Category Society
The Cover Charge
Judging from the signs I have seen, “flohmarkten” (flea markets) are a big deal in this part of southern Germany. Every weekend there seems to be one in a different town and everybody seems to go them. Maybe that is because there isn’t much else to do around here except walk in the Black Forest. […]
Boisterous
There was a party going on, though I never did figure out what the occasion was. It did show me the difference between Canadian and German liquor laws. Actually, I’m not sure if there are German liquor laws. We took the train to Freiburg Sunday morning at 10;30. You would think that at that time […]
The Kids On The Bus (Cultural Differences X)
When I was a child there were no school buses in our neighborhood; we had to walk to school. My mother tells me I was insistent on walking alone on my first day of kindergarten. I had not yet turned five. Supposedly she trailed me at a distance to ensure my safe arrival. Unnecessary really […]
Political Appearances
To some extent I have enjoyed being retired from politics. Mind you, I still check the news several times a day, just in case there is something I need to know. Sometimes a news story makes my blood boil, but then my mind kicks in and tells me to relax, I’m not on the front […]
Freiburg Cathedral I
It was a grey Saturday when we were in Freiburg last month, but we visited the cathedral anyway. I’m not sure if that was the right move. Certainly the building is impressive from a distance, and just as impressive up close, even surrounded by the stalls of the Saturday farmers’ market. Inside though it felt […]
No Respect
It was a quick visit to Freiburg and we decided to climb the hill, Schlossburg, in the centre of the city. In the Spring we’ll go back and explore, as we didn’t see the lake or any of the ruins I read about online. It was just a nice place for a Winter walk with […]
Cultural Differences IX – Holidays
It was Friday night, getting late, and our hostess casually mentioned, “of course, tomorrow is a holiday.” Nobody told me. I knew Saturday was January 6. I knew in the church calendar that is Epiphany, the dated celebrated for the arrival of the Magi. But I’m from Canada; it never occurred to me that the […]
Look At The Elk!
My wife and I are city-bred. Wildlife there is generally on the order of a skunk, squirrels or raccoons in our backyard. I was a Boy Scout though, and paid attention in school. I know a little bit about animals. I should have realized Sunday was going to be a bad day for observing nature […]
Succumbing To Click Bait
Sometimes technology scares me. Not so much the machines themselves, but what can be done with them. For my first couple of months in Germany I didn’t bother to change the time on my computer. It seemed unnecessary. Maybe it was a coping mechanism as I adjusted to this new reality. Eventually though I set […]
Chaos In The Streets (Cultural Differences VIII)
I had been told that Germans celebrate the New Year with fireworks. Experiencing that was far more intense than the description. In Canada fireworks are a controlled affair for the most part. If a holiday is deemed important enough to warrant such pyrotechnics, it is usually the municipality that stages the show. Safety concerns […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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