Deutschland mit den Augen eines Kanadiers ;-)

[ric]

Ein netter Kanadier, der mitsamt Gitarre und Rucksack durch Europa zieht und sich die Städte ansieht, schrieb folgende Reiseeindrücke über Deutschland nieder (kein Fake).

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"Trivial notes from the open road:

GERMANY:
denmark was very hospitable to me but germany is my new favorite country this trip so far

i noticed a big difference crossing the border from denmark to germany and had some culture shock however i feel an affinity to germany, the people, the food, and the language it is a VERY interesting place for me

-groceries and take away food is often very good, once i got cheap hot homemade german food at a gas station of all places

-germans are more expressive than the other cultures i've visited so far and there also seems to be a larger variety of different types of people and sub cultures

-in general walking around i noticed that the germans walk slower than in the other countries i have visited, to me this says volumes about the people's ability to enjoy and savor the better things in life

-europeans often say the english word 'funny' when they mean the word fun which sounds funny

-sometimes i see these tiny 2 seat cars, they look practical

-often times in german hostels i can get my own room for just a little more money

-in september there are often many large groups of school children staying at the hostels, oh the noise!!!

-i finally got a chance to spend the euros i have been carrying around since ireland, about 2 months ago

-a euro penny is quite tiny and cute

-you get back unused coins from a payphone

-i saw a calender with a left hand column showing the week of the year

-prostitution is legal and\or tolerated in germany

-brothels in hamburg are often called 'house of laffs'

-open containers and drinking in public is tolerated and excepted

-magic mushrooms can be purchased legally from 'smart shops' along with other herbs and intoxicants

-i saw a bar in hamburg called 'phucket'

-train doors do not open automatically, you must do it yourself or you will never get off or on

-often police uniforms look quite casual and unintimidating

-often toilets have a stop the flush option to save water

PART2:


-a deck of cards is 32 not 52, hmmmmm

-i like germans because they are often intelligent, sophisticated, and well behaved, kind of the opposite of many north americans: ignorant, shallow, and ill mannered, in addition the germans are easy to reason
with, they are good at challenging the intellect, and they also are good at offering alternative insights into thoughts or problems

-the music i hear at cafes, bars and on the radio is often very eclectic and good, showing good taste and choice

-when talking even to strangers, they sometimes stand very close, i find that culturally interesting

-there a large 100gm GOOD chocolate bars at the grocery store for 29 euro cents, wow!, about twice the size of a reg candy bar back home for 1\2 the price

-i often see females holding hands as they walk on the streets

-i think there is a euro trend of getting mother of pearl or other types of inlays on the front teeth for show, like piercing, has this hit n. am. yet?

-also super high platform shoes, good god!!!

-when they often say chef they mean chief really meaning to say boss, this took me a while to figure out why people were waiting for the cook, haha

-most every town i visit in germany is not only nice, they are mostly beautiful, many parks, beautiful streets, buildings, and shops, and most every town has a car-less zentrum (center), really very lovely and
good for busking

-some streets are not only cobble stone but each stone is different, unique, and oddly colored and shaped actually making it a bit difficult to walk on, its hard to imagine horse drawn carts making their way in the past

-a door bolt turns twice to make it extra long and secure

-sometimes, to take a grocery cart you need a euro coin deposit, giving you good reason to return the cart to its rightful place

-i often see funny words used around and in advertising like schmuck, klutz, putz and funk, but i think im the only one who thinks they are funny

-no matter where i go in eurpoe the coffee is GOOD, even instant or machine coffee, however i dont think you ever get free refills

-i saw at the store 'happy end' toilet paper

-maybe one day i will get use to crabby proprietors at hostels and hotels"

[Nergal]

Nur gut dass er nicht das DANKE Klopapier gesehen hat

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