not so many potholes as in your own country...

"VainGlorious" a écrit dans le message de
...
On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:20:24 -0400, Fishkill Bill
wrote:

Well Cathy and I have returned from two and a half weeks in Germany.
The first ten days were on a Cosmos bus tour and the last seven were
in a rented car.

Here are the places we visited:

Heidelberg-Bacharacher-Cologne-Bremen-Hamburg-Wittenburg-Berlin-Potsdam-Dresden
-Nuremberg-Rothenburg-Nordlington-Neuschwanstein-Munich-Oberommergau
-Peiting-Donauworth-Nordlington-Dinkelsbuhl-Anbach-Nurmberg-Bamberg-
Schonbrunn-Burgebrach-Werzburg-Schwinberg-Tausberbeschofsheim-
Rottingen-Creglingen-Heilbrann-Dieburg-Dormstadt-Buttelborn-Grob-Gerau-Frankfurt.

In other words, rather than slow down and relax a bit and get to know
each place even slightly, you rushed right through and walked away
unimpressed. Wow.

We would have to say the cities are quite unimpressive. A lot of 50's
style plain looking buildings.

Maybe that's because the Americans and British bombed most of Germany
into dust about 60 years ago. Had that thought ever occurred to you?

At least Germany has an excuse. Why is it that American cities are so
painfully bland? My guess: because they are populated with people like
you.


The little towns are the cleanest we
have ever seen. Most look the same though. Down near the Alps is
probably the best area.

So, when glancing off the highway, you liked the Alpine areas better.
Well. They must be better, then.

Driving is a dream in Germany. Not a pothole in the entire country.
Not the most friendly people though, (not like Ireland).

Germany and Austria invest in infrastructure. Thus, they have nice
highways. But if you leave the numbered thoroughfares and venture into
villages, you will find potholes. Lovely German potholes.

And in those villages, you will find people who speak German. They
don't understand English. So when some doofus American retiree comes
waddling up to order lunch and cannot read the menu or engage in
simple pleasantries in German, the locals aren't impressed.

With that, I dispose of you. I strongly suggest you remain home with
your idiot wife and stop imposing yourselves on Europe.

And now, a general comment from an American who travels in Europe and
has a brain (ie, me):

Compared to golly-gee midwestern Americans, Europeans may seem
somewhat aloof. Since I grew up in urban New Jersey, I have an
understanding of this cultural affectation. Like New Yorkers,
Europeans do not suffer fools gladly. That's the crux of it. And
eastern Europeans are even tougher nuts to crack. They have steep
requirements before trusting acquaintances. But once you are "in", you
are IN.

I don't see this as a bad thing. Now that I'm living in the
plastered-smile insincerity of the American west coast, I yearn for
the days of honking car horns and soup nazis. At least you knew where
you stood with New Yorkers. And Europeans are often the same. That's
partly why I enjoy Europe so much. And eastern Europe in particular.

Here's my favorite anecdote to illustrate the joys of not suffering
fools gladly:

Twenty years ago, there was a small hamburger stand in central New
Jersey called "The White Rose". It was housed in a renovated Airstream
(an aluminum caravan of sorts). At the White Rose, you entered in one
door, ordered your food, moved along the line, paid at the end then
got out. They had three choices: hamburger, cheeseburger and
California cheeseburger. French fries came along. At White Rose, there
were rules, much like the soup nazi rules. As soon as your turn came
up to order, you ordered quickly and clearly. If you failed to do so,
the burger nazi would yell "NEXT!" and you would be elbowed out of the
line by the next person, who quickly shouted their order.

There was a lot of yelling at the White Rose. But I loved it. I
particularly loved seeing idiots who had been standing in line five
minutes (staring at the simple menu) then stammering to place their
order, be immediately punished and tossed out on their ear. It was a
place that did not suffer fools gladly.

And oh, how the dispossessed would cry and wail! "Not fair! Wait! I
want...I want..." as the local businessmen and blue collars literally
shuffled them out the door to the back of the line.

I'm sure the Cathy's and Bill's of this world would view such behavior
as rude and un-friendly. But not me. I see it as warm, inclusive and
invigorating. If only MORE idiots were instantly isolated and
disregarded, the world would be a better place.

So, meine Europäisch freunde, nicht nachlassen!

- TR