a Metallica concert and people behind me kept throwing popcorn at my head. :(  I'm glad it was only popcorn.

I'm unable to use a bathtub.

And of course, Josh being 6'8" (2m3cm) has it twice as bad. I'm only 6'4".

Only in Germany would the firefighters be smoking WHILE fighting a fire.  Ok, it was a drill, but it was funny.

Ok, not relevant, but throwing out one for the ladies.

There don't seem to be clear "Detour" signs here showing how to get around a construction blockage.

Some people use any available curb space to park in, even if it blocks a lane.

If you make a mistake, and there are parked cars on your side of the street, but you pull out there when oncoming traffic could drive through, some oncoming drivers will pull up so far that you can barely pull back into your lane at the end of the line of parked cars (most of whom are in the street).

I pulled into a parking space, and my right tire went up onto the curb in the process and Beth said "Hey, you're a German now!"

03 Oct 2016 - Black Forest

1) We went to Mummelsee in the Black Forest last week with some good friends.

My pic of the See with the hotel on the other side.

It entailed a bit of a hike (about 2km) up to the lake, but when we got there it was fun.  There are a metric ton (because I'm in Europe, it's a metric ton, and not a butt load) of myths and fairy tales about the see:

"Legends swirl around Mummelsee (see=lake) in the northern Black Forest. The Black Forest, in Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg region, is a land of fairy tales and enchanted forests, and Mummelsee is a small jewel tucked away in the midst of the mystical land. Stories tell of the King of Mummelsee and his water nymphs that live in the lake. Quiet during the day, the king and nymphs are said to rise to the surface of the lake at night. Some stories say the nymphs or mermaids are actually the nuns that lived at the bottom of what is now 55-foot deep Mummel Lake. Legend says a monastery once stood on the site of Mummelsee. The nuns helped local farm families and cared for their children. When one nun fell in love with a farm boy, however, everything changed, and black water bubbled up from the earth to swallow the monastery. According to tales, the monastery still stands at the bottom of the lake."

A "See" is a lake or sea (duh, english is a germanic language.)

The King of Mummelsee

We had real Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte).  The cake was amazing, and had some Kirschwasser (schnapps) in it!

We also got some black forest ham.  The black forest ham is smoked and VERY salty. A little in some pasta, or very thinly sliced on a piece of bread goes a long way.

The forest itself was dark and mysterious.

The lake was beautiful.  Small, but beautiful. 

2. People are invariably nice.  They may seem a little standoff-ish (not as many random smiles per capita), but smile at them, and they always smile back. :)

Before (and since) coming here, I read a lot about Germans being emotionless, and I have to say that it's not true in the least. (in my experience.)  Many here are very passionate, especially when you get to know them a little, but when in formal situations or out and about, I think it's normal to put on a neutral face.

3. When driving, there's this rule that if the road is small and can only fit a single car driving through, then the person who is in the side with parked cars in the street must wait cars coming the other way.

I always wave at people who are pulled over so I can get past.  I don't mean like a princess wave or a big dorky wave, but just a raise of the hand, and I nearly always get one back.  It's a small thing, but makes me feel like I belong.

4. My puritan/protestant self is still a little shocked at seeing nudity on TV during the day. In this case, at a breakfast restaurant.

5. We found an "American" restaurant in Mannheim called Benjamin's that has an American breakfast buffet.  We went with a very good friend, and had a blast.  It's the first place I could get french toast!  They also had club sandwich quarters and tuna salad wraps (?!?), but they had good pancakes and good syrup and a LOT of american style bacon. I was in heaven.

6. There's this thing our family calls the German straight arm.  If you're not walking quickly enough, sometimes someone will put an arm out and just walk through you.  To be fair, it's happened with older people and not young.  They don't seem to do it with malice or anger, it's just a thing.  I've also experienced the driving equivalent.  If I'm going the exact speed limit, I often get passed.  Again, they don't seem angry, it's just a thing.

Luckily, I played American Football, so I know how to handle it.  I just grab their shirt and take them to the ground.   Ok, no I don't.

7. They have "Drink Markets" that are big warehouse type stores that just sell drinks by the case full. They're called Getränkemarkts.

SO MUCH BEER there.  But also many, many kinds of water, both still (uncarbonated) and with gas (sparkling.)  Much of the water is mineral water, with that mineral water taste.  I'm partial to still water without the mineral taste personally. I go through two liters of water a day, at minimum.

Often water costs more than beer.




Still having a great time in Germany.  We're really enjoying the people, the weather, and most of all the sights.