Black Friday

Yesterday in America was Thanksgiving. It's always the day of the year in which I feel the most homesick for the USA.  In New Hampshire, we always spent the last Thursday of November gathered at our neighbors, Don and Melissa's, house.  The foods and the friendships were so much fun.  Now, well it is a regular school and work day, and unlike Christmas or even Halloween, there is absolutely celebration among the locals -- so it is easy for us to feel left out and lonely, even while we are happy to be here and do our best to have a good time and make some traditional foods, watch Christmas specials online, etc.

Today, is "Black Friday" in the US.  This is a tradition that I am often asked to explain to Germans, and which seems to baffle them a bit.  Unlike Thanksgiving, it's also one I am just as happy to miss.

Black Friday, so named because it is the day in which many retailers go from "in the red" for the year to "in the black" (profitable), seems to be a uniquely American ritual (only Boxing Day in the UK seems to come close).  I think there was a time when many people had the day off from work and took the chance to go out and get much of their holiday shopping done.  Somewhere along the line, store managers and corporations realized that this busy shopping day could be even more profitable if they offered the best sales, or opened soonest, to get shoppers into their establishment and not others.  And so, a strange tradition was born.

Most major retailers put out Black Friday ads a week or so before Thanksgiving, though the Thanksgiving Day newspaper will also be filled with such ads.  Nearly every big chain store offers a handful of items at HUGE discounts.  The stores are losing money on the sales of these items, but banking on the bargains to draw in enough customers to offset those "loss leaders"  The sales can be so good that very often people line up for hours, or even a day or two, often in very cold weather, to be one of the first in and be able to snag the bargain:

Often, the rush to get one of the limited sales results in injuries (and in a few cases over the years people have even been trampled to death or shot in arguments over parking or items).  

This is where many of the German I try to explain this to get a little confused.  They'll ask things like "why not wait and go in later in the day?"  Etc.  You know, employing that ever present German logic.  

You see, as I understand it (and, please do correct me, German readers, if I am wrong), this type of dangerous stampede to grab one of a coveted few bargains could never happen here.  As I understand it, in Germany if a retailer offers a sale, the sale must be all day, and they must offer rain checks if they run out of the item advertised.  If, and only if the items is something the store will not be carrying again, is the quantity allowed to be limited (to all the stock the retailer has--ie they do not have to give out rain-checks and order more of the item once they run out).  Otherwise, they cannot simply say (as US retailers do on Black Friday) that the first 50 people to arrive get to buy the TV for $100 and after that the store continues to sell that TV but now priced at $800.    

SIMPLY by not allowing limited quantity sales, the whole dangerous scenario that happens in the US could be eliminated (and, hey, good sales could still be offered and it could still be a big shopping day--just not quite so dangerous, and maybe a little more fair).  

I found it interesting that this year Target opened on Thanksgiving Day itself, instead of at midnight or two a.m. on Friday (as has been tradition with more and more retailers).  I think I saw more facebook posts upset about this than I did about the entire US government shutting down last month (and, no, I am not kidding! And, yes, I am a little concerned about what that says about our cultural values). 

 Personally, while I do think it is nice when holidays and the like can be less commercialized and allow more time for families to be together (hey, I have learned to love that nearly everything closes on Sundays here in Germany), I would MUCH rather work (or have a relative work) on ANY holiday in a store that did not create riot like situations with limited quantity sales, than be working on Black Friday anywhere that is running a big loss leader sale.  I really do find it a little odd that the one dangerous situation seems to be accepted by most, but asking retail people to work on the holiday causes such ire (not to mention that many of those same, angry people probably watched football players, TV news anchors, etc work yesterday without hesitation).  

In any case--while yesterday is a day I was very sad to miss out on in my homeland, I am thrilled to be able to do my holiday shopping in lovely historic downtown areas and at Christmas Markets, instead of in big box retailers and shopping malls.  And I can always fill in with the computer sales bargains of the much safer and less stressful Cyber Monday (which, actually HAS migrated across the Atlantic!).  

If you shopped (and most will be done shopping by the time this posts at nearly 7:30 a.m. EST) earlier, I hope you found what you were looking for, had fun and stayed safe.  Meanwhile, I'll be at Christmas Markets in the coming weeks and posting photos of my shopping fun here.

--Hadley

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Possibly my favourite "season" in Germany is "Weihnachtsmarkt Season"  when all of the Christmas Markets are up and in full swing.  I dearly love wandering the markest in carious cities and small towns (or, in the case of my favourite one, in a little gully in the forest), smelling the almonds roasting, sipping gluhwein (mulled wine), munching on any of a dozen delectable treats, and "window shopping" at all the festively decorated carts.  Every market has its own feel, and I have yet to meet one I do not like.

The earliest, and longest running markets opened this past weekend (Heidelberg included), though the majority will open this coming weekend (some, like Mannheim, open mid week this week to get everything running smoothly before the Friday evening rush).  Knowing that we will likely leave for our holiday vacation on the 20th, this gives me three weekends (and a couple of mi week trips) to soak in my fill of markets, and YES, I do make a plan of attack!  I like to be sure I get in all of my favourites, and add one or two new ones to experience each year.

This year I intend to make midweek trips to both Heidelberg and Mannheim.  Heidelberg's market is almost like several little ones spread out throughout the downtown area.  I love how simply running an errand in town puts me right in the middle of it all this time of year.  Mannheim has a surprisingly nice market that skirts the water tower.  The other repeat this year is in the Black Forest and I insisted on dragging everyone there on the weekend nearest my birthday every year (this year ON my birthday).  It is small, nearly everythign is hand made, there are camp fires and up to now there has always been a nice coating of snow to really bring in the winter feel.

New this year, yet close to home--I have never been to the 12 day long smaller Heidelberg market in the castle courtyard.  We will be visiting that one this year for sure.  I have also never gone just down the road to Schwetzingen's market--we have plans to do so with friends this year (because meeting up with friends to go to a market and have a drink is the thing to do in Germany in December).  I am also hoping to see the market in Mainz when we head to that city for a business dinner.

I am sure I will take several photos of each and every market and I hope I can convey some of the charm, and the uniqueness of each for you, my readers.

Until then, we have the decor up and ready in the house.

--Hadley

The Porsche Museum, Suttgart

We had a cloudy and chilly weekend.  This is my least favourite time of year in Germany.  it is dark and dreary (dark by 5;00 these days and getting earlier every night).  It is cold, and feels more so daily.  Yet, the snow hasn't come yet.  Christmas markets are not open yet.  None of the fun and cheerful things that make winter in Germany like a fairy tale are happening just yet, but all of the grey skies and and cool temperatures are all working to bring you down.

So, Sunday we were looking for somethign to get us out of the house, but keep is in a warm, indoor environment.  Which is how we ended up checking out the Porsche museum in Stuttgart.

Located right next to some of Porsche's factories, and with an S-bahn train stop next to it, this is an easy place to find.  We drove, and on a Sunday found street parking less than a block away so did not end up paying for the parking garage.

The museum building itself is very interesting architecture with it's mirrored cube, and integrated fountains that would be running in warmer months.

Admission to the museum is 8 Euro for adults.  Kids 14 and under get in free with an adult--we just barely scraped y with Rio on that one!  Audio guides are provided with the cost of admission and can be played in several languages, including English.  

I don't adore cars--so I was not really expecting to love the museum.  I was underwhelmed, even based on my expectations.  The guys were also underwhelmed, and they DO love cars.  There were cars to look at.  Yep, that is pretty much it.  Nothing interactive.  No old photos near the historic cars showing them winning races, or the workers designing some of the older cars, etc.  The cars were nice, but with NOTHING else to go with them, it was a bit bland.  one good thing though, you could get right up next to the cars.  There were no barriers holing you back.  I only saw one person touch any of them--people were very respectful.

Here is some car themed eye candy for those who like them:

The first ever fire truck that did not need horses to pull it.  Also the first designed to carry men and equipment on one vehicle together.

There was a little area set aside for kids' birthday parties.  They had race suits and helmets for the kids to wear and a slot car set for them to play with.  I could imagine a group of 8 year olds loving that:

There was one more interesting display, in which a car had been cut into thirds and they had each third in a display case so that you could see interior parts--it even went right through the owner's manual LOL

After you wind your way past all the cars, you are rewarded with the chance to sit in one:

Yep, that is about it.  Well, there was a gift shop.  All in all we were there about an hour, maybe a it longer-and we took our time an listened to the audio guide, etc.

There is a showroom directly across the street.  Even though it was a Sunday and no cars could be sold, they did have it open for people to look around in, knowing that it is almost like part of the museum for visitors.  The new cars were here (though the top end ones--like the new Spyder, were locked away on an upper level, so not really available to view at all).

In conclusion, I would say that the museum was worth the cost for us to see it once, as locals, needing some entertainment on a November day.  I would not recommend making an effort to see it while travelling, etc though.  There are a lot of better places in Germany to see cars, like Nurburgring or Autostadt or even the Tecknik museums in Mannheim, Sensheim an Speyer.

--Hadley

Tradition, tradition!

Okay, this isn't Russia, I am not Jewish and there is no fiddler.  But there IS a roof being built, so I have a connection somewhere.

Seriously though, I want to mention today that one thing I love about Germany is the really great blend of old world traditions and modern conveniences.  Germany seems to do a really good job of maintaining traditions that give people a link to the cultural past and a strong identity, while still very much moving forward into the modern world.

You only have to look at the cars on the autobahn or the solar cells dotting the rooftops to know that Germany is on the forefront of making and using new technology.  Then again, you can look at the well maintained and restored buildings or attend nearly any town ceremony to see that link to the past.

Or, you can just look at the local construction site!  The property just behind my backyard has housing and garages being built on it as I type.  I am not thrilled to have a view of construction debris, or to hear the noise from huge machines on many days (nor am i looking forward to having student housing in my backyard when it is done) but I DID get a kick out of watching the roofer working today.  I LOVE how in Germany these types of traditional tradesmen often still wear their traditional clothing.  Seriously, you would NEVER see someone in a velvet vest with shiny brass buttons on a construction site in the US.

--

--Hadley

One Fine Day in Dubrovnik

The first time that any of us had been in Croatia at all was when Dave and I had a stop in Split on our September cruise--so we were all excited to see somewhere new when we got to Dubrovnik.
Being a new to us place, we wanted to get the main feel of the area, rather than explore further afield.  I had researched enough online to know that we could easily take a public bus from near the port into the old city. I also knew that one of the major attractions is walking along the top of the old wall, and that you can pay with a credit card for the privilege.

We awoke to picture perfect sunny skies and warm, but not hot weather--as well as lovely views of what was clearly a gorgeous landscape.

We had breakfast as the ship slowly sailed in, and headed off about 20 minutes after we were cleared to do so (leaving just enough time for the first rush of passengers to clear out, but still wanting an early start ourselves).  

It was a VERY short (2-3 minute) walk to the bus stop, which was right outside of the port gates.  

Waiting for the bus (you can see the shore excursion buses inside the fenced port area behind us). There was a snack kiosk nearby where you could buy tickets, pay in Euro, and get change in kuna.  I don't know what sort of exchange rate they had; we had some kuna left from our stop in split the day before and bought our tickets directly from the driver. 

I took both of the above photos from the bus stop--even the port area was pretty and not industrial as so many are.

We took the 1a into town (the 1b also works).  it was clean and efficient and arrived after about 5 minutes.  The ride lasted about 15 minutes, and cost the equivalent of about $1.50.  You couldn't ask for anything easier or more reasonably priced.  

Here is where you get off the bus.  It is the end of the line and the walled city is in front of you; it should be easy to spot (that said, half our bus was standing on as the rest of us got off asking one another if this was it lol)

People streaming over the bridge into the old town

After crossing the bridge you zig zag down a wide ramp into the city.  Be sure to stop at the sign which you can see in the photo (behind the man in yellow).  My photo did not come out, but it shows a map of the old city pinpoitning all the areas that suffered damage during the 1991-92 siege of the city, an showing which buildings were damaged and how.  Here is a copy of that map which I found online:

It is really sobering, and rather amazing to walk around the gorgeous city and think that only 20 years ago it was so embattled.  There is some amazing, recent, history there.  Marika knew all about it, but Rio is not the history buff she is, so we were filling him in, and learned to our utter astonishment that Dave knew nothing about it either!  He and I were dating as college freshman when the war was happening.  I really have no idea how he completely missed such a huge news item, that I was seeing.  In any case, he knows all about it now.

The first view as you come through the wall and into the city.

We turned to the left and headed straight for the entrance to climb up and walk around the top of the wall.  We guessed, correctly, that there would be fewer people up there earlier in the day, and that the sun would be less intense.  There was a very short line to buy tickets and we were able to pay with our credit card.  The cost was 90 kuna per adult and 30 for kids under 18, which worked out to be about 40 dollar or 30 Euro.

Starting with the wall also has the excellent advantage that you can see out over the entire city, as well as lovely views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides.  

There are three places to enter and exit the wall.  We entered at the main entrance.  The next set of stairs  is about 65-70% of the way around, on the opposite side of the city.  In between you pass one snack stand (with reasonably priced ice cold half liter water and soda at 10 kuna each) and a restaurant.  We did sit in the shade on a bench by the snack bar and have a cold drink, but were not ready to eat and did not check the prices at the restaurant).  We decided to head on down that first stairway (number 2, having entered at number 1) so that we could work our way back across the city and see things from ground level.  

There are a number of stray cats in the city.  At the base of the stairs, there was a plate of food set out for them and a place to donate towards the food and neutering of males (which is the best way to control stray populations).

Seconds earlier the little grey kitty was letting Rio pet her.  Rio was missing Taio and Fergie quite a lot by this point in the vacation.

Yes, we donated a bit.  I am a softy for cats, as is Rio.

The old town was very picturesque from street level as well (though, it was the Adriatic sea and lovely coastlines that most took our breath away in Dubrovnik).  

The 14 year old boy is always hungry, so we stopped to pick up a pizza for him and some wine and cole for us (our standard order on vacation it seems).  We chose a pleasant place to sit right off the main drag.  It was aimed at tourists, and the price reflected that a bit an the pizza was average.  But it served our needs for the time and it was nice to try some locally made wine.

After retanking the teen boy, we finished up our walk in the city.

Once back out of the walled section of the city, we decided to walk down to the little cove area that was so pretty from up on the wall.  There were sea kayak tours leaving from there as we arrived; had we had time before all aboard I think we would have joined in one on the spur of the moment.  We all wanted to see more of that lovely coastline (ah, well, we just HAVE to go back now, don't we?).  

the water was very blue and very clear

It was somewhere in one of the coves that Marika lay down along a wall, sighed and said "I think I'm falling in love with Dubrovnik."  We all 100% agreed with her.

After exploring eh coves for a bit, we headed back out to the bus stop (1a and 1b pick up at the exact same place they dropped you off, NOT across the street) and then headed back to the ship where we enjoyed the fabulous Halloween party that I blogged about previously.

Our take on Dubrovnik is it is a fabulous cruise port: beautiful, easy to get around, reasonable priced.  It is also an all and all gorgeous area with lots of nice people.  We are very much hoping to go back and rent a house for a week sometime soon.

--Hadley