Incoherent Scribblings

Inspired by the A-Z list I did about myself a few weeks ago, today I decided to create a list to describe Germany from A-Z. Today’s installment will cover A-M.

A is for the Autobahn

The freeway that people the world over dream about racing down because it has no speed limit. Well, keep dreaming! Lots of places do have a speed limit and those that do not… Well, let’s just say you spend at least as much time in traffic jams on the autobahn as you do racing down it!

B is for Beer

By far Germany’s favorite beverage.

C is for Compound Words

Technically there is no longest word in German and, if necessary, you are free to make up your own compound words to describe something.

Try this one on for size: Fussballweltmeisterschaftsqualifikationsspiel (World Cup (in soccer) qualification game)

D is for Deutsche Mark

“The official currency of West Germany from 1948 until re-unification in 1990 and the official currency of Germany from then until the introduction of the Euro in 1999 (coins and notes were withdrawn from circulation in 2002, it is guaranteed by the Deutsche Bundesbank that all DM cash may be changed into Euro forever). One Euro was set to be equivalent to DEM 1.95583. 1 Mark = 100 Pfennig (pennies).”

–- from the Wikipeida

E is for Eight o’clock

The time that most stores close in Germany Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, almost nothing is open. (Hint: ALWAYS check on Saturday afternoon that you have enough toilet paper!)

F is for Fußball

Known as soccer in America, Germany’s favorite sport. (Along with beer drinking.)

G is for Goethe

The author of Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of Germany’s most famous Romantic authors.

H is for Holidays

With about 12 public holidays a year and up to 30 vacation days, Germany is tops when it comes to the number of work-free days available to employees!

I is for the ICE Trains

Traveling at about 175mph, if you take a trip on an ICE train you can (theoretically) travel from Hamburg to Munich in six hours.

J is for Joschka Fischer

The leading figure in the German Green Party, Fischer has been the German foreign minister and deputy chancellor in the red-green coalition since 1998. According to many inquiries, he is the most popular politician in Germany. (More information on J. Fischer can be found here.)

K is for “Katholik”

Many people are under the mistaken impression that Germany is not a Catholic nation. While it may be true that the north is mostly Protestant, the south is Catholic. This was recently highlighted by the election of German Joseph Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI) to the position of Pope.

L is for Lorelei

“According to German legend, there was once a beautiful young maiden, named Lorelei, who threw herself headlong into the river in despair over a faithless lover. Upon her death she was transformed into a siren and could from that time on be heard singing on a rock along the Rhine River, near St. Goar. Her hypnotic music lured sailors to their death. The legend is based on an echoing rock with that name near Sankt Goarshausen, Germany.”

–from the Encyclopedia Mythica

M is for Munich

The state capital of Bavaria, Munich is Germany’s third largest city with a population of about 1.402 million (as of 2004). It is also where I live!

Some links:
History and Other General Information
Tourist Information
Insider’s Guide

I hope you enjoyed the list so far. Please check back tomorrow for Germany N-Z!

Posted on Tuesday 26 April 2005 at 22:59 under fun, germany.
Comment RSS 2.0 feed. Comments/Pings Closed.