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Mikef5000
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 03:07 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yes! i AM still alive! And here's the first part of my 2 week stint in Germany with a good friend of mine:

HELLO from Germany!

Day 1 (or 1 ½ is more like it) went quite smooth. We left Columbus and quickly flew to Chicago O’hare. Once at Chicago we didn’t have much time to play around, there was about ½ an hour between getting our boarding passes and getting on the plane. The Trans-Atlantic flight was with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, and couldn’t have been better. The flight crew NEVER sat down. Constantly walking with snacks and drinks (and dinner) throughout the entire 8 hour flight. Each seat also had its own TV remote that also served as a gaming controller and there were tons of movies and tv shows to watch, along with a bunch of games you could play with the remote, and then a 'flight information' screen. Our flight topped out at about 630 MPH, at 38,000 Feet, where it was a consistent NEGATIVE 80 DEGREES Fahrenheit! It was quite awesome watching the sun set and then raise from my window. We landed in London Heathrow airport, and were told to stand in an hour long line for customs. Once it was finally our turn, the guy told us to go to the international hub and we weren’t supposed to have gone to customs there at all. JEESH. We had a half an hour till our flight left, and it was a good thing we blew through security because they had already closed the gate to our plane (half an hour early! I don’t quite understand), but they managed to get us on, and we were on our way to our final destination! This last leg was a quick hour long flight, and landed us in Koln Germany, 15 minutes from Julian’s house (where we are staying). To my surprise, BOTH of our checked bags were their waiting for us! AMAZING! (On that note, they DID NOT charge us to check our luggage like they were supposed to, maybe because we bought the tickets before the formed that policy?!) We took two steps out of the baggage claim to find Julian’s mom and brother waiting for us! IT COULD NOT HAVE WORKED OUT BETTER!

After we made it back to Julian’s house, we unpacked a bit, cleaned up, and went out for some Pizza. Apparently around here you’re supposed to eat pizza with a knife and fork… but it’s soooooo much easier our way. Despite some rainy weather, we then headed downtown for a short walk. The Subway is walking distance from the house, and takes about 25 minutes to get to the center of downtown. Just like everything else though, the price has recently gone up, and it’s likely going to hurt our wallets to take the subway often…. But that’s just too bad for us!

There are not nearly as many motorcycles/scooters as I had expected, but it has been wet since we arrived. Also the cars are just awesome. SOOOO many different kinds of cars. SOOO MANY TURBO DIESELS!

It is a mere 9:00 PM here, but we are off to bed! We have been awake for 30 hours now, and to say that it’s beginning to catch up to us would be an understatement.

I didn’t take many pictures at all yet, mostly because we were running very short on time at the airports and it’s been rainy here in Germany. Tomorrow I hope to have many more pictures. Here’s the link to the few I did take. I’m totally bummed I didn’t get a picture of the sunset from the airplane window, but I played with many settings watching the sun raise, and ended up with a pretty good shot I think.

http://flickr.com/photos/mikef5000/sets/7215760607 0017540/



Talk to you all tomorrow!
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Tramp
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 03:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

What town are you in?
How's your deutsche?
(Please tell me you either speak it or took the time to learn a little bit)
please continue to use a knife and fork, and remember to line your flatware up nicely when you're done...
while it may seem strange, "when in Rome..."
do us proud, son.
(ps- blow off the metro and simply walk whenever possible....you meet more frauleins by walking)
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Wolfridgerider
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 04:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I here they may have some good beer there...
I bet it hasn't changed since I was there in '87

I want a full report please.... and if you have the need to give someone the finger use 2 (middle and mr.pointy)
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Tramp
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 04:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It's changed DRAMATICALLY since '87...as easterner and westerners have tried, often successfully, to integrate.

I can still tell an 'ozzie' from a 'westie' from 100 metres away.

MUCH has changed there in the past 21 years...esp. in the east.
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Brumbear
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 04:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I wish I was there lived there for a couple years and my wife and I just bought eine kleine wohnung in Wiesbadena( small apartment)
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Irideabuell
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 05:18 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Sprechen si langsam bitte! (Speak slowly please).
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Tramp
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 05:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

See- that's better than: "GawdANG boy- yer woman's sure got-her some hairy-ass armpits!"

Krauts prefer "Sprechen sie langsam, bittee"
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Oddsc
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 06:23 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Köln is all about the Kölsh right? Drink one for me!
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Hammeroid
Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 11:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I know some german. "lets invade poland."
I also know some french. "I surrender"
I am well traveled.
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Spiderman
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 07:08 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

"lets invade poland."

Watch it! ; )
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Tramp
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 07:46 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

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Brumbear
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 07:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

eighteen miles and we all speak German
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Hammeroid
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 08:32 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Watch what?
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Mikef5000
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 06:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

The only German I know is: Sprechen sie English? and Danke!

I wish I knew more. I am absolutely jelous of the people here that are so fluent in so many languages.

The people I am with speak German (or ARE German) so I am avoiding speaking to others at all costs.

Our home base is in Köln (Cologne).

I am trying to fit in as much as possible (ie. use silverware, not be snapping pictures of everything, etc.).

Day 2:

Hello again!

This morning george and I headed back downtown and toured the cathedral. I took plenty of pictures, and we had a great time. After that we enjoyed the beautiful weather by walking around downtown quite a bit more. We headed back to the house for some lunch, and the rain picked up again, so we ended up just watching a movie.

We went out with a couple people for an hour or so this evening, and now we're getting ready to call it a day.

There is a sort of 4th of July celebration here in Köln on Saturday that we are planning on going to, and Julian has some other plans also. We plan on spending Monday in Amsterdam, and hope to just drive back Monday night. It seems a bit silly to pay out the wazoo for a hotel room if we're only two hours away from the house.

My laptop's internet is down (will be back up tomorrow) so I can't upload my pictures right now. Sorry! I'm using Julian's computer right now, so please excuse any typos. This keyboard is just different enough to drive me nuts!

That's all from today!
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Tramp
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 06:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)



no offense, but, you could have taught yourself a WHOLE lot more than "sprechen sie englisch" and "danke" on your flight over.

I cannot imagine visiting another country and asking people if they speak my language...

grab a book while you're there and teach yourself a little more Kraut, man.

(Message edited by tramp on July 10, 2008)
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Hammer71
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 06:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Funny thing Jay is that people do it here all the time and actually expect us to be fluent in their language. This happens to me everyday and is mostly the Hispanic community.
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Tramp
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 06:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yep- what's worse is, they LIVE here, fulltime.
These "no-english" Futckards around here are the reason i make every effort to learn at least a little of the language of places i visit..
I know how the natives feel when they're asked to speak a different language in their own country.

(Message edited by tramp on July 10, 2008)
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Hammeroid
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 08:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

No one in my area speaks english. It seems the only word they know is "gringo". Must mean, hell of a fella. I'm not certain though.
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Hammer71
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 08:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

When the Government sent me to far away places I tried to learn as much as possible of the native language. Turns out I was able to communicate fairly well and the locals would be more than happy to help out once they saw you were trying. The a$$holes here dont even try, blows my mind that they are handed every damn thing they want here and still have the audacity to expect me to speak their language. I do however bend over backward for the individuals that make an attempt no matter how half assed the attempt may be.
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Chainsaw
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 08:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

...i make every effort to learn at least a little of the language of places i visit..

I'm the same way. Don't want to be the typical 'Ugly American' when abroad. I spent 3 months learning German before going there last year. Funny thing is, nearly everyone there took 3 YEARS of English in school. German came in handy in Hungary, where the English speakers were far and few between, but German was widely understood.
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Hammeroid
Posted on Friday, July 11, 2008 - 06:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Not much you can do about looks fella. But I will give you an A for effort. Thanks for trying.
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Mikef5000
Posted on Friday, July 11, 2008 - 09:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I 100% understand where you guys are coming from. But please understand that I am also doing my best not to be an typical 'stupid American' also. I have my German friends that we are living with to help me. I am NOT asking everyone if they speak English, in fact, I have asked a total of 2 people if they speak English so far. It is embarrassing to me, and I much prefer to ask my German friends how to say things in German before I ask others if they speak English. For the most part, keeping my mouth shut, and letting them do the talking has me fitting in quite well.

On to the notes:

Quick check in tonight, because it's already after 3:00 AM! (WHOOPSIES!)

We slept in today because it was raining quite hard this morning. Apparently rain is the norm around here (somethings are the same from Columbus to Cologne). Julian had planned for us to meet many of his friends at his favorite club. It was quite an awesome experience. They all spoke English quite well, and were VERY excited to talk to us about America, and about their lives. We were of course more than happy to find folks so interested in talking to us (in English), and they became more and more entertaining as they drank more and more.

Julian's brother has also been hanging around with us the whole time. He just came back 2 weeks ago from Texas as a foreign exchange student. He speaks perfect English, and is quite cool!

New plans are in the works for Touring the VW plant in Wolfsburg next Wednesday with Julian, then meeting my uncle Markus and touring the Audi plant and the Alps The following weekend weekend. Then touring Munich and the BMW plant on Sunday, followed by Heidelberg on Monday. It will be quite the amazing weekend I think.

Pictures are up from the Cologne Cathedral yesterday, although they aren't great. I was more than halfway through taking pictures before I found out the camera was in Manual mode, and indoor shots were coming out blurry. Bummer! But the best shots were from the top of the Cathedral, and still look fine.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikef5000/sets/721576 06108101189/

Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikef5000/sets/721576 06108101189/show/

Enjoy!
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Prof_stack
Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 12:04 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

MikeF, Cologne (Koeln) is a great city. Have you had their specialty beer, Koelsch, yet? Muhlens was my favorite, but you have to have German beer on tap to really appreciate how good beer can be.

"Nach ein bier, bitte." = "Another beer, please." "bier vom fass" = "beer on tap"

Here's some German that citizens of Dusseldorf sing about Koln:
"Koln, Koln, die Scheisse vom Dom" = "Cologne, Cologne, the sh!t from the Dome". I was at a hockey game in Dusseldorf when the fans suddenly broke out in that ditty. And the opponents weren't from Koln!

Enjoy your time there!
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Wolfridgerider
Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 09:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Any chance you will get to do some riding?
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Mikef5000
Posted on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 01:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I gave up on the riding idea when I found out how much I was going to have to pay for so little riding. If something magically works out, that'd be amazing, but I'm not trying for it anymore. This next week will be quite busy, so it may not even fit in the schedule.

In the states I'm not a beer drinker.... well, not a drinker at all really. Here I have tried two types now, Banana Beer (not liking beer, I figured this might go down better) Not a fan, and the glass was friggin HUGE! So later I had a glass of Kolsch. (I had you in mind Oddsc!) The standard Kolsch glass is only .2 L, and it went down quite easily, so I will most likely be drinking more of that. But I can still say for sure, I'm just not a big fan of beer. If I have to drink I'll stick with the more girly Vodka drinks (Vodka & red bull, Vodka & Cherry, Vodka & Orange) I actually enjoy the taste of those, and I can keep up with the Germans when I'm drinking that stuff too! (OK, just the German's I happen to be hanging out with)
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Prof_stack
Posted on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 02:28 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Hey Mike, ditch those girly-man drinks and try a pilsener on tap. That may change your mind about beer. Liquid bread!

Prost.
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Tramp
Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 07:07 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yep-
Actually, why not borrow a car, head east, over the border into Pilsen?
Germany's a nice place, esp. to live, but for visiting, you should try to go east or south...like the Germans do.
far less boring.
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