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."
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