In Germany
Posted on October 14, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 16 Comments
Quick updates:
1. Have arrived in Germany. Flights in uneventful; taxi ride to hotel slightly terrifying; hotel room has the exact dimensions of the “coffin single” dorm room I had in college. It was the only room available at 6am, when I got in. They said, “it’s a room with a small bed.” I said, “I am a small man.”
2. Yes, everyone, I knew that the Velvet Wesley would be shown in The Big Bang Theory last night; they had contacted me about it ahead of time. Surprise! I hope you enjoyed its appearance.
3. My German wifi hotspot works but is hella slow. As hinted before, do not expect long updates.
4. Me sleep now.
“taxi ride to hotel slightly terrifying”
German taxi drivers tend to have this effect, even on other Germans.
However, they know what they’re doing …
After you’ve used a water cooker (wasser kocher) once, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one. Unless you’ve lived with one. In which case, imagine yourself having never used one and using one for the first time.
Congratulations! Something of Scalzi’s has made it to television. By this, I mean the infamous Velvet Westley Crusher, which made an appearance on The Big Bang Theory. Truly a proud moment.
Ah yes, I remember being the only one in our party with the necessary fortitude to sit in the front seat of a German taxi that was headed for the autobahn… At least, I always argued it was fortitude; my colleagues begged to differ.
If you only sat in the front seat because you were blitzed on cheap malt liquor, that would be fortytude.
What no view out your hotel room window? John you are slipping in your old age.
Well then, welcome! Great that you are here. I’m looking forward to your reading tomorrow!
Sorry about the hotel room though. But you’ll probably be so busy with book-fair stuff that you won’t have to spend too much time there. And if you do have some time off, I’d recommend a leisurely walk along the river, the weather right now is beautiful for that. It’s a beautiful treelined walk along the »Schaumainkai« next to the Main.
Damn, you Scalzi. I had Big Bang on the DVR. Now, it is ruined! Ruined, I tell you. Ooh, that felt good. As you were.
I bet your German wifi hotspot is slow because of its power profile settings. Check to see if the data rate is turned down so it can keep the lasers fully charged
Taxi-drivers are a special breed, indeed.
Glad to hear you touched down healthy – doesn’t your hotelroom come with wifi? Why do youneed an extra spot?
My experience in Germany was that once behind the wheeel, ALL Germans are in a hurry and think they are running second in a Grand Prix race. Stick to the trains if you can. And stay out of traffic. They don’t stop.
really, scalzi? “hella”?
i thought only teenagers in oakland used that word, which is neither/both an adjective and an adverb.
Loved the Velvet Wesley last night. A real feel of connection because I knew the back story about the painting.
If your taxi ride was anything like ours in St. Petersburg Russia I sympathize! Ours was a private tour driver, not a taxi driver. He drove in the oncoming lane (a practice during rush hour that seems to be not uncommon for some reason) and on the sidewalk (ditto) and through three and a half feet of water on the street (bad drainage) and then we had to sit (IN the car) while he and the tour guide changed a flat tire on a wobbly jack in the middle of a lane.
The tour to Novgorod was fantastic. Getting back to the hotel from the outskirts of St Petersburg was hair raising. Eight years later, I still haven’t replenished my adrenalin store.
No honey. No, no, no. Try a taxi in Cairo. Lane markings are a mere suggestion there. the sidewalk is a golden opportunity to drive around the horse drawn wagon of human poo that is in front of you. be careful not to run over the dead horse on the other side of the road. Oh look, the pyramids!
Seriously.
so two questions, first did you get to fly first class or did you have to go coach? second, i thought Europe was supposed to be more wired and advanced than us in the states?