2011 McCarthy's German AdventureEthan Allen couch, green fabric – used daily but very worn/faded, bonus room/basement, asking $50 Artificial tree, 6+ feet tall, wicker basket –

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2011 front

To Bloggers Everywhere

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Contents

The journey begins! 8

ready to rent! 8

McCarthy’s are giving away (nearly) free stuff!! 8

24 hours to liftoff 12

Almost there… 13

The McCarthy Family has LANDED 13

Drifting in German Shopping Carts 14

Alarm Clock Birds 14

McCarthy family did NOT improve the image of Americanstoday&#8...

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Necks Out For Adventure – Origin and Sighting 15

Sam celebrates his 8th birthday in Cologne 16

German weed control and keyboards 17

Kids really likes Bonn International School! 18

A short history of the cell phone 19

I never thought I would miss the sound of my horn so much… 20

Some observations 20

How many trash cans do you have – I have EIGHT! 21

Grocery market fail… OR just collecting great memories 22

The Joy and Headache of Driving in Germany 23

Carnival has started!!! 26

Come see the world’s BEST (only?) giant banana yard sculp... 27

new school… new friends!! 29

Where can kids be VERY loud on a Sunday… 29

How much did you pay to use a restroom today? 31

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Living above the 45th parallel 32

Peanuts and Elevators 33

Tracy drives from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles every week now!!! 33

I am purposely giving my family rat poison 35

No screens = bugs! 35

Autobahn Experiment 36

When your crib is a castle! 37

Turkey Physics 40

New home away from home away from home… 40

High fashion in safety shoes! 41

Germany is heaven for an NVH (noise, vibration, harshness)engineer

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AREA TO AVOID THIS AFTERNOON 42

American music everywhere 43

A Day in Belgium 43

Ice cream celebration at ikea 45

Is towing common in Europe? 45

Why so many ugly, black, steel wheels? 46

Tschuss – use it today and sound COOL! 49

Can your shopping cart do THIS? 51

Time Running out at Alte Sandkaul 51

Thanksgiving in Germany 52

Ketchup as Arbitrage 54

Will it explode? 56

Buy ”insert your country here” 58

Istanbul, not Constantinople 60

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If you had to be without one item for a day, what would botheryou ...

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Istanbul – a stunning city 62

Pegasus Airlines Safety Video 64

Groovy floor tile 64

Luggage wrap 65

Rigel seafood restaurant 65

The final move has begun!! 66

First night at permanent house 67

A goodbye gift from alte sandkaul 67

Free advice, backed by experience 68

Best of intentions 68

Furniture is here but there was a casualty 69

Expert truck driving 70

Noon rainbow 70

House getting wardrobes today 70

Memory is highly underrated 71

First Christmas in Germany 71

An Argument in Favor of Laziness 73

Worst German Lesson Notes Ever 74

Example of German Engineering 74

Clever Ways to Handle Speeding 75

Double Humility 76

Our first (highly dissatisfying) murder 77

First Christmas Market – Bad Godesberg 78

Russian Consulate General 81

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Is German super glue sold in 35 gallon drums? 82

Homemade German eggnog 82

Santa’s Thug is an A$$#@(^ 82

#$(*&^) Cologne Traffic Rant 85

Belgium puts ice in a fountain coke 86

I’m speechless – most awesome truck seen so far... 86

I think I’m turning european… I really think so 86

Guess what American brand is pushing HARD to grow inGermany

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One of Best ‘Business’ Hotels – at wr... 87

Like having a store at every corner 88

Art van on steroids 89

For your Christmas list 89

Stay classy 89

Belgium trees 90

Windswept trees 90

You will want to write this down 91

Santos – Awesome Grille Store 92

Jack Wolfskin = North Face 96

Electrical Socket Faces 96

Paris is the international capital of… 99

First German Snow! 100

The END of the BBQ quest 101

Chinese takeout fail 103

The love of dogs 104

97 F 150 104

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I can’t even follow WALKING directions 105

Effective ads 2 106

Effective ads 1 106

They make us work SO hard…. Oh, the humanity 107

Toy store 108

Xmas desperation 108

Why am I so proud? 108

200 Level Origami 109

Bad Go Shopping Trip 110

Bounty for skim 113

Best $4 I ever spent in my life 113

Our First German Christmas 114

Kottenforst 117

What if… gross or curious? 119

Warning!!! Be cautious when doing tricks on your bicycle… 122

Ringwall Venne FOUND! 123

phantasialand 123

Mickey has some German competition – Phantasialand 124

Geben Mir Zu Essen Seymour!!! 129

Sam is the official family interpreter 130

Over the aqueduct and thru the woods – to Pech 130

How do I spell humility: “Tschuss” 132

Any good theories? 134

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2011 McCarthy's German Adventure

The journey begins!Wednesday, August 24, 2011After a long wait, I was officially informed tonight that I received the job in Germany… Thejourney begins!

I am hoping to start on October 1 and move there in September. The chaos beginstomorrow

- Mark

ready to rent!Wednesday, August 31, 2011i just finished cleaning my room…. FINALLY!!! yah i didnt realize how DIRTY it was untill ivaccumed it and cleaned every inch!!~ chloe <3

McCarthy’s are giving away (nearly) free stuff!!Monday, October 03, 2011The McCarthy family is moving out of the country, and we are clearing out the house!Before we post on Craig’s List or have a garage sale, we wanted to see if anyone in theneighborhood was interested in some items. We are not claiming that these are perfect orfancy, but we use them everyday and wanted to make sure they found a good home.Prices are what we thought reasonable, but we are willing to negotiate. We are motivatedto find a new home for these items quickly! We can help deliver (i.e. roll down the street),but we don’t have a truck.

Boys Kettecar pedal car – great shape, new $120, asking $10

Mens Schwinn 12 speed road bicycle (27″ tires) – older but still works well, asking $20

Womens Schwinn 12 speed road bicycle (27″ tires) – older but still works well, asking $20

Girls 7 speed bicycle (20″ tires) – in good condition, asking $15

Radio Flyer wagon with door (red, plastic) – in decent shape, asking $8

Card table and 4 padded/fabric chairs – actually in very good shape, asking $15

Craftsman 10″ radial alarm saw w extra blades and table/stand – older saw, but stillworks well, asking $25

Round table with 4 chairs – not the most beautiful furniture and needs a little TLC, asking$10

Kids inflatable play tunnel, 3 reconfigurable sections w inflator fan – great for little kids,

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excellent cond, asking $25

Wire storage shelving units (3+ feet tall, dense storage) – excellent condition, 3 available,asking $8 each

Full size ping pong table, folds up for storage, net, 4 paddles, balls – heavy and a bitused, new $200+, asking $25

Play kitchen with stove, oven, sink, fridge, cabinet, phone, light – asking $15

Full sleigh baby crib with mattress, cherry wood – new $500, asking $75, currentlydisassemb and carefully stored

Baby changing table top, cherry wood, fits on dresser – new $120, asking $15

5 gallon fish tank with pump and some scenery – ready to use, asking $8

Antique childrens wooden table and 2 chairs – very unique and old, won’t survive trip orstorage, asking $5

32″ Toshiba TV (10 yrs old) – heavy and bulky but great picture, new $800, asking $50

19″ RCA TV (15 yrs old) – works great, asking $25

25″ RCA TV (20 yrs old) – somewhat heavy/bulky but still used, asking $20

Ethan Allen corner cabinets, two parts form one cabinet – asking $40 for both

Ethan Allen couch, green fabric – used daily but very worn/faded, bonus room/basement,asking $50

Artificial tree, 6+ feet tall, wicker basket – in front foyer, asking $10

Rocker/glider chair w glider ottoman, cherry frame, off-white cushions – excel shape, new$250, asking $50 (both)

Large wicker chair with cushion – very comfortable, asking $10

Weber Silver Genesis gas grille, gas bottle – used weekly, but needs new burners/flavorbars/cleaning, asking $25

Grandfather clock – 20+ years old but still works, asking $20

Green wooden dresser – older but used daily, asking $10

White laminate dresser – older but used daily, asking $10

White ratan small dresser – older but used daily, asking $5

Some pictures below…

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2011 McCarthy's German Adventure10

2011 McCarthy's German Adventure 11


24 hours to liftoffWednesday, October 26, 2011We are about 24 hours away from taking a one-way ticket to Germany!

The house is nearly empty and loaded into a 40 foot sea shipping container

We have almost 20 pieces of luggage to get to the airport tomorrow in a 12-passenger

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Econoline van

And we just found out that our house will be rented starting in 3 weeks by a family movingfrom England… they ALSO work for Ford… small world!

I hope that we will actually start using this blog now that we are almost done with the UShalf of our move

Mark

Almost there…Friday, October 28, 2011We are sitting in the Amsterdam Airport SchipholFeels like 2am and the entire family looks very groggyOne more flight to Cologne-Bonn Airport in a couple of hours

Although we never really planned to have 600 pounds of carryon luggage,It was a VERY bad idea!

- Mark

The McCarthy Family has LANDEDFriday, October 28, 2011Very happy to say that the family has arrived in Germany and we are comfortably settlinginto our temporary houseCharley (our dog) is scheduled to arrive tomorrow

We are all struggling with sleep… and we each hit a wall at different timesI personally hit my wall while driving to the grocery store this afternoonI barely made it into the parking lot before passing outI slept in the car the ENTIRE time the family was in shopping!

Our sea shipment is scheuled to arrive in about a monthEverything we own is in a 40 ft by 8 ft by 8 ft steel, airtight containerI learned this week that each cargo ship has 50mm machine guns on the boatsWhy you ask?Not to protect my precious belongings in the event that pirates attackNo no…The gun is used when one of these containers falls off the ship!They shoot the container full of holes with the machine gun so it will sink to the bottom ofthe oceanOtherwise it will float on the surface and potentially damage other boats

I’m hoping that all of my worldly possessions never see the bottom of the Atlantic!

- Mark

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Drifting in German Shopping Carts


Saturday, October 29, 2011Just completed my first grocery trip in Germany

The shopping carts… which cost 1 euro to use but you get the euro back… have FOURswivel wheelsThat is, both front and both rear wheels are free to rotateSo the shopping cart can easily move forward, backward, turn and SLIDE SIDEWAYS!!!

While it is always possible to make a regular shopping cart drift with enough force andspeed…It IS a rare thing to see senior citizens drifting shopping carts in the cheese aisle!

I’m starting to GET the Germans

- Mark

Alarm Clock BirdsSaturday, October 29, 2011When I woke up this morning, our first morning in our temp house in Germany…I found out that the birds around our house make a PERFECT impression of just aboutevery alarm clock I have heardThere were a dozen that made the little beep beep noise…And when all of them are tweeting at once, it sounds just like a Hampton Inn alarm clock

But there was another bird that made a PERFECT impression of an old-school buzzsoundThe kind of alarm clock I had in high school…The kind that made you smile when you finally threw it out

Apparently these alarm-clock-mimicing birds are having a convention in my temporarybackyard

- Mark

McCarthy family did NOT improve the image ofAmericans today&#8...Monday, October 31, 2011We completed a very important step in our move process today…We registered with the city of CologneThis is important because MANY other items have been waiting for this registrationIncluding my ability to work in Germany…Setting up our bank account…Getting a cell phone contract…Etc, etc, etc

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The entire family drove downtown with our biometric pictures ready to presentBut we missed TWO very important details…

1) We forgot our passports!!!!The very patient man that has been helping us reminded us AGAIN that Americans don’tgo into office buildings without passportsAnd we forgot all 5 of themThey were nice enough to process everything except the passports and we returned withthem in a few hours

2) We didn’t know that the registration fee was almost $600 and they only took cash!!!How many people are walking around with $600 in cash in their pockets?Well… it turns out, we did… but just barelyWe emptied every pocket in the family and scraped together $608 in cashJust just just barely made itWe are quickly learning that we need to carry much more cash in Europe than America

NOW we can start about a dozen other processes tomorrow with this paperwork!And most importantly I can go to work on Wednesday

- Mark

Necks Out For Adventure – Origin and SightingTuesday, November 01, 2011Our blog is named ‘necksoutforadventure’ after one of our kids favorite books‘Necks Out for Adventure’ is a childrens book about a Wiggleskin (clam) that leaves theocean to find his familyThe strange thing about the book is that he returns to the ocean in the end… but why fretthe details…

Today while driving through Wittersdorf, we spotted a sign on a buildingIt seemed to be a visual representation of our blog nameWhat do you think?

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- Mark

Sam celebrates his 8th birthday in CologneTuesday, November 01, 2011Sam turned 8 today in Germany

We celebrated by taking the entire family to downtown Cologne

All 5 of us plus Charley… dogs are welcome everywhereWe visited the Dom cathedral…

Walking along the shopping district

Drove along/over the Rhine

And checked out the Roman ruins that are being excavated under the streetsIt was a beautiful day, and the fall colors were simply amazing

And… Sam is REALLY good at his new mini fooseball game (Emma too!)For those about to ask, that is not real beer but yellow gummy bears and whitemarshmallowsCheers to Sam!

sams birthday 2011 072 sams birthday 2011 0042 samsbirthday 2011 0152 sams birthday 2011 0202 samsbirthday 2011 0352 sams birthday 2011 0372

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- Mark

German weed control and keyboardsWednesday, November 02, 2011More interesting things about Germany today

1) They start yard work at 7am sharp!I mean LOUD yard work

2) They don’t use chemicals on their weedsThey use a blow torchI’m not kidding…I saw a guy with a huge blow torch scorching weeds like crazy

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3) The German keyboard is very close toAmericanExcept that the Y and Z keys are swappedAnd the ? Is relocated up on the top rowIt would be easier if they changed EVERYletter… rather than just the Y and ZFor someone named McCarthy, this is

something that will need training

- Mark

Kids really likes Bonn International School!Thursday, November 03, 2011All three kids survived the first day at BISThey came home with good stories, smiles and new friendsSam’s class even made a card for him before he arrived…

sam card inside sam card outside

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- Mark

A short history of the cell phoneThursday, November 03, 2011I should not be complainingI now have a cell phone for workBut this cell phone was introduced in 2007Five calendar years is like 10 GENERATIONS of cell phones

Behold my ‘new’ cell phoneThe good news is that I can heat any cup of coffee within 1 meter of a phone callAnd I can use it to drive nails

- Mark

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I never thought I would miss the sound of myhorn so much…


Friday, November 04, 2011Today I spent an embarrassing 20 minutes looking for my car in a parking lotI am pretty sure that there were no cameras watching me…But in case I show up on some reality show, here is the story

Germany is a very populated and dense placeThere are MANY cars and tight parking lotsThe overwhelming majority of people drive small hatchbacks

Today I parked MY small hatchback in a large parking lotBut I did not pay too much attention to where I parked

When I returned to find my car, I was confident I would find it by using my remote key fobI have become very reliant on the horn beep when pressing the key fob

BUT in Europe there are very strict laws around noise pollutionAnd cars don’t honk or beep with the key fobThey silently flash their lights

So I wandered… and wanderedLooking for my small hatchback in a sea of small hatchbacksHoping to see a light flash

I was not happy

- Mark

Some observationsTuesday, November 08, 2011Just to get an idea for prices here in Germany:* Gas is about $8/gallon* Milk is about $6/gallon* Bottled water is often more expensive than beer* I had to pay 30 cents for one packet of ketchup this weekend at a restaurant* Childrens tennis shoes are >$100 (we are still looking)* There is almost no tipping, just rounding to nearest euro* There is an official church tax that is paid to the government and distributed to thechurches

There are also laws about how to interact with your neighbors. For instance:* You can’t make any noise between 10pm and 7am* You can’t make any noise on Sundays or holidays (no lawn cutting, no music, nothing)* You can use your BBQ once per month and must warn neighbors (might be morestrictly enforced in apartments, but I have not tested yet)

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- Mark

How many trash cans do you have – I haveEIGHT!Wednesday, November 09, 2011Actually, I’m not sure if I am following all of the rulesBut here is what I have found so far

Our house has four trash cans for street pickupThey are colored based on how they are usedI think the right contents are:

• Brown – biodegradeable stuff (peels, egg shells, etc)• Blue – paper• Yellow – plastic wrapping• Green – general

But glass is treated differentlyThere are public glass collection containers throughout the cityThey are again colored and they are three different types:

• White – clear glass• Green – green glass• Brown – brown glass

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But there are also RETURNABLE bottles and cansThey are 25 cents euro per container (about 35 cents each)These are returned for cash at grocery stores

I think that there are actually a couple of additional cans that I am missingBut to be honest, we still have not figured out what days to put what cans by the street!

- Mark

Grocery market fail… OR just collecting greatmemoriesWednesday, November 09, 2011So Tracy went to buy plastic sandwich bagsToppits is the most popular brand… like ZiplocWe were running very short of bagsSo she bought two boxes of Toppits Portionier-EiskugelbeutelThat is 30 bags for the kids lunch

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Easy… right?

Well, it turns out Portionier-Eiskugelbeutel are partitioned ice cube bagsThey are really quite cleverYou can make 20 ice cubes in a bag without the need for ice cube trays

But we don’t need themAnd we now have 30 of them!

If anyone needs some, just let us know…

- Mark

The Joy and Headache of Driving in GermanySaturday, November 12, 2011We are learning how to drive in GermanyAnd it requires some new learning

The first thing we recognized is that timid drivers will be eaten and digestedDriving here is an active and engaging sportIt took about 2 days to realize why cars are tuned for handling rather than soft ride

it is also interesting to note that the laws of physics are constantly challenged hereFor instance, this is an example of a 2 lane roadI’m not kidding… we drive on one like it every dayAnd cars pass each other FAST

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And sometimes it is not just cars but trucksBIG trucks… like THIS!!!It does not seems possible for everything to fit on the roads

It gets even worse in the citiesYou are apparently allowed to park ANYWHEREOn the street, on the sidewalks, on top of other people…

The situation changes when you get to the highway… the motorway… the autobahnEveryone tells me that there is no official speed limit on the autobahnBUT there are speed limit signs that limit your speed in areas around cities

You NEED to pay attentionBecause when you are on the autobahn around cities, the speed limit signs change oftenSometimes it can change several times in a few kilometersIn the course of 5 km, I have seen these signs… so you need to change your speed often

100 kph = 60 mph, 80 kph = 48 mph, 120 kph = 72 mph

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But when you see THIS sign, it means that there is no longer a speed limitThat is when you get the hell out of the left lane and watch some truly impressive speedsI have driven at 150+ kph (90+ mph) in the center lane and cars have whipped past me inthe left lane going at least 230 kph (~140 mph)

But there are sincere requirements as well

Many people in Europe have two sets of tires for their cars and they are required tochange them twice a yearSummer tires have amazing grip for handling, but are horrible for traction in the winterWinter tires have better traction in slippery conditions, but handle worseIf you are in an accident in late fall or winter with summer tires, bad things happen to youby the police… Police look at what tires you are using FIRST when there is an accident incold weather

Speed limits are not just pretty signsThere are speed cameras all over Germany (as I have unfortuntely found by personalexperience)But if you are caught going 30 kph over the speed limit, you will lose your license (alongwith a big fine)

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You are also required to carry a safety kit in your car at ALL timesSafety kits include a reflective safety vest, flares, first aid kit, etcIf you are found without a kit, another fine

Oh… and when there is an accident on the autobahn, they shut it down to do aninvestigationAdds nicely to the traffic nightmare

- Mark

Carnival has started!!!Saturday, November 12, 2011Yesterday was the start of Carnival in CologneEach year, the carnival festival starts at 11:11 am on Novermber 11 But yesterday was aspecial start of carnival because the year is 2011 So the carnival started at 11:11am on11/11/11

I still don’t understand it all, but the event seems to be most significant along the RhineAnd Cologne is the center of the activity… starting in 1341 AD It basically is a crazy partythat lasts from yesterday to the start of lent on Ash WednesdayWith a short break for advent and Christmas

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That is a 3+ MONTH party!

I did not think it was a big deal until last nightI was waiting for a pizza outside of WittersdorfWhile waiting, a friend and I walked across the street to a bar for a beer But when weopened the door to the bar, it was TOTAL mayhem! The place was packed…Everyone was wearing face paint, crazy jewelry, wild costumes Huge hats, the brightestloudest clothes they could findEveryone drunk and drinking heavilyNo sign of stopping any time soon

I hear that the week before Ash Wednesday is when it get the most intense And the dailyparades in downtown Cologne are epic

There are apparently clubs all over Cologne that you can join to participate in CarnivalpartiesAnd people from all over the world join these clubs to come to town and party

There is also a night during the last week of Carnival called Weiberfastnacht (womenscarnival night)Women are allowed to cut off the tie of any man they see that day And they are allowedto kiss any man they see as well

Hopefully we will be armed with video cameras by the Carnival parades And we canshare in the craziness

- Mark

Come see the world’s BEST (only?) giant bananayard sculp...Saturday, November 12, 2011A few kilometers from our temporary house in Wittersdorf, Tracy found a houseIt is in a very nice neighborhood… note the convertible Audi in the drivewayBut in the front yard… is a giant 25 foot banana sculpture!!

We had to drive by several times to get a good pictureIt is actually quite a lifelike sculptureBut it is not subtleNone of the other neighbors are bearing giant fruit displaysThis is not a part of the world that grows bananas

So we have developed the top 5 theories on why the banana is sitting there:

#5 – King Kong retired in this house#4 – A rejected ‘Fruit of the Loom’ guy is buried there#3 – In a country without guns, the slippery peel is used as a home defense weapon#2 – It was originally planned to be a banana split, but the economy crashed before theice cream could be built

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And the #1 theory on why there is a giant 25 foot banana in this front yard…

The house owner is the world’s biggest fan of the ‘Banana phone song’

BTW, good luck getting that song out of your head for the next week

Click on the pictures below to see them bigger… I think they would make an excellentdesktop background

- Mark

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new school… new friends!!Saturday, November 12, 2011Ever since I started to go to classes in the Bonn International School, everyone’s beentrying to meet the new girl. Well it worked because I have sooooo many new, greatfriends already! And, there’s already a dance upcoming friday! So much excitement! YesI do miss everyone at home,… but i am enjoying Europe a ton. Yet I can barely speakgerman…. . i could barely order bread at the bakery!! hahahah yes well we’ll call it"collecting memories". O.k. back to the school; they have actual deer in a gate by theRhine river by the school!! They are too adorable. Plus, the dogs who take walks by therhine. Oh and the rhine is soooo beautiful!! I just wish I could bring all of you here!! Also,ever since the "big banana" sighting, the baby monkey song has been lodged into mybrain. another video for you to watch!!

love, peace, and joy!!~ Chloe McCarthy

Where can kids be VERY loud on a Sunday…Sunday, November 13, 2011… in a homemade four square court in the basement!

We were not very popular today screaming in the local parkSo Emma made a four square court in the basement with masking tape And they can beas loud as they want as long as they want

And this is not what I remember of four square in my youthThis involves the person in square 1 (the ace) barking rules before each game And therules are rattled off fast and furious… and they change DURING the game

Here are the rules that I have been trying to learn…

Double hits – you can hit it twice per turnOne bounce – only bounce once in your squareAce wedgie – the next person to have a ball land in their square gets a wedgie

No cherry bombs – you can’t take the ball and slam dunk it from overhead

Storytime – everyone runs to the center to act out a story, last one out

Flamingo – everyone runs to the outside corner and lifts their feet like a flamingo, last oneoutGame of luck – everyone turns around and the ace randomly selects one person to gethit in the butt with the ballTrampoline – any empty square is just like a trampoline… fair play

Black hole – any empty square is just like a black hole… out of bounds

No baby bumps – no tiny hits that just dribble across the line Power off – no hard throwsElectric lines – if you bounce it on the line, it is out of bounds

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Popeye – everyone plays with only one eye openTwo fingers – you can only hit the ball with two fingers, no open hands

Holding on – ok to catch and hold the ballBobbling on – you can hit the ball in the air multiple times on a play

Kitty corner – everyone must instantly run to the outside corner and make the cornershape with their feet, last one outBody parts on – you can hit the ball with any body part, not just your hands

Body part on – if the ball hits anything other than your hands, the ball is dead and thegame restarts

I’m hoping that we can start playing for allowance soon

- Mark

four square up four square action foursquare last four square mid

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How much did you pay to use a restroom today?


Sunday, November 13, 2011Family was at the mall yesterday (RhineCenter) to get Chloe some new shoes for amiddle school dance this weekSam FORGOT to go to the bathroom before we leftAgain

The good news is that there was a public restroom at the mallThe bad news is that we had to pay 30 cents to use itThere is a restroom attendant on duty full time to keep the restroom clean

Change can be overwhelming in Europe because 1 euro and 2 euro currency is coins…Along with everything smaller than 1 euro also in coinsWe have a bowl of change in the house that must be worth a small car at this point…But none of us have pockets big enough to hold the coins!!!

So I had to pay for Sam to use the restroom with a 5 euro bill (about $7)And my punishment was to get 4.70 euro in return… all in coinsI made Sam carry them in his pocket

euro coins more euro coins

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- Mark

Living above the 45th parallelMonday, November 14, 2011While driving around this past weekend under sunny skies, I noticed something strangeI could NEVER block out the sun with my sun visorNo matter how long the day went into the afternoonThe sun crossed the sky on a very low pathIt was never really overheadThe entire day was sort of duskish… very long shadows all day long

So I looked it upAnn Arbor is at around 42 degrees latitudeCologne is at around 51 degrees latitudeI didn’t realize that I was living above the 45 degrees latitude!It makes a difference!!!

Then I took a look at the path of the sun across the sky on the winter solsticeWhich takes place in a few weeksNotice how far the sun is above the head of the little manIt might not look large in the graph, but it sure feels very different

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- Mark

Peanuts and ElevatorsTuesday, November 15, 2011As a big fan of shelled peanuts, I was happy to find them in the grocery store last weekBUT…The overwhelming majority of peanuts in the shell here are 3 peanuts per shellI’m not kidding… an entire bag of 3 peanut shells!!In the US, it was an occasion for celebration when I could find a 3 peanut shellBags of peanuts in the US are 2 peanut shells primarilyShould I be suspicious of how these peanuts were grown?

I also need to write in permanent marker on my hand…In Germany, the first floor means the first floor ABOVE the ground floorThat is, first floor Germany = Second floor USSecond floor Germany = Third floor USZero floor Germany = First floor USI have not figured out what the basement is calledI’m too busy subtracting one from the floor on my directions

- Mark

Tracy drives from Ann Arbor to Los Angelesevery week now!!!Wednesday, November 16, 2011That might not be exactly correctBut given the amount of time she spends in the car driving the kids to school now…She could drive from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles EACH WEEK, and still not spend asmuch time as she does now in the car

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Our temporary house is northwest of CologneThe school that the kids attend is southeast of BonnOur permanent house will be very close to the school, but the temporary house is very faraway

The temporary house is owned by Ford and is intended for exactly this purposeTo provide an inexpensive (cheaper than a hotel) place to stay for a month before thesea shipment arrivesThis temporary house is very close to work for me (15 minute drive)But is is MISERABLE for Tracy

Google maps says that it should take 45 minutes to drive the kids to schoolAnd on a quiet weekend afternoon, we have actually beaten that timeBut during a normal weekday morning or evening… the drive can EASILY take 1 hour 30min… 1 hour 45 min… or 2 hours!!The traffic is absolutely and completely horriffic… on every single roadShe has tried just about every route, backroad, dirt road, illegal shortcut, etc

And Tracy needs to make that drive TWICE A DAY!!!

You might say… why not just stay down by school during the day and save the doubletrip?Good question…

But you have not met our dog CharleyHere is the rubIf Tracy did not come home between drives to school, Charley would be alone for almost12 hoursAnd if Tracy took Charley with her, Charley would get sick in the car every 20 minutesI’m not kidding. It is gross

So we are two weeks into Tracy’s great adventure with her new Smax and navigationThe current question is whether we move into an EMPTY permanent house to be closerto schoolOr keep our nicely furnished temporary house and endure the drive

Oh yeah…And the kids wake up at 5:30am to start this trip and don’t get home until around 5:30pm

Just glad it is temporary

- Mark

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I am purposely giving my family rat poisonThursday, November 17, 2011We just found out that there is no fluoride in the water in GermanyAnd a couple of people told us that their kids had many cavities in the first year without it

So we are looking into substitutes… like mouthwash with fluoride and salt with fluorideThere is a big market for salt with fluoride hereBut sodium fluoride used to be used as rat poison, didn’t it?I guess any large amount of fluoride is bad for you, but smaller amounts are goodBut to have it in our salt???

I have also learned that German restaurants are not allowed to use fluoride salt… onlyregular saltHmmm…

- Mark

No screens = bugs!Friday, November 18, 2011I am completely fascinated by the windows in GermanyAt some point soon, we will be able to share our own videos on things like thisBTW, I don’t know the people in these videos… just for description

The first really great feature is called The RolladenThey are installed on just about every window or glass door in GermanyIt is a very secure and efficient built-in shading systemThey are made of metal and provide great protection and block the sun completely!

The second great feature is that windows (and glass doors) open from the side…AND tilt from the topIt is all operated by a simple handle and some very cool and precise mechanisms in the

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window frameVery fast and easy

BUT I have not seen a single screen on any windowsSo when you open a window, there is no way to stop the bugsWhich is not a huge deal in the late fall/winter… but spring is right around the corner!

And I have not seen venting fans in the bathrooms (maybe due to German noise laws)So you need to open the windows often to vent the shower steam

I am going to start a German flyswatter companyI figure retirement will be just around the corner!!

- Mark

Autobahn ExperimentSaturday, November 19, 2011While driving to Bonn last night for Chloe’s school dance…I found myself on an isolated stretch of the autobahn

The speed limits change often, so you need to pay attentionBut then I saw the UNLIMTED speed limit signAnd cars started flying past me in the left lane

I decided to figure out how fast cars normally go on unlimited autobahnSo I took chased down a BMW, Porsche and Mercedes to pace them

My experiment concluded that they were going 180 kph (about 110 mph)Which is actually pretty comfortable on these roads

But the hardest part of driving on the roads here is keeping track of the speed limitsThey change often, and speeding fines are bigIf you are caught going 30 kph over the speed limit, you lose your license

I found that the Ford Focus that I am driving has a very clever solution for thisIt has a video camera in the front that actually READS the speed limit signsAnd it displays the most recent speed limit sign on the dash board

So if you don’t know what the speed limit is on a given roadYou just look at the dash and it tells you the last speed limit sign you passedAnd it works really really wellIt can read speed limit signs at 180 kphEspecially helpful is the speed limit sign says 120 kph and you are driving 180 kph!!!Not that I have had that experience myself…

- Mark

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When your crib is a castle!Sunday, November 20, 2011We were invited over to spend some time with new friends here in Germany last night

Larry and Danielle moved to Germany from Michigan about 3.5 years ago

And with their two kids, they moved into a castle!

I’m not talking about a nicely decorated house that sort of looks like a castle if you squintfrom a distance

I’m talking about a REAL castle… it is called Wasserburg Geyen… or Burg Geyen… orThat-Really-Kickin-Castle if you ask my kids

It was simply stunning… here is what I remember

The foundation was built in the 1300′s but the original wood structure burned long ago

The current brick/cement structure was built in 1600′s

I’ll do the math for you… almost 400 years old… ok that really wasn’t math…

It is a huge (4+ stories +attic) structure in the shape of a square

With a courtyard in the middle, a moat and a bridge over the moat

It is still privately owned and the massive square footage (I guessed at over 25,000 sqft… but really not sure) is divided into many different usages

In addition to the house that they live in, there are other sections that people live in… stillother sections used for farmers markets and Christmas markets… some workspaces…conference rooms

It is a very eclectic collection in the castle

Their house is 4 or 5 floors tall (depending on how you count half floors and nooks) onthe corner of the castle

Their rooms overlook the moat… A MOAT!

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Each floor has one or two rooms, but it has been updated to modern house standards

Except the walls are 3+ feet thick!!!!

…which really comes in handy when you are under attack by cannonballs… it is unclearif that is still a common concern in the area

There is no elevator… so there is plenty of stair climbing all day

I was only there one evening and I’m convinced my thighs are a good inch larger indiameter

This house layout should be the new fitness craze… 5 flights of stairs to your room eachday!

It is hard to describe how much charm and history drips from this place

There might be drawbacks to living in an old castle, but it was hard for me to find…although I was only there for one evening

Here is some info about the castle from the German Wikipedia site… I let Googletranslate the text to save you the step:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasserburg_Geyen

The Geyener Squire Castle (castle also Geyen Geyener or water castle) is a former watercastle in the district Pulheimer Geyen, since 14 Century there. It lies on the northernoutskirts Geyens direction Pulheim.

The Geyener Wasserburg is a nearly square structure. The arrangement of the buildingreflects its former role as Zollhof on the border of the Electorate of Cologne and Jülichterritories. At the northern and western corner of the courtyard are a round and arectangular tower. The courtyard is reached via a stone bridge on the north side, sincethe castle was once surrounded on all four sides of trenches, which the Pulheimer fedcreek. There are still slots for the chains of a drawbridge earlier identified. [1]

Up to a half-timbered buildings are all brick. [2]

History [edit] Since 1337 there is an estate from a known documented reference. Wellthis is the forerunner of today’s castle and acted as Squire Zollhof at the Cologne-jülischborder. As was the old Tollhof Canishof or sold in 1443 by owner John of Canis to thepatrician family of Cologne Judd, tore it from him and built the present castle Junker.

After a fire in 1664, the castle of brick in the baroque style was built. This building hasbeen preserved to this day.

According to Judd were the lords of Frentz and Grass (from Fliesteden) owner of thecastle. From 1784, when the court went back to one of Mr. Frentz, he was farmed by aHalfen. 1855 sold the last aristocratic owner of the property, it is now in middle-classproperty [1].

Here are some additional pictures from wikipedia

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http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasserburg_Geyen


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Burg_Geyen?uselang=de

Square layout with courtyard in the middle… you can see the bridge on the top of thepicture…

Our kids absolutely loved the Burg Geyen

And they are convinced that ANYTHING that we live in now will pale in comparison

So I’d like to thank Larry and Danielle for having us over for a great evening

And ruining ANY chance that I have of setting reasonable expectations on our nexthouse!

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category


- Mark

Turkey PhysicsMonday, November 21, 2011We missed Halloween due to the flight to EuropeAnd we are working to recover some form of Thanksgiving

This is a full work week in GermanySo Thanksgiving will be celebrated in the McCarthy family on SaturdayI’m not sure if the pilgrims would approveBut I have not had a pilgrim sighting in quite some time…

Finding a turkey for our modified Thanksgiving has not been super easyTracy thinks she has a lead on a 12 lb bird from a butcher that raises them

But the bigger issue is that we will need to cook the turkey in our temporary houseAnd the oven is not what you would call large… or even medium

So the question at the moment is…WILL IT FIT IN THE OVEN?!?!?!?

We actually don’t have a backup planIf the turkey does not get delivered…Or if it does not fit in the oven…We might just order pizzaIt is, afterall, just another Saturday inGermany

The details on how to get the ingredients tomake a pumpkin pie are even more sortedBut that is for another postIt almost feels like we are making an illegalpumpkin pie!

- Mark

New home away from home away from home…Tuesday, November 22, 2011New officeNote the decorative water bottle and bag of clementines… To give the impression that I am eating healthy at work

This is where I spend most of my time when away from my German home… When awayfrom my Michigan home

Office needs some personalityWondering how the basketball net will be accepted

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- Mark

High fashion in safety shoes!Tuesday, November 22, 2011The first floor of the Acoustic Center (building I work in) is a large workshop Chassisdynos, quiet rooms, garage space, metal shopsIt is a requirement to wear safety shoes to walk on the first floor So I was provided withFord-issued safety shoes

Behold the ultimate fashion in safety shoesYes… These are steel toed shoesAND they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever wornI’m not kidding

I sort of want to find out how to get Ford-issues safety glasses Just to see if they haveD&G printed on the side

- Mark

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Germany is heaven for an NVH (noise, vibration,harshness) engineer


Wednesday, November 23, 2011The majority of my career is focused around making vehicles quietAnd I think that Germany might just be heaven for NVH engineers

Not only do they have very strict rules against making noise on SundayI found out today that there are many other rules on noise as well

For example, let’s say that you enjoy building and flying model airplanesThe kind of planes that have little motor engines

You are required by law to measure the sound of your airplane to make sure it is belowthe standardAND you are required to only fly it far away from populated areasApparently electric engine airplanes are more popular for that reason

NVH engineers rejoice!!!

- Mark

AREA TO AVOID THIS AFTERNOONThursday, November 24, 2011Have I mentioned that there are some aspects to living abroad that are hard to get usedto

I got this (surprisingly casual) email todayThe Bonn-IS is the Bonn International SchoolThe school that Chloe, Emma and Sam attend

[email protected]:02 AM (6 hours ago)

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to undisclosed recipientsDEAR ALLSECURITY HAS JUST INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAS BEEN A BOMB THREAT ATTHE TELECOM COMPLEX ON THE BEUEL SIDE OF THE RIVER. THE POLICE HAVECORDONED OFF A LARGE AREA INCLUDING THE ADENAUER BRIDGE THATCROSSES OVER FROM THE RHEINAUE PARK TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THERHINE.I DO EMPHASIZE THAT THE SCHOOL IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS BUT YOU MAYWANT TO AVOID THIS AREA AND TAKE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO/FROM THESCHOOL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

American music everywhereThursday, November 24, 2011The majority of the music that I hear on German radio is AmericanWIDE mix of current and past, rock and rap and pop

I rarely hear music that I don’t recognize from AmericaAnd when I do hear something new, it is… well… different

I drove through Belgium todayAnd I heard German, Dutch, French and English stationsI need to learn German faster!

A Day in BelgiumThursday, November 24, 2011I spent most of the day today in BelgiumFord has a large test track thereAnd I needed to attend a drive evaluation event

Belgium is really stunningThey have these very majestic and beautiful trees…That look like they are permanently windsweptI took a picture to share

belgium trees

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And on the way from the trackI drove through some very isolated woodsAnd saw this really fantatsic Belgian foxHe was just staring at me along the side of the road

belgium fox

Oh wait…I forgot that it was pitch black when I arrived at the track this morningAnd pitch black when I left in the afternoon!!!!!Did I mention that there really is less light above the 45th parallel

The sun seems to be elusive this time of year

While I hope to return to Belgium in the daylight again soonHere is an overhead of the test track from Google mapsVery large facility with dozens of different road coursesI still get lost in there each time I go…But don’t tell anybodyI’m supposed to be an ‘expert’…

lommel proving grounds

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Ice cream celebration at ikea


Friday, November 25, 2011After a two hour ikea shopping trip for lighting fixtures,ice cream from machine seemed appropriate

- Mark

Is towing common in Europe?Saturday, November 26, 2011YESI am surpised at the number of cars…Passenger cars…Small passenger cars…That have hitches on the back

And I have seen them towing small trailers on the roadsJust this morning, I saw two cars with hitches on a short walkThey mostly look like this

hitch2 hitch1

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Why so many ugly, black, steel wheels?Saturday, November 26, 2011Cars are uglier this time of year hereI have noticed itMany many cars, including expensive cars, are running around with black, steel wheelsOld, rusty steel wheels… no hubcaps

I’m not talking about 10%… More like 50%Here is what I saw on a 300 yard walk through our neighborhood to the bakery thismorning

steel wheels 4 steel wheels 3 steelwheels 2 steel wheels 1

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Why so ugly?Are cars here catching an ugly disease?Is someone stealing all of the beautiful cast aluminum wheels?Is this some new anti-theft strategy, like the SNL Chameleon XLE (kudos to those thatremember that skit about a luxury interior protected by the ugliest, rusted exterior)?

NBC blocked all videos of the skit, but transcript is herehttp://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92fchameleon.phtmlMy favorite lines:"Under the hood, a simulated transmission-fluid drip whispers, ‘Hey, not worth thetrouble’""A broken taillight repaired with duct tape. Standard.""Three mismatched wheel covers, and one exposed rim in school-bus yellow. Standard."

The reason for the ugly wheels is that Europeans LOVE to drive carsGiven the tight, twisty roads… it is important to have a good handling carBut generally there is a great passion for driving a car that handles well

And in the summer months, special tires are put on cars that provide excellent handlingThey are called… brace yourself… "summer tires"A very clever name

These summer tires have a special tread pattern and rubber compound that is pretty stiffThey look like this

summer tire 2 summer tire

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http://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92fchameleon.phtml


But these tires become a nightmare in the winterWhen the weather turns cold, the rubber compound is too stiff to provide gripAnd the tread pattern is very poor in the snowSo Europeans need a SECOND set of tires for their car that get installed in the wintermonths

These are called… you know what is coming… "winter tires"They are typically mounted on cheap, black, steel wheels to avoid the cost of remountingwinter tires on pretty aluminum wheelsYou will actually get fined heavily if you are involved in an accident in the winter monthswith summer tires on your car

Winter tire rubber compounds are much softer so they retain grip in the cold weatherBut this soft compound stays very soft in the summer and they wear very fast in thesummerAnd they handle like pooThe tread is unique and looks like this:

winter tire 2 winter tire

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Of course, there is a compromiseFor those that don’t want to change tirestwice a yearOr don’t care about how well their carhandlesThere are all season tires that can be usedall year but don’t do anything especiallywell

Before my very talented vehicle dynamicscolleagues despute every word in mydescription aboveI must say that this is an overly simplifiedversion of tire physicsI’m not smart enough to understand thedetailed version… so this will have to do

I’m looking forward to the warmer months when the cars regain their pretty wheels!

- Mark

Tschuss – use it today and sound COOL!Saturday, November 26, 2011TschussThis is a word that I have heard constantly since I have been in GermanyIt is an informal goodbye… or ‘so long’… or cheerioIt is always said in a high, light toneUsed in business and causal environments

It sounds COOL and funBut I could not figure out how to pronounce it correctlyFor weeks!!!So I have been avoiding it… like it would give me hives if I pronounced it wrong

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It sort of sounds like ‘cheers’But it also sounds like ‘chews’But no matter how hard I mislaigned my mouth and teeth and tongue, I could not get itrightI tried gritting my teethI tried pursing my lipsNothing

It was not until my new German teacher wrote the word down that I figured it outI was missing the fact that the first letter was a TI thought that the first letter (and sound) was a C or CHI have learned that every letter in a German word is pronounced… nothing is silentNo tricks!!!

By the way, there are some LONG German words and this can be intimidatingHerzkreislaufwiederbelebung (heart-circle-run-again-enlivenment) = C.P.R.Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung = speed limitGeschwindigkeitsberschreitung = speeding (noun)Hoechsgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung = maximum speed limitGepckaufbewahrungsschein (luggage-up-hold-certificate) = luggage check ticketHubschrauberlandeplatz = helicopter landing padFederkraftlichtbogenschweien – arc weldingEisenbahnknotenpunkthinundherschieber – railroad switchmanWindschutzscheibewaschanlage – windshield wiper squirterRolltreppenbenutzungshinweise – tip for using escalatorVerantwortungszustndigkeiten – area of responsibilityRindfleischetikettierungsberwachungsaufgabenbertragungsgesetz – law for labeling beefEvery letter pronounced!!!

But back to tschussGive it a try… start by making the T sound with your tongueThen let it roll into a ‘sch’ sound… sort of like escaping steamThen end with a ‘uss’But you sound very cool if you change tone on the ‘uss’ syllableSome go higher pitch on the ‘uss’ syllableSome go lower pitch on the ‘uss’ syllableSome keep the same pitch on the ‘uss’ syllable

For the adventurous and advanced, I have heard 3 or more notes used when sayingtschuss

It is almost like a little one-word songI am undecided but will experiment today

Off to get ready for a Thanksgiving meal (several days late)Tschuss!

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Can your shopping cart do THIS?Saturday, November 26, 2011Here is what you can do with shopping cars in GermanyA caster at each wheel lets you go forward-backward…Sideways…Drift…And…

Time Running out at Alte SandkaulSaturday, November 26, 2011We are currently living in a temporary house on Alte Sandkaul (street name)The house is owned by Ford and used for exactly this purposeWe have been here for one month, and plan to move into our permanent house inanother weekSo our time here is short

The house is actually three apartments separated by wallsEach apartment is fully furnished with a kitchen, backyard, basement, laundry, 1.5 bath,beds, linenNot bad… but we are anxious to get into our permanent home

So… our last week here

The full house12a, 12b (our portion) and 12c all in a rowand connected

The entrance to just 12b (our place)

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The garden/backyard… fenced in

Kitchen – currently getting ready to make athanksgiving meal

Living room

Thanksgiving in GermanySunday, November 27, 2011Tracy did it!She pulled off a very successful thanksgiving in Germany last night

You might say… big dealMillions of people have a thanksgiving dinner

But consider this…Turkeys are not readily availableTracy had to find a rural butcher (spoke no English) and order a whole turkey

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Pumpkins are apparently considered poisonous here, because you can’t find themTracy had to special order pumpkin from out of the back of a truckSame thing went for ingredients to make sweet potatoesTracy had to find special American stores just to find brown sugar

Add to that the fact that our temporary house had no cooking pan, potato masher,thermometer, basterNo english measuring cupSmall ovenA kitchen sink that drains VERY slowlyEnough cups, plates, silverware and chairs to seat only 4 peopleAND we had 10 people invited!!!!

It was a feat, and it went well

Our “Thanksgiving” involved our family and the Antals (living in Alte Sandkaul 12C for afew weeks)Antals included Jim, Maureen, Olivia, Avery and CallieThe Antals helped in the food preparation… which was GREATLY appreciated Antalsbrought appetizers, brownies, drinks and helped cook the food that did not fit in our oven!

In addition to great food, we had some other help in creating the moodThe Macy’s Day Parade was recorded and played back on slingbox for morningpreparationPandora was used to pipe Christmas music during the dayThe Lions/Packers game was recorded and played on slingbox in the afternoonAND we watched Michigan FINALLY beat Ohio State live over the slingbox in theeveningA noon Michigan game starts at 6pm here

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving

raw turkey the spread the feast 2 thefeast dessert2 dessert glucksklee

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Maybe the most important part of Thanksgiving is not GluckskleeWhipped cream

Ketchup as ArbitrageSunday, November 27, 2011Who wants to be a millionaire?!?!

Arbitrage = the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or moremarkets, and collecting a profit from that price difference

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I may not have the entire business situation figured outBut I have a great and scalable idea

Here is the core – ketchup costs more in Germany than America… MUCH more

I can’t get ketchup when I eat out without paying for it

Start with this the German sideKetchup packets are twice as big as inAmericaIn America, ketchup packets are roughly 10gramsIn Germany, ketchup packets are roughly20 gramsCost in Germany is 42 cents ($US) for a 20gram packetSo if I can get American 10 gram packets toGermany for less than 21 cents ($US)There is profit

So the target is to get American packets forless than 21 cents

First consideration is how to get them to GermanyAn extra bag of luggage on Delta for internationalflights is $150 for a max 70 lb bagYou can fit 3200 American ketchup packets in a 70lb bag of luggageSo shipping a packet to Germany is $150/3200 = ~5cents per packet

Profit per packet is now 21 – 5 = 16 cents

Now we need to get the packetsThe high-morality method is to by them in bulk fromrestrauant supply storesThey will supply a 500 count box for $26 plus $12shippingThat is 7.5 cents per packet

Profit this way would be 21 – 5 – 7.5 = 8.5 cents per packet

BUT, we all know that there is another wayThere are certain ways to get American ketchup packets MUCH less expensiveThink freeI’m not going to explicitly type how to do this, but it is possibleIn this case profit per packet is the full 16 cents

bk w mcd

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How much profit is there in one suitcase?High-moral method is 3200 * 8.5 cents =$272 per suitcaseLow-moral method is 3200 * 16 cents =$512 per suitcase

That is $500 profit per suitcaseScale the business up to one suitcase perday

And that is $15,000 per month!!

I’m looking for investors and mulesPlease signup belowRetirement is VERY close now

Will it explode?Monday, November 28, 2011I’d like to start by saying…I am not making this up

It has not rained in this part of Germany in almost 2 months

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At least, not enough rain to make a differenceSo the area is going through a droughtAnd the Rhine river is at the lowest level in 100 yearsParts of the Rhine are less than 4 feet deep!!!And ships travel up and down the Rhine all day that look like this

ship on rhine ship on rhine 4 Barge on theRhine River between France and Germanynear Frieberg, Germany. ship on rhine 2

But with the low levels of the riverThey are finding all sorts of little buried treasuresLike UNEXPLODED WWII BOMBS!!!!

BIG bombsBombs big enough to evacuate 40,000 people in the city of KoblenzSO THEY CAN EXPLODE IT THIS WEEKEND IN THE RIVER!!!!

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Koblenz is about 60 km down the Rhinefrom Bonn International School (BIS)BIS is the school that Chloe, Emma andSam attendRight on the Rhine riverThe same r iver STILL COVERINGUNEXPLODED WWII BOMBS!! !

Lest you think that I am still making this upI offer you references

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/8920347/Second-World-War-bomb- leads- to-mass-evacuat ion-of -German- town.html

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,799226,00.html

I have been trying to figure out how to use ‘lest’ in writing for awhile…I wonder how close I can get to Koblenz when they detonate the bombAnyone know how to post German bail?

- Mark

Buy ”insert your country here”Tuesday, November 29, 2011Ran across some interesting data about EuropeThe data is related to car salesWhich is an occupational theme for me…

The sales suggest a strong nationalistic trend in auto buyingWhich I find interesting, because there are MANY auto makers in EuropeAnd there are some really good cars hereReadily available in the various countries

So it might be reasonable to think that every auto makers gets an equal share in acompetitive environmentBut the data does not show that

Take a look at which countries buy the most cars within EuropeThe top 4 are:* Germany* France* United Kingdom* Italy

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/8920347/Second-World-War-bomb-leads-to-mass-evacuation-of-German-town.html




http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,799226,00.html


Cars are generally available in each country, but look at the dominant sales

In Germany, Germany brands (VW,Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Skoda) dominateTogether, they own almost 2/3 of the autosales in the countryAnd Mercedes, Audi and BMW make up over1/3!!!!!Germany is an economic powerhouse andthey have money

In France, French brands (Renault, Peugeot,Citroen) dominateTogether, they own almost 2/3 of the auto salesin the country

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In Italy, Italian brands (Fiat, Alpha Romeo) makeup 40%

Now the United Kingdom is interestingThere are no real national auto companies leftJaguar/Land Rover is now owned by Tata(Indian industrial giant)Interestingly, Ford does well hereWe have engineering and manufacturing there

It is encouraging to see national pride

Istanbul, not ConstantinopleWednesday, November 30, 2011I know you are humming the song in your head…

I am in Istanbul tonight for workThe city claims to have 17 million people and I believe itThe hundreds of miles of dense buildings and traffic are immense

To get to our hotel, we had to cross a bridge that separates Europe from Asia This is thefirst time I have DRIVEN from Europe to AsiaHotel on Asia side

Security is very highOur vehicle had to be searched including underneath with mirrors before entering parkinglotAnd I had to go thru an airport style luggage and person scan just to enter the lobby

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Nice room but…There is a WINDOW from the bed area to the bathroom…Looks thru shower to toiletYou can close with a mirrorBut why a window?

Tomorrow we drive to a ford facility to work for the day

- Mark

If you had to be without one item for a day, whatwould bother you ...Thursday, December 01, 2011Your cell phone?Your car?Your house keys?

Today I was required to be without my passportAnd it was very stressful!!Not having a passport is a big deal

This morning I visited our joint partnership with otosanThe Turkish Arm of ford

The office is located in a small tax free parcel of land … Which is actually a differentcountry within turkey!!!It has maybe a dozen high tech businessesBut when you enter, you need to give guard your passport

It was a huge relief to get my passport backVery interesting tax loophole in turkey

- Mark

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Istanbul – a stunning cityFriday, December 02, 2011

I just returned from a business trip inTurkeyI stayed in Istanbul, and I was absolutelyblown away by the cityThe Ford site was located in Gebze (halfhour East of the city)

This is not a history lesson, and it might notall be accurateBut the little that I found in my short trip wasfantastic

Istanbul is currently around 17 million peopleIt is simply enormousI drove hundreds of kilometers and only saw dense, tall buildingsAnd massive construction to keep upTraffic is massive

The traffic is so bad, that people expect to sit on the highways for hoursPeople take advantage and walk between the lanes on the highways selling thingsI could have purchased from the window of our car on the highway:

• Pretzels• Bananas• Flowers• Water• Animal fur vests• Wooden backgammon sets• Fake noses with lights on them• Just about anything you can think of

But the most amazing thing is that is a city with rich historyAnd the history in the city is not separated in sections for touristsPeople are actually living in it allWith that population, they might not have a choice!

Here are some things I found out…

The West side of Istanbul is on theEuropean continentThe East side of Istanbul is on the AsiancontinentDespite being an established and activecity for thousands of yearsThe FIRST bridge to connect the twohalves was constructed in 1973… 1973!!!Before that, it was only ferriesThe second bridge was built in 1988

And that is IT!!!!

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Two bridges for 17 million people… hence some traffic issues

They are constructing a third way to get across the waterIt is an underwater train tunnel to connect the two halvesBut as they were installing the tunnel they ran into an issue

Istanbul has a well-known history for the last 4000 years… that is 4 with 3 zerosBut as they were installing the tunnel, the found ANOTHER city buried in the waterIt slowed construction, but they found that there is ANOTHER 2000 years of history thereThat is an active city for 6000 years!!!!!Found this from the History Channel

This city has been the capital of three massive empiresIt has been under siege for control for centuriesThe most coveted area is called the Golden HornIt is a peninsula that extends into the water between the cityIt is the oldest part of the cityAnd there are great stories about the defense and fall of the Golden Horn

I heard that the waterway just north of the Great Horn is badly pollutedAnd a few years ago the city wanted to hire a company to clean up the harborA company told the city that they would clean up the harbor for FREEIF they were able to keep whatever they found under the harbor waterTheir bid was flatly turned downI can’t imagine what is under that harbor

I took a ferry across the harbor to the old city one night for dinnerThe pictures don’t do it justice

old city from ferry ferry

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We drove through the center of the city on Thursday night after dinnerDinner lasts 3 hours minimumAnd it was nearly midnight when we drove throughAnd it was absolutely aliveThousands of people walking aroundEvery shop open… selling food, flowers, etcIt literally felt like nothing ever closed

I am looking forward to another trip there soon

- Mark

Pegasus Airlines Safety VideoFriday, December 02, 2011Took Pegasus Airlines from Istanbul to Dusseldorf todayHere is the safety video that they played at the beginning of the flightBest one yet in my opinion…

Groovy floor tileFriday, December 02, 2011Found this tile in a lobby of a building in IstanbulFound it to be quite coolBut it might get distracting after a few years, eh?

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Luggage wrapFriday, December 02, 2011At the Dusseldorf airport, there is this machine that wraps your luggageIt is very quick… wraps your luggage in many layers of plasticIt costs a few bucks

I declinedSeems a bit odd to pay a few bucks to wrap luggage that only cost $13 new!

Rigel seafood restaurantFriday, December 02, 2011I ate dinner at the Rigel restaurant in Istanbul on Wednesday nightIt was a 4 hour meal with many coursesBut the main course was fish

We picked out two massive fish (about 15pounds each)The fish was packed in salt and cookedIt was presented to the table engulfed inflames

And then the salt coating was removed withchisels

It was the best seafood I have ever eaten.Full stop.

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The final move has begun!!Saturday, December 03, 2011We now have keys to our permanent house in Bad Godesberg near Bonn Today wemoved three car loads of stuff thereOne more trip tomorrow and we are out of temporary housing

Our furniture arrives on MondayBut there is a problem…Of course…

There is a conference on Afganistan in Bonn next weekMajor political figures comingHighways shut downMassive demonstrations planned4000 police deployed for security

And our school is right in itOr at least in the traffic of it

So to insure kids are at school and we are at the house Monday morn for movers We areconsidering the unthinkableOr maybe the stupid

We are considering spending Sunday night at the new houseWithout beds or chairs or carpets or sleeping bags or rugsJust five people and tile floors

There are already clever bed proposalsBut I am not sure which will actually happenWill we fill the bathtubs with coats and towels?Will we use duffel bags of clothes as mattresses?Will we go old school and tough it out on tile?

We can do anything for one night, right?

My money is that at least one of us…Maybe the oldest and most weathered…Will be looking for back pain medicine in the morning

In fact, I should go find some nowNothing is open on Sunday’s!!!

- Mark

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First night at permanent houseSunday, December 04, 2011We moved out of temp housing todayMoved everything into our permanent houseBut there is no furniture yetThat hopefully comes tomorrow

So for tonightWe eat on the tile floorEach of us used a short stack of magazines for a chairThe magazines worked surprisingly well…

There are still heated debates on how we will sleepCharley the dog thinks we are all spoiledShe might be rightBut we didn’t battle to the top of the food chain to sleep on tile!!!!

Charley is laughing at meMaybe I, personally, am not really at top offood chain

- Mark

A goodbye gift from alte sandkaulSunday, December 04, 2011On my LAST time pulling out of the alte sandkaul streetI accidentally backed into a decorative rock on the side of the road Stop laughing – thatsucker was in invisible mode!!But why would a DECORATIVE rock be invisible?!?!

The best part was that EVERYONE was out to witness itLike the pope was going to drive by or somethingLuckily I gave them something even more memorable

Maybe they won’t notice it when I turn in the smaxWhat are the odds the lease return garage hires blind people?

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- Mark

Free advice, backed by experienceSunday, December 04, 2011When you need to spend significant time in a house with NO chairs at all Here are the topfive most comfortable things to sit onIn ascending order…

5. Stack of magazines4. Stairs3. Hard luggage2. Soft luggage

And the number one most comfortable place to sit in a house without chairs… 1. Toilet

There is actually a lottery for the toilet seat until the furniture arrives

- Mark

Best of intentionsSunday, December 04, 2011A few weeks ago, we setup a four square court in basement of temp house with maskingtape Helped to burn energy on quiet Sundays and rainy daysIt was no ordinary court

It was the best four square court in GermanySetup in a basementBy expatsIn fall 2011Near cologneOn alte sandkaul

But don’t hold me to that claim

It was brilliant until…

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We had to take off the masking tape to moveAnd big chunks of the paint on the floor came offCoincidentally in the shape of a four square court

Any bets on how much I will be charged to repaint the floor?It was totally worth it to have invented the ace wedgie rule for international four squareAce wedgie is a special rule invented in the basementThat lets the server give a wedgie to next person to touch the ball

Today… Ace wedgieTomorrow… World peace

- Mark

Furniture is here but there was a casualtyMonday, December 05, 2011Somehow this German truck driver maneuvered THIS massive truck into the front of ourhouse I can barely get my focus down the side street to the houseBut look at this ninja driving move!!

The unpack was impressiveIt took four guys three days to pack our stuff in MichiganIt took three guys eight hours to unpack, assemble and cleanup Wow

I still can’t figure out why we packed some of this junkWe are swimming in a sea of boxesHope to be fully operational by the end of the week

Internet gets hooked up Wednesday and everyone agrees that it is a higher priority thanfinding a grocery store!!! But not more important than toilet paperThere are still some universal truths

The casualty was a bubble gum machine

Totally destroyed

But no gumballs were hurt in this causalty!

- Mark

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Expert truck driving


Wednesday, December 07, 2011I still cannot figure out how they got thattruck close to our house Our entire life wasin that cargo box

- Mark

Noon rainbowWednesday, December 07, 2011

Rainbows typically occur in the eveningwhen the sun is low in the sky Here is anoon rainbow out of my office windowInstead of a pot of gold, maybe it ends in abarrel of kolsch beer It disappeared before Icould find out

- Mark

House getting wardrobes todayThursday, December 08, 2011German homes are built without closetsJust square rooms with doorsSo you need to install wardrobes to be used as closets

Ours came today. The first one was setup for SamUnfortunately the one for Tracy and I was ordered incorrectlyAnd we will be living out of suitcases for a few more daysAfter a few weeks of living out of suitcases… what is a few more days?

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Memory is highly underratedSaturday, December 10, 2011After roughly fifty trips to the grocery storeI FINALLY remembered that I need to being bagsThey dont give bags. You bring your ownOr carry stuff out in your shirtNot that I have done that

To be fairThis time Tracy reminded me to bring bagsBut I am very hopeful that I will remember on my own someday

- Mark

First Christmas in GermanySaturday, December 10, 2011Today officially begins our first Christmas in Germany

And this is not a season for amateurs hereChristmas is an official sportAnd they are olympic caliber competitors

It is hard to describe how important Christmas is in Germany But it literally defines thecountry this time of year

More later as we visit the Christmas marketsThe festivalsThe intricate and massive decorations

For us, it all starts with a treeAnd we drove out into the country to find a Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree) placeWe picked out a 2.5m tree for 50 euro ($70) and set it up in our permanent houseDecorations start tomorrow

- Mark

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christmas 2011 begins 008 christmas2011 begins 019 christmas 2011 begins022 christmas 2011 begins 014 christmas2011 begins 012 christmas 2011 begins011 christmas 2011 begins 009

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An Argument in Favor of LazinessSaturday, December 10, 2011The human race has strived for better efficiency for centuries But I’d like to propose thatwe have gone too farI’d like to make an argument for the benefits of inefficiency… even some laziness

I’ll illustrate my argument based on a trip to the local Edeka grocery store todayIt ended just like every grocery store trip so far in Germany

For those that have not shopped in Germany, let me describe the process After stumblingawkwardly through the store, you approach the checkout with your cartAnd load everything in your cart into what I like to call ‘the checkout machine gun’That machine gun is typically a stern-looking German woman named Gerta And sheliterally fires every item through the checkout at a pace that approaches the speed of light

Recall that grocery stores don’t provide bagsSo none of the grocery items are bagged… they are literally thrown at the end of thecheckout laneMy job is to figure out what to do with ten grocery items a second It is impossible to bagas fast as the machine gun can fireMy BEST effort so far is to simply throw the stuff back in the grocery cart… and sort it outin the parking lot

An additional degree of difficultly is the long line of other customers watching yourperformanceThey are all waiting for their turn… and the longer I take, the longer they waitThe performance pressure may not be real… but it feels like it

My question is… why is Gerta so efficient?!?!Why can’t she take a lesson from every American grocery store checkout person I haveever dealt with?Maybe she could take a phone call in the middle of the checkout She could pretend thatshe does not know the EXACT location of the bar code on every single itemShe could conveniently forget the code number for bananas (4011 is the code… I likebananas) and stop to ask someoneShe could even pause to make fun of the food I selected…Noting correctly that I clearly picked the food items solely based on the picture on theoutside label, not the actual contents

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She could even breathe… or blink…

I am literally begging for a little lazinessIs that so wrong?Did we go too far?

Worst German Lesson Notes EverSaturday, December 10, 2011I have taken two serious weeks of German lessons at workMy teacher is actually quite goodBut my notes from the lessons might be the worst ever written

I am trying to figure out how to read German correctlyIn the hopes that if I can pronounce written German correctly I will eventually be able tointerpret spoken GermanThere are many holes in that logic… let me pretend I have a good plan

Here are my notes… I found it interesting:

Every letter is spoken… there are no silent letters… EVERY letter Written W sounds likea spoken VWritten V sounds like a spoken FWritten F also sounds like spoken FWritten Z sounds like a spoken SWritten S sounds like a spoken ZWritten J sounds like a spoken ‘ya’Anything vowel with an umlot is impossible for my mouth to pronounce correctly I pull amuscle in my jaw trying to pronounce the word for twelve (zwolf… with an umlot over the‘o’… see a trend?)Every noun is capitalized… every noun, not just proper nouns When there are two vowelsnext to each other, the sound is dominated by the SECOND vowel, not the firstIt is acceptable and expected to make a sound like you are clearing your throat in severalwords

When spoken correctly (by someone else… certainly not me yet), German is a veryelegant and efficient language

I (foolishly) made a commitment to hold a meeting IN GERMAN before Christmas 2012Fortunately, I did not put any big stakes on the commitment… yet

Example of German EngineeringSaturday, December 10, 2011I carry a Ford ID badge with me all day longIt is an unfortunate reality in the corporate worldI use it to gain access to buildings so I need to readily available My choice (don’t judgeme) is to wear my badge on a small retractable spool

When I arrived in Germany, I was provided with a Ford of Europe spool And I noticed

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some differences from my Ford of North America spool They are somewhat dramatic

The spool on the left is my North America oneThe spool on the right is from Germany

The one on the left is all plasticThe one on the right is 3x the weight and is all metalNote the intricately stamped bracket at the exit balancing the line I am convinced that theGerman one will stop a bulletAnd I am practicing an elegant twist to the right to put that spool in front of me if needed

Here is a picture of the string coming out of the spool (retractable) The one from NorthAmerica could double as dental floss (a nice feature I guess) I could two a two-horsetrailer with the string on the German one

Imagine this kind of engineering applied to an entire country And you can start to get afeel

badge spool cords badge spools

Clever Ways to Handle SpeedingSaturday, December 10, 2011Speed limits change often on the autobahnAnd given the number of speed cameras, it is hard to keep track

In addition to cameras that read speed limit signs and display the latest speed limitI found an additional feature

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My Fiesta has traditional speed controlA couple of button presses on the steering wheel and the car will track a set speedSet 100 kph, and the car will travel at 100 kph

But there is another feature called limited speedIf I engage the limited speed feature, I can set 100 kphAnd I the car will not go over 100 kph, regardless of accelerator pedal position Thefeature disengages if you go past 50% pedal… assuming that you need to accelerateBut it is very convenient while traveling in traffic without the cost of radar-based speedcontrol

Pretty slickI use it often… and the flow of speeding tickets has slowed… thankfully

limit speed speed control

Double HumilitySaturday, December 10, 2011I am fortunate to work with a great group of engineers here in Germany But Iunfortunately don’t speak GermanAnd this provides for many events during the day for double humility

Here is how it unfolds multiple times a dayI walk into a meeting where the entire room (and peopleteleconference) are speaking in GermanAs soon as I sit down, one of the engineers politely says “the meeting will now change toEnglish”

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And without even pausing, the conversation changes to English Everyone

#1 – Despite the fact that they all speak English better than I do, it is not their firstlanguageAnd holding a meeting in English is not as easy for them as holding it in German So thefact that it needs to change because of me (and often only me) is a bit humilitating

#2 – But it is also like I am walking into a room full of language Navy Seals And I am aknuckle-dragging neanderthalI don’t even speak English too good, much less a second language

I feel like I need to add SOMETHING to compensate for the added burden I can juggle(sort of)… but I don’t think that would help much After that, I may just need to rely on myinner-neanderthal

Our first (highly dissatisfying) murderSunday, December 11, 2011We knew it would happenIt was just a matter of timeWe were going to fry somethingAnd today we murdered our first electronic device

The wall voltage in the US is 120 voltsThe wall voltage in Europe is 240 voltsWhy why why…

But all is not lostIf the label on the back of your electronics (blender, vacuum cleaner, TV, etc) has a labelthat says it will take 100-240 voltsThen it will work equally well in both the US and EuropeClever electronics in the device compensate

But if the label on the back just says 120 volts

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Then bad things happen when you plug it into a European wall socket

It will not compensate

Our Epson printer met such a fate tonightI have been diligent to check voltage stickersBut I honestly did not even check this oneMany of the things that we have will work here in Europe

The disappointing thing is that it didn’t catch on fireThere were no sparksNothing explodedIt just made a light pop and quietly went to printer heaven

Maybe I should have paid more than $50 for the printer in the first place I’ll bet I can’t finda replacement here for $50

First Christmas Market – Bad GodesbergSunday, December 11, 2011Christmas markets are very popular in Germany at Christmas time I was literallyconcerned that if I didn’t go to at least one, I would be ticketedThey are in many cities… some much bigger than othersThe family went to the Bad Godesberg market today…It is walking distance from the house

You can see the Bad Godesberg castle at the top of the hill above the shopping area

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When I say walking distance, I mean a 20 minute rappel down the side of a mountainWe live at the top of a quite steep hillAnd the market was in a shopping area at the bottom

The market was actually very enjoyableLots of high quality craftsLike this stand that sold large, lit stars

Good food tooGluhwein is a hot wine drink… and it is served in mugs that are designed for thatparticular Christmas marketThey also spiral-cut potato and deep fried them… the result resembled crack… it was

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that good

And check out the giant bbq setup

You can only see half of it in this picture

But there was a 6 foot diameter disk suspended over a fire pit by 3 chains!!

Plenty to see thereSome traditions (like the angels on stilts) didn’t make sense, but they were very friendly

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Tracy hopes to visit the Christmas market in Aachen tomorrow (about an hour away)The one is Aachen is supposed to be epic

Russian Consulate GeneralSunday, December 11, 2011There is a large building a few blocks from our house on the hill Last week, the buildingwas surrounded by police all day long for two days They happened to be the same twodays that Bonn hosted an Afganistan conference We really had no idea why the policewere thereAnd given the size of the guns on the police, we didn’t feel motivated to ask

While walking by the building, we noticed that every sign was in Russian And found thissign near the entrance gateLooks like the Russian Consulate General building

Bonn used to be the capital of West Germany until 1990 when the wall came down Sothere is quite a bit of political structure here

The interesting part was a large metalstatue inside the front gate of a manwearing a HUGE tophat and caneI need to get the backstory on that statuebecause it looks WILDLY out of placebehind that gateI just hope I don’t have to start takingRussian lessons to find out

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Is German super glue sold in 35 gallon drums?


Sunday, December 11, 2011Some physics can’t be avoidedLike weak Christmas tree branches, fragile ornaments and a hard tile floorI actually watched ornaments slide off branches in slow motion, like a sci fi movie Severalcasualties forced a change of strategy for tree decorating Only soft ornaments this year

Super glue is on the hardware list fortomorrowWould humpty dumpy be alive today if all ofthe kings men had super glue?

- Mark

Homemade German eggnogSunday, December 11, 2011

Apparently all store bought eggnog inGermany includes alcohol So Tracy madehomemade eggnogCheers to Christmas without snow

- Mark

Santa’s Thug is an A$$#@(^Tuesday, December 13, 2011I’m not sure why I never heard of this beforeMaybe I have been unconsciously ignoring these stories all my lifeBut deep into my fifth decade of writing Santa Claus lettersI have never heard of…

Knecht Ruprecht (translated Farmhand Rupert or Servant Rupert)

My German teacher educated me about him today

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I was told that he was someone who worked for St NicholasAnd traveled around doing Santa’s dirty workMaking sure that children behaved well, and punishing those that didn’t

WHAT?!?!!?Is Santa in the mob?!?!?

So I decided to do some research on the most trusted and inscrutible source available…But Santa was in the middle of a Shiatsu massage and would not take my call…So I had to rely on Wikipedia… which is NEVER wrong

According to tradition, Knecht Ruprecht asks children whether they can pray. If they can,they receive apples, nuts, and gingerbread. If they cannot, he beats the children with hisbag of ashes.

Just in case you missed the key words in the description above…Santa’s helper BEATS CHILDREN WITH HIS BAG OF ASHES!!!REALLY?!?!?

But there is a more modern description in Wikipedia as wellMaybe the traditional, historical description is just a bit too harsh

In other (presumably more modern) versions of the story, Knecht Ruprecht gives naughtychildren useless, ugly gifts such as lumps of coal, sticks, and stones, while well-behavingchildren receive sweets from Saint Nicholas. He also can be known to give naughtychildren a switch (stick) in their shoes for their parents to beat them with, instead ofcandy, fruit and nuts, in the German tradition.

Again, the key words to me are…Santa’s helper GIVES A STICK TO THEIR PARENTS TO BEAT THEM!!!!

Here is where I start to think Santa is part of the mobSanta is not directly responsible for beating childrenAnd even Ruprecht is not responsibleThey merely provide the weapon of destruction

Because I am often told that I act like a child…And I don’t know what age Ruprecht stops this torment…I am behaving until Christmas

Just a friendly warning to othersRun the other way if you see this guy

OR… as a parent…Stop him and ask for advice

ruprecht 3 ruprecht 2 ruprecht 4 ruprecht 5 knecht ruprecht 1

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2011 McCarthy's German Adventure84


#$(*&^) Cologne Traffic RantWednesday, December 14, 2011Now that we are living in BonnThe drive for Tracy and the kids is very convenientBut the drive for me has become quite long

On a ‘normal’ morning or evening, the drive is 40 minutesThis morning the drive was 2 #$(*&(*& HOURS!!!

Why was the drive 2 hours?1) There are too many cars/trucks for the roads here2) The road was slightly damp – which seems to slow things more than necessary3) There are too many cars/trucks for the roads here4) There was an accident ON the bridge across the Rhine5) There are too many cars/trucks for the roads here6) They closed TWO OF THREE lanes ON the bridge across the Rhine7) There are too many cars/trucks for the roads here

The strange thing is that despite the absolutely choking amount of trafficRoad rage seems to be nonexistent…Outside the confines of my carMost drivers are very patient and accommodating to the trafficBut inside my own car… well, that is a different storyLet’s just say that I invented some new words this morning

I am now tracking traffic like my children track candyMy new tracking device (shown below) does confirm that the A1 bridge was bad thismorning

Sigh

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Belgium puts ice in a fountain coke


Wednesday, December 14, 2011Germany does notWhy why why

Questions like these are distracting…

- Mark

I’m speechless – most awesome truck seen sofar...Wednesday, December 14, 2011Seen on highway in the NetherlandsNote the tires AND full tank treads!!!Treads retracted for highway travel

What does this truck NOT do?

- Mark

I think I’m turning european… I really think soThursday, December 15, 2011Maybe

Today a woman asked me, in all seriousness, if I spoke Dutch or English

She asked ME!When we arrived 6 weeks ago, nobody asked meI was apparently very obviously American

Could I be actually looking more European already?I am in dire need of a haircut…But that just means I look like Shaggy or a member of Motley Crue

Oh yes I DID just drop a Crue reference…

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Maybe my inner European is coming out

Now I just need to learn the language to live up to the expectations!

- Mark

Guess what American brand is pushing HARD togrow in GermanyThursday, December 15, 2011I was surprised tooIs this our best export?

It tasted exactly the sameUnfortunately

- Mark

One of Best ‘Business’ Hotels – at wr...Friday, December 16, 2011Spent two days in Belgium this week to drive prototypes at test trackRequired me to stay at a hotel overnight in BelgiumThe normal business hotel in town (Lommel is not a big city) was fullSo I had to stay at the only other hotel in town

Which happened to be a family camping site… of sorts

It was a great placeAnd it had everythingClimbing wall, spa, archery, swimming center, many nice restaurants, bounce house,boating, skiing, paragliding, basketball, billards, bowling

None of it was open… of courseThat would have actually made it fun

The most interesting part is that I had to park in the front of the property

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And walk to the hotel room… and then walk further to find foodIn the middle of December cold at 10pm in the rainUphill BOTH ways…Ok, it was only uphill one wayOk ok, it was flat groundBut it was still pouring and cold!

But there was a moment that made me laugh out loudI walked to the main building late to find some foodIt was a large building, and as I walked around to find foodI kept finding that everything was closed… all restaurantsBut I was starving so I kept walking and finally found a small snack bar servinghamburgersIt was not great but it was food

After I was done, I walked another path and found a BEAUTIFUL restaurant fully openOne of the waitresses was serving flaming something on a plateAnd there was a guy grilling steaks and ribs in the backgroundI almost cried… it was a good thing that it came out as a laugh

Will keep this place in mind in the springApparently there are many of these across Europe for family vacations

Like having a store at every cornerFriday, December 16, 2011There are cigarette machines like this all overThey are on city street cornersBut also on the sidewalks of suburban neighborhoods

Not sure if they are always stockedAnd I have not seen anyone use them yetBut this is convenience!

- Mark

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Art van on steroids


Friday, December 16, 2011Ports is a furniture store the size of a small cityThree massive floorsI think their lighting bill is the same as Clark Grizwald

See the topical Christmas Vacation plug?

- Mark

For your Christmas listFriday, December 16, 2011

Found at PortaThere were many many in stock… What asurpriseIf you are looking for a last minute gift…

- Mark

Stay classyFriday, December 16, 2011These are very popularYou can buy them anywhereChocolate covered marshmallowsAnd they are delicious

Yep… I know what I saidGet over it

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- Mark

Belgium treesFriday, December 16, 2011Here are what roads look like in BelgiumTrees are very tall and bare except for greenery at top

Trees near open spaces are permanently bent in one direction And the greenery lookslike it is in a strong breeze even without wind Assume it is because winds from seaconstantly blow in one direction

Btw everything in Belgium is made of brickBuildings, streets, driveways, sidewalksI was half expecting my hotel bed, sink, and pillow tobe made of bricks I was proven wrong

- Mark

Windswept treesFriday, December 16, 2011Is it obvious in pic that trees are all bent in same direction? No wind that day

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- Mark

You will want to write this downSaturday, December 17, 2011PSA of the day…

If you ever find yourself driving north around the town of Pech

On a beautiful country road with what feels like a natural speed limit of 80 kph (48 mph)

Remember that the actual speed limit is 60 kph (36 mph)

There is a very nice looking speed camera there to remind you

I just hope I was smiling

Have a feeling this one is going to hurt

- Mark

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Santos – Awesome Grille Store


Saturday, December 17, 2011I made the mistake of bringing an American grille to Germany

The issue is that American grilles don’t connect to German propane bottles

I have been visiting many stores over the last few weeks to find an adapter

And I finally found one today… at Santos Grille Shop

Tracy found them online

They are located in an industrial area in downtown Cologne on the west side of the Rhine

It is an old industrial warehouse turned into a store

But it really exceeded my expectations

Inside I found all sorts of fantastic grilles

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Some of my favorites…

Here is a smoker that has two different stages for smoking

The tall stack on the left has four levels of grates for smoking

All sorts of portable grilles

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Then there was this grille that was the size and shape of a trash can… pretty compact

My favorite was this massive grille that looked like a train engine

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But the most important part is that we found the adaptor

Santos contracted a local German machine shop to make them out of brass

So now I understand why they are so hard to find in the hardware stores… they don’texist!

Sam and I also found a big propane tank (11 kg, 24 lbs of propane) at OBI

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Tomorrow we build the grille and test it out!

Jack Wolfskin = North FaceSaturday, December 17, 2011In the United States, I was always impressed by how many people owned a North Facejacket

Now that I am in Germany, I see just as many Jack Wolfskin jackets

Anybody know if they are the same company with different names?

No matter where I am in public, I can see at least one person wearing a Jack Wolfskin

Electrical Socket FacesSaturday, December 17, 2011As I do a little travel

I am finding that the electrical socket differences are broad

And unnecessary… why can’t we just have one?!?!?

But I noticed that some of the electrical sockets represent facial expressions

Some of them pretty clearly

So (in no particular order), here are my favorite eletrical socket expressions

North America – “OH… MY… GOD… are you going to stick that plug in me?!?!?”

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Great Britian – “I’ll be back… Hasta la vista baby… It is NOT a tumor”

Israel – “Take me to your leader… we aliens come in peace”

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Europe – “WHAT unicorn horn? STOP staring at me!!”

Denmark – “Happy happy joy joy”

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Australia/China – “Oy… how much did I drink last night?”

Paris is the international capital of…Saturday, December 17, 2011Conversation between Sam and myself today…

Sam: I really want to see the Eiffel Tower

Me: We need to go to Paris to see it, but there are many other things to see there too

Sam: Like mimes? I heard that there are a bunch of mimes in Paris

Me: Um… I think that is true, but…

Sam: Is Paris like the capital of mimes?

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Me: Yes Sammy… Paris is the international capital of mimes.

Is he right?

First German Snow!Sunday, December 18, 2011Here is what we woke up to this morning

First snow of the season

Although it is mostly melted now, we took advantage

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The END of the BBQ questSunday, December 18, 2011Sam and I started putting together the grille today

But we ran into a problem

The grill was damaged in the box during shipment

Several of the structural parts were pretty badly bent

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One of the bars was bent so badly that we could not put the doors on the front

I put it on a workbench and found that the bend was pretty big in the middle

So, Sam and I did a little analysis and consultation

We surveyed the tools we had available

And developed a precise and high-tech plan to fix the bent bar

Only the most advanced techniques were deployed

Sam took a video to file with the International Mechanical Engineers

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After that, it was smooth sailing

My new adapter worked perfectly

Chinese takeout failTuesday, December 20, 2011Work colleague recommended a Chinese placeI went there to get takeout tonightMany many language barriers

I left with a menu…And a plan to return tomorrow night with some translation

Fortunately the menu items are numberedAnd I can sort of count in german

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- Mark

The love of dogsWednesday, December 21, 2011Many large stores have a small building in the parking lot to sell brats or fries or icecream But a furniture store I visited today went one better

Hunde is dogThey had a dog feeding station right outside the front door

Yes, people stare at me when i takepictures of stuff like this So be it… Justcementing the image if Americans inGermany!!

- Mark

97 F 150Wednesday, December 21, 2011At a toy store in downtown BonnTake a look at the model cars for saleF150 and mustang…Looks like classics can be international

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- Mark

I can’t even follow WALKING directionsWednesday, December 21, 2011Went to downtown Bonn today to hunt for a toy storeBut I could not figure out how to get from the parked car to the store

So I took out my fancy gps phone to show me the wayHow could an Eagle scout and expert compass guide get lost over three lousy blocks?

Well…You can see the path that was marked for me from google maps walking guide It ismarked by two pins and a clear walking path

Notice the blue dot with the circle around itThat is me… Hopelessly lost and blocks away from the path

I eventually found the storeBut I may need to send back my navigation merit badge

- Mark

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Effective ads 2Wednesday, December 21, 2011Here is the real message behind the adsThey are for MarlboroKey message is BE Marlboro… Not maybe

I was way offBut they got my attention

- Mark

Effective ads 1Wednesday, December 21, 2011We have seen these posters all over the cities hereIt was not clear why they were up

I kept thinking that they were a positive message for the city or the country That is…Don’t settle for maybe, choose to be

Reminded me of that line from Star WarsWhere Luke can’t get his damn spaceship out of the waterYoda scolds him… He says he will tryYoda: There is no try. There is only do, and not do

It sounds deeper when Yoda says itI cant figure out how to type with an accent

But that was how I took themJust a positive message to not maybe. But be.Don’t try. Do

I was drawn in

But I was wrongSee next post for the second set of posters that showed up this week

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- Mark

They make us work SO hard…. Oh, the humanityWednesday, December 21, 2011McDonalds has plans to turn the entire planet into their slaves And I have proof

I present below a picture of a torture device acquired from mcd today by some friendsInside the innocent looking package is a tubeNot a normal tube like a straw

You see mcd here dos not go to the trouble of making chocolate milk They give you onlywhite milkIf you want chocolate, you need to buy this device and MAKE YOUR OWN MILK!!

As if we have the energy to make our own chocolate milk?!?!? What next, do we just buysome raw steel and make our own cars in our kitchen?

I plan to test this sinister device tomorrowafter i restNeed to give reserve my energy and give to mcd

- Mark

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Toy storeWednesday, December 21, 2011Very good toy store in downtown BonnRecommended by colleague at work

No hints on what was purchasedYou will just have to wait… CHLOE!

- Mark

Xmas desperationWednesday, December 21, 2011I was at a store today looking for a rather large Xmas giftThey were out of stock and would not get more until after Xmas BUT they did have floormodels still in store

So I tried to buy the floor modelsAnd given the reaction, you would have thought I was trying to buy children on the blackmarket! Don’t they know that I already have enough kids!!!

I walked out of the store empty handedFound the item at another storeBut I might be banned from a store chain in Germany nowCurrently looking for a good disguise to get back in

Can I shop in Germany in a spongebob squarepants disguise?

- Mark

Why am I so proud?Friday, December 23, 2011Last night we had the Antal family over for a very nice dinner Burgers, brats, ice creamand ElfGreat company

But after everyone left… and I was cleaning up the dishesI found that Sam had been busy…

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Toilet papering my bedroom

He snuck in there while I was distractedAnd wasted a roll of toilet paper

It was not a bad effort

Why am I so proud?

200 Level OrigamiFriday, December 23, 2011Sam is somewhat of an origami junkie

He has been reading books and watching videos on how to build more complicatedorigami

He can build a bird with wings that flap, a balloon that actually blows up, hats, boats,throwing stars… the list expands each week

Here is his current arsenal

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But the other day, he figured out how to fold a frog from paper…

One that acutally jumps – far!

Behold the future of mechanical engineering

Bad Go Shopping TripFriday, December 23, 2011The family took a walking trip today

We started by walking to the Bad Godesberg Castle… just down the hill from our house

To get there, we needed to do the equivalent of a 20 minute stairmaster workout

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At the top, there was a very intricate model of what the castle looked like in the day

Unfortunately, there were actual apartments at the castle ruins…

And there was a sign in German that we think said, private property… keep off

But we couldn’t help ourselves

A 180 degree stitched panorama of the Rhine Valley from the Bad Godesberg Castle

You can see the walking trail on the left and right side of the picture

During our wandering shopping trip

We visited a pet store (Emma demanded it) to buy a bed for Charley

While there, the store owner brought out some birds

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The parents of this bird lived to 76 years old!!! Maybe I should start snacking on bird seed

This one was 9 years old

Sam found a rocking horse in the shopping area

I’m not sure what he did to the rocking horse was legal, but he had fun

After a few hours, we walked back home

Did I mention that the walk home is up THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN

Roughly a half hour walk uphill (more accurately, up-CLIFF) the entire way

Except for the dog bed that we bought… stupid dog bed

I looked a bit like Santa, eh?

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Bounty for skim


Saturday, December 24, 2011Milch ( milk ) seems to come in fat and super fatAbout half of the milk in grocery stores is 1.5%The other half is 3.8%3.8%!!!!You can’t drink that stuff on a cold day or you would congeal!!

Skim milk is typically 5 small cartons off to the sideI get the “look at the nutcase buying the wrong milk” feeling each time… I can actuallyfind skim I tried two new close stores last night with no luck

Sam has convertedHe is drinking 1.5% and is quite happy to have a secure supply

The rest of us have not caved… Yet

3.8% looks like white motor oilBut that is just me

- Mark

Best $4 I ever spent in my lifeSaturday, December 24, 2011Sam spotted this tire clockMinute hand is a screwdriverHour hand is a wrenchI would have paid well over ten times the price

Don’t care if it is hard to readLast one on shelf

- Mark

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Our First German Christmas


Monday, December 26, 2011We missed friends and family in America

But here is a peek at our Christmas

Bean bag chairs, itouch, Xbox Kinect and a new bed for Charley

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I was actually WINNING the car race on Xbox in this picture

In the end though, I came in 8th of 8… which is my typical finish

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KottenforstMonday, December 26, 2011There is a gate in our backyard that opens into a wooded area

Today, we took 2 hour family bike ride through the woods

The area is called the Kottenforst… and it was simply stunning

Miles and miles of paved and unpaved roads

Very old mature trees, streams, several little cities on the borders

4000 acres on the top of a plateau

But the most interesting part is the history of the forest

The Romans build a massive, 100 km (60 miles)-long aqueduct to channel water from theEifel region to Cologne city

The Roman residents in Cologne felt that the quality of the water in the Eifel to be

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superior

And the aqueduct was built to bring this water all the way to Cologne… using only gravityto deliver it!

Here is the path of the ancient aqueduct (operation from 80-260 AD)

The duct was generally buried under about 3 feet of soil to keep it from freezing

But it often needed to be built into ancient brick bridges to span crevices and valleys

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This aqueduct ran directly through the Kottenforst

And part of the ruins still exist there today

There is also some ruins of a fortified city in the middle of the woods

Called the Ringwall Venne

It is a deep moat with big walls surrounding a small town

It is in the middle of the forest

We only explored about one tenth of the area

But we have plans to do plenty of biking in the next few years in there

What if… gross or curious?Thursday, December 29, 2011There is a mystery in the forest

And it has been bugging me for a few weeks now

I continue to see these large craters in the woods

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Not near anything special

About 15 feet in diameter and up to 6 feet deep

Just a huge hole

So I started to develop theories…

1) Depressions left by meteor impacts before humans?

2) Medieval bunker for fighting?

3) Underground fermentation for making beer?

4) Wildlife traps for hunting?

5) Mirage that only I can see?

But then Sam and I found a very large tree that fell in the forest

The entire root system was extracted when the tree fell

And the place left in the ground from the roots left a huge crater

Ta da – Scooby Doo and Shaggy solve another great mystery!

(Yes – I just called my son a dog)

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But it then it goet even more curious

There is a tombstone in the forest behind our house

Not too far in the woods

I have not been able to find much information about it yet

What I did find was…

* There is a history of the Bertram family in this area for many centuries

* There is a Wernerus Bertram that was born locally in 1870… 200 years after thistombstone

* There is only a single date on the tombstone… not a born and died date

* My best guess is that this could be a still born baby with no history to note (at least noton the internet)

The curious part is that there is a large tree just behind the tombstone

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And there is a large crater just to the left of the tombstone where a tree previously fell andunearthed the soil

What were to happen if the tree behind the tombstone were to fall?

What would it unearth?

I’m taking no chances… plan to take good care of that tree

Warning!!! Be cautious when doing tricks on yourbicycle…Thursday, December 29, 2011Saw this traffic signal near the Ikea in Cologne

It was blinking yellow

Which I can only assume means… be careful when doing tricks on your bicycle

Like standing on top of the seat and handlebars

Wise advice indeed

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Ringwall Venne FOUND!


Thursday, December 29, 2011The McCarthy bicycle gang actually found the Ringwall Venne yesterday

It was about 1.5km from the house

The only part of the ruin left was the deep moat in about a 300 meter diameter

Sam’s quote: “They had an entire city inside the walls?”

Medieval micro town – maybe the way of the future?

Poor attempt at a 180 degree panorama of the moat running around the site

Sam is on the other side of the moat… in the little town

phantasialandThursday, December 29, 2011tuesday, me and my family went to an amusement park called phantasia land. this park ismost like cedar point except it has different regions such as china and berlin.my two top- reccomended rides would be for people with adventurous sides;colorado adventuresand temple of the night hawk.or, if you would like to go on a slow cruise around the park, i suggest wurmling express.they also have shows and fireworks.!!

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Chloe McCarthy

Mickey has some German competition –PhantasialandThursday, December 29, 2011A few days ago, we went to a local amusement park with the Antal family

IN DECEMBER!!!

The park is called Phantasialand

It is not an enormous park…

But it is open during the wintertime

They use special grease engineered to work in colder weather

I mean… that is hardcore rollercoaster engineering!

But despite the temperature (low 40s F), it was a GREAT time

Good food, good rides, very clever and beautiful scenery

Swings that spin around a tower are pretty common at amusement parks

The degree of difficulty here is that there is a circular water fountain that rises to splashyour feet

During the entire ride… IN DECEMBER!

The December part I just found cruel

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This would be an E-ticket in the day at Mickey’s House

Behold a TWO STORY, STEAM POWERED carousel…

Did I mention that it had two stories, and was powered by steam?

We rode on the second level because… why would anyone even use the first level?!?!?

Arcade ride where you wear 3D glasses and shoot virtual mice

Very similar to the Toy Story ride in Disney, still fun

I think Sam looks like The Terminator

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There was a pulley ‘ride’ where you physically pulled yourself up a tower

I’m not sure why it was in an amusement park, because anywhere else this would beconsidered WORK

Chloe set the bar at 5 climbs from the ground to the top in the time of the ride

Sam set the record at 8 climbs… a little competition is healthy, right?

A nice relaxing ride in an airplane… THIS is what I call amusement

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THIS ride is NOT what I would call amusement

Apparently Sam and I had a little competitive spirit still

At the entrance of the China area, they had this dragon made of ice

That would breath fire every few minutes

Anything with a flame-thrower embedded in it is going on my next Christmas list

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But perhaps the coolest visual effects in the park were some lights in the trees

Take a look at what we called ‘dripping tree lights’… or DTL (making new acronyms arefun)

They are rows of LEDs spaced along a long wire… controlled by a small box

The effect is intensely relaxing and slick

Everyone is excited to return again…

Are you listening Mickey?

Geben Mir Zu Essen Seymour!!!Friday, December 30, 2011aka Feed Me Seymour!

We went out and bought plants for the house a few days ago

Each of the kids got a few

But Emma insisted on a Venus Flytrap

So far it has been fed ladybugs

I just see it as 11 more mouths to feed

The over/under line on how long it will live is… 10 days

But 2 euro for 10 days of stories is good value

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Sam is the official family interpreterFriday, December 30, 2011The other night we went out with the Antal family for dinner

4 adults and 6 kids ordering dinner in a German restaurant

The waiter was mostly patient with what must have sounded like neanderthal German

Grunts, pointing, hand waving

He even scolded me for pronouncing Kolsch with a long O instead of a short U sound…silly me

But then he came to Sam

And Sam calmly said “Geben sie mir bitte eine Sprite”

Which is mostly the correct way to say “Please give me a Sprite”

The waiter almost passed out… he complimented Sam on his good German

I think they are building a statue of Sam for their courtyard

Sam is giving autographs for 2 euro (roughly the price of a Matchbox car… just acoincidence)

Over the aqueduct and thru the woods – to PechFriday, December 30, 2011There is a nice little town named Pech about 6 km from our house

The town area is very scenic…

And they have a great seafood market, butcher and bakery

We can drive there in about 15 minutes on the roads

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Or we can walk through the Kottenforst in about an hour

I decided to see how long it would take to bike to Pech from our house through the woods

A few observations from the trip:

1) I am in horrible shape… it should not have hurt that much

2) The trip from the house to Pech was fantastic… downhill most of the way

3) The trip from Pech to the house was less fantastic… closer to ‘it sucks’… uphill most ofthe way

4) Round trip took about 38 minutes… including 3 stops because I got lost and 3 stopsbecause I thought I was having a heart attack

But I set a new land speed record in the downhill portion

Evidence below (seafood market in the background)…

Times will improve, even if I need to start driving my car through the woods!

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How do I spell humility: “Tschuss”Friday, December 30, 2011So… it always starts with the best of intentions, doesn’t it?

I have been trying to learn my German… trying really hard

And there is a phrase that is used very often here

Whenever you are leaving, it is common to say “Tschuss”

Sort of a very friendly ‘so long’

It took me a few weeks to even figure out how to say it properly

I didn’t realize that it started with the letter T

But I finally got the pronounciation correct

But there is a tonal element too

That is, it is very often said with a high, cheerful voice

Rarely in a low or gruff voice

So as I cautiously approached trying to use Tschuss in regular interactions

I wanted to get the tone correct as well…

But…

I seem to have an ‘overcompensation’ problem

And a series of mistakes unfolded

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Mistake #1:

It all started when I had my last German lesson at work before Christmas break

My German teacher was leaving, and I dropped a Tschuss

But I was nervous that I would get it all wrong… I mean, IT WAS MY GERMANTEACHER

So it came out in this very high, almost squeaky voice

I found out that day that I have a 6 octave range, but can’t make a living from it

Mistake #2:

I told my family about it… wife and kids

They thought it was hilarious

But not as funny as mistake #3

Mistake #3:

I made the fatal mistake of trying to drop a Tschuss in public WITH MY ENTIRE FAMILYPRESENT

And, of course, I was self-conscious about it… had to redeem myself

But it came out maybe an octave HIGHER than Mistake #1!

I am surprised that they all didn’t need to change their pants based on the laughter

Now the teasing is relentless

They beg me to say it in public

They mock me in the car during MULTI-HOUR rides

If I had a thousand years, I could not invent a joke that is apparently funnier than this

It has become so bad… that they made a SONG about it

A %@*(&#^#& SONG!

And they sing it CONSTANTLY… in the car, house, bike rides

I will get my revenge

Keep singing funny-people

Your time is coming…

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Any good theories?


Saturday, December 31, 2011While riding through some of the most remote parts of the Kottenforst today…

Tracy and I ran across this?

In case the picture is not clear…

It is a coffee cup chain locked to the branch of a tree

I can’t even come up with a stupid theory for this

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2011 McCarthy's German AdventureEthan Allen couch, green fabric – used daily but very worn/faded, bonus room/basement, asking $50 Artificial tree, 6+ feet tall, wicker basket –