Baby tiger cub in Germany adopted by a dachshund

by Jeffrey White on

There must be something in the water at many of Germany’s zoos that cause mothers in captivity to reject their newborn young.

First we had Knut, and then Flocke, both polar bear cubs abandoned by their mothers and raised by zookeepers.

Now we have a newborn tiger cub at Germany’s Stroehen Zoo, born last weekend and rejected by its mother. The cub is being nursed by a dachshund named Bessi, who belongs to one of the zookeepers. Bessi is taking over motherly duties and guarding the little tiger, which so far has not been named.

The papers here are saying that Bessi has “adopted” the cub, which kind of pisses me off. I mean, I recently got married in Germany and that required a ton of paper work, and you’d think adoption would be equally bureaucratic, but it seems Bessi has had an easy time of it.

Man who ripped head off of wax Hitler fined $1,200

by Jeffrey White on

Last year I wrote about the ill-fated Adolf Hitler exhibit at Berlin’s just-opened Madame Tussauds museum.

A man obviously unhappy with the museum’s decision to have a wax likeness of the 20th Century’s most evil leader waited patiently in line on opening day before rushing, tackling the wax Hitler and ripping off its head — all the time shouting, “Never again!” Several security guards were also injured in the fracas.

So, how much will Germany fine you if you decapitate Hitler?

The man known in the local media here only as “Frank L” was in court today, where he was given a suspended sentence and fined 900 euros, or roughly $1,200.

Was he sorry? No. He told the court that he’d do it again.

As for the Hitler statue, it is back at Madame Tussauds, in a more secure location.

Three travel ideas from the ITB Berlin Travel Show

by Tom Johansmeyer on

More than 11,000 exhibitors from 187 countries tried to make their mark at the 2009 ITB Berlin Travel Show. They showcased wines, highlighted unique local attractions and generally tried to show that they are the best places in the world for tourists to spend their hard-earned cash. Travel+Leisure tried to describe the industry’s hottest trends, but the article really came across as “here are a few cool things I noticed.” So, I took the coolest of the cool, below:

1. Get healthy
Plenty of destinations offer spas, yoga and fitness options – sometimes using them to theme an entire resort. But, that’s thinking small. Go all the way with medical tourism, and call those DDs your own in an overseas clinic. Before you develop visions of hacksaws and cigarettes over the operating table, some of these surgical getaways are in upscale facilities.

Hey, it’s up to you. Roll the dice.

2. Hearken back to the Cold War
Screw traditional cruise liners in favor of Soviet-era ships pushing down the Volga River. Praise Lenin, listen to a balalaika and drink Russian Standard vodka (quite good, actually). Lament how long it will take for the dictatorship of the proletariat to emerge.

There are other unusual cruise options out there as well – such as one in Laos that takes 28 passengers into a once inaccessible piece of the Mekong River from Vientiane.

3. Watch a new nation rise
Kosovo doesn’t have much to say for itself except that you should be patient, because the country’s just getting started. So, if you go there now, you’re getting in on the ground floor. Get to know the concierge. Tip him well. You’ll become a national hero.

German cruise company offers knock-up refund

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Germany is struggling to combat a declining birth rate. And, it’s everyone’s responsibility to help the cause in its own way. TUI Cruises has come up with an unusual approach to encouraging procreation.

The cruise company is basically paying for pregnancy.

If you become “with child” on your honeymoon – as long as you are a passenger on the new liner, Mein Schiff – you’ll get a full refund (ladies only).

Scammers, beware! TUI Cruises expects to furnish some proof, of the medical variety, before it will open its wallet and pay the refund. I strongly suspect that they don’t want pictures of how the little bugger was created, though.

“Gallery courtesy Asylum.com. Be sure to check out their list of 26 places every man should visit!”

Germans still coming to U.S., but not as much

by Tom Johansmeyer on

German bookings to the United States were strong through the end of last year, even as overall action from outside the country dipped in the fourth quarter. Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that nearly 1.8 million Germans came across the Atlantic Ocean, an increase of 17 percent from 2007.

Fourth quarter arrivals from German last year reached 420,285, a gain of more than 9 percent from the same period in 2007. In October alone, 177,167 German tourists came to the United States – up 16 percent from October 2007. The pace slowed in November and December, which were up only 5 percent and 2 percent year-over-year.

And, 2009 looks good.

More than 20 percent of tour operators in Germany have reported that bookings to the United States for the first quarter of 2009 are likely to be consistent with the same period in 2008. Another 43 percent expect increases.

Of course, German travel isn’t recession-proof. The second quarter looks less favorable, with bookings down from 2007. Nearly 64 percent of German tour operators expect the pace to slow.