France & Germany & Europe, oh my!

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My brother returned last week from his trip to Germany and France. He
described some of his adventures. He was there for a wedding,
although I can't remember what country it was in.

I was entertained by his description of some of the "holy relics" at
some of the cathedrals around Europe, including the bones of the three
wise men. He bought a stone supposedly taken from one of the
buildings, and in that spirit he calls it the "rock that David used to
kill Goliath."

Anyway, he said a few things that I found to be a little odd in his
stories:

1. He described a German tax law that if you claim to be Catholic or
Protestant, you get an extra tax and it goes to support all the
maintenance of the old churches and cathedrals. This makes sense, I
suppose, I'm sure maintaining all the old stuff in Europe is
outrageously pricey. I think Americans should be glad that the
natives didn't leave too much behind in the huge-monument department.

2. He claimed that he had a side dish in Germany that consisted of a
lump of butter, rolled in bread crumbs and batter, and then flash
fried. Now I eat a lot of grossly unhealthy stuff, but this takes the
cake! Is this for real?

Actually, it sounds tasty...He brought back some "kinderfriends."
Apparently people really like their hazelnuts! But there was no
health information on there :-/

3. Apparently some of the toilets he visited have what is referred to
as an "inspection ledge" on which one's excrement collects as you do
your business. Is this typical?

4. This is the one I am most dubious of--he rode with some of his
friends in cars in various places, and from what he could tell, if
there were any rules for driving, nobody actually paid any attention
to them. I'm assuming he is exaggerating, but I tend to be a cautious
driver, and if I ever went I'd worry about being eaten alive (as I am
in major US cities).

Someday I shall travel to Europe, once I figure out how to not look
quite so...um...American. I guess I will have to learn how to use a
bidet, too, eh? Blech.

-Zac
 
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Words to the wise, "Zac Bond" <zwb2@cwru.edu> wrote:

>My brother returned last week from his trip to Germany and France. He
>described some of his adventures. He was there for a wedding,
>although I can't remember what country it was in.

>Anyway, he said a few things that I found to be a little odd in his
>stories:

>1. He described a German tax law that if you claim to be Catholic or
>Protestant, you get an extra tax and it goes to support all the
>maintenance of the old churches and cathedrals. This makes sense, I
>suppose, I'm sure maintaining all the old stuff in Europe is
>outrageously pricey. I think Americans should be glad that the
>natives didn't leave too much behind in the huge-monument department.

Yes, that is true, "church tax" is in existence, but only as long as
you are an official member of the catholic or protestant church.
The tax is i think 1% of your income tax, so not really much and once
your leave the official religions, you are exempted for it.

The tax does not really go into maintaining all those old buildings,
that happens in part probably, but mostly it goes into caritative
organisation.

>2. He claimed that he had a side dish in Germany that consisted of a
>lump of butter, rolled in bread crumbs and batter, and then flash
>fried. Now I eat a lot of grossly unhealthy stuff, but this takes the
>cake! Is this for real?

Well, I do not know this dish, but actually this sounds french to me.

>Actually, it sounds tasty...He brought back some "kinderfriends."
>Apparently people really like their hazelnuts! But there was no
>health information on there :-/
>
>3. Apparently some of the toilets he visited have what is referred to
>as an "inspection ledge" on which one's excrement collects as you do
>your business. Is this typical?

Yes and no.

>4. This is the one I am most dubious of--he rode with some of his
>friends in cars in various places, and from what he could tell, if
>there were any rules for driving, nobody actually paid any attention
>to them. I'm assuming he is exaggerating, but I tend to be a cautious
>driver, and if I ever went I'd worry about being eaten alive (as I am
>in major US cities).

That is actually true and echoes what a friend of mine who visited me
last year says. We do have a lot of rules for driving, but well, you
tend to bend pretty all of them while driving.

Most people drive rather reasonable, if a bit on the fast side, but
when done right, this isnt a problem.

>Someday I shall travel to Europe, once I figure out how to not look
>quite so...um...American.

Everyone will at once know that you are american.
You just look like one.
 
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"Claus Dragon" <claus@ultima-dragons.org> wrote in message
news:h25j91tthi2fd7romjv8jm8f6dltajbacg@4ax.com...
> Words to the wise, "Zac Bond" <zwb2@cwru.edu> wrote:
>
>>My brother returned last week from his trip to Germany and France. He
>>described some of his adventures. He was there for a wedding,
>>although I can't remember what country it was in.
>
>>Anyway, he said a few things that I found to be a little odd in his
>>stories:
>
>>1. He described a German tax law that if you claim to be Catholic or
>>Protestant, you get an extra tax and it goes to support all the
>>maintenance of the old churches and cathedrals. This makes sense, I
>>suppose, I'm sure maintaining all the old stuff in Europe is
>>outrageously pricey. I think Americans should be glad that the
>>natives didn't leave too much behind in the huge-monument department.
>
> Yes, that is true, "church tax" is in existence, but only as long as
> you are an official member of the catholic or protestant church.
> The tax is i think 1% of your income tax, so not really much and once
> your leave the official religions, you are exempted for it.

We have that in Sweden too. You're "born into" the church, and if you don't
take action, you'll be paying that 1.1% or whatever it is. Supposedly it
lets you get married (and buried) in church, without paying a huge amount.
Or some such.

>>2. He claimed that he had a side dish in Germany that consisted of a
>>lump of butter, rolled in bread crumbs and batter, and then flash
>>fried. Now I eat a lot of grossly unhealthy stuff, but this takes the
>>cake! Is this for real?
>
> Well, I do not know this dish, but actually this sounds french to me.

I'm about to throw up...

>>3. Apparently some of the toilets he visited have what is referred to
>>as an "inspection ledge" on which one's excrement collects as you do
>>your business. Is this typical?
>
> Yes and no.

Inspection Ledge?? What the hell?

>>4. This is the one I am most dubious of--he rode with some of his
>>friends in cars in various places, and from what he could tell, if
>>there were any rules for driving, nobody actually paid any attention
>>to them. I'm assuming he is exaggerating, but I tend to be a cautious
>>driver, and if I ever went I'd worry about being eaten alive (as I am
>>in major US cities).
>
> That is actually true and echoes what a friend of mine who visited me
> last year says. We do have a lot of rules for driving, but well, you
> tend to bend pretty all of them while driving.
>
> Most people drive rather reasonable, if a bit on the fast side, but
> when done right, this isnt a problem.

Isn't Autobahn in Germany? In my own little world that resides only in my
head, I see autobahn as "drive as fast as you like, just don't hit
anything".

>
>>Someday I shall travel to Europe, once I figure out how to not look
>>quite so...um...American.
>
> Everyone will at once know that you are american.
> You just look like one.

Wear a kimono.


LVD
 
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Claus Dragon wrote:

> Most people drive rather reasonable, if a bit on the fast side, but when
> done right, this isnt a problem.

That sounds a lot like Montreal, but of course maybe you Germans take it
to another extreme.

I'd like to do a research study on world driving habits, and I'll need a
few weeks in every major city of the world (capital cities and those with
large populations > 1mil). Who wants to help fund it?

--
Cape Dweller Dragon
Remember, I've got a debt to pay. It's about quantity, not quality.
 
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On Sun, 29 May 2005 11:49:01 -0400, Cape Dweller <usenet@ciotog.net>
wrote:

>Claus Dragon wrote:
>
>> Most people drive rather reasonable, if a bit on the fast side, but when
>> done right, this isnt a problem.
>
>That sounds a lot like Montreal, but of course maybe you Germans take it
>to another extreme.
>
>I'd like to do a research study on world driving habits, and I'll need a
>few weeks in every major city of the world (capital cities and those with
>large populations > 1mil). Who wants to help fund it?

German and English drivers aren't any worse that some parts of the US,
like Boston, for instance. French and Italian drivers are nuts though.
Israeli and Greek drivers are probably the worst. Don't know about HK or
China or Japan though.

--
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Words to the wise, "Lord Vashnu Dragon" <lordv@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> Yes, that is true, "church tax" is in existence, but only as long as
>> you are an official member of the catholic or protestant church.
>> The tax is i think 1% of your income tax, so not really much and once
>> your leave the official religions, you are exempted for it.

>We have that in Sweden too. You're "born into" the church, and if you don't
>take action, you'll be paying that 1.1% or whatever it is. Supposedly it
>lets you get married (and buried) in church, without paying a huge amount.
>Or some such.

Oh, you have that as well? Weird, I thought only Italy, Germany and
Spain had that. The Separation between church and state isnt so clear
then in Sweden as well.

>>>4. This is the one I am most dubious of--he rode with some of his
>>>friends in cars in various places, and from what he could tell, if
>>>there were any rules for driving, nobody actually paid any attention
>>>to them. I'm assuming he is exaggerating, but I tend to be a cautious
>>>driver, and if I ever went I'd worry about being eaten alive (as I am
>>>in major US cities).
>>
>> That is actually true and echoes what a friend of mine who visited me
>> last year says. We do have a lot of rules for driving, but well, you
>> tend to bend pretty all of them while driving.
>>
>> Most people drive rather reasonable, if a bit on the fast side, but
>> when done right, this isnt a problem.
>
>Isn't Autobahn in Germany? In my own little world that resides only in my
>head, I see autobahn as "drive as fast as you like, just don't hit
>anything".

Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140
and 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty. Also, its no
problem for three-lane motorways (3 in each direction). That isnt
really fast , I think, though I normally drive on the low side (120 -
140), but that depends, if I have another car, I might go 160 or 170,
but not really faster. Again, very depending on the traffic.

>>>Someday I shall travel to Europe, once I figure out how to not look
>>>quite so...um...American.
>>
>> Everyone will at once know that you are american.
>> You just look like one.
>
>Wear a kimono.

Then he looks like an american wearing a kimono.
 
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Eek! Zac Bond wrote:
<snip>
> 2. He claimed that he had a side dish in Germany that consisted of a
> lump of butter, rolled in bread crumbs and batter, and then flash
> fried. Now I eat a lot of grossly unhealthy stuff, but this takes the
> cake! Is this for real?

Well..., haven't you eaten a mozerella cheese stick before??? It's about
the same thing, and it's a common appetizer in some restaurants. There are
variation of it, like they add jalapeno pepper to it and fried in batters.

<snip>
> 3. Apparently some of the toilets he visited have what is referred to
> as an "inspection ledge" on which one's excrement collects as you do
> your business. Is this typical?

Let me tell you my experience in France..., the public toilets in Metro
collects tolls and it never gets cleaned. You can still see poops in the
toilet and some restrooms are flooded.

> 4. This is the one I am most dubious of--he rode with some of his
> friends in cars in various places, and from what he could tell, if
> there were any rules for driving, nobody actually paid any attention
> to them. I'm assuming he is exaggerating, but I tend to be a cautious
> driver, and if I ever went I'd worry about being eaten alive (as I am
> in major US cities).

That's true in Taipei as well. But people here in California actually pay
attention to rules. They might be speeding, yes, but people generally
drive cautiously (except some kids who just got their license or those ones
who mod their cars like eww...). And people do stop at four-way stops.
Imagine the chaos it would be if people don't do four-way stops and yield
when traffic lights are broken or power outage happens (which happened
often when PG&E just went bankrupt).

> Someday I shall travel to Europe, once I figure out how to not look
> quite so...um...American. I guess I will have to learn how to use a
> bidet, too, eh? Blech.

Just remember to bring ass protectors with you.

--
Ashikaga a27
 
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Words to the wise, Polychromic <macecil@comcast.net> wrote:


>German and English drivers aren't any worse that some parts of the US,
>like Boston, for instance. French and Italian drivers are nuts though.
>Israeli and Greek drivers are probably the worst. Don't know about HK or
>China or Japan though.

Every tried crossing a zebra crossing in either France or Italy? Cars
accelerate instead of stopping.
 

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Quoth Claus Dragon <claus@ultima-dragons.org>:
....
> Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140
> and 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty.

I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
/kilometres/ per hour. :)
--
___________________________________________________________
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Quoth Polychromic <macecil@comcast.net>:
....
> German and English drivers aren't any worse that some parts of the US,
> like Boston, for instance.

More stringent driving test here, for starters. :p

> French and Italian drivers are nuts though. Israeli and Greek drivers are
> probably the worst.

True enough, except for Arab countries. Rules of the road generally
mean nothing there, either.

> Don't know about HK or China or Japan though.

Hong Kong driving, from what I saw of it, isn't too bad. Haven't yet
been to mainland China or Japan to comment.
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Samurai wrote:
> Quoth Claus Dragon <claus@ultima-dragons.org>:
> ...
>
>>Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140
>>and 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty.
>
>
> I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
> /kilometres/ per hour. :)

So, it's still between 80ish and 105mph, then?
 
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On Mon, 30 May 2005 02:10:01 -0400, Helgraf Dragon
<helgraf@ultima-dragons.org> wrote:

>Samurai wrote:
>> Quoth Claus Dragon <claus@ultima-dragons.org>:
>> ...
>>
>>>Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140
>>>and 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty.
>>
>>
>> I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
>> /kilometres/ per hour. :)
>
>So, it's still between 80ish and 105mph, then?

Pffft. That's only 3rd gear. See, this is why you don't buy an all
stainless car from a cokehead.

--
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http://home.comcast.net/~safehex/
RGCUD Photo Gallery: http://home.comcast.net/~rgcud/
 
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With a deafening roar and a whoosh of spray, Cape Dweller swings about and
addresses the awaiting newsgroup...

> I'd like to do a research study on world driving habits, and I'll need a
> few weeks in every major city of the world (capital cities and those with
> large populations > 1mil). Who wants to help fund it?

I suggest NZ for a start. You won't survive our roads, so the trip will be
pretty cheap.


--
Paulon Dragon d++ e++ N T+ Om+ UK!1!2!3!4!5!6!7!'!S!'!8!9!A!L!M!W!
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Ultima VII endgame.exe file
 
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On Mon, 30 May 2005 02:23:56 -0500, Polychromic <macecil@comcast.net>
wrote:

>On Mon, 30 May 2005 02:10:01 -0400, Helgraf Dragon
><helgraf@ultima-dragons.org> wrote:
>
>>Samurai wrote:
>>> Quoth Claus Dragon <claus@ultima-dragons.org>:
>>> ...
>>>
>>>>Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140
>>>>and 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty.
>>>
>>>
>>> I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
>>> /kilometres/ per hour. :)
>>
>>So, it's still between 80ish and 105mph, then?
>
>Pffft. That's only 3rd gear. See, this is why you don't buy an all
>stainless car from a cokehead.
You know what those two white stripes down the middle of the highway
mean?
DeLorean's glove box has a leak!
<rimshot>
-=UDIC=-
Optician Dragon
"Life Is Like A Can Of Tuna Fish - Sometimes It's Good, Sometimes It's Not So Good"
-Alfred E. Neumann
 
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Claus Dragon schrieb:

....
> Yes, that is true, "church tax" is in existence, but only as long as
> you are an official member of the catholic or protestant church.
> The tax is i think 1% of your income tax, so not really much and once
> your leave the official religions, you are exempted for it.

1% would be excellent. The "Kirchensteuer" has been 9% of my income
taxes for me before I cancelled my church membership. Perhaps you meant
1% of your income? ;-)
bye
Michael
 
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Words to the wise, Michael Romes <NetterNachbar6@lycos.de> wrote:

>> Yes, that is true, "church tax" is in existence, but only as long as
>> you are an official member of the catholic or protestant church.
>> The tax is i think 1% of your income tax, so not really much and once
>> your leave the official religions, you are exempted for it.
>
>1% would be excellent. The "Kirchensteuer" has been 9% of my income
>taxes for me before I cancelled my church membership. Perhaps you meant
>1% of your income? ;-)

Oh, is it 9% of income tax? Well, I never bothered to check how much
it actually is. But still, my fault. Thanks for correcting me :)
 

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Quoth Helgraf Dragon <helgraf@ultima-dragons.org>:
> Samurai wrote:
....
> > I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
> > /kilometres/ per hour. :)
>
> So, it's still between 80ish and 105mph, then?

88mph (Flux Capacitor fluxing!) and 106mph, in fact. If that's really
as fast as people go on the derestricted autobahn sections, they're
missing opportunities. :)
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Samurai wrote:
> Quoth Helgraf Dragon <helgraf@ultima-dragons.org>:
>
>>Samurai wrote:
>
> ...
>
>>>I'd just like to remind our American readers, those figures are
>>>/kilometres/ per hour. :)
>>
>>So, it's still between 80ish and 105mph, then?
>
>
> 88mph (Flux Capacitor fluxing!) and 106mph, in fact. If that's really
> as fast as people go on the derestricted autobahn sections, they're
> missing opportunities. :)

Well, there is to be said that he said generally. I can pretty much
guarantee there is the occasional motorist who goes much faster on those
sections.
 
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Zac Bond wrote:

> My trip through New Jersey was bad too--I would get off the interstate
> to go use the bathroom or get gas, and discover there was no way to
> get back on! Yeesh.
>
> -Ophidian

There's always a way back onto the Interstate. You just have to keep
your eyes peeled for the tiny roadsigns, sometimes.
 
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Claus Dragon wrote:

> Well, Autobahn is in Germany, yes. But most people drive between 140 and
> 170, which is okay if the road is rather empty. Also, its no problem for
> three-lane motorways (3 in each direction).

I don't think that the average driver is very good here, because our 3
lane highways are clogged with the slowest people going in the center
lane, and lots of people don't seem to know that to merge safely you have
to reach the speed of the traffic you're merging with.

We had a German exchange student stay with us once and she got her drivers
licence here because it was much easier.

--
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Remember, I've got a debt to pay. It's about quantity, not quality.
 
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Paulon wrote:

>> I'd like to do a research study on world driving habits, and I'll need a
>> few weeks in every major city of the world (capital cities and those
>> with large populations > 1mil). Who wants to help fund it?
>
> I suggest NZ for a start. You won't survive our roads, so the trip will be
> pretty cheap.

Ok, so Paulon is going to pay for the New Zealand part of the study.
Who else is in?

--
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Remember, I've got a debt to pay. It's about quantity, not quality.
 
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Polychromic wrote:

> German and English drivers aren't any worse that some parts of the US,
> like Boston, for instance. French and Italian drivers are nuts though.
> Israeli and Greek drivers are probably the worst. Don't know about HK or
> China or Japan though.

If you like I can start the study on the Pacific Rim.

First class tickets, please.

--
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Remember, I've got a debt to pay. It's about quantity, not quality.
 
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Zac Bond wrote:

> My brother also complained that some of the
> private homes he stayed in had bathrooms without sinks; he had to go
> elsewhere to wash his hands afterwards.

That's just good economics. Why have a separate sink when there's a bowl
full of water already there?

--
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On Tue, 31 May 2005 02:20:56 -0400, Cape Dweller <usenet@ciotog.net>
wrote:

>Zac Bond wrote:
>
>> My brother also complained that some of the
>> private homes he stayed in had bathrooms without sinks; he had to go
>> elsewhere to wash his hands afterwards.
>
>That's just good economics. Why have a separate sink when there's a bowl
>full of water already there?

Now you see why it is bad manners to shake hands in some places around the
Mediterranean.

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<snip>

Don't go to France anyway. We just proved ourselves to be
a big bunch of idiots.

How about going to Europe instead ?

-Moa Dragon


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