Translation

Time over here is quickly running out- my year ends in less than a month.

I had another unique experience (of a year full of unique experiences) this weekend.

A few weeks ago I was approached by a faculty and asked to conduct two- four hour lectures to a group of medical workers (doctors, nurses, dentists, and administrators). He gave me the rather vague instructions of “talking about the US health care system”. Now this is one of those subjects that I need zero prep for. I have spent 20 years working in and teaching about the US Health Care system. So, I happily agreed.

However, about a week ago- I learned of a new condition on teaching this class.: 80% of the students DO NOT speak English. Oh, crap! And although I can order my morning coffee and give the taxi driver my destination in Polish- I certainly cannot lecture in that language.

So, I was told we would bring in a translator. Meaning, I would speak a paragraph or two, then the translator would translate it for the class. Then me, then her- back and forth for 4 hours. Of course this worked for student questions as well. They would ask her the question: who would translate it to English for me, I would respond to her- then she back to the class....

Plus I had slides (in English)- so she had to point each column and translate them.

By far one of the most unique teaching situations I had ever been in.

I made it through 15 slides (I had brought 60) in my four hour time period.

I want to say how impressed I was with the translator however. She is a student and native Pole, studying to be a professional English-Polish translator. However, when I spoke to her, I could have sworn she was a native Brit. She had a perfect British accent (or as my British friends tell me, “proper English”). I asked if she grew up in Britain. She said she had visited only a couple of times. So I asked about her accent. She told me that when you learn English, you have to chose to learn using the British version or American version. And they spend lots of training to get that proper accent. As she hopes to live in Britain- she chose the British accented training (and it really worked). She sounds like she stepped right out of Buckingham Palace.

The class had about 40 medical professionals in it- of which only 5 or 6 spoke strong English.

Now what was hard for me with the translator was remembering to stop occasionally.

Given this subject matter and my tendency to talk- I rarely know what is going to come out of my mouth until it does. I am planning my next sentence as I am speaking it. Which is a fancy way to say- “I B.S.”. Secondly (as I have mentioned before) my teaching style is very interactive and I pose questions to the students as I am rambling. So, talk about lost in translation. Actually because the translator was so good- it went much better than I thought. Just a very odd and slow way to do things.

As for the class- as I mentioned, all of the group were either clinical or administrative medical professionals. They work in the Polish system that was designed as a Universal health care system; but now they are adopting some amount of free market principles including private insurance companies. So, I was really curious as to what they would be interested in hearing about the US system.

Although I had not planned to speak much about this- they were fascinated about the malpractice issues. The fact that a patient could sue a doctor for any reason, with any evidence- AND the case was decided by 13 uneducated (about medicine) jurors- who have lots of discretion on what they could award- was unbelievable to them. They asked- even if a doctor follows all the guidelines, he could still get sued? And I said- Well, yes. And if it is a crying mother who lost her child, the doctor could lose everything......

Also, as I have mentioned before- explaining the US health care system to anyone outside of the US is a challenge. You really do not get how nutty our system is- until you have to explain how it works to someone from the outside. I start- Well if you are over 65, then this. If you are poor, then this. If you have a job, and your employer offers insurance, then this. If you are retired military, than this. If you are both poor AND old, then this....

Now, I AM a big believer in several of the competitive aspects of the US system. That said, it is way too confusing, expensive and fragmented. So I hope what these Polish students can get from it, is to just take the better parts of our competitive system and private insurers: but ignore the rest.

My second part of this translation blog is ME being the translator. My University is hosting a conference in a month on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Professors from all over Europe (mostly central and eastern) were invited to submit papers. However, the conference is to be held in English (almost all worldwide academic conferences are held in English). That said, likely no one who submitted a paper or attends the conference (except me) has English as their first language.

I am on the scientific committee for this conference, and have a simple job. I am to judge “adequate or inadequate” English. I am to do a simple test- I read the first page of each submitted paper. If the English seems adequate- I pass on to another judge for content. If the English seems inadequate- it is rejected before it is evaluated for anything else. Interesting job. Just hope my English is adequate.

Sweden

The Garland’s visited their 9th and final country as a family this weekend-Sweden. Scandinavia is a great place to tour- very different sites, food and cultural as compared to the other places we have been. I actually head back to Denmark one more time (without family) before I head home in June.

Saturday was suppose to be our day in Sweden. However, it was raining, cold, raining, windy and cold. No one wanted to leave the apartment, and we really did not have the proper clothes to venture into the mist. So, we set Sunday to visit the most southern city in Sweden: Malmö. Malmö is the third largest city in the country (Stockholm and Göteborg are bigger).

We left Denmark in the morning and took a train over the Øresund Bridge across the Øresund Straight, the body of water that separates Denmark and Sweden. The bridge just opened 10 years ago. The only way to get between the two countries prior to the bridge being built was via a ferry. The bridge itself is a fantastic piece of architecture. It is about a 30 minute train ride across the straight- the cars/trains go underwater twice during the journey. They even had to build a man-made island in the middle of the straight to hold-up the very, very long bridge.

Once we were in Sweden, we checked our bags and ventured into Malmö. Although it was still chilly and cloudy- it was much better than the day before.

Sweden is a nice country with beautiful people (stereotypical blondes!). I told my family, if you see anyone ugly on the street- you know they are a tourist.

We had to stop and get our souvenirs- the “I’ve been to Sweden” stuff. At that point, Lisa and the girls were cold and wanted to go shopping. I on the other hand had castles and museums to see. We decided to split into groups- the only person who chose the history route with me was Ben. I am glad he did- but I am sure I was just the lessor of two evils.

What’s interesting- is that when you take train over the bridge, and not only entering a different country- but one with a different language and a different currency. So all my DKK (Danish Krones) I had were now useless. I had to get SEK (Swedish Krona) and look at signs in another language.

With the different currency comes a different exchange rate. In Denmark- you have to divide all prices by 6 to get them into US dollars. In Sweden, you divide by 7.7. What about the Euro you might ask? Denmark and Sweden (along with the UK) are the three “old EU countries” that have opted out of the Euro.

However, thanks to all the panic and crisis in Greece- everyone is afraid of all of Europe now. So dollar exchange rates are good everywhere. In fact, this is the cheapest I have seen Europe (any currency) in years and years. Thanks Greece!

When you walk into the Malmö City Center you see the hero of the area: King Charles X Gustav. He was the Swedish King that liberated that part of Sweden from the Danes. From the age of Vikings- the different countries of Scandinavia have fought and conquered each other. Interestingly, after Charles X got Sweden back for the Swedes- he then traveled across the Baltic and beat up on the Poles for about 10 years (but who hasn’t). He made it all the way down to Krakow. Sweden controlled the area we live in during that period.

Ben and I visited the Malmö Castle, originally built by the Danes (either a Frederick or a Christian). Then claimed by Charles X and his decedents. It was a nice place, albeit typical castle. Lot of stuff on the Vikings, the Danes and the Swedes. Malmö goes back to the Viking age.

They had an interesting and unexpected exhibit- on Nelson Mandela. An entire wing of the castle was a traveling exhibit from South Africa on Mandela and Apartheid. They had “whites-only” benches, and a replica of the cell that Mandela lived in for 27 years. So, Ben got a little added history in his outing. Also, as soon as I told him this is the country where the World Cup is being played- he quickly got interested.

After a rather short day, we found the rest of the family and headed back to Gdansk. It is a very short flight, directly across the Baltic Sea. 40 minutes, but 95% of it over water.

We landed about 7pm in yet another language and with another currency. Now my newly obtained SEKs were useless.

So we had breakfast in Denmark, lunch in Sweden and dinner in Poland!

Denmark- One of my Favorite Places in the World

Of Lisa and I- I am the one who enjoys traveling the most. I come over the Europe once or twice a year- and prior to this trip I able to get her to come over once. Now with full disclosure- it takes me about 90 minutes to prepare for 2 weeks in Europe. She has to worry about the kids, the pets, the house, school and all these other nonsensical things. My solution is just give the kids a $100 bill and a handful of pizza coupons- but she has other ideas and priorities.

Anyway, one of my favorite cities in the world is Copenhagen. I just love it here. This is my 4th trip to this city. I have always wanted Lisa to see it. This is where I first fell in love with Europe and became a snotty Europhile. So, I made sure that one of our family adventures while living in Europe was to go to Denmark. I left this for our last trip- to make sure the weather was at its best (more on that later).

So, on Wednesday, we left the Gdansk airport for our final family trip outside of Poland. Again, with the cost of airfare for six people, I look at the discounters. An airline called Wizz, flies from Gdansk to Malmo Sweden for a fraction of the cost of going directly into Copenhagen. Malmo and Copenhagen are right across the water from each other, and you just have to take a 30 minute train ($5 per person). The extra time is more than worth it to save several hundred dollars.

Now one of the things I have always known about Denmark (and all of Scandinavia) is they are some of the most expensive places in the world. So, we prepared for this (or at least I found my American Express card for this).

We arrived in Copenhagen and have a nice apartment in a neighborhood right near the city center. I am very familiar with this neighborhood we are in. It is about a 10 minute walk to the main train station and main shopping area.

Our first full day here was Thursday. We walked around the city center. Now, for the past 9 months- Lisa has to continually remind me that we have children with us and they don’t share the same fascination I do with old Kings, churches, and museums. They are not willing to walk for a 1/2 an hour just to see a statue of a 16th century king (then walk right back). To me, that is living!

So they are in somewhat luck in Copenhagen. I have been here so many times, that I have already seen almost everything of interest. (Last time I was here- I took a 3 hour train, each way, to see the crypts of some old Danish Kings. Woo-Hoo!!!!! I was loving life that day).

So, this time I can walk them around the city and get a flavor of the beauty (basically sneak in the history) while taking them to kids things. So, we spent Thursday and Friday following this strategy. On Thursday, we walked the Stroget (a mile long pedestrian path shopping district). Many of the stores were closed that day due to some holiday. We then went to some very kid friendly places- Ripley’s Believe it or Not, The Hans Christensen Anderson Museum and Guinness Book of World Records. I was particularly pleased with the HC Anderson place- as he is one of Denmark’s most famous citizens. Streets are named after him and you can find big statues. Again, a sneaky way to bring in some Danish history, while they think they are just seeing the Little Mermaid.

On our way home, we just happened to walk past (and through) the Christiansborg Palace- the Old Palace of the Royal Family; and current seat of Parliment. We took a picture of the kids. They were still coming down from their Ripley’s and Guinness Book high- so they had smiles.

That night we ate a great restaurant, Ben and I had a huge plate of mussels and the little kids had nachos. Denmark is also the home of the world’s third largest brewer- Carlsberg. They tend to export only this marginal beer in a green can (it is kinda the Budweiser of Europe). But they have wonderful beers that they just make for there home Danish market. Ben does great with trying exotic food. On this trip, he did mussels and then pickled herring. Loved them both. Also, Ben is only 6 months shy of ordering his own beer in Denmark. Mom did not like that idea. I also introduced the family to a smørrebrød sandwich. They got mixed reviews.

On Friday, we had a special kid plan- that even I approved of. The second oldest amusement park in the world (built before the US Civil War) is right in the middle of city center. I had walked though it once a couple of years ago. It is called the Tivoli Gardens. Now, it is no Disney World in size- but certainly has all the things. Roller Coasters, things that spin around, plus lots of entertainment and gorgeous landscaping (it really is an amusement park sitting among a Parisian style garden). As it was old and had history to it- it met my restrictions for an outing.

But first- I bribed the kids. I said if we went to the Tivoli- we had to walk and see where the Queen lives first. They met together and considered the trade offs, then reported that we had a deal.

So we walked along the Stoget again. This time all the shops were open and literally 1000s of people were shopping. It was hard to keep up with each other. We did a little window shopping and bought some souvenirs.

Then we made it to Amalienborg Palace. Both President Obama and Bush were here (and Christiansborg) recently. Obama was just here for the Copenhagen Climate Conference a few months ago. Unlike Christenborg palace- this is a real working palace- where the current Queen (Margrethe II) and her sons Crowned Prince Fredrick and Prince Joachim (and all three of their spouses and 5 grandchildren) live.

When Margaret II passes- Fredrick becomes King. For centuries, all Kings of Denmark have either been named Frederick or Christian. They typically are named in alternating order. The current Crowned Prince will be Frederick X. He has a 5 year old son, Christian, who when eventually crowned will be Christian XI. Although Denmark is a Constitutional Monarchy (meaning the real power is with the Parliament- the Royal family is still very popular here).

We walked the palace ground (strangely unprotected)- saw the palace guard and saw a changing of guard ceremony.

I took the long way (mistakenly) to the Tivoli to make sure we ran into a couple of other famous sites, including the canals. We finally made it to the Tivoli. Of course the kids had a great time. It really is a great place with lots to see and do. The kids loved the rides. This was Trey’s first experience on some big kid rides.

We stayed about 6 hours. It is open to midnight and ends with a fireworks display. About 8pm, the sun was starting to go down, the temp had dropped into the 40s and wind gusts began. So, we made our way home.

On the way out- Trey told me “He had so much fun at Tivoli, he had already forgotten about the Queen”.

Saturday was suppose be for a trip back to Sweden- but the weather is awful and we are not dressed for it. So, we have hung at the apartment most of the day and watched Danish TV.

Hopefully we can get some Sweden time in tomorrow.

NASA, Europe 3D and the token American

Being the token American at my Polish University has its benefits. Every time something comes up where they want a “foreign or western” perspective- I get the nod. This occurred twice this week.

On Monday, the US Embassy, American Corners, organized a current NASA astronaut: Steve Robinson to come to Politechnika and speak to students. The house was packed with students and media. As I was the American on faculty at Politechnika, I was asked to do the formal introduction of Dr. Robinson to the audience. Of course, anytime I get a stage I am happy to oblige. Frankly, anytime I am asked to speak for all 300 million Americans, it is a good thing! :)

Prior to the meeting, I researched Dr. Robinson and must admit was rather impressed. He has been on 4 space shuttle flights. He flew on the one with John Glenn (one of his boyhood heros) and has spent over 20 hours on spacewalks. His most recent flight was just back in February, where they docked and spent several days on the International Space Station.

NASA and the US Embassy sponsored the astronaut’s visit to Poland to mostly speak to children and college age kids about spaceflight and encourage them to go into the field. He also spent quite a time talking about flight preparation and team work.

To me, his best comment- at least for my business students- is that “NASA plans for failure”. Basically, they spend as much time on what can go wrong and how to fix it, as they do on getting things right. This obsessive contingency planning is a great tool for businesses. Most businesses plan to succeed, and then have no idea what to do when something goes wrong. Great lesson.

Dr. Robinson showed lots of pictures and videos of his experience in space and what it is like to live up there for several days. He has logged almost 1600 hours in orbit and flow 20 million space miles (did you know that the space shuttle moves at 5 miles per second?).

When the event came up, I arranged for my children to join in the audience. I thought they would enjoy it. So, we rearranged their schooling and had them come up for the talk and meet him. All the kids enjoyed hearing the Dr. Robinson speak- but I think Trey was the most fascinated. They got a special audience with him after the presentation.

Also, I heard many compliments from the university students on his presentation.

After the presentation to the audience and the kids went home, I was able to stay with Dr. Robinson for a few more hours. I was able to go with him to a press conference, then we had lunch together. Lunch was fun. I sat right next to him and we had a great conversation. I spent a lot of time getting his opinions of the future of space travel in the US, etc. He is a very nice guy. Someone asked him what was his favorite space-type TV program. He told us that he has never owned a TV (ever). I guess that is what it takes to become an astronaut.

On Tuesday, another group came to Politechnika. This was a group of young European students (18-19ish) who are part of a program called Europe 3D. These students, from all parts of Europe, apply to the program and take 10 day trips to different countries to get a glimpse of culture, politics and economics of that country. This group of 50 students were learning about Poland by spending half of their time in Gdansk and half in Warsaw. Politechnika was only a small part of their days in Gdansk. Our job was to give them some cultural background and they convene a panel of “foreigners” who were living in Poland. The topic was- what does a foreigner think of Poland. We had a gentleman from Africa, a German, a Chinese, and Australian, and of course, the token American (me).

Frankly, I am not sure how well the students enjoyed the panel. The topics were rather high-brow for that age of student. I am sure they would have rather been drinking Polish vodka than listening to a group of middle-age expats.

In addition to the Europe 3D students, other polish citizens were in the audience. The questions they directed to me (as the token American)- mostly centered around what was American’s opinion on Poland. What do American’s think of Poles. I tried to explain (and they were not surprised)- there is really a lack of opinion on Poland. It is really not part of the American conversation. That most people still think Europe ends at the eastern borders of Germany. That Europe is part of Eastern Europe, when you look at a map and they are clearly located in central Europe. They were very interested in the stereotypes (like do we still tell Pollock jokes). But really want they wanted to know is how can we get American students and American tourists to come to Poland. I told them that unfortunately, most Americans would know John Paul II, then probably a thing or two about WWII, and then maybe Solidarity. Much more than that is a stretch. They are very interested in changing (or adding to) that perception and get people interested in their country.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

Hello my friends. This has been a absolutely wonderful trip and great experience. I actually got paid for my family and I to work, live and travel in Europe. So, my whining might seem trivial, but I can’t hold this back any longer..... the weather sucks!

I arrived in Poland in mid-September. It was a warm day. I had brought with me my favorite kind of shirt, the short-sleeve golf/polo type shirt. In fact, I brought an entire suitcase full of them. I wore exactly one on my first day here- and none since. Every morning I open my closet door, and they hang there, dusty, just mocking me.

In my 9 months here- I have not donned a pair of shorts yet either. I forgot what my legs look like (I fondly recall them being cute- but who knows anymore).

As you see we are in Mid-May: and people are still wearing scarves and hoods outside. I saw several still wearing knit caps this week.

We did make a big leap in clothing however. About 3 weeks ago, I went from my winter coat to now a hooded jacket.

When Lisa and I accepted this assignment- we of course knew we were going north and things tended to get cool. However, we consulted several weather sources. It told us, as Gdansk was on the Baltic Sea, it did not get the extremes of the rest of Poland. In fact, the average temperature for the winters was a reasonable low 30s. Now for someone trained in statistics- average means about 1/2 the days below and 1/2 above 30. In reality, it did not break 30 degrees once for 3 1/2 months. Thats right, we did not break the freezing mark (not one damn time) for 3 1/2 months. Average my @#$@#.  On any given day, we are 10-15 degrees below the "typical" and have been since we arrived.

Everyone in Gdansk told us how unusual of a winter this was. Yeah, right. The sad truth was, we flew to Scotland in February, just to warm up.

So, we have now entered the “spring that never came”. While it is above freezing, our typical April and May day has been in the 40s. Now, this is when the Baltic Sea effect does come into play. The winds come off the sea- so you still have a wind chill, even when it is 48 or 50.

We so desperately want some nice days to sit outside, without jackets. I never thought in a million years the thing I would miss most about KC was its weather. At least you have variation. For most days, Lisa is still drying clothes inside (it takes 2-3 days to dry one load of clothes hung inside); as it is cool and damp- not clothes drying weather.

The worst is long over, but just moving ever so slowly. A bright spot (literally) is the sun. In the dead of winter, the sun showed up about 8 or 9am. Today, it was full daylight at 4:30am. You could have played a baseball game at 4:30 in the morning. The sun will go down tonight about 9pm.

I assume transportation limitations has made everything feel worse. To get out of the house, you can’t just walk 10 feet to your car, and drive the front entrance of the local Applebees to get rid of cabin fever. We are now at the mercy of outdoor public transportation. I use to think it was such as hassle to get into my car and drive to Brookside to my campus. Now, I walk a 1/2 mile, wait outside for up to 30 minutes for a tram, ride the tram, then walk another 1/2 mile to my office.

Alright, enough complaining. I just have a severe case of cabin fever from this never ending winter, that still seems present in May.

As I said to my friend the other day, if the weather is the worst part of getting a chance to live in Europe for a year- then life can’t be so bad (but I will still complain).

3 Day Holiday

May in Poland starts with two quick national holidays; May 1 and May 3.

May 1 (May Day) is a holiday in many places around the world. However, in Poland it was the Communist celebration of Labor Day until 1990, with government-endorsed parades, concerts and similar events. My colleagues that are my age, tell me that when they were kids, they remember being made to go to Labor Day parades and having to wave red flags. You could get in trouble for not going.

When Communism fell, the new democratic government decided to keep the holiday, but rename it to something more neutral- simply called “State Holiday”. I heard many people still referring to it as Labor Day, but without the obvious Communistic influences.

The bigger and much older of the two holidays is on May 3rd. That is Constitution Day. Constitution Day began in 1791, when Poland was the second country in the world to sign their own Constitution (The US was first). Unfortunately it did not last long- as the next year Poland was invaded (again) by Catherine The Great’s Army from Russia and ultimately carved up for the next 200 year’s by Russia, Prussia and Austria (called the three partitions). Poland did not geographically exist from 1793 to 1918.

Even during the partitions and during Communism, Constitution Day was held by Poles with national pride (and many times celebrated in secret).

Constitution Day is celebrated by Poles all over the world. Chicago had a big parade today, and Kansas City (who has a moderate sized Polish community) also has a parade (they call it Polski Day). We went to it last year. For those Kansas Citians on this blog- the neighborhood in KCK is at 8th and Vermont (near the old St. Margaret’s Hospital) which used to primarily be a Polish neighborhood. Last year we attended the parade, went to a Polish Mass at St. Joseph-St. Benedict’s Church, and had our first samplings of real Polish food. We will likely be regular attendees in the future.

However, this year we had our own festivities in the homeland. We were invited to our neighbor's house for a BBQ.

Basia and Mariusz made bigos, grilled pork steaks, smoked kielbasa, and Polish Salata (what we yanks call cole slaw). Charles and Karolina did the translation. It was a very nice day, but a tad cool. Mariusz has this really neat hanging BBQ grill, that he said could even hang a wok from. The meats were great. You can see us in their backyard, and our backyard is just behind the wooden fence. Trey had a great time playing with their dog. Their youngest daughter Anita joined us for a while, but she is finishing high school this week and has her final exams.

On the 2nd, although not technically a holiday- most people take it off. This year the 2nd fell on a Sunday- so that made it even easier to relax.

Lisa, I and the two smaller kids went down to Old Town. The former Coal Market (now an open area for events) had several booths set up with vendors and carnival type rides. Trey enjoyed the big slides and Abbie liked the flowers. We walked down the Dulga (Royal Route) through the Old Town. Four weeks ago we could walk down the Dulga and see almost no one. But not only is it a holiday, but spring is coming and so are the tourists. So there are now hundreds walking this area. By June, there will be even many times more people. All the vendors are out selling their amber jewelry and other trinkets of the city. The Fountains are on, people eating outside and the sun is shinning. It was a long winter! Glad to see spring get here.

It is suppose to be cold and rainy tomorrow on Constitution Day. Everything is closed (including grocery stores). So not much to do inside or outside. But looking forward to a day of not doing much.

Happy Constitution Day!

Up and Down the Rhine

After a couple of days in Cologne (by the way, that is where the “perfume type” originated from)- we decided to spend some days going along the Rhine.

A few years ago, I took a train from Strasbourg France through the Rhine Valley, into Koblenz Germany (about an hour south of where we are staying). It made quite an impression on me. It was one of the most spectacular and scenic trips I had ever taken. So, I was excited to see more of the Rhineland. And I knew Frau Lisa would really enjoy it (she also always brings these 4 short people with her at all times- however, I did not catch their names).

The Rhine is pretty neat river. It starts in the Swiss Alps and flows all through western Germany, to the Netherlands and out into the North Sea. The Rhine has great historical significance and is lined with many castles. But you have to take the full class to get all the details and slides.

On Monday we went to Bonn, about 30 minutes south of Cologne along the Rhine.

Bonn is a very nice, smaller city (19th in Germany, vs 4th for Cologne). It was the capital of Germany between WWII and the fall of the wall, when there was such a thing as Western Germany. There is still a President and Chancellor’s residence, and many, many government and UN buildings. Most of the German government did not actually leave Bonn for Berlin until 1998 (it took that many years to physically move the capital). Many government employees still work in Bonn today, but Berlin is unquestionably the capital now.

Bonn would not be one’s normal choice for a capital city, given that much larger cities (Frankfurt and Cologne) were on the West side. Bonn does not even have its own airport. People called it a Capital Village (as opposed to a Capital City). Rumor has it, a politician in the 1940s with some money and political weight was from Bonn and had it placed there.

Of course, Bonn sits right on the Rhine and makes for some beautiful scenery. We had a delightful walk along the old town. We also happened to be there during the annual marathon. So there was lots of activity on the streets. Although that was purely accidental on our parts- we benefited.

Bonn’s most famous citizen was Ludwig Von Beethoven, who was born there in 1770. Everywhere you go, you see “a Beethoven was here”-type sign. Ironically, Beethoven hated Bonn. He could not wait until he became old enough to leave home and move to Vienna. He then returned for 5 years to take care of his sick mother. When she died, he left Bonn again never to return. However, you don’t see that part in any of the city brochures. They just proudly call themselves the home of Beethoven. We saw the house he was born in.

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On Tuesday we went to Dusseldorf, about 40 minutes north of Cologne along the Rhine. Pretty similar travel on a train as we had to Bonn, just going north this time.

We could not tell if were tired of seeing things or if both Bonn and Cologne were greatly superior to Dusseldorf. But we definitely liked Dusseldorf the least of the three Rhineland cities we visited. The Rhine of course was beautiful. Dusseldorf has some great high end shopping areas called the Kö (we are not much into that)- but if you like your expensive brand names, you would have loved several of the streets. Also, the old town (Altstadt) Sorry, is nice.

Heinrich Heine is their most famous resident. Now if his name is a mystery to you- I had to look him up. He is a famous poet. His stuff does rhyme, so he must be good. The main street in town, with the best shops is Heinrich Heine Alle, the University and a couple of other famous buildings are named after him too.

One thing we did notice about Dusseldorf is its great amount of green space and parks.

We learned there is a great competitive atmosphere between Cologne and Dusseldorf. You are warned in the tourist guides not to compare one city to another in pubic (unless you are praising the city you are in over the other). Even the lady who rented us our Cologne apartment commented “people in Dusseldorf are all snobs”, when we told her of our day long outing.

This even comes down to their beer. Now, I have to admit I had to sink pretty far into beer-geekdome for this difference- so I consulted my beer swami- Dr. Martin Stack. Turns the two cities have their own very similar, but separate beer styles. I mentioned the light, hoppy Ale style, called Kolsch, in my last blog. Well the Dusseldorfers (yes, that is what they are called) have their own, Altbier (or just Alt) style. Residents debate for hours if Kolsch or Alt is better. It is against German law for Kolsch to be made in Dusseldorf. I tried two Alts. Not bad.

That said, Germany is one of the three great meccas of beer: Germany, Czech Republic & Belgium. (Sorry, St. Louis is not the fourth). I greatly prefer the Belgiums’. But research is research.

This is our 7th country visited as a family and my 10th since we have been here in September. We have 2 more to go (Sweden and Denmark in May) before we return home.

Finally, although this will be addressed in the next blog from Lisa and I- our last day in Germany was our 19th wedding anniversary. We did something unique.....