Happy Thanksgiving to all...
Cheers!
~B
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Gobble Gobble
It's a beautiful day in Augsburg today and we're heading out now for a day trip up to Stuttgart. I guess we'll have to save the turkey dinner for another day. It already feels weird to be away from home on Thanksgiving. I'll be thinking of you all gathered around the dinner table trying to come up with things to hang on Heather's thankful tree. I'm mostly thankful for all my good friends and close family who have helped and encouraged me along the way over the past year. I miss you all very much and will be thinking of you on this very special day.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Photos...Finally!
Click here for a very small album of selected photos.
Internet is still a problem here, but I'll hopefully be fully wired within the week.
Cheers!
~B
Friday, November 14, 2008
Germany Is Different
Life in Germany is interesting. There are a lot of similarities with the States or with Nova Scotia, like the fact that people move from place to place largely inside of automobiles propelled along over roads, and both places have water and electricity, and chairs and windows, and air to breathe and birds that make chirping sounds. Both places also have people going about their days, shopping or commuting, usually not talking to each other unless they’re traveling in packs. Other than the basic human stuff, Germany really is different. If you sit quietly in your dwelling and don’t interact with the outside world, you might not catch it, though you’d have to sit very still and in one place and not look around very much. The breathable air and the inclusion of solid interlocking construction materials to make walls and floors seems universal, and heated air lends a nice reminiscence of home, but as soon as you start looking around, the differences abound. Let’s start inside: the electrical outlets are of the 220-volt European variety featuring two round prongs instead of the two flat prongs we have back home which, when combined with electrical things brought from the States, immediately creates the need for a means of translation, so to speak. This sounds really simple, “hey, just pick up an adapter” - easier said than done. A few years ago North American plug-in stuff underwent a slight design modification that has kept me from the simple solution of just picking up an adapter. I’ll give you a clue: they do have adapters her, but they don’t fit. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? That’s right! A few years ago we changed our plugs to include one oversized prong so you can only plug things in one way, I think this was to prevent us from plugging in our nightlights upside down. It probably has something to do with homeland security (wink). Anyway, all of the commercially available adapters here are for the olds style same-sized-prong plugs. You would think that OBI, Germany’s equivalent to Home Depot, would have the latest version, but no. Since most electronics, in this case a laptop and a camera, are designed to run on anywhere from 100 to 250 volts, there is no problem just changing the plug end, which I did on my laptop which already had a compromised electrical cord from an earlier repair, but I didn’t want to hack up a perfectly good camera cable, just because I couldn’t locate the correct adapter. Long story short, I ended up going to a specialty electronics shop where the gentleman behind the counter listened intently to our story of the incompatible electrical standards and the new North American plug design until he reached under the counter and produced a small black plastic European adaptor and plugged it onto my North American plug. Voila! "Ein euro funfzig, bitte", that's like "Two bucks, please (with currency conversion)". So simple, yet it took me two weeks, several different stores, and a specialty electronics shop to come up with an adapter that should have been available at the OBI. North American travelers beware!
Another immediately noticeable difference is the windows. I don’t have any experience outside of Germany, but the windows here rock! Back home the windows are mostly of the two frame variety, one over the other with counter balances built into the window casings to hold the particular window frame from crashing down under the effects of gravity. When you want a little air you would usually lift the bottom frame a little, or possibly lower the top frame although this practice is not employed with any regularity, usually only when the smoke alarm is going off in the kitchen, but usually the bottom frame is raised, and when you want a lot of air the lower frame is raised fully to provide a large opening through which air might flow. You also have a shade or blind that is used inside of the window to darken the room and usually a screen outside of everything to keep the bugs outside. In Germany the windows are quite different. There is one large single frame window that has a two way handle the when turned to the up position allows the entire window to be tipped in from the top giving a ventilation opening of about six inches - just right, when the handle is turned horizontally, the entire window opens like a door giving you the entire opening of the window for ventilation, the window locks when the handle is in the down position. This one simple design distinction makes for a wonderful open window experience. It’s the kind of window that Marilyn Monroe was leaning out of in that famous photo of her waving (I should find out where that was taken, I seem to recall it was France or England). And that’s not even my favorite part; every window here has a rolling metal blind that is built into the top of the casing, with a pull-able flat cord inside that is used to unfurl the outside shade. Once it’s down, you have the option of rolling all the way down for completely dark (and I mean completely), or if you back it off just an inch or two, you get mostly dark since backing it off reveals light slits between the interlocking metal louvers. It’s such a great design, and they seem to be on most of the buildings here. Of course the historic houses aren’t fortunate enough to have the rolling blinds, since they weren’t around when the Romans or the Renaissance builders were making houses, and as with most places, there are restriction here on modifying historic structures. But other than on the old homes, these windows are pretty much ubiquitous.
Did I mention the bathrooms? German bathrooms are awesome too. They possess such a simplicity of design. My one favorite feature is the toilet. Favorite design element number one: it’s suspended from the wall and does not touch the floor! Hello! My least favorite part about cleaning a bathroom is cleaning the base of the toilet and the floor around where it’s sitting. In Germany, they’ve eliminated this problem entirely. My second favorite design innovation: on every flush you get to select how much water gets used depending on what it is you need to flush. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant. This eliminates the “if it yellow, let it mellow” approach to water conservation that I’ve seen so often in use back home. OK, enough with the bathrooms, let’s get outdoors, actually I’ll do that in a later post, this is just part one of what I call: Germany is Different.
We’re heading down to the Allgauer Region in the Alps to go castle hunting this weekend. My camera battery is now fully charged, thanks to the new adapter, so I’ll have some photos to share when we return. BTW, Internet access is still a big issue, so I’m not posting as often as I’d like.
That’s all for now.
Cheers!
~B
Another immediately noticeable difference is the windows. I don’t have any experience outside of Germany, but the windows here rock! Back home the windows are mostly of the two frame variety, one over the other with counter balances built into the window casings to hold the particular window frame from crashing down under the effects of gravity. When you want a little air you would usually lift the bottom frame a little, or possibly lower the top frame although this practice is not employed with any regularity, usually only when the smoke alarm is going off in the kitchen, but usually the bottom frame is raised, and when you want a lot of air the lower frame is raised fully to provide a large opening through which air might flow. You also have a shade or blind that is used inside of the window to darken the room and usually a screen outside of everything to keep the bugs outside. In Germany the windows are quite different. There is one large single frame window that has a two way handle the when turned to the up position allows the entire window to be tipped in from the top giving a ventilation opening of about six inches - just right, when the handle is turned horizontally, the entire window opens like a door giving you the entire opening of the window for ventilation, the window locks when the handle is in the down position. This one simple design distinction makes for a wonderful open window experience. It’s the kind of window that Marilyn Monroe was leaning out of in that famous photo of her waving (I should find out where that was taken, I seem to recall it was France or England). And that’s not even my favorite part; every window here has a rolling metal blind that is built into the top of the casing, with a pull-able flat cord inside that is used to unfurl the outside shade. Once it’s down, you have the option of rolling all the way down for completely dark (and I mean completely), or if you back it off just an inch or two, you get mostly dark since backing it off reveals light slits between the interlocking metal louvers. It’s such a great design, and they seem to be on most of the buildings here. Of course the historic houses aren’t fortunate enough to have the rolling blinds, since they weren’t around when the Romans or the Renaissance builders were making houses, and as with most places, there are restriction here on modifying historic structures. But other than on the old homes, these windows are pretty much ubiquitous.
Did I mention the bathrooms? German bathrooms are awesome too. They possess such a simplicity of design. My one favorite feature is the toilet. Favorite design element number one: it’s suspended from the wall and does not touch the floor! Hello! My least favorite part about cleaning a bathroom is cleaning the base of the toilet and the floor around where it’s sitting. In Germany, they’ve eliminated this problem entirely. My second favorite design innovation: on every flush you get to select how much water gets used depending on what it is you need to flush. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant. This eliminates the “if it yellow, let it mellow” approach to water conservation that I’ve seen so often in use back home. OK, enough with the bathrooms, let’s get outdoors, actually I’ll do that in a later post, this is just part one of what I call: Germany is Different.
We’re heading down to the Allgauer Region in the Alps to go castle hunting this weekend. My camera battery is now fully charged, thanks to the new adapter, so I’ll have some photos to share when we return. BTW, Internet access is still a big issue, so I’m not posting as often as I’d like.
That’s all for now.
Cheers!
~B
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I'm having a beer at 7AM Eastern
OK, so it's like one o'clock here. I'm sitting in my favorite (so far at least) coffee and beer cafe in downtown Augsburg. It's a funky out of the way establishment that could easily be located in downtown Brattleboro. It's like McNeill's Brew Pub in Bratt, if it weren't for being able to hear the languages being spoken, you wouldn't know where in the world you might be. The music is even universal, some jazz-funk number at the moment. Aside from the German being spoken at the two other occupied tables nearby, the only giveaway is the five hundred year old chapel outside my window. The weather here has been mild, I'm told it's usually quite foggy, damp and cold here in November. It would appear that I brought the nice weather with me from New England. I'm out on my own for the first time since arriving here eleven days ago. My German is coming along slowly, but I've got "Ich hätte gerne ein Bier bitte" which is "I'd like a beer please". That expression is good for coffee too. Coffee's easy, it's "Kaffee". I like it when it works that way.Augsburg is really quite remarkable. It was originally founded by the Romans, of all people, in 15 B.C. Yeah, B.C! There's sooo much preserved history here and such a profound character to this place. It's pretty significant tourist destination, yet it doesn't seem to have a bunch of tourists. Maybe it just seems that way because even the tourists are speaking some language that I don't understand. Also, there's a distinct difference in the humans here so the "tourists" may not be standing out to me like they might otherwise do in more familiar surroundings.
We went up to Cologne this past weekend and saw, among other things, the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom). Experiencing the "Dom" is akin to walking up to the edge of the Grand Canyon for the first time. Your eyes and your brain simply aren't used to experiencing things on such a gigantic scale. It actually hurts to look at it the first time you see it. Oh, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an old church over here. And most of them seem to be founded to honor someone who was horribly killed by the Romans. At least that's the case again with the one we saw yesterday here in Augsburg. They even had the skull of the young woman that was burned at the stake for refusing to renounce her religion before her Roman captors back in 304 A.D. The ground here in Europe is soaked with a lot of innocent blood. OK, well...enough of that!
My beer is good. Mmmm...Bier...
~B
Friday, October 31, 2008
I'm in Germany!
Just a quick note. I'm in Augsburg Germany and all is well. Augsburg is lovely. More later.... ~B
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Bikes On A Plane
Emails with Singapore Air...
Hello, I'm booked on flight #SQ0025 from JFK to FRA on October 25th. I have a bicycle to ship and am am in need of clarification on your bicycle checking policy. I was told by your agent that I should pack the bicycle in as small a box as possible, which I'm doing. The resulting dimension of that box will be approximately 50x30x15. I was also told this box would count as one of my two bags. My question is: What is the size that I'm allowed for my remaining bag? Thank you, Robert Viens
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query, please be advised that passengers traveling on Singapore Airlines in economy class from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) are permitted to check-in two bags, 50lbs (23 Kg) each. However, the sum of the three dimensions (length + width + height) of first piece must not exceed 62 inches (158 cm), and the second piece must not exceed 45inchec (155 cm) with the total dimensions of both pieces must not exceed 107 inches (273 cm). Each passenger can have one carry-on bag at 15lbs (7kg)/45 inches (115 cm).
The Bicycle will be considered as a piece of luggage, and will be charged as such if the passenger exceeds his/her free baggage allowance. The bicycle shall be properly packed for transportation, with handle bars fixed sideways and pedals removed. For further clarifications, please feel free to contact our reservations desk at the number provided below. Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines for your travel needs Regards SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
_______________________
Dear Voilet, Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, you didn't answer my original question. If the dimension of the bicycle box are approximately 50x30x15, what is the size that I'm allowed for my remaining bag? And if I go over that size, how will I be charged? Thank you, ~Bob
_______________________
Violet, I just spoke with your Reservation Center and would like to confirm the following information on your checked bag policy on bicycles? I was told that bicycles, which are disassembled and properly packed in a bicycle box (mine actually measures 53x30x8), are considered as the second checked bag and are exempt from the107" combined measurement allowance for both bags. I was also told that I would still be entitled to the 62 inches, allowed for "first" checked bags, for my remaining bag. Is this correct? Thank you, ~Bob
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query, please be advised that the bicycle is considered as 1piece and as per our baggage policy you are allowed to carry 2pieces as check-in the total dimensions of both pieces must not exceed 107 inches and one carryon 15lbs( 45in) Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines for your travel needs. Regards SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
_______________________
Dear Violet, I was told that the bicycle counted simply as package #2 and is exempt
from the 107 inch rule. Is this correct? I was told this by two separate employees at your Reservation Center
and would just like to confirm it in writing before I arrive at the
airport. I'm getting two different versions here. Please clarify this for me. Thanks You, ~B
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query ,please be advised him that bicycle is considered as 01piece, however "bicycle" is not under this category. Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines. Regards, SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
___________________
Violet, Please have a supervisor tell me what this means. Thank you, ~Robert
I hope they fly better than they answer questions... ~B
Hello, I'm booked on flight #SQ0025 from JFK to FRA on October 25th. I have a bicycle to ship and am am in need of clarification on your bicycle checking policy. I was told by your agent that I should pack the bicycle in as small a box as possible, which I'm doing. The resulting dimension of that box will be approximately 50x30x15. I was also told this box would count as one of my two bags. My question is: What is the size that I'm allowed for my remaining bag? Thank you, Robert Viens
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query, please be advised that passengers traveling on Singapore Airlines in economy class from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) are permitted to check-in two bags, 50lbs (23 Kg) each. However, the sum of the three dimensions (length + width + height) of first piece must not exceed 62 inches (158 cm), and the second piece must not exceed 45inchec (155 cm) with the total dimensions of both pieces must not exceed 107 inches (273 cm). Each passenger can have one carry-on bag at 15lbs (7kg)/45 inches (115 cm).
The Bicycle will be considered as a piece of luggage, and will be charged as such if the passenger exceeds his/her free baggage allowance. The bicycle shall be properly packed for transportation, with handle bars fixed sideways and pedals removed. For further clarifications, please feel free to contact our reservations desk at the number provided below. Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines for your travel needs Regards SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
_______________________
Dear Voilet, Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, you didn't answer my original question. If the dimension of the bicycle box are approximately 50x30x15, what is the size that I'm allowed for my remaining bag? And if I go over that size, how will I be charged? Thank you, ~Bob
_______________________
Violet, I just spoke with your Reservation Center and would like to confirm the following information on your checked bag policy on bicycles? I was told that bicycles, which are disassembled and properly packed in a bicycle box (mine actually measures 53x30x8), are considered as the second checked bag and are exempt from the107" combined measurement allowance for both bags. I was also told that I would still be entitled to the 62 inches, allowed for "first" checked bags, for my remaining bag. Is this correct? Thank you, ~Bob
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query, please be advised that the bicycle is considered as 1piece and as per our baggage policy you are allowed to carry 2pieces as check-in the total dimensions of both pieces must not exceed 107 inches and one carryon 15lbs( 45in) Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines for your travel needs. Regards SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
_______________________
Dear Violet, I was told that the bicycle counted simply as package #2 and is exempt
from the 107 inch rule. Is this correct? I was told this by two separate employees at your Reservation Center
and would just like to confirm it in writing before I arrive at the
airport. I'm getting two different versions here. Please clarify this for me. Thanks You, ~B
_______________________
Dear Mr Viens, Thank you for your email. With regards to your query ,please be advised him that bicycle is considered as 01piece, however "bicycle" is not under this category. Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines. Regards, SIA USA Violet
For further information or clarification, please call our Reservations Center directly. If you are located within USA, please call +1 800 7423333 (24-hour service, operated 7 days a week).
___________________
Violet, Please have a supervisor tell me what this means. Thank you, ~Robert
I hope they fly better than they answer questions... ~B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)