Prost!

Oktoberfest, what can i say??? much to my surprise, it was quite fun. i have always been a sucker for state fairs and amusement parks. well, this place has it all, livestock shows right alongside 100,000 seater beer tents and literally 100's of a-ma-zing, overpriced rides. i am sure these would not be legal in the states. and it's bizarre to me that wasted people think it's still a good idea to put themselves on these spinny rides when they can't even stand up... nonetheless, it wasn't too crazy busy and i enjoyed my three visits to the world's largest beer fest.
this particular evening, (sorry the picture won't work) my mom and stepdad went with me. we were outside at the hofbrauhaus tent for hours, talking with complete strangers and having a grand time. we sat by a couple from england and australia, next to german boys, and the guys next to me are a group of spaniards who make an annual trip here. way too many languages all over the place, much laughing and prosting!
Cheers!

God Bless Technology!

i have a Kansas City phone number you can reach me on.
913.871.4444
note: we are 7 hours ahead of kansas city time. i.e. don't call after 5pm KC time... i love you all, but not that much.. he he
i don't know how i would survive over here without technology. seriously, i can watch tv online free (as i don't get any tv here in english), cook from recipes online, do all ministry homework and get ideas online, and now talk to you all. marvelous, wonderful, glorious.
thank you to my stepdad, tommy, who made this possible...

Germany 101: Auto Art

oh, how they love bon jovi over here!

dig it!

my friend, adam's, rolling stones-mobile...


weirdos...

Germany 101: Yin and Yang

Germany has its' dichotomys. Very extreme people, they are...
Example #1 - They have a separate radiator in every room so that you don't waste any energy if you aren't in there. They turn off every light that they don't use. They even have two buttons on the toilet so that you don't use more water than you need. And then there's this thing called Oktoberfest... ever heard of it? Right... 3 straight weeks of lights, music, whirly death machines, and debauchery. Maybe it's opposite week?

Example #2 - If you get tired and want to put your feet up whilst on the public trains, think again. These seats are sacred. And the Germans aren't afraid to tell you, either. Then you have people peeing in bushes, barfing all over the place at the biergartens and littering up the whole city... hmmm....

Example #3 - They smoke like chimneys while shopping at the whole foods market. They are very conscious of preservatives and added sugars, but appear to turn a blind eye to the layers of black tar lining the walls of their lungs...

Example #4 - The Autobahn. One minute you will have absolutely no speed limit, the next you could be down to 60 km/hour, which roughly translates to 35/40 miles and hour. Plus the speed limit in town is either 30 or 50 km/hour (18 or 30 m/hr.)! It kills me! The Autobahn is great and all, but any other place is a turtle's pace...

Germany 101: Street Musicians

one of the things i most enjoy about this place is the abundance and the talent of the street musicians here. i often am walking about in the city, when i come across music that i technically should be paying big bucks for. these people are amazing. they come with pianos, accordions, violins, cellos, bass(i) - plural for bass???, and more. how they get these things on the trains i'll never know. regardless, the other day i heard a four piece string ensemble entertaining the masses all for pennies. they captivated the crowds. i think i stood there about a half an hour. wow, how magically music can change your outlook and lift your spirits. you can't stand there and not smile or move. and how intriguing to watch my stoic german friends relax and interact with the performers. music breaks down our walls and lets us escape the ho-hum of now. i love it!!!
my other favorite evening i heard the accordion playing from far away and i followed the sounds to this man playing his heart out - rockin that thing. it reverberated off the walls of the plaza. he was so vulnerable. some people danced, some smiled, some sat and closed their eyes, some laughed and mocked, but there he was giving us everything he had. beautiful. beautiful. beautiful. i dig that guy. he transformed my evening.
another day while walking through our englischer garten (bigger than central park) another accordion player sweetly played classical while couples danced under the shell-decorated rotunda. i'm in a movie...