Thing one was a nasty sinus infection. I get them every now and then thanks to my horrible seasonal (four seasons) allergies. They get backed up, and I get all snotty and congested for ten days. This was no exception.

Thing two was having to herd cats (i.e., teenagers) around the city for three days. I’d pretty much gotten used to them by that point, but it was still a pain in the ass. Next time, I want to go back sans anyone under the age of 35.

That being said, I like Berlin. It’s a nice, clean, efficient big city. If I were going to live in a big city in Germany, Berlin is the one I’d choose out of the five-ish I visited.

We did touristy stuff (Reichstag, TV Tower, Museum Island, etc.) the first two days.

The two highlights of that sort of thing were the DDR Museum and the Stasi Museum. I’ve got a serious case of Cold War Nostalgitis, so these fed right into that.

The DDR Museum is a really cool, hands-on museum about life in the East, pre-wallfall. It’s a good place to spend a couple of hours. It’s right near Museum Island, and a good break from all that high-toned crap (Nefertiti? Feh. Give me a Trabbi any day).

The Stasi Museum was my most favoritest stop of the whole trip. It’s a museum dedicated to the East German secret Police, the Stasi, and is housed in their old headquarters. It’s full of exhibits on 80s spy gear (the east germans were pretty advanced), symbols of the love between the Stasi and the KGB (latch-hooked rug of the Kremlin, anyone?), and included a truck that was one of the Stasi’s snatch-n-grab wagons and an example of the sort of cell in which they kept political prisoners, which were, of course, the only kind housed in Stasi prisons. Our guide was a senior citizen who had lived through that era, and it was amazing to listen to her stories. Definitely a highlight.

More in the next post on trains, planes and hotels.

Seriously, that man might be the only one that would get me to turn gay. Not really, but I thought I’d say something mildly titilating just to catch you sleeping.

But, Clooney does have appeal (he also co-write and directed this one). There are a number of famous men whose appeal covers women and men. Usually, men like them for different reasons. Just off the top of my head, I’ll list Clooney, Tom Selleck, Burt Reynolds (the old Smokey and the Bandit era Burt, not whatever he’s become), and maybe Ahnold. Oh, and James Garner. Can’t forget Rockford/Maverick!

It also includes the always-entertaining Stephen Root (from News Radio and as the voice of Bill Dauterive on King of the Motherfuckin’ Hill). Coulda used a bit more Root, actually. Also has some Renée Zellweger. I like her also, though she’s too skinny these days.

Anyway. Go read the real reviews and/or watch the trailers at Apple. It’s a thumbs-up from me, though, for whatever that’s worth.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Figuring what it would cost me in sales tax alone (insurance and monthly payment would be similar), it would take nearly a year to break even, then I’d be within a year of having the XTerra paid off. Even with regular unleaded running around $3.25 here in the Ozarks, I’m going to be losing money on the deal.

And, since I’ve had some wishy-washiness with vehicles in the past 5 years (the XTerra is the third car I’ve bought in the last 5 years), I’m going to stick with it for a while. Also, the options I want on the Forester aren’t available until the Summer, anyway. Plus, it’s the first year of the redesign, and they’ll invariably make some improvements in years 2 and 3 anyway.

So, getting a new ride is off the schedule… for now.

I had one in the late 90s when I camped and fished more, and when I got my 2003 Subaru Forester, it had weather band radio in it. Sadly, despite still pushing their “rugged” image, Subaru dropped the weather band from their radios in 2007 (I think). I’m guessing this was so they could add satellite radio.

Don’t get me wrong. I lurves me some XM Radio, but I miss having even the computer voice (which NWS switched to in 2002) available when I’m in the car.

So, I think I’m going to invest in a portable weather radio. I’m hoping to get out fishing more this year, especially now that The Boy is getting big enough to go.

Going to Germany added some perspective to what you need in a car. Granted, we were mostly in cities, so I saw a lot of city cars, but the German perspective on cars was refreshing.

First, they’re all SMALL cars. Only around what is often considered the most expensive hotel in Berlin (Hotel Adlon, where Michael Jackson famously dangled his infant son out the window a few years back) did we see any big cars (big Benzes and 7 series BMWs). There were virtually no SUVs or trucks in Germany. LOTS of VWs (with the Golf and its siblings being the most popular). Lots of A-class Mercedeseseses, too. I REALLY like the looks of those little cars, but they don’t sell them here and, if they did, they’d be almost $40k (or about $15k over my budget). Still, the Germans got me thinking about cars (and bathroom design, but that’s another topic).

The other car I mentioned in that other post was the 2009 Subaru Forester. I have some history with the Forester, having driven an ‘03 for a while two vehicles ago. I loved that car. Sold it to get my MINI Cooper S (which I also loved). I test-drove the all-new ‘09 Forester last week. I liked it, but not as much as I thought/hoped I would. Also, its fuel efficiency is not fantastic (20/29), though of course way better than the Lumbering Beast. That’s also the mileage range for both of VW’s american-spec engines (though the 2.0L turbo requires premium fuel).

On the horizon looms the VW Jetta SportWagen TDI, which has a few things going for it as far as I’m concerned: (a) it’s a wagon, and I’m partial to them, and (b) the new Bluetec TDI diesel engine, which is 50-states emissions safe (one of the cleanest engines in production now) and gets 40 city/60 hwy mileage. Oh, and it has a super-large giant moonroof, and I likes those (the Forester has a big moonroof, too). But, that version of the SportWagen (known as the Golf Variant in Europe) won’t be here until the fall. That might be okay, though. It might take me that long to decide what I want.

Stay tuned…

The Hotel Mercure was über-swanky. Upscale modern accomodations are always welcome. The teenagers were in awe. We were merely pleased.

Snow. Cold. Rain.

Bus tour of the city included a stop at the super cool Volkswagen facility where they put the glass on their high-dollar Phaeton sedan (which is no longer available in the US because no one here wanted to pay $70k for a VW, no matter how swank).

Also toured all the historical stuff. The Zwinger museum has a nice collection of arms and armor. Dresden’s old buildings are impressive, even the fake ones that aren’t really 500 years old (rather they are rebuilt versions that the Allies bombed the shit out of in WWII — sorry about that).

München Hauptbahnhof is BIG and cool. Excellent wurst and pommes. Lots of Germans wear the Jack Wolfskin products. Sorta like the German The North Face (in ubiquity). Lots of Germans passing through on their way south to the Alps to go skiing.

I like traveling by train. It’s convenient and a good way to see the countryside.

Went on a private bus ride through the countryside to Neuschwanstein, largest castle built by the Mad King Ludwig. Fucking steep-ass hike up to the castle, which is gorgeous… from the outside. Inside is a whizzingly-short and lame welfare Disney-esque tour. My advice: make the trip, but skip the tour. Just use you imagination about what it’s like inside. You’ll have better memories.

The orginal Hoffbraü House. Beer is good. Hotel Apollo is older, but nice. BIG rooms for a German hotel. Bathrooms still very small.

German breakfasts are good: sammmiches, yogurt, coffee, apfelsaft, fruit. More on German food in a standalone post.

Germans who drive do so in small, often diesel-powered cars. Lots of VW Golfs, quite a few Opels, a number of BMWs (including MINIs) and Mercedeses. I’m loving the Mercedes A-Class, which we don’t have in the U.S. More on cars in a standalone post.

Doesn’t yet feel very non-American yet (other than the speaking German all the time). I am haunted by American music of the 1980s.

1. wring neck,
2. assault with a broken beer bottle, or
3. throw in front of (ubiquitous) speeding U Bahn Train.

I did:

1. call one (or more) “asshole” (sometimes repeatedly and with feeling),
2. call one (or several) “dumbass” or “stupid-ass” (when dumbass started sound repetitive),
3. swear off of leading stupid-ass asshole teenagers through Europe.

The rest of them weren’t half bad, though.

More to follow as I sleep and become less jetlagged.