More Heidelberg Fun Facts

Hello everyone!


After my rather soppy post I felt I should once again go back to my roots and talk about some things that I have noticed whilst living in Germany. I have been here for over two months now and I still can't figure this place out:

1) As I expressed previously, Germans love some meat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack. elevensies; you name a meal and I'm sure there is a meat involved. However, what I have noticed is that meat that can be purchased really cheaply like chicken or beef mince is incredibly expensive here. I'm talking nearly 9 euros for two small chicken breasts. However things like salami and huge sausages are a dime a dozen. Maybe Germans only prefer phallic shaped meats? I'm sure Freud would have a few things to say about that......

2) Germans all carry plastic bags around with them everywhere. Just in case.  Germany is at the forefront of European recycling and my housemate even said that being eco-friendly makes people a lot cooler here. I think it is admirable but some people take it a bit far. Take for example last week when I had a bit of a cold. I was waiting at the bus stop and by getting my phone out, I dropped a tissue on the floor without noticing. I was then pounced on by a very stern Miss Trunchball-esque woman who started berating me about littering. When I explained it was an accident and put the tissue in the bin, she replied " Es ist niemal ein Zufall". Which translates to "It is never an accident." Terrifying to say the least.

3) "Clubbing" in Germany is bizarre. I have deduced that young british people have a stereotype of being "easy" and "overtly sexual" across Europe and when you look at the likes of Ibiza, the Greek islands and so on, its not suprising. Back home you can't escape the myriad of tonsil tennis when clubbing, but in Germany it is the exact opposite. Public displays of affection seem to not exist. Maybe it is due to a conservative upbringing or maybe us Brits really are just too promiscuous but German clubbing (in Heidelberg anyway) is very PG-13. Very family friendly.

4) Having been here two months I still can't figure out what sort of town Heidelberg is. Is it a university town? a place where people retire? A tourist trap? Well from the varied range of people here, I still can't tell. There are lots of students, old people, young couples with families, homeless people, street performers and even a few select celebrities. Well I'm not implying that Brangelina have moved down the road but a few home grown treasures. Such as the infamous "Clapping Man" who without fail, goes down the main high street every day and goes in to every shop and restaurant. He doesn't say a word but merely stands there and claps. He continues to do this until someone else claps and then proceeds to the next establishment. Legend. Another favourite Heidelberg resident of mine is the woman who carries a giant sunflower everywhere whilst wearing the same huge bottle green trenchcoat and a polka-dotted bike helmet. This ensemble may not be on the catwalk in the near future, but she receives a thumbs up for consistency. One point though: she's never been seen with a bike. She may be called crazy but wasn't every visionary and true genius called crazy at some point? :) I'm expecting this particular look to make the history books one day.

Right thats all I can think of right now so Auf Wiedersehen for now.

Andy C