Mensa is the equivalent of canteen, just that instead of stalls we have fixed menus everyday which can be viewed online for the week. There is a saying that the best Unis in Germany usually have the lousiest Mensas around, while the best Mensas in Germany belong to the Unis which are unheard of. This could probably explain why Uni Mannheim's Mensa food is getting from bad to worse, that I'd starting to think that I could cook better than them. Perhaps it is the law of diminishing utility, for the first time when I ate, I thought Mensa food was not bad. Even for a person like me who has an inclination towards salty food, the food at the Uni Mensa is way too salty for me. And yet I am surprised to see how some Germans can still add salt to their soup or fries.
Here's some pictures of my productive persuits which will probably interest my mother more than anyone else. And yes, they are edible, at least to this moment as I am still alive typing.
Gulasch - some sort of Hungarian stew Minced meat with diced potatoes, carrots and red peper Fish fillet with creamy sauce and potatoes.Pork chop with Jägersoße, mushrooms and boiled potatoes. Honey meat balls - loved every bit of it
Sliced fish soup
Simple egg omlette with mushrooms and melted cheese
Mini crepes with nutella and banana slices. And its not burnt. One of my hot favorites for supper.
Its now 1am in Germany and I just came back from school. Not that I've been in school all day but I came back in the afternoon and went out in the evening to prepare for the case study which we have to present with my other group mates. I remember that in NUS, whenever there are exchange students taking a particular module, we'd always be very happy for the reason that they will help to skew the bell curve to our advantage - that's the horrible NUS system. But yet at the same time, we're afraid to be in the same group as them to do group work or assignments, for the same reason that they'd be too slack. I remember telling Ying Tee once that because there are full time students in the group, it won't be nice to sabo them, and she readily remarked the same observation as I had in mind that we'd always siam exchange students for group work back in Singapore.
There are 4 of us, 2 full time students - German guys Tobias and Tim and 2 exchange students -this French gal Claire and myself. Everything has been going smoothly and we get along very well. Tobias and Tim are in their 8th and 7th semester and are therefore very hardworking and enthuiastic. Claire, although being an exchange student like me and always going away on excursions, travelling or partying, does not appear to be totally bo chup at all. And Tim is coming to Singapore next semester for an internship with BASF. I found it quite comical because most people would rather do an internship with BASF in Germany instead of overseas.
Till now I am quite happy with the progress we're doing with our case, although I must say that I feel that marketing is to some extent - bullshiting and smoking your way through with high sounding models like "4 Ps Model"- place, pricing, product, promotion, "3 Cs Model" - customers, company, competition, as well as SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis. As an econs major who is so used to seeing everything mathematical and concrete as well as complicated diagrams, this marketing pill is hard to swallow. It was something like during the first semester at NUS when I took soci exposure module. Ok, maybe marketing is not as empty as soci (I know I am gonna be flamed by making such a statement bout soci) but it can get really tok cock. Its the first time I am taking a course in marketing and I am not sure if I will take marketing next sem when I am back at NUS as a breadth module. One thing for sure, marketing courses always have chiobus, wherever the course is conducted, be it in Singapore or in Germany.
Anyway time to sleep as I gotta wake up 5 hours later for first period classes. There should be no travelling till after the 6th May after the presentation as well as the next wave of common tests. Scheiße!
Trier (pronounced as 3-er) is at the edge of Germany at the western side near the Luxumberg and the French border. Therefore it is not surprising to see a lot of French students there on excursions. It is one of Germany oldest cities, well it maintains that is the oldest, and this is contested by Worms, which also claims that they are the oldest cities. The day spent in Trier was like a day spent in little Rome, because it much of the structures seem to give me the impression that I was in Rome, although the intensity was definitely not as much. I have never been to Rome before and I am really looking forward to it in June. Hence Trier is like a preview of what I can probably expect in Rome.
Indeed, a check after the trip revealed that Trier was founded by the Romans in the 15th century BC, and its collection of Roman monuments and structures led it to accquire the UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1986.
The Porta Niga, which is the Latin equivalent for black gate, was built in the 2nd century. The pillar was purely iron rods. Resembles a corner of the Colosseum in Rome? I will do a comparison after I have been to Rome. The Hauptmarkt (main Market), a marketplace which has a square which was lined up with beautifully painted houses. There was an interesting movement, or demonstration when I was there. It was a movement to encourage people to go vegetarian and stop eating meat. What happened was that the demonstrators, who were all ladies, stripped to their panties and bras and with their skin dripping with red paint, to imitate blood, they went around giving leaflets and explaining to their people about their movement. Not surprisingly, it attracted alot of attention.
The Dom, which looked more like a fortress than a cathedral Below: one of the most priceless monuments in the Dome.
Kaiserthermen - This was once an imperial thermal bathing complex. This ruined structure you see is part of the section of the hot pool area. The Amphitheater - the place where gladiators won and died. It had a capacity that was once able to hold 20,000 people during matches. If you look at the stage at the picture above, you can see two small stairs that lead to the basement cellar.
And this is how the cellar looks like in the basement. It was a once used to keep caged animals, prisoners as well as corpses.
Das Karl-Marx Haus: Karl Marx the father of communism, was born in Trier in the very house above. It was quite surprising to hear that because to me, Marx is very much associated with Berlin and Jena, where he came up with most of his revolutionary ideals.
Koblenz I
From Trier, it took about 1.5 hours to get to Koblenz. The view from trains were splendid because the route that all trains would take from Trier to Koblenz was through the Moselle Valley, a very sceneric route of 195km between Trier to Koblenz. And during the grape harvest season, this valley is also a great place to taste German wine, where the country's finest wines come from. Actually the visit to Koblenz was rather last minute, because there was little time and I had to transfer trains at Koblenz to go futher up towards the direction of Münster and so I had only 1.5 hours to see what I could. It was really what I would say "touch and go". However I am very certain that although I have touched and gone, I will be back in Summer again to cover the rest of what I have not seen, because I missed out the most beautiful places in Koblenz which were out of reach.
Anyway I did manage to take some nice pictures in Koblenz:
Am Plan, this is a square that used to be a place for public executions.
This crossroad of the main shopping street, the Löhrstraße, is called the 4 towers. It is a pretty intersection where the corner of 4 17th century buildings face other.
The deutsches Eck - "the German Corner" - This is the corner in Koblenz where the Moselle river joins the Rhine river in Germany. As you can see, the German flag is right at the tip of the corner. Facing the deutsches Eck is a grand statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the Emperor who was best known as the figure behind the Unification of Germany during the mid-19th Century. From the side of the deutsches Eck, looking across the Rhine river, you could see the mighty fortress of the Ehrenbereitstein. Unfortunately I did not have the time to cross the river and go up the fortress! I am very certain that from the fortress I am able to get a panoramic view of Koblenz. But I will do it the next time.
Woke up this morning at 7.55am to realise that the Stuttgart trip was being cancelled at the last minute, and Charmaine was apologising when she heard that I woke up so early on a Sunday. Actually I am quite happy that the trip was cancelled, so that I could do what I badly needed to do which is to mop my room and clear up all the trash that has been accumulating.
While I was moping the floor, with my hands and a piece of cloth, it struck upon me that 2.5 months have past, which means I will have 3.5 more months before I return. I compared the pictures of my room today and on the 1st February when I first moved in. I remembered it was empty except for the furniture, and the walls had nothing on it.
The wall is pasted with bus/tram timetables, a map of Europe as well as the transport tariff system and a lot of other stuff, but none of it is academic.
Rows of beer bottles waiting to get refund for the glass bottle.
I was thinking, will I continue to mop the floor when I return? Will I continue to do my own laundry when I return? Will I have to bother to check the temperature every day? Will I continue to cook my own meals when I return? Will I wash my own plates and dishes after eating? Will I bother to spend a few hours at the supermarket every week to shop for cheap groceries? Will I continue to drink beer every night? Will I have to observe the bus and tram timings before stepping out of the house? Some great findings this week
I think this week is great because of two great findings especially. Firstly I got myself a bicycle, not that I bought a bicycle but with the help of Stan and Zhirui whom I must thank a lot, we assembled a bicycle from three different bicycles which were spoilt. They were left lying in the cellar downstairs unlocked and that took us like 1.5hours to dismantle the parts and reassemble. It was quite exciting to do so because we were behaving like thieves with all the tools and noise while trying to be discrete at night. Moreover there were signs pasted on the walls of the cellar informing that 5-10 bicycles were stolen during the last month and that residents should be careful. Stan got something out of it too. A cool bicycle frame that was left behind. But the best thing is, now I can ride a bicycle to school like all Germans, especially when I miss the bus in the morning because the bus driver left 1 or 2 minutes earlier than the stipulated time!
The second cool thing that I found this afternoon at the backyard was a mattress. It was presumably left there by someone, but I was quite surprised because the mattress was still in a good condition and it did not stink or have any stains on it. Moreover its exactly the mattress that all of us staying in this hostel sleep on in our rooms. With much zest I lugged the whole thing up into my room and turned on the heater to warm the mattress since it was a little damp due to the drizzle when I found it. Its a great find because 1 month later Shujuan's friend is gonna crash over at my place, and 2 months later Ying and Py are coming as well. And talking about that, we are going on a Europe trip together. 5 countries, 9 places, 12 days. Looking forward to that, but it also means that my days in Germany are limited and I'll have to return home.
"Turning" German
After dinner with the Singaporeans at Palms, as we were walking home, I was telling the two gals, if there is a place in Germany which is "not so international as Frankfurt", "not so expensive as Munich", "where the bus and trams are not so incomprehensive in terms of frequency at night and during weekends as Mannheim", "where there exists no Ausländerfeindlichkeit like in East Germany", I would want to live there and not come back. When I went home, I thought about what I said, and I think that actually Mannheim is not a bad place to live in after all. The cost of living is not as high as other German cities, and the transport tariff system here is wide. Till now I have not come across any other Verkehrsbund (transport association) in Germany that has a bigger tariff coverage as the VRN, which is the association that operates in Mannheim.
And when they asked me what's Ausländerfeindlichkeit, I stumbled because for a moment the English equivalent slipped out of my mind! I was quite surprised because this is not the first time it happened. It happened like twice this week already. I remember Herr Chan saying that there will be a stage during the process of learning German or being left in a German speaking environment that you will find that your English standard has dropped while your German standard has improved but not perfect. Its like "half way" of both languages. You start with nothing in German and get to something, and you start with English as your native language and then you find that you get a mental block sometimes.
Maybe the head of the international office at Mannheim was correct when she told us during her first meeting with the exchange students that we'll cry two time during our stay here. The first time is when we just arrive because the city is so ugly and we just want to pack our bags and leave. The second time is when we really have to return home. I did not cry the first time but I am quite certain that I will the second time. I was talking to Navy on the bus just now and she also said that she does not want to return to Hongkong too, where reality will bite all over again. Probably that's also why a lot of exchange students are scrambling to sign up for internships in Germany. I'd very much like to as well, there are a lot of internship offers in Germany but unfortunately I have to return to Singapore. There are unfinished businesses there. But I am quite sure I will leave Germany with unfinished businesses as well. 3.5 months is still quite a long way but the day will come.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which may seem to be a long German name, actually means "Rothenburg over the Tauber", and the Tauber is a river in the northern part of the Bavarian state. Well known for its preserved medieval town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is indeed one of the most beautiful medieval gems around in Germany, although it is a rather small town and 3 hours is probably all that is needed to check out every corner of the town.
One of the entrances to the medieval town, from the direction of the Bahnhof
The pavement of the Altstadt is preserved to the extent that the lanes are cobbled, stoned, and uneven.The Rathaus on the left. It looks like some cartoon Flintstone house, that you see in fairy tales. The medieval houses are magnificantly picturesque and tastefully painted with pastel colours.
The view from the Rathaus
In order to get the best view of the town, I climbed up the Rathaus and squeezed myself into a small exit at the top of the Rathaus. From the top I could see the whole town and the town walls that enclose the town. It was a wonderful sight as the pictures below testify. Moreover the snow that was sliding or beginning to melt on the roofs added more taste to the photos:
The same view as the previous picture except this time from the top of the Rathaus.Notice the snow on the roofs. Can you see the old town wall?
Unlike the town wall in Nürnberg which was actually a replica of the old town wall that was destroyed by the Allies in Jan 1945, the town wall at Rothenburg ob der Tauber is original. It has existed since the 13th century. How is it so that the town was spared from the Allies during WW2? It turns out that actually Nazis were sent to defend the town during WW2 and the Allies were on the verge of completely flattening the town. In fact, it was mentioned that quite a signifiant proportion of the whole town was damaged, slightly less than 50%, but the Altstadt emerged relatively unscared. But what was more important was that the US Assistant Secetary of War John McCloy understood the historic importance and beauty of the town and so he ordered the military not to fire artillery shells at the town, thereby preserving the town but capturing it using other means.
I am not sure if the cannons here are from medieval times as well.
The square holes in the walls are where the cannon barrels are positioned. Plönlein, a fork in the road, which is one of the sights which appear in most postcards of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Although München (Munich) is Germany's third largest city after Berlin and Hamburg, as well as the capital of the Bayern state, many people, including me, would rather associate München as the beer capital of Germany. Frankly speaking, although the beer lifestyle is widespread everywhere in Germany, but in München, it is....... crazy. Everywhere, anytime and for any reason in München is a good time to drink beer. However München isn't all about beer. The city itself has its own share of beautiful sights as well. I'd just talk about some of the main ones here. Die Asamkirche
The Catholic Church of St. Johann Nepomuk, or better known as the Asamkirche was built between 1733 and 1746 by the Asam brothers. Initially a private church, it was later opened to the residents of München. Having been to many many many many churches already in Europe, I have to admit that this one is by far till now the most impressive looking one.
It is small in its own right, but the architecture is simply gorgeous
When I opened the church doors, I was totally amazed by the interior. It was sparkling like a gold palace, and every corner of the church was intricately decorated right down to the final touches. Its really a sight to behold and a treasure to marvel at.
The Marienplatz
The Marienplatz is the main place at the centre of the Altstadt, where it is impossible to miss and its flooded everyday with tourists. The most looming structure at the Marienplatz has to be the neues Rathaus (new city hall): It is so big that my camera could not take a full picture of the whole building. This place reminded me of the one which I been to Brussels 2 years ago.
At 11am, 12pm and 5pm, everyone would gather at the Marienplatz to watch the Glockenspiel:
The altes Rathaus (old city hall) - just beside the new Rathaus. Today it is a toy museum Mariensäule - Marien Column errected in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish Occupation
The top view of the Rathaus taken from the St Peter's Kirche.
Odeonsplatz
Near the Marienplatz, just at the Residenz palace is the Odeonsplatz. This is the place where the so called Munich Beer Hall Putsch was launched by Hitler in 1923 that failed. The name Odeonsplatz got its name from a concert hall Odeon which Ludwig I had it built at the southwest side of the Platz. Two important landmarks can be found at Odeonplatz. One of them is the mustard yellow looking church (the Theatinerkirche) and the other is the Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshall Hall), built betwen 1841 and 1844. This Hall was a symbol of the honours of Bavarian army at that time.
At the entrance of the Hall you could see two lions. It was believed that rubbing on them would bring good luck.
Odeonplatz is also the starting point of the Ludwigstraße (Ludwigsroad) that leads to this triumphal arc called the Siegstor (lit: Victory gate). It is similar in style to the Arc-de-Triomphe which I saw in Paris 2 years ago as well as the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. This momument was completed in 1852 and used to serve as a display of force of the Bavarian army.
Beer drinking culture in München
München is famous for its beer halls, and the Hofbräuhaus is perhaps the world's largest beer hall. The sad thing is that no Bayern would go there to drink beer nowadays. Most of them head elsewhere outside the Altstadt. As a result, the only (and always crowded) group of people at the Hofbräuhaus are tourists from all over the world.
Beer is ordered usually in 1 mass mugs, which is 1 litre, although there are smaller sizes of 500ml. And the waitresses here are very fit I must say. They could carry like 10 1 mass mugs at one time!
Inside the beer halls. The layout is such that people sit in long benches rather than round tables, and there will be a band that plays Bavarian music after 7pm. Hofbraühaus also serves food as well, but as compared to other restaurants, the food is not as good.
Bavarian Food Specialities
Actually in München, it is worth to eat in restaurants. This is because there are so many of them and competition heats up as a result. The prices are reasonable and the portion is alot. The traditional Bayern food is most recommended. Personally I ate at restaurants every night at different places and the bill per person every time for a meal with beer turned out to be only about 13 Euros, which is even cheaper than eating at a German restaurant in Singapore!
Schweinshaxe mit Kartoffelknödel und Sauerkraut - roasted pork knuckle with potato dumpling and cabbage salad.
Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat - Fried port fillet with potato salad
Schweinebraten mit Kartoffelknödel- hog pork with potato dumpling
The service at the restaurants were very prompt and the waitresses are all very professional, making sure that you're very comfortable and asking you about the food after you'd eaten. Also, all of them were dressed in the traditional Bavarian traven dress - Trachtenkleid, which is a distinctive dress costume which reveals a huge part of their cleavage.
Having eaten at 3 different restaurants at München, I must say that the Augustiner Braühaus serves the best tasting traditional Bayern food. It is a must that I return there to eat again in summer.
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium at the North outskirt of the city, and was one of the venues for the 2006 FIFA world cup. It is the resident stadium of the soccer club Bayern München and 1860 München. What is more interesting however is the design of the stadium itself. Because of its structure, it has been nicknamed as an inflatable rubber boat. During the day the stadium looks very normal in design. However at night, the whole stadium would light up, and the light changes colour as well! The most beautiful colour in my opinion would be when the red light mixed with the white, but however, I waited for 40minutes and the red light had not come yet.. so I decided to go. Moreover it was freezing out in the open. Hopefully this summer when I go there again I could get the shot of the red lit stadium.
Parks in München
München is a green city with a handful of beautiful parks and gardens. I visited the Schloß Nymphenburg which is the biggest baroque palace in Germany. The Gardens are free although it costs money to enter the palace.
Front view of the Schloß
Olympiazentrum (Olympic Area)
In 1972, München hosted the Olympic Games. Now in 2008, this area is still very well preserved and the area has turned into a large garden and parks. The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking.
On a Sunday, the Olympic area is crowded with people who are there to stroll or walk their dogs, and there are stalls in the parks selling beer. A great place to drink beer in the day.
The Olympic area is also next to the BMW museum, and the famous BMW tower, in which the four cylinders were held from the top and do not stand on the ground:
Other popular parks in München includes the Englischer Garden, designed by and Englishman in 1789, larger than New York Central Park. During summer, it is a norm to see everyone, well not everyone but almost, sunbathing naked in the Englischer Garden. Also there is a Chinese tower in the Englishcer Garden at which more beer gardens can be found!
An expensive but beautiful and livable city
München has been rated as one of the most expensive places to live in the world. The hostel rent for example can go as high as 350Euros. Moreover, München is very cosmopolitan, like London. It does not give you the feeling that you are in Germany, because 7 out of 10 people you see on the streets are holding maps and they are clearly not Germans. Despite the cost of living, München is probably one of the most interesting and beautiful places to live in Germany.
Gulasch - some sort of Hungarian stew
Minced meat with diced potatoes, carrots and red peper
Fish fillet with creamy sauce and potatoes.
Pork chop with Jägersoße, mushrooms and boiled potatoes.
Honey meat balls - loved every bit of it 
The altes Rathaus (old city hall) - just beside the new Rathaus. Today it is a toy museum
Inside the beer halls. The layout is such that people sit in long benches rather than round tables, and there will be a band that plays Bavarian music after 7pm. Hofbraühaus also serves food as well, but as compared to other restaurants, the food is not as good. 
Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat - Fried port fillet with potato salad
Schweinebraten mit Kartoffelknödel- hog pork with potato dumpling
Having eaten at 3 different restaurants at München, I must say that the Augustiner Braühaus serves the best tasting traditional Bayern food. It is a must that I return there to eat again in summer.
