Was sagst du? 樣樣都德

Have you ever noticed that my blog has covered many places west of Germany but hardly anywhere east? It is time that I set foot somewhere further east than Vienna and venture into a less familiar world. Having read about this country from a respectable magazine from Hong Kong, and being a place where my Hong Kong friends in Munich and I all haven't been before, we decided on a 4-day whirlwind tour through Croatia. Our overnight train took us to the capital Zagreb on the morning of Good Friday (21 March). After asking for various information and changing our currency (yes, my blog entries haven't covered too much outside the euro-zone either!) we set out to explore the city. It may not be as exciting and packed with attractions around every corner compared to other capital cities, but at least Zagreb feels pleasant, unhurried and is filled with open space. We started from the main railway station (Glavni Kolodvor) and walked through the streets and squares of the Lower Town dis...

The news two days ago reported that an American scientist working in Germany got into some legal bother, all because he was apparently misusing his 'Dr' title! The law behind this incident dates back to the 1930s, when a law stipulates that the use of the Dr title was authorised only if the relevant degree was awarded by an 'approved' university. Originally only German universities were in the approved list, but in 2001 the list was expanded to cover other EU states. Holders of degrees from other countries are allowed to use the title only after submitting their qualifications for review by the appropriate authority. The correct use of titles is no small matter in Germany; even on my rental contract, the landlord addressed himself as 'Dipl. Ing.' (more or less equivalent to Masters in Engineering). The misuse of titles is liable to prosecution and a jail sentence. I can appreciate that the original purpose of the law is to prevent people from engaging in inappr...

Before Chinese New Year, a Hong Kong friend came to visit me in Munich after a 2-week sojourn in Europe. We were thinking about a good place to visit on Sunday 3rd February; then I came up with the pretty town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I also invited another Hong Kong guy, now working in Munich, to come along. 農曆年前有個香港朋友，歐遊兩週後來到慕尼黑。2月3日（星期日）那天，大家都想到另一個地方逛逛，想起有個饒有特色的小鎮——羅騰堡（Rothenburg ob der Tauber），我約了另一個剛來到慕尼黑工作的香港朋友一同前往。 The entrance to the old town of Rothenburg 羅騰堡古城之入口 The entire town of Rothenburg is built on wood. Shortly after walking through the city gates (called Rödertor), we stepped onto the passageway on top of the city wall for a good view of the town. Rothenburg is totally surrounded by this wall, about half of which has a narrow passageway built on it. The side of the passageway facing outwards is a continuous stone wall while the roof and the fence are built of wood. Most of the wood looked rather new but at least the original style was retained. The maintenance of ...