Just outside the Haus Der Kunst museum in Munich, Germany, a torrent of water gushes through an open canal creating rapids for German surfers (all three of them!) to hang zehn. This reminds me of the fake wave machine, Boogie Bahn, at the single greatest water park on earth, Schlitterbahn, located in New Braunfels, Texas. Only it’s quite a bit colder in Germany, and by the looks of this canal, it’s the only place on earth where you’re in danger of hitting a tree while surfing.
Speed Limit on the Autobahn? Nein!
German drivers suffered a major shock this week. The EU environment commissioner has requested that Germany imposes a speed limit on the Autobahn in order to cut carbon emissions.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (or BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen) promptly replied that “Germany needed no coaching from Brussels on climate protection.”
The way EU regulation is going, something tells me Germany won’t be able to get away with this no speed limit thing for long. So, if you are dying to test out that new Porsche on the Autobahn, better do it fast.
Black History Month in Germany
There is nothing finer than learning something new and interesting. Thanks to Joerg W., a gadling reader who dropped a comment on my post about the first African American Baptist church in the United States, I’ve hooked into finding out more information about Black History Month in Germany. Although I haven’t come across events travelers can go to in Germany, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. has a section on the topic. There are photographs and archives that chronicle the experience of black people in Nazi Germany between the years 1933 and 1945. Details about the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and the role of African American soldiers who helped liberate the camps are part of the offerings.
Black History Month in Germany focuses on African-Germans. This month African- German artists are getting some notice. For example, at the Berlinale International Film Festival there was a series of films by African-German filmmakers about the African-German experience. Atlantic Review: A Press Digest on Transatlantic Affairs, the publication Joerg contributes to also presents information about African-German visual artists.
As a traveler, it interests me to come across details that give me a fuller picture about where I am traveling. So, if you are traveling in Germany any time soon, here is another lens from which to view the world you are seeing.
Word for the Travel Wise (01/30/07)
Good luck booking your boat trip down the river. I needn’t say much more about the word to come other than the extra repeat letters are enough to make one dizzy before hopping aboard. If you like the word below, you’ll enjoy the rest found here.
Today’s word is a German word used in Germany:
Flussschifffahrt – a river boat trip
You can find audio and German slang at BBC Languages, who continue to impress on the online scene. They probably have one of the BEST FREE German language guides on the net. Make no mistake in passing this one up! When it boils down to it there are several good sites to learn the Deutsch lingo. Deutsch Lernen and German for Travellers are two other good picks. First Step World offers study abroad courses in Munich and Berlin.
Past German words: vorglühen(s), krieger, bolzen, durchgeknallt, ankommen, geist, lebensmittelgeschäft
Take a Ride on the World’s Longest Train
Next time you’re in Mauritania, Africa, don’t forget to take a ride on what is probably the world’s longest train, measuring in somewhere around 3km long (1.8 miles), depending on cargo load. The train ride was mentioned on Gadling last summer in a post from Adrienne, but I ran across some more information and even a video (YouTube, what don’t you have?), so I figured an update was due.
For around $5, you can travel from Nouadhibu to Zouerate (about 700km, 434 miles) which takes about 12 hours, according to this site. Apparently they’ve just recently installed passenger cabins on the train, so you don’t have to ride on top anymore. That’s a plus.
If you don’t plan on visiting Mauritania any time soon, but still want to see a world’s longest train, head to Hamburg Germany’s Miniatur Wunderland where the world’s longest model train rests. You should refrain from attempting to ride this one, though.
Check out a video of the Mauritania train passing by (this sucker is LONG!), after the jump: