Booking it to Hamburg: 2014

10 December 2014

Pizza Roastbeef

Pizza Roastbeef...just in time for Christmas. This is strange, even for German pizzas. We order from Joey's while at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Thursday lunch!) and every year it's the same discussion: they put corn on pizza? They put what on pizza?

I have to admit that Joey's (a delivery service) is one of the crazier pizza creation stations but roastbeef is just gross. Sorry.

Also, yes, you always say "pizza" first and then the type of pizza. But really, roast beef pizza doesn't sound any better.

09 December 2014

Ugh, I got carded. Again.

I'm almost 31. You only have to be 16. This was so much worse than trying to buy Rice Krispies and vodka.

03 December 2014

Advent 2014

We are now fully underway in my fourth Advent season in Germany (and 7th overall in a German-speaking country!).

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Which means: I keep repeating the same topics. Oops!

Some of them are worth repeating though naturally. Advent and Christmas in Germany just doesn't get old.

I shared some top Advent calendars with you last year, but I am happy to report I can add at least two new ones: mini coca cola cans and bottles of beer!

Another one that is no where near new, but just overwhelmingly popular: Lego. Parents make themselves crazy trying to get their hands on one. There are multiple versions for both boys and girls.

I have a standard chocolate calendar at work, duh.

Lastly, a glimpse into all of my decorations. I did not intend for them to all end up in one square foot area, but that's what happened.

I love the star candles of varying heights to accommodate for burn time. You can't see the detail, but they have little gold stars on them. My dear friend gave them to me last year because I loved hers so much! I decided to forgo the actual wreathe this year and just stick to candles (and the leftover decoration from my wreathe last year). She also gave me the mini Advent wreathe in a can :) So cute.

Oh, and another friend's boyfriend made her the cutest homemade calendar from toilet paper tubes and cotton balls. It's stacked in the shape of a tree! He wins major boyfriend points this year!

14 November 2014

Sainsbury's OFFICIAL Christmas 2014 Ad

I find this very touching.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/11/12/did-sainsburys-just-win-the-christmas-ad-fight-supermarket-unveils-wwi-themed-video-with-royal-british-legion-4946519/?ITO=Facebook

11 November 2014

Kristallnacht & Berliner Mauer | 09. November

November 9th has double significance in German history. However, where one is a celebration the other is in remembrance.

Kristallnacht, or "Night of Broken Glass", is remembered November 9-10 when Jews in Austria and Germany were attacked and massacred in 1938. I actually live in an area that was predominantly Jewish in former times, so each year I am able to see first hand the candles lit in remembrance. Also, in front of many building, including my own, little gold markers list the names of Jews who used to live in different buildings. Around 16:30, around sunset, neighbors gather to go around placing lit candles and flowers by the markers. I think it's a lovely reminder because you literally cannot avoid it.

It's hard to see, but there is a mini police station in the background. This is because the red building is a Jewish school.

November 9th is also the anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall fell. And this year was none other than the 25th anniversary. There was a lot of news coverage and a beautiful ceremony in Berlin. A lot of people traveled from all over to take part. (Note: the train strike ended on the Saturday evening which did not affect travel to the event!) They had a very cool "light ceremony". The lights were actually balloons and were let go one at a time. It had a beautiful and moving effect.

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07 November 2014

DB Streik

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If you asked the average American to list off five things they know about Germany--I'm sure something about trains would be on that list. The German trains, Deutsche Bahn (DB) are known for their (perceived) punctuality. However, this weekend, they aren't even driving. They are on strike for a record-long five days.

They were on strike a few weeks ago, but it was during the week and usually from 9pm to 4am. So few people were affected. However, then they held a strike over the weekend. It completely threw the entire country off. Last Monday, they announced they would do it again and for longer. It started Wednesday with cargo trains and Thursday for passenger trains and won't end until very early Monday morning.

It's a huge problem and many people are affected. In Germany, a lot of people commune to different cities from Monday-Thursday and then can't get home to their families. And it doesn't just affect long-distance trains, but also regional trains and S-bahns. It also forced train commuters to take their cars out of garage creating a nasty jam on the Autobahn. One of my colleagues had a tough time getting into the city to work on tim.

It's a far cry from anything dramatic, but tonight my German and I are supposed to have a very special dinner at a restaurant you can only get to by S-bahn. We aren't sure if we'll make it for our reservation but we'll try. I've heard the S-bahns are running every 20-30 minutes but there are no schedules posted and no guarantee that all will be running.

There was also an airline strike in the mix of all of the train striking. It's a serious thing you have to think about in the days leading up to a trip. I'm off to London in two weeks and can only hope nothing comes up. My German is supposed to be off to Frankfurt this weekend. He doesn't seem over concerned he won't get there even though I've been worrying for him since new of the strike broke out.

Transportation issues could also affect a big celebration in Berlin celebrating the 25th year of the Wall coming down.

I'm not going to get into the politics of who is right or wrong, but no one can argue that it's not inconvenient.

31 October 2014

Will Arnett's Crazy German Talk Show Experience

Is it possible I haven't blogged about "Wetten, dass?" ?!? I swear I did, but I'm not finding it. Anywho, it's one of the craziest shows on TV. Will pretty much sums it up. Sadly, it's ending after decades. The original, and awesomely crazy host, Thomas Gottschalk, left a couple of years ago and it never recovered. Please enjoy.

29 October 2014

Taube, my bird friend

A few weeks ago, I was having a Cinderella moment -- just minding my own business -- singing and twirling alone in my apartment while cleaning and tidying up. The windows were open because, you know, that's what you do in German -- air out with screen-less windows no matter the temperature or bug situation.

Next thing I know, my Cinderella moment became a little more meta. As I was heading to close the teeny tiny slit of a bathroom window, I paused as I spotted a bird. A big, black, blob of feathers perched on my windowsill. We had a quick stare down and I realized I only had one chance to shut the window and make sure he stayed on the outside.

Naturally, I achieved this, but not before imagining what would happen if he came inside (do normal people also constantly imagine the absolute worst-case scenario in any given situation?).

He flew off as I tried to bring my heart-beat to a normal pace. As much as he scared the crap out of me, I'm sure I came of as the big bad human.

I thought it was a one-off.

But no.

Every day for a week HE WAS STILL THERE.

Morning and night. Light and dark.

At this point, I still wasn't sure it was a pigeon. After giving his description to some friends though, everyone confirmed it was a pigeon. Fine, it's a pigeon.

I planned on giving him a name, but no names inspired me. Instead, I just call him (a him I decided) "Taube". Taube is the German word for pigeon. And also dove. Plus, a deaf person. It's a versatile word.

I then mentioned it in passing to my landlady, who comes around quite often. She said, "Well, let's look at it from my room." (Sidenote: remember, I only rent 2 of 4 rooms; the others are occupied by boxes of "collectibles".) We hung out heads out of the window and what did we see? A ton of feathers and poop. She was not happy. I'm concerned she will get one of the spikes and then my friend might lose a foot or something.

I'm still surprised every single time I see him. I now kind of sneak toward the window to check first. Usually, he sits with his butt facing me (as pictured) but sometimes it's his giant eye I spy when all I want to do it shower. I lightly tap for him to head on his way when I do need to open the window.

The system is working.

But I still don't understand how this bird decided to make my windowsill home. This didn't happen once in the past three years and suddenly it's his personal hideaway.

I wonder if he'll stay the winter?

24 October 2014

A Most Wanted Man Official Trailer #1 (2014)

I am desperately trying to get back to blogging -- there are still things I want to tell you about dating back to November 2013... so in the meantime, please enjoy this trailer for a new movie that takes place in Hamburg and Berlin. It's unusual that an international film was allowed to film in Hamburg which makes this extra exciting.

BONUS: at seconds 0:19 and 0:24 you can see part of the Alster Lake that is a few hundred meters from my office! So cool to see the stoplight I patiently wait at even with no traffic in a movie trailer with Philip Seymour Hoffman. And his last film at that. I really want to see this!

12 September 2014

Guess where I am?

At home. On the internet. It took nearly three years but I'm finally connected. I'm on a Microsoft Surface tablet, with full (purple) keyboard and USB port, and trying my best to navigate a non-Apple device. It will take some time as I explore, but so far I'm happy to push myself out of my comfort zone. Seriously, this is what I consider hard work. Let's hope this improves my connectivity while also not decreasing my reading and quiet time :)

01 September 2014

Honey and Hand Soap

After making my return trip to Hamburg, it took me two days to get to the store to buy honey and hand soap -- two things I drastically needed yet also found a way to keep squeezing out a few drops. Therefore, I'm not too disappointed in myself for taking two weeks to get back on this blog. It's so incredibly frustrating that I have so many stories I want to share with you, yet I keep just making more memories so I never get time to go back and share what's happening. I promise to keep trying though. Really, I do. I also have to say I'm incredibly thankful for the people that I get to share these stories with in real life on a day to day basis.

During my last trip to the US, I didn't log in to Facebook once*. I received "important" notifications via email, but I could tell Facebook missed me a lot more than I missed it. It started sending me messages that I never received before: "You have 39 pending notifications."and "High School Friend 8 liked a photo of Someone You Don't Even Know." The first day was a little tough, but then I was free. And I'm trying (yet failing) to stay that way. I prefer real life contact so, so much more. It makes me happier, but it's just so hard to stay in touch when I'm so far.

So, while I try to get back on track on blogging (because I like to write and tell stories; not because I like to communicate personal info incognito), I encourage you to send me a personal note or email if you check in and I haven't written anything recently.

xoxo

*OK, once. But it was an accident. Really.

25 July 2014

Super Tipster

Not only was Germany a big winner in the World Cup, but also me :) I was the super tipster! I won our work "tip round" of eight people by 17 points. I had a 24-pt lead at one point..but I knew I could more risky at the end! I ended up with 152 points total which, from what everyone has been telling me, was a score no one else seemed to even come close to. I'm really not tooting my own horn here as I'm equally surprised I performed so well!

During our monthly management meeting I was presented with a hand-made trophy (mein Pokal). I couldn't stop smiling. And it didn't take long for me to start eating the delicious Brazil-colored candies inside the trophy. Naturally, I shared. I also received some chocolates which I will also share with the team.

I definitely plan to have a Tiprunde in 2018...let me know if you want in ;)

Handmade three-piece trophy - filled with Brazil-colored marshmallow-like candies

Lastly, since it never made it in...

June 26, 2014 | Germany vs. USA

I went to bed with my German outfit planned and just so, so excited for the big game. When I got dress that Thursday, I immediately felt pangs of guilt. I was wearing black, red, and yellow and not one shred of red, white, or blue. And I didn't even have any! I felt guilty. I was supporting the USA, and even tipped in their favor (!) going for the upset. Luckily, on my walk to work I passed through the weekly market and someone happened to have an American flag scarf for sale. Thankfully it was only 5,00€ because I probably would have paid even more!

In the office, I taught my colleagues a new phrase, "fashion disaster". My black, white, yellow, red, blue mix was not the most stylish, but I felt so much pride -- for both my teams.

Note the earrings!

14 July 2014

WELTMEISTER! DEUTSCHLAND! ****

Germany did it!

1954, 1974, 1990, & 2014!

They get their fourth star!

Too many explanation points!!!

While it was a stressful, yet exciting game, it was completely deserved. The core players on the national team have been on my radar since at least the 2008 Euro Cup...perhaps sooner, but I can't recall exactly. A good majority of that core also plays together for Bayern München, so it's a team I really know better than the US team. And they are good. Really good. Obviously. It was so amazing to see it all come together. I'll never forget this World Cup, really, I'm pretty sure I won't, even though I can hardly remember a minute of 2010. It was so special to celebrate this World Cup in Germany. I already feel a small void knowing there's no soccer this week. Plus, you know, I won the "Tipprunde" at work and gained a lot of respect for Americans overall. That's how I see it at least. I'm so excited that America has finally seen the greatness that is the world sport of football.

I'm still trying to think of a good example, but can't come up with a good comparison to describe what I witnessed and felt last night. Everyone, EVERYONE, was excited and watching and celebrating. Young, old, men, women, soccer players, and non-soccer players. Everyone is interested. In one team. In one game. The post-game car honking and flag waving and cheering and unity was was beyond measure. You don't get that at a Superbowl or even the Olympics (try to get everyone to agree on one sport!). Maybe you get the patriotic pride on the Fourth of July, but no one is ever going to be *that* excited about fireworks and BBQs.

Is it 2018 yet?!

Schlaaaand!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RLZUKqpXYzU

25 June 2014

WM Update (aka World Cup Update)

To say I have football fever may be an understatement. You might be thinking a "slight fever". Nope, more like "104 degrees-we-better-go-to-the-hospital". And it caught me off-guard.

I love soccer. I run in social circles with others who love and appreciate soccer. I get swept up in Europe Cups and World Cups and friendly matches. But nothing compares to what I'm experiencing now.

Why?

1. I'm in Germany. A country that lives and breathes Fußball (and cars and beer).
2. I'm in an online betting pool at work (no money!).
3. I'm winning said pool.

People are always asking each other what they are "tipping" or what their "tip" is. This is your prediction. This takes it to the next level. I suppose you could compare it to March Madness brackets or even Super Bowl Squares. Yet, this requires lots of strategic thinking and you have to actively participate over the course of the entire tourney.

We are doing our pool at work with people from our German, English, and Spanish offices, a total of eight of us (one declined and was in no mood to be convinced otherwise). It's via kicktipp.de (it can be switched into various languages) and does all the work for you. There's even an app! You can change your tips up until the start of each game. We also had to answer some "bonus" questions at the beginning like who would win each group? who would be in in the final four? who will win or be the runner-up? These tips can't be changes and it would be really unfortunate, for example, if you picked Spain to go very far and then they got their butts kicked the first game of the tourney...hypothetically speaking...

You score 4 points if you guess the correct final score - 100% correct. You get 3 points if you pick the right winner and the right goal differential (you said team A would win 2-1, but they win 1-0). And you get 2 points if you at least pick the right winner (or correctly predict a tie).

I snagged 4 points on the opening game (no, I also did not know Brasil would score all four of those goals...). And since then I've been hooked in a way I've never been hooked before.

As the days go on, I come into the office and am greeted by head-shakes and emails calling me out for insider info -- even a call to call the ethics committee! No one can believe it. Me either to be honest. They want to know my secret. I can't help that I picked Nigeria over Bosnia because my book club just read a book about Nigeria, so I picked in their favor.

I'm currently leading by 15 points and I really hope I'm not jinxing myself by talking about it.

It's all in good fun and gives us lots to discuss at the water cooler, of course. And the winner, aside from pride, honor, and glory, also will get a hand-made trophy. It's quite the experience.

Due to the time difference, the first two rounds of games were at 18:00, 21:00, 00:00, and 03:00. Of course the first two US games were at midnight. I did watch until 1:30 when I just couldn't anymore and it through me off all week. Round 2 of group play has two simultaneous games at 18:00 an 22:00. The later start doesn't comply with my bedtime either, but at least the Germany vs USA game gets a prime time spot. And when two games are on at the same time, the games with European teams get priority coverages except for when a goal is scored and they pop over to the other game.

Some games are so intense I almost can't even watch and am glad I have to sleep and anxiously check my phone in the morning for results. The other good news is that you can't go far without passing a TV on the street, a kid steaming on his computer on the corner, a ubahn sign displaying the score, or jubilation. I pass 7 outside TVs on my walk from my apartment to work slash U-bahn.

And I'm interested in ALL the games, not just the big ones. Like when I arrived at the German's and he greeted me with a smile and I go 'why aren't you watching the game?!'. Why watch the real game when you can play the game on Fifa for Xbox instead?!?

I also got to watch a France game on my new French neighbor's rooftop terrace.

Having so many international contacts makes it also cool. Our Ecuadorian UPS guy. My colleagues cheering for Australia, England, Spain, Columbia, Netherlands, etc. My French friends. My Mexican friends. My friend who lived in Cameroon.

It's just plain fun.

Who wants to join my 2018 tipping pool?!

Barmbek U Station displaying all of the flags of participating countries

12 June 2014

WM 2014 | World Cup

If I thought I saw "Fußball Fieber" during the 2012 Euro Cup, I don't even know what to call this frenzy of the 2014 World Cup. You can buy anything and everything in black, red, and yellow. Really. From bobby pins to car accessories to M&Ms to pasta and more. I have been looking forward to celebrating since I moved here. I had only hoped I'd be here long enough to experience it.

What I didn't think about? The Brazilian location and the time difference. It's like I'm back in 2002 and waking up reallllly early in the morning to watch the games in South Korea and Japan. Except now we have to stay up late :( There also aren't as many public viewing being offered because of the noise factor.

Tonight, the opening whistle blows at 22:00. It will still be light out, but it's definitely a late start. Some of the US games are at midnight...doubt I'll be able to watch, but I may try. Thankfully, THE GAME I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, Germany vs. USA on June 26, will play at 18:00. We've also moved out book club meeting to accommodate :) My German has already politely warned me that I need to cheer for Germany if I want to see him the rest of the summer...we'll see how my body naturally reacts! I am much more in-tune with the German team, despite my favorite player being injured in a friendly match last Friday. Gute Besserung Marco Reus!

At work, we are doing an online betting pool (no money! pride only!) with our offices in Spain and England.

04 June 2014

Well, this is embarassing.

I've been reallllllly busy. If I weren't so busy I could calculate the miles I've traveled in the last four weeks. It's been a lot of "hin und her" and I've been pulled in more directions than I can count. Leading two lives does that I suppose. I spent some time at home in America which might have amounted to my best trip yet. Which means it was also extra hard to leave. I've been doing and experiencing so many things that I "write" about in my head and just never seem to get it into actual written form. I am trying - really, truly. It's just that, as we all know, blogging is a more passive form of communication, so it's just that it's low man on the totem pole when it comes to me keeping in touch with people. BUT there are just so many awesome things I want to tell you about! I mean, maybe I have already, but not only do I want to tell you, I want to tell you the right way. So, I can't just put some stream-of-though words up here (oh, wait, that's what this is?).

In summary, I'm back in Germany, I'm no less busy than I have been since November, yet I am one step closer to having interest at "home" which I think will really increase my blog activity. Fingers crossed I can complete the second step!

Liebe Grüße
Lynn

09 April 2014

Random Act of Poetry | Temorary Permanence

I am desperately trying to get back on blogging track. I thought I could ease back in with a random act of poetry as April is poetry month. This year's poems are a throw-back to 2008 -- I was living in Vienna and my sister had returned from Munich to finish her last year of college. We decided to find a title and we each wrote a poem to share with each other on a predetermined date. As expected each poem turned out similarly different -- just like us sisters. Any ideas which one I wrote?? Karebear, we should do this again :)

Temporary Permanence

You know things will change, but not when

or you know when things will change

but just not how.

They change before you even realize it,

so quickly you don’t know to react

you let things get comfortable,

but not too comfortable.

Roots dug in just deep enough for the season

It’s an erasable pen—a state of in between—

You want it to last, sort of, just not forever

This is what you’re doing.

Not what you’ve done.

Not what you’re going to do.

It’s just

Existing.

It’s a pile of maybes that will move forward

Or get left behind

It’s days and weeks,

Sometimes months,

Never years.

It’s developing a routine that feels right

Only because you know it won’t last.

And you know it.

It’s addresses in pencil

And travel-sized shampoo.

Temporary Permanence

there is a time which lasts
but forever

the counted time of finding never
and when i stand at iron gates

i wait.
i wait.

but only for now.
but only for
ever.

to see the sun perched at its throne
the beginning of the kingdom,
the end of the reign to echo in sunlight
of his only home.

temporarily alone.

guarded by moments
fast by nature,
planned by default.
recorded by eyes.

see to it that time will stand
at iron gates
and wait.

And wait.

for this is the rising of the sun.
and do not look away,
but once.

Take a look back at my acts of poetry from 2013 and 2012 if you'd like. I also encourage you to "attack" someone with a random act of poetry yourself.

19 March 2014

Likies

I suppose we can thank the following for these cookies appearing in Germany: the English language, the American culture, and Facebook.

image source

11 March 2014

Supergeil

I Can't Stop Watching This Insane Commercial for a German Supermarket

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I'm a little late in sharing, but still have to share this video that went viral a few weeks ago. Apparently it even went viral in the States? Can anyone confirm this?

The facts:

-Friedrich Liechtenstein is a music artist.
-Edeka is a grocery store.
-Geil is a German word that means both horny and cool. You have to be careful when and how you use it. Mind your audience! Super means super of course.

Here is the original song and music video. And here is the parody used as promotional material for Edeka.

It's worth watching if you have a few minutes. I think you'll enjoy it even if you don't know German, but if you know even just a little German, you will very much enjoy this. I think it's funnier if you know the original, but if you only have three minutes, then just watch the Edeka version.

I primarily shop at Edeka, I even tell people I like in a Edeka Dreiek (Edeka Triangle) because I live equidistant to three locations. However, I have never been inside one as big as wherever they filmed the video.

My favorite parts of the video? Bathing in milk and müsli and the end when he's checking out the products at the register.

*For a full translation of the song I will direct you here as this person already put in the hard work and made it funny.

28 February 2014

Winter Olympics 2014

You and I both know I am way behind in sharing my stories. This week I had a lovely reminder that I have a small but wonderful readership. So, upon special request, here is my take on the 2014 Winter Olympics.

After re-reading my 2012 Summer Olympics recap, I realized I was about to write practically the same opener.

I can maintain that watching the Olympic coverage in a country other than your own is still a strange experience and the games seemed overshadowed by regular news, soccer (ok, football), and the Ukraine.

But first, let's start with the location of the games. I will probably continue to mispronounce Sochi because it is pronounced differently in German than in English. And I mostly only heard it auf Deutsch, so my brain stored the information in a confusing matter.

This leads us to Germany commentary but English graphics and event games. Talk about Denglisch (that's a mixture of Deutsch and English). It's both positive and negative that English is so universal and has made its way in the German language and culture, but when a German word and English word can be used interchangeably and the use is alternated, it gets confusing. So, please don't ask my about some of the newfangled events because I probably won't be able to tell you the event name in German or English.

But back to commentary. Who doesn't love German honesty? I highly enjoyed Katarina Witt's figure skating bluntness. First of all, it was exciting because this was an Olympic name I recognized, yet scary because it's not from a recent decade. (Yes, the post on my 30th birthday is coming.) Katarina did not hold back at the controversial gold medal decision. It may have been a coincidence because of timing, but I felt like they really cut her off because she was not holding back that they made a mistake. Perhaps this was also so in American commentary? I know the Internet blew up the next day dissecting both routines.

I have to believe that the major factor of nonchalance boiled down to the fact that the Germans did not perform so well. They ended up with a total of 19 medals (8 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze) and more 4th place finishes that they would care to tally up.

Fun fact: the curling team came from Hamburg.

Aside from the German national soccer team, the Germans still really struggle with national pride and team spirit. Although they did have some great team uniforms.

And by great I mean that there were more than one comparisons to Lisa Frank. And no, the Germans maintain their rainbow uniforms were not a gay rights political statement.

image source

One last point will really bring it home. It was actually not that easy to find Olympic coverage. We were not competing with a big time zone issue and I don't have pay tv (yes, that's what it's called and yes I have free tv). Olympics just weren't always on. And I can't tell you why. But I could always find updates on a ticker running on the bottom of news screens. That's about how important Olympics seemed to be.

*Does anyone have different opinions? I am open to knowing if I incorrectly misjudged the games or if others came to the same conclusions.*

21 February 2014

Spring in February

The winter in Germany has been the absolute opposite of a Polar Vortex. And I am certainly ok with the fact I'm not living in Chiberia at the moment. But it's kind of weird. It's basically spring.

The birds are singing, people are running around without coats, restaurants patrons are dining outside - even with sleeping babies in tow - , and I'm often overdressed at work in a sweater. It's unusual activity for February.

I'm trying my best to enjoy it, but I am fearing we're going to get payback when it comes time for summer.

But for now, I will enjoy the ginormous magpies (Elster) that sit in the tree outside my kitchen window and my work window.

13 February 2014

German Toilets

I know, I know, not what you expected for a post after my semi-disappearance. This is one of those things that I think about nearly daily, but while my family visited it was an obvious topic again.

Everyone who has lived in Germany or Austria, or visited, know what I'm talking about.

Google "German toilet" and you'll see what I mean. (Click here).

Plain and simple there's a ledge.

image source

I remember my sister telling a story of her year in München at the welcome session when it came time for questions. The first hand up had no reservations, "Why is there a ledge in the toilet?"

But I really want to know! I am not the first or the last to talk or even blog about this. But today, I finally found an answer from another blogger who did the research: (link to blog)

“It’s nothing sinister. Germans eat a lot of raw and almost-raw meat, indeed the word delicatessen, a shop that sells among other things, meat products to be eaten raw, is German. The shelf is to allow an individual to check themselves for evidence of parasites. It is a sensible precaution, since as we were taught at school, worms can propagate by eggs getting from the anus onto fingers during use of the toilet, then if the hand is not thoroughly washed, the next victim gets the parasite orally after the eggs have been passed on by preparing food or even touching something like a plate. The egg will pass through the digestive system and lodge in the lower intestine where it will eventually hatch into a parasite and begin producing eggs of its own.

It is of course possible that this has an effect on the stereotypical German: that they are obsessed with inspecting things for cleanliness, order and efficiency. Sigmund Freud, another German (sic, he was Austrian), coined the term anal retentive to describe an individual who is preoccupied with details, a characteristic often associated with Germans.”

It makes sense. I can also confirm that German love to inspect things.

Now for my latest question: "Then why are toilet brushes white?"

07 February 2014

Apologies!

Dear ones,

I am so sorry for the lack of blogs. I have been way too busy living life. I'm thinking about blogging constantly and I'm doing plenty of blog-worthy things, I just can't seem to line up my energy, free time, and internet access these days. Major recaps are surely to come!

xoxo
Lynn

21 January 2014

Tissue Paper? Absurd!

While trying to wrap a present in a gift bag last week, I discovered that tissue paper isn't really very main stream. My first red flag should have been while looking up the translation and deciding that none of the suggestions seems to be accurate. I started asking around and perusing stores that sold gift bags. I kept coming up empty.

I finally decided to ask my colleague for some help. I started describing what I was looking for and her stare went from blank to this-girl-is crazy. In the end I had to google images of gift bags.

"Das ist absurd!"

My reply: I think it's absurd not to use it!

It's simply a cultural clash. For the Germans, it appears to be unnecessary and wasteful. For Americans -- it's pretty :)

You can actually buy tissue paper here, but you have to go to specialty paper stores and, obviously, that is expensive. The Costco-sized package of white or multi-colored tissue paper just does not exist.

As I didn't want to staple the bag shut or just give a bag with a direct view to the present (acceptable solutions apparently), I decided to use napkins, that I happened to already have in the appropriate colors (by the way, I hoard napkins).

I think it turned out just fine.

Starting a new trend - napkin filling

Looks like I need to add tissue paper to my list of things to bring back from America.

10 January 2014

Ice Skating

I'm a true winter baby and I do love winter activities. I try to go ice skating once a year, but I can't seem to remember the last time I did! It may have been while living in Vienna. It was a top experience, so it's probably held me over.

I'd been waiting and waiting for my Hamburg ice skating experience. It finally came during my third winter! First, I have to interject, that our "winter" is so utterly mild at the moment that this week we hit the mid 50s°F and it's very spring-like. Very unlike the extreme cold temps that have swept across my Chicago homeland this week.

Cecilie, EJ, and I decided to meet early on a Sunday afternoon. We actually waited in line for at least 30 minutes to get it. Popular idea. Entrance fee was €4,90 for adults and skate rental was an even €5. We were in skates for about two hours including a hot chocolate break.

EJ is practically a professional, on skates since she was 4, and also teaches some lessons here in HH. She gave me some advanced lessons :) I'll stick to yoga I think!

Such a fun day over all though. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Thanks to Cecile for photographing!

See us in the middle?

Channeling my ballerina days


Skating after yoga was interesting for my body

Time to get some more color in my wardrobe

07 January 2014

What a View

Any guesses what this view is? I think my mom, grandma, and sister may be the only readers who may venture an accurate guess.

It's the view from the ladies room at work. Not bad, eh?

I'm definitely a fan of the "appreciate the little things" motto which applies here in that even if I'm having a not-so-great day at work...check out that view.

The ladies at my home office can attest that I'm quite lucky.

A note of reference/I'm sure you're wondering: I took this photo the week before Thanksgiving. It took a perfect storm of having a nice day and me actually thinking to take my phone with me. Today's sky wasn't as blue, but the weather was pretty fabulous.

While my family and friends in Chicago are fight frigid temps we are looking at a high of 54°F this week. The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. It's spring in January!

02 January 2014

Happy 2014!

The end of 2013 really swallowed me whole. I was busy letting my Advent wreathe dry out, visiting Christmas markets, and working like crazy. But I'm back and ready for 2014! It's going to be a really great year. For real. Perhaps the best yet.

Happy New Year :)

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