Why do vacations have to be so short? I could have easily stayed another two weeks! I loved Germany so much and feel so at home, I believe that I could live there very happily. If I could have my friends and family there with me, that is!
Don't they use face cloths in Germany? I was puzzled by there being a bath towel and a hand towel in each hotel and hostel, but never a face cloth. None in Austria either.
The beds are different from ours in the U.S. We use a fitted sheet and a top sheet, then the blankets or comforters on top of that. In Germany we had fitted sheets, but no top sheet. I copied the below from a site explaining German bedding:
German Bettzeug (BET-tsoyk) or bedding is also a bit different from what Anglo-Americans are used to. Instead of sheets and blankets, Germans sleep under a Federbett, or down comforter that lies atop a mattress covered with a fabric that is often more like terry cloth than a linen sheet. On cold nights, the German Federbett is ideal—very cozy and snug. But in the summer, on warm nights, the down comforter is too warm, and your choice is either to sleep without any cover or to sweat under the Federbett. If you want a top sheet or light blanket, you usually have to get your own. Fortunately, the German climate is generally on the cool side, so most of the time the Federbett is a good idea. Traditionally, the down comforter was hung out over a windowsill or a balcony rail each morning to air. You will still often see white Bettzeug hanging from German apartment windows in the morning hours.
Sandy wondered who designed all those awesome castles we saw. Were there castle architects? Or, did they start with a room and just add on from there? How did they decide that here should go a kitchen and here should be a prison room? And don't forget the tower rooms!
Stores...even the WalMart equivalent Kaufland, do not provide bags for your purchases. You either carry them as is, or buy a bag to put them in. They are rather eco-conscious and this must be the reason.
When on a plane, always talk to the person next to you! You can tell pretty quickly if they are the talkative type like me, or wish to be left alone. The delightful man, Gregory I sat next to coming home even gave ME a run for my money in the talking department, and once I found myself reaching for my ear buds to give my aching neck a rest from turning to the left! He was very interesting, from Krakow, Poland and I learned much about him, his family, wife and two young children, job as a University professor of Literature, and his heritage. His grandfather was part of the Polish resistance during WWII and hid out an lived in the woods for two years! He was headed to Chicago to lead a poetry symposium. A very interesting fella.
Airplane food isn't so bad on international flights. Going to Munich I had a pasta dish and also a breakfast of banana bread with yogurt and coming home a chicken dish with broccoli and potatoes for supper and a sandwich on hard roll for lunch. Both entrees came piping hot and all in all, were pretty good. Sure was better than the puny 6 baby pretzels you get on shorter flights!
I only saw one laundromat in all of my days there in any of the cities we visited. In reading at home about this subject, I learned that laundromats are few and far between in Germany. Most people still hang out their clothes to dry and I saw lots of it outside people's windows and on small, portable dryers in their yards.
I drank tap water the whole time I was gone. Thankfully, I do not have a terribly sensitive digestive system and never felt even a little bit "off." I am afraid I can not stand the fizzy water the Germans seem to enjoy so much and when in restaurants we asked for "still" water and sometimes we still would get the carbonated water.
"Goaßlschnalzer" "Whip cracking" competition: whip swinging young men who have made whip swinging a real art. I was lucky enough to see a demonstration of this. There was even a novice young lady performing, but the men were much more practiced at it than she was. Here is some more info I took from Wikipedia: Whipcracking is the act of producing a cracking sound through the use of a whip. A rhythmic whipcracking belongs to the traditional culture among various Germanic peoples of Bavaria (Goaßlschnalzen. Here is a YouTube link if you are interested in seeing what the heck I am talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRHP4-eEkdg
Tipping and paying in Germany: In restaurants we were never hurried or rushed. Even if it was very busy we never felt pressured to leave the table so another could occupy it. Christine told us that the table was ours for as long as we wished to sit there and was meant to be a leisurely affair. The waitstaff is paid better than in the US and do not depend on tips as much. When we were ready to leave we let our waitperson know we were ready to go and they would tell us how much we owed and would have a wallet with them to take our money and make our change. We told them at that time what tip they were to receive, usually a Euro or two, and off we went! Leaving money on the table for the waitstaff is not done in Germany.
In the biergartens we saw that they often had stacks of neatly folded blankets for patrons to throw over their shoulders if they were chilly.
I know there are more things I should write here so I can remember all the little things, but that is enough for now.
In response to Sandy's comment: Yes, you are right! The doors were a puzzle to us throughout the trip. I meant to add that and simply forgot. Thanks for reminding me!
