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Fish with Whiskey are two Aussies currently displaced in not-so-sunny Deutschland.
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Pictures of Pretty thing....

 I'll start with one of the fog, being generally awesome:


I'll have you know that I totally amped up the shadows/contrast in this one... (i.e. objects in fog may be closer/foggier than they appear).

And to remind you suckers without deciduous trees what you're missing out on:



I've had a few discussions with various people about useful phrases and Cultural Context (it deserves capitalising). Today a Russian guy in the guest house was explaining to me the 
Rules (according to a German) for Smiling at Strangers in Golm:

  1. If you are senior to the person you see, you do not smile (Old People have earned the right to not instigate smiling- also, they have limited facial elasticity to waste) 
  2. If the person is from the city, you do not smile (Do not show approval for City People coming to Golm and using up all our nice suburban/country air. They will probably not smile back).
  3. If they are from Golm and you do not immediately smile, do not be surprised if you are forever hated and shunned by all of Golm.


And as a side note...
NEVER SMILE IN RUSSIA (they will think you were crazy and it is hard to get de-institutionalised when you do not speak russian)

He asked me about the rules for Australia.. my set (which is fairly specific for Taking Public Transport as a Twenty-Something Female) goes like this:
  1. Never smile at men unless they are over 60. Only then smile if they are looking at you in a grandfatherly way, and not a 'Imma pick me up some viagra from the store' way. (You do not need more people following you home.)
  2. Always smile at babies (because they are ADORABLE. Also, the world gets 50 points every time someone makes a random baby smile by pulling silly faces at it in public. Also, you get points if you bring home a baby [inside joke]).
  3. Smile at older people in general. You can outrun them.
  4. Smile, nod and slowly back away when someone a) asks you to listen to their emo music, b)Starts singing Elvis at you and asks if you and your boyfriend are in love, c) Repeatedly tells you to have a baby

I think my sister's would be:
  1. NEVER SMILE. 

But then, she never gets to experience the joy that is the world's multiple personalities.

Repeated conversations with many German and non-german people about 'how to do small talk and polite shopping conversation in Germany had a similar Ariel-esque tone:
  1. German people do not do small talk
Which means that I was taken completely off guard when I went into the supermarket this morning and three different German employees chose to have long German conversations with my non-comprehending, yet nonetheless SUPER APPROACHABLE face.

Two of them asked if I was cold. Which I got, because I have been asked this same question in about eight different languages for the last 24 years of my life. (And got asked it at least two other times today).

Despite the trauma induced not being able to articulate that, while I revere the German attitude towards the Environment as pretty much second-to-non, I generally think that it is nasty that I should be forced to sweat in overheated indoor areas (especially when I have just successfully escaped Gross Australian Summer), I managed to escape with two Quarkbollerchen:
Success! 
The keener amongst you will accurately note the presence of only on Quarkbollenchen. The second was sadly absent at the time of photographing (never to be seen again)

And here is some beautiful German bread.
 Magnificence shall be mine.

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