Wonders of Soccer

We were both wrong with our previous bet. Germany only won 1:0 and the game was anything else but fabulous, though the German team was clearly dominating over 90+ minutes. Pouring rain made the ball and the lawn slippery and conditions weren’t easy for all of them. But, as hoped for, both teams are in the next round now as no. 1 and 2 of their group. We’ll see what happens on monday (Germany:Algeria) and on tuesday (U.S.A.:Belgium).

I have watched a lot of soccer recently and closely looked at the players on the lawn. Please, never ever tell me men aren’t vain, don’t talk about women investing too much time in their looks. Better watch the soccer players nowadays, especially the ones from latin countries and Africa, but not exclusively from these countries.

I knew that they have their physio/yoga/meditation/whatever therapists, doctors, mental trainers, psychologists, trainers and many more caretakers, but to date I didn’t know that they also bring their own coiffeurs and barbers. Before every game every player supposedly gets a new haircut and/or shave, and, watch out: they do have elaborate hairdos nowadays. There are many with (mistakenly so-called) Iroquois/Mohawk hairstyles, some fancy dyed or streaked hair. In the American team there are still a few players with rastas and ponytails to be seen and other players fancy beards or goatees. I am not sure whether they also get treatment for other hairy parts of their bodies, but wouldn’t be surprised. Also, manicure and pedicure supposedly is part of their daily prior-to-game beauty program.

Tattoos: Since piercings and jewelry aren’t allowed on the lawn there are tattoos. Some players don’t have a square inch of bare skin anymore, at least not on visible body parts. Are there any soccer players at all without tattoos?

Muscles and outfit: six-packs have become the thing to show off. Flat bellies and six packs, biceps and a muscular butt. Tight, shiny jerseys add to the effect, though shorts are still rather baggy and not as short and form-fitting as they’ve once been in the 1970ies and 80ies. In contrary: some players don’t show much leg anymore. It has recently become fancy to pull stockings or socks over the knees and sometimes players wear tight leggins underneath their shorts in addition.

Also, slick heat tech or similarly called compression/functional shirts under the jerseys became popular, sometimes even long-sleeved. Is this really fashionable? Talking of long sleeves: most goalies wear long-sleeved jerseys nowadays, notabene in Brasilia, at about 90 deg. F average. Must be good for muscle toning, otherwise not very logical.

Shoes: They are never white or black anymore and usually there are rarely two players wearing the same shoes. In the old times a team had a contract with one shoe company and every player wore the same shoes. Nowadays it’s individual contracts and companies try to outdo themselves with gaudy colors, shapes and patterns. Usually you’ll see shoes in some Day-glo color, acidic yellow, cracking orange, rainbow-colored, with a grid pattern or - newest trend - players wearing two different colored shoes. And, it’s a fact, that shoes rarely fit the color of the jersey.

Attitude: Show and effect, dying swan and soreheads, deceit and suffering - especially teams from latin countries are perfect in this regard. No wonder that more sober, pragmatic teams, like England and the U.S.A., don’t get along. There are strange curiosa as well, like the „monster“: Luis Suarez of Uruguay did it again and bit another opponent – he was punished by the FIFA and will be suspended for nine games or four months. So we won’t see „Dracula“ again during this World Cup.

Wonders of America: Soccermania sets the U.S.A. on fire

Big game tonight: the U.S. team is playing the German team and both coaches are not only Germans, but also good buddies. We would love them to tie tonight, not sure for whom we are going to cheer.

Nevertheless, this will be a great game. More so for the U.S.A., because it’s the first time during a World Cup that the country is swept by soccermania. For Germans this is an everyday situation, everybody being dressed up in team jerseys (usually white) and flags set up all over the place (black – red – gold). And now, suddenly, the whole United States are embracing soccer as well. We knew, that there are regions where soccer is big – especially in the Northwest (Portland and Seattle) – but most people don’t care much about this game with 20 guys kicking a ball with their feet and two guys between poles trying to catch it.

The U.S.A. is picking up soccer-wise, just think of games of the U.S. Pro League MLS (Major League Soccer). In Seattle over 40.000 fans cheer for the Sounders, there is a parade before every home game from downtown to the stadium. Or Portland/OR (see pic of stadium): You’ll have to be lucky to get a ticket at all. The dyhard fans, called „Timber Army“, cheer and sing during the whole game – 90+ minutes. In other regions Americans started to get interested in this fantastic game, too, especially the younger generation.

Soccer, football or Fussball? Most people think, "soccer" is - once again – one of these American inventions, but, no way: It was used in England since the late 19th century to differentiate between Association Football (= soccer) and Rugy Football. Until the 1970ies the term was used parallel to "football" in England, only when the NASL (remember this fancy first US Pro Soccer league called North American Soccer League?) was formed, "soccer" suddenly got labeled as an American term. Speaking of the NASL: In the meantime the league was revived! It now forms the Division II league of US Pro Soccer and teams with familiar names are back, e.g. Cosmos New York, Fort Lauderdale Strikers oder Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Back to The game today: On paper the German team is the favorite. They do have many great players who are technically perfect, can fantastically handle the ball, precisely pass it, they do have a great team spirit and play as a team. But sometimes defense is acting chaotic (remember the two goals Ghana scored?) and a few guys sometimes just "disappear" in the course of the game. The U.S. guys are not nearly as perfect, but they play with heart and enthusiasm and will be pressing all the time – something the Germans don’t like. So, look forward to a great game!

Our bet for tonight: USA:Germany 2:3 (M.), 1:2 (P.)
And never forget: Reason, soccer balls are round is that the game can change directions!

Cowboy Myth Today – 3rd prize in photo contest

This picture was taken in June 2012 during the "Symphony in the Flint Hills" (Kansas) with my old Canon Powershot IS 20. We were invited to this event by the State of Kansas and attended as part of a 2-week research trip KS/OK. The event takes place every year at a different place in the Flint Hills region, in the middle of the prairie (one of the few remaining patches of long-grass prairie), in the Eastern part of Kansas. There is a tent village set up with boothes – food, artwork, crafts, organizations etc. –, there are ranger and other educational programs, carriage tours, star gazing, story telling, live bands and dancing taking place, but the absolute highlight is an openair concert of the Kansas City Symphony, a medley of classical, popular and country-style music. The concert ends exactly at sunset, which is spectacular on its own in this vast prairie land, but local cowboys even improve the "natural show". This picture serves the "lonesome modern cowboy"-cliché very well.

Perhaps this was also the reason it was selected and won third prize in a photo contest organized by the U.S. Consulate/Amerika Haus. We submitted two pictures (one for each of us and Peter's choice apparently was the better one!). First prize went went to a picture of Yellowstone NP, 2nd was one of Boone Hall Alley, LA, 3rd to Peter's cowboy photo. Prizes were presented yesterday at a tourism event in the Amerika Haus Munich after a multimedia show ("Americana" by Dirk Rohrbach) on stage by Consul General Bill Moeller. Ten participants were rewarded with a blown-up, framed copy of their pictures, first three in addition got prices and an invitation to the Independence Day Celebration at the Consulate Munich on July 3rd.

Well, we are proud owners of a huge coffeetable book (same type we write ourselves) on the U.S.A. now (which we had to carry home from Munich on the train), a rain jacket (from one of the sponsors) and an invitation for two to the party (which we will, of course, attend). Also, received a certificate and we will get the framed copy of the picture after the exhibition in the consulate is over on July 4th.

"Wonders of America" – Bureaucracy and a love-hate-relationship

As you may know in the meantime, we are big fans of the United States and the American people and we always praised the American mentality, the customer friendliness, politeness and effectivity. From time to time our sympathy is put to the test. Last Tuesday was such a day.

To make a long story as short as possible: For special professions – like journalists, diplomats, business people – and groups - e.g. au-pair or exchange students – there are still visas required. For regular visitors – thanks to the Visa Waiver Program – a stay of 90 days maximum is possible without a visa. Only a fee of $ 14 has to be paid for registration with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Once approved, ESTA is valid for any number of trips in the course of two years.

After 9/11 the U.S. Government became pretty strict in regard to journalists traveling in America and they started to ask more questions about the purpose of a trip at immigration and, eventually, made a visa obligatory. Therefore we applied for our first visas in 2004. At that time we still had to show up at the General Consulate in Frankfurt for the so-called "visa interview". Train trip, hotel accommodation in addition to the regular visa costs were annoying. In 2009 the Munich Consulate had reopened again for certain visa services (esp. Non-Immigrant Visa) and we could make an appointment there. Now, in 2014, a renewal was due again and in April we started to collect confirmation letters of our main publishers, to copy contracts and to get the right photos, which had to be square (5x5 cm). That regulation required that pics couldn’t be made cheap in a photo booth but needed to be taken in a real studio. They cost 13,90 Euro per person, I look about 10 years older on the pic, and we can throw away all of them now, because in Germany official photos for documents have to be rectangular.

All this done, we were eventually able to start filling out the application forms on the internet – same for renewal as for a new visa. The form alone took us about 45 minutes, working simultaneously on two computers. Fortunately we didn’t make a mistake, didn’t hit the wrong key and our computers didn’t break down. Same things to fill out over and over again and dubious questions like "Have you ever dealt with drugs?", "Have you prostituted yourself?" or "Have you been in prison before?"... But, to make things worse, scanning our expensive pictures even took us longer. Peter’s ears proved to be too big and my hairdo too fluffy. At the end we succeeded to fit it into the mask, though most of hair and ears were missing. Not sure anymore at what point, probably at the very beginning, we had to pay for the applications by credit card: 120 Euro each (no matter if new or renewal).

Next step: to make an appointment. In contrast to former times - where waiting time was several weeks, if not months, it is now possible to get appointments fast. Not sure, whether they sort applicants by kinds of visas or how they handle the appointments, but there are only several days and hours a week available. For us an appointment about two weeks later fit best, but we only got choices between 7 and 9:15 am. Meaning, we weren’t able to get a cheap train ticket (not available before 9 am), but had to take the car. In the U.S.A. you would have thought they automatically provide parking for the duration of the interview, but you’re way off! Well, at least it became a bargain to make an appointment by phone or internet: It costs only a regular phone call now instead of approximately 10 Euro per person formerly.

Appointment tuesday, 6-10, 9 am for both of us (also new, that you can apply as a couple!). We re-read the "house rules" before departure: no backpacks, no electronics (phones), no weapons etc. – but no remark about waiting lines or having to arrive early. Well, I just took my tiny little purse, whereas Peter carried the two portfolios with documents, letters/contracts/passports/press passes and selected books and magazines. We left the mobile phones in the car (!) which we fortunately were able to park nearby the Consulate, made possible thanks to Pentecost holidays.

We started early, got up at 6:30 am and left the house at 7:15 am. We were parked at about 8:15 am and when we came around the corner to the Consulate at not quite 8:30 am, there was a line of at least ten people in front of this flat modernistic, custom-built office building from the 1950s. Even at that early time, we had the unusual pleasure of having about 85 deg. F. and cloudless skies. Well, a rather grumpy (German) officer checked us off on his appointment list, but we were told to wait outside, in the sun, without a bench, on the concrete walkway, no shade, no water. Groups of two at a piece were slowly admitted into the building for the security check, while the line outside grew longer and longer and temps higher and higher. At 9 am it was our turn. With rather old-fashioned security check equipment they checked our items while we walked through the "gate". Since we couldn’t leave the car key in the car for obvious reasons, the officer remarked harshly that we aren't allowed to bring in "electronic devices" and have to leave the key at the reception. I had a tiny little bag with "female accessories" like a hankie, lip balm, sewing kit, duct tape etc. and after having it emptied in front of the officer he told me to better leave it at the post as well.

Finally, in the waiting area (in a different building): A plain wooden table with a computer on top blocked the passage and a lady and a gentleman – speaking good german – controlled our printed appointment confirmations, checked them on the computer and asked rather briskly for our confirmation letters/documents ("Is that all?"). The lady only took the paper sheets (not the portfolios) and wrapped a rubber band around them and the passports before she asked us to bring this package to counter no. 1, a couple of steps away, where a female asian-looking officer took them and told us "to have a seat". Rows of uncomfortable chairs, one behind the other, standing there, a not really state-of-the-art loudspeaker system and a couple of brochures plus AFN (American Forces Network) on a high hung up TV screen made up for a very 1970s decor and atmosphere. Fortunately the A/C was working and there were bathrooms. About 20 people were in the room, mostly students.

Our names were called a little later to deliver finger prints (again!) and I was asked whether I always had the same family name (yes!), followed by "Take a seat, please". Another 10 to 15 minutes past until we were called to show up at Counter 4 in the " Privacy, please"-section, exactly looking the same as the other four counters, with shot-proofed glass windows and a tiny little slit to edge papers through. Each of us had to give one (!) single fingerprint first to prove that we are the right ones showing up. Then the officer there asked us about our next visit to the U.S. (already on the form) and to show her our press passes. This so-called "visa interview" took about three minutes and ended with "Your visas are approved, you’ll get your passports back by mail in about a week". Formerly you had to deliver a stamped and addressed envelope as well, but now postage fee is generously paid by the U.S. Government. Out at 9:45 am, parking for two hours cost an additional 4,50 Euro.

Reason I was so startled about the procedure was, that we were so used to American friendliness. We never had to deal with American bureaucracy to date, with the exception of airport controls. Not sure yet, whether American officers overseas just adjust to the german bureaucratic mentality (we are exposed to it e.g. when applying for a new passport or registering a new car) or, whether it’s just an unknown, hidden chapter in the American mindset. In a german office we wouldn’t have minded much (being used to it), but with you guys, otherwise always friendly, polite and caring…? Why the heck aren’t these people just glad that people like us – travel writers – are coming over to promote their destination, to spur tourism? Why do they treat visa applicants like criminals and intruders, let them wait, check them multiple times and charge them?

There was a lot of talk recently at the big tourism convention (IPW) in Chicago, and Brand USA – the new nationwide Tourism Organisation – bragged about the new politeness and shorter lines at American immigration counters at airports, about the new Global Entry program (a U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP program), "that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States" at special kiosks. Right now it’s in it’s pilot phase in Germany, by the way. Also, even equipped with visa, finger-printed and photographed, interviewed and triple-checked, you have to stand in the regular waiting lines at immigration to get your fingers printed and your photo taken again. Why the heck do I pay that much money and invest that much time every five years for an I-Visa (a journalists’ visa) when I could simply have stated "I am on vacation"?

"Wonders of America": No risk, no fun!

Germs – in German "Keime" – is another amazing topic, typical for the U.S.A. During our travels we noticed that Americans can become pretty annoying with their exaggerated fear of bacteria and germs. They usually carry hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes and sprays of all kind in every purse and pocket (and, of course, store a whole cupboard-full of antibacterial chemicals in their households) to avoid getting infected or contaminated. Many people - in the States as well as in Germany – consume additives, artificial colors and preservatives with their "pre-fab" food in abundance, but your average American easily gets panicky when it comes to germs passed on by other creatures. They avoid buffets, don’t touch food with unwashed hands or don’t use public restrooms.


When we were on the train from Tucson to Chicago a dapper, healthy-looking, well-dressed afro-american lady (about 40 years old) entered the train at some early point of the trip. First thing she did before sitting down in her own sleeper compartment was to wipe the two available seats with special wipes. Then, she removed all cushions and blankets being provided (they were clean) and unpacked her own ones. She wore her own dressing gown and didn’t leave the (always completely darkened) compartment with the exception of one visit to the bathroom in the morning, half an hour before arrival. I am sure, she didn’t use the shower (one for each car) but some other wipes and sprays to make herself presentable.

She didn’t have any meals in the AMTRAK restaurant but let the car attendant bring her the menu and, later, the chosen dishes. Apparently she didn’t want to get in contact with any other passengers, coughing or sneezing (or talking to her?). She wouldn’t have gotten her own table in the restaurant car because they usually seat four people at each table. She didn’t touch a doorknob or switch in the car with her bare hands. Wow, she’ll possibly live long that way, but it seems to be a pretty lonesome and sterile life.

When we are having breakfast or dinner in the garden in summer, on our patio, which is completely covered by roses,it can well happen that a leaf or even a fly, lice or bee falls down onto the table … Also, our salads can be considered "organic" but, even washed twice, there can be a crumb of soil (hopefully nothing else) in the salad bowl.
Our two restrooms in the garden area are set up for a total of 26 gardens - and believe it or not, they are clean, though others may detect germs hidden everywhere. I think, something like a "natural power of resistance" can be developed, without using chemicals and thus provocing allergies. It’s even proven scientifically that kids growing up on farms, drinking raw fresh milk and playing in the dirt, dealing with cow manure and dogs and cats around, are much healthier, have much less allergies and are sick less frequently than kids living in super-clean, sterile conditions.

"Wonders of America" - Better nail care and worse yoghurt

Nail studios - in America you will find them in every nook and corner, in every strip mall, even in small towns or tiny villages. I do not have many female friends in the U.S. not getting nails regularly done in some studio. Not sure about men … Plus, acrylics are top-notch – these thick artificial plates on your nails – perhaps because they are easy-maintenance?

Until a couple of years ago you wouldn’t find many nail studios in German cities - the only service available was "medial pedicure" for elderly ladies executed with electric planes and rough files and other brutal tools. Nobody would have spent a thought to have his (or mostly) her nails done by somebody else. My mom did her own nails until she was about 83 and couldn’t almost see them anymore or bend down to her toes.

Now, in our neighborhood, which is still predominantly blue-collar (textile industry was big here formerly), at least five nail studios are to be found in a 3 km-perimeter – second most to hairdressers. You would think people in a down-to-earth neighborhood like ours can’t afford or wouldn't think of having nails done, but apparently not so. Seems like I am one of the few still using my own scissors and nail file every weekend.

Perhaps people don’t even know anymore how to do it ? Which reminds me of an article I read recently about kids today not being able to tie their shoe laces anymore. Shoe industry changed their production line in the meantime and offer more shoes with hook & loop fasteners. Manual dexterity to tie shoes is going lost, same with using zippers or buttons. Seems like kids' fingers are getting converted to use touchscreens, keys and mouses, but not to do „real“, haptic things anymore.

When shopping baby stuff with a friend of ours in one of these overwhelming huge baby superstores - the first time I’ve been inside such a store! – I was wondering about baby strollers. In America, where kids are mostly transported by car, strollers can’t be highly popular. While in Germany moms are pushing their strollers through pedestrian malls and around neighborhoods (and using them as weapons on densely populated streets or in shops), in America kids are sitting in fancy child car seats, and carried from the car to child care or to activities and home. In Germany cafés are a popular gathering place of the so-called "latte macchiato moms". Berlin and Munich are especially reputed for that. Sure sign of such an establishment is a collection of strollers blocking the entrance, mostly high-tech buggies, one of them probably more expensive than a bike.

Greek yoghurt has become popular in the last couple of years. Formerly it was tough to find "Total Yoghurt" produced by the Fage Company, a dairy out of Athens, other than in special deli stores or markets. But now, Greek nonfat yoghurt? I saw it first in the U.S. and, unfortunately it’s also available in Germany now. To get things straight, having traveled in Greece for many times: 1. Originally greek yoghurt is made from sheep’s milk (in the rather sparse and dry greek landscape it’s hard for cows to make a living) and 2. it’s fat, 10 %, smooth and thick and creamy like heavy cream and that’s the reason it is so good.

Also, in Greece yoghurt is yoghurt and doesn't contain anything else but milk, no additional fruit or other additions. In former times (and perhaps still on markets in rural areas in Greece) it has been sold out of the big bucket weight-wise. As a dessert or for breakfast it’s been served with an extra spoonfull of greek honey on top, perhaps a couple of nuts or pinenuts, but that is it. A 0 % greek yoghurt must contain a lot of conservatives and other artificial additives to still have the general consistence of greek yoghurt, though not the taste. I persistently refuse to eat any 0 % yoghurt, either the real stuff or none at all. Can save calories at other places, for instance by not eating anything fried or sweets. Wondering whether eating 0%-yoghurt is good for your nails?

"Wonders of America": Special Days for all Occasions

Earth Day, Secretary’s Day, Administrative Professionals’ Day, Valentine’s Day, Eat your Vegetables Day, Book Lover’s Day … and, of course, Mother’s Day… Days designated for a specific group or occasion are very common in the U.S.A.

Last sunday was Mother's Day and a good friend of us asked whether we worship our mothers in Germany as well. I told him: Yes, in general, we do, but, no, personally we don’t like it. I never understood the sense of a special day for something. Why Mother’s Day, please? Just one single day for a 24/7-mom? Once a year breakfast being served in bed by the kids, a flower bouquet or a box of chocolates as a present? Is that enough appreciation for all the daily work, aggravation and worries?

In our family Mother’s Day has never been a big deal. On the other hand, even as a middle school student of about 14 years, having to manage with little pocket money, I bought my mom flowers from time to time. There was a florist on my way from school and I always bought parrot tulips (don't know who liked them more, my mom or me...). Later at high school in the big city, I sometimes bought "chocolate bananas" at a chocolate shop I passed every school day. My mom loved them. I did it without good reason, not because I had bad grades or wanted to bribe her and not because I was such a good kid. And, mind you, my mom was no angel, rather on the contrary, but somehow I had the „congenial desire“ to show my appreciation from time to time.

Though our friends with kids may object and tell me that I am not a mother and can’t judge. I object, in my opinion Mother’s Day is redundant and unnecessary. Just florists and chocolate producers are the winners, not mothers in the long run. I am appealing to moms all around the world: Get up and boycott Mother's Day!

If you didn’t know: Mother's Day is an American invention - who would have guessed? It was first celebrated in 1908. A lady by the name of Anna Jarvis (1864 -1948) held a memorial in honor for her mom, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in a Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Officially it was recognized Mother's Day in 1910 and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the official proclamation. Since then it’s always on the second Sunday in May, a national holiday. Already Miss Jarvis struggled against commercialization and nowadays it’s mostly the confection, floral and greeting card industries making big profits on this day. By the way, Mother’s Day cards aren’t very common in Germany compared to the U.S.A., but in contrast it has become popular to put an ad in the local newspaper to let your mom know how much you like her. Perhaps she’d rather have loved to get the money which the ad cost for a spa treatment …?

Same is true for Father’s Day on „Himmelfahrt“ (Ascension Day), end of May. This is always a good excuse for fathers to meet, get away from the family, make an excursion - preferably by bike - and get drunk, at least in Germany. Another (German) phenomenon is called "Allerheiligen" (All Saints Day, November 1st) – big deal! Then, people who don’t even know the spelling of „cemetery“, visit the gravesites of deceased family members or friends and play „sad“ and concerned. They will never see a cemetery again from the inside until same date next year. The people who care all year round, do the planting and cleaning and pruning, don’t need to circle the cemetery for 30 minutes on that special day to find parking …

Subject of this post was „superficiality“ or „illusion and reality“. Seems like there is not a really big difference between Germany and America.

"Wonders of America": Cocktails and Coffee "on the run"

Studying American cocktail menus or looking at the display of one of these currently highly popular cupcake stores makes me dizzy and longing. So many varieties, such great choices! I have to admit that I don’t know much about cocktails – Gin Tonic, Margarita, Manhattan and Martini and Punch on New Year’s Eve – that’s about it. I have also to admit that I am always overwhelmed how bartenders or "mixologists" succeed in mixing five or more different ingredients in one delicious drink and how they keep track of what is compatible.

Cupcakes are usually being eaten on the streets, from food trucks, or bought in mostly tiny little shops. Coffee is mostly being drunk on the run in America – therefore it’s "coffee to go" or "Kaffee Togo" how a German friend of us calls it. Pastries come with the coffee and are mostly pretty uniform and eaten in a hurry as well.

In contrast, it (still) is a good old German (and even more Austrian) tradition to have coffee & cake in the afternoon. Not on the run, but comfortably seated, either in an old-fashioned "Kaffeehaus" or "Café" or at home with home-made cake and freshly brewed coffee. As a child, I remember that there was no Sunday and no birthday party without coffee and cake in the afternoon. Around 3:30 or 4 pm the table was set with the best fine china and silverware and a cake or tart (baked from scratch usually on Saturday afternoon) and (often) heavy cream stood on the table. If it was a larger group coming together more cake was brought by other guests. If my parents were in a generous mood or didn’t want to stay home
we took a long walk first after Sunday lunch and ended up in a restaurant or café for coffee and cake (or ice-cream for us kids).

A couple of days ago, when we had a fresh rhubarb cake with real heavy cream (not artificial spray cream) and coffee at a friend’s place I was thinking that this is actually a good old tradition and that it will probably die out with our generation. Until a couple of years ago there were quite a few traditional cafés or "Kaffeehäuser" in the city center, now it’s just a handful left. One of the traditional, large ones is still holding the fort on City Hall Square. Since it’s pretty expensive, we sometimes wander along the display and admire all the choices of cakes, pastries, tarts and chocolates and buy one piece to take home. There are no free refills of coffee in the café and it gets expensive to have coffee & cake being served sitting down.

There is another small café in old town with just about five tables in an old-fashioned living room atmosphere and they are famous for their Bienenstich (bee sting cake). Love it. Most cafés modernized in the last couple of years and are also offering lunch. A traditional "Café" didn’t serve full meals and didn't sell baking goods like rolls, pretzels or bread (that’s done by bakeries) but they just produce confectionery and patisserie. Nowadays modern cafés with coffee-to-go and standardized pastries and snacks à l’Americaine are starting to take over in Germany as well. They call themselves "Powwow" or "Henry’s Coffee" and appeal to a younger crowd.

In Austria coffee&cake culture is even more elaborate. And, these guys still keep to their own coffee varieties like a "Brauner", "Einspaenner", "Kleiner Schwarzer" or "Verlängerter" instead of taking over all these confusing, fancy American descriptions like "Latte" or "Skinny Mocha" or "Frappuccino". All come in different sizes (tall as the smallest, followed by grande and venti), with different kinds of milk, flavours, roasts etc., and they are usually so hot that it takes a ten-mile-drive or a three-mile-walk at least until you are able to drink your brew without burning your mouth.

A new trend in America is coffee roasters – like breweries you’ll find them in the neck of the woods now - besides of the qualities of the beans used, they serve really good, hand-crated coffee, drip, french press or machine - you’ve got your choices. This trend of high-quality coffee is bouncing back to Germany – even in Augsburg a few small cafés popped up doing their own roasting and careful preparation. Of course, no free refills, as it is a good custom in the U.S.A. Our American friends never understand, when visiting, why they have to pay for each (small) cup separately.

In Germany fancy percolators have become cool. They weigh a ton, are huge, but grind fresh beans and make fresh coffee at the same time. And, they cost more than a good bike. Also, they are restricted to one cup at a time, which is a big disadvantage in my opinion: Though it may keep people moving and burning calories, somebody always has to jump up from the table to get another cup. There is nothing like a big pot of coffee on the table, preferably a porcelain pot where an old Melitta filter on top did a great job before in producing real drip coffee.

The other days we were in some special place, "Samoca", a coffee roaster with a café operated by handicapped people (under supervision). They have a great variety of coffees to buy as beans or ground and they offer coffee breakfast - a cup of coffee and a croissant - for three Euro. Actually, it would be fair if they would charge more for the "wellness experience" involved. You get slowed down. Nothing goes fast in there, patience is asked for. Not only with the handicapped employees, but in general. Cafés can have a very positive effect as well.

"Wonders of America": Towels and Work Mentality

Let’s start with something trivial: Why are regular American towels smaller than German ones and cannot be wrapped around the head when having washed your hair? Is it because Amerians don’t wrap towels around their heads? Or don’t they care because most go regularly to the hairdresser anyway (like they always have manicures and pedicures instead of doing their own nails)? And, why are wash clothes like tiny little towels and not like the gloves we Germans use? By the way: We use American wash clothes for cleaning shoes or suitcases …

More serious topic: work mentality and exploitation. A guy by name Robert Propst, a designer for the Herman Miller furniture company out of Michigan invented the cubicle in the 1960s, a partly enclosed tiny workspace. What a revolution! Penning up much more employees in one large room was possible now. I am not sure who and when "teamwork" was invented, but I’d like to say that it’s an American invention as well as job sharing or part-time work.

America was and is very progressive when it comes to work efficiency. Not always for the benefit of employees. Still today exploitation in jobs is obvious, at least in the eyes of a German. Let’s state facts first: in Germany minimum vacation is 24 days (once you are at least six months on the job) and it increases with age and duration of the job, up to 30 days – which amounts to six full weeks of vacation! In addition, there are around 15 additional legal, paid holidays. No wonder, "Brueckentage" ("bridge days") is a German word invention for cleverly managing to get a lot of vacation time by using holidays and paid vacation days in combination. In Sweden and the Netherlands they get even more vacation days, by the way.

In the U.S. usually, at least for the first decade or so in the job, it’s an average of two weeks of paid vacation time. It may add up to a maximum of three or four weeks someone is at the same company for a long time and climbed up the career ladder. Hierarchy and titles are important, though everybody is on a pseudo-collegial basis.

As a German, figure out the following situation: It’s mid-August, kids on school vacation and you would like to take off for two weeks as well… Forget about it, you will most probably draw a blank in the U.S. Two weeks at once? No way. In summer? How long are you with the company already? Well, are you still wondering why Americans usually go on a 10-day-whirlwind-trip all over Europe?

Overtime in general isn’t paid for, if you are lucky you can be reimbursed with "free time". But no tourism rep would mind spending a Saturday or Sunday with a journalist, if necessary, or to have dinner late at night, though they won’t even get reimbursed for the time spent sometimes, just get a free meal as a pay. In Germany? Preferably no meetings after 5 pm and not on weekends. If inevitable, only grudgingly, not with a smiling face. Weekends are a sacred cow, 9-to-5 worktime a verse in the bible and more than 10 minutes of overtime will be documented.

"Personal days" (or "PTO" - personal time off) in America are days you either get paid for or not (depending on the employer), unlike sick days, and like vacation, they usually must be planned in advance. It could be it for appointments or to deal with a personal matter. Paid personal days - usually two a year – are like sick leave an employment benefit and optional. Americans have a certain number of sick days being paid, depending on state, city, company, boss … Meaning, you can’t just call in sick whenever you feel like it (like in Germany) and stay home, fully paid. The U.S. does currently not require that employees have access to paid sick days. Maybe that’s the reason, productivity in America has been rising constantly for the last decades …

The United States is the only advanced economy that does not require employers to provide paid vacation time. Many employees do not receive any paid vacation or paid holidays at all, especially low-wage, part-time and small businesses are concerned. Also, paid legal holidays also are not naturally granted. Are you still wondering why "burnout" also is an American invention?

I am wondering why birth rates are still higher in the U.S. than in Germany. Life is not at all easy for pregnant and new mothers in America. Paid "maternity leave" is unusual in the United States. Though most companies allow their employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave time after child birth, the average is 2-3 weeks of unpaid leave, Many women technically aren't even eligible for unpaid time off. They can apply for short-term disability (wow, didn’t think becoming a mother is a "disability" - what about political correctness here?) to cover a portion of the salary— but nevertheless… In Germany women get their full salary from six weeks before giving birth to eight weeks after. Then they receive "Elterngeld", 300-1800 Euro depending on income, for a maximum of three years. After this time, a comeback in the same company is guaranteed (not necessarily exactly the same job, but equivalent).

America is the cradle of democracy, the birthplace of social changes and political correctness, but why, please, are work conditions still handled this haphazardly and differently? For Germany: Why, please, is everybody complaining about having to work so hard considering vacation time and other benefits?

"Wonders of America" – About Patience and Hectic

"Wonders of America" or short "WoA"“ is a new column, which is not really about "wonders", but about particularities in America, especially in comparison to Germany. We will take the liberty of discussing different topics of American everyday life, mentality, lifestyle, society etc. which we found interesting during our travels. Don’t want to judge, condemn or puff something up, just want to state observations and experiences and encourage contradiction or confirmation or discussion. Would love to hear about your own experiences and get your opinion.

Originally, I planned to write about washing machines . You may wonder: Why washing machines? Reason is that I was wondering at our friends’ places while washing our laundry about a couple of things: 1. Why are top loading washers in America much more common and 2. Why are they much faster than our washers? Just needed about 45 minutes for one (big) load in warm (30 deg. C) washing cycle (at home about 75 min. average). Most Germans use front-loaders, though we have a top-loader at home because it’s smaller. Ours is constructed differently from American machines: with a horizontal axis rotating drum whereas americans do have a vertical-axis and a water-pumping agitator in the center of the bottom of the basket. Is that the reason for washing quicker?

As much as I would love to know more about the secrets of American washing machines, I am even more interested in the reasons for a more "social" phenomenon: patience and hectic. Imagine standing in line at the cashier of a german supermarket. Boy, you have to be fast to remove your grocery items after they are scanned, otherwise you will be buried underneath, no mercy. Speed is most important at the belt and the cashier (possibly being paid by revenue) is getting impatient if you aren’t fast enough to remove your items from the small piece of storage area you are having. So better don’t dare to go alone, you’ll need four hands at least. Throw everything back in your cart quickly, just take care of eggs and soft fruit, if you can. Don’t dare to look for change when paying your tab for too long, throw them a bill or a card and go, go, go. Otherwise, you won’t make people happy.

In America … completely different piece of cake. The cashier (or a helper) packs all your groceries conveniently and systematially in bags. By the way, "paper or plastic?" the former question, is not common anymore, difference nowadays is mostly between regular and organic supermarkets. You are welcome to take your time to stand in line, to pay and/or to discuss a produce’s quality or price, the weather or sports results. If you are immobile in some way or old or helpless, there are additional people on call in supermarkets who will roll out the cart to your car and help you put it in the trunk.

Change of scenery: In an American restaurant. You have a reservation in some good, but not top-notch restaurant. You will be lead to your table by the manager, menus being handed over. You are not quite seated (and looking around in vain for some place to store your jacket or coat, at least Germans usually have this problem) and the waiter shows up and asks what you want to drink. You haven’t even had time yet to look at the menu, not to talk about the wine list with its 50+ choices and about 30 "hand crafted" cocktails (wondering how else cocktails can be made …). About three minutes go by, same question again about drinks, plus: a much too fast recited list of daily specials. If you are lucky, they give you another five minutes to decide about your meal. Asking you about the way of preparation, the kind of dressing, the sides or sauces takes takes comparatively long then. Americans are pretty picky and ask about each and every detail before they order. They tend to rearrange and substitute and change. Drinks will be served, appetizers as well. Plates will be removed as soon as a guest "appears" to have finished with it, no matter whether just taking a break or wanting to share with companions, and no matter whether the other guests at the table are still eating from their plates. In Germany it’s a rule to remove all empty plates at the same time, which, I think, is a good rule for a change.

No break for guests: entrées will be served immediately afterwards, followed by dessert. Three courses in 30 to 45 minutes – not a problem at all! If your glass is half empty - not taking tap water into consideration, which is fortunately refilled all the time and complimentary (listen, german restaurant owners!) – you’ll be immediately asked whether you want a second drink. Last forkful of food being eaten, plate will be removed, the classical (faux) leather case with the check will be discretely set in front of you. Tipps are another thing to talk about, but that’s a topic of its own. Now, for "well-traveled, seasoned" Americans this can be the right moment for revenge, meaning they ignore the leather case and don’t pay immediately. Waiter will check a couple of times, mostly from the distance, but can’t do much. The majority will pay and leave the table to make room for the next guests. Wondering how many guests an evening some restaurants can process. Sitting and chatting is not welcome, motto is: eat and go.

A restaurant in Germany. You choose your table yourself. Service is much too slow and often grumpy. It takes forever until you get a menu, can order, until you get served and get your check. Problem is, that there is much less service personal. Problem is, also, that the employees are not predominantly paid by tips as in America, but get fixed monthly wages (whether that's good or bad is another question). Sometimes even not all people at a table get their meals at the same time, later they possibly sit in front of an emptied plate forever – like on the plane – and have to holler to get the check or an additional drink. On the other hand, you can sit and chat and take your time. Objections?

Another example: Americans show immense patience when standing in line, e.g. waiting for a restaurant table. Thirty minutes to an hour without reservation (or even with one) is not an exception. No German (right?) would wait longer than ten minutes for a table, if even that. There are always other options.

Patience is also asked for in America when getting off a plane or train or bus. Since everybody is waiting for the one sitting in front of him/her (which is a good idea in general, because it is „practiced politeness“ and avoids being pushed around or overrun) it can be annoying, when the person in front of you needs to check the phone first, to send a facebook message or to repack the bag before thinking about getting up. Not noticing that people behind are piling up and that she/he causes a traffic jam.

Patience at auto rental offices, big deal. Employees usually do have all the time in the world, patiently explaining to customers for the umpteenth time the difference between a compact and a midsize car or what insurance to take, while another ten people, tired from a long flight and heaving around heavy luggage, wait more or less patiently to eventually sign the contract and get the booked car to drive to the hotel to get some sleep.

Not an example for patience, but in contrary, an example for harassment are american hotels. Especially in upper-category city hotels employees tend to remove your car as soon as you slam on the breaks in front of the entrance. They rupture the driver’s car door open ("Are you checking in?") and it’s almost impossible to get yourself oriented first and to collect more than your purse. They throw your luggage on a cart faster than you are able to find your reservation number and hand you a slip for the car - that’s it. You can’t even think about what you need in the room and what could be left in the car. Besides the tip you are supposed to give each time you request your car ("Please, call at least 15 min. in advance!") they charge up to $ 60 a night nowadays for parking in downtown hotels. Almost as much as a Motel 6 would cost in a rural area!

"Thank you for your patience" - is a common phrase, e.g. when trying to redeem a shopping voucher for a gift card or waiting in line forever. It may sound polite, but acutally sometimes it's hard to muster patience. Sometimes it’s just an excuse for people’s incompetence or ignorance or stupidity. But, it sounds much better than to admit not to be able or not to know how to do something. Patience is a big deal in America, but 1. it can get annoying and 2. it’s not applicable to all issues. But, there are always two sides of the same coin. In America and in Germany.