Hallo zusammen! Hello everybody!
I'm Johannes, the German guy in Cemile's second home (Younger Court E Block) here in York.
When Cemile asked me to present my country to you, well I felt on the one hand honoured; on the other hand it is not so easy to give you an imagination of a whole country. However here is my attempt: If you have never been in Germany you can picture it in many ways as a country at the centre of Europe boasting only a few really unique things on the first sight. Maybe that is the reason why a lot of people tend to see us as dull and grey.
And right, we do not have the agreeable Mediterranean climate Italy has (but we don't have the nasty English one, either). Nor can we compete with the French cuisine and its delicacies. Anyway I think we managed to pick up some of the good things other countries offer - although we haven't managed it so far to change our climate considerably. But with the friendly help of the Greenhouse Effect Germany will be soon a very pleasant place. So hopefully the quality of German wine will improve, as I can not really recommend our wines now.
In order to give you an example of my beloved country I will tell you finally something about Munich the capital of the south, the city were I studied before I went here to York. If you are there in wintertime you can go ice-scating or you can visit the Christmas market. However I would recommend you to spend your evening on the Tollwood Festival, a mixture of market for third world products, acting, music events and bars, especially don't miss the Bar tief im Wald (bar deep in the woods, although it is in the middle of the city center). Moreover the ski slopes are only an hour away in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Another attraction that is open all year round: the Surf Spots on the Isar and the Eisbach where river surfers catch the rapids - very funny, although it looks a little bit ridiculous. In summer the main attraction is at first the English garden, the biggest city park in the world, and a nice place to escape the heat of the city, to play football or just to have a picnic with your friends. And in the evening you take a break in the Chinese Tower beer garden with a mug of Bavarian beer (best in the world, trust me).
As on the one hand I need now a beer for myself and as on the other hand I don't want to bore you, my report ends here - I hope you liked it at least a little bit.
Tschuess / Bye, have a good time and take care.
