I don’t know if anyone besides me ever watches Mythbusters on the discovery channel but it is great show. Here is my mythbusting facts (or at least observations) about Eastern Europe:
MYTH: Polish are kind of stupid (hence we make Polish jokes). BUSTED: The Polish I met seem quit intelligent (although they did build the tallest building in the city of Krakow in 1975 and it has stood there totally empty the last thirty years).
MYTH: The drink Absinthe contains a crazy hallucinogen that makes you see a green ferry. BUSTED: Original Absinthe may have but the kind you can buy now (which is still illegal in the US) just makes you drunk and tastes really bad. There are no hallucination effects.
MYTH: You can get a five star hotel room in Bratislava for $1.83 per night (Eurotrip movie). BUSTED: The exchange rate is helpful in Slovakia but nowhere near that helpful.
MYTH: Germans are highly stiff and pretentious. CONFIRMED: Travelled with one for quite awhile, had to everything planned down to the minute. Subway station in Berlin tell the exact time in minutes and seconds to the next train.
MYTH: All the graffiti in Eastern Europe is expressive of the artistic culture. BUSTED: Some is good but the vast majority just looks like vandalism to me.
MYTH: Berlin is the third biggest Turkish city on earth. CONFIRMED: Only Ankara and Istanbul have larger population of Turkish people than Berlin.
MYTH: Germans drink huge quantities of beer. CONFIRMED: I see people all the time just walking down the street and drinkin a beer while reading their paper…. at like 11 AM.
MYTH: Opera consists of a fat lady singing FIGARO. BUSTED: No singing in the opera I went too.
MYTH: Eastern Europe has some of the most beautiful women on Earth. BUSTED: I would have to say no more so than back home and definitely not like some parts of Asia. Perhaps it is necessary to venture even a bit further to the east to confirm this myth.
That is it for this edition of Mythbusters… check you next time.
March 29th, 2006 at 5:48 am
Dan:
I for one, think that you should travel for a good long period of time. I love receiving these gems of communication/education/entertainment and would like to have you continue for a wee bit longer - say a few months at least. Alas, real life will not suport that effort - but whenever you elect to repeat the adventure - I’ll be there for you!! I might even buy you a beer (send a few euros with you) for along the way. Thanks for your efforts - truly I’ve enjoyed them tremendously!! Lisa Z.
March 29th, 2006 at 8:23 am
I’m with you Lisa!! I have never been so excited to get up and get on the computer in the morning. Just remember Dan that you were raised to have to get your chores done before you could go out to play - maybe you should be a travel writer instead of a computer geek! Love you - Mom
March 29th, 2006 at 8:40 am
Dan, Glad the girls are encouraging to your travels. When I was your age, wandering “drifters” (an even older term) were called “hippies.” I aspired to quit school after my particularly lousy sophomore year but didn’t. You are making me rethink that choice. No regrets, I guess, because if I had, I wouldn’t be reading about yours. Oh Dad!!!(saved you an answer)
March 30th, 2006 at 8:55 am
HAHA… yea, well I love workin too so I’m not quitting any jobs. Next time I am at some life transition tho (changing jobs, going back to school, whatever it is) I am definitely lining up a gap of like 3-6 months to travel again. Does that still mean I’d be a hippy? Anyway, forgot one mythbuster….
MYTH: You can buy beer at McDonalds in Germany BUSTED: McDonalds in neither Munich or Berlin sold beer (however I noticed you can buy it at Subway)