The Erdinger Weissbier Brewery Tour

If you decide to stay in the Munich area for a while longer and/or decide to drive in your trip across southern Germany, it would be fun to take a tour of the Erdinger Weissbier Brewery.

For 8 Euros per person, you can take a tour of the brewery. If you can arrive 20 minutes before the scheduled tour time, you can see a film of the brewery in English as well.

The tour is followed by the classic Bavarian brunch (Frühschoppen); you can enjoy all Erdinger beer varieties, soft petzels, delicious Weisswürste and sweet mustard to your heart´s content in a cosy, calm and civilized environment. You will also take home a souvenir photo of yourself at the brewery´s brewhouse with a huge Erdinger beer stein (say "frei Bier").

Now Erding has another claim to fame. The winner of this year´s Germany Topmodel Sara Nuru is born and bred in Erding

Favorite TV Shows

My recent favorite television television shows and series:

-Mad Men
-Medium
-Project Runway
-Secret Diary of a Call Girl

"Wow" Travel Moments

The following list is a work in progress.

Some of my "wow" travel moments have been:
-Saw Botticelli´s "Primavera" in person for the first time
-Visited Stonehenge after reading Thomas Hardy´s "Tess of the d'urbervilles"
-Saw flocks of puffins across the Norwegian Sea, on the way to Andenes.

The following is a very interesting National Geographic video on puffins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoHD2GxcBMw

I would love to visit the puffin colonies on Mykines, the Faroe Islands and on Isle of May, Scotland someday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcsVs7S7nkg

Ron in Rome! / The Local / Spiegel Online International

This site makes news from Germany accessible to you in bite size format:

http://www.thelocal.de/

Spiegel Online International gives you in-depth analysis on news from and beyond Germany:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/

Someone please tell me similar sites for at least Munich and Berlin:

http://www.roninrome.com/

SeatGuru

This is the site for you if you are an airline buff or a very frequent flyer:

http://www.seatguru.com/

Public Transport in Germany

Public Transport in Germany is fantastic. The Deutsche Bahn website is your ultimate one-stop public transport route finder in Germany. Many ticket types offered by the Deutsche Bahn will allow you same-day unlimited travels on all modes of public transport within a given public transport network. Traveling within Germany by public transport is as good as or not better than by car.

Let Your Style Shine

Many fashion haters say no one dresses like the characters from Sex and the City do in real life. Well, fashionwise, Michelle Obama is like Miranda Hobbes and Carrie Bradshaw rolled into one. Even Hilary Clinton wears flower pins now.

It is funny to read Americans writing about their concern on the way they dress and look in Paris and even the rest of France. The conventional wisdom is that French people snub Americans dressed in sneakers, jeans and/or shorts. Well, many Europeans wear shorts these days. I have seen French men vacationing in tennis shorts and multi-color socks. Interestingly, I have not seen American men make such a memorable sartorial statement yet.

I am pretty sure Europeans dress whatever way that pleases them even when they visit New York.

Online Shopping

Online shopping makes life abroad so much easier these days. Shopping on the Amazon website is simply much more comfortable than your nearest bookstore for some of us living in Germany. You want to pay for your credit cards but Saturn only takes cash and EC cards that give no rewards. Livinig in Germany should not mean sacrifing the comfort you have back home.

Scotland

Lately, I have been doing a lot of reading on Scotland. I have been to Scotland once ages ago. I only visited Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace on my last and only tour of Scotland; that was it. It was just an introductory to Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. I would like to return to Scotland one day to do "another bloody castle tour" of my own, to visit Stirling Castle, Falkland Palace, Linlithgow Palace, Balmoral Castle, Eilean Donan Castle and Glamis Castle. Of course, I would like to visit Orkney, Shetland and Isle of Skye too. Now, the question is when I will finally make it back to Scotland?

Germany´s Next Topmodel

I was one of the 15000 LIVE audience members at Germany´s Next Topmodel 2009 Finale Show almost a month ago. It was such a gigantic production; there were at least five cameras (two of them were crane cameras) in the arena and two cameras backstage. a-ha performed during the show too.

Heidi Klum just looks like she looks on TV in person. I was like no more than two meters away from her on several occassions during the taping of the show.

Heidi´s top hairstylist Helena Faccenda ran fanatically towards Heidi to fix her hair, as if she runs for her own life, right at the beginning of every commercial break during the show. I wish that I had a top Hollywood hairstylist so dedicated to styling my long blond hair :)

In my opinion, Germany´s Next Topmodel is much better than America´s Next Topmodel.

On German TV

I wish there were lots of epic historical costume dramas, shows showcasing German crown jewels and the like on German TV channels. It would be fantastic if they dubbed those BBC Simon Schama history documentaries in German!

Actually Learn German from Watching TV

You have moved to another country. You think you love everything about the country you have moved to. Of course you do not. You get the instant confirmation when you watch the local TV programs of the country you have newly settled in. You are so bored by the local TV programs in no time, you turn the TV off before you know it.

You have heard this all the time: you learn additional foreign vocabularies and improve your foreign language skills by watching foreign TV programs. How can you effectively increase your exposure to the language you are learning by watching TV programs broadcasted in that language when those programs get no one but the locals excited? My solution is to watch American programs dubbed in German. There is a great selection to choose from: TV series, Hollywood gossips, reality shows, presidental election coverage, National Geographic shows, etc.

In addition, I also watch popular local shows such as Germany´s Next Topmodel and TV Total with Stefan Raab. The popular shows have the origins in many hit American shows.

German Crown Jewels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMuWoUXzLzE

You can see a good portion of them in Munich and Vienna.

Riesling Sekt

If you love Champagne, you have to try Rheingau Riesling Sekt while you are in Germany. I love Champagne and find Rheingau Riesling Sekt simply tastes delicious! Rheingau Riesling Sekt is one noble sparkling wine.

Fringe Europe

Have you thought about visiting Greenland, the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, Svalbard/Spitsbergen (Longyearbyen), Bornholm, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete? If you are not from Europe, do places such as Corfu, Mallorca, Menorca, Mykonos and Ibiza sound exotic and remote to you too? Does seeing Norway via Hurtigruten ever cross your mind?

Something About Bottled Water

Europeans love bottled water, long before North Americans fall for it. I personally would like to watch a televison expose done by one of the German commercial TV stations, something similar to the one below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc

A article from the New York Times on tap water supply for and usage in Venice, Italy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/world/europe/12venice.html?_r=2&hpw

When I fly, the only occasions I have highly possible contact with the lavatory tap water are having my occasional coffee with lots of milk/cream and sweetener. I do not ask for water on the plane; I only drink water when it comes in sealed tubs on my meal trays.

Information Technology

If you are interested in the IT landscape in the German speaking countries, check this link out:

http://www1.american.edu/academic.depts/ksb/mogit/country.html

The link also contains the IT landscape of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

Travel Your Style

How do you like to travel? Personally, I love thatmy trips include lots of exclusive behind the scene factory and palace visits. I am a plane-nut, so I also love visits to airports and aircraft assembly plants. I have visited the Boeing plant in Seattle and the Airbus plants in Toulouse, France and Hamuburg Finkenwerder, Germany. I am also into collecting airline memorabilia.

White Asparagus

It is almost the end of another asparagus season. The thought of white asparagus with melted butter. ham, sliced boiled eggs and Riesling to wash down makes my water mouth. I just love the subtle fragance of white asparagus. I also love the tender texture of the noble vegetable. The cream of white asparagus soup is to die for. I always wonder why many folks are not fans of the tasty and tender vegetable.

Restaurants in Germany do not just serve up schnitzels and potato alone. German cuisine is very multifaceted; take some time to explore the tasty side of Germany for yourself :) Speaking of schnitzels, I amjust amazed by the global appeal of this dish:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Schnitzel

It is always FUN to learn something new through Wikipedia. You also need to read academic journals with a critical mind.

Pearls Before Swine

What is your favourite comics? Mine is "Pearls Before Swine."

http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/

Deutsche Welle

If you want to find out more about Germany, you should check out Deutsche Welle:

http://www.dw-world.de/

Dreamweaver

In my opinion, a person who makes the bold decision to move abroad is a dreamweaver. When you move abroad with your dreams, you also confront with the realities of your new home. You try to make your decision really work for you by weaving your dreams with the challenging realities.

The Sound of Music

It is amazing that the great majority of the German speakers living in Europe do not know a thing about "The Sound of Music." Salzburg is not exactly Salzburg without the film :) The Salzburg Festival somehow does not have the same global appeal.

During the Ski Season of 2008/09, the tourist office of Salzburg promoted the attractiveness of the Salzburg region as a winter sport destination in the Munich area under the slogan "The Sound of Snow." I wonder how effective that promtion was in the Munich area since most German speakers have no clue of "The Sound of Music" at all. Anyway, if you are a fan of "The Sound of the Music," you have to check the following video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY

Sex and the City Film

I am so excited about the second "Sex and the City" Film! I have watched both the English and German versions of the first film, in an attempt to increase my exposure to the German language. Of course, I am a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker. I have to watch "Honeymoon in Vegas," starring Nicholas Cage and the lovely SJP, someday :)

Marlene Dietrich

If you are a fan of Marlene Dietrich like I am, then check this fantastic site out:

http://www.falling-in-love-again.com/

Enjoy!

Moving Abroad

What are you thoughts on moving abroad?

Sticky & Sweet

Are you going to any of Madonna´s concerts from her Sticky & Sweet Tour this summer? I went to the one in Düsseldorf last September. When you buy a concert ticket in Germany, your ticket lets you travel between the concert venue and any stops within all tariff zones served by the local transport authority free of charge. The only thing I dreaded about my Sticky & Sweet experience was the time and trouble I invested to get the concert ticket.

Ice Hotel

Have you visited the original Ice Hotel up in Kiruna, Sweden? I did a couple of years ago; I love every bit of the trip. It was such an unique experience for me. I shall cherish the experience for the rest of my life. Besides the original Ice Hotel, there are other ice hotels around the world. A few notable ones are in Alta, Norway, Jukkasjärvi, Finland and Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Canada. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hotel

Your Favourite Music Videos?

My recent favourite ones are:

Kylie Minogue - "Wow"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnTrZYHK_II

Beyonce - "Single Ladies"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDTibf0qIzw

Your Foreign Experience

What foreign languages do you speak if you speak any? Where in Germany have you visited? Hamburg, Nürnberg / Nuermberg, München /Munich, Rothenburg, Dresden, Bayreuth, Baden Baden, Berlin, and...? Tell me where in Germany you have visited and your trip experiences.

Hello Everybody

It is so exciting to start my first post is my first blog ever! I call Cologne, Germany my home now. Have you ever visited my hometown of the moment? If you have not yet, do take a vacation to visit the city famous for its Eau de Cologne and Gothic cathedral.

One of the great things about living in Cologne is that you can never run out of things to do. I was a live audience member at the finale show of Germany´s Next Topmodel by Heidi Klum recently. It was an eye-opening experience for me because the show was being taped live. You do not get second takes at all when you broadcast live, a luxury enjoyed by shows like Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Yes, I have been to those shows too, by the way.