Incoherent Scribblings

I have a few words to say on blinkies: They are cute and used in moderation can be a fun addition to a blog. However, blogs that have too many (i.e., more than 3) make me fear that I might at any moment slip into an epileptic fit. So, a word to the wise: Use blinkies sparingly.

Now, that being said, I have to admit that when I came across the above blinkie yesterday I felt compelled to add it to my side bar.

Rest assured though, I have not been bitten by the “Blinkie Bug” and in the near future will add no more than one more blinkie to my blog.

Just ‘cuz I like the way it rhymes…

Your Kissing Purity Score: 29% Pure

You’re not one to kiss and tell… But word is, you kiss pretty well.

Boy, this list wasn’t easy! But I am done and so I present for your reading enjoyment… Germany N-Z!

N is for Neuschwanstein

Even if you have never visited Germany, you are sure to be familiar with “Mad” King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein. It was the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella castle.

O is for Oktoberfest

Actually taking place during the last two weeks in September, Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest is annually attended by around 6 million visitors, who drink around 5 million liters of beer.

P is for Pope

On April 19, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected head of the Roman Catholic Church and is now known as Pope Benedict XVI.

Q is for Quiet

Quiet Time (”Ruhezeit”) is almost sacred in Germany. Beware of blasting your stereo, drilling, hammering, mowing the lawn or throwing a party between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday. You will be sure to draw a complaint and maybe even the police, whom Germans are quick to call because of noise.

R is for the Rhine

At over 800 miles, the Rhine River is one of the longest rivers in Europe and has been a vital navigable waterway carrying trade and goods since the days of the Roman Empire. Some of Germany’s best wine valleys and most beautiful medieval castles are along this river, making it a popular tourist destination.

S is for Spargelzeit

Being as I am a carnivore, I don’t really understand it, but the Germans have such an obsession with “Spargel” (Asparagus) that each year from about April 15 to June 15, the stuff is literally everywhere… from the smallest booth at the market square to the fanciest German restaurant!

T is for Turks

Almost 2.5 million people of Turkish origin call Germany home, making them the largest minority group in Germany. In fact, the 132,000 Turks living in Berlin make up the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey.

U is for U-Bahn

While Germans love their cars, traffic jams and parking problems make the U-Bahn (subway) in large cities the preferred method of transportation.

V is for Volkswagen

Associated with everything from Nazis to hippies, Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest car companies and maker of some of the most popular cars in Europe.

W is for World Cup 2006

For the third time in its history, the German Football Association (DFB) has been awarded the honor of staging this major international tournament. In 2006, some 32 teams will line up at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to play soccer. In 2002, Germany was the runner-up. What will happen this time around?

X is for the eX-DDR

The Berlin Wall may have fallen in 1989, but in the last few years films like “Goodbye Lenin!,” TV shows, and memorabilia have kindled a sense of nostalgia for the former Deutsche Democratische Republik.

Y is for Yellow Bags

As recently mentioned, yellow bags are a symbol of Germany’s recycling initiative.

Z is for Zeitungen

“Roughly 370 newspapers (”Zeitungen”) are published in Germany, but any German will tell you there is only one national daily tabloid, The Bild. Other daily and weekly national papers, most prominently Die Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Frankfurter Rundschau and Die Zeit are committed to an exceptionally high standard of journalism and are opinion shapers within the political sphere. But while the combined daily circulation for the above newspapers totals about 1.6 million, The Bild alone has a daily readership of 4.4 million.”

– from Germany Info

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!

Almost two months from now, A. will be conferring along the Black Sea in a little place called Sozopol, Bulgaria, “one of [Bulgaria's] most popular beach resorts. Preferred by people for its casual ambience and ancient atmosphere.” And guess what?! I will be going along!

When I studied in Paris, my roommate was Bulgarian. Her name was Déliana and she tried to persuade me to come home with her to Sofia over Christmas that year, but I opted to go to London and Amsterdam instead. At that time (1994) Bulgaria hadn’t been free from the Soviet Union for that long and honestly, I was a little wary of traveling there. However, after the Christmas break the pictures Déliana showed me from her home peaked my interest and before I went back to the States she began teaching me the Bulgarian alphabet and those basic language things like “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” and “thank you.”

I never thought at that time I would ever visit Bulgaria. And so even though Déliana and I corresponded for about a year, eventually we lost touch and unfortunately, I have forgotten all the Bulgarian she taught me.

I love to travel and the idea of spending a lazy week along the cost of the Black Sea soaking up the June sun and exploring the ancient landscape while A. confers with his nerdy colleagues sounds like a little piece of Heaven to me.

Even though I suppose I better try and get a hold of an English-Bulgarian (or in an emergency a German-Bulgarian) phrase book before I go…