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steve2470

(37,457 posts)
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 01:01 AM Apr 2015

Germany: I'm going. A dream I've had for 30 years, this summer

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018469243

The above is an old thread I did when I was almost about to do it. Now I am really going to do it!

Anything you want to add to that old thread ? Any and all advice gladly taken!!!!!!


a very excited Steve, ja ja!
36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Germany: I'm going. A dream I've had for 30 years, this summer (Original Post) steve2470 Apr 2015 OP
When you stop by Düsseldorf DFW Apr 2015 #1
June or July or August, any time works pretty much.... steve2470 Apr 2015 #2
Better make it June! DFW Apr 2015 #3
ok, let me send you a PM, please check your box nt steve2470 Apr 2015 #4
oh so sorry to hear about her broken wrist, I hope she's feeling so much better! nt steve2470 Apr 2015 #5
Enjoy! a la izquierda Apr 2015 #6
Reminds me of the John Madison blog/book jakeXT Apr 2015 #7
My youngest son lived in Berlin for 10 months mnhtnbb Apr 2015 #8
great tips, thanks! nt steve2470 Apr 2015 #11
actually, I do have one question steve2470 Apr 2015 #12
Google Aparion Apartments Berlin jmowreader May 2015 #20
thanks! nt steve2470 May 2015 #34
Bring me back a couple of beer steins GOLGO 13 Apr 2015 #9
thank you, maybe I can get two of those, one for each of us! steve2470 Apr 2015 #10
Just go online for those. No self-respecting German uses them. jmowreader May 2015 #21
Lithophane tankards are cool. trof May 2015 #36
Hostels are best. bikebloke Apr 2015 #13
nope :) nt steve2470 Apr 2015 #15
I sent you a PM with a link to booking hostels. mnhtnbb May 2015 #31
oh yes thank you so much!!!!!!! nt steve2470 May 2015 #33
Rothenberg ob der Tauber JCMach1 Apr 2015 #14
My oldest son drove a rental BMW at 147 mph last May on the autobahn mnhtnbb May 2015 #18
Go see a soccer game and don't forget to do a lap around the Nordschleife Blue_Tires Apr 2015 #16
haha steve2470 May 2015 #17
I also need you to go to Stuttgart Blue_Tires May 2015 #24
I was born in Germany and spent five of my first eight years of life there aint_no_life_nowhere May 2015 #19
I'm very excited for you, KMOD May 2015 #22
sure! steve2470 May 2015 #23
Very important: how to order a beer jmowreader May 2015 #25
You get an "A" for effort, at any rate DFW May 2015 #27
Neckerman jmowreader May 2015 #28
thanks for good info! nt steve2470 May 2015 #35
Just enjoy yourself! kentauros May 2015 #26
My oldest son did last May! Highlight of his trip to visit his brother. mnhtnbb May 2015 #32
Great!! MissHoneychurch May 2015 #29
dusseldorf and berlin for sure, depends on how I feel and how much money I want to blow LOL nt steve2470 May 2015 #30

DFW

(54,447 posts)
1. When you stop by Düsseldorf
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 01:21 AM
Apr 2015

We have a place for you to lay your head and hang your coat for a few days.

Happy trails!

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
2. June or July or August, any time works pretty much....
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 01:29 AM
Apr 2015

Passport is in the works as we speak, just need the tickets and a visa (?) and I'm there! I hope you and your lovely family are doing well.

DFW

(54,447 posts)
3. Better make it June!
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 01:33 AM
Apr 2015

We're outta here in July and August. No visa needed, just a valid passport.

My wife is recovering from having badly broken her wrist 2 weeks ago. Her movements have been drastically curtailed, but she is doing what is necessary to recover. Our daughters are scattered to the four winds, one living in Manhattan and the other now a hotshot attorney in Frankfurt (but never there, as she is sent all over the world by her firm).

It will be a little more complicated than it would have been without my wife's injury, but I spoke of your impending visit, and she said come on ahead, so come on ahead.

mnhtnbb

(31,408 posts)
8. My youngest son lived in Berlin for 10 months
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 06:21 AM
Apr 2015

Sept 2013-July 2014. Would be happy to relay any questions.

If you are going to be anywhere for more than 3-4 days, try to book a room in someone's apartment, or studio
or small apartment. It will be much more comfortable--and probably cheaper--than a hotel. You can usually
find a grocery store nearby and it's cheaper to cook for yourself than go out all the time.

Travel by train.

You hardly need to speak German in Berlin. I was really surprised when we visited (for a week in 2013 and
3 days in 2014) at how many people spoke English.

One thing I noticed was the difference in banks. We had to go into several banks one day to find one
that would change 100 euro notes. We had brought cash with us rather than paying a fee every time
we wanted to hit the ATM. Also, check your credit cards. Some credit cards charge up to 3% for
foreign transaction fees, which can add up pretty quickly. I brought a card that I have that didn't charge
foreign transaction fees--and be sure to notify your cc company of the dates you'll be traveling in Germany.

Have fun!

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
12. actually, I do have one question
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 03:31 PM
Apr 2015

I need a place to stay in Berlin that's safe and pretty cheap. Hostels cool with me. If he knows anything, please shoot me a PM. Thanks!

jmowreader

(50,566 posts)
20. Google Aparion Apartments Berlin
Fri May 1, 2015, 12:52 PM
May 2015

This is where I'm going to stay when I go to Berlin in 2017. It's an old US Army barracks (specifically, it's the barracks I lived in) that has been converted into a nice hotel. It's in a very peaceful, small-town-feeling district in Berlin...but you can either walk down Kadettenweg to the Lichterfelde West S-bahnhof or cross Finckensteinallee (the street that runs in front of the old kaserne), jump on a westbound bus to the Sundgauer Strasse S-bhf, go east to the Rathaus Steglitz S-and-U-bhf to get into the subway network, and go anywhere in town you want.

GOLGO 13

(1,681 posts)
9. Bring me back a couple of beer steins
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 09:12 AM
Apr 2015

Not the cheap kinds either. I want big heavy lidded ones that look like they can hold a 1.5 liter of beer. They should be etched with crests of roaring lions or soaring eagles. Of course, the handle looks like a war-hammer. At the bottom will be a banner in German saying, DURSTIG.

Yes, that will do nicely.

Seriously, I'm very mega jealous. Enjoy your stay and come back safely.

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
10. thank you, maybe I can get two of those, one for each of us!
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 03:29 PM
Apr 2015

They are probably really expensive. No clue how much they cost, maybe DFW knows.

trof

(54,256 posts)
36. Lithophane tankards are cool.
Fri May 1, 2015, 07:22 PM
May 2015

"A lithophane (French: lithophanie) is an etched or molded artwork in thin very translucent porcelain that can only be seen clearly when back lit with a light source."

The tankards have the artwork on the bottom so you can see it when it's empty.

bikebloke

(5,260 posts)
13. Hostels are best.
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 05:04 PM
Apr 2015

You meet other people. And so what if you sleep in a dorm. It's not a honeymoon...is it?

JCMach1

(27,575 posts)
14. Rothenberg ob der Tauber
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 05:13 PM
Apr 2015

is gorgeous... as is most of the Frankish region in Summer.

Oh, and rent a Mercedes and see how fast you can make it go on the autobahn.

mnhtnbb

(31,408 posts)
18. My oldest son drove a rental BMW at 147 mph last May on the autobahn
Fri May 1, 2015, 08:46 AM
May 2015

from Berlin to Frankfurt (not the son who was living in Berlin). He drives autocross here in
NC. He also signed up to drive the Nurburgring http://www.nuerburgring.de/en.html
outside Frankfurt. That was definitely the highlight of his trip.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
16. Go see a soccer game and don't forget to do a lap around the Nordschleife
Thu Apr 30, 2015, 07:30 PM
Apr 2015

Then pick up an old M-14 rifle and man one of the old Berlin Wall checkpoints...Make sure you hassle anyone who looks like they're from the Russian sector...

Then go find Paul Breitner and tell him I said 'hi'

Then go attend a DTM race

Then go visit BMW Welt in Munich

Then go to U60311, take home the hottest woman you can find, tell the manager his DJs suck and tip the bartender one American dime...

Then get butt nekkid and hang out on one of the "natural" beaches in Sylt

Then ask around to find out where you can meet the St. Pauli Girl...

Then go to Neuschwanstein Castle and ask them "How much a night for a room?" (hopefully with the St. Pauli Girl in tow)

Then go to the museums...All of them...Any day you're not in a German museum or historical site is a wasted one...

Then ride on their famously extensive network of trains/subways, and wonder why in fuck's name we can't have that here...

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
24. I also need you to go to Stuttgart
Fri May 1, 2015, 01:27 PM
May 2015

Order me a new Porsche 918 -- one of the real ones with an all German language info center and have it shipped to me in VA...(I'll send my options list and address to you in a PM)...Tell the Porsche folks to put it on my tab...

Then tell the Germans they will never catch up to the Dutch unless they start playing lots and lots of baseball...

Then go to Commerzbank in Frankfurt and tell them I need a one billion euro loan with zero percent interest and very favorable repayment terms...If it helps, pretend to be a Greek-american...

Then go to Berlin, find out which intelligence agents are auctioning state secrets, buy what you can, and send them to me...I'll reimburse your costs...

Then go to the offices of Bild, and tell them to put the girlies back in the pages...

Then I need you to get me a date with one of Playboy Germany's playmates of the month from 2011 or later (make sure you screen them properly and find me one who doesn't smoke) ...Tell them I have a lot to offer as a husband...

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
19. I was born in Germany and spent five of my first eight years of life there
Fri May 1, 2015, 12:28 PM
May 2015

My dad was a career Air Force Officer from Arkansas who was stationed there, after marrying my French mother while stationed in France. I was born in Munich. After returning to the States for three years, he was stationed there again. The thing that most impressed me were the forests of Germany. This was back in the mid 50s and the forests were pristine. There was a place we Air Force kids came across while exploring that we called "the enchanted forest". It was a place where emerald green shafts of sunlight came down to light up thick patches of moss surrounding little ponds between the trees. It was so stunning that you almost expected to see elves and fairies playing around the wild berry bushes. I think the place was just north of the Black Forest. I hope the Germans have conserved the natural beauty their country has been blessed with.

jmowreader

(50,566 posts)
25. Very important: how to order a beer
Fri May 1, 2015, 01:31 PM
May 2015

"Eine grosse Bier und ein kleine Bier, bitte."

German draft beer is extremely heavily carbonated for two reasons: there is no such thing as a keg in Germany (bars keep it in tanks, and a truck comes by every day to fill them) and it is a crime - with prison time - to serve flat beer. It takes quite a while to pull a beer, and you won't be thirsty anymore if you order "ein Mass" (one liter) right off. So order a little beer and a big beer and the big one will be poured when you've finished the little one.

More things you need to know:
Tipping is not necessary, but is appreciated. Restaurant prices are "m. MwsT u. Bedienung" - with sales tax and service charge. Any extra you give is "trinkgeld" - drinking money. You give it like this. The fraulein hands you the bill...say it's for 25 Euro. You give her some money and say, "here is 28." She puts 25 in the till, keeps 3 and returns the change.

All prices are with sales tax.

The room with "Damen" on the door is the ladies room. "Herren" is the men's room. WC is also seen.

It is not the "bathroom." It is the toilet.

If you are driving, traffic lights go from red to red & yellow and then to green. In Berlin red and yellow is when everyone goes.

Do not tap your forehead with your index finger if you don't want your ass kicked.

If a German asks you "Verkaufen du ihre Fuehrerschein am Neckermann?" you did something very stupid in a car.

Save your receipts. You can get your sales tax back at the airport when you leave.

A jelly donut is a Berliner Pfannkuchen. They are called Berliners in all other towns in Germany but Pfannkuchen in Berlin.

You must go to Bad Freienwalde. It was always beautiful there but they've had a few years to fix it up since they ran the Soviets off.

The greatest culinary creation of the modern era is the Doner Kebab.

DFW

(54,447 posts)
27. You get an "A" for effort, at any rate
Fri May 1, 2015, 03:47 PM
May 2015

A minor refresher course is in order here:

"Ein grosses Bier und ein kleines Bier, bitte."

When you get the check, and you're rounding it up, just say the amount. If they say 16,50, and you want to include a tip of €1,50 or €2,50 (they won't expect more unless they've gone out of their way for you), just say "18," or "18, bitte."

"Verkaufen du ihre Fuehrerschein am Neckermann?" gets the Chinese menu translation award of this thread. It's sorta close to "You selling her driver's license at Neckarmann?" (Neckarmann is sort of a Walmart chain of travel agencies). What they usually say is "Hast Du Deinen Führerschein bei Karstadt gekauft? (Did you buy your driver's license at Karstadt?)" Karstadt is a chain department store, but Germans are very aggressive drivers. If you do something wrong, they are rarely that polite.

The tax refund places at the airport are usually with long lines and some demand long forms that the vendor will have to give you for tax refund. Make sure it's worthwhile, or don't bother.

The Döner Kebap is indeed something rarely seen in the States, although the Greek Gyros come close. Make sure the place (they're everywhere) you get it from has fresh-looking garnishes. The Döner Kebap is a Turkish fast (kinda, sorta) food that consists of a quarter-pizza (small) size pocket bread which they fill with meat (I'll get to that) and then finished off with (you get to choose) chopped lettuce, tomato, white cabbage, feta cheese, and onions. You can choose or mix tzatziki, yoghurt sauce or a red hot sauce to top it off. They are incredibly cheap, usually 4 euros or so. the meat is carved from a rotating skewer that slow-grills the meat on the skewer as it rotates. They usually offer two kinds of meat. There is the veal/lamb spit and the "chicken" spit. As Muslims are not supposed to eat pork, the veal-lamb spit is not supposed to contain any. Random studies have shown that they put pork in there all the time. They pile slabs of marinated meat and compress them so that it's easy to carve from the rotating spit. They also offer chicken, although the meat from the "chicken" Döner is often some kind of odd poultry. It usually tastes OK, but I'm not sure I want to see a detailed anaylsis of what is really in there. I risk being disappointed.

That having been said, you can also order a lahmacun (LAH-ma june), which is also known as a Turkish Pizza. It is thin, soft, and rolled up with either fresh salad and feta cheese or Döner meat (and then some yoghurt sauce) for a supplemental price.

Either way, jmow is absolutely correct that it is a wonder of modern cuisine, and some enterprising American is going to make him- or herself a Koch-like fortune some day when they figure out how to open a few dozen thousand of these places in the States.

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