How do you say "Do you speak English?" in German?

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Back in the states before I left for Europe, I asked a friend of mine who has traveled to Germany and speaks a bit of German, how do you say "Do you speak English?" in German? He looked at me coyly and said, "Do you speak English?" Apparently, most Germans speak English, and while they may say they don't speak very well, that's more modestly than honestly, as most speak excellent English. In the two places I have visited so far in Germany, Cologne and Dresden, I would say that's for the most part true. In Cologne, a much more modern and young city, most people spoke English. On the opposite side of Germany in the east, Dresden, a much more relaxed city, surprisingly quite a few didn't speak English. Either way, after traveling in Europe and meeting so many people who speak not only 2 but 3 or 4 languages, it's quite embarrassing how so many few Americans, myself included, hardly speak one other language.

I was able to visit some friends in Cologne, and having them as hosts and guides was wonderful. The main attraction in Cologne is the Cathedral, which took over 500 years to complete and is the tallest building in Cologne. It certainly was impressive. We walked up the 509 steps to reach the top, and after walking in spiraling circles for so long, I felt a bit dizzy. The views were worth it though. Luckily with the sun out, but despite the bitter cold wind, the Rhine river and city below were breath taking. I also got to visit my friends' university, go out with a few of their friends, and see a bit around the city. Cologne was much more modern than I thought, with tons of American brands and shops. A big shopping town, there was an H&M literally every few blocks. The city itself felt very young, hip and modern to me, with a large student population. It was wonderful to see my friends, cook dinner with them, and drink the traditional Kolsch beer in the .20 liter glasses. The bar tenders will keep bringing you a glass unless you put your coaster on top as a sign you're done. I also got to try some traditional German meals, which pretty much involves a lot of meat I normally don't eat, such as blood sausage and liver pâté. Uhm! The blood sausage, despite the deep red color, wasn't all that bad. They have the best dark bread though, which loads of seeds and spices...delicious!

Heading to the opposite side of Germany, I spent a few days in Dresden, a city with a much different feel than Cologne. Although settled between a river as well, this city was heavily bombed during WWII, and efforts to reconstruct the city are evident everywhere, as much of the city is under construction. It is beautiful though, with the wide open squares, old weathered buildings and breath taking churches. The pace in Dresden seemed a bit slower, but I got an invigorating feeling, as the city strives to build itself back up. The Frauenkirche was a perfect example of old and new. To commemorate the city's 800th anniversary in 2006, they reopened the church, and I was able to go to service, although entirely in German. The church is designed with light wood, uncommon in most churches I've seen, and decorated with pastel colors and gold trimmings. The downstairs had part of the foundation of the old church preserved, and to think of how much the church must have been bombed and destroyed not too long ago, it was an eerie feeling.

With only visiting two main cities, but with Munich still to come, I'm really falling for a little place called Deutschland.

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