TV Stories from the Germany Trip

I reported and produced some TV stories upon returning from Germany.  They aired on WLWT in Cincinnati in August, 2008.  One is about Cincinnati Parks, one about Fairview German Language School and one is about University of Cincinnati's Summer in Munich Program.  Enjoy!

http://www.wlwt.com/specialreports/index.html?rss=cin&psp=news

Last Night in Berlin

Our last night in Berlin, RIAS treated us all to one more wonderful German meal. The highlight was giving our gift to our leader Rainer Hasters. Rachel Grygiel from Hoboken won a European Cup soccer ball in a kicking contest on the sidewalk near Brandenburg Gate...she won the ball to give to Rainer and we all signed it. Several people also brought small gifts from home...he got a Texas flag, Panamanian coffee and Cincinnati playing cards.

One of the best parts of this RIAS experience is making friends--some we will hopefully keep forever.

It's only been a month and I've already crashed at Hena's place in Los Angeles, with my whole family! (see photo by Hollywood sign) She took us Hollywood sightseeing and we saw Warren Beatty in a sushi restaurant and Doris Roberts (Raymond's mom) in the bathroom of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Oh yes, and George Clooney's hand and footprints in the walk of fame.

After the RIAS program I traveled for a week to produce and report three stories with a Cincinnati-Germany connection. They aired on WLWT-TV, the NBC station during Olympics and here's the link if you'd like to watch. http://www.wlwt.com/specialreports/index.html?rss=cin&psp=news
(photo of me and 3 University of Cincinnati students studying in Munich at Celtic Festival).

I also got to meet some more German journalists in Munich who work in radio and tv. (photo of Sandra (tv) and Uschi (radio). They took us to the Augustiner Beer Garden, the most fabulous beer garden in all the world (I bet).

Larkin's Birthday

Today is my little girl's birthday and I do miss her. Happy 14th. Love you Larkin Eve!  I bought you some nice presents in Berlin.  Take care of your baby brother and be nice to Greg...                           Love Mom

Last Day in Berlin, Goodbye RIAS

We rode bikes in Berlin today which is the fastest way to get around in this city.  They have fabulous paths. Ran into the gay parade, and took some photos. 

        Friday we visited the Reichstag, where German parliament does business.  Very impressive architecture with a "transparency" theme, and an environmentally progressive cone to suck up the politicians' hot air and recycle it.  They produce 14% of the electricity for the building that way.  It was designed by Lord Nelson Taylor, who designed the new Bejing airport.   The first politician who spoke to us was a Christian Democrat who told us he visited America, (Clinton, Iowa) on an exchange program when he was 17 years old and had a wonderful experience that shaped his life.  

      "You get to see your country through the eyes of others.  In politics, anyone who can not do that should not be in politics."  He still visits his "American brother" who now lives in Cleveland.

      Rainer took us to the most wonderful live performance last night in Berlin, at a theatre called "Chameleon."  It was a cross between a Cirque de Soleil and variety show, with 6 amazingly talented people.   One man did a very fast and dangerous dance inside a metal ring that was stunning.     

      We have our farewell dinner tonight and tomorrow everyone either goes home, or like me, gets on with their work project.  I'll be going to meet a videographer at the Munich airport, rent a car and drive to a little town called Donaueschingen, to catch up with some Cincinnati public school students on the last day of their exchange program.  I want to get there in time to see the big final soccer match between Germany and Spain.

Germany wins, back in Berlin

      We got back to Berlin in time for the big soccer match between Germany and Turkey.  Turkey is the largest immigrant population here, and it was almost like an in-country rivalry.  The girls of RIAS found a great location by Potsdamer Place, an outdoor cafe with bigscreen tv.  A few minutes into the soccer game, the line of people behind us watching and cheering was ten deep. Turkey fans got kind of rowdy, but they lost and there were no "incidents."   It was a great cultural experience.

     Thursday we went to Templehof Airport in Berlin, where American pilots known as the "Candybombers" helped save the lives of West Berliners in 1948.  After the Soviets blockaded the western part of the city and cut off power, people were starving.  American pilots flew in food and supplies and dropped candy to the German kids.  They became known as the Candybombers, and the Berlin Airlift ranks among America's great foreign relations achievements.  Our guys basically kept the West Berliners eating, allowing them to resist Communism and maintain their freedom.  Our airport tour guide was 10 years old when the Berlin Airlift began and recalls chasing after the candy.  "I had never tasted chocolate," he said. "It was exciting."

     Our trip is nearly over and it's going to be sad to say goodbye to some of the journalists I've met from across the country.  You really get to know a person when you travel together.  

Frankfurt and Leipzig

We explored Bruges, Belgium on Saturday, a medieval town with lots of lace and chocolate. We took a boat tour, and the captain was rude to our fearless leader, Rainer Hasters, when he couldn't immediately produce his ticket to ride.  Rainer (top photo Rainer goofing around) is so funny and relaxed, though, and let it slide. I had imagined the German man in charge of us journalists on this RIAS trip would be strict and severe about punctuality (my German hubby insists on arriving everywhere early).   Rainer says his job is like "herding fleas", but he's cool in the way he leads us.   Whenever we ask Rainer's opinion on the chances of something happening, he responds "50-50."

     The big thing in Germany tonight is the soccer match between Germany and Turkey.  IT'S HUGE.  You see flags on lots of the cars here, and some cars have both flags since Turkey is the biggest immigrant population in Germany.  Germany won!  It was a wild night in Berlin, and we watched the match at "Andy's Cafe" near Potsdammer Platz with hundreds of other people.

      The highlights of Frankfurt for me -- the gorgeous riverfront lined with Sycamore trees and skyscrapers with windows that open. (Frankfurt riverfront 2nd photo)  That's right, windows open even on top floors.  Germany has discovered opening windows conserves energy. I wish we'd get on that particular environmental bandwagon.  I love throwing open the windows and balcony doors in all our German hotel rooms, too.

    We visited the European Central Bank in Frankfurt and talked about Euros (ECB bottom photo).  In the US, the penny costs more to make than it's worth and we may soon stop minting it. Europeans have one and two-cent coins and no intention of getting rid of either. 

    Leipzig was the most interesting place we went (2nd last photo). It's in formerly Communist East Germany, and it's the city where the Stasi (Communist police in the former GDR) had their headquarters.  A wonderful city tour by a woman who was one of the courageous demonstrators in the 1980's who helped bring down the Wall showed us around, with the help of an interpreter.  She ended our tour at former Stasi headquarters, now a museum.  East Germans took over the facility to save the documents the Stasi had compiled on neighbors for 40 years, and left the building exactly as they found it. It has musty air, brown linoleum and mustard yellow curtains, very depressing.  Displays show the "disguises" Stasi used to wear when monitoring people, little suitcases of fake mustaches, and toupees.   I recommend you rent the academy award-winning "The Lives of Others" to understand more.  Great film.

   Leipzig is filled with outdoor cafes.  I love that!  I wish we had tons more in Cincinnati, and all over the United States.  We had dinner with German journalists who've spent time in the US through the RIAS program.  I was talking to Karl Maurer, Hoerfunkjournalist (anchor), who works in public radio MDR Sputnik and he told me that in the 1970s Leipzig was polluted and ugly.  He said if you breathed in deeply, you'd feel the acid in the air.  They've now converted brownfields to lovely lakes and have new investment by BMW and DHL.  Still, unemployment is 16%.  

    We were told earlier in our trip the women of Leipzig are beautiful which appears to be true. (middle photo is Leipzig morning radio host "Freddy").  The pr guy told us Freddy is popular with young listeners but old people hate the way she talks fast in a high-pitched voice.

   The guys at private radio station PSR in Leipzig told us German stations basically copy American stations.  They admit their citizen-financed competition, public radio stations, force them to produce quality programs.         

    Hot tip - German group selling out concerts all over the country is a punk band "Die Arzt" or "The Doctors."  

EU and NATO, superwonkamania

    I got into trouble at NATO Headquarters in Brussels today,  as I did visiting the Sistine Chapel in Rome a couple years ago.  My faux pas -- Taking a photo.  Oh no! Das is verboten.  "No photo, no photo, no photo" the guards shouted.  We weren't even inside the gate yet, just waiting in the line to get our passports checked to enter the building. (Top photo).

   Oh well, they let me in anyway, after confiscating all the journalists' cameras.  

   We learned a lot about NATO. Its number one priority right now is Afghanistan. NATO used to be known as the "No Action Talk Only" organization, but now stands for "Needs America To Operate."  NATO has 70,000 troops from 40 countries deployed around the world, mostly in Afghanistan.  Of course, America is leading NATO's military effort there and provides nearly half the soldiers in theatre.  The US has 16,000, followed by the UK with 8500, Germany with 3325, Canada with 3297, Italy with 2500, France with 1136 and Poland with 1078.

    Some of the countries have negotiated caveats, or special conditions for their soldiers.  For example, German soldiers must be safely back at base by nightfall.  They don't fight at night!

    We had a full day the European Union yesterday.  No one seems to know much about the EU, and I think I found out why. 

    The day we were there, the EU had a very important press conference attended by dozens of journalists from around the world.  They set it up so that the politicians giving the press conference stood in a hole. Yes, a hole!  They can't be seen by most journalists.  They provide a too-small platform for broadcast cameras,  and everyone else is shoved behind them on a floor 3 feet below, trying to peer through the legs of videographers. It's the worst set up for a press conference I have ever seen!  (bottom two photos, last photo Don Heider, Loyola University Dean and me)

    The EU speakers we met with told us that their biggest problems are "communication" and "image."  Duh!  Learn how to hold a press conference.  Check out bottom two photos on blog.

    We're staying at the Sofitel Hotel in Brussels and it's really really cool.  Tres moderne.  I love the bathroom design, especially the square shape sink, and the comfy cozy bed with strange face pillows.

    The city is beautiful.  The Grand Platz where city hall is located is surrounded by gorgeous old  buildings, outdoor cafes and restaurants.  (Photo of me in Grand Platz). Young and old gather here every night.  One the way back home, many people buy a waffle, a Brussels specialty.  (Second photo).

   Tomorrow we get a break from wonkamania and will take a trip to Bruges, Belgium where we'll shop, eat and drink.