Last night we went to the english movie there and saw the movie No Country for Old Men. Great movie and I can see why it won so many awards! The movie theater is not the nicest theater you have been too, imagine the $1.50 theater after 50 years.
After you get your ticket you have the chance to get snacks, they are warm bottled soft drinks, beers and cold popcorn. Last night we were in the big theater which is a big step up from the rest of the theaters which hold about 100 people. After we sat down we realized that the seats are not stadium seating but flat all the way down, I am not sure if you have heard about the excessively tall Germans here but you will realize as soon as you sit down at the theater! We had to move down a few times to make sure we could all see the screen. For those that have seen the movie know that they use "texan dialogue" which can be hard to understand at times. I noticed that some of the German couples who were sitting around us would laugh at times or lines that weren't really funny, they were generally when it was some line that even native English speakers had to think about. So Matt and I talked about this after we and we decided that they A) thought it meant something else or B) they had no idea what they were mumbling and laughed because they thought it was appropriate. Either way it made for some interesting background reaction to the movies!
A few things about the movie theater, Matt and I had both seen a movie here before (Rambo and Kite Runner respectively) and have noticed the following: the movies rarely start on time, the lights might not go out until 10 minutes into the movie, the movie will stop and restart a few minutes in to the movie, after the previews the lights will come back on and then go back down for the movie and the last would be that I thought it would be a lot more english speaking people at the theater but it seems like a lot of German people watching the original version of the movie.
We are so excited that we have this theater within walking distance and that they seem to get the big movies very quickly so we are not to far behind!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
London and the gym
Last weekend we were able to take a weekend trip to London. It was great to get out and see a new city as well as be amongst other English speakers (and yes, I know they speak “real” English). We saw a lot of landmarks and buildings from the Hop on/off bus tour and we were able to take a Jack the Ripper tour the first night. It was interesting to see a slightly different side of London. We were amazed that it took us a few hours to actually find someone who was from the UK. The first 5 people we encountered could barely converse with us. We thought that maybe we had never left Frankfurt! I think the highlight for both Matt and I was that we were able to read the menu’s at restaurants and to talk to the staff without asking if they spoke English first. It was a great weekend away and we can’t wait to go back and read more menu’s!
Fish and Chips!
Matt and Tower Bridge
London from the bus
He thought it was cheaper than his cell!
There are a few things that I still can’t get used to here. The one I will discuss now is the gym. We belong to one of the larger chains here in Germany/Europe called The Fitness Company (think Gold’s Gym). A few of the more interesting things about the place are the following:
1) Matt and I are usually there at night and have noticed that everyone when they are done, shower, blow dry hair and get dressed in their work clothes. This happens even at 10:30 at night. We feel quite scuzzy showing up in our workout clothes and leaving in them as well!
2) This next one makes the previous one even more confusing. The locker rooms seemed to be kept at a steady 90 degrees during the coldest months. So imagine getting done working out and blow drying your hair in 90 degree humidity.
3) The showers. There are apparently “communal” showers here. The showers open to both the men’s and women’s locker room. I generally hear men’s voices and then see women walk in. I really don’t understand that one.
4) The attire that is worn at the gym. Men prefer tight short shorts and shirts that are not particularly long. A matching outfit is very popular as well.
5) The last thing are some of the exercises that we see people do. The best way to describe them would be exercise videos from the 1960’s or so. A lot of legs shoulder width apart arms out to the side and quick bending at the waist.
6) The most German things would be: The coffee bar, the designated tables to set your water on, newspapers available to read while you exercise and the lack of personal space in the gym in general!
Fish and Chips!
Matt and Tower Bridge
London from the bus
He thought it was cheaper than his cell!
There are a few things that I still can’t get used to here. The one I will discuss now is the gym. We belong to one of the larger chains here in Germany/Europe called The Fitness Company (think Gold’s Gym). A few of the more interesting things about the place are the following:
1) Matt and I are usually there at night and have noticed that everyone when they are done, shower, blow dry hair and get dressed in their work clothes. This happens even at 10:30 at night. We feel quite scuzzy showing up in our workout clothes and leaving in them as well!
2) This next one makes the previous one even more confusing. The locker rooms seemed to be kept at a steady 90 degrees during the coldest months. So imagine getting done working out and blow drying your hair in 90 degree humidity.
3) The showers. There are apparently “communal” showers here. The showers open to both the men’s and women’s locker room. I generally hear men’s voices and then see women walk in. I really don’t understand that one.
4) The attire that is worn at the gym. Men prefer tight short shorts and shirts that are not particularly long. A matching outfit is very popular as well.
5) The last thing are some of the exercises that we see people do. The best way to describe them would be exercise videos from the 1960’s or so. A lot of legs shoulder width apart arms out to the side and quick bending at the waist.
6) The most German things would be: The coffee bar, the designated tables to set your water on, newspapers available to read while you exercise and the lack of personal space in the gym in general!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
It's been awhile...
I apologize to all of the adoring fans that have been left in suspense waiting for the next posting. The real reason for this is that I haven't had much going on... But, I have decided to write about some of the random things here.
A few weeks ago we took a trip to Heidelberg for a few hours on a Sunday. It was a very easy drive just about an hour south of Frankfurt. It was a beautiful day as well so we took advantage of that by taking a tour of the HeidelbergSchloss (the old castle) that requires quite a hike up the side of a mountain (look back a few posts and you will notice this is a recurring trend...something about safety from attacks etc). The best part about the town is that it was largely spared during WWII and so it really is an old German town.
Earlier this week we received our "permanent" car. We have had an Opel Astra (look at the new Saturn Astra, it is the exact same car) for the past few months. It is a good city car being very small and somewhat quick. If you are looking to take a trip of more than 20 minutes you will see why it is a good city car. So a leased vehicle became available and we are the proud users of a Volvo XC90. This is not really a great city car as it is an SUV that at times barely fits down our street but for longer journey's it is great. One small downfall that we still don't get is that it is a manual transmission! I think most of you will agree that there aren't too many manual SUV's out there now. But this is a diesel manual. So my new mission is to learn how to drive a stick! Watch out driver's of Frankfurt.
After checking the weather and talking to people back in Michigan we are really starting to appreciate the weather here more and more. Today for example was 55 and sunny. We were able to take a walk through the large Gruneberg Park and see people playing soccer, walking their dogs, running and the first flower buds sprouting up. We are very used to it being 5 degrees with snow, snow, and more snow so this is great. I haven't taken a picture yet but we have palm trees in our back yard!
We are planning a trip to London for next weekend which we are both looking forward to. One of the best parts of the trip is the strength of the British Pound (or better yet, the weakness of the American dollar). When looking up hotels you think 100 a night? That's a great deal, until you see that GBP symbol in front of it and you realize it is actually $200. We are very excited though and can't wait to speak English to people!
I am not sure if most of you have significant drop in the usage of exclamation points in this entry but I was informed that I used them excessively before. So, to my editor, this ones for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some highlights of Heidelberg
Our Palm Trees
A few weeks ago we took a trip to Heidelberg for a few hours on a Sunday. It was a very easy drive just about an hour south of Frankfurt. It was a beautiful day as well so we took advantage of that by taking a tour of the HeidelbergSchloss (the old castle) that requires quite a hike up the side of a mountain (look back a few posts and you will notice this is a recurring trend...something about safety from attacks etc). The best part about the town is that it was largely spared during WWII and so it really is an old German town.
Earlier this week we received our "permanent" car. We have had an Opel Astra (look at the new Saturn Astra, it is the exact same car) for the past few months. It is a good city car being very small and somewhat quick. If you are looking to take a trip of more than 20 minutes you will see why it is a good city car. So a leased vehicle became available and we are the proud users of a Volvo XC90. This is not really a great city car as it is an SUV that at times barely fits down our street but for longer journey's it is great. One small downfall that we still don't get is that it is a manual transmission! I think most of you will agree that there aren't too many manual SUV's out there now. But this is a diesel manual. So my new mission is to learn how to drive a stick! Watch out driver's of Frankfurt.
After checking the weather and talking to people back in Michigan we are really starting to appreciate the weather here more and more. Today for example was 55 and sunny. We were able to take a walk through the large Gruneberg Park and see people playing soccer, walking their dogs, running and the first flower buds sprouting up. We are very used to it being 5 degrees with snow, snow, and more snow so this is great. I haven't taken a picture yet but we have palm trees in our back yard!
We are planning a trip to London for next weekend which we are both looking forward to. One of the best parts of the trip is the strength of the British Pound (or better yet, the weakness of the American dollar). When looking up hotels you think 100 a night? That's a great deal, until you see that GBP symbol in front of it and you realize it is actually $200. We are very excited though and can't wait to speak English to people!
I am not sure if most of you have significant drop in the usage of exclamation points in this entry but I was informed that I used them excessively before. So, to my editor, this ones for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some highlights of Heidelberg
Our Palm Trees
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