How Much Would You Pay for a Pair of Lederhosen?

by Martha Edwards on

A new world record has been broken recently — most expensive pair of Lederhosen. A version of the traditional alpine outfit recently sold for 85,000 euros, which is $115,000. Lederhosen, which are traditionally made from the hide of an animal — typically a goat, pig or elk — is strangely enduring fashion trend in the Alps. This particular pair is adorned with 116 diamonds, each set in gold. Doesn’t that seem a bit … I dunno … excessive?

onsidered to be to the Alps what the kilt is to Scotland (according to the Lederhosen entry on Wikipedia), the leather knee-length shorts-and-suspender-combo can be worn while hiking outside, pounding back a few at Oktoberfest, or anywhere else, I suppose. Still, I don’t think I’ll be picking up a pair any time soon — and certainly not at that exorbitant price.

Don’t stop here — Gadling has a ton more Oktoberfest 2007 coverage!

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Gipfelbier, or Another Excuse to Drink Beer

by Justin Glow on

I read an interesting AskMetafilter question the other day, it asked: “What is the German word for a beer enjoyed at the top of a summit that you have just climbed?” Apparently the asker climbed Mount Tongariro on the North Island of New Zealand, where they ran across two German men on the summit, each enjoying a beer along with the beautiful view. “They told us that this was a traditional thing for German hikers to do on top of mountains that they summit, and they even had a specific word for the beer enjoyed on such an occasion.”

It turns out there is a term for such a thing: Gipfelbier, or “summit beer.” According to a response posted to the original question, “Gipfelbier or Gipfelhalbe (Halbe = half a liter of beer), it’s simply a reward for having made it to the top, Gipfelschnaps is also common.”

Any excuse to drink beer is fine with me, even if it means lugging it up a mountain first.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/30/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

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

Stereotypes of Tourists, from a British Perspective

by Iva Skoch on

Travel stereotypes always make good writing topics. On one hand, we hate stereotyping because we are told that “cultured people don’t use stereotypes”. On the other hand, there is no question that observations become stereotypes because they are based on accurate reality. And isn’t travel supposed to be about observing reality?

I came across a funny piece, entitled “The Worst Tourists in the World” by Rolf Potts talking about the British obsession with stereotypes of national character, roughly outlined below:

  1. Americans: Ignorant. Loud. Oblivious to surroundings. Insincere.
  2. French: Rude. Bigoted. A trifle out of touch with reality.
  3. Germans: Humorless. Rule-obsessed. Unfriendly. Stubborn.
  4. Israelis: Rude. Cheap. Arrogant. Cliquish.
  5. Canadians: Exactly like Americans, but more soft-spoken, more polite, less ignorant, and twenty times more boring.

Well, there you have it. Of course, you are all different!

I think stereotypes are actually really helpful, if used wisely. For example, if every American/French/German…could look above and try to NOT be all those things, the world would be a better place. Although, arguably, not as funny.

Word for the Travel Wise (12/24/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Still running around the town searching for the last fixings to liven up your holiday dinner? It’s a mouthful to say, but start by heading to one of these…

Today’s word is a German word used in Germany:

lebensmittelgeschäft – grocery store

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