Eric's Germany Journal, Sandi Visits Germany

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Column of cars.

I got to Munich early and had some time to walk around a bit, study the transit system, and check out a few potential chocolate stores before I picked up Sandi at the airport. I say "potential" chocolate stores because all I had were listings from the phone book that were not completely clear about the nature of each business. The best category I could find included importers, wholesalers, and bakers with a few sweets along with straightforward chocolate stores.

Schizoid train.

There is a store at the airport with a bilingual pun: Buyern. (Munich is in the German state of Bayern.)

Sandi arrives.

Lots of bicycles.

We did get to see the whole Glockenspiel show, including a brief joust between two marionettes on horseback. (Marionette is not the right word, because that is a puppet controlled by string or hand. What is the term for a mechanical figure? Hey! Is there any relationship between "marionette" and the name of the square, Marienplatz, or is that just coincidence?)

After eating lunch and viewing the Glockenspiel, I navigated a route including several chocolate stores around the Marienplatz area. Only one is worth visiting when you are in the area. Sandi did some window shopping, and a little in-store non-shopping, examined every plant at a plant store, and so on. For most of the day, the weather was a bit cold but clear and not unpleasant, but it started raining lightly as we walked around.

Sandi has read almost none of my journal pages, so I had to repeat to her lots of things I have explained about Germany, like not walking in bicycle lanes and pushing through crowds.

After exhausting the shopping district, we headed past the imperial residence, surveyed some lesser residential areas, crossed the Isar, and walked through some parks. It was getting late, so we recrossed the Isar and looked for transportation back to the train station. Right about then, it started snowing, and a bit heavily, so we got on a Straßenbahn without knowing where it was going, except that it seemed headed south. I tried to follow its stops on a map and tried to get us off at a useful place. Mostly by luck, we disembarked right next to a U-Bahn stop, and that took us straight to the Hauptbahnhof.

The trip home was uneventful, but it was late by the time we arrived. Sandi's pedometer showed she had walked 25,000 steps in the 30 hours since waking up in Atlanta, during which time she got very little sleep. In spite of that, she wanted to check her email before going to sleep.

Friday, April 11, 2003

These ducks were minding their own business.	But this fellow came right up to our feet looking for food.	This swan came over to see what was going on.
It brought some friends. The swans at the top are coming straight to us. They are turned to fight the current.	Another of those orange-eyed ducks showed up.	Many birds of several types showed up when Sandi broke out the pastry.
A gull joined in.	But these are fickle friends. They leave as soon as lunch is over and see what's happening across the Danube.	It does look nice over there.

The swans make sounds like horses snorting. We walked through Friedrichsau, and Sandi wouldn't listen to any of my advice about the city. For example, she wanted to see what was over a hill, and I knew the park ended there, but she insisted, and we ended up walking by a parking lot for the convention center.

Eventually, we walked back into the city. I wanted to try Pflugmerzler for dinner. It is reputed to have the best Swabian cuisine in town. Of course, that advice comes from Lonely Planet, which steered me to the frog at Hotel Bäumle. In any case, the Pflugmerzler said they were full (with some private party?), so we went elsewhere. They did have the Ulm sparrow poster in their entryway, so I may return to ask if they can help me locate a copy. That is a poster showing all 255 sparrow sculptures.

We ate at Kornhäusle, which serves pancakes (or thick crêpes) with a variety of fillings. Kornhäusle was busy, so two other people were seated next to us, Ruth and Nicole, who were situated similarly to Sandi and me—Ruth is newly living in Ulm, and Nicole is visiting. Ruth is German but spent five years in Great Britain doing her Ph.D. and says she has forgotten some of her German because she spoke English so long!

Back at home, Sandi and I tried a little of the sauerkraut juice. Very little. It is very potent. If there is anything in it besides salt and vinegar, I can't tell.

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Tomorrow everything is closed, and Sandi wants to spend the remaining days taking trains to other cities, so we will see nothing else in Ulm—none of what my life here is like, no museums, and no more of the city history or flavor. Sandi plans to buy a whole-network pass and ride the transit system (mostly buses) around the area. The local transit system covers a large region. However, since everything is closed, and she is not aiming for any particular attractions, I have no interest in going, so I will stay home.

Fountain at entrance to Im Baindtle.

Sunday, April 13, 2003

Sandi wanted to visit Heidelberg Monday, so I printed train schedules. It is too late to get the good discounted prices on the fast trains, and Sandi wanted to buy a Baden-Württemberg day pass. The pass is only €21, and up to five people can ride together with just one pass, but you cannot take the express trains or start before 9 a.m. on a weekday. The earliest you can get from Ulm to Heidelberg is 1 p.m., with four hours of travel, and, to get back to Ulm before 11 p.m., you have to leave Heidelberg at 6 p.m. (which get you to Ulm around 9:40 p.m.).

That is eight hours of travel time (including some on the Straßenbahn in Ulm) for five hours of sightseeing. Not a good deal in my eyes. With express trains, the travel time could be cut in half, and you can start earlier and stay in Heidelberg longer.

Things are going badly.

Monday, April 14, 2003

German culture values planning. Andreas told me there is a German saying that is approximately, "If you do not work with the head, you will work with the feet," meaning that failing to plan causes more work. The value of planning is in German sayings, fare structures, timetables, and business hours. That is why there is a book available that lists every time that every bus in the regional transit system leaves every stop for all of 2003! It also includes the Straßenbahn and regional trains. Once you know the system, it is fairly easy to get anywhere with a little planning. If you don't plan, it is harder to get anyplace unfamiliar.

I saw a bright yellow car with Zitrone painted on it prominently. Zitrone means lemon. The car was leaving an auto dealer. The text was a bit fancy but did not look like a product logo, so I am wondering what that is about.

Pastor sparrow.

Black sparrow inside wire frame.

Sandi bought some low-fat milk yesterday, and we were wondering why the nutritional information showed Eiweiß in the milk. Eiweiß means egg white, which you do not expect to see in low-fat milk. I realized today that is what they use to mean protein.

Sandi got back after 10 p.m. and had gone to Stuttgart and seen shops and parks.

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Sandi did get to Heidelberg, where she saw the castle, and stopped in Stuttgart and visited an art museum there. She is happier now.

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Friday, April 18, 2003

Oh, well. At least while Sandi was here, I had ex-girlfriends on three continents (America, Europe, and Australia).

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© Copyright 2003 by Eric Postpischil.