Germany

Berlin’s “Barbie Dreamhouse Experience” Being Met with Protests

Barbie collection © Wandy in Pensacola This week, the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience will be unveiled in Berlin. The 27,000-square-foot pink estate will showcase the doll’s Malibu lifestyle, allow visitors to “bake” cupcakes, and view over 350 dolls on display. It all sounds delightful for an 8 year old girl, but the new attraction is not [...]

Record-Setting Christo Sculpture on Display in Germany

Big Air Package by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Photo by Wolfgang Volz © Christo The Gasometer in Oberhausen, Germany is the site of the debut of a record-setting new work by the sculptor, Christo. At ninety metres tall and with no internal supports, Big Air Package is the world’s largest air-filled envelope and also claims to [...]

Part of Last Remaining Stretch of Berlin Wall to be Demolished for Condos

One of the murals to be destroyed © Nic Walker A portion of the East Side Gallery, a 1.3km section of the historic Berlin Wall which is emblazoned with famous murals, is slated to be demolished to make way for the construction of a condominium complex. The prospect of losing this piece of cultural heritage [...]

Photo of the Moment: The Glowing Tree, Germany

Munich Addressing Shortage Before Advent of Oktoberfest Celebration

Prost! ©oscar quiroz With the traditional fest kicking off in less than eight days, Munich is working with a crisis for this year’s Oktoberfest–a bottle shortage. There is plenty of beer, but not enough bottles. Heiner Müller, manager at the Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr breweries, has said that there aren’t enough bottles to supply the [...]

Munich Oktoberfest 2012 By the Numbers [Infographic]

Berlin’s Former Red Light District Turns into Art Gallery Hub

Red lights no more ©Mr. T in DC In the 1920s, Berlin’s Potsdamer Strasse was known as a thriving hub for prostitutes and drug dealers. But since 2006, the area has become known for its abundance of art galleries. Nearly two dozen galleries can be found in the former red light district. Also in close [...]

The Importance of Asparagus Season in Former East Germany

For the love of asparagus ©kirkclimber April in Beelitz, Germany signals the start of asparagus season. The growing season of the vegetable may seem routine, but to former Eastern Germans, asparagus (particularly the white variety) is an elite symbol that brings memories of the end of Communism. In the 1930s, Nazi rulers believed asparagus was [...]

Germans Most Likely to Go Nude on Vacation

Don’t forget your sunblock! ©portugallia A recent Expedia vacation survey has revealed that Germans are the most likely to go nude while on vacation. The au naturel fans apparently want an even tan, and disrobing will do just that. About 15 percent of the Germans surveyed had admittedly sunbathed nude. The Expedia survey also found [...]

The Snarky Vagabond: Sweet Dreams of a Frisky Turkey

Berlin Hotel Houses World’s Largest Aquarium

A diver inside the Aquadom ©Architizer.com Just when you thought Las Vegas hotels couldn’t become more sensational, the newest, unique hotel attraction opens in–Berlin. The Radisson Blu Berlin is now home to the largest aquarium in the world. Known as “Aquadom”, the cylindrical 25-meter aquarium houses about 1,500 tropical fish and allows visitors to travel [...]

The Other Munich Beer Fest

Prost! ©lindsey gee Starkbierzeit, an annual Lenten celebration is noted as Munich’s “stronger” beer festival. Starkbierzeit is loosely translated to “strong beer festival” and highlights the doppelbock. The Paulaner am Nockherberg Brewery takes its name from the Paulaner monks who produced the original doppelbock called Salvator, Latin for savior. The monks brewed the high-gravity beers [...]

Photo of the Moment: City Desert, Berlin

Germany Returns Ancient Afghan Sculpture

And you think it’s bad when a friend forgets to return one of your books © Reuters.com A pre-Islamic sculpture traced back to the second century AD, was returned to its native Afghanistan this week. The sculpture was looted during the Afghan civil war in the late 1970s and eventually traced to Munich, Germany last [...]

German Prostitutes Taxed Via “Sex Meters”

Vintage parking meters © scottamus Last August, the city of Bonn started taxing the city’s prostitutes with street meters. Over the last six months, the city has reaped the benefits of the meters, collecting around $20,000 in taxes. A spokesman for the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, told The New York Times he expects other German [...]

Video of Planes Landing in Strong Crosswinds Goes Viral

Landing © ianmunroe Warning; if you are a nervous flyer, you probably shouldn’t click through on the link and watch this video. A video taken of airplanes landing (or attempting to land) at Dusseldorf International Airport with winds of 35 knots, and gusts of up to 55 knots is creating quite a stir online. The [...]

Village Builds Snow Church in Bavaria

Snow Church ©AFP/Getty Images Kids now-a-days… occupying Wall Street, toppling Middle Eastern governments. Back in the good-old-bavarian-days people in the village of Mitterfirmiansreut took a stand by building a church out of snow. That’s right, they constructed a church made entirely of snow to protest the fact that there was not a traditional church in [...]

Photo of the Moment: Autumn in Dresden, Germany

Berlin Restaurant Offers Caveman Food

Caveman © lord-jim Have a vegan friend who you really want to one-up in the food self-restriction game? Then head to Berlin and become part of the burgeoning “Paleolithic diet movement.” That’s right — you can only eat food that our cavemen ancestors had available. At first glance, Berlin’s Sauvage restaurant looks much like many [...]

8 Foreign Fast Food Chains You Should Know

Albaik ©toyohara When most people think of fast food the American chain McDonald’s is the first thing that comes to mind. And while McDonald’s chains seem to be popping up everywhere, there is a growing number of local homegrown fast food resturants that are challenging McDonald’s around the world. These local chains present travelers with [...]

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