Things I've noticed...

I enjoy making observations while I'm here. Such as my municipal library has four copies of "Das Boot" in their DVD collection, rather than the measly two copies of it in their VCR section.Germany is a fascinating country. There's three things that have recently caught my attention; Germany's population of odd people, Germany's vast range of questionable fashion and Germany's sadistic water system.

I'm not one to judge "odd" people but Germany truly excels in the range of odd people.

There's the "forever young" rockers that sit on grass with their dogs, usually vicious looking pitbulls or alsatians. They usually are coverd in piercings and must be a delight to deal with at the airport mental detector. They usually mumble, or shout at passer byers or just take drugs right in front of you which is always that little bit unnerving when you're sitting on the tram with them.

There's the "Bin scavengers". These people are middled aged, well dressed people who poke in bins and eat what they find. I have seen this in all age groups. It seems perfectly normal and no one seems to bat an eyelid when people take things out of the bin and then proceed to eat whatever they find! Perhaps it's out of politeness or fear, I have no idea but my eyes are still out on sticks. People also collect cigarettes off the street or bins which are still lit...I think bin scavenging is an acquired taste.

The "Head Shakers". This group is mainly women who can be offended by anything at all. You know when you have offended when they start to shake their heads at you and loudly tisk you.

It's funny but when you smile the shaking increases with heart breaking scolds.

Then there are just crazy people. I mean this in the nicest way possible. These people are the ones that ram people with the shopping trolleys, make noises behind you like the dead woman form "The Grudge", bang sauce pans in the street (wherever they get them) and shout at people in wheelchairs to walk. Luckily, for me, these people mainly use a mixture of French and English so I can understand fully what they are saying. And rightfully be scared the hell out of.

Fashion:

Fashion is something that seemed to have missed Freiburg entirely. If you can see that photo it's a picnic blanket that has been fashioned into a pair of trousers. You can only guess the horror I see everyday if this is what they sell in shops!

The 80s came and stayed here. Though this isn't the "cool" revival of clothes from the 80s that Dublin is currently going through. These are clothes that were kept from the 80s and are still worn. The clothes that have survived from the 80s are retina-burning tracksuits and hideously eye tricking patterns. Pop socks are also wore with short skirts so there's smooth, tanned legs up until there calf and then it's bare leg up to the thighs, when the skirt occasionally begins, but we are not always so lucky.

Skirts are either long or like belts. I get distasteful looks for wearing my knee length skirts and dresses but then again I can never tell if they're just judging me and remarking to themselves that I look like Heidi. Which has happened!

The Sadistic Water System:

Ok, I am very much pro-a nice working and efficient water system. It gives cold, lukewarm, tepid, warm, hot and scolding water depending where you move the tap to. There is no medium. You must choose what you want and it provides the temperature immediately. This doesn't work so well with me. I've been scolded by all the taps I have come across in Freiburg!

My shower is a cruel mistress. It chooses to be very warm and nice but at rapid intervals it goes scolding hot or freezing cold for 2 seconds; giving you time to scream and then realise it's all back to normal. It'll do this for the duration of your shower. Also the air in the bathroom moves the shower curtain so it sticks to you! So I devised a plan to keep it down by placing shampoo bottles. It works but when you get shocked by the shower, i usually end up out of the shower or tangled in the shower curtain. Life is hard.