Die Deutsche Diaries - Day Two

Sunday, February 6, 2010

International travel observations:
* Korean Air wins for best airline. They have a “Happy Mommy” check-in line.
* There is no possible masculine way to say, “Bon apetit” or “Merci.”
* If “fromage”means cheese in French, does “fromagey” mean cheesy?
* French baby poop smells worse than American baby poop. (At least the French baby that’s sitting in front of us!)
*Customs officials are unhappy people and should be avoided whenever possible. Except when you’re trying to clear customs. Otherwise your trip ends much sooner than you’d planned.

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After 11 hours of air travel, Sean and I are positioned safely in our hotel in Hamburg. We effectively lost nine hours of the day due to time zone changes, but we’ll get it back upon returning to Seattle, so I see it more as a time “loan” than a time “loss.”

We slept for a few hours upon arrival and then ventured out for some dinner. It is bitter cold here; the wind chill factor is somewhere around 13 degrees Fahrenheit. It conjures up the sensations of frozen snot and the glacial lung condition I was so familiar with during the frigid winter months in Korea. There is an impressive swathe of snow and ice covering the sidewalks (snow removal is obviously optional and not a pedestrian safety concern) and mature patches of ice mark the streets and alleys. The larger of the two lakes in the center of Hamburg is officially frozen over. I took a picture of people walking across it yesterday.

Our hotel is located in a swanky shopping district,which is mildly disappointing. I can see swanky shops in the USA. We walked two blocks east and followed a partially iced-over canal another two blocks south to Jim Block’s, a western-style steak/burger place. Sean wasn’t too excited to dive right into German cuisine on day one, but I know once he gets a taste of schnitzel or sauerbrauten there’ll be no turning back.

It’s bizarre to see the cultural influence the United States has stretched across the modern world. Restaurants, retailers, architecture and particularly entertainment; it’s like the creamer in the proverbial global cup of coffee. It’s pervasive.


Off to bed!