August Break: A Regensburg Weekend Afternoon

On By StevenIn Life In Germany2 Comments

I’m on an August Break from my regular blogging schedule. Here’s today’s pictures.

On a weekend, I like to go out to lunch with my friend Jenny.  One of my absolute favorite places in the city is Lola.

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I usually get the Warm Noodle Salad.  I tell myself I’ll try something new on the menu, but this is just so damn tasty.

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After lunch, while walking back from the Altstadt to my apartment, sometimes I go on the other side of the little green area near the Bahnhof.  This is where the Kepler monument is.  The last time I posted pictures of it, the entire thing was covered in snow.

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There’s also this little drink stand in the park-  it’s only open in warmer weather, and it’s just the cutest thing.

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Are there any fun little green spaces near where you live?

August Break: Thursday Nights

On By StevenIn Life In Germany6 Comments

I’m on an August Break from my regular blogging schedule. Here’s today’s picture.

A big chunk of my limited social life takes place on Thursday nights.  There’s a regular Stammtisch that I attend.  Tisch is German for table, and one of the many meanings of Stamm is regulars.  In other words, Stammtisch is a word which is loosely based on the idea of a table of regulars.  In America, this would just be called a Meetup.

Mine is a bunch of people who meet regulary to drink and socialize, and I’ve made some very dear friends through this group.  Included in the lower half of this photograph are the kick ass Converse boots (and left knee) of Cat, one of the just mentioned dear friends.  This photograph was a happy accident, by the way-  I accidentally start the camera on my phone quite often, and I usually wind up with pictures of my pocket lining, or of artful blurs.  Sometimes the camera records a happy accident, like this kind of nifty shot of a regular Thursday evening Stammtisch.

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Thursday nights are also the one night a week that I’m almost always in the Altstadt, which gives me a chance to walk past this view.  It’s easy to get jaded, but this set of buildings is amazing, and I try not to take the scenery for granted.

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Have you ever been to a Stammtisch?  How about a Meetup? What kind of group was it?

August Break: Two Things About Hotels In Europe

On By StevenIn International Travel - Europe2 Comments

I’m on an August Break from my regular blogging schedule. Here’s today’s pictures.

Just two things about hotels in Europe that I’ve seen Americans get confused or surprised by.

Item one:  The room card.  In many hotels here,  you use your room key inside the room to activate power for the hotel room.  In many cases, you have to use your hotel key to get the elevator to go up past the first floor also.

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Item two: In many hotels in Europe, the bathroom is separated more than it is in the US.  The toilet sits alone in its own little room, and the sink and shower are in another place entirely.

Also, it is very common for toilets in Europe to have a toilet brush installed nearby- in this photograph, it’s the thing mounted to the wall to the left of the throne.  This is because Europeans expect you to use the toilet brush after you’re done,  even in places that have maid service.  It’s a courtesy thing.

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What interesting differences in European hotels have you been surprised by?

August Break: How Germans Get Their Drink On

On By StevenIn Life In Germany7 Comments

I’m on an August Break from my regular blogging schedule. Here’s today’s pictures.

Drinks in Germany are kind of segregated.  Many offices and even some private homes use a drink delivery service, so it’s not uncommon to see trucks like this on the street:

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In larger grocery stores, drinks take up an entire very large section all their own.  There are even special drink stores, called Getränkemarkts.  You can buy entire cases of beer, or individual bottles.

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There are many types of water available.  Many Germans prefer their water with carbonation.  I don’t care for it that way.

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Despite the tremendous amount of beverages available, there aren’t usually that many kinds of soda around, at least not in the stores I frequent.   Coke is always on hand, though.

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One of my favorite parts of the drink market experience is the bottle return machines, or, as I call them, the ‘Crunch Crunch Crunch’ machines.  I’ve spoken before on this blog about the concept of Pfand, which functions as a bottle deposit in this environment.  Basically, you keep your empty bottles and return them to the machine.  The machine has a tiny conveyer belt inside-  it scans the appropriate bar codes on the bottle, then whisks them away to be satisfyingly crunched.  You get a receipt for the bottles you’ve returned and you take that to the cash register.

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Do you have any favorite specialty types of stores?