Beruflich Dokumente
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Editorial
“I love wine but I don’t like Irish and American import that’s med with top-class restaurants have to offer. (“Who needs a
German wine,“ remarked one enormously popular in south- and surrounded by forests and choice of breakfast cereals
of our writers when told that west Germany: whisky. If you lakes. A hot tip for a weekend the size of Nebraska?”) See
part of our feature story was haven’t been to a whisky- trip in the lead-up to Christmas. Labyrinth, on page 26, for tips
going to be about wine. It’s a tasting session yet you haven’t Stuart Marlow, our Arts on shopping in Germany.
comment made by many an lived in Baden-Württemberg Editor, has been out and about Also in this edition, the
English-speaking expatriate in long enough. as well – digging up bits of exclusive story of an English
Germany. Local wines are said Second, we present a simple, ancient Rome all over Baden- teacher in Freiburg who’s been
to be too fruity or too sweet straightforward guide to Baden- Württemberg. He reports on told to leave Germany, an
or too ‘light.’ But do we really Württemberg’s major wines. the Limes wall and amateur American in Böblingen who’s
know much about the wines of Wine buffs will roll their eyes archaeologists who are making published her own travel book,
this region? Maybe we’re just but the rest of us might dis- novel discoveries about this and a bus driver called Tom
not buying the right type of cover something potentially state’s rich cultural heritage. – who’s in Stuttgart to stay.
wine? pleasing to the palate. When Liz Gaiser heads off to Happy reading. And enjoy the
‘Tis, after all, the season for Sticking with the theme of the supermarket she’s not shop- Christmas holiday season.
enjoying good food and drink food and drink, we sent our ping for groceries. She’s there
and so we’ve decided to focus travel writer off to Baiersbronn, to raid the bargain bins for the accents magazine
in this edition of accents on two in the Black Forest, to check weekly specials, which she editorial team
popular alcoholic beverages. out Germany’s most prominent finds more enthralling than any-
First, we look at a Scottish, little gourmet town. It’s cram- thing American SUPERmarkets
accents magazine Published by accents media GbR (Bryan Groenjes, Maki Kuwayama, Geoff Rodoreda) Neue Brücke 3, 70173 Stuttgart.
Tel 0711 3102160, Fax 0711 3102161, info@accents-magazine.de Editor Geoff Rodoreda, editor@accents-magazine.de Arts Editor Stuart Marlow
Copy Editor Katharine Schmidt Photographer Chrys Rynearson Contributors Toni Astle, Heinz Dunkel, Andreas Fischer, Dagmar Fritz, Liz Gaiser,
Rebecca Perrin, Simon Rentschler, Steve Trevallion Advertising Enquiries Bryan Groenjes, ads@accents-magazine.de. Webmaster Andrew
Golledge, webmaster@accents-magazine.de Website www.accents-magazine.de Graphic Design Brucklacher Visuelle Kommunikation Reutlingen,
www.brucklacher.de Prepress CGS Möhrle, Vesoulerstraße 4, 70839 Gerlingen Cost free Published every two months Circulation 10,000
Distribution everywhere English is spoken: subscribing firms, cultural institutions, shops, pubs, clubs, theatres, hotels and selected tourist
centres Advertisers and Corporate Subscribers Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, Biddy Early’s Irish Pub, Celesio AG, Corso Cinema International,
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum/James-F.-Byrnes Institut e.V., Ernst & Young AG, George and Dragon English Pub, Open University, Piccadilly
English Shops, Robert Bosch GmbH, Schiller International University, SEB AG Stuttgart, St. Catherine’s Anglican Church, United States Army
Garrison Stuttgart – Kelley Theatre ISSN 1862-345 X
accents magazine 3
Letters accents magazine
Neue Brücke 3
70173 Stuttgart
My Two Cents
By Katharine A. Schmidt reportedly originated with British sailors, lose some inhibitions would be described
but is now used on both sides of the by English speakers all over the world as
Teetotalers and social drinkers may not Atlantic.) A polite outsider might say the “tipsy.”
always see eye to eye, but when it comes drunken person was “feeling no pain,” or And of course there are terms that deal
to drinking alcohol, one thing is certain: “can’t walk a straight line.” with the agony of being “hung over” the
descriptions of drinking and various states Then there are international variations next morning – that is, “under the weath-
of inebriation include some of the most in describing drunkenness, with the British, er,” “out of it,” or “cotton-mouthed.”
colorful wording in the English language. as far as I can tell, leading the pack in The oft-recommended remedy is to have
The phraseology runs the gamut from mus- sheer number of adjectives and creativity. “the hair of the dog (that bit you).” That is
cular boasting to affectionate nicknaming Among them: blotto, legless, wellied (a ref- – if you can stomach it – to take a swig or
and genteel euphemisms. erence to rubber boots?), pickled, banjoed, two of an alcoholic beverage to remedy the
If you’re going out to “sip some suds” rat-arsed, and stonkered. Be careful when post-binge headache.
or “pound some brewskis” in the US you’ll using the British term “pissed” to describe Here’s wishing you a round of pleasant
be drinking beer. Doing “shots” means a drunken person. In the USA, “pissed” holiday celebrations, whether or not you
drinking spirits in one gulp from a small has nothing to do with drinking, but rather, indulge in a bit of “bubbly,” some fine
glass; a “chaser” is a beverage, usually as a shorter version of “pissed off,” means wine, or maybe even a glass or two of egg-
beer, drunk immediately after a shot. “angry.” (Brits would say “pissed off” to nog!
Later in the evening, describing some- mean “angry.”) Australians also talk about
one’s inebriated condition, you might use someone being “blind” if they’re drunk. Comments, questions, and suggestions to
any of the following adjectives: wasted, Folks back in the USA suggested: ripped, mytwocents@accents-magazine.de
sloshed, plastered, hammered, smashed crocked, totaled, buzzed and tanked. or accents magazine, Neue Brücke 3,
or loaded. Or you might say someone was For lesser cases of alcoholic excess, 70173 Stuttgart
“three sheets to the wind.” (This term someone who had drunk just enough to
North Americans living and working as free- I’ve been told to leave Germany despite
lance teachers in Baden-Württemberg may being no burden to the state and providing
face difficulties extending their residency a much-needed service.”
permits because of a recent change in Brown says he was told by Freiburg
German law. authorities in March this year that because
Non-EU citizens who are self-employed of the new “one million+10 jobs” require-
and not living with a German spouse now ment, in paragraph 21 of the new immigra-
have to prove they’ve invested at least one tion law, his permit could not be renewed.
million euros and employ at least 10 people There are a number of exceptions to the
to qualify for an extension of their residency requirement, but none of them appears to
permits, according to the new regulations. apply to freelance English teachers.
The new federal law, the Immigration “Freiburg authorities say their hands are
Act, came into effect last year. Although tied,” says Brown. “But I know of a US A Freiburg resident
it’s a national law, it’s administered by the citizen in North-Rhine Westphalia who’s since March 2003,
now told to leave
Foreigners’ Affairs Offices (Ausländerbe- just had his permit extended, so there are the country: US citi-
hörde) within local municipalities who take clearly different ways of dealing with this zen, Jason Brown.
their cue on interpreting the law from state law. It can’t be Germany’s wish that Ameri-
government interior ministries. cans teaching English here are forced to
Accents has learned of potential prob- leave en masse. It’s an absurd situation.”
lems for freelancers after being contacted Brown says that following various letters freelancers” should be introduced.
by Jason Brown, a US citizen who’s been of protest, he’s now had his stay tempora- “The current turmoil results from a lack
a Freiburg resident since March, 2003. rily extended till January, 2007. of experience with the new law,” says
Brown, 32, has had his application for a A Düsseldorf lawyer, Patrick Mustu, Mustu. “It’s clear that freelance language
two-year extension of his residency permit who’s taken an interest in Brown’s case, teachers were not taken into consideration
turned down, despite having had it extend- has written to both the federal and Baden- when the rules were drafted.”
ed once already, for two years, in April, Württemberg interior ministries asking
2004. He’s self-employed as a freelance for clarification of the status of freelance For information about Germany’s
English teacher and photographer. language teachers. A letter from federal Immigration Act, in English, see
“I have eight different companies or officials says the new rules in relation to www.zuwanderungsgesetz.de/english/
groups as clients, and I pay my taxes,” self-employed foreigners “are being re- index.html
says Brown. “My students can’t believe viewed” to see whether “special rules for
By Andreas Fischer book, Europe for the Senses – A Photo- other travel books, says Landes, is that
graphic Journal. it doesn’t document just famous sites.
It was her grandparents who came up “I never travelled when I was in the “Europe is also about the little sites
with the idea. After being sent so many United States,” she says. “But in Europe that people do not know about,” she
pictures and e-mails during their grand- there’s so much history, and I wanted to says.
daughter’s travels throughout Europe be able to see it all.”
they popped the question: “Why don’t To get her book published, Landes For further information
you write a book?” It took some time worked with a company called BookSurge, www.europeforthesenses.com
for Vicki Landes (pictured right) to realize a subsidiary of Amazon, based in North
the project. Carolina, which specializes in print-on-
Landes, 31, moved from St. Charles, demand books. She hired an editor to go
Missouri, to Böblingen in February 2000. through the text in her book. A publicist
Her husband is in the US army, and since in San Diego has the task of generating
arriving here they’ve spent a lot of their reviews in the United States. She even
spare time travelling. Landes took her got a review in the New York Times. The
camera with her everywhere and has whole publishing project has cost her just
documented many of the sights and a few hundred dollars.
colours of Europe in a 212-page picture What makes her book different from
Forty years ago Heinz Dunkel became were mainly stationed. However, British
Chairman of the British Trade Council business interests in south-west Ger-
in Baden-Württemberg, the predeces- many have expanded over the years,
sor of the British Chamber of Com- and the membership of our council and,
merce in B-W. Here he describes the later, the Chamber of Commerce
gradual strengthening of business ties Regional Group, has steadily increased.
between south-west Germany and Over the last 20 years the volume of
the UK. trade between Baden-Württemberg and
the UK has increased from just over 5
Admittedly, it was quite an embarrass- billion euros in 1985 to almost 13 billion
ment. The Stuttgart-based, world- last year. The UK is now Baden-Würt-
renowned firm Robert Bosch GmbH temberg’s fifth-largest international trad-
had organised a special reception and a ing partner.
company tour for members of the British Recently, the British Chamber of
Trade Council in Baden-Württemberg. Commerce in Germany (Regional Group
They were probably expecting a busload Baden-Württemberg) founded a new
of people but only around six of us forum for business leaders, the Inter-
showed up. This was in 1964, and I was national Entrepreneurs Forum. The idea
the Baden-Württemberg branch manager is to allow business leaders to gather to
for the British firm Dexion at the time. discuss issues of mutual concern away
It was a crucial event in British/ from the everyday stress of commercial
Baden-Württemberg business ties. dealings.
The embarrassing ‘no-show’ at Bosch Ralf Steppat is now the chairman of
spurred us to take action. our Regional Group, and we have more
The B-W chairman of the council at than 100 members locally.
the time, an Englishman based in Karls- The British Chamber of Commerce
ruhe, asked me to come up with strate- in Germany, as a national network, was
gies to help raise the council’s profile, established in 1919. Today, with over
and I decided to take on the challenge. 950 members, it’s the largest British-
In 1966, I became chairman of the German economic network in Europe.
council, a position I held for 23 years.
Part of the reason for the difficulty For further information, visit
in arousing interest in trade with the UK www.bccg.de
at that time was Germany’s post-war
division into four occupation zones.
British firms were mainly interested in
trading with north-western Germany
because that’s where British troops
Alan Durant doesn’t have great memories Has the worldwide success of Harry What are some of the qualities you
of Germany. The first and last time he Potter brought more recognition for need to be a successful writer?
came here he crashed his car and nearly authors of teenage books? You need to be single-minded and a little
killed himself. A lot of adults are now reading more hard-headed about pursuing your goal.
Back then, 20 years ago, Durant children’s books or young-adult books, You may need to take a few knocks along
(pictured below) was not a professional and that pleases me. Although the defini- the way, but you need to be wedded to
writer but was “bumming around Europe” tion of what is for adults and what’s for what you’re doing. Writing is really all
in a van with three friends. Driving on teenagers is not always so clear cut. The about self-expression. You’ve got to want
the autobahn near Frankfurt, he swerved Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a to say something, to express something
instinctively to miss a wayward dog. book about a teenager, but no one would of what’s inside you, otherwise there’s
The car ran off the highway and rolled a argue it’s only a book for teenagers. no point. What you write has to have
number of times but no one was seriously There’s certainly a lot of brilliant writing, meaning for you.
injured. aimed at teenage readers, which is great
In October, 2006, on a visit to for adults. Philip Pullman writes great What advice would you give to some-
Stuttgart, Durant was being driven from stories; Robert Cormier’s I am the one who wants to get started as a
appointment to appointment. Cheese is a book that I think any adult writer?
Alan Durant, 48, is a leading author of would enjoy. Come to my writing course in France
children’s books. He’s penned more than next year! (See www.alandurant.co.uk
50 titles, ranging from pre-school picture Is there a kind of elitism among authors for further info.)
books to teenage thrillers. Many of his whereby adult writers look down on
books have been translated into German children’s authors? That you’re not OK, that’s an idea for potential child-
and a dozen other languages. Dear seen as a ‘real’ writer unless you write ren’s authors. But what about three tips
Tooth Fairy, Dear Father Christmas, (see fiction for adults? for wanna-be writers in general?
review, page 18) and Always and Forever You don’t get that sort of thing from First, entertain yourself with your writing.
are among his best-known books. He also fellow writers. But it comes across in the If you read over something you’ve writ-
runs writing courses for aspiring child- media a bit like that, that you’re not a ten and you think it’s boring and a bit
ren’s authors. serious writer if you write for kids. When slow, then you’ve got an immediate prob-
Durant studied English in Oxford. He a famous writer of adult fiction suddenly lem. How can you expect someone else
worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, writes a children’s story, then it’s hailed to want to read it? Your writing has to be
his current publisher, before writing his in the media as a big deal. It’s true that interesting for you. Second, I think it’s
first book in his early thirties. He was children’s books don’t normally get the more important to concentrate on charac-
invited to Stuttgart in October to talk to attention they deserve. ters than on plot; to look at how your
students at the International School of characters react to what’s happening, to
Stuttgart about reading and writing. other characters and to various situations.
Accents caught up with Alan Durant Third, you do have to know your audien-
during his Stuttgart visit to ask what it ce. If you’re writing for children, it’s often
takes to be a professional author. very difficult. You have to know what a
5-to-6 year old is capable of understand-
Accents: Why did you decide to start ing, for instance, and write for them.
writing stories for children?
Durant: We all have a time in our lives You’ve got three teenage kids yourself
which seems to be the most important to now. Do they read dad’s books?
us personally. For me, it was the teenage Yes, they’re my ‘guinea pigs’ for new
years. I hated them. I just didn’t get it, work. My 17-year-old daughter, in partic-
I didn’t fit in. It’s the time of life when ular, has become a wonderful critic. She’s
you’re changing so quickly and the ex- brutally honest about what doesn’t work
periences and concerns of those times with a story, and doesn’t mind telling me
stayed with me into adulthood. My two what she thinks! And most of the prob-
comforts as a teenager were football and lems she saw in a first draft of my next
reading. I also began writing at the age book were spot-on.
of 14. Later on, my job at Walker Books
involved writing blurbs for the back
covers of children’s books, which meant
I had to read a lot of stuff, and it was
then that I thought about writing and
publishing my own book. I began with
a young adult novel, Hamlet, Bananas
and All That Jazz in 1991.
One is imported and one is produced beverages to drink. But whisky, a beverage you receive a certificate; you’ve passed a
locally. But quality, not provenance, is imported almost exclusively from Scotland, whisky tasting ‘course.’
what’s important to Baden-Württember- Ireland and the USA, is drunk widely across Is it just marketing hype or is it neces-
gers, who enjoy drinking both whisky Baden-Württemberg. Attending whisky sary knowledge? You can certainly crack
and wine. Accents presents a guide tasting sessions is becoming a popular open a bottle yourself and drink away, but
to Baden and Württemberg wines, and weekend pastime. it’s better to learn about what you’re drink-
reports on the chic of whisky, the ‘in’ You learn all sorts of interesting things ing, according to the experts.
drink in south-west Germany. at whisky tastings, such as the fact that “There are so many different varieties of
your nose can distinguish between 250 whisky,” says whisky importer Peter Sond-
It’s 3 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon. The different scents whereas your tongue can heim, who co-owns the Piccadilly English
George and Dragon English pub in Stuttgart only distinguish five different tastes. Or Shops in Stuttgart and Heidelberg. “Many
is not normally open at this time, but today you learn about trans-Atlantic differences: people who come along to our tastings are
it’s hosting a private event, a whisky tast- “American whiskies generally have a surprised to discover they actually like the
ing session. All 35 seats are taken. stronger, sharper taste, with more bite,” taste of it, that a 16-year-old single malt
Whisky expert Mischa Damm is explain- explains Damm. “Irish and Scottish whis- whisky tastes very different to a 10-year-old
ing how Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey kies are softer, milder, generally more mel- variety made by the same company.”
(spelt mostly with an ‘e’ in the USA and low.” Or you learn about what to add to “It’s really the same as with wine,” says
Ireland) is made, and what the drink tastes your whisky: Says Damm: “Some folks Alec Farrel, a Scott who sells whisky in
like at each stage of the distillation process. say you should never drink whisky without Reichenbach-Fils. “You don’t have to know
In a country renowned for its variety of water. Others say you should never drink about whisky, but taking part in a tasting
beer and schnapps, and in a state renown- water without whisky. American producers event will help you to find out about the
ed for its wine, there should be a wide tend to say ‘as you like it’”. different regions the whiskies come from.
enough choice of locally produced alcoholic At the end of Damm’s drinking lesson It makes drinking them more interesting.”
growth in whisky sales over the last few Pedersen, manager of the George & Piccadilly English
years. Sondheim has increased the number Dragon pub, and a host himself of many Shops
of whisky-tasting sessions in his shop this whisky tasting sessions. Pedersen has just
Original Scotch
from an original Scot
Alec Farrel, pictured below, first came What about whisky tastings? I myself like the taste of island whiskies.
to Germany from Scotland in 1964. Aren’t they becoming more popular? They are normally smokier and pithier
He worked at a US Army base before Yes. I have about nine tastings a year. than whiskies from the mainland.
opening his own Golf & Whisky Shop They provide a good opportunity for
in Reichenbach-Fils in 1993. He’s retired people to develop their taste in whisky. How much does a good bottle of
now but still sells whisky to hundreds And, of course, the lead-up to Christmas whisky cost?
of regular customers. Simon Rentschler or New Year’s is the time when most A good whisky starts at around 30 euros.
spoke with Alec Farrel about whisky people come to tastings and buy pre- For that price you’re looking at a 10-to-
drinking in south-west Germany. sents for their family and friends or for 12-year-old whisky. You have to realise
parties. that a whisky barrel loses 2-3% of its
Is whisky becoming more popular in contents every year through evaporation.
this part of Germany? What sort of people come to your And a whisky might be stored in a
Definitely. When I first opened my shop whisky tastings? warehouse for 17 or 21 years before it’s
I had 18 different single-malt whiskys. People range in age from 25 to 55. In sold. During all those years the producer
Now I’ve got 240. I can’t expand on that Germany, as opposed to Britain, a lot has to pay insurance and so on – it’s
number any further because there are more couples come to tastings. And a lot basically money lying around. That’s why
only around 112 distilleries in Scotland. of women come here to buy whisky for older whiskies are more expensive.
Also, nowadays, there are a number of their husbands or themselves.
German magazines produced just for
whisky lovers, and there are many more Would you also say there are differen-
books written on the subject. ces in drinking behaviour between
Germany and Britain?
How often do your regulars come to Definitely. Germans like to sit down and
your shop and where do they come enjoy their drink, while the Brits would
from? rather rush it down. Also, Germans put
They come around five or six times a more emphasis on having the proper
year. A lot come from around here or whisky glasses and so on, and they
Stuttgart but I also have customers who spend more money on their drinks.
come from as far away as Mannheim. In Britain, people tend to buy blended
Of course, there are whisky shops in whiskies more than single malts.
Mannheim but they say they find a
larger selection here and also find rarer Do you have to know about whiskies
whiskies. in order to drink them?
It’s really the same as with wine. You
How do Germans discover Scottish don’t have to know about whisky, but
and Irish whiskies in the first place? taking part in a tasting event will help you
I’d say it’s mostly from travelling. People to find out about the different regions
go abroad and discover the taste of the whiskies come from. With Scottish
whiskies. Not only in Scotland – although whiskies you’re looking at highland or
Scotch whiskies are considered to be lowland whiskies; whiskies from the
the kings of whisky! mainland or from islands off the coast.
accents magazine
accent on…
Where do Germany’s rich and famous Baiersbronn is, believe it or not, Ger- zenberg, which boasts one coveted
go for fine dining in idyllic surrounds? many’s number-one culinary town. No other Michelin star, is 13 kilometres outside of
They seek out a small village in the heart town in Germany has so many top-class Baiersbronn and as good a place as any to
of the Black Forest called Baiersbronn. restaurants in such a small area. There is start. The Hotel Bareiss in Mitteltal has
Nowhere else in Germany will you find even a three-star restaurant in town, boast- been awarded with two of the little shin-
a higher density of restaurants boasting ing Germany’s best chef, Harald Wohlfahrt. ers. The third and best-known restaurant,
Michelin stars – six in all. Steve Trevallion Situated in the middle of the Black Forest, the only one with three stars, is located in
savours the town and its stunning on the River Murg, northwest of Freuden- the 200-year-old Hotel Traube Tonbach, in
scenery. stadt, it’s also reputed to be a hiker’s Tonbach. Here you can bet your house on
paradise. a truly memorable meal.
“Sorry to hit you with another relatively However, I won’t laugh at you for not These premier restaurants talk of creat-
unknown, small town again,” began our having heard of Baiersbronn before. Only ing dishes that are “fit for kings but afford-
editor, as my enthusiasm for accents- one German person I spoke to before able too.” This is somewhat exaggerated.
related travel quickly dwindled, “but your setting off on my journey had ever heard of Those of us who are Aldi regulars will find
next destination is going to be Baiers- Baiersbronn – although all he talked about prices a little beyond our reach, but those
bronn.” A sudden reprieve. I had heard was some character called ‘Murgel’ and a of you who own ties and want to celebrate
about this place, and being a young man cuckoo. Perhaps he’d been drinking. a special occasion will find it’s not going
who enjoys his food, the thought of visiting So, with my walking boots laced, came- to leave too big a hole in your finely ironed
a town famous for making the world’s ra loaded and loose-fitting pants on (let’s trouser pocket. Baiersbronn also offers
largest Maultaschen (an enormous pasta see what those chefs are made of) I set off special gourmet weekends which include
square filled with meat and spinach which to sample the delights of Baiersbronn. accommodation and top-class meals.
required 120 chefs to make) brought me Begin your culinary tour where you will, Baiersbronn is far from being an exclu-
to the point of dribbling onto my notebook. but the Restaurant Schloßberg in Schwar- sive town for the wealthy. It works hard to
Photos: www.baiersbronn.de
the national ‘Family Holidays’ competition a bit of reading to do first.
four times. It even has its own children’s I discovered I’d missed out on the
ambassador, a fairy tale character called annual lighting of the Tonbach valley
Murgel, who wears a red jacket and a (where thousands of candles are placed
round hat and plays with visiting children. through the town and sloping hills) and this
I sat on a step by the town hall looking as summer’s Black Forest Music Festival, but
helpless and bored as possible so that I could still do something for my health and
Murgel would appear but no funny little fitness.
man came to play with me. If it’s raining, I headed out of town to survey some
children end up in Murgel’s Playhouse, of the surrounding countryside. Romantic
drawing on walls with finger paints or plains and lonely moors abound, along with
taking part in clown workshops. lakes and waterfalls. Spectacular rock for- Star chefs and
mations and juniper pastures give the feel- top-class restaurants
in Germany’s
Active holidaying ing of being somewhere farther south in culinary capital,
Europe. I reached one of the region’s five Baiersbronn.
Family holiday packages, farm holidays, beautiful lakes, Lake Buhlbach, and paused
health and spa weekends, hiking, mountain to take in the variety of spruce and fir
biking, horseback-riding, and even paraglid- trees, red beech, sycamore, mountain ash The village of Klosterreichenbach-
ing are all on offer in Baiersbronn. Or you and Carpathian birch. Deer and various Heselbach, for instance, attracts visitors
can choose to indulge in a little golf, fish- types of kingfishers (birds) are common with its old monastery, founded in 1082.
ing, squash, tennis, swimming or ice-skat- here, as is the call of the cuckoo. OK, that It’s also a resort town. Tonbach, also within
ing. I scanned the leaflets I’d picked up at guy I spoke to yesterday may not have hiking distance of Baiersbronn, is another
the tourist information office to see what been drinking. resort that caters to those seeking a
I could do in just a day. “A fairy tale muse- healthy vacation. Here you’ll find everything
um for young and old.” Nope. “A nature Elevated beauty the Black Forest is popularly known for: an
reserve centre.” Nope. “Historical culture unforgettable landscape, clean air, excellent
and adventure trails.” Hmmm, maybe. The Baiersbronn municipality rises from accommodation, great hospitality, leisure
The final leaflet talked about the town’s 460 m to around 1000 m and care has and sports activities, as well as that three-
‘Queen.’ Most wine regions in Germany been taken throughout the area to keep star restaurant.
have a wine queen, but this is Baiersbronn, nature and infrastructure in harmony. There For such a small, seemingly insignificant
and so it has a ‘Maultaschen Queen.’ This are no giant hotel blocks to ruin the sight town, Baiersbronn really does deserve its
was more like it. With my stomach rumbl- of the landscape. After walking a bit farther big reputation.
ing, I picked up the scent of fine food and I reached the idyllically set village of Fried-
followed my nose. A number of other very richstal. I’d headed in this direction to catch
good restaurants and cafés around town a glimpse of a small, beautiful monument,
offer cheaper regional and Swabian cuisine Michael’s Chapel, hidden among the trees.
than the neighbouring top-class restau- It was worth the walk. But there were so Christmas at
rants. The locals say a good appetite many paths I could have taken through the
comes from hiking or otherwise exercising valleys and forest; I just didn’t have enough St. Catherine’s
in clean, fresh Black Forest air. OK, so I time to see it all.
St. Catherine’s Church, Stuttgart cordially
invites you to celebrate with us the birth of
Above left and the Christ Child. We welcome our Incarnate
below: idyllic Black Lord with activities for the whole family, tra-
Forest scenery ditional carols and communion.
and walking trails
around Baiersbronn.
Dec 10th
Traditional Lessons and Carols
5 pm
Dec 17th
Children’s Nativity Play
11:15 am
Dec 24th
Christmas Eve Family Communion
7 pm
Dec 31th
New Year’s Eve Communion
10:30 am
The ancient past is coming to life in tually conceded that the young man with native lands and abusing the native peoples
Baden-Württemberg. From museum and a passionate interest in archaeology had as slaves. This resentment remained,
gallery exhibitions to festivals and open- indeed hit upon something big: an ancient despite Roman attempts to integrate and
air military re-enactments, discovering Roman settlement. educate the so-called ‘barbarians’ as citi-
more about the Roman imperial heritage Most of Baden-Württemberg was once zens of the Empire.
of this state is suddenly ‘in.’ Stuart part of the empire of ancient Rome, and The problem for the Romans was that
Marlow reports passionate ‘amateurs’ are part of the northern frontier of the empire by 250 A.D. the empire was collapsing
making sensational discoveries – and ran through eastern Württemberg. A 560- under the weight of its own anarchic
English-speaking volunteers are welcome kilometre-long defence system, known as military structures, corruption and chaotic
to help out. the Limes Germanicus, stretched from the administration. By this time, all across
North Sea to Regensburg, on the Danube. today’s southern Germany, new and well-
No one took Gerd Schollian seriously at It was second only to the Great Wall of organized groups of Germanic peoples,
first. As a high-school student in the 1960s, China in its magnitude. In 2005, the Limes known collectively as the Allemanni (All-
Schollian was gripped by tales of a historic (from which the word ‘limit’ derives) was Men), were learning how to take quick
settlement buried under woodland near declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, advantage of the crumbling Empire. Some
his home in Hechingen-Stein, south of which was very good news for Baden- Germanics had integrated well, but clumsy
Tübingen, but academics didn’t seem to Württemberg. Now, Roman history has a military aggression decided upon in distant
be interested in the stories. prominent place on the cultural tourist Rome, rather than tactful diplomacy, was
So in 1973, Schollian went into the agenda. often used against the tribal groups that
forest to dig around for artefacts himself. For people like Gerd Schollian, the refused to accept Roman rule. In the area
He began finding small objects; objects UNESCO stamp of approval was a reward eventually to become known as Swabia,
from another world, another time. He took for years of intensive archaeological re- the Allemanic tribes had never really war-
his discoveries to local experts, who even- search, hard digging, the patient identifica- med to the idea of submitting to Roman
tion of sites. taxes and regulations.
Apart from various exhibitions in
museums, a number of impressive Roman The remarkable story of Hechingen-Stein
watchtowers, forts, barracks, country villas,
and wall reconstructions are open to the Just as the Romans never managed to
public in Aalen and Hechingen-Stein, among subdue the Picts or the ancient British
other places. The Limes was not so much Celts, neither did they manage to conquer
a continuous wall as a series of frontier the various Germanic tribes, who finally
fortifications to control and inhibit the began to push the crumbling Roman Empire
movement of German tribes. It marked the farther south. One of the more stable areas
northern limits of the ancient Roman pro- in what is now Baden-Württemberg was
vinces of the Rhineland, Germania Superior, a sizeable commercial and farming settle-
and Rhaetia. The latter province runs east ment at Hechingen-Stein, which absorbed
towards the Danube from the area around some of the Roman communities who
Schwäbisch Gmünd. To date, 72 of the abandoned the Limes area.
original 900 watchtowers have been locat- For over 200 years people lived, traded,
ed, with a number of them reconstructed. worked and worshipped their gods in and
The Roman emperor, Augustus, began around the settlement at Hechingen-Stein.
building the fortifications after a humiliating As the destabilisation of the Limes area
Germanic ambush in the Teutoburg Forest spread farther south, the site was abando-
in northern Germany in 9 A.D. Today, the ned and eventually became overgrown
remains of many fortifications and urban with thick woodland. As they pushed the
settlements in Gaul, Germania, and Rhaetia Romans out, the Allemanic settlers rarely
still lie undiscovered beneath the soil. bothered to make permanent use of the
The Limes became, in Roman eyes, the villas and fortifications they’d overrun.
Self-taught boundary between civilization and a wilder- These were alien or of no use in their own
archaeologist, Gerd ness full of barbarians. However, the Ger- rural or nomadic lifestyles. Thus, the settle-
Schollian: discoverer
of Roman ruins at manic tribes saw this somewhat differently. ment at Stein remained hidden for over
Hechingen-Stein. To most of them, the Romans were aggres- 1,700 years. The fact that the site was
sive, technically superior invaders, stealing uncovered at all was due to the energetic
There’s a time of eerie stillness in the Dr. Svenson is keeping watch over a ries, and proceeding through to modern
fall – after the leaves stop changing prince who suddenly disappears. Miss literary references in the age of Harry
color, just before the cold winds start Temple, the cardinal and the doctor form Potter. This is a wonderful reference
to blow – when strange things seem an unlikely partnership and discover an book for anyone interested in literature
possible. Believing in Santa Claus or in international scandal that could have a or cross-cultural studies. Unfortunately,
goblins does not seem so implausible. world-changing effect. This story is there are no illustrations to accompany
The following books have been chosen actually being promoted as a serial, mail- the entries. But how could there be? No
with this seasonal transition in mind. ed out in part, every week, to only 5000 one knows what these creatures really
subscribers in the UK. The complete book look like, do they? Perhaps in this magical
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters will not be released in Britain till early season we should be paying closer atten-
by G.W. Dahlquist next year, but it’s already available in tion to the rustling of leaves.
Penguin/Viking, 760 pages Germany. Is it worth the hype? Yes!
Events
Freiburg
Call 0721 7569503, DEF,
see address above
Christmas Carol Singing
Ulmertheater Ulm;
Dec 18, 7 pm,
Schloß Heidelberg, Königssaal
Dec 1- 3, downtown
Freiburg
Lecture Integration: American Mosques
Lecture and slide show by Dr. Omar
Khalidi, USA. Dec 7, 7:30 pm, DAZ,
for the Environment’. Nov 18,
12 pm, DAI, see address above
Karlsruhe
Let’s Play –
Mommy & Me English Class
Native English speakers ages 2 - 3.
Open Dialog see address above Storytime in English! Mon 10:45 -11:30 am and
Every other Wed, 6:30 - 8 pm, Living Together – Children aged 2 - 5 years, Fri 4 - 4:45 pm
please check website for dates and Three American Poets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of Singing and Story time
topics, Carl-Schurz-Haus, Reading by Dick Davis, Timothy the month at 4 pm, American Native English speakers ages 3 - 6.
Eisenbahnstraße 62, 0761 5565270, Steele, and Robert B. Shaw. Library, www.american-library.de Fri 3 - 3:45 pm, CEL,
www.carl-schurz-haus.de Dec 8, 7:30 pm, Stadtbücherei im Stories for Kids ages 6 and up see address above
Monday Nite at the Movies Wilhelmspalais, Mörike-Kabinett, Nov 10, 4 pm: Mrs. Jellybelly Eats Breakfast
Introduction by Prof.Dr. Jon Adams info at the DAZ 0711 228180 Thanksgiving at the Tappletons; Performed by Marla Levenstein
and discussion after the screening. Tübingen Dec 15, 4 pm: for children ages 6 -10. Nov 28 and
Friedrichsbau-Lichtspiele, 7 pm Writer’s Club How the Grinch stole Christmas. 29 and Dec 12, 10 am, kkt,
Nov 13, Factotum; With Carolyn Murphey Melchers. American Library, see address 0711 563034, see address above
Dec 11, Thank you for Smoking Nov 10, Dec 8, 2 - 4 pm, d.a.i., above Winter Tales and Christmas Carols
US Politics of Urban Reclamation see address above Stuttgart See listing under Christmas Season
and Redevelopment Book Discussion Listen in English songs and finger puppet
Lecture by Prof. Richard C. Hula, Nov 10, Elizabeth Kostova: Story and activity for kids 3 - 6 years show. Nov 5, 4 - 6 pm, Familien-
East Lansing, Michigan The Historian; zentrum Gaisenhaus, Hornberg-
Nov 13, 8 pm, Hörsaal 3042, Dec 8, August Wilson: straße 99, Stuttgart-Wangen,
KG III Universität The Piano Lesson; 0711 4892928
CAPITALISM NOW – 6:30 - 8 pm, d.a.i., see address above Tübingen
Making Globalisation Work Talk At Eight: Discussion Group English Storytime
Lecture by Prof. Joseph Stiglitz, on Current Issues for kids ages 4 - 6 with Christine
New York City. Nov 19, 11 am, by Laurence Stallings. Asch. 1st Wednesday of the month,
Großes Haus, Theater Freiburg Nov 14, Dec 5, 8:15 pm, d.a.i., Nov 8, Dec 6, 4 - 5 pm, d.a.i.,
Green Books: Literature in the see address above 07071 795260, see address above
Age of Environmental Crisis The One-Dimensional Empire: On tour in the region
Lecture by Dr. Christine Gerhardt, The Levelling-Down of Reality Storytime -Funtime:
Dortmund. Nov 28, 8 pm, A popular study group by Laurence The very hungry Caterpillar
Hörsaal 3042, KG III Univerität Stallings and Scott Stelle, view Interactive Reading
More than the Color Green topics on www.dai-tuebingen.de. for children aged 3 - 8.
Integrating Environment into Urban Nov 24, Dec 22, 6:45 pm, d.a.i., Nov 17, 3 pm, Stadtteilbücherei
Infrastructure in the US. Lecture by see address above Plieningen, Neuhauser Straße 1,
Lois Vitt Sale, AIA, Chicago. Stuttgart-Plieningen, 0711 2164903;
Dec 4, 8 pm, conference room, Nov 22, 3 pm, Ortsbücherei
Carl-Schurz-Haus, see address above Workshops Hohenacker, im Bürgerhaus,
Symbols of Successful Rechbergstraße 28, Waiblingen-
Integration: American Mosques
Lecture and slide show by Dr. Omar
Khalidi, USA. Dec 8, 6 pm, Carl- Freiburg
Work Hohenacker, 07151 277815;
Nov 23, 3 pm, Ortsbücherei
Bittenfeld, im Rathaus, Waiblingen-
Schurz-Haus, see address above Teacher’s Workshop: Bittenfeld, 07146 874720;
Heidelberg The Giver by Lois Lowry in the Kieran Halpin Nov 29, 3 pm, Ortsbücherei
Discussion group novel and play version The talented Irish songwriter Neustadt, Im Unterdorf 14,
with Dr. Steven Bloom Prof. Dr. Mechthild Hesse, PH plays with pianist Anth Kaley Waiblingen-Neustadt, 07151 8622;
Please check the website for Freiburg. Nov 8, 3 - 6 pm, on Nov 12 at the Musikcafé Nov 30, 3 pm, Ortsbücherei
topics, Wednesdays, 6 pm, d.a.i., Conference room Carl-Schurz-Haus, in Alt Ergenzingen (a district Hegnach, im Rathaus, Waiblingen-
library, Sofienstraße 12, 0761 5565270, register by Nov 2 of Rottenburg a.N.) See Neustadt, 07151 56817626
www.d.a.i.-heidelberg.de Heidelberg listing page 20.
English-Language Video Workshops at the
Discussion Group German-Amercian Institute (d.a.i.)
Please check the website for Visit the website for a list of
Police 110
Emerg 0731 3793530, Schwabenstraße 25,
Neu-Ulm, www.is-ulm.de
English for preschoolers
Kulturcafe Merlin, Augustenstraße 72,
07156 927661, www.iwcstuttgart.org
Anglo-Stuttgart Society
German-British Society,
Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Stuttgart
0761 4098804 Dr. Susanne Press,
Fire Department 112 and first graders in Freiburg 0711 568113 Günther Jaumann, 06221 164221 David John Williams,
Ambulance & Emergency 0761 1378177 Cathy Plog, www.jaumann.de/ass 0711 66721255 Dr. Christoph Selzer,
Medical 19222 plogs@t-online.de British Club Stuttgart www.debrige.de
Poison Hotline 0761 19240 Little English House 0711 455464 Alison Seyerle German-English
English Speaking Poison English and art for kids 3 and up Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft e.V. Friendship Club e.V. Karlsruhe
Control 06131 232466 www.littleenglishhouse.de 0172 7391495 Peter Alderath, 0721 7569503 Rose Schrempp,
Doctor for House Calls Helen Doron Early English Gasthaus Hirsch, Bernhausen, info@def-karlsruhe.de,
0711 2628012 Learning English with fun and 1st Wed of the month www.def-karlsruhe.de
gamens, www.hdee.de Asia Circle International Club International Women’s Club
07156 29164, asia-circle@web.de, Karlsruhe e.V.
Consulates/Embassies www.asia-circle.de Elisabeth Knorre, Postfach 110448,
Libraries International Choir of Stuttgart 76054 Karlsruhe
sulates
Australia Librari
0711 769600912 Carola,
int_choir_stuttgart@hotmail.com
Stuttgart Singers
Verein Deutsch-Amerikanischer
Freundschaft Pfullendorf
07552 6249 Dr Gary Anderson
030 8800880, Wallstraße 76-79, Children’s English Library e.V. 07159 44991 Kathy Williams, Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
Berlin 0711 3582215, Etzelstraße 25-27, www.stuttgartsingers.com/cms 0761 5565270, Eisenbahnstraße 62,
Canada Stuttgart, Tue 4-6 pm, Fri 3-6 pm, Stuttgart German-American www.carl-schurz-haus.de
0711 2239678, Lange Straße 51, Sat 2-5 pm, www.celstuttgart.de Community Chorus Anglo-German Club e.V. Freiburg
Stuttgart Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum 0711 463463 David A. Beckner 07661 1324, Wehrlehof Straße 11,
Ireland Charlottenplatz 17, Stuttgart, EUCOM Harmonizers Oberried, peleube@hotmail.com
030 220720, Friedrichstraße 200, Tue-Thu 2-6 pm Stuttgart-Vaihingen Freiburg English Club
Berlin Deutsch-Amerikanisches Barbershop and a cappella, 0177 6553688 Terrence Barr
New Zealand Institut Tübingen 07146 20677 John Gerrish www.freiburg-english-club.org
030 206210, Friedrichstraße 60, Karlstraße 3, Tue-Fri 1-6 pm, German-American Seniors Club Network of English-Speaking
Berlin Thursdays 1- 8 pm 0711 2560867 Hildegard Göhrum Women e.V.
South Africa Karlsruhe American Library English Round Table, Esslingen 0761 405707 Annabel Pattullo,
030 220730, Friedrichstraße 60, 0721 72752, Kanalweg 52, Conversation group, NesWomen@web.de, www.nesw.de
Berlin Tue-Fri 2-6 pm, Wed 10-12 am, 0711 3451344, Claudia Stadelmann, British International
United Kingdom Sat 10 am-2 pm, info@bueroservice-jaeschke.de Villingen-Schwenningen
0211 94480, Yorckstraße 19, www.amerikanische-bibliothek.de Fáinne Irish Dance Group Stuttgart 07721 53278 Carol King,
Düsseldorf Deutsch-Amerikanisches 0711 483901, www.fainne.de www.bivs.gmxhome.de
United States of America Institut Heidelberg Irish Dance Ceili, Stuttgart Deutsch-Irischer Freundeskreis (dif)
069 75350, Gießener Straße 30, Sophienstraße 12, Mon-Fri 1- 6 pm, Every 3rd Saturday of the month 0711 2361736, www.dif-bw.de
Frankfurt Wed 1-8 pm, Sat 10 am-2 pm www.danceirish.de Region Schwaben, Verband der
Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg German Conversation Group Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs e.V.
Eisenbahnstraße 58 - 62, 07032 77919 Elena Fieres 07156 29164 Mi-Kiyoung Wöhler,
Schools & Preschools Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, 3-6 pm ELTAS e.V. www.schwaben-vdac.de.vu
English Language Teachers’
ools
International School
Clubs & Organizations
Association Stuttgart, www.eltas.de
International Toastmasters Club,
Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe,
Theater Groups
of Stuttgart e.V.
0711 7696000, Sigmaringer Straße
257, Stuttgart, www.international-
Clubs &
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum /
Freiburg, Ulm
Presentational skills in English,
find links to all chapters at
Theate
A.C.T.S. Anglophone
school-stuttgart.de James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V. www.toastmasters-stuttgart.de Collaborative Theatre of Stuttgart
Botnanger Kinderbetreuung 0711 228180, Charlottenplatz 17, English-Speaking Stammtisch 0711 6858370 Stuart Marlow,
Bilingual Kindergarden Stuttgart, www.daz.org S-Untertürkheim smarlow@hdm-stuttgart.de
0711 6993404 Gina Kussi, 70173: English Spoken Stammtisch 0711 3041337 Derek Evans Kelley Theatre
Griegstraße 16, Stuttgart 12:00 pm at Restaurant Plenum Deutsch Australische Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart,
Internationaler Montessori in the Baden-Württemberg Landtag Freundschaft e.V. 0711 7292825, www.kelleytheatre.de
Kindergarten e.V. Building, contact info@70173.info or 07031 607521 Jeff Gomes, N.E.A.T.
0711 93150510, Sulzgrieser www.70173.info for dates. Open par- www.deutsch-australische- New English American Theater
Straße 114, Esslingen, ticipation. Organizers: Andrea Krüger freundschaft.de Sophie Kränzle, kkt@z.zgs.de,
www.montessori-esslingen.de MdL, Dr. Peter Mendler, Rainer Friends Club International e.V. www.neat-theater.de
EducCare Bilingual Kindergarden Wieland MdEP, and Bryan Groenjes Böblingen-Sindelfingen Outcast International
0711 6581447, Hasenbergstraße Stammtisch TRANSATLANTIK 07031 878133 Jan W. Boon 0711 634409, Stuttgart,
31/2, Stuttgart, www.educcare.de Once a month at Plenum Restaurant “Here We Are” www.outcast-theater.de
English for Kids! Stuttgart, info at DAZ 0711 228180 International Group Esslingen Anglo-Irish
0711 6491537 Conny von Scholley, Metropolitan Club e.V. 07163 8580 Alison Unrath Theatre Group Tübingen
www.spielendsprachenlernen.de Social, educational & cultural events English Morning Tea Aidlingen 07071 67968 David Hegarty,
European School Karlsruhe for all nationalities, www.metclub.de 07034 7339 Ellen Zeller, dave@anglo-iren.de,
0721 680090, Albert-Schweitzer- Stuttgart Conversation Club Wed 10 am - 12 pm www.anglo-iren.de
Straße 1, Karlsruhe 0711 8892252 Ed Wilson, Deutsch-Amerikanisches The Round Table Players, Aalen
English Garden 35 years and up, www.metclub.de Institut Tübingen Eva Schumm,
English and music lessons, 0761 Conversation Group Stuttgart 07071 795260, Karlstraße 3, schumm@vhs-aalen.de
8866181, Hasenweg 34, Freiburg For native and non-native speakers, www.dai-tuebingen.de Roadside Theater
Pádraic Ó Leanacháin 0711 2737740, Anglo-German Club Pforzheim Patton Barracks, Heidelberg,
www.englishcom.de 07231 472155 Dr Maurice Claypole, 06221 175020,
Read accents guide on Baltimore Beauties www.agc-pforzheim.de www.roadsidetheater.com
www.accents-magazine.de Quilting bee at the DAZ, Stuttgart, Theaterhaus TiG 7
every 3rd Fri of the month, 0621 154976, Theater Trennt e.V.
ygroups
English Playgroup Stuttgart-West
www.amcham.de
British Chamber of Commerce
in Germany e.V.
0711 6361169 Bryan Groenjes, 0711 25540460 Ralf Steppart,
EKiZ Ludwigstraße 41-43, Regional Chairperson,
0-6 years, Wed 4-6 pm www.bccg.de
English Playgroup Stuttgart USA forum Tübingen
0-9 years, www.englishplaygroup.de 07071 55970 Bernd Zeutschel,
English Playgroup at the DAZ www.usaforum.de
Stuttgart
0711 228180, 4-6 years on Tue
3 - 4 pm, 2- 4 years on Tue 4 - 5 pm Religious Services
English Playgroup Böblingen
07031 287647 Stefanie Spence,
0-7 years, Wed 3:30-5 pm
English Playgroup St. Catherine’s Church
Reli accents media GbR
is seeking a part-time advertising
sales representative for the
Holzgerlingen/Böblingen area (Anglican) 0711 7878783 acquisition of ads and business
07034 654608 Anita Mayer Pastor Kenneth Dimmick, promotions. A firm command of
0-5 years, Wed 9:30-10:30 am Katharinenplatz 5, Stuttgart, the German language is required.
St. Georg MKK English www.stuttgartanglicans.de Payment on a commission basis.
Playgroup in Bonlanden City Chapel e.V. Stuttgart
Tue 3:30-5:30 pm, 0711 6142956 Roland Krumm, Please contact
0-5 years, Nicki 0711 3270748, Marienstraße 12, www.citychapel.de ads@accents-magazine.de
5-10 years, Mhorag Heger International Baptist Church
07127 960046 Stuttgart-Vaihingen:
English Playgroup 0711 6874365 Pastor Jay McFadden;
Herrenberg/Nebringen Heidelberg-Sandhausen:
07032 77452 Erika Laudenbach, 06224 51516 Pastor Richard Blake;
0-5 years, Mon 3-5 pm www.ibcstuttgart.de
English Playgroup Calw/Nebringen St. Antonius Church
07051 70712 Susan Rosa, 0 - 5 years, 0711 4597152 Odilo Metzler,
Fri 3 - 5:30 pm Catholic Mass in English
Meet, Chat and 1st Saturday every month, 6:30 pm
Playgroup Waldenbuch Paracelsusstraße 87,
07157 8561 Elaine Rauhöft, Stuttgart-Hohenheim
Fri from 4 pm onwards First Church of Christ, Scientist
English on a Friday Afternoon 0711 6207921 Heinz Clauss,
Tübingen www.christian-science-stuttgart.de Anglican Church of Freiburg 06202 4097860 Claus-Peter Bach,
07071 792696 Mark Hatlie, United Methodist Church 0761 904693 Minister Rev Robin www.rugby-bw.de
Fri from 3:30 pm onwards Stuttgart: 0711 251984 Stockitt, Katharinenstraße 9, Deutscher
English Playgroup in Rödersheim- Dr Hans-Martin Niethammer; www.anglicans-fr.org Frisbeesport-Verband e.V.
Gronau (postal code 67127) Reutlingen: English Church Heidelberg 0711 7352276 Volker Schlechter,
06231 929616 Mrs I. Smith, 07121 78546 Harald Rückert; Erlöserkirche, Plöck/Schießtorstraße www.frisbeesportverband.de
Fri 10 am, Luise Koch Kindergarten Karlsruhe: 0721 43721 Peter Vesen; 06221 804146 Golf in Baden-Württemberg
English Reading Group Freiburg www.emk.de www.golfbw.de
Mütterzentrum Weingarten, Church of Jesus Christ Heidelberg International
Krozingerstraße 11, of Latter Day Saints Sports Ski Club Charter
0761 286803 Amanda Lampert or Stuttgart: 06221 767539 Margaret McGinley,
07666 99126 Fredi Trenkle 0711 3419240 Ralf Gierschke;
Mannheim:
06223 809040 Dr Frank Heckmann,
Sports
American Football Verband
www.heidelbergski.com
Political
Tübingen Progressive Americans
0711 551147 Mary Schaar,
Friedenskirche, Bad Cannstatt
Word of Faith Mission International
www.afv-bawue.de
Baden-Württembergischer
Baseball- und Softballverband e.V.
Movie
Corso, Stuttgart-Vaihingen
Mark Hatlie, progressives@hatlie.de, 0711 7560369 Pastor Gift Aigbe, 07158 9878447, 0711 734916, Hauptstraße 6,
www.tpa.twoday.net In den Wannenäckern 24, Vorstand@BWBSV.de, www.corso-kino.de
American Voices Abroad Tübingen Bad Cannstatt, www.word-of-faith.de www.bw-baseball.de CinemaxX Bosch-Areal, Stuttgart
fritz.hackert@arcor.de, Evangelical Students Basketballverband 0711 22007979, www.cinemaxx.de
www.americanvoicesabroad.org Community Tübingen Baden-Württemberg e.V. Kommunales Kino Stuttgart
Democrats Abroad 07071 61928 Heidi Abe 06224 766657 Roland Dopp, 0711 221320, Friedrichstraße 23 A,
Heidelberg, English Vesper Service Tübingen www.bbwbasketball.net www.koki.de / filmhaus
06221 3780 Charles Keene, Sun 6 pm, during the university Cosmopolitan Cricket Club Kommunales Kino Esslingen
Stuttgart, semester, 07071 51475, Hassloch 0711 310595, Maille 5,
0162 9824870 Dennis O’Donohue, www.institut-urchristentum.org Rhineland-Palatinate (Heidelberg) www.koki-es.de
www.democratsabroad.org Jewish Observance, 06202 74852 Arshad Razvi Schauburg Filmtheater Karlsruhe
Republicans Abroad Germany Learning & Meditation, Tübingen Freiburg Nomads Cricket Club Marienstraße 16, www.schauburg.de
Timothy Smith, 07071 968590 Martin H. Potrop, 0761 4537323 Andy Holton, Scala Filmhaus Mühlacker
Baden-Württemberg Regional Chair SPIRITSHUL@aol.com www.freiburg-cricket.de 07041 3884, Bahnhofstraße 65
tsmith@republicansabroad.de St Columban’s Mission Karlsruhe Hockeyverband Kino-Center Weil der Stadt
(Anglican) 0721 28379 (Fax also) Baden-Württemberg e.V. 07033 2241, Badtorstraße 21
Rev. Dr. Hanns Engelhardt, 0711 7946620, CinemaxX Freiburg
Business Organizations www.staugustines-wiesbaden.de/ www.hbw-hockey.de 0761 20281400, Bertholdstraße 50
karlsruhe.htm, St.Columban@gmx.de Korfball in Karlsruhe Friedrichsbau-Lichtspiele
siness
American German Business Club
Calvary Chapel Freiburg e.V.
0761 7071333 David Pham,
www.ccfreiburg.de
0721 9896070 Ute Wickenhäuser
Lacrosse Stuttgart
0174 9989349 Bernhard Minke,
0761 36031, Kaiser-Joseph-
Straße 268
www.agbc.de www.stuttgart-lacrosse.de
AGBC Stuttgart e.V., President: Rugby-Verband
Nicolaus Susta, stuttgart@agbc.de, Baden-Württemberg e.V.
Personal
Teachers wanted! Do you speak
excellent English? Do you like German tuition/Deutschunterricht
working with children aged 0 -14? Anglophile German with 25 years
We offer the opportunity for you experience in teaching German as
to attend a Teacher Training a foreign language offers inexpens-
Course and qualify as a Helen ive, qualified and – if requested –
Doron Teacher. Flexible working easy-going/stress-free German
hours, excellent rewards, with lessons. Also offered: proofreading
the back up of an international of German texts, manuscripts etc.,
organization. Teachers needed and translations from English into
in all Baden-Württemberg areas! German. Call 0711 281799. Leave
Please contact: 0800 2689678, a message if I’m not in.
www.helendoron.com,
Stuttgart@helendoron.com Old Welsh chest of drawers
and matching shelf and mirror for
sale, Contact 0711 8177477
Money Matters
Mobile banking
In recent years, with increasing competit- has important information at hand and is
ion, banks have been cutting costs. Unpro- equipped with the hardware and software Send your
fitable branches have been closed down, needed to connect directly with the bank comments and
questions to:
while cash-machines and internet banking if needed. Günther Spieth,
have become more important. Meanwhile, As of February, 2006, the SEB bank has Director,
the traditional personal financial advisor has been expanding its mobile advice service. SEB Bank Stuttgart.
fallen by the wayside. Our advisors are assigned to one or more Email:
Guenther.Spieth
Now though, there’s a new trend in the of the bank’s branches and work flexible @seb.de
banking sector. Banks and financial institut- hours, in order to be able to visit custo-
ions are discovering that customers do mers late in the evening or on the week-
want personal financial advice from time end, if preferred. By the end of next year,
to time, and they’re investing again in infra- we plan to have 200 mobile advisors work-
structure – human infrastructure, in the ing throughout Germany. clear: there’s now a choice between visit-
form of mobile advisors. And the quality of our advice is highly ing the local branch of a bank or inviting an
With a mobile advice service, the bank’s valued. The consumer-and-financial-advice expert to provide specific advice whenever
customers don’t need to visit a branch program MEX (Hesse Television) recently and wherever the customer prefers.
office for advice; they can make an appoint- conducted a random test to see how well
ment for a mobile advisor to visit them banks and financial institutions advise on Written by Günther Spieth, SEB Bank, for
at home, at a convenient time. A decisive retirement funding schemes. The mobile accents magazine. With over five million
point is that mobile advisors are not there financial advice unit of the SEB was the customers and 20,000 employees, SEB is
to concentrate on selling a financial pro- only one of nine institutions to be judged one of the biggest financial service provid-
duct, but to meet the needs of the custo- “very good.” ers in northern Europe. www.seb.de
mer and offer quality advice. The advisor The advantages for the customer are
Labyrinth
Photo: www.photocase.com
time of the year. However, shopping habits
different from shopping for food where are hard to break, and the best bargains are
you grew up. No 24-hour supermarkets; no still to be found during the main special
Sunday shopping; no one to pack the gro- sales periods of the year: the Winter-
ceries into a free bag. But there’s possibly Schlussverkauf (end-of-winter sales) and
a wider variety of specialty stores here and the Sommer-Schlussverkauf (summer
better public transport links to shopping sales). They each run for two weeks, from
areas. Weekly outdoor fruit and vegetable the end of January and the end of July res-
markets in almost every local town square pectively.
are also a highlight. Paying for your groceries – or anything,
German store opening times have for that matter – by cheque (or check) is
changed dramatically in the last few years. virtually non-existent here. In most super-
Shops are now allowed to open Monday Size sells. Grocery markets, department stores and specialty
through Saturday from 6am to 8pm. Sun- shopping in America: shops you can now pay for goods by using
the bigger the
days are still no-shopping days, although supermarket, the a bank debit card. Many smaller stores still
stores in larger train stations are usually better. prefer payment by cash. Credit cards are
open seven days a week. Most petrol (gas) nowhere near as widely accepted as in
stations also stock a selection of groceries many English-speaking countries although
for Sunday shoppers in desperate need to shop. hotels, larger department stores and
of supplies. In many English-speaking countries big restaurants are often an exception.
Huge indoor shopping mall develop- bargain sales occur in the lead-up to If you’re hunting for a special Christmas
ments, on the outskirts of towns, are not Christmas, but that’s not really the case in gift, don’t forget the Christmas markets,
nearly as common in Germany as in many Germany. It used to be that special sales to be found in many a town square through-
other countries. Most non-grocery shopping periods, when stores could drastically re- out Baden-Württemberg. Sample a cup
is still done in downtown pedestrian zone duce their prices, were carefully regulated of hot Glühwein to help warm you up if the
areas. If you do go downtown to look for a in Germany. Recent changes to the law cold gets to be too much. (See our Christ-
bargain, keep in mind the best time of year mean that these sales can occur at any mas Market selection on page 19.)
By Liz Gaiser doesn’t tempt me with so much sugar. jeans. Shoe stores by the dozen. (Rubber
They have just one variety of each basic boots for 29.99! Pleeaase!) And there’s
Many Americans living in Germany will vegetable, a simple choice of corn flakes, only one toy store. At Christmas it’s filled
tell you they miss shopping: the grocery smacks or granola and a small selection past the legal-maximum-occupancy by
stores, the Super Wal Marts, and of of potato chips. about two hundred people. Last year,
course “The Mall.” But what I love the most are the I began scouring the weekly sale bins at
I have lived here for so long that weekly bargain bins. All that can’t-live- my grocery store in October. My kids got
I don’t miss it anymore. Who needs a without-it-another-second stuff that’s sold paint-by-number sets, a magnifying glass
selection of chips and breakfast cereals every week. If you haven’t experienced a that lights up, socks, bathrobes, a globe
the size of Nebraska? An American super- Monday morning when children’s rubber of the world that talks, Bob the Builder
market bakery’s selection of fifty different boots are on sale for 6.99 at your local videos, and puzzles galore.
doughnuts would put me into a sugar- supermarket, then you haven’t experien- Okay, so maybe I do miss American
fantasy coma. Although ironically, every- ced true German living. A crowd of doughnuts, but fighting for cheap rubber
thing else in the store is “lo-fat,” no-salt, women gathers at the front door a half- boots in a foreign country – and winning
and sugar-free. Nowadays, I want real hour before the store opens. Be prepared, – gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
food, not chemically processed junk. and be quick. Don’t be discouraged if you Ditto for bagging my own groceries next
There’s only one thing I still miss – they leave empty-handed. Try again when the to a cashier who scans everything at the
bagged my groceries for me. kids’ jeans are on sale. speed of light. And that feeling of antici-
In Germany, I’ve grown quite fond of Christmas shopping for three children pation about what might be on sale next
my local discount supermarket. It’s small, in a big city? Forget it! Clothes store week, well, it’s like looking forward to
and sometimes lacking in hygiene, but it after clothes store filled with over-priced Christmas over and over again.