Vancouver Olympics, the view from Germany

I''ve been watching the Olympics on German TV the last two weeks (What can I say, I'm a sport junkie).  I've notice a certain German perspective to the games from what I'm use to.

Having the games in western North  America is not ideal for European viewers and that may be one reason for what I've noticed. We are 9 hours ahead of Vancouver. That means 8 pm prime time in German is 11 am in Vancouver. So what we see have been predominately outdoor events that happen in the early afternoon.

But still, for awhile there it seem that every day I turned on the Olympics during prime time I saw ski jumping in some form or the other. It is hard to believe that this was just a scheduling fluke. There must be some deep German fascination with the sport. Certainly it is one that they have done well with in the past. But I don't think their results from this Olympics was up to their standards.

All these events look pretty much the same to me. Some relatively small, skinny guy wearing an over-sized, one piece suit slides on a board out the the center of the jump. He then places his over-sized skis into the pre-made tracks and places is goggles over his eyes. Then he pushes off the board, tucks, slides down the jump, springs at the end of the jump, takes an aerodynamic position that combined with the over-sized skis and suit creates some lift and flies down the hill. Scoring is some combination of how long the jump was, the position in the air and how well the jump was landed (although the person with the longest jump usually wins).

Somehow, they get 6 events out of this, but it looked to me like there were only 2 groups of athletes, one group that was pure ski jumpers, and another that competed in the combined (ski-jumping was used to determine the order of the start in a cross country race). Seemed to me that two events would do.

When not watching ski jumping, we would be getting cross country skiing/biathlon. Curling was the number three sport, but I do consider this a scheduling thing. I think Curling is one of those sports that is going on every day, all day at the Olympics. So if there is any air time that needs to be filled, Curling is available.

Alpine skiing was also prominent. But the way that they place the skiers in the event, TV can cover the whole event in a relatively short amount of time.

Bobsled and Luge also was closely covered. Understandable because Germany has always done well.

Speed skating (long track) events where Germany was expected to do well were covered in prime time. Those were Germans were not expected to do well, like the men's 1000 and 1500 meter where USA's Shani Davis won gold and silver, only had their results announced. 

What was not covered in prime time, or only shown briefly?

• Profiles of the athletes. The broadcasts were much more about the sport, that the personal lives of the athletes. They did bring some of the German athletes in to the studio for interviews after their events, win or lose. These did tend to be more than the two or three question interviews that we are use to. All the athletes seemed well-spoken and in-tune with the "Olympic-spirit".
• Figure skating coverage was limited to the pairs, where the Germans won silver.
• Ice Hockey games have been shown at 6 am. The German TV has been anticipating the Canada-USA match-up today. It will take place at 9:15 pm. I'll be watching.
• Short track speed skating was relegated to 2 or 3 am. The first I saw in prime time was last night, they showed the finish of a couple of races, an exchange in a men's team event, and the DQ of Ohon (I think from the 500m). In total, less than 90 seconds.
• Snowboarding and free-style skiing events were also relegated to early mornings. Skeleton events, likewise.
• Cut-aways prior to commercials or to fill between events were much more about the nature of beauty of western Canada, that about what was happening in the city of Vancouver.

What is it? Solution

Martin was on the right track. It is to poke a hole in the shell of a raw egg. But not to extract the contents of the egg. Rather so that when you boil the egg, the air trapped in the egg can expand and not break the egg shell.

What is it?

I discovered this in Magda's vacation apartment in Badenweiler and had no idea what it was. Do you?

Notice that when the cover is pushed down a sharp point appears.

Hint: Magda says that one of these used to be in every German kitchen.

I'll post the answer in a couple of days.

Beers I've Tried: Dom and Früh Kölsch

German beer is not all about pils. There a several regional styles that have developed. Fortunately for me, a couple of these regions are not far away and are quite available here. 

Kölsch is sort of a crossover beer in that the yeast is a ale (or top fermenting yeast) but uses the lighter roasted malts developed for pilsners and is largered.

Kölsch is the beer of Cologne (or Köln as it is called in German). The name Kölsch is protected (like "Champagne") so that only beers brewed in Cologne can use the name. In the past, Samuel Adams' Summer Ale was advertised as a "kölsch-style beer" and is the only American version of this style.

I brought two home recently, Früh Kölsch and Dom Kölsch.

 

Früh Kölsch was my favorite of the two. It combines malt and hops in a way that most beers can only hope to achieve. The head is made up of small, tightly packed bubbles that look like whipped cream. In addition, as the beer sat in the glass there were "string of pearls" bubbles coming from the bottom, reminding me of a good Champagne.

Dom Kölsch is not as malty or hoppy as Früh. It is much closer to the way that I remember Samuel Adams version. A really enjoyable beer with a good malt and good hops. Like the Früh, the head on the Dom has the whipped cream look that I like to see. All and all, an enjoyable, easy drinking beer that I would happily drink again.

Store Hours in Germany

One of the interesting things about living in Germany is getting use to the times that stores are open. We don't have store that open 24 hours a day. They don't even stay open until 11pm. Store hours are regulated by law in Germany. Generally the larger stores are open from 9 or 10 am to 8 pm, Monday through Saturday. Stores are closed on Sunday.

Imagine if you will; Macys, Krogers, Target, Meyers, Andersons, Half-Price-Books, every store in every mall, all closed after 8pm and all day on Sunday.

The neighborhood stores keep even more restrictive hours than this. Most will open 8 or 8:30am to 12:30pm, then close for 2 hours before opening from 2:30pm to 6 or 6:30. This is done so that a single person can handle the store through the day while still maintaining some store hours before people head to work and after the come home.

Bakeries tend to be open earlier (as early as 7am) so that people can go out and get fresh bread for their breakfast. Neighborhood bakeries are likely closed before people leave to go home from work. Bakeries attached to grocery stores will stay open later

So what do you do if you need something a 9pm or on Sunday? Gasoline stations operate convenience stores that allow people to get some necessities outside of normal store hours. Train stations in larger cities also have stores that have longer hours. For towns near a border, some people cross over to stores in a neighboring country that doesn't have such restrictions.

While for an American, these hours might seem restrictive, for Germans they are historically quite long. When I lived here in 1991, stores were only allowed to be open 9-6 Monday through Friday. On Saturday, stores were open 9-2. Thursdays were called "Long Thursday" because stores were permitted to stay open until 8pm this one day per week. And one Saturday per month was designated "Long Saturday" because stores stayed open until 6pm.

Actually, I have come to find these hours quite satisfactory. For me, it is a part of the country's rhythm of living here and it feels right. Yes, it does require a little thinking ahead, but that really is not a bad thing. And it does take a bite out of impulse buying that is a part of "shopping as recreation". This I actually consider a major advantage.

Why would a capitalist country like Germany place such restrictions on stores? There was a recent court case in Berlin that provided some insights. Stores in Berlin the last couple of years have agreed to stay open the four Sundays before Christmas. This case found this practice to be illegal and will not be permitted in the future. In the aftermath of this decision, I was listening to politicians and representatives of the church praise the court's decision on the grounds that the current laws are there to allow people to have time with their family, supporting the importance of the families as a strength of the country.

Can you imagine a politician or church representative making such an argument in the USA? Even (especially) ones that go on and on about "family values"?

Fastnacht

The celebrations that occur in the days prior to Ash Wednesday go by various names but have slightly different customs that we know as Mardi Gras have their counterparts in the Catholic areas of Germany. The name and customs associated with these celebrations change from region to region. For example, in Bavaria it is called Fasching.

In the middle Rhine that include Koblenz and the major celebrations in Cologne and Mainz, Karnival is the name used. The celebrations are filled with political satire. The predominate costume is that of a 18th century soldier, an attempt to make fun of the French soldiers that occupied this areas at that time.

In Schwarzwald, the celebrations are much more influenced by ancient pagan efforts to scare away the evil spirits of winter. The costumes are much more attempts to change the shape of the person wearing it. They include the use of carved wooden masks and clothing to change the person in to an animal or a witch or some other beast that the spirits would think twice about dealing with. The slideshow above is actually a link to my web album containing the pictures of the parade in Neuenburg, a small town in on the edge of the Schwarzwald, that we watched Sunday.

Interesting Quotes: Earth

Now here is a nice little saying that I read here in German that will halp make us all environmentalists.

"Help save the Earth, it's the only planet with beer."

Beers I've Tried: Königsbacher Pils

This was a surprising disappointment for me. You see, I've often had Königsbacher Pils from the tap at pubs and restaurants here in Koblenz and have enjoyed it. Königsbacher is Koblenz's local brewery and it's Pils is served at most of the pubs and restaurants here. The gocery store I bought this bottle from is less than 1/2 mile from the brewery.

Yet this one left me wanting. It looked and tasted light. The head had relatively large bubbles and was not long lasting. The hops (100% Saaz, so they claim) just did not snap out at me like I remember.

Can this be a difference between cask and bottle? Or was this just a bottle from a bad batch? I did read that Königsbacher has just been bought by Bitburger (Karlsberg had perviously owned it). Is this a new recipe? Or a quality control problem associated with the change in ownership?

Only way to tell is to try a few more glasses and maybe tour the brewery. But these are the things I'm willing to do in the name of research.

German Integration Course

To extend my residency visa beyond the end of this year, there were a couple of requirements. One was to improve my German. This is a fairly new thing in Germany, From what I've read, Germany started offering German Integration Courses in 2005 for people seeking a residence visa. These courses consist of 645 hours of classes (945 for people who are illiterate). 600 hours are German language classes designed to bring the person to the B1 level. The meaning of B1 is as follows:

"Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans."

These 600 hour are divided in to 6 modules of 100 hours. According to a test that I took, I needed to start at module 3.

The last 45 hours creates final module about German culture.

The cost of these classes are minimal for the student, as the program is state supported, 1 euro per class hour. At the end of the course, the student takes a test to see if he/she has attained proficiency. If the student is able to pass this test within 2 years, the state actually refund 50% of the tuition.

So I now find myself spending some of my Saturday mornings (as in "every day is a Saturday" when you retire) in a German Integration course improving my German. The course meets every weekday morning for 4 hours.  There are about 16 people in the class. Over a third come from Iraq. Others come from Hungary, Spain, India, Georgia, Uruguay, Brazil, Kosovo  and the Philippines. I'm the only American.

So far, the class has been enjoyable. Although I, personally, would like to see the class move a little faster. I have noticed a improvement in what I understand and can express in German after only 7 classes. I'm pretty happy with the idea of spending a good part of this year studying German.

What happens after this year? I understand the the city will support additional classes to help people reach the C1 level (i.e. relatively fluent). That's the point I should be able to achieve a dream I've had since 1991 when I first went to Germany. That is to read Hesse's Siddhartha in its original language.