Random things in Germany

So I never got a chance to tell you about all the random things I found in Germany. Yes, there were many "randoms" on my trip, but I went ahead and narrowed them down to the top 5 things you find in Germany and not in America. So sit back and enjoy a good laugh.

Random Hit #1
Shoe Shining machine
Yup, that is right, I stayed in three different hotels, and every single one of them had a free shoe shiners. Nice, my shoes looked great, but random.Random Hit #2
I had never really thought about it but the cross walk signs are completely different. Yeah, I guess a lot of different countries have different signs. Common sense, but random.Random Hit#3
Car size

As you all have seen in movies or maybe you have travel around Europe, the streets are narrow and small. For this reason you get majorly small, small, small cars. The smallest car I saw, was a one sitter with three wheels. Here is a picture of an average size vehicle in Germany. Random Hit#4

Coat Racks
Now most of you all know what a coat rack is used for. I know we don't use them in Arizona but most of you have traveled somewhere in the mid-west or east, where they do use them.
In Berlin we kept seeing these green telephone booths in random places on the street. Little did we know they were not telephone booths, they actually were coat racks. Yes, random coat racks on the side of street. I know, your thinking how odd, but there is a sense to this green booth. They were actually coat racks for police officers. Kind of makes sense but still random.Random Hit #5
Flush
This was one of the most exciting parts of Europe, the Bathrooms and by far the most random thing I found in Germany. See there I am on the seat, finishing up my routine, wipe, stand, buckle and then flush. When all of sudden I'm looking for the to handle to flush. I look around for a moment and then I notice this huge button in front of my eyes. I then realize this huge, 2 foot button infront of me is the flush. How weird.... no handle!
So that is the winner, if you don't see a handle, look for the giant button in front of your eyes.

Enjoy life, and the randoms-

The Conclusion

The revealing of another culture first hand was amazing. It truly is something that all students should try to experience. Especially if you are Tourism major because it not only is a trip across the world, but it really gives you the understanding and knowledge of how hospitality and management in other countries are run. I have recently added a Convention Sales and Meeting Planning certificate to my study. I have only taking one tourism class but I have already began to feel the aura of how the Tourism major is structured. Dr. Teye (my professor from TDM 205) spoke of traveling constantly and usually international traveling. I felt a little out of place in class, mainly because so many students had already been out of the country and could give real life experiences to the class material. One of my fellow StAR members, Amarone is a tourism major and has had a chance to do a good amount of traveling. I am pretty sure it has benefited his tourism knowledge.

Not only do Tourism major benefit from international traveling but also any student can. Along the way students can experiences and debate the social controls and problem solving within a society having different politics and history. You get the chance to look into the guts of an unfamiliar culture and gain a true and rounded education. Overall, students get a chance to feel, see, taste and hear the other side of the world. I never noticed how narrow minded I was, I really do have more of an open mind of the world and people in it.

My Germany trip was filled with rich culture, that I defiantly enjoyed indulging in. The people were extremely kind and friendly. I cant wait to return to Europe.

-Enjoy the rest of the photos, it feels good to be home.

Germany Cont.

Another city a new day in Germany.

Today we are in Kölon Germany. It is a larger city than Trier but not as big as Berlin, where we will be tomorrow. Kolon cathedral is one of the world's largest churches, being the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. The cathedral is known for housing the three wise men relics.

When you first lock your eyes on it, you feel mesmerized. Each time I pass by the church I almost felt it was fake. We American's just aren't used to something that old and beautiful.
What really got me, was the fact that this building survived fourteen hits by aerial bombs during World War II. It did not collapse, but stood tall in an otherwise flattened city.
I really enjoyed the people in Kolon and the history. I cant wait to learn even more about the history or Germany.

(Below is a photo I found off the Internet after the bombings in WWII)