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In Destinations, Europe, Germany on
October 29, 2012

More On Culturally Appropriate Nudity

Living in Stuttgart has afforded me some pretty spectacular international exposure that a southern girl from a one-horse town usually doesn’t have the opportunity to experience. To date, I’ve been embraced like I was next of kin by a big Greek family with four generations of love spewing from the kitchen; I’ve been part of a debate on political ideology with the French, and shared the most intriguing historical and cultural revelations with a German Jew whose family fled to Shanghai, just before things kicked off here in Germany.
Every one of these wonderful events has taken place around a dinner table. But some of the more dramatic and revealing (sort of speak) cultural experiences happen in the sauna. I have concluded that the best a culture has to offer is experienced around a dinner table.  However, if you really want insight on different levels of a country’s culture, more specifically on its morality and health culture, get naked and visit a sauna.
My mom, niece, and I went to a spa over the summer.  Mama Belle, being the middle-aged, southern, conservative prude that she is was not ready to do as the Germans do and wore her black and bright striped one piece bathing suit into a tiled steam room. Everyone silently and nakedly braced themselves for the heated pain that was to one except one obviously non-native man who started pointing and shouting at us in German. We looked at him. He kept on. The other native Germans looked our way but didn’t say a word. I looked around. “Is he yelling at us?” I asked loud enough to let him know we didn’t speak his language. “Maybe he’s saying that Audrey is too young to be in here.” My mom responded. “Maybe it’s because you’re not naked,” I offered. I mean, it’s really not fair for everyone else to be naked and then there’s one person not willing to make one’s self vulnerable.  Having clothes on certainly gives the clothed an upper hand.  The man fumed and stormed out of the room, presumably to find an employee who could translate.  Audrey started getting antsy in the heat so we left before the angry patron returned.
Photo from www.saunascape.com taken in a Badden-Wuttemburg town near Karlsruhe.

Understandably I’d get yelled at for taking photos in a naked sauna. and no one ever looks this good.
Now, it is important to note that I get yelled at by angry Germans all the time so this occasion was really not unique.  Every non-German I know has a similar angry German tale to share. Headlights turned off at sunset, make a U-turn even when no one is coming, switch lanes without a signal, or cross a crosswalk when the little man on the sign is red and just expect a firestorm of angry Germans to emerge from all directions and shout at you.  Heaven forbid a plastic bottle end up in your cardboard recycle bin. You will have a neighbor knocking at your door, handing it back to you while providing a lecture in German. Leave your car running to warm up as you run back into the house to collect some last minute items and a local will be standing right by your car when you come out of the house waiting to let you have it.  Cut your grass at 1145 on a Tuesday, expect neighbors to congregate to observe what you’re doing as if you are making a spectacle, then brace yourself to be yelled at. If you walk in the woods with your dog and come across a no dogs allowed sign… a German wood gnome will pop out of the forest and you will get yelled at. There’s no time to explain, “Well I’m sorry, I’m already here, there was not a sign at the entrance and I’m trying to leave the area.”  There are no excuses. You will get harangued.  Once, the driving lane I was in suddenly turned into the taxi lane. I was stopped at a red light with a car to my left, sidewalk to my right, and a car, that happened to be a taxi, behind me. There was nothing I could do about it. The taxi driver beeped furiously. Sorry bub, the light is red. I’m not going anywhere. The driver, who was actually Turkish, not German, gets out of his car, starts beating on my window to yell at me as if I know what on earth he’s saying. Now this would have ended very badly for him if he was in the south in America. Its times like that I wish mace wasn’t illegal in this country.  It was also the day I started carrying a mini can of bug spray in my purse.  Has the same affect. It does It’s not like he could do anything either…the light was red! Then he drove with road rage. Oh, once, someone swerved his little car and abruptly stopped in front of my beau causing him to slam on the breaks in the cross walk…the the light turned red and he couldn’t move. Then my beau got yelled at, and his truck smacked by Germans crossing the street.  Goodness people, get over yourself. Sometimes stuff happens and there is nothing you can do about it. And usually it’s not that serious!  Unless someone’s life, eyesight, or limbs are seriously in jeopardy or they are going to score a goal in Fußball, there is never a real reason to yell at them. Well, apparently it’s the sauna, a place for relaxation and tranquility, is not off limits to yelling either.
Fast forward about four months — my beau and I go to an indoor pool.  Everyone in the pool area is wearing swimsuits. After a few laps and splashes we decide to check out the “wellness” section which includes saunas, foot soaks, whirlpools, and lounge chairs.  The whole floor is ours alone. I go sit in the least hot Sauna wearing my bikini. No more than 15 seconds after I entered the wooden box — the door had not even had a chance to close all the way — and here comes the spa monitor looking like Megan from Bridesmaids in long red shorts and two layers of tee shirts yelling at me in German. Now, in most occasions when I get yelled at in Deutsch I respond by smiling and using my “you’re such a cute little baby” voice while saying things like “I don’t understand you. Do I look like I know what you’re saying,” while shaking my head. This time, instead of my baby voice, I simply respond by maintaining  eye contact with her while undressing. Why does she get to yell at me for not being naked in an empty sauna when she’s tromping around in layers galore?  Why does it matter if you are naked or not? Why is nakedness not an option?  I imagine if this was a movie it might be funny. Someone yells at you in German, you take your clothes off.  What if my response to getting yelled at was removing my garments every time?  Would that incite more anger? Amusement? Would the yelling stop? What if that became the standard American response to German yelling? Could we condition Germans to stop yelling at us least they see us naked, or would they do it even more? Instead of Americans asking, “Wanna watch me make this German flip the heck out?” then proceed to toss a plastic bottle in the trash, would the Germans then ask each other, “Wollen sie diesen Amerikanerin nanackt sehen?”  (Want to see this American naked?) then start speaking to us in a raised voice.
Working with international partners I get the chance to meet a diversity of people doing the same computer work as me. One such event was an international computer geek conference where I met a Finnish Army officer. Saunas are so much apart of Finnish culture that when the Fins deploy into war, they deploy with tactical saunas. And men and women soldiers sit in this tent-like sauna naked together. Once, one of the Finish soliders went to the U.S. to visit his sister who lives in Indiana. He got a similar shock of American Sauna culture. He explained, “There they were, the Americas sitting in a Sauna with their hot, sweaty, wet clothes and I go in naked like you are suppose to and they screamed. There were screamers!  And the workers asked me to leave.” He was not welcome to return.  Years later he was still upset. I laughed.
One last experience that I must share that still made me shake my head.  I was in my private little dressing cabin in a spa putting on my swim suit. When I came out there he was, my beau, smiling ear to ear, naked as a jay bird. I gasp. We had just seen everyone fully dressed in the swimming pools down below. “You are not supposed to be naked,” I hollered a whisper. “Why not,” he whispered back.  “No one else is naked,” I said.  Seconds later an accented voice came from the cabin next to us, “Excuse me,” she said. “This is a sauna. It is ok to be naked.” She cleared up the situation. Sure enough we turned a corner of the locker room and there was a bare butt naked lady greeting a fully dressed man in a business suit. They smiled shook hands and carried on a lengthy, friendly conversation.  In America there would be so much wrong with this scene.  She’s naked. He’s not. They’re in a co-ed locker room, laughing and joking and just shooting the breeze.  But all the patrons dressed only in flip flops walked right passed them and into the wellness center without concern.
When living abroad it is expected to feel the sting of a cultural sanction at least once in a while. However, there are few cultural shocks so jilting than getting socially sanctioned while in the buff. Our approach to nakedness, health, and family is a paradox salad.  America, a nation founded by puritans, has endorsed the Daisy Duke Shorts and bras that push our breast in low cut tops where you can see everything but the color. Yet we can get violently upset if we see another adult completely undressed in a controlled environment with heat climbing over 100 degrees centigrade. In Germany, you’re hard-pressed to see a girl in cut off jeans and ta-tas spewing out walking through the shopping district but plenty of naked bodies are found in every sauna and every beach is at least topless.  In America we have laws against being naked in front of children. In Europe, families go to the Sauna together.  It’s no big deal for an eight year old girl to be walking around bare butt naked with her daddy and every other middle aged man in a spa.  The Germans don’t allow clothing in the sauna due to sanitary reasons as if it’s more sanitary to have someone’s sweaty genitals sitting nude on a wooden bench.  It seems that Americans do not allow nudity for sanitary and moral reasons. Usually saunas in America are found in gender segregated locker rooms.  In Europe those are hard to find and Finland and Germany families are close enough to be naked and unashamed together.  In America the same act is a perversion.
My favorite Spa in Stuttgart, The Dormero, has a fantastic atmosphere.
I must say I enjoy the Sauna experience and it has become a part of my lifestyle while living here in Germany. I think culturally appropriate nudity warrants deeper exploration.  We all know that every region of the world has culturally regulated guidelines on what a female can expose, whether it’s her belly button, legs, ankles, cleavage or what have you.  But why do two similarly developed western societies have such drastically different attitudes toward nudity in general? And what are the affects? In Germany there are still child molesters, rapist and general perverts. There are still occurrences of eating disorders. I can’t say if there is a difference between frequency rates of any offense or if there is heightened awareness and discovery in either country.  Perhaps Germany has a healthier body image understanding that there is no shame associated with your naked form. Maybe I’ll make this a thesis topic at a later date, I certainly have enough field research to get started.
In Austria, Destinations, Europe on
October 13, 2012

Partying ‘Til The Cows Come Home

Mayrhofen im Zillertal Almabtriebfest

As the trees adorn their branches with classic fall hues, thousands of visitors flock to one little Bavarian town or another signaling the time that the cows come home!  I know watching cows come home from the mountain sounds pretty hokie, a little backwoods even. However, in Mayrhofen, Austria, cows walking down from the Alps make a pretty valid reason to throw a big street party.

During the summer, farmers send their cattle to graze in the alpine meadows. When the leaves start to change, farmers drive their cattle, dressed in show-girl style headdress, garlands, and clanging bells down to the valley where they return home, stopping to rest at various pastures on the way.

Almabtrieb (Alm-ubtreeb) or Viehscheid (Vee-shide) fests are what American southern girls recognize as a cattle drive festival.   Thousands of visitors come to the cattle drive every year, and celebrate German style with traditional, accordion-lased mountain music, dancing, beer tents and more modern bands wooing crowds live!  It goes on most of September and through October (depending on the weather). It’s a great family activity, fun for friends, a place to for fantastic photos of German culture, or just have some fun.

Mayrhofen is a little mountain town right across the border in Austria with no major tourist attractions aside from its nature and slopes that are perfect for skiing. The Alps are a devastating beauty that takes my breath away and replaces it with clear fresh air every time I’m amongst them.  I can understand Marie spinning around and singing praises of sounds of the Mountains even more having been inspired to run, skip, sing, and prance myself.

Mayrhofen’s Almabtreibfest had this Kentucky country girl taking photos of cows!  Never, in all my years in Kentucky or Alabama, have I ever photographed a cow until I moved to Germany.   Just makes me think that my little Kentucky town, with all its cows, should certainly incorporate a cattle drive into our fall festivals.  The town of Obertsdorf in Germany has a larger cattle drive, (totaling over 1000 animals) is well down into the Allgäu region (the low mountainous area before the Alps) and is about 2.5 hours from Stuttgart. Some Cattle drive fests are much closer.

My experience with Almabtreibeibfest actually started in Munich for Oktoberfest. I couldn’t convince my party friends to make the hour and a half journey south to Austria to watch this cultural event. But just like Oktoberfest, Almabtriebfest is just one of those events that you must experience at least once if you live in Germany.
Activities start early in the day like 0930.   You’ll want to be dressed in your native German attire (dirndl and Liderhosen). If you don’t have it, shops will be open. The shops in the Bavarian Alps have a much wider variety of cute, authentic accessories for your native attire than places in Stuttgart. It’s easy to blow 400 euro.  Be sure to check out my buying guide before you go.Sip your cappuccino and have some strudel drenched in vanilla cream in one of the lesser populated coffee shops and watch the first few parades of cows go by. As the day warms up, shop, walk up and down the streets, dance to the accordion mountain music, buy from the local venders, watch out for the drool, blood, and poop in the road. When you stop in a little restaurant for lunch, try the putenschnitzle.  Coming from the Shwabish area, where every meal includes pork, I had never had jager puten schnitzel until I traveled Bavaria.  It’s healthier and delish!  Spend the afternoon taking the train to the top of the mountains or gliding through the mountains.  Better do this before 4 pm.  As the sun starts to set…and it’ll set early these days… it’s time to check into a quaint little gasthaus for the night. The cows will be finished with their parade but the party is just getting started.  I actually went back to Munich for the Oktoberfest but, if that’s not on your to-do list,  I suggest staying in Mayrhofen or moving on to another charming Alpine town like Innsbruck or Fussen for the night.

 

When I returned to Stuttgart this Cattle drive is all people were raving about.
In Destinations, Europe, Germany on
October 13, 2012

Oktoberfest 101: Prosting With The Best Of Them

Making Sure You Fest Like a German Rock Star

Germans always find a reason to fest. Whether its cows coming home, a change of season, change of day, it’s a cause for celebration. When King Ludwig married Princess Theresa in October 1810, the people of Bavaria partied, and they have been celebrating their anniversary ever since.
I always imagined Oktoberfest to be a wild, crazy, debauchery laden drunk-fest similar to Woodstock or Bonnaroo with a heaping of Mardi gras chaos sprinkled in. But after partaking in the 202 year old tradition, I compare it to something like the state fair…without the cows and pigs. Oktoberfest can be quite the family affair with plenty of sober activities.

I must say, I’m not a beer girl. I’ve tried, but I’m just not. All the great beer snobs of the world talk a great game about German beers and Belgian beers and the loggers and what have you. But honestly, and they’ll cringe when I say this, I haven’t tasted a darn beer in all of Europe that could hold a match to Budlight Lime… or even bud light wheat. There! I said it.

Anyway, here’s my guide to making sure you party like a German rock star in Munich!

Packing

Bring your own hangover medicine ‘cus Advil and Tylenol-like medicines are only sold in Apotheke which are closed on Sundays. Ladies, you must bring our buy a traditional dirndl or lederhosen. Not a polyester/ felt sexy milkmaid costume.They can run you around €200. Because of the price, I want to make sure I get enough wear out of mine so I pretty much wore mine around all of Bavaria during the entire 4-day weekend. Bring your fave American drink. I gave Jim beam as a gift to the Fins and they gave me Mintu. Buying bourbon in Germany is pricy though. You may want casual, traditional American jeans to wear around town during the day. And a bathing suit — sitting in a hotel sauna would be great the morning after.

Logistics
I stayed in the Holiday Inn South. It’s a great hotel with wonderful service. I like to keep my lodging costs around €100 euro so, at about €300 it was a bit pricy. On top of that I reserved a room through hotels.com, a sister site of Expedia.com. I ended up coming a day earlier than my reservation (I mistakenly mistyped my reservation) and because the reservation was an Expedia reservation the hotel couldn’t change it. So I wound up paying for two nights. Had I booked directly with the hotel, changing my Saturday reservation to Friday would have been no problem. I’m sure there were cheaper hotel in Munich. However, this holiday Inn was right around the corner from the U-bahn station and about seven stops away from the fest. Learning the U-bahn system may take some time for Americans who aren’t accustomed to public transportation but the staff at the hotel can direct you to the U-3 to the fest…then follow the mass droves of people dressed like you! Bottom line: Reserve your hotel early! You can use hotel sites to find hotels, but then book directly with the hotel. It provides more flexibility say if your flight was cancelled or missed. Just do a little research.

Drinking

Those of us who live in Germany already know, but for those of you coming from the states, German beer is stronger than American beer and they give you more of it (a liter at a time). Do not cut your night short by drinking quickly. You cannot keep pace with a European. You just can’t so don’t even try. Good rule of thumb is one beer per hour…or less! Also, Make sure you eat! Save your drink to wash down your rotisserie chicken or drink during the “Ein Prosit” song only. Better yet order a Raddler — Bier and sprit mix. You can still party with the crowed and no one will ever know you have less beir.

Make a note, pretty much everything on the menu in the Hippodrom tent costs €10. Eight beers, if you are still standing after that will cost you €80. Don’t go into shock when you get the bill after buying a round for your whole table. Half a chicken and strudel will cost 20 bucks. Be sure to tip the waitress a euro per drink. Doing the traditional American 15% is overboard. It’s a cash only festival so bring plenty of it.

Practice the buddy system. If one man goes down, you all go home. Security is really good at making sure people don’t die so when they see your buddy passed out at your table and you keep on dancing, they’ll send him on his way and you get to go with him.  Folks, don’t be the one that makes your whole crew end their night early.  Notice, it’s never the German who is passed out. It’s always the newbies to Germany.

Partying

And since we’re talking about cash, you pay for rides in cash. It’s not like America and you go up to a ticket booth a buy a ton of tickets all at once and different rides are worth different amounts of tickets. You pay for the ride at the ride. Good roller coasters can cost you €6.50 a person. Remember that if Oktoberfest is a date for you…and you’re not going Shwabbish (same idea as going Dutch). Note: It is not advisable to ride the spinning swings after consuming a liter.

You’ll want table reservations. You can only reserve a whole table for 10 people and you have to buy beer and food vouchers in advance for 20 – 80€ per person depending on the tent and the time. My Finnish friends and I got prime time table reservations (weekend evening tables) so our reservations were pricy. You’ve got to reserve tables early…we’re talking six months or so in advance.If you don’t make it to your table on time, your €80 per person investment may be up for grabs.

My favorite tents were:
Löwenbräu – has a lion on top
Hofbräu – has a chicken on top. Thousands of internationals inside.
Hippodrom – tacky colors but hip amongst the younger crowd and best bet for singles.

Inside the hippodrom

I also knew one of my friends was suppose to be somewhere in Oktoberfest but she lost her phone and I lost contact wither. I found her, where else, but in the long women’s line for the bathroom. She was without a reservation but she was having a blast chatting with people from all over the world anyway.

Löwenbräu Fest Tent

Hofbräu Tent with International Flare

Make sure you are up on your 80’s rock lyrics. Not just the chores, the whole thing! It’s so awesome to here citizens from all nations belt out the “Na Na Na Na” part of “Hey Jude” or rock out to “Don’t Stop believing” ACDC and every other 80s rock song. It’s the Germans especially who know the words, lyric for lyric to every obscure 80s song. Look up and practice the words to Ein Prosit.

Just remember that the proper response to “Ticki-tocki, ticki-tocki” is “Oi!, Oi!, Oi!”

Dance on the tables until security chases you down.

Don’t let bad weather slow you down. It poured down rain one of the days I was there and people were still Prosting.

You can try to learn food ordering phrases in German before coming but I’m not sure it will help you. These people speak Bavarian…I’m going to liken this language to Louisiana’s Cajun. The Germans say Bavarian German is Germany’s equivalent to Texan English. Being taught Shwabbish German then going to Bavaria I noticed that even though Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are neighboring states, their dialects of German a worlds apart.

And lastly, for the love of America, Americans, do not get into a fight! I’m not sure why, but anytime a fight breaks out in a tent you can bet your best dirdle push-up bra that it’s either an American or a Brit (Canadians and Australians, and English South Africans included… but most likely a regular ol’ Brit or American).

Last Call
Security doesn’t play. When the band stops playing it’s time to move along. Taxi, walk, or U-bahn yourself to the DISCO (not night club…night clubs are found in the red-light district) or back to your hotel. Notice I didn’t say drive. German Polizi don’t play when it comes to DUIs. The legally drunk limit .05. That’s less than a liter of beer for ladies. In the US, you get a little fine and a tap on the hand. If you’re a drunk driver in Germany prepare to be lined up against the barn in front of the firing squad. And they are more active and effective at catching perpetrators. Do everyone some good and just follow the droves of dirndl and hosen wearers and hop yourself on a train. Oh, and do not try to “barrow” an Oktoberfest mug until the next time you come. Security will get you and you could go to jail. Just buy one. Their like 10 euro.

Food Guide
Hendl Bavarian for Hühnchen or Huhn which is German for chicken
Anything with Schweine is pork. Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick)
Würst- sausages (rot is red, curry is spicy, Käse is cheese, and weiß is white)
Brezel- Pretzel
Knödel -potato or bread dumplings
Spätzle – noodles,
Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes),

Sauerkraut or Rotkohl/Blaukraut

In Destinations, Europe, Germany on
October 13, 2012

Fesch Fest Fashion

Prost Y’all!
 

As I strolled through the fest tents at Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Volksfest, looking all cute in my dirndl I overheard two American men discussing modern inventions. One said, “I think the dirndl is the greatest modern invention.” The other responded, “Then next, I’d have to say the car.”   When I went to Oktoberfest with my Finnish friends, a usually very polite, sweet Fin says, “This is like the promise land — There’s cleavage everywhere!”  It’s a bit ridiculous and entertaining that men on both sides of the Atlantic are openly amazed at cleavage…as if they haven’t seen it often since they were nine years old. My Finnish friend explained, “usually, you see cleavage and it’s an accident and you try not to be obvious when you look but here, the girls just put it out there and its okay to look!” 

I have to say, there’s not much difference between German country fashion and American country fashion. You’ve got lederhosen in Germany and Daisy Dukes in America. Square dancing dresses in America look awfully similar to the dirndls of Germany.  Americans and Germans have expertly found ways of turning the native attire into something sexy.   
I’d traveled from Stuttgart, to Munich, to Mayrhofren, and Innsbruk scoping out the best in traditional Bavarian fashion by the time I made it to Fussen. While trying on a petticoat under my dirndl in a Fussen shop I tried to save a cute Italian girl from making a bad dirndl purchase. But she gave me attitude and said, “It’s possible to wear it this way.” So you’ll probably see her in her pink dirndl that smashes her boobs with her bow in the back signifying she’s a window when her boyfriend is right next to her.  I thought maybe I should give a little insight on dirndl Do’s and Don’ts to keep you looking fesch at every fest!

You’re free to submit your suggestions and comments too!

Hayden’s got the right idea!

DO: Rock a cute hat

DON’T: Overloaded with costume accessories. 
You don’t have to buy all the jewelry, hats, pretzels, etc at the souvenir shop. As in life, less is more.

DO
Midi-Dirndl — The knees are always covered! Everything else is loops cheap and costumey!

 

DON’T: Mini-Dirndl 
No one needs to see your hoo-ha while you’re on the table dancing to Bon Jovi in the Hippodrom. All Dirndls that stop far above the knees — please resend to your schrunk (closet) or donate to the Rote Kreuz (Red Cross second hand store).  


 

DO: Wear high heels and boots with your Dirndl. 
I’ve seen everything from chucks, ballerina flats, and Keds but elegant pumps or peep toes are a perfect match for knee-length dirndl. Make sure they won’t keep you from dancing all night though. I wore my favorite western boots and was complemented all weekend. Sexy tall boots are also a do.

DON’T: Wearing the wrong shoes
 Please no sneakers

DO:  Nontraditional Accessories
Traditional accessories are a 200 year old standard. But this year trendy, modern accessories like clutches, statement jewelry and high heels set a new standard for Dirndls.

More Dos


Do: Double Aprons
Double Layering your apron is a creative genius idea so long as the aprons are not overly decorated. Sequins and embroidery, yes, but with discretion!
 
Do: Embrace New Traditions
How you tie your apron bow matters!
Traditionally married women had totally different dirndls than single gals but a new tradition is sweeping Bavaria;  How you tie the apron bow on the dirndl indicates your marital status: 

Photo: Getty images

If you are engaged or married – tie it on the right side.

If you are young, single, and free – tie it on the left side.
If you are widowed – tie it at the back.

Do: Braids. 

I’ve seen the traditional two braids pinned up, the single side braids and the two ponytail braids. Very cute.

Photo: Getty Images

Do: Forgo the dirndl Girls in Lederhosen rock! While a dirndl is a staple, if you already have gotten good use out of your dress, go ahead and splurge on some sexy leather shorts!   Save the dirndl for spring fest and try out some hosen this fall!

Do: Wear a colored blouse
I didn’t even know they made these until I saw some very glamorous girls wearing black blouses at Oktoberfest.  I purchased my black blouse the next day in Austria and got complemented on my elegance. A black undershirt can transform the same dirndl’s style from casual and fun, to dressy and sophisticated.  

DONT’s 

No squished boobs here

Fesch Fest Fashion Commandment #1 “Thall shall not squish thy boobs!”

Let’s keep it real, if you weren’t trying to put your ta-tas on display, you’d find a more modest blouse. There are ways to display them elegantly.  Take a look at German Advertisements of models in Dirndls; Their boobs are not squished! They sit there nicely as if they were on a shelf.  If your dirndl is flattening your voluptuous curves, you need a bigger dress…just tailor in the sides.   If you have small boobs and think that if you squish your boobs to the top you are fooling someone into thinking you’re farm raised…you’re not. It’s okay and beautiful to not have big boobs. Just add a necklace to draw attention but do not squeeze what you do have to the top of your blouse in order to create the appearance of cleavage.  Women fought for the right not to have restrictive clothing. Do not make the women’s movement be in vain by smooshing your boobs!

Thou Shall Not wear Animal Prints!
“Leopard and zebra patterns have no place near a dirndl!” — direct quote from a Fesch Bavarian girl.

Thou Shall Not Mimic “The Waitress” 
Don’t be surprised if someone gives you their drink order when you’re wearing a black dirndl with a white blouse. Waitresses have a monopoly on this look. 

Thou Shall Not Be Cheap 
Spend € 30 on dirndl from the dirndl man stand on the corner and everyone will know it. You’re better off in a luau shirt. And a costume milkmaid outfit likes about as authentic as a robin wearing peacock feathers.  Invest in a decent dirndl. You don’t have to go couture, The C&A Store sales respectable dirndls for € 99… about the same price as Ebay costumes. 

Photo: Getty Images

Thou Shall Not be a Coma Boozer 
No dirndl is ever hot on an unconscious girl lying in the corner. Nor is it made more sexy when some chick without self control somehow loses her top or skirt. In the translated words of Dirndl Magazine, “Self-control is the alpha and omega!”

Thou Shall Not Wear an Incorrect Apron Length
You should be able to the bottom of the dress below the dirndl.

Thou Shall Not Wear Lingerie Blouses
Apart from the fact that there are only a few exceptions where a dirndl looks good without a shirt, the blouse should complement and not distract the dirndl. Please only wear transparent blouses when the dirndl completely covers your chest! Even strapless blouses are definitely a no-go this year! 
 
Thou Shall Not wear Matching Dirndl 
Even if you are twins or bridesmaids or twin bridesmaids, if your best friend is wearing the same Dirndl as you, one of you must make alterations. For example, different style aprons, different color blouse, or corset belts.  There are too many possibilities to be dressed just alike.

For a little inspiration, this is what right looks like:

This photo from Dirndl Magazine

In Destinations, Europe, Germany on
October 5, 2012

A Weekend Of Fests

It’s fall in Germany again.
Ordinarily for me, fall has a sad, foreboding feel to it. To my chagrin, the changing of the leaves are a reminder that warm, long summer days are behind me and the icy winter gloom is setting in. Fall is also the time when Central Europe’s stops their clocks for an hour and two weeks before Central USA making the time difference seven hours instead of only six which creates more challenges when I try to calling back home to my family.  It’s football season and I will be thousands of miles from any stadium-side tailgate parties.
But fall in Germany is not met with such dread.   Germany greets the change of each season with  Festivals and my aim this fest season is to immerse myself in all of them. So for Columbus Day weekend, I stayed close to home and tried out all the traditional festivals going on in my area.  The beer is flowing and the cows are coming home. So here my glorious weekend of fests in photos.
Thursday Night: Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Volksfest I kicked the weekend off in by staying in my hometown with friends at Volksfest also called Cannstatter Wasen or just Wasen because that’s the name of the fair grounds which is also where the Spring fest is held each year.  So apparently in 1815 a volcanic eruption in Indonesia led to a climatic catastrophe even in Europe causing the people of Stuttgart to stuffer a famine. Thousands died. In 1817, when they were relieved of the famine through Russian support, Katharina, King Wilhelm’s Russian wife, sponsored a harvest festival. This fest takes place annually on the King’s birthday on September, 28th in the area of the Cannstatter Wasen. Sounds very much like a Thanksgiving fest to me.
Embracing Southern Germany style in a dirndl but keeping it Southern USA by rocking the boots.
Mixture of German and American gal pals hanging out during the band’s break between sets.
There’s no chicken like fest chicken and that evaluation is coming from a Kentucky girl whose first bonafide employment was selling chicken at KFC. Yum!
Idaho Beau and I
 You know they have those stereotyped-filled saying like “I can drink like a German/Irish” but even Germans have hard times holding their alcohol. And they have the argument that letting folks drink at a younger age will teach them responsible drinking habits. Not sure if that’s true. The guy with the vests consoles his puking buddy while the guy behinds them pretends to hump them.
Cathy just arrive to Stuttgart but already had her dirndl ready to party.
Aw. Idaho Beau won a little bear for me.
The Beau, Stephanie & Me causing trouble.
Contrary to popular American belief, Volksfests are more than just drinking. They actually provide a fun family atmosphere with children’s games as well.  It’s comparable to a county fair.
Friday Night: Munich’s Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest began as a celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Theresa on October 12, 1810.  Folks have been celebrating their anniversary ever since. The fair grounds are called Theresienwiese although locals have shortened it to Wiesen, juts like in Stuttgart.
The ride to Munich was a stau (traffic Jam) nightmare! Everyone is on their way to the big Fest.
Made it!
 I went up to the upper level of the tent to get a photo of the party from above and was basically adopted/kidnapped by these old Bavarian men. They called me a little Schwabish girl from Stuttgart.  They also snorted flavored tobacco up their noses and said all Bavarian men do it.  They left their wives at home in the kitchen to have a boys night they told me.
  During the day I tested my skills.
 Ladies in the Finnish army with their apple strudel. Yum!
 Inside the international tent.
 This is the flirty, young tent.
 My friend Harri from Finland and I getting our grub on before dancing on the tables.
Kartoffeln! AKA Potatos fest style. Simply delish.
 Don’t stop believin’! Country Roads take me home —the Europeans know every word!
  One drink per hour. Slow and steady does it. People will continue to party around you while you almost die. Then the Polizi will make your friends take you home. You will end the night early for everyone. Do not be that guy!
 The next day at the fest poured down rain! It stopped no one.
 Everyone just kept the parties in-doors.
Gotta get a fest gingerbread heart.
 Munich by the way is a beautiful, fun active city. After the fest, go out on the town for a night on the tiles.
Saturday: Almabtriebfest in Mayrhofen, Austria
From Munich I journeyed about a hour and a half south to a charming little mountain town in Austria. Fests like these go on most of September and into early October in one little alpine village or another. It’s a cattle drive bringing the cows down from grazing in the alps back to their pastures before it gets cold. It’s great Bavarian cultural fun and a nice outdoor outing with family or friends. I blog more about this special Alpine adventure in my post, “Partying til the Cows Come Home.”
It’s quite the sight to see, a parade of cows clanging their giant bells.
In a restaurant in Fussen on the way back to Munich from Mayrhofen. The food was glorious!
All of these pieces of flare were removed from the cows so they could rest after their long trek down from the mountains.
Putin Schnitzel…Schnitzel made from turkey.
This was these calves first fest. I think they did quite well for a first parade.
Only females journey down together.
This cow had to be seriously dehydrated. Another cow came along and she mooed her away from the water.  either that or she is just mean and wasn’t really drinking for for 20 minutes straight but was just trying to keep the other cow from having any.
This place was absolutely breath taking. I really just have not other words to describe being in the Alps. I don’t know how Maria had the lungs to sing in the Alps.
Sunday: Ludwigsburg Annual Pumpkin Fest
I never knew so many varieties of pumpkins existed! Over 400! Last year, giant dinosaur sculptures made of pumpkins graced the gardens of Ludwigsburg palace. This year the theme is Switzerland. Like all fests in Germany, it’s not complete without divine food. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin seeds… you get the idea.  Ludwigsburg also hosted a Venice fest which happens once every two years. Which I missed this year. boo!
A dress of Queen Elizabeth (Sisi) of Austria who was King Ludwig’s favorite cousin.
 A horn blower and the Swiss flag made of pumpkins
 Rows of different types of Kurbis (the German word for pumpkins).
 They host a pumpkin shell boating race!
 Germans can do some beautiful work with wood so it doesn’t surprise me that the same care is done when sculpting a pumpkin.
Again, the Swiss horn blower made of pumpkins
The palace grounds are breath taking year round put especially early fall.
So there you have it. Volksfest, Oktoberfest, Pumpkin fest and a Cattle drive all in one wonderful weekend.
In Destinations, Europe on
September 29, 2012

Europe’s Best Cities

How does it get any better than Stuttgart?

I often ask myself that. I know an American girl’s time in Stuttgart is unlikely to last forever, so often I plan and consider my next moves.  Where else could I be content living after living in Stuttgart and making it my standard?  I just spoke with an American friend who recently went back home to The States during the spring to study at Notre Dame University. We did the typical, “how is life” conversation. He confessed he cried like a baby when he left. In addition to having to part from his sweetheart, we both ventured to say Stuttgart is probably the best place to live in Europe.  Mercer, however, published a different list of top 30 places to live and Stuttgart was not on it. I tell you, Stuttgart is an overlooked, hidden gem.

What Makes a City Great (on my scale)  

 

1. Dateability — countless places to go and have unique dates, not the typical dinner and a movie plus plenty of eligible bachelors to choose from.

2.      Plenty to do — No shortage on activities for all sorts of interests
3.
Cultural events — More than just ballet and museums, I’m talking fests, events, etc
4.
Shopping – My home town sales John Deer paraphernalia and hospital scrubs in the mall right next to sears.  That is not what good shopping looks like.
5.
Education – universities, and competitive children’s schools
6.
Housing – “Affordable” downtown homes on American standards
7.
Low crime rates
8.
Green Consciousness
9.
Awesome public transportation
10. Diversity — People representative of the world around us

 

My List

 Here’s how my list would differ. Stuttgart is the number one best city in Europe to live.  Now  granted, I haven’t lived in any other place on the list and I haven’t visited them all either, but you just don’t get better than Stuttgart. No city in Switzerland will ever  top the list of Best Places to Live. If eating casual dining food is a splurge then the fancy boarding schools will certainly be a luxury. Everything Swiss related seems to be accompanied by the idea of luxury (Swiss Skiing, Swiss watches, Swiss vacations) thus it is just too luxurious for this southern girl. Switzerland loses. It’s just too expensive, but undoubtedly beautiful and safe to visit.

Brussels –not a lot of cowbell and it has an eastern European ghetto in which I got quite acquainted with when my GPS took me through it and of course, my car would subsequently break down.  But that’s another story for a northern date. Anyway, Being broke down in the hood is my biggest memory of Brussels and it needs redemption.
All other cities in Germany — Munich, Frankfort, Hamburg, Dusseldorf all made the list. However, with the exception of Munich, non have the travel-ability of Stuttgart.  And I don’t even know what theses Northern Germans are saying when they speak.  It’s like they have a German Yankee accent.
Copenhagen, I read, is a haven for terrorist. Of course, there’s always terrorist amongst us. Besides it’s expensive and way up north away from the rest of Europe.

1. Stuttgart

My dad captured this pic in downtown Stuttgart

It’s the sixth largest city in Germany and the capitol of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart is home to countless fests year round: Fish fest, children’s fest, summer, spring, winter fest, Christmas markets, Volksfest, African fest, fests where you just sit and eat — not sure of the name but walk out of your home and voila, in the middle of a fest.

It’s location in Southern Germany makes it a springboard for travel.  By plane, train, or car Stuttgart is the hub of European travel. Of course, all of Germany is situated in the heart of Europe, but unlike big cities in Northern Germany, Stuttgart is no more than a four hour train ride or drive to three other fabulous capitol cities (Paris, Prague, and Zurich) in addition to driving to other countries quiet easily (Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Budapest, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Holland, Poland). You just can’t cover that much ground by car as easily in Berlin, Hamburg, or Dusseldorf.
The most difficult places to get to from Stuttgart are Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey because you actually need to fly to save you a full day’s drive.  Munich is a happening town just a quick jaunt down the road from Stuttgart and the Alps nearby are breathtaking.
Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have their headquarters in Stuttgart and both have car museums.  As Will Smith said in his song, Welcome to Miami, “100 thousand dollar cars, everybody got ‘em” —- Let’s try 100 thousand euro cars are seen zipping down the autobahn all day.
Stuttgart’s Soccer team, VfB Stuttgart, has fans comparable to the SEC. Craziness! The city also boasts first-rate art and history collections, heck, the city is a walkable history museum. Plus the shopping on and around Königstraße is fabulous!
Although crime does happen, the common understanding is, “Germans don’t commit crimes because its against the rules and Germans don’t break rules.”  Stuttgart is considered a safe town because even when crimes happen, they get solved. Stuttgart has two major engineering Universities and the secondary education is phenomenal with language learning a
priority.

 2. Vienna

The Opera house hosts 360 productions a year! Here, you can leave your trendy modern loft to stroll the same cobblestone paths the world’s greatest composers traversed. The mixture of history, modernity, cafes, gardens, architecture (a la hundred water house), and things to do just make it as charming as say…Charleston.  Additionally, it’s just a lively, active town with similar standards of living as Germany.

 

 
For just three euros or less you can watch world class performances

3. Amsterdam

What an active life style of boating through the canals, biking, and green living I’d live if only I lived here. Besides, Amsterdam is a very open, accepting, tolerant city. After being so oppressed by Nazi’s this city’s response was not to be oppressive to any group of people. It’s so much more than its infamous red light district. I love this place!
I visited in April. Tulips were in bloom but still not the trees.

4. Paris

It doesn’t matter how many square meters a tiny Parisian loft is…it’s in Paris! Living a minimalist lifestyle is welcoming when Paris is your back yard. Seriously, I think if I could shake the fear of uncertainty, I’d just move to Paris and live off of fromage, wine, and see if I could make a living selling my paintings on the street by day and performing at Moulin Rouge by night.  Now it is dirty, and stinky, and a little grimy at times…definitely not the same standard of public cleanliness as found in Stuttgart, but what a wonderland to live.

The backside of Notre Dame

5. Munich

When I think of German culture, I thought of all things Bavarian —beer, dirdls and liderhosen…scenes out of Grims brother’s fairytale. Well, Munich is the heart (and capitol) of Bavaria.  It’s also Germany’s Hollywood, as it is home to most of Germany’s celebrities. It’s a big city, with small town charm and would just make an exciting, eventful place to live. Besides, you’d gte plenty of visitors when the hotels fill up with Oktoberfest tourists.

6. Bruges

Water ways like Amsterdam but without as many tourist. This city is a gem! I like it more than Brussels.

7. Berlin

Now I have never visited here but My Friends from Bavaria and Baden-Wuttemburg swear its much more happening than Munich and Stuttgart. And since its on every other awesome place to live, and I can vouch for Germany in general being pretty awesome, it made my list.

8. Mallorca

Columbus Day vaycay in Columbus’ birth land

I would so retire here. The living is easy and the beach weather is amazing without all the hurricanes I’d have to deal with in Florida. Plus, they speak Spanish!

9. Strasbourg, France

Photo taken during my Labor Day weekend

Narrow ally ways and cobblestone ooze with European charm. Add to it that, because this region got passed back and forth between France and Germany war after war, folks speak both French and German in addition to many speaking English.

10. London

Photo from: http://www.destination360.com/europe/uk/london/london-eye-millenium-wheel

The British are so much fun to party with. Maybe because they speak english so I understand the jokes. West End Shows, history, the possibility of a Will and Kate or Becks and Vic sighting, shopping, music and just a world of fun. The tube makes traveling the city easy (but nothing beats Germany’s bahn system). Only issue is these folks aren’t known for their food, and the little island is on the edge of Europe making it more challenging to travel than say, anywhere else in Germany.

In Destinations, Europe, France on
August 24, 2012

Twelve Hours In Paris For First-Timers

Yes, I took this pic and it turned out quite nicely

You’ll always be short on time in Paris. If you’re visit is particularly short, say as short as a long layover, here’s my guide to crunching all of Paris in a short amount of time. Of course, this guide is for first timers who haven’t already seen the top six sites. Since there are so many ways to personalize your Paris visit your way, you’ll have to tailor objectives to fit your interests.

Depending on your Parisan savoire faire, physical fitness, and walking speed you should be able to squeeze in all six. However, if you’re more leisure, you can at least do the top four.

 

Top Six Sites
Notre Dame
Musee du Louvre
Tour de Eiffel
Arc De Triomphe
Basilica de Sacracure
Moulin Rouge

 

 

Don’t waste time:

· Exchanging money —have your credit card and Euros with you

· Looking for luggage security —- If you must, lock up your luggage in the train station(research ahead of time where the lockers are), but its best just to travel with a day bag!

· Trying to figure out the metro —here I tell you what metros you use, but if you’re going to delineate, already have your metro stops mapped out. My friends and I wasted an hour navigating the underground transit system during our 12 hours in Paris. I made this mistake, so you don’t have to!

· Buying snacks and drinks — have an ample supply of bottle of water and granola, slim jims, crackers, etc stuffed in your day bag beforehand.

· Being lost: come prepared with a have a Paris map& phrase book, If you go to the Louvre, have a map of it before time.

· Buying metro tickets: buy a pack of 10 tickets the first time

· Standing in lines: If you can, get your Louvre and Eiffel tower tickets ahead of time. You’ll spend more money to save more time.

Day Bag check lists:
Paris Maps
Metro Map
Euros in Cash & coins (for the toilettes)
Snacks & bottled water
Camera & tripod
blanket for pic-nicing
ipod
sunglasses (summer)

 

Hour One
Whether you’re coming from the airport or the train station, map it out to start your whirlwind adventure at the Louvre.

 

Arrive at one of these Metro stops: Palis Royal Musee du Louvre, Louvre Rivoli, Tulieries, or
Pont Neuf

 

Hour Two & Three
With over 30,000 things to see, you could easily spend the whole 12 hours exloring the Musee du Louvre. Get your picture with Venus and Lisa and get out. Get a souvenir from the cafe gift shop. You must take pictures of Paris from the windows of the Louvre. They’re delish! Use the (free) toilettes before you leave.

 

Hour Four & Five
Take a leisurely stroll through the Tuileries Garden /Jardin des Tullieries. On my 12 hours in Paris I actually started at the Plaza de la Concord & walked through the gardens before the Louvre, the sculptures here made a delicious appetizer before the Louvre.

 

Cross the massive Plaza de la Concorde and you’ll be on theAve des Champs Elysees. Keep walking here and you can’t miss the Arc de Triomphe & the Unknown Soldier. You can go on top of the Arc if you wish and if the line isn’t too long. It costs €9 for older adults and €5.50 for those 18-24 if you want to go on top. Just don’t try to cross the street here. Drivers have enough to worry about with six lanes of cars merging every which way in a circle than to also swerve away from tourist…which is why they don’t swerve. You will get hit! There’s an underground passage way.

 

The walk alone should take about an hour. Budget your time to spend no more than another hour stop for a light snack & coffee here to people watch alfresco in the typical partisan fashion. Do not get a meal here. It will cost you a pretty euro.

 

Hour Six
Take any of the tree streets to the left of the Ave Champs Elysees (if you’re looking at the Arc from the Ave Champs Elysees ) and you’ll come upon the Eiffel Tower (Ave d’lena, Av Marceau, Av Kleber) Ave Kleber Has the best views. If you were to have a picnic, this would be the place to do it. No three hour wait in line to climb the tower…sorry ya’ll, that’s reserved for those with a week to spend. Take your pictures in front of it and be happy! Better yet, cross the bridge and go up the hill toTrocadero for better photos of the tower and the Seine River.

 

Hours Seven and Eight
Travel by metro to Notre Dame.

 

Leave the Eiffel Tower from any of these Metro stops: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel, Bar Hakeim, or Trocadero across the river from the tower. End at the Cite metro stop. The majestic architecture of Notre Dame doesn’t just stop on the front side, so be sure to walk all the way around Notre Dame. Get your crepe, escargot, wine and ice cream fix here in this neighborhood. The lines are usually long but move fast enough. Multi-task in the line to get your pictures in.

 

Hours Nine and Ten
Travel via metro to Montmartre district. Here you can get great views of the city like you would the Eiffel Tower only for Free and no lines! The line to Basilica Sacre Coeuris always shorter than Notre Dame’s line. The artists’ corner, lamp-lined cobble stoned streets are just a feast for the camera. If you’re with friends, divide and conquer —one can take pictures of the city while one holds the place in line, while another grabs grub for all to eat in the line! If you have time, take a 15 minute stroll to the Moulin Rouge (put that map to good use— don’t waste time being lost). Do your poses a la Marilyn Monroe on the air vent in front of the cabaret house!

 

Get off the metro at Place de Clichy, La Fourche or Abbesses.

 

Hours Eleven & Twelve
Ninety minutes before your departure
start heading back. Allot more time if you don’t know where you’re going.

 

Cost Distribution

 

For metro tickets (15€ for 10)
The Louvre entry (10€)
An exquisite three course lunch with two glasses of wine (45€)
Paris can be done for 70€ or $91USD in under a day!

 

Other Quick Sightseeing Options
You can visit all these places faster, with less walking using the metro, however, Paris needs to be taken in from above ground. You miss so much when you’re below.

 

You can always do the hop-on-hop off tour or L’open. It maps out the rout for you and you can get your pictures from the top of the double decker bus, wear off some jet lag.

 

Of course, from Frommers to Rick Steve and the travel channel, there are no shortages of tour guides for Paris.
In Destinations, Europe on
August 23, 2012

Europe’s Must-Have Souvenirs

I’ve gotten to the point that I am souvenired out.  I travel enough that all the trinkets purchased on my travels are starting to clutter my home and empty my bank account.  I’ve come to the realization that most of the typical kitchy stuff (red double decker buses from London,  Eiffel tower key chains, mini Michelangelo statue, magnets, beach photo frames) are made in China anyway and easily accessible on-line! I’ve come to the conclusion that the best souvenirs are the cheapest and most totable.  Postcards, tickets, city maps, and tons of pictures are all you need to recapture memories made by traveling. However, if you haven’t collected enough gadgets and gizmos to fill a treasure trove, maybe a few of these will direct your shopping.
1.
Polish Pottery. Apparently, these made their American debut from American service members stationed in Germany bringing them back to The States where the colorful, functional kitchen art became highly coveted amongst their envious friends.  You can even catch Claudia Joy from Lifetime’s army wives drinking out of a polish pottery mug.  Now it’s sold at Costco.  Amongst my associates, you cannot live in Europe without bringing back plenty of polish pottery.
2.
Cuckhoo clock.  Frau Kramer once told me, when I first moved here, “All Americans who live in Germany leave with one of two things….A cuckhoo clock or a baby.” My clock is on order.

 

3.
Hardwood Furniture (Antique or not). Antiques do not seem to be as valued here, where furniture has survived multiple centuries rather than decades like in The States. Pieces that survived WWII do not have the same crazy expensive price tags as 1950s furniture pieces in The States.  Now, I have had my eye on this beautiful, ornately carved, 16th century, French wardrobe with a 15K euro price tag.  But newer pieces are equally as beautiful  just as durable, and way cheaper. People have century’s worth of antiques. Apparently, when times were hard, Europeans burned their antique chests to stay warm. That’s all furniture amounts to in the end…firewood.  So no need to drop hundred’s of cash on it. Either way, German craftsmanship is awesome — not the cheap, flimsy, press board stuff around here (except at IKEA).
I purchased this soon after my kitchen cabinet crashed.
4.
Nutcracker (Germany). Get a custom, personalized one to look like you.
5.
Smoker (Germany). you put a little tea candle in this toy and it looks like its smoking. It’s a holiday decoration.

 

6.
Any “Czech me out” whatnot from Prague. So clever.

 

7.
Nordic sweaters (Norway aka Norge). This style is prevalent world wide and the traditional ones found in Norway are made of itchy wool. Wait ‘til you get home and go for cotton or cashmere.
Photo credit:/http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com
8.
Swiss watch/swatch (Switzerland)

9.
Delft Blue Ceramics (The Nederlands aka Holland)
10.
Wooden shoe (The Nederlands aka Holland)
11.
Barrett & scarf (France)
12.
Perfume (France)
13.
Art (France)

 

14.   Champagne (France)
15.
Hungarian Embroidery or Lace

So pay no mind to the Belgian hottie next to me, my top is an example of Hungarian embroidery. Now, if you can take home a Belgian souvenir like the one to my left, good on you!
16.
BMW/Benz/Porshe (Germany) Think, demo version, tax fee, no American dealership middle man fee, no import costs (provide it you’re not shipping it back to the states)

I never understood car love until I met this car. Sexiest thing on the Autobahn.
17.
Chicken pitcher (Italy). These pitchers have an interesting history. I thought they were tacky until I learned they were linked to Giuliano Medici murder plot. Such drama behind the chicken. Now they are given as luck to ward off trespassers! 

 

18.
Wine (Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany)
I look like a total lush but trust, these wine bottles are full! One is even personalized with my pic!

19.
Beer stein (Germany)

20.
Nesting dolls (Ukraine, Russia, or Eastern European states).

 

Of course, the most valued trinkets from your travels are going to be the new best friend you make on your adventures, photos of you on snow covered Alps, or being silly by the Eiffel tower, or in front of the coliseum. A postcard stamped at a European post will tickle friends as much as any other what not ot thinger mabob.
In Europe, Switzerland on
August 22, 2012

Belle Goes To Switzerland Take II

The covered bridge cross the swan-filled lake

 

 

Switzerland beckons travelers to her snow-covered mountains in the winter and refreshing, cool lakes in the summer. It beckoned me back for a second round of Swiss culture in order to redeem the less than impressive impression it left with me about a month ago.

I visited Zurich with my mom niece at the beginning of July. It was rainy, expensive, nondescript, not distinctive, not special, utilitarian, and venders had attitudes. That paired with a lack of activity and being difficult for my GPS to navigate,  I was fine boycotting Switzerland.

City Center. Shops line the lake in a pedestrian only zone.

That was until I arrived at the Lucerne hauptbahnhof (main train station) with the exception of a rude worker in the bahnhof information office who acted as if I was invisible (Entschuldigung!  I’m standing here!), Switzerland is legit. It is devastatingly beautiful… A place right out of a dream where the sea and mountains meet. It’s a paradise for land locked countries. Here’s what I did!

 

Getting There

I bought my Duetsch Bahn train ticket on-line and took a 0730 ride from the station closest to my home and switched trains four times in four hours before finally arriving in paradise.

Lodging
I stayed at Casada Hotel. I chose it because it was walking distance from the train station and, from what I could tell on hotels.com, going rate on American hotel room price standards.  It was also air conditioned….don’t take this amenity for granted in Europe, you don’t always get it. At the time I booked it, I didn’t realize it was considered a 4 star hotel (on whose rating scale I’m not sure…take these ratings with a grain of salt, but it was nice).  It had modern interior decor and a Spanish-themed tapas restaurant.  On top of all the nice things I have to say about the hotel, it also had an iPod player! this is rare in similarly priced hotels in Europe. So I could jam while getting ready to go out! Winning! Only issue is that its away from all the activity. It’s walking distance in the wrong direction from the hauptbahnhof.  It was inconvenient to run back to the hotel to grab something or change clothes. However, being away from the action also ensured it was quiet. Other hotels were attached to bars and pubs or right beside them. As I walked passed the noisy bars and discos on Saturday night (don’t say “night club” in Europe…night clubs are found in Red light districts), I thanked the Lord I wasn’t staying in one of the hotels near them.  Here are some other hotel picks based off proximity to the lake and similar amenities and price:
1. Das Alps
2. Hotel Shiff
3.Hotel Rebstock
4. Hotel Mr. Pickwick & Pub (attached to an Irish bar)
5. The Palace & the Grand Hotel. Two hotels with serious Swiss luxury but prime location

What I did, keep in mind all the sights are walkable from Casada Swiss Hotel:

1. Kapell brücke (Chapel Bridge): A beautiful covered bridge is the focal point of the city center. Apparently, in 1993, someone tossed a cigaret and burned the bridge down to the lake. But it was restored to a similar glory.

2. Crying/Dieing  Lion or Löwendenkmal monument. My favorite author, Samuel Clemons, allegedly called it, “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.” It commemorates Swiss soldiers that died in the French Revolution. I still have a grudge that Switzerland remained neutral during WWII. How can you know millions are being slaughtered right at your boarders but you do nothing? I kinda see it tantamount to living right next door to a pedophile and seeing dozens of children going inside and saying, “I’m not getting involved.”  I think that non act needs memorializing.

 

 

3. Yacht Tour: $25 for one hour. Absolutely stunning sites of the lake and mountains. My best experience while at the Lake. Natural beauty that surrounds the lake is Lucerne’s #1 tourist attraction. The boat ride is the best way to take it all in.

4. Rosengarten Museum (Skip this).  This cost me freakin’ $18.  I’ve seen Monet before for a lot cheaper in Stuttgart and Paris.  The Louvre is now my standard for museums. There is no reason for any art collection in the world to cost more than the Louvre (whihc is 10 euro…Free 1st Sunday of the month). Even so, it was cool, but not $18 cool. Plus, no one comes to Lucurne for art and culture…do they? Jacqueline’s portrait is the best thing inside.  Now you’ve seen it.

4. Shopping – I swore I wouldn’t shop in this expensive country but some deals I couldn’t pass up.  I got 4 brightly colored basic tanks, a basic purple cardigan, a cute evening halter (Eva Longoria would approve)  and a bath5ng suite for $112. That’s the same as I’d spend in The States for the same items right?  Shops close at 4pm on Saturday and stay closed until 1000 on Monday. Did you know Italian sizes are different than the rest of Europe’s?

5. Wedding Crashing– I am always appropriately dressed when I come cross a wedding (first time was at the Sound of Music Church in Salzburg, Austria then again in Slovenia). I think weddings are great cultural lessons.    So much the same, very few unique details like this one, something about bread on planks of wood. Not sure if it was a personalization unique to the couple or a Swiss tradition. I’ll delve more into research.If you want to wedding crash, make sure you’re dressed for a wedding on Saturdays in the summer!

Brides carry bread as an omen for good harvests and the
groom carries grain for wealth and good fortune.

 

6. Swimming at Seebad. This is a very cool structure to swim in the lake.It features a sundeck, floating logs to play on.  The Swiss guys wear long swim shorts as oppose to the little speedos the German guys wear.  It’s 8 dollar adult entrance, $2 locker key plus a $20 or passport as a deposit.  Bring your own towel and wine.

The tour guide claimed the lake was drinking water quality.

7. Running.  I didn’t bring running gear to Oslo last weekend and regretted it so I was well prepared this weekend. Running beside the lake in the early morning, before the tourist and before the heat, was perfect. My run started at about 0730. It’s a shame I couldn’t pull myself out of my comfy bed to catch the streaks of pinks and purples across the sky reflect on the lake at dawn. 

This was actually at sunset but similar to what I imagine the sunrise view to look as well.

 

Pretty sure Tchaikovsky could have been inspired here.

 

 

 

 
Where I Ate
Mr. Pickwick Pub. Spent $32.50 on 5 chicken wings, Pommes, bitter Limon, tap water, and garlic brot (bread)

Also on the menu:

Small salad $10.50
Grilled ham and cheese with pommes (fries):  $17.50
Small nachos   $8.50
Four person platter $65
Chicken club sandwich $14.50
Chicken Club sandwich with pommes or side salad $22.50
Ben and Jerry’s mini ice cream cups $6

Remember, Switzerland’s Frank exchange rate to the USD is a 1:1 ration. They just charge a ton for very little.

At Ernesto Italian Ristorante beside the Chapel Bridge I had a Picola sized Penne Aurora, coke, rose wine and tap water for a grand total of $32.70.  Carpaccio, which is my favorite European appetizer, was $22.50!

I spent $3 on a snickers and $4 on a .5 liter bottle of water. Goodness it was hotter than blue blazes this weekend. Perfect lake weather.

Next time:
I’ll be adhering to a budget! I could have saved over $300 had I not gone post card shopping (they’re $2 a pop here), fashion shopping, and eaten out.   My goodness, in one overnight I spent $100 on food, snacks, and drinks.  Had I been prepared, I could have been making sandwiches or eating Rammen so I wasn’t starving to the point that I didn’t notice $30 was a bit much for 5 wings. Next time I’ll pack my own meals!  I know people say live it up when you’re on vacation but, I vaycay like this every weekend. This isn’t a once a year type event for me so I need to think a little more frugally. Besides, I went to two of Europe’s most expensive countries within five days. Maybe not the best financial move. Next time I go to Norway or Switzerland, I’ll make sure the rest of my trips for the month are more economical.

It was so hot I was guzzling water by the liter. Keep in mind bottled water was $5 for .5 liters…little bottles. I can get 2 liters of water in Germany for .40 cents!  From 1300-1700 was the hottest time of day. I could have napped during this time to avoid the extreme heat and spending money to stay hydrated. Then I could have been ready to party all night.

I’d pack a swimsuit. I don’t know why I over looked this important item. But they had cute affordable ones there.  I may also give a paddle boat a go, or at least convince  someone to paddle the boat for me…that’s a lot of work. Better yet, I’ll have my Idaho Beau, a sailor by trade, rent a sailboat to sail around the lake. With all that, I won’t be saving much by not eating out.

Red benches could be found all over.

What I learned from this visit

Germans and the Swiss have very different mannerisms, even though they speak the same language. And the Deutsch was understandable…none of this Schweizerdeutsch I was warned about from my Deutsche friends. But I could often identify the Swiss from the Germans.  There were a group of bachelors enjoying their stag weekend acting wild and crazy! I was excited! They reminded me of the Brits I see everywhere enjoying their final unmarried days but they were speaking Deutsch! Sure enough, they were Swiss asking for Swiss Franks and not Euros. That’s what you do in both Germany and Switzerland, you give $ to those on their stag and hen weekends.  Anyway, I expected the Swiss-German dynamic to be like the Canadian-American one…basically indistinguishable from one another at the surface glance but I was wrong, their mannerisms are distinctly different.

I talked with a father and son team of German Jehovah’s Witnesses. They chose to spend their Saturday witnessing. The son chose Spanish as the language to approach me. I actually get this regularly when I leave Stuttgart, people see me and and choose French or Spanish to initiate conversation…never English.  Stuttgart has a high American population so English is the first go-to language. But outside Stuttgart…English is not the fall back language. Sorry buddy, I don’t know enough to talk about Jesus in Spanish…which is a pity. I realized this as another reason to learn a new language, if not just enough to talk with others about the glory of the Lord.  Typically in the states, folks try to duck and dodge the LDS and the JWs when they come a knockin’ which never allows you to hear what they have to say or how they are different.  Basically, from what I gathered, Jehovah’s Witnesses are different from other Christians because they 1. Don’t think God and Jesus are one and the same. 2. Jehovah is the only name of God and should be honored just as Jesus said in his Lord’s Prayer.  In Hebrew, God was named YHVH, but since we can’t say this in our language, Christian Scholars filled in the missing letters.  3. They also think God will turn the world into a Paradise on his own without the help of people.  I asked the men how people responded to their witnessing. The German men said the Swiss are more polite and educated than Germans so they listen to what they have to say or they politely tell them they are not interested.

I learned that in Germany and Switzerland, St. Nicholas gives children toys on 6 December here. He also watches and protects the sailors on the seas. The town has a sandstone statue of him out in the lake and named a lake view church after him.

I also learned that I don’t need to pay extra to reserve a specific seat on the Duetsch Bahn.  I did this and ended up just sitting where I pleased.  What a waste. Now if traveling in a large group and you want to all sit together, by all means do it. But with two or three…its not necessary

I over pack. I could have done a weekend in 1 backpack instead of a carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack. Bathing suit, sundress, flip-flops, sunglasses and shorts don’t take up much room. that carry on could have been filled with food or with room for my new purchases. Instead I filled it with things I hardly used.  This was definitely a “take half the stuff and twice the money” kind of trip.

Lake Lucerne is a beautiful  holiday location.  Full of sundresses, flip flops, and sun tans. Short, cut-off shorts that are socially unacceptable in most places around Europe are welcome here.  Lucuren redeemed Switzerland from Zurich’s image in my mind. It’s a prefect mix of chill and party. It’s a spot I look forward to returning to soon.  I can add it to my list of favorite experiences. When you’re needed a city break, and can’t get to a beach, Lucurne is the perfect place to go.

Pedro from madrid wanted to take this picture before he started asking way too many questions. No Pedro, you don’t need to know donde es mi hotel or Dónde trabajas or if I Viaja solo . Good bye!
In Europe, Norway on
August 15, 2012

Belle In Oslo

This weekend I journeyed to Oslo for a long overdue visit with a friend from The States. As I packed, the music from my latest crush, Luke Bryan, was on replay in my head, 

                “Hey there cutie with the Kentucky Coozie, Have you ever hung with a Georgia Boy.”

That was the characterizing theme song for the weekend. I met Georgia boy two years ago when my work colleague who happened to also be his fraternity brother invited me to spend New Years in Atlanta with his friends. We met over an unforgettable dinner at Fogo de Chao and have been friends ever since. At the time, Georgia boy lived in my now neighboring German state of Bavaria and was just visiting his family for the holidays. By the time I moved to the German state of Baden-Württemberg, he had already moved to a Norwegian village outside of Oslo. Anyway, after living on the same continent for a year, it was high time the two of us got together and since Germany was having another one of its many holidays; it was me who did the traveling.

A BEAUTIFUL sneak view I caught while ridding along the cobble stone streets on my rented bike.
A 3-day weekend was just enough time for a relaxing yet productive, comfortable visit. I arrived Thursday evening after a half day at work and left Sunday afternoon. I feel like I could have packed more activity in, but the weekend was just the right pace.

Bummer of the week: I inadvertently submerged my camera in water prior to my trip and it wouldn’t turn on anymore. Plus side, I bought a new camera. Downside, this new camera’s battery refused to charge and did not work all weekend so I had to use my less dynamic back up. On the plus side, my old camera which I later submerged in dry white rice for the weekend turned on again!

Making a habit of this. I posed by the Budapest guards as well!
Drammen Church

Norway has a population of 5 million and is the least densely populated country in Europe. Likewise, the greater Stuttgart metropolitan area has a population of 5+ million. Needless to say, Oslo was not the bustling, happening metropolitan that I once imagined. Fortunately, it isn’t overpopulated with tourist this time of year like so many other European capitols. The Royal palace is a bit less grand than any other European palace I’ve seen…and even our America Palace (the White House). The gardens, however, are lush and everyone relaxes in them all day.

Oslo makes a refreshing city break. I took a relatively inexpensive KLM flight to Amsterdam then to Oslo. I lived off of about $200 and the hospitality of friends the whole weekend. The highlight of the trip was hanging with Georgia Boy, rooting on Norge, Deutschland, and the USA in the Olympics, and the interesting cultural conversations with his friends.

You come to Norge (as they call it in Norway) for the nature, not the shopping or partying which can certainly rack up quite the bill.  I spent the equivalent of $12.17USD on a six pice chicken nugget meal at McD’s…making it more shockingly expensive than Switzerland!  I suggest waiting until you’re back in the Euro to do your shopping…better yet, back in the USD to go on your shopping sprees.

Converse with dresses. Yes, the high top tennis shoe with sexy cocktail dresses. This was the hot fashion statement. And I can appreciate this style. Instead of having your feet suffer all night, you can be comfortable! And you can run away from creepsters that seem to come out at night.  Actually, back in Germany, the girls wore converse with their dirndels.

One of the conversations I had with one of Georgia Boy’s friends centered around me living in Germany. He told me they are required to learn German and English in school but how redundant German was because everyone in Germany also speaks English. French and Spanish were more functional languages to learn because less native speakers of those languages speak Norwegian, German or English.  He actually had five years of German but wasn’t very good at it even though he could speak two other Germanic languages well.  Road signs were easier for me to understand here because of my knowledge of German. For example the German word for entrance is “Eingang.” In Norwegian, its “Inngang.”  and they spell Center, “Senter.” I love how there are so many ways to spell the same word. There is no denying “senter” does not spell center. You certainly read it that way.  In the same conversation, he asked, “so you live in Germany…and you like the Germans?” I chuckled. What a funny question. He expanded that he was not a fan of their sense of humor.  “If you tell a joke…like a man joke, they do not laugh. They don’t have a sense of humor. Not good ones like the Brits.” That got me thinking. I had never thought about the Germans being a non-humorous bunch. I had quite a few comical moments with them but no, the Germans are not known for their fun-having antics like the Brits. German humor is a topic I’m going to have to explore further.

 

Biking is the way to travel

On Sunday morning, I rented a bike to ride up and down the river to take in the gorgeous views of Dramman… a smaller town about 40 kilometers outside of Oslo.

On this trip I realized that guys everywhere seem to find competitive games to play when they drink.  The three Americans introduced the group or Norwegian boys to beer pong. The Norwegians came up with a series of team challenges to play while pre-gaming.

My time in Noway in general was peaceful and easy-going. Maybe because of all the fresh air, even in the city. Maybe because my main objective was to chill with an old friend rather than see everything the city has to offer like I often set out to do every time I go to Paris.  Oslo is a hot spot for outdoor adventuring. It’s a good mix of both city and nature.