Places to Eat, Places to Sleep

Traveling through Austria, Switzerland, and other parts of central Europe, tourists will encounter a bewildering variety of signs and vocabulary informing them about food and lodging.

Certainly, a sign that says Restaurant is obvious enough. But you can also get a meal in a Lokal, and probably at a lower price. If you’re looking for fast food, look a sign that says Imbiss. At a typical Schnellimbiss or Imbissstand, customers will walk up to a window or a small booth, and order a variety of sausages, beverages, and french fries. Often there are no tables or places to sit. A Restaurant is, by contrast, much more elegant. The Lokal is in the middle.

To be sure, these generalizations about how specific words are used, and what they mean, are subject to exceptions and local variations.

Looking for a place to sleep? The sign proclaiming Hotel is clear enough, but you can also get a room with a bed if the sign says Pension or Gasthaus. The Hotel will probably be a little pricier, and will likely feature a restaurant as part of its facilities. A Pension will include a breakfast, but not other meals. In most lodgings in central Europe, the cost of breakfast is already included in the price of the room. The Gaststube is the dining area within the establishment.

The sign Hotel Garni indicates a smaller hotel offering only breakfast and not the other two meals.

A Schlosshotel will be located inside a castle, and a Kurhotel is located in an area known either for its naturally occurring hot mineral springs, or for its climate and fresh air, both of which are sought by patients seeking to improve their health.

People under the age of twenty-seven often stay in a Jugendherberge, because its price is lower than any other accomdation.

A Gasthaus usually includes restaurant for all three daily meals, and has only a few rooms for overnight guests. Again, the price of breakfast will be included. It may have a sign advertising Zimmer or Fremdenzimmer.

A spectrum of related vocabulary is found for establishments offering either food, or lodging, or both: Gaststätte, Gasthof, and Landhaus.

A sign saying Privatzimmer may simply indicate a room in family house for rent, perhaps one night at a time, or perhaps by the week. It would be necessary to inquire to learn if any meals were included in such a deal.

A Ferienwohnung is typically a small apartment, and usually rented for more than one night at a time - perhaps by the week. Lodgers would prepare their own meals, or seek out restaurants in the area.

If business has a special focus or emphasis, this might be indicated. An Ausflugslokal might be located along a hiking trail, or near a lake, park or mountain. A Sportgaststätte offers a gathering place for people who enjoy watching sports, playing sports, or both.

Again, it’s important to allow for regionalisms and linguistic changes over time, but, generally, a Kneipe or a Wirtshaus or Wirtschaft (short for Gastwirtschaft) is probably more about beverages than food, although they will probably offer at least a few snacks, or a Kalte Platte - platter of bread and cold cuts (sliced sausage and cheese).

A Cafe is obviously more about coffee, but will usually offer a few pastries as well. A Konditorei specializes in cakes, tortes, and pastries. A Bäckerei is usually a place where you buy bread or rolls to take home, but many of them will sell you a cup of coffee and have a small area where you can eat a roll or pastry that you’ve purchased there.

Central Europe offers a broad spectrum of fine food, and a wide variety of establishments in which to eat it. After such excellent meals, you’ll sleep soundly in a variety of lodgings.

Bundesliga

To get the most fun out of watching the major sport in central Europe, it helps if you understand the Bundesliga system. While soccer is the most popular sport in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and practically all European nations, the Bundesliga system governs soccer only in Germany.

The Swiss system is the Raiffeisen Super League, the Austrians have the Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, and in Luxembourg there is the Nationaldivision. Each European nation organizes its own top-level professional league.

Germany’s long tradition of being a powerhouse in the 90-minute game goes back many decades into history. In the modern era, that started with earning the 1954 World Cup.

By 1962, however, fans were concerned that the sport was languishing. In that year’s World Cup play, Germany suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Yugoslavia.

To ensure the sport’s future, and the quality of play, a system was designed to create a nationwide top-tier professional league, as well as a “farm team” system of two lower leagues. Previously, German soccer had been organized into an unwieldy system of regional leagues.

Originally, the Bundesliga had sixteen Mannschaften. Currently, it contains eighteen teams.

Sports fans in the United States are familiar with with the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB systems. But the Bundesliga does not have the same concepts of playoffs, standing, rankings, and league membership.

This can be, at first, confusing to American fans who are trying to watch German Fußball games.

But once you understand how it works, it’s as fun as basketball, baseball, football, or hockey!

What it means, for example, to be a member of the Bundesliga is different than league membership in the NHL, NBA, NFL, or MLB. The Bundesliga has, as mentioned, eighteen Mannschaften. But every year, it’s a different eighteen teams - the list of teams is never the same two years in a row!

Each year, two or three teams are demoted out of the ersten Bundesliga - the top professional league. The teams removed are those which have performed the worst. They are replaced by two or three teams from the zweiten Bundesliga - the highest group of “farm” teams.

To decide which teams will be replaced, a point system has been developed. For regular-season play, a team gets three points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. At the end of the season, the two teams with the lowest point totals are taken out of the ersten Bundesliga and placed into the zweite Bundesliga. At the same time, the best two teams from the zweiten Bundesliga are moved up into the erste Bundesliga.

The zweite Bundesliga also has eighteen Mannschaften.

While the two worst teams are automatically eliminated from the ersten Bundesliga, the third-worst team is placed into a game with the third-best team from the zweiten Bundesliga. If the third-worst team manages to win that game, it is retained in the ersten Bundesliga.

This same system also moves teams up and down between the zweiten Bundesliga and the dritten Bundesliga.

Unlike professional leagues in the United States, where a mediocre professional team can subsist at the bottom of its division for years, the Fußball Mannschaften in the Bundesliga change from year to year. This adds a special urgency for fans of teams near the bottom of the rankings.

There are other ways in which American fans will note that a different structure is at work.

Many professional Fußball players are simultaneously on the roster of two different teams. They are members of a professional Mannschaft in the Bundesliga, but they are also members of a Nationalmannschaft - a team representing their country in international tournaments. This team is also called the Nationalelf.

For example, the Mannschaft known as FC Bayern München includes, among its Spieler, two players named Manuel Neuer and Pepe Reina. As teammates, they work together in the FC Bayern München.

But these same two Spieler will play against each other at their “other job” - the national team. Manuel Neuer has German citizenship and is a regular on the German Nationalelf. Pepe Reina plays on the Spanish Nationalmannschaft.

So Neuer and Reina might play as teammates one day, and a week later face each other as opponents, only to play again on the same team a few days after that.

Differences between the organization of the Bundesliga and American sports are visible not only among the Spieler, but also among the fans. Attending a Fußballspiel at a German stadium, fans enter by separate entrances depending on which team they support. Once inside the stadium, gates and fences keep the fans separated.

The organizers of the German Bundesliga hope to avoid the excesses seen among the British and Belgian “hooligans” - soccer fans who engage in fistfights with anyone who supports a team other than theirs.

There’s at least one more aspect of Fußball that the novice spectator will find baffling: the “offsides” rule.

Viewers of American football will gain no help from the “offsides” rule found there. Offsides in American football is a different concept than offsides in soccer.

Watching a soccer game, you might see one player make a long pass to his teammate, who in turn kicks the ball smartly into the Tor. You expect it to be a point scored for the team, but instead, you hear shouts of “Abseits!”

What happened?

The Abseits rule means that at the moment when one player passes the ball, there must be at least one defensive player between the intended receiver and the defending goalie if the receiving player is to immediately make a shot on the goal.

The logic of this rule is to prevent teams from simply stationing one offensive player at all times near the goal.

Learning a few of these facts about Bundesliga play is effort well spent: it will be repaid with hours of fun watching Fußball action!

Celebrating Fifty Years - Ann Arbor and Tübingen

The cities of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Tübingen, in what was then West Germany, formed their sister city relationship - städtische Partnerschaft - in 1965. From the very beginning, high school students were a part of this international connection.

The irregular occasional visits by groups of high school students going in both directions over the Atlantic during the first two decades of this partnership gave way in the 1980s to a more programmatic school exchange. The program has been adjusted over the years to optimize the experience for students and fit the changing needs of families.

As it currently stands, groups of German high school students visit Ann Arbor during the first half of the calendar year, usually for three weeks. They stay with families of students of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and attend high school classes.

Sometime in June and July, the process is reversed, and a group of AAPS students fly to Tübingen and spend three weeks there, correspondingly staying with families and attending classes. This exchange is repeated, on average, every other year.

In Ann Arbor, the program is based in both Huron and Pioneer high schools, although Skyline High School has been a part of it in the past, and students from Community High School have participated through Huron and Pioneer. Although this program has been functioning for forty-nine years, it is a low-profile operation, attracting little attention either from the local media or from those who follow the politics of the administration and the board of education.

In Tübigen, the program operates mainly through two schools: Wildermuth, which is paired with Pioneer, and Uhland, which is paired with Huron.

This local exchange program functions under the umbrella of the international German-American Partnership Program (GAPP), which is in turn funded by grants from the German federal government, from the U.S. federal government, and from private corporations. The grant money is used to purchase liability and medical insurance, and to buy riders on group airline tickets.

Ann Arbor's GAPP program is not part of the AAPS budget. In addition to the grants, it is funded by the families of the participants and by fundraising activities carried out by the students (usually candy sales).

Those who teach German in the AAPS help to fund the program by donating some of their "sick days" and by chaperoning without pay.

While high school students have a number of opportunities for international travel, the sister city exchange between Tübingen and Ann Arbor is not just for entertainment. Students gain both cultural and linguistic experiences. Class attendance is an integral part of the organization. Daily life in families and with the teenagers of the host city give an in-depth view of the culture.

The GAPP pattern between Tübingen and Ann Arbor has been enthusiastically supported by the University of Michigan. Professors from Engineering and LSA give presentations to the visiting German students, and the Ford Library has offered enriching experiences.

At both Huron and Pioneer, enrollment in German has increased recently, perhaps partially in response to the continued success of the GAPP activities. From the 2013/2014 academic year to the 2014/2015 year, German enrollment at Pioneer is up an astounding 60%, while Huron's enrollment is up 50%. (These numbers are calculated from Pioneer's increasing from five to eight sections, and Huron's growth from two to three sections.)

AAPS students who've been part of the GAPP experience in Tübingen find that they have gained a useful life skill: many have gone on, during their undergraduate years, to international internships in fields like engineering and physics. More universities are encouraging such internships in German-speaking countries like Switzerland and Austria.

As mentioned, this exchange usually occurs every other year, but there have been exceptions in the past, and next year may also be an exception. Although, given the normal rhythm, 2015 would not be a year for GAPP activity, it is the year in which we will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the sister city relationship. Even though there was a successful exchange in 2014, there may well be another already in 2015, to honor this milestone.

German Food: Misunderstood

Stereotypes and cliches often stand in the way when trying to understand another culture. When investigating and comparing traditions from Austria or from Switzerland or from Germany, it's important to experience the realities and learn the facts, and not to be misled by conventional images and received ideas.

In reality, the average resident of Austria, Germany, or Switzerland weighs less, eats healthier, and is in better physical condition than the average resident of North America. The central European diet is not only full of fruits and vegetables, but fresh fruits and fresh vegetables - most inhabitants of the region shop several times a week, getting produce from local farmers to ensure maximal freshness. Back in 1970, author LaVern Rippley wrote:

Maybe the reader has heard that German food is supposed to be heavy and doughy - uninspired. And no doubt he remembers sitting on his mother's knee listening to Grimm's fairy tales where they are always eating porridge. Of course he knows that we Americans like hotdogs (which are made by putting a Frankfurter sausage in a bun) and wieners (which are sausages bearing the name of their origin, Vienna, Wien being the German word taken into English without translation). Even though the origin of "hamburger" sounds German too it is unknown there, and seems to be of American birth. The word "hamburger" came into English by means of a process in word formation which philologists call analogy. The ground meat is named after the city of Hamburg just as those sausages have the names of German cities, Frankfurt-er, Wien-er, Regensburg-er, etc.

Many tourists from Canada, from Mexico, and from the United States are surprised to be served dishes like smoked trout or steamed asparagus when visiting southern Germany. They are likewise stunned to learn that noodles, in the form of the traditional egg noodle as it is known in America, are not frequently served; instead, one finds Spätzle in southern Germany or potatoes in northern Germany. Thus German cuisine is lighter than its reputation.

In many countries around the world, one can find those food shops which are called 'delicatessen' - but more properly spelled Delikatessen. The tradition of Delikatessen began in Germany. The word itself has a double origin: the Latin word delicatus morphed into delicatesse to which was added an -n suffix to pluralize it, meaning 'stores which sell fine foods' and sometimes also beverages. But the word was also morphed because the German verb meaning to 'eat' is essen. Author LaVern Rippley continues:

Perhaps the reader has also been in a delicatessen recently without realizing that this is a particular kind of German store where fine foods are sold: Delikat, delicate, and Essen, food. No American any longer thinks of Germany when eating sauerkraut, but during World War I the word (though not the food) became so offensive to "patriotic" Americans that the term "Liberty Cabbage" was temporarily substituted. Munching on pretzels one seldom thinks of their origin as Germany, Brezel or Pretze, a word which comes from Old High German brazzilla.

While Rippley's writing is dated, and some of his generalizations and examples are a bit questionable, his point stands: there is, in American cuisine, a significant and detectable influence from central Europe. The habit of adding cucumbers and radishes into salads is a Germanic custom. A light glaze of mixed herbs in butter is also from central Europe.

In short, many Americans are eating Swiss, Austrian, and German foods on a daily basis without knowing it!

The Euro: Tomorrow's Currency or Yesterday's Coin?

On January 1, 2002, twelve nations began using the Euro and phased out their own currencies over the next two months. Since then, the Eurozone - the sum of the territories in which the Euro is the official currency - has grown to eighteen countries. In addition, the Euro has be recognized, adopted, or used in various ways by several more countries.

Twelve years later, the common currency - and more importantly, the bonds which it has forged between economies - has become a way of life for many people in many nations. But twelve years is short time in world history. The question may still be posed: is the Euro here to stay? Or is this a brief interlude in normal economic patterns?

Jeff Madrick points out that economic conditions in some southern European countries - Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece - continue to act as a sort of ballast on other economies in the Eurozone. This inevitably creates a sort of tension, as stronger economies like Germany are asked to pay for a series of fiscally irresponsible decisions made by the southern governments.

The ripple effects of strained relations inside the Eurozone will affect the United States; the only question is whether such effects will be significant or small. The financially negligent choices made by some, not all, southern European governments - accumulating government debt, high tax rates, nationalized healthcare - place a burden not only on Europe's productive economies like France and Austria, but will eventually have some effect on the other side of the Atlantic. Madrick notes:

Angela Merkel has just been comfortably reelected chancellor of Germany, which seems to strengthen the hand of austerity advocates there. Throughout the euro zone, trade is becoming less imbalanced. Productivity is rising in some countries, and a decline in labor costs is helping exports. All of this has led to a calming of financial markets. But the other side of this coin is extreme deprivation across the south of Europe, where unemployment remains extremely high and GDP is well below pre-crisis levels. Meanwhile, here in the United States, Janet Yellen is set to replace Ben Bernanke as chair of the Federal Reserve, and many observers wonder how long she can resist inflation hawks, who are demanding the “tapering” of the Fed’s quantitative-easing policy. Events in Europe could well influence her decision, and her decision will in turn surely affect economic conditions in Europe.

French scholar Emanuel Todd offers a perspective from Paris. Most scholars, economists, and businessmen reckon that the Euro will be around for a long time. Todd isn't so sure. Even if it does endure, Todd argues that it will do so out of pure stubbornness, not for any economic motivation. The French government considers the Euro to be its trophy, inasmuch as it persuaded other European governments to sign on for it. To abandon the Euro would be to lose its hard-won prize, so the French government continues to support the Eurozone into the future. Todd remarks that

outside Germany, it’s pretty obvious that the euro is a complete failure. So the mystery I’m talking about is: Why does it go on? That is not an economic question; it’s an ideological question. I think France is much more responsible than Germany for this mess. The German dominance of Europe is possible only because of French acceptance. You must realize what the euro is from the point of view of French politicians, whether right wing or left wing. They had the idea, they imposed it on Germany, which accepted it and turned it into a very efficient, German economic instrument. For France, getting out of the euro would mean admitting that our entire political class was hapless. It would be the beginning of a social revolution.

Germany is one of the few countries in the world which is presently turning a profit on manufacturing. Germany is building products in its factories and exporting them in large numbers, as well as selling them domestically. To what extent did the Euro help or hinder Germany in achieving this enviable condition? How would the demise of the Euro affect Germany's production? How can the United States return to this same condition - becoming both a major and a profitable manufacturing power?

Whatever happens to the Euro, the center of Europe is inhabited by the one nation that really doesn't care too much. Switzerland never adopted the Euro, and the Swiss franc remains one of the world's most stable and envied currencies.

Berlin: die Hauptstadt

Although Berlin is by far the largest city in Germany in terms of population, it is not the largest city in terms of area. This density is due to the fact that, from 1945 until 1989, Berlin was surrounded by the infamous wall, and the expanding population could not move outward into suburbs.

While Berlin is also politically the most significant city, as the capital or Hauptstadt of Germany from 1871 to 1945, and again the capital of Germany from 1990 until the present, it is not the oldest city in Germany. The first written records mentioning the town of Berlin date from 1244 A.D., as compared to Hamburg which was founded in 808 A.D., München which was mentioned in writing for the first time in 1158 A.D., Köln which was founded in 38 B.C. (but did not receive the name Köln until 50 A.D.), or Leipzig which was first mentioned in writing in 1015 A.D.

Many German cities are so old that nobody knows exactly when they were founded. For those cities, historians record instead the first time they were mentioned in writing. It is to be understood, naturally, that those cities probably existed for some years prior to the first written mention of their names.

The city began as a fusion of two small villages, one named Berlin and the other Cölln. Historians estimate that the city had 12,000 inhabitants by the year 1600. The city grew quickly, becoming, in 1747, the first German city to surpass a population level of 100,000. Berlin grew not only by adding to its population, but by expanding to swallow up other small villages in the area: Spandau, Köpenick, and Charlottenburg.

In 1701, Berlin became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1871, the modern nation-state of Germany was created by the merger of many small kingdoms, republics, and independent city-states. Berlin became the capital. As a capital city, Berlin accumulated buildings and parks with spectacular architecture, and became an educational center. Many famous authors and scientists lived at least part of their lives in Berlin.

Among the famous people who spent all or part of their lives in Berlin are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bertolt Brecht, composers Paul Gerhardt and Johann Crüger, Nastassja Kinski, Max Planck, Richard Strauss, and Frederick the Great. The Humboldt bothers, Karl and Alexander, were scientists and statesmen, and one of Berlin's universities is now named after them. The civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois lived, worked, and studied in Berlin for several years.

Between 1940 and 1945, bombing raids inflicted massive damage on Berlin during the World War II. Many historic structures were destroyed.

After being the capital of Germany from 1871 until 1945, Berlin was divided into two parts, east and west, in 1945. The western half was under the administration of the British, French, and American armies. The eastern half was dominated by the Soviet Union. The three western allies gave up their jurisdiction over the western half and allowed West Berlin to function as a self-governing city, with freely-elected representatives. The Soviet communists maintained a strict dictatorship over East Berlin by means of a puppet government instituted through feigned elections.

In order to obtain West Berlin, the western allies gave the Soviets some territory that had been part of West Germany; that region would become part of East Germany. This deal was made in February 1945 at the Yalta conference before the war ended. The details of this agreement would be finalized in the Viermächteabkommen - the Four Power Agreement.

The tensions between the Soviets and the western allies, temporarily set aside during WWII, reemerged in the postwar era, called der Kalte Krieg or the Cold War.

West Berlin existed as an isolated territory, surrounded on all sides by East Germany and East Berlin. Provisions arrived mainly by railroad and by truck, coming from West Germany through approximately 200 km of East German territory. The Soviets took advantage of this situation, and in June 1948 suddenly and completely stopped all road and rail traffic between West Germany and West Berlin.

The daily food - as well as medical supplies, newspaper, clothing, etc. - needed to keep one of the world's largest cities operating was suddenly cut off. The Soviets were reckoning that West Berlin would soon be starved into surrendering and join East Berlin. The western allies did not want West Berlin to surrender so easily, and started the Berlin Airlift.

From June 1949 until May 1949, in order get around the Soviet blockade of Berlin, the western allies organized continuous flights of aircraft into Berlin, bringing food and other supplies. The Soviets had thought it impossible to fly enough food in on a continuous basis. Berlin had two airports - Tempelhof and Gatow - at the time. During the airlift, a third emergency airport would be built: Tegel. At these three sites, aircraft landed and took off every few seconds, non-stop, day and night, for almost a year, until the Berlin Blockade was ended in May 1949. West Berlin remained free and independent. The western allies had done what the Soviets thought was impossible: fed a major city by air.

East Germany's economy was endangered by its shrinking population. As increasing numbers of residents from East Berlin began to flee into West Berlin for freedom, and after a telephone conversation between East Germany's General Secretary Walter Ulbricht and Soviet Chairman and Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, the communists built a wall to stop East Germany's population losses.

The famous Berlin Wall encircled West Berlin. By foot, by car, or by rail, anyone entering or leaving West Berlin could only do so by going through one of a few checkpoints manned by East German soldiers. The wall was built suddenly in August 1961, with no notice, in a massive overnight action. Many people were permanently cut off from their friends or families. Residents of East Berlin, East Germany, West Berlin, or West Germany were not often granted permission to cross the border at the checkpoints.

Die Mauer - the wall - ran along one of the city's most famous architectural landmarks, the Brandenburger Tor - the Brandenburg Gate - which was already a symbol for the city of Berlin, and now became a symbol of the struggle for freedom against the communists during the Cold War.

It should be emphasized that the Berlin Wall did not divide East Germany from West Germany. The Mauer surrounded West Berlin, i.e., the western half of the city of Berlin.

Berlin would remain a divided and walled city until 1989. The government of East Germany and East Berlin collapsed in that year, due to a massive peaceful protest supported by the Lutheran church in the city of Leipzig on September 4 of that year, and also due to continued diplomatic and economic pressure from United States President Ronald Reagan.

Following the collapse of the East German government, the wall was quickly attacked by crowds who chipped away at it with hammers and other tools. Soon thereafter, West Berlin was reunited with East Berlin, and West Germany was reunited with East Germany. The Wiedervereinigung - the reunification - is a major turning point in modern world history, signaling the end of the Soviet Union and its militant communist aggression.

Today, Berlin is both the capital city and a Bundesland, one of Germany's sixteen states. Among its millions of residents are thousands of Ausländer or foreigners from all over the world.

In addition to hosting government, science, industry, software, technology, and university research, Berlin is also a goal for thousands of tourists daily. They visit the Kulturforum with its museums and concerts; the Tiergarten, one of the world's largest zoos; Potsdamer Platz, a large public square bordered by major shopping districts; the Kurfüstendamm, a major street with shopping, restaurants and nightlife; the Alexanderplatz with its historic buildings; and the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal in Treptower Park, a large monument left over from the years before 1989, when the Soviet army occupied Berlin.

The Bundesland or state of Brandenburg surrounds the city of Berlin, and many of the museums and other sights are operated by the Prussian Cultural Foundation - the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz.

Both tourists and local residents get around the city using its excellent transportation system, include the S-Bahn or local commuter train, the U-Bahn or subway, the Straßenbahn or streetcar, and a bus network featuring Doppeldeckerbusse.