On Things I Miss From Home

True Loves,

Catherine created a blog on things she was excited for when she gets home. Now that we're in the final stretch I thought I would do the same.

Things I am SO excited for:


With Love,

Emily

On Elementary Thievery

True Loves,





With Love,
Emily

On People at the Train Station

True Loves,

Everything is closed here on Sunday except little America (the street with Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, SubWay and Hagan Daas all in a row) and the train station. This means on Sunday afternoons after I've laid in bed long enough to get restless I'll make a trip down to the train station. It's a little known fact that this is actually the resting place of the full moon.

What I mean by this is every crazy mo'fo seems to be at the train station. Long haired beggers who shake marakas at you, women with rashes on their faces and washed out eyes shaking their fists, and every pidgeon toed person you've ever seen...not that they can help it but have you ever seen a severely pidgeon toed person walk?

I don't know why I haven't learned my lesson, it goes from silly to creepy very fast. It's probably the only place in Germany where people make unwanted small talk with strangers. Ironically they'd all fit right in in the valley.

With Love,
Emily

On Tattoo and Piercing Parlors

True Loves,

DON'T WORRY MOM! I DID NOT GET ANY MORE PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS!

However, my nose hole closed up one morning and I needed to have it repierced. It turned out to only be 5 euros at the shop which seemed like a fair price to have it done by a professional instead of sticking a needle in myself. The procedure was quick and almost painless, and the lady who did it was super fly.

Catherine came with me on this little adventure and mentioned as we trecked up the stairs to the third floor that all tattoo parlors had to be on the top floor. This got me thinking about "Things All Tattoo Parlors Have"--Here is what I came up with :)




With Love,
Emily

On Taking Your Time...Or Not

True Loves,

Germans are known for their efficiency, but as an American I find that yes they are very efficient at some things, and other times, well, I get antsy. It's true that in a grocery story you see groceries bagged at lightening speed (I am sure there is a system here that I don't know about), and, at any given time of day you can see Germans racing to catch the trains that come generally only 5 or 10 minutes apart--this includes the crippled and the women wielding baby carriages.

On the other hand--Germans allow time for rest, eatings, walks with loved ones. I see fewer to-go cups and enjoy a lot more days off here. I don't know if I'll ever let go of my American "go, go, go" mindset, and frankly I miss the convenience of American consumerism daily, but that said, I really do enjoy my Thursday holidays.

With Love,
Emily

On Inventions from Germany

True Loves,

As it finally feels like summer out and it's the weekend I will not be doing a real post today. However; I will leave you with a couple things Germany contributed to the world :)

BLUE JEANS
Levi Strauss (1829-1902) was an entrepreneur who invented and marketed blue jeans. Trained as a tailor in Buttenheim, Bavaria, Germany, Strauss went to San Francisco, USA from New York in 1853. Strauss sold dry goods, including tents and linens to the 49ers (the people who came to the California gold rush, which began in 1849). In 1873, Strauss and Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, patented the idea (devised by Davis) of using copper rivets at the stress points of sturdy work pants. Early levis, called "waist overalls," came in a brown canvas duck fabric and a heavy blue denim fabric. The duck fabric pants were not very successful, so were dropped early on. His business became extremely successful (and still is), revolutionizing the apparel industry.

BUNSON BURNER
The laboratory Bunsen burner was invented by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen in 1855. Bunsen (1811-1899) was a German chemist and teacher. He invented the Bunsen burner for his research in isolating chemical substances - it has a high-intensity, non-luminous flame that does not interfere with the colored flame emitted by chemicals being tested.

GLOBE
Martin Behaim (1459-1537) was a German mapmaker, navigator, and merchant who made the earliest globe, called the "Nürnberg Terrestrial Globe". It was made during the years 1490-1492; the painter Georg Glockendon helped in the project. Behaim had previously sailed to Portugal as a merchant (in 1480). He had advised King John II on matters concerning navigation. He accompanied the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cam (Cão) on a 1485-1486 voyage to the coast of West Africa; during this trip, the mouth of the Congo River was discovered. After returning to Nürnberg in 1490, Behaim began construction of his globe (which was very inaccurate as compared to other maps from that time, even in the areas in which Behaim had sailed). It was once thought that Behaim's maps might have influenced Columbus and Magellan; this is now discounted. Behaim may have also developed an astrolabe. Behaim's globe is now in the German National Museum in Nürnberg.

PRINTING PRESS WITH MOVABLE TYPE...this one is for Andy
Johannes Gutenberg (the 1300's-1468) was a German craftsman, inventor, and printer who invented the first printing press with movable type in 1450. This invention revolutionized printing, making it simpler and more affordable. Gutenberg produced dies (molds) for easily producing individual pieces of metal type that could be made, assembled, and later reused. Gutenberg's new press could print a page every three minutes. This made printed material available to the masses for the first time in history. Religious materials were the majority of the early printed materials. The use of printing presses began the standardization of spelling.


And there are many more where that came from!

With Love,
Emily

On Germany Winning on Wednesday

True Loves,



With Love,
Emily