Menschen helfen Menschen (People Helping People)

Normally, I tend to focus on the more humorous aspects of the goings-on in my life and choose to share some of those moments with you in this blog. Just as I find writing these entries to be a nice escape from the inevitable stresses adult life brings, I hope that with each entry you read, you have something to smile about; without a doubt, you’ll always have something to think about.

However, at the moment, a slow but steady natural disaster is occurring in my second homeland of Germany, and because I’ve committed myself to write about life in Germany and my blended culture experience in life and love, it’s ridiculous for me not to acknowledge a tragedy is occurring in the country. For me not to write about it is, in my mind, equivalent to pretending it isn’t happening at all. That is so not my style.

Due to excessive rains and the riverbeds are unable to contain the water, massive flooding has literally wiped out complete towns and villages. Thanks to honest-to-goodness German efficiency, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country have either been forced to evacuate their homes or have done so voluntarily, thereby minimizing the risk for losing human life within the country. Unlike the terror of, for example, tornadoes where the damage is quick, severe and can take you completely by surprise (in Florida, we have to contend with hurricanes, tornadoes and in certain areas flash-flooding), the floods here are torturous, often creeping an hourly inch by inch to levels as high as 6 to 8 meters. Yeah, that’s hard for me to fathom as well; that makes the water levels in towns and small cities between 20 and 25 feet HIGH. In some places, various parts of the Autobahn have been completely submerged. Unbelievable.

There are all kinds of horrible things happening in the world, and I do try to make a point to remember that there is still so much goodness despite this fact. One thing that has warmed my heart is seeing the solidarity of people – working together to help each other during their times of need by providing such simple things as food and new undergarments. Of course, there are ways we can all help: As usual, the German Red Cross is accepting donations (feel free to contact me for more information), as are many other charitable institutions. Also, people of faith and positivity can share their prayers and well wishes. One thing that people forget is that no matter what “first-world” country you may be fortunate to live in, Mother Nature has the ability to strip you bare, making you grateful for one thing above all others – life.

If you don’t have money to spare (and there truly are other ways to be helpful besides opening your wallet), or you can’t be bogged down with more problems of others because you’ve got too many of your own, then do the world a small favor and just take the time to appreciate the good that’s going on in your own life. Gratitude is a powerful emotion – and believe me, it’s also contagious.

Have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

Five Ways to be Hella Happy in Hamburg

It's been three whole weeks since I've last posted, but I'm sure you can understand that while I enjoy writing about life, I most especially love concentrating on living it. This week, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my experience in the city of Hamburg. I absolutely LOVED it there. The city is nice, the people are friendly and open; the food was great, and the shopping was a dream for me but a nightmare for my budget. These are the five things that I’m going to share with you today. Oh, and the Reeperbahn.

The City

The cultural history of Hamburg is as rich as many of the residents themselves. We took the time to visit the absolutely beautiful city hall and take a guided tour. It was worthwhile, and based on these pictures I snapped with my phone, I think you can see what I mean.

We encountered many friendly people, who were cordial,open and conversational; greeting strangers and passersby was a completely normal and natural occurrence (The whole “Moin” – “Moin, moin” greeting is so cute). In many parts of the southwest region of Germany, it’s almost considered a weakness to even acknowledge the presence of another person. It was so refreshing to see (once again) that this is not typically the norm in the country, but unfortunately more of a regional thing.

The Food

Anyone who had something to say about Hamburg (and of course, that was everyone) recommended two things: Taking an hour-long cruise along the harbor – which was very interesting and informative – and eat some of their delicious seafood. People were raving about the seafood and how fresh it is and so tasty…  Sorry, I ate enough seafood there at various price ranges and while it was good, well most of it, in my case, it was nothing worth writing home about. Meaning home to my fellow Floridians, of course.

Our understanding of “fresh” seafood is that we actually see the one fishing it out for us, cleaning it, plopping it into hot water and serving it up about a half hour later. Hamburg was excited about having had the seafood shipped to them earlier that morning. Okay.

A word of advice – the picture below may look like a shrimp roll (I love the shrimp and lobster rolls in New York), but unfortunately, it was just nasty. I ended up throwing those icky seaworms away along the pier. The meals I had later were well prepared and tasty (and not just seafood!).

The Shopping

My budget was very unhappy with me by the time we ended our trip, but my husband and I were hella-happy.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist. This is a new beverage line released in Germany and it makes me laugh every time. I noticed it for the first time in Hamburg.)

If you have the cash, they have the goods. If you don’t have the cash, then you can look at the goods and have a good time with that. We certainly did. Some things were almost impossible to pass up, and my husband wasn’t immune to the great shopping opportunities either, bwah ha ha.

The fashion palate there is a bit more expansive than what I have typically associated with Germany over the years – meaning that it can generally be described as “European” as opposed to specifically “German”. I suppose that could be considered a backhanded compliment, but facts are facts.

Beyond shopping, the architectural structures throughout the city are AMAZING. The city is a successful combination of historical and modern, hip and traditional.

The Reeperbahn

I don’t have much to say about this area, except that the street is certainly an eye-opener. To be as euphemistic as possible, I can assure you that there was not one Disney or Nickelodeon product in the area; nevertheless, every single store boasted of selling a vast selection of toys.

Having been to Amsterdam twice, it wasn’t as shocking for me as some areas we stumbled upon there the first time; also, we were in St. Pauli during the week and avoided the weekend crowd. There was also a very strong police presence, and we did discover a really cool Turkish restaurant in the area.

Visiting the Beatles' monument (Beatles Platz) is a must for any music lover. The Reeperbahn, located in St. Pauli, is where the Beatles first performed and gained their fame throughout Europe. Initialy, there were actually FIVE Beatles, but one guy fell in love with a German and stayed there. Hmmm. Familiar story somehow.

By the way – most Germans don’t know about the beer St. Pauli Girl, which is one of the most popular beer exports from Germany. The irony of it all is that the brewery has nothing to do with Hamburg, the Reeperbahn or any “girl” – the smaller brewery is within the Beck’s huge brewery in BREMEN!

Have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

White Asparagus

Well, I may as well save you now, because this week, I'm just going to talk about a vegetable. That's right. One. Single. Vegetable.

The seasonal pride and joy of Germany – white asparagus – seems, at first sight, to be a bit of an abomination to those who’ve never heard of it. Following one look, at least two emotions rise – confusion and pity. First, confusion because it’s hard to understand why a perfectly good green vegetable would be purposely denied sunlight. See, instead of letting the asparagus grow above ground, thus allowing photosynthesis to take place, the veggie grows buried under dirt and never gets to see the light of day until it's time to be harvested. That's where the second emotion comes in.

Don't get me wrong - it's certainly a wonderful icebreaker. People either love asparagus or they don't, and when you throw the question "Green or White" in the mix, things get interesting. For many years, a number of Germans had never even heard of green asparagus! In fairness, I suppose they could turn the same sentence around and say that a vast number of people outside of Germany have never even heard of white asparagus. Finally, after a number of years, green asparagus is gaining in popularity throughout the country and there are tons of great recipes to incorporate both versions in one dish. Tolerance at its best.

It's really up to you to decide which type you like the most. I still prefer the green for a number of reasons, primarily due to taste, texture, convenience and appearance. For example, you actually have to peel white asparagus before you boil it. The outer husk is completely inedible, and it can be an arduous process getting rid of it. I enjoy roasting or sautéing green asparagus in olive oil with salt and pepper after washing the veggie and clipping the ends. Typically, white asparagus is either served with butter or hollandaise sauce.

By now, you should know that I love to learn about the health benefits and properties of foods and beverages. Some cool things to know about asparagus are that it's an excellent source of folic acid, a good source of vitamin C and vitamin B6. It's also high in antioxidants and has treasured anti-inflammatory properties. And if that's not enough to get you on board, historically, it's been viewed as being an aphrodisiac for centuries. All the more reason to love it and have a wonderful time buying it at the market the same day it's been harvested early in the morning!

Guten Appetit and have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

A Proposal for a New German National Anthem

Like any self-respecting country, Germany has its own national anthem. Because I studied classical music with an outside field in German, I actually had to learn all twenty gazillion verses. Hurray.

But, in all honesty, after living in the country for over a decade (gasp!), I believe that there should be an unofficial national anthem. And it should be Ludacris' "Move… Get Out the Way".

Seriously, no matter where I've been, this is either what the person in front of me is saying or I'm thinking. While I can't exactly call myself a Harlem Globe Trotter (for myriad obvious reasons), I have been blessed to travel to many places. Germany takes the cake when it comes to people getting in your way with a subconscious determination to stay there.

Example 1: On a narrow sidewalk, there is only room for two people to walk parallel. What do you do? Walk on one side while the person in the opposite direction continues on the other side? Well, if that's your answer, then you must not be German. The resounding answer for any real German - or Germanized person, mind you - is to walk in the middle.

Example 2: You sense someone walking behind you with a sense of urgency. What do you do? Shift slightly to the side so that he or she may pass? Well, if that's your answer, then you must not be German. Instead, you will slow down to show him or her that you aren't the type of person who will be rushed. Gotta show 'em who's boss, you know.

Example 3: There's nothing more painful than a group of oblivious people who are determined to walk in a pack. A normal group would simply stagger their positions, allowing others to pass by them. The packs of people refuse to budge, despite being three or more people walking on the sidewalk side by side. It doesn't seem to matter: Young or old, males or females, too many of them love walking in packs. Some of them even link their arms to form a chain. What the heck, people? Is this some kind of protest that everyone else just doesn't know about?

No wonder everyone is body checking you left and right.

Here’s to a great week with wide-open spaces.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

Here's to Hamburg!

There are so many things that I have never done while living in Germany. Visiting a city up North is one of them. Now, don’t get me wrong – just because I’m a southern girl doesn’t mean that I don’t have love for Norddeutschland! It’s just that whenever my husband and I have had the time and the means to get out of dodge, we’d basically flee the country. Just sayin.

This week, the quite famous Hamburger Fischmarkt (The Fish Market of Hamburg) has travelled to my city. If you’re not familiar with it, let me give you a quick run-down. It’s pretty much like a food carnival. You know how the carnies call out to you and do basically whatever it takes to get your attention so that they can sell their wares or provoke you to come to their booth? It’s like that, only with food.

They travel throughout the country in large semi trucks full of food. Obviously, this is a country with a big appetite. There’s the fruit man, who will sell you a basket of exotic fresh fruits in a cute wicker basket for 10 Euros. There’s the cheese guy, who sells you an assortment of cheeses in a bucket. The noodle dude, who, guess what, sells you a gigantic bag of smaller bags of Italian noodles – all name brands, of course, for something crazy like 12 euros. Another guy is the eel man – no joke – a big, red-faced fishmonger who, for some strange reason, totally turns off the public. It might be due to the fact that he literally grunts at people. Weird.

But there’s something so inexplicable, so totally German about the entire experience. These guys actually wear microphones and do everything they can to draw crowds – including insulting each other. I’m not saying that’s totally German, but their sense of humor is, as well as the passive curiosity of the crowds. And the love of big deals. And, of course, sausage.

To make a long story short, it was a fun experience. We’re going to take two dear friends of mine there to theFischmarkt this evening. Also, Mr. CountryEuroCityMouse and I have decided to book a four-day, three-night trip to Hamburg!

Finally, I can see for myself what all the big fuss surrounding St. Pauli is about (other than St. Pauli’s Girl, of course). We’re so excited!

By the way, for those of you in the know, I’m open to tips and secret must-see places.

Have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

Lamentations of a Coffee Fiend (Thanks, Starbucks Germany)

For the most part, spring had finally decided to grace us with its presence, but this year, it hasn’t been much of a fair-weather friend, pun intended. However, today is a beautiful sunny day, which gave me the perfect opportunity to go for a coffee run.

I wasn’t always a fan of coffee. When I was in the south of Spain, I went to a language school and for the entire month, whenever we had a break, our group would go to the bar downstairs and I’d order a café de leche and a small ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Very nutritional, I know. Some believe that it only takes a month to form a habit. In this case, I think it’s true.

These days, I actually don’t fare well drinking filtered coffee, but espresso-based drinks are wonderful. Since our city has a few Starbucks in the area, for the past few months I obsessively visited them in pursuit of their stupid gold card. (I know. It’s sad.) After 30 purchases of who knows what kind of fancy, frothy sugary expensive drinks, my thighs now hate me. And surprise, surprise – I’m kinda over it.

It makes me think that I should have lofiter goals in life.

It also makes me think that someone, anyone who loves me should have intervened. Given me a word of advice. A passerby on the street should have come to me and said, “No one in the world needs a 20-ounce caffeinated beverage.” More specifically, the German baristas should have placed a gentle hand on mine and asked, “Are you sure you want a triple shot venti caramel macchiato with soy milk today? Because, we could also just send you to the hospital for a shot of adrenaline since you obviously need it.”

But no, instead, over the course of five months, I made a ritual of ordering some crazy concoction that perfectly masked the true flavor of the beans. Go figure.

Now, as I finish my latte, I have some words for a few passersby. You never know who’s in need of an intervention.

1. To the man smoking a cigarette while holding the work shirts you just picked up from dry cleaning – You idiot.

2. To the man kicking the umbrella case from one side of the street to the other while calling it horrible names – That’a right, buddy; you show that inanimate object who’s boss.

3. To the women, both young and old, who walk around with paper shopping bags at the crook of your arm as if they’re Louis Vuttion purses – There is no elegance in a brown paper bag. Just hold it normally and go home.

4. To the Babushkas who were at the coffee shop when I stopped by this morning and were still there when I walked by this afternoon (for the third day in a row) – Congratulations. You are now the new face of Starbucks.

5. To myself, because I obviously need a reminder: Do I really need to go anywhere thirty times within a five-month period? This is beyond an addiction at this point. It’s just a shame.

Here’s hoping that you have more discipline in life than I do. Have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

Write Away

Yes, dear readers - it's exactly what it feels like. I've been neglecting you. It's not because I don't want to interact with you on a weekly basis anymore, I certainly do, but I must admit that over the past few weeks or so, I've been quite distracted.

Call it a small Seitensprung of sorts, yet I do intend to remain true to you. It's just that in the past weeks, I felt inspired to write a book from start to finish. It's not my first book, and it won't be my last, (I tend to dance in the non-fiction realm), but it is my first complete work of fiction. And I wrote it in five weeks from start to finish (circa 140 pages). Yeah, I'm proud of that. I wanted to see if I could do it, and well; now I know I can. Next task: Rinse and Repeat.

As mentioned, there will be modifications to this blog, but I have a feeling that they won't be made until a few months from now or so. While I love sharing experiences about my life in Germany, it seems as though the main dynamic playing throughout my entries is about the fun, frustrating and never dull cultural clashes between American and German mentalities. Obviously, similarities come into play as well. Eventually, I'll be meandering in that direction…

Until then, thanks for your patience and support! Keep working on your own Bucket List and have a great week.

 xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.

Blog Changes Coming Soon

My initial goal for this blog has been to maintain it for one year. I can't believe that I'm less than two months away from achieving it! So many things have happened within that short period of time, and I'm pleased to say the changes have been for the better.

There will also be a few changes to the blog within the next few weeks as well. If you check out my posts fairly regularly and notice the thematic changes, I hope that you'll like them; if you didn't even know this blog existed until you read this post, then just forget that I said anything at all.

It's just small reflection of how we deal with the ebb and flow of life's changes. Who knows where it will lead?

Have a great week.

xoxo CountryEuroCityMouse

©2012-2013 CountryEuroCityMouse™. All rights reserved.