That was a gr8 story! Hey im Turkish too! N im glad you liked all our turkish traditions and not just laughed n said 'woteva' to them...hope u hav a gr8 life!! :))
Turkish food is good Last year when we were in Turkey. Our guide recommended a small family style restaurant in Kushidasi. Luckily the owner spoke English and explained each dish. It was wonderful and very reasonable. What percentage of Turks eat out and how often? I remember I had a wonderful dessert. It was not too sweet,but I believe made with honey.The veggies reminded me of Southern cooking.(well seasoned and cooked alot)
If they come knocking... I wouldn't turn them down! But I am quite sure there are not enough famous people in my blog entries for People, and not enough luxury places for Travel! But if your local newspaper would like to run a column, let me know :)
Innsbruck probably hasn't changed I don't think Innsbruck has changed - it's my memory that got it wrong. All the buildings there look to be centuries old and haven't appeared in the last ten years. "Small" is relative, I guess. We had been in Florence and Venice, which are much bigger, I think. Plus, I guess we stayed in the tourist areas back then, so that's all I remember. It's still a really nice town, but yes, weather can make a difference. It was sunny 10 years ago and rainy last weekend! The appel strudel we had on Sunday was as good - or better- than it was 10 years ago, though!
Innsbrok As Melanie has told you we did a simiar road trip when then mel was 15 and Mike 12. Uncle Stanley(known as tracking dog) did a great job navigating, and it wasn't too much like the movie,"European Adventure" He relied on maps and a great sense of direction. Well anyway I remember Innsbrook like you did. Has it changed.? It was a beautiful little town(a little tourisy but quaint). I remember hiking up the mountain along a trail and seeing a zoo. It was so beautiful. Am I dreaming or mixed up with another place. So much of your mood etc, effects your reaction to a place. I hated Rome the first time I went,but on a later trip it was beautiful. Also the weather is a factor. I have mostly seen Germany in the rain.(so gloomy)
The NYC stroller I think their might be a similiar obsession here in New York with strollers, but since I have no kids, I don't know any specifics. Ever since reading your blog, I have paid a little more attention and I think that the Bugaboo is very popular with the moms here. There are a group of them who do stroller group workouts in Central Park--it looks fun, but I am sure their is certain status in the type of stroller you bring along.
No invitation needed Mila, Go ahead and forward the main page to Anne - she is welcome to subscribe :) (I don't have her contact information)
bisous :) Saskia
invitation to your blog Saskia, you should invite Anne Topenot to your blog. She is now living in Nice, I saw her this week end, and she'll be delighted to read you, and see your lovely family pictures! Kiss, Mila.
Kinderwagen Crazy As you well know, I am totally fascinated by German strollers. It was the first thing I noticed when we arrived. I have been to the baby store just to look at strollers, and I grill everyone I know about theirs. This is all fine and dandy, but seems a little obsessive...considering that I don't have any children! I seriously considered buying one before we left Germany, just in case...but luckily, my husband talked me out of that one!
Freelance writer in the making? Thanks :) I am definitely thinking about looking into freelance writing. For now, I'm just trying to hone my skills for anyone who wants to read. Parent might not be the right one for this particular entry, though, because these prams are not readily available in the US. Nice thought, though!
DISCLAIMER I feel the need to let everyone reading these blogs know that when I talk about Germans (or Americans or Turks) being polite or impolite, nice or not, I am NOT talking about individuals, but about the general public. By that, I mean the people you run into who you do not know. We have some fabulous German friends - people as nice as anyone we've met anywhere. And the "rude" people on the street could also be nice, once you get to know them. I'm talking about the perception of the people in public - Germans come across as brusque, rude, things like that because that is how some of them act towards strangers, at least in our experience so far. There are of course tons of nice people, too, but unfortunately we remember the bad ones.
Zahnzerstörungslebensmittel Die haben eurem nett lächelndem Kind in der Bächerei nur deshalb Süßigkeiten angeboten damit sie seine Zähne mit diesen zuckerhaltigen Süßigkeiten zerstören können!
Some are very rude On our cruise we visited Berlin. We had two guides one was from East Berlin and the other was from West Berlin. The East Berlin guide was very nice. He told me alot about how the people felt when the wall came down. For many it was difficult to compete and find a job. Under communism 2 out of 3 people worked for the state. If you even listened to west Berlin radio you got turned in. He said that after reunification his father found out that both his brother and best friend had turned him in. If you practiced religion the children in school were punished. They could not go on field trips,play sports etc. until they conviced their parents not to be religious. Still many people liked the security of being taken care of. To this day some east Berlin people don't get along with west Berlin people. Also he said he was ashamed of being German because of Hitler. He tries not to speak with a German accent. He feels that everyone associated Germans with Natzis.Later in Berlin I order an icecream cone. A man had ordered one of the same flavor. I thought his was mine so I picked it up by mistake. You should have heard him. You would have thought I killed his mother. I think the Germans have a chip on their shoulder or something.(maybe because of WWII) I really don't want to go back to Berlin. Our West Berlin guide was very different from Robert,our E, Berlin guide. Robert said that soccer had done alot to make him feel proud of Germany. Sasha(the W.Berlin guide) was arrogant and found every way he could to insult America.
French Lose Title as Rudest Europeans Hi Mila! Thanks for the confirmation - I totally agree that every country has its idiosyncracies and share of nice and rude peole - I must say, though, that we spent a quick weekend in Paris in April, when Levent was there for work, and we decided that the Parisians should lose their status as Rudest Europeans. Everyone was son NICE!!! We were shocked. Maybe compared to England or the US, Parisians are rude, but compared to the people (in public) here, they were really friendly and helpful - waitresses, shopkeepers, busdrivers, everyone. So, we know you French people are proud of your title, but you'll have to try harder if you want to keep it :)
Big hug! (And send some more pictures of Marie Lou over our way!) Gros bisous - Saskia
Saskia
Politeness in Europe Well, after working over 18 months in Germany (Stuttgart) I can only approve your note...Germans ARE rude! ;- ) I can definitely say it, since I am french, and french people may be #1 in the "European rudeness contest" (just visit Paris and you'll see what I mean: taxi drivers, waitress in cafés and Restaurants,...the list would be too long). So don't get fooled by the summer attitude that you mentioned: in northern Europe people get just "different" from usual when the summer sun comes out in their sky! But who cares, as long as you get to meet the (small but qualitative) part of fantastic people that Germany has to offer, as in every country!;- ) One day you may even meet a local David Kameron (locally potentially called "Guenter schmithaueser" or something like that) in a "lunar park", that will come to you and exchange address with your family for years of true friendship! ;- )...have a nice day sister!
Sounds familiar... I now feel lucky that my apartment came with light switchs and appliances, but a lot of what you said about finding an apartment is so much like it is in NYC. You basically have to show up with a wad of cash to guarentee that when you find a half-decent place (with maybe 1 closet) that you will get it before the next person comes along in 5 minutes.
We moved to Europe so that we could experience life here and travel around easily. Our three sons were born here, and these days, most of our pictures are of them! We only planned on staying in Germany for a few years, but it's rapidly becoming HOME.
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Why
Why do you have to eat this food