Monday, October 23, 2006
More stereotypes, confirmed
While I don't like cars in theory -- they honk at me when I'm riding my bike, dirty up the air, park all over the place, and use up precious resources -- I am as susceptible as the next guy to good design. And in more than a century of manufacturing, Mercedes has committed a lot of good design. Even though I own a different brand of German automobile, I visited the brand-new Mercedes Museum recently to check it out. It was pretty sweet. From the earliest engines made in Germany to Arnold Schwarzenegger's silver sedan to the Popemobile, they had just about every Mercedes you could imagine. They even had a bike, since the company made some between the wars when fuel was rationed.
The way Germany should be
I was in Tuebingen last week. It's a college town in southwestern Germany. Though I've been told it can be pretty dull it's unarguably pretty. Although I've still never been to Bavaria, decades of stereotypes have convinced me that this is what German towns should look like. There's a castle on a hill, the old part of town spreads down the hillside through winding alleys and open squares, and the buildings are colorful painted wood. Compared to, say, Stuttgart or Karlsruhe -- my other two stops on the trip, both badly damaged during the war -- it's a standout from a tourist's point of view.
Big Up
Three of my favorite people are sharing blogging duties right now at patrick.com. Go check it out -- for a limited time only, a truly global blog, with correspondents in Omaha, Leipzig, and Tokyo.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Doctors and the Holocaust
The Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit "Deadly Medicine" opened in Dresden last week. I covered it for Der Spiegel's online English-language website.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Dresden's Treasure Rooms
On September 15, a unique exhibit opened in Dresden, Germany. It's a faithful reconstruction of a treasure vault from the early 1700s, nearly devoid of glass cases and museum labels. Over 100,000 tickets were pre-sold before the doors opened.
I covered the opening day for the Christian Science Monitor. It's one more great reason to visit Dresden, which is one of the most vibrant cities in eastern Germany right now.
I covered the opening day for the Christian Science Monitor. It's one more great reason to visit Dresden, which is one of the most vibrant cities in eastern Germany right now.
