What's in a Name?

Well, gender, for one thing.  In Germany, Jan (or yahn, as it is pronounced in German) is apparently exclusively for men.  I have seen some confused looks on people, but my name hadn't yet caused any problems...until today.

When I give the the chatty lady behind the grocery store counter my debit card, she says, "Is this your card?" I tell her in my broken German that I am American, and that in the U.S. Jan is usually a name for a woman.  Her answer is something like, "Wouldn't that be Jane?" Now, it's often difficult for me to discern the tone in which Germans are speaking, so I couldn't tell if she was making conversation (seems hardly likely, considering the number of people in line behind me) or if she was actually arguing with me about my name. I just smile, as I feel my face turn purple, and quickly sign for 6 Euros worth of groceries.  She then compares the signature with the one on my card.

Next time, I'll just use cash!

The Rhine River Cruise (a.k.a. the Castle Tour)

Although I have only been in Germany for about six weeks now, I am worried that soon I'll become blasé about seeing beautiful things, because they are everywhere! A case in point: Saturday I went on a Rhine River tour from Rüdesheim to St. Goar.  I was amazed at all of the castles that date back several centuries (this is probably due to the fact that I come from a place where nearly any building over 100 years is considered worthy of special recognition.)



Castle Ehrenfels



Mäuseturm








Rheinstein Castle



Reichenstein Castle



Sooneck Castle






Strahleck castle



  

Furstenberg Castle



 

tower in Oberwesel

 

















Schönburg Castle--I am sure it looks more schön when the sun is cooperating

 



Burg Katz





Way up there is Burg Rheinfels

 
All of that, in a tour that only lasted a few hours! We ended our cruise at St. Goar and checked out Burg Rheinfels up close. You can pay for a fun trolley ride up to it, or you can hike it for free. A sign in St. Goar said walking up would take 15 minutes...it is not true, and it is not especially easy after some wine on the cruise, but it was definitely worth the hike.




at Burg Rheinfels



view from the Burg

That wasn't all, however.  We then took the train to Bacharach and trekked up past the Wernerkapelle...

almost there...you can even see it above the arch...

...the Strahleck castle.




the incredible view from Strahleck



After all of that, it was time for a different kind of beautiful--italienisches Eis. Riesling ice cream is pretty good.

In Search of Tostitos

Before going to a football game-watching party Saturday (games shown via Slingbox--no American college football here!), I thought I would buy some tortilla chips to take along. I had seen a bag of Tostitos Hint of Lime chips with the word IMPORT on it in the teacher's lounge, so I figured they would just have to be available somewhere nearby. After checking out local grocery stores Edeka and Lidl (they do have chips, but not from Mexico or the U.S. Southwest), I went to Kleinmarkthalle, an international market that I was told had a little of everything.

the Latin American section

one of the Mediterreanean sections

The place was truly international:  you could get fruits, vegetables, candy, and canned goods from all over the world...well, all over the world, except maybe from the U.S.  There was no good ol' processed American food. No Tex-Mex. I did find some tortillas in the Latin American food section, and even some thick homemade tortilla chips and taco shells, but that's about it.


So, if you are coming to visit, please bring some Tostitos Hint of Lime.  And some salsa. :-)

Where are you from?

When Texans are asked where we are from, most of us are not likely to answer "the U.S."--we say Texas.  For some, it is a matter of pride in their state.  For me, it just makes sense--it seems pretty obvious that I am an American, and the next question is going to be "Which state?" anyway. 

I am so glad to be from Texas, but our state's image overseas took a beating during the Bush years, and, having endured Rick Perry's arrogance during the past decade, I am afraid that his being on the national stage can only make things worse.  So, I try to be prepared for just about any kind of reaction when I say where I am from. So far, it has not been too bad! A few comments so far:

"You are from Texas. (Smile.) Like Bush."     

"Texas? What part? Ohh, Austin is cool!"

"Are you a fan of Perry's?....No?! Oh, thank God."

"My brother-in-law lives in Houston. It's too hot."

"I thought I heard a slight drawl."


My personal favorite:

"You are from Texas? Where are your guns?"

another day, another festival

Saturday I went to the Frankfurt flea market to buy a bicycle.  The Flohmarkt was very easy to find--it was in the same spot by the river as last weekend's Museumsuferfest. 


I am not sure why I was so determined to get a bicycle, since I don't think I haven't ridden on one that could leave the gym since I learned to drive.  I bought a old-fashioned city-bike that you would never catching me riding in the U.S.,  but that in Germany is very common.  I didn't realize just how old it was until I saw a sticker on it that read "Made in W. Germany".




My new old bike; the last bike I had with a basket also came with a banana seat and training wheels!

 
Originally I had intended to travel on my vintage ride to the Laternenfest in Bad Homburg, but since I am just getting used to the bike, I decided it would be best to take the train. That turned out to be a very good decision, because the rain started coming down in buckets.

downtown Bad Homburg after the downpour 

If the  #1 lesson I have learned in Germany is always carry an umbrella, then I guess lesson #2 should be never take a sunny day for granted...Friday and Saturday were both beautiful days to visit the festival, but I wanted to go to Bad Homburg on Sunday--and it rained almost the entire afternoon.

So, lesson learned...the sun is out, and I'm going outside!