Here's my clock! I bought it from the House of 1000 Clocks. It has 12 melodies and you'll see the parts that move. Fortunately it has a light sensor so it doesn't chime at night. I don't recognize all of the songs but it plays Edelweiss, Sound of Silence, and Oh My Darlin', Clementine.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Making a cake out of a molehill
On the list of things to eat in Germany was maulwurfskuchen, or roughly translated molehill cake. It's called this because it looks like a molehill...plenty of which I saw in Germany: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molehill
We didn't eat a maulwurfskuchen in Germany but we bought the cake mix and made the cake today. It's basically a chocolate cake with the middle carved out and filled with bananas and cool whip and then covered with chocolate cake flakes. It's yummy.
Here's our attempt:
We didn't eat a maulwurfskuchen in Germany but we bought the cake mix and made the cake today. It's basically a chocolate cake with the middle carved out and filled with bananas and cool whip and then covered with chocolate cake flakes. It's yummy.
Here's our attempt:
Friday, April 11, 2008
Musings on Germany
Some random thoughts on things I noticed in Germany:
1. Cars are small. I actually liked it. It's much easier to parallel park! The smart cars that seat two people are hysterical.
2. Bikes are much more prevelant...everywhere...from the large cities to country towns. I'm sure the high gas prices (about $5.50 a gallon) make this much more attractive but it also helps that there are bike lanes and bike paths everywhere too. There are devoted bike lanes along streets in the major towns and even in the more rural areas of Germany there are bike/pedestrian paths always present.
3. Solar and wind power. I've never seen so many modern wind mills and so many houses with solar panels on them before! It was really cool!!
4. Germans are better drivers. Despite the idea that there's no speed limit on the autobahn (parts only, there are speed limits in lots of places on the autobahn), people are much better drivers. They consistently use turn signals, don't pass on the right (it's illegal and enforced), keep their distance from the vehicle in front of them, and stop for pedestrians.
5. Holstein cows, you know - the black and white ones, are named after the Schleswig-Holstein state of Germany (where Matthias is from). Matthias *claimes* that the cows are all over the place up there. Well I saw exactly 5 of them. He *claimes* that it was too cold while we were there so they were probably inside. I didn't buy it. We saw lots of what I called fuzzy cows and quite a lot of sheep though.
6. Tall and blond? Everyone in Germany is tall. Matthias is like average height in Germany, I swear. In the US I can usually look through a crowd and find him; not in Germany. Going back to the car conversation, this is rather funny...all of these 6' + people in tiny cars. But are they all blond? Not really.
7. Bathrooms. The public bathrooms and bathrooms in restaurants in Germany are exceptionally clean. Why? Because it costs you up to .50 Euro to pee. Sometimes this meant throwing money into a machine to get into the bathroom but other times it meant that there was a lady sitting outside of the bathroom with a white ceramic plate for you to put a tip for using the bathroom.
8. Meat and Potatoes. Yes, that really is the german diet, plus you can add bread to the list. However, despite what some people told me, I could find a salad to eat if I wanted to and obviously Matthias and I found pizza and Italian restaurants. There are also Chinese restaurants too. The one thing we didn't see was a Mexican restaurant. Matthias and I have already made quesadillas twice since we've been back!
Overall, I really liked Germany and most things were very similar to the US.
1. Cars are small. I actually liked it. It's much easier to parallel park! The smart cars that seat two people are hysterical.
2. Bikes are much more prevelant...everywhere...from the large cities to country towns. I'm sure the high gas prices (about $5.50 a gallon) make this much more attractive but it also helps that there are bike lanes and bike paths everywhere too. There are devoted bike lanes along streets in the major towns and even in the more rural areas of Germany there are bike/pedestrian paths always present.
3. Solar and wind power. I've never seen so many modern wind mills and so many houses with solar panels on them before! It was really cool!!
4. Germans are better drivers. Despite the idea that there's no speed limit on the autobahn (parts only, there are speed limits in lots of places on the autobahn), people are much better drivers. They consistently use turn signals, don't pass on the right (it's illegal and enforced), keep their distance from the vehicle in front of them, and stop for pedestrians.
5. Holstein cows, you know - the black and white ones, are named after the Schleswig-Holstein state of Germany (where Matthias is from). Matthias *claimes* that the cows are all over the place up there. Well I saw exactly 5 of them. He *claimes* that it was too cold while we were there so they were probably inside. I didn't buy it. We saw lots of what I called fuzzy cows and quite a lot of sheep though.
6. Tall and blond? Everyone in Germany is tall. Matthias is like average height in Germany, I swear. In the US I can usually look through a crowd and find him; not in Germany. Going back to the car conversation, this is rather funny...all of these 6' + people in tiny cars. But are they all blond? Not really.
7. Bathrooms. The public bathrooms and bathrooms in restaurants in Germany are exceptionally clean. Why? Because it costs you up to .50 Euro to pee. Sometimes this meant throwing money into a machine to get into the bathroom but other times it meant that there was a lady sitting outside of the bathroom with a white ceramic plate for you to put a tip for using the bathroom.
8. Meat and Potatoes. Yes, that really is the german diet, plus you can add bread to the list. However, despite what some people told me, I could find a salad to eat if I wanted to and obviously Matthias and I found pizza and Italian restaurants. There are also Chinese restaurants too. The one thing we didn't see was a Mexican restaurant. Matthias and I have already made quesadillas twice since we've been back!
Overall, I really liked Germany and most things were very similar to the US.
Photos from Hamburg
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| Hamburg |
We took so many photos at the Miniature Wonderland. I didn't post them all but the detail they put into their displays is amazing (and humorous). Of course there are trains and moving cars everywhere but so much more. You'll see pictures in this album of Sea World, Las Vegas, a soccer stadium, a house fire and firefighters battling to put it out, a concert, and Pippi Longstocking. Other things that we saw were South Beach, Mt Rushmore, a zoo, a circus, a village covered in snow, a riot, a working car wash, aliens and Area 51, bears fighting in the woods, contruction guys shaking a port-a-potty, the Red Bull Flugtag, cops pulling over someone, a shootout, a parade, a funeral, an Easter Bunny train, and some naked people (doing child-inappropriate things). They also have fake water in some places and include underwater scenes. In one village they have real water in which they have moving boats and also simulate the tide.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
We've Landed
We're back in Maryland. I'll definitely upload more photos and probably do a few post-travel posts about the last day or so and some overall things. Thanks for traveling along with us!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Back in Berlin
Today we packed up our bags (and got everything to fit!) and headed back to Berlin. The drive was long and not too bad. We took a quick detour on our way to Berlin and stopped in Potsdam to visit the castles there and the huge garden space. There was a working windmill there and some cool buildings and gardens. We didn't stay too long since we had to return the car but it was nice none-the-less. After we got the car back we headed out in Berlin to the KaDaWe to do some light shopping. We ended up buying one of the games we played with Anika and Soren and then back to the Italian restaurant we ate at on our first day in Berlin.
After that we were off to bed for an early morning start to head back to the US.
After that we were off to bed for an early morning start to head back to the US.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The North Sea
On Sunday, Matthias and I made up for our lack of sleep the day before by spending the morning sleeping in and lounging around....or at least that was the plan. Matthias spent several hours working on his mom's computer while I worked on packing. Matthias' grandmother made lunch for everyone of Hefekloose (yeast dumplings) with butter and fruit.
After lunch Matthias and I drove to Freidrichstadt, or "little Holland." It was a cute village but more of a tourist trap than anything with some wooden shoes here and there. After that Matthias wanted to show me the North Sea so we went to a place called Hamburger Hallig. A hallig is an island but is accessible by land twice a day when the water goes down. It's pretty interesting to see islands the size of houses in the middle of the sea. Hamburger Hallig is very rarely now surrounded by water but was cool to visit.
Back in Grossenwiehe we visited with Matthias' grandfather, checked out the garden at the house, and played three rounds of Kniffel (Yahtzee) with Matthias' grandmother.
Today we're in Grossenwiehe for a few hours this morning and then head to Berlin. We're thinking of going to Potsdam to Schloss Sanssouci and the huge gardens there. Then we're overnight at another hostel in Berlin and then catch the flight in the morning.
After lunch Matthias and I drove to Freidrichstadt, or "little Holland." It was a cute village but more of a tourist trap than anything with some wooden shoes here and there. After that Matthias wanted to show me the North Sea so we went to a place called Hamburger Hallig. A hallig is an island but is accessible by land twice a day when the water goes down. It's pretty interesting to see islands the size of houses in the middle of the sea. Hamburger Hallig is very rarely now surrounded by water but was cool to visit.
Back in Grossenwiehe we visited with Matthias' grandfather, checked out the garden at the house, and played three rounds of Kniffel (Yahtzee) with Matthias' grandmother.
Today we're in Grossenwiehe for a few hours this morning and then head to Berlin. We're thinking of going to Potsdam to Schloss Sanssouci and the huge gardens there. Then we're overnight at another hostel in Berlin and then catch the flight in the morning.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Luebeck and back to Grossenwiehe
Today we had a very busy day. We got up fairly early and Matthias and I headed to Luebeck. It was rainy the whole time we were there but we braved the rain to check out the beautiful city's small garden alleys and churches. One church in Luebeck had their bell fall from one of the towers during the war, and they've left it there. It's an interesting site. The church was also interesting itself. We took some nice pictures of cool buildings in the area and then stopped at the famous marzipan shop.
After Luebeck we were totally soaking wet but we headed back to Kiel to visit with Matthias' other sister Katrine and her boyfriend Andreas. We had a nice visit at their lovely apartment and some cake. Katrine was nice enough to throw my wet sweater over the radiator and gave me some hot tea to warm me up while we visited. Then we headed back to Anika and Soren's place for one final board game before heading back to Grossenwiehe.
After Luebeck we were totally soaking wet but we headed back to Kiel to visit with Matthias' other sister Katrine and her boyfriend Andreas. We had a nice visit at their lovely apartment and some cake. Katrine was nice enough to throw my wet sweater over the radiator and gave me some hot tea to warm me up while we visited. Then we headed back to Anika and Soren's place for one final board game before heading back to Grossenwiehe.
Kiel Day 2 and a trip to Hamburg
On Friday the four of us headed off to Hamburg. We went to the warehouse district where they have a museum with a HUGE (and I mean HUUUUGGGEEE) model train set up. There are several rooms designed to different cities and countries (even the US). There are so many trains and so much action that there is a control center for the trains at the museum. We ended up spending over 3 hours at the museum looking at all of the different displays. The pictures will say more than I could type.
After the museum we headed to a church that was heavily damaged during the war and not restored and then to the waterfront to check out the sites. We drove along the Reeperbahn (or Red Light District) and made a spot at Legoland.
It was a long day but we still managed to play a few board games in the evening.
After the museum we headed to a church that was heavily damaged during the war and not restored and then to the waterfront to check out the sites. We drove along the Reeperbahn (or Red Light District) and made a spot at Legoland.
It was a long day but we still managed to play a few board games in the evening.
Kiel Day 1
Thursday we left for Kiel so that Matthias could make his presentation. We thought we would meet with the professor first and then go to his class around 1 to make the presentation but when we arrived around noon the professor changed the plan and Matthias gave his presentation then. So after a quick 10 minute talk we headed out to meet Matthias' friends in Kiel.
On our way to their house we actually saw Matthias's friend Anika walking home from work so we stopped to pick her up. We met Soren at the apartment and then headed out to grab a bite to eat. We ended up eating some Turkish doner after a failed attempt to get Chinese food. After that we decided to pick up some groceries. Between Matthias' love for candy and Anika insisting that I try lots of different things we ended up with a good size grocery cart with lots of candy and goodies. In the evening we played several board games (and ate lots of candy). Anika and Soren collect board games and have some very different ones. They were a lot of fun to play and they were nice enough to explain the rules to me in English so that I had a fair chance of winning...even though that didn't seem to help much.
On our way to their house we actually saw Matthias's friend Anika walking home from work so we stopped to pick her up. We met Soren at the apartment and then headed out to grab a bite to eat. We ended up eating some Turkish doner after a failed attempt to get Chinese food. After that we decided to pick up some groceries. Between Matthias' love for candy and Anika insisting that I try lots of different things we ended up with a good size grocery cart with lots of candy and goodies. In the evening we played several board games (and ate lots of candy). Anika and Soren collect board games and have some very different ones. They were a lot of fun to play and they were nice enough to explain the rules to me in English so that I had a fair chance of winning...even though that didn't seem to help much.
Flensburg
On Wednesday (I think that's what day it was), Matthias and I stumbled around the house for a few hours and then had lunch with Matthias' mom and grandma. Lunch is the heavy meal of the day in Germany. We had a rouladen, semel knoodle, and cabbage. After lunch Matthias and I headed off to explore the town. Matthias showed me around Grossenwiehe and then we went into Flensburg. We wandered through some of the streets and checked out the Flensburg Fjord. We also took a quick side trip to Denmark. We simply crossed the border (which is now nothing more than two large patches of grass where the border crossing stations used to be) and bought a postcard. We actually went into Denmark twice because I didn't get a good picture of the signs. I'm not sure I got good pictures the second time around either but Matthias refused to do another U-turn so I've got what I got.
That afternoon we had some cake with Matthias' mom and grandma. I thought we'd have the chance to play Yahtzee but Matthias's grandma didn't seem interested so I listened to the three of them talk for awhile in German. Then Matthias helped his mom and sister set up their wireless internet connections and I took a nap. It was a very nice relaxing day for a change! :)
That afternoon we had some cake with Matthias' mom and grandma. I thought we'd have the chance to play Yahtzee but Matthias's grandma didn't seem interested so I listened to the three of them talk for awhile in German. Then Matthias helped his mom and sister set up their wireless internet connections and I took a nap. It was a very nice relaxing day for a change! :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Photo Updates - Southern Germany
Munich
Zugspitze
Neuschwanstein
Bodensee and Triberg
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| Munich Highlights |
Zugspitze
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| Zugspitze Highlights |
Neuschwanstein
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| Neuschwans |
Bodensee and Triberg
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| Bodensee and Black Forest |
Chocolate and driving
This morning we checked out the chocolate museum in Cologne. We got some free chocolate and got to see them making some good stuff. The smell was killer. I loved it. The museum itself wasn't the best but the chocolate made up for it.
After that we headed out for the long drive to Grossenwiehe. We hit a little bit of traffic and despite leaving Cologne earlier than we had expected we decided that we didn't have enough time to stop in Bremmen. Maybe next time!
We got to Grossenwiehe before 6:30 and visited with Matthias's grandparents briefly before they headed off to bed. We spent some time with his mom and are hanging out with his sister now. Matthias' mom and grandparents don't speak English so it's a lot of Matthias and them talking and me just standing around but that's okay. His sister speaks some English so I get included in the conversations a little bit more. All-in-all it's all good.
After that we headed out for the long drive to Grossenwiehe. We hit a little bit of traffic and despite leaving Cologne earlier than we had expected we decided that we didn't have enough time to stop in Bremmen. Maybe next time!
We got to Grossenwiehe before 6:30 and visited with Matthias's grandparents briefly before they headed off to bed. We spent some time with his mom and are hanging out with his sister now. Matthias' mom and grandparents don't speak English so it's a lot of Matthias and them talking and me just standing around but that's okay. His sister speaks some English so I get included in the conversations a little bit more. All-in-all it's all good.
Rewind...
Okay, let's go back to the Black Forest, shall we? I didn't really talk much about the time since then. In Triberg there was a lot of snow. The roads were clear but they had quite a bit of snow built along the road. The navigation system tried to make us turn on a road that wasn't plowed but other than that there weren't any real problems. We checked out Germany's "tallest waterfall" that is somewhat debated. It wasn't that tall but that's okay. We also saw that world's largest cuckoo clock and I bought my own cuckoo clock (not anywhere near the size of the world's largest). I ended up buying a battery one instead of one you have to wind everyday. There's no way that would have worked well for me.
On the way to Cologne we stopped in Heidelberg for a few hours. We hiked up a very long hill to visit the castle there. The hike was long but the view was beautiful. We didn't end up taking a guided tour so Matthias and I have some research to do about the castle, but we got some nice pictures anyway.
Then we headed to Cologne. For the first time at the hostels Matthias and I split up to different rooms. After a decent night's sleep we headed out into town. We checked out the cathedral. It was very nice. There were several crypts there including one of the 3 Kings. After a morning of walking around town checking out the churches we went to the Zoo. It was a very big zoo and quite good. They had 3 baby elephants and the biggest herd of elephants I've ever seen at a zoo. They also had raccoons at the zoo which totally cracked me up. I was surprised that there weren't trash cans in the exhibit. After relaxing at the hostel in the afternoon (and listening to a group of English rugby players complain about their bills at the hostel while waiting for their plane) we headed to a local festival. Matthias and I took a ride on the Ferris Wheel and got some great photos of downtown Cologne. After that it was time for bed.
On the way to Cologne we stopped in Heidelberg for a few hours. We hiked up a very long hill to visit the castle there. The hike was long but the view was beautiful. We didn't end up taking a guided tour so Matthias and I have some research to do about the castle, but we got some nice pictures anyway.
Then we headed to Cologne. For the first time at the hostels Matthias and I split up to different rooms. After a decent night's sleep we headed out into town. We checked out the cathedral. It was very nice. There were several crypts there including one of the 3 Kings. After a morning of walking around town checking out the churches we went to the Zoo. It was a very big zoo and quite good. They had 3 baby elephants and the biggest herd of elephants I've ever seen at a zoo. They also had raccoons at the zoo which totally cracked me up. I was surprised that there weren't trash cans in the exhibit. After relaxing at the hostel in the afternoon (and listening to a group of English rugby players complain about their bills at the hostel while waiting for their plane) we headed to a local festival. Matthias and I took a ride on the Ferris Wheel and got some great photos of downtown Cologne. After that it was time for bed.
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