Things I've Learned

-"To-Go Coffee" has to be advertised as it is still unique. The understanding that all coffee shops carry paper cups so you can take your coffee on the go is totally American.

-Cobblestone streets are hard to walk on all day. But beautiful.

-Breakfast here is savory. Typically. But there are many, many delicious pastries and bakeries on every corner for the rest of the day. The best is a cinnamon pastry called Franzbrötchen.

-I love St. Pauli. This is the red light district of Hamburg where Corinna used to live and where her friends that we stayed with live. Being there in the middle of the German soccer game was hilarious. I have also nicknamed the two drag queens who like to have loud, long conversations beneath our window: Elmo and Thunder.

-Large coffees are 12oz if you are lucky. Again, Americans supersize EVERYTHING whether we realize it or not. The idea of drinking 20 oz of coffee in one sitting is silly. (Please, no commentary about taking a 20oz coffee with you to consume over the course of your day - which is what I do. That idea has yet to reach here.)

-Everyone wears scarves. There are, perhaps, 8 people who do not. I have not met them. Everyone wears scarves. Men, older women, babies...

-There is a strange obsession with wearing the flag of the US. Pants. Leggins. Shorts. Scarves. T-shirts. It really creeps me out.... 

-You must have a local show you the sites. It's the best way to see a country.