Royal Baby Hysteria

I have never written about the Royal Family before. Even though there would have been several occasions since I moved to the United Kingdom of Great Britain, such as the Royal Wedding and the Diamond Jubilee. But this Royal Baby Hysteria is so insane that I need to write about it.

Channel 5 will (probably) be the first channel to show a documentary in regards to the baby announcement. It's supposed to air on Tuesday and has been sold already to Germany, Finland, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, France and the US. Yesterday, I saw also a TV Researcher advertising herself for a documentary about hyperemesis gravidarum (the reason why Kate is in the hospital at the moment), because she used to have the same symptoms when she was pregnant. I have also read speculations about where and when Kate has conceived and when Pippa will get pregnant etc. 

But one of the craziest things I read was that manufacturers are already producing Royal Baby Souvenirs, such as mugs which say "A royal baby in 2013". I really don't wanna be in her shoes. Apparently she is less than 12 weeks pregnant and we all know that something could happen quite easily during these first weeks. And I'm pretty sure all this pressure doesn't help either.

Has it really come that far?

LOL and other confusions, err acronyms

Do you remember earlier this year when Rebecca Brooks had to testify at the Leveson Inquiry and she caused amusement by revealing that Mr Cameron signed some of his texts LOL, thinking it meant Lots Of Love, rather than Laugh Out Loud. And then Ed Miliband picked it up:

Well, it seems like David Cameron is not alone here. Many of my English friends say their mums were making the same mistake. Malicious gossip has it that LOL actually means Lack of Language, though.

But while older acronym users get confused about the actual meaning, youngsters use it even literally. If you are a super cool English teenager nowadays you don't laugh anymore instead you just say "Oh, I LOL". Seriously!

On that note:
OMG, FYI am AFK now, because GG, but BBL, BFN!
If you don't know what I'm saying, here is the solution: http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Chat-Acronyms

Portsmouth & Southsea

I spent last weekend in Portsmouth & Southsea and fell in love with the English Seaside.
Of course, you knew already that the Isle of Wight, which is only a short boat ride away, is an island, but did you know that Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city?
It is also well-known for being a naval town. After arriving, I went on a boat tour across the harbour and saw famous ships, including the HMS Warrior and the Tudor carrack Mary Rose. One of the most impressive ships is Lord Nelson's HMS Victory, though:

 

Women were not allowed on a ship 200 years ago anyway, but I can assure you I would have not even lasted 2 days on that ship. It was so low, I could hardly stand upright, they ate in the dark, so they didn't see any maggots (yuck), they washed their clothes in their own err pee, if your leg was hurt they amputated it right on the ship (you can even see the tools a doctor used). 

If you want your own piece of history, go to the antique shop at the Historic Dockyard. You can buy helmets from WW1 and WW2 or a knight's armour or a diving helmet from the last century. It is definitely a collection of curiosities:

On a sunny afternoon, there is nothing better than a stroll along the beachfront. One of the most important landmarks of a seaside town is the Pier, so make sure you pay a visit to the fun fair at Clarence Pier and treat yourself with a rock. For all non-British people that's not a stone, but a candy.

If you still don't believe that Portsmouth is mainly an island, go up to Portsdown Hill and enjoy the view:

Docklands

Last weekend I moved to the American part of London: Canary Wharf. With the UK's tallest buildings, the Docklands Light Railway, and the surrounding water, it reminds me a lot of NYC.

Canary Wharf is in the heart of the Docklands and it is built on the site of the old West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. From 1802 to 1980, the area was one of the busiest docks in the world, with goods imported from all over the world. Nowadays, it is home to the world or European headquarters of numerous major banks, professional services firms and media organisations such as Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan, Thomson Reuters etc. The tallest building is One Canada Square. It is 800 feet tall and has 50 floors making it the tallest building in Britain. 

Every morning when I take the DLR I am fascinated by all these business women wearing designer suits and when you look further down, you see they combine them with trainers. Another thing that fascinates me is the underground shopping centre. It's like on the surface Canary Wharf only exists of skyscrapers, bridges and water and underground you do all your shopping and have restaurants and bars. 

Next thing I wanna check out here is Trinity Buoy Wharf - Docklands' most exciting arts quarter. This former buoy manufacturing site now houses shipping containers that have been turned into studio space for 350 artists and creative businesses. It has become an exciting arts and creative industries quarter in the Docklands and hosts art exhibitions and productions: http://trinitybuoywharf.com/

Portobello Market in Notting Hill

Do you remember how Hugh Grant walks down Portobello Road Market in "Notting Hill" on his way to his bookshop where he meets Julia Roberts? Aww, I thought of that famous movie scene yesterday when I went to Portobello Market. 

The world's largest Antiques Market takes place since the early 1870s and is best described as very colourful and lively Antiques, Fruit and Vegetable, Secondhand, and Jewellery Market:

But you can not only buy things there, you can also discover new musicians. Yesterday, there was a quite impressive opera singer, and a couple of months ago, I discovered "The Robbie Boyd Band":

You can also indulge in various delicious sweets there. For example, I had a massive Raspberry and Champagne Marshmallow yesterday, and you shouldn't miss out on a cupcake from the http://hummingbirdbakery.com/

Notting Hill in general is an interesting area - not only the market.
In Victorian times, Notting Hill was a  rough working class area. In the 50s it was the scene of race riots. A second riot during the famous Notting Hill Carnival of 1976, actually inspired the Clash's punk anthem "White Riot". Within the past 30 years though, it has become a very popular and expensive area. I guess Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts also contributed to making it a fancied area.

Olympic and Paralympic Games

At first I was not excited at all about London 2012. I'm not really interested in watching sports, Transport for London spread panic about how the public transport system would collapse, tickets were too expensive anyway etc.

But then the Olympic Games arrived and surprisingly became personal and interesting. One of my friends participated in the opening ceremony, a guy from my hometown competed in the wheelchair table tennis competition, and all of a sudden, the olympic fire had even caught me:

I decided to get a ticket for the Paralympics and chose my favourite sport: dressage.
It was an early morning session, but the volunteers who guided us to the venue were all in such a great mood and danced and sang while leading the way. I really have to say all these volunteers impressed me so much. I heard that they had a course on American friendliness. I don't know if that's true, but they definitely transformed London for a couple of weeks to a friendlier place.
But what impressed me the most were the athletes participating in the Paralympic Games. Most of the equestrians had their disability from a horse-riding accident. How brave and strong must you be to get back on a horse? One guy from Ireland had only one leg and still had his horse perfectly under control:

But I think you really start caring when you actually know somebody participating in the games. I have no interest in table tennis whatsoever, but I watched all games of the German paralympic team, because a guy from my hometown was playing for the German team. In the end they won silver and I was so proud.

I have to say London 2012 was a once in a lifetime event. I'm glad I could take part in it and I'm looking forward to Rio in 2016: http://rio2016.com/en

British Humour

I have been planning on writing about British humour for a while now, but didn't really know where to start, because it's such an important part of British behaviour. When it comes to humour, you have to keep in mind the Brits don't just tell a joke, they are full of wit. It's part of their mentality. 

It's particularly hard to get the British humour when you come from a country where people (stereotypically) have no sense of humour at all. In situations where we Germans rather remain silent, English people usually crack a joke, because they feel uncomfortable and have to compensate that by joking about it. Therefore, British humour tends to break taboos. Here is an example from Mock the Week:
"So, I saw the Saddam being executed. It made me think... is there nothing on the internet I won't masturbate to?" 

Another difference is that while in Germany slapstick humour is very popular, the funny side of British humour lies in puns. For example: "I was arrested at the airport. Just because I was greeting my cousin Jack! All that I said was 'Hi Jack', but very loud."

British comedians are omnipresent. When you turn on the TV, in every second entertainment show you have a comedian either as host or guest. British comedians such as Stephen Fry write also serious columns in newspapers, discuss political issues on TV and are also outside of TV politically involved. 
On contrary, British politicians behave as if they wanted to be comedians. Just have a look at these scenes from the House of Commons:

I'm still experiencing difficulties when it comes to British humour, so please don't be offended if you are British and I don't laugh about your jokes.

Theatre Delicatessen

Even more than New York, London is the theatre capital of the world. London's legendary West End Theatre scene is the finest in the world and with Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre at South Bank, these are the first addresses when it comes to theatre. 
But there are many more delicatessen. For example, in the "summer" months you should pay a visit to the Scoop at More London, close to Tower Bridge. It is an outdoor sunken amphitheatre with seating for 800 people. It hosts a variety of free events - from free theatre over free music to free films. I watched "The Trojan Horse" there last weekend and it was great. It's part of the magnificent Oresteia trilogy. If you want you can stay and also watch "Agamemnon" and "Orestes" - all in one night and for free. 

For more information, visit: http://www.morelondon.com/
As I mentioned, though, The Scoop at More London only exists throughout the "summer" months, and I discovered another pop-up arts venue this week: Marylebone Gardens. 
It's the old BBC London headquarters at Marylebone High Street which has become a hangout spot and workplace for artists until the building is redeveloped. Drop in during the day or evening and you'll find an indoor pleasure garden oasis with a bar and astroturf, plus a big screen which will sport highlights during the Olympics:

There are also lots of performances which you shouldn't miss. I enjoyed, for instance, songs about corporate social responsibility and nude beaches in NY, as well as poems about online dating.
So, check out their website : http://www.marylebone-gardens.co.uk/week3.php

Tube Etiquette

Yesterday, I went to a bookshop to buy a book about London and stumbled upon "The Little Book of Tube Etiquette" by Laura King. Without question, I had to read a bit in it. I have already learned not to stare at people on the tube, but there are many more unwritten rules. For example: Don't eat. Don't drink (except water). Don't make conversation with the person opposite, even if he/ she is a friend. Don't show affection. Don't laugh out loud.....

Uiuiui, I remember nights where I have broken all these rules:

I am sure each of us living in London knows a funny or annoying tube story (which might include pole-dancing girls). I particularly admire girls who put their make-up on in the morning. How do they do that when it's so bumpy? And it's always funny when you notice people reading in your free newspaper. Laura King suggests you move the newspaper slowly towards them as if you wanted to make it easier for them to read it. I might actually buy her book next time, just to learn "how to get a seat". 


P.S.: A friend of mine just sent me this "London 2012: A tourist's guide to the transport system": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18236508

Fancy Dresses

Last weekend I attended Zoo Lates. Every Friday night in June and July, London Zoo opens its doors after hours for a night out with a difference. The main difference was that there were not only animals inside the enclosures, but also outside:

Some of them even escaped and strayed around Camden Town: 

That really made me wonder about the English and their obsession with fancy dresses. I remember when I moved here a year ago I thought fancy dress equals a glamorous outfit, but learned very fast I misinterpreted that. English people like to dress up whenever possible: Halloween, Christmas, Hen/ Stag Parties, theme parties - even for the upcoming Olympics you can get a fancy dress here http://www.fancydress.com/costumes/

The only question is why? A German friend of mine argued the other day it's because they don't have Carnival. In Germany, we have several weeks where you can dress up in a different costume for every single Carnival's party. We even call it the 5th season and people go wild. Maybe that's why we wear normal clothes for the remaining 4 seasons and I'm surprised about the English fondness for fancy dresses.

Eurovision Songcontest 2012

The Eurovision Songcontest or ESC is a HUGE deal in Germany. Not so much in the UK, though. Maybe it's because we have cool representatives like Roman Lob:

and the UK has er nice gentleman like Engelbert Humperdinck singing for them?

This year I watched the spectacle with an American friend who had never seen the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson before. So I had to explain how the annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) works. Did you know for example that it takes place every year since 1956? And that Celine Dion won the contest for Switzerland in 1988? Yes, it has a long and interesting history.

My favourite part is the presentation of votes (my American friend didn't enjoy that part quite as much). After the interval act is over, when all the points have been calculated, the hosts of the show call upon each voting country in turn to invite them to announce the results of their vote. It takes forever and is also accompanied but the usual "Thanks so much for the great show tonight!". But that's also the part when unexpected things happen, for example the Finnish jury representative was dressed as a monster (?) this year, or Anke Engelke, the German jury representative, criticised the political regime in Azerbaijan by saying: "Tonight, nobody could vote for their own country, but it is good to be able to vote and it is good to have a choice. Good luck on your journey, Azerbaijan! Europe is watching you!" DANKE, ANKE!

Germany has always been very passionate about the Eurovision Songcontest and one man in particular. Stefan Raab wrote the music for the German entry in 1998, Guildo Horn's "Guildo hat Euch lieb!", and represented Germany in 2000 with "Wadde Hadde Dudde Da?".
In 2004, he created a spin-off to cast the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest on his show. He called it "SSDSGPS" (Stefan sucht den Super-Grand-Prix-Star, Stefan seeks the super Grand-Prix star, mocking Deutschland sucht den Superstar - DSDS, the German version of  Pop Idol).
In 2005, Stefan came up with the "Bundesvision Song Contest". The contest featured representatives from each of the 16 German states (Bundesländer) and stipulated that their song had to be (at least partly) in German.
In 2010, he searched for the German representative with the show "Unser Star für Oslo" and found Lena Meyer-Landrut who ended up winning the Eurovision Songcontest in 2010:

I think the ESC is very popular in Germany, because Stefan Raab transformed it from an old-fashioned show only our parents would watch to a fresh, exciting, cool must-see event. Maybe that's possible in the UK too?

Another factor that made the ESC more attractive to a younger audience is the interaction with your European friends via facebook and twitter. Apart from sporting events, that's the only TV show everybody in Europe can watch at the same time and talk about it in real-time. So, I'm already looking forward to the next one in Sweden!

Regional Fashion Distinctions

I have already learned that girls wear less the further up North you get. For example, in Newcastle they never wear tights in the winter and only tiny dresses.
In Essex, however, it's all about fake! Fake tan, fake eyelashes, fake hair, fake nails and some other fake body parts too. If you wanna see some great examples, just watch "The Only Way is Essex":

Thanks to TOWIE I know now about Vajazzles and fake tan, but this week I have learned about a trend in Liverpool: The Scouse Brow!
The Scouse Brows are tattooed eyebrows. They are not in normal eyebrow shape, though, but huge big fat jet-black caterpillars on top of the girls' eyes. They are favoured by WAGs (footballer's wives) and reality TV stars like Katie Price. There was even a TV show called "Desperate Scousewives". Brilliant! 

When it comes to London, there is a difference between East London where young people look basically like the hipsters in Berlin, West London where you shouldn't forget your ballet flats and Chanel bag, and Central London where you should make sure that you wear ridiculously high heels no matter where you are:

First BBQ of the Year

The first "summery" Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining. The thermometer shows 15°C. The perfect day in London Town for the first BBQ of the year:

We were a little short of men (had some very experienced Aussies amongst us though), because in general I would say the art of barbecuing is a male domain worldwide. The woman prepares the food, but the man is the barbecue mastermind. At least for Germany, Australia and Canada I can confirm that.

A barbecue has always an event-feeling attached to it or have you ever barbecued all by yourself? No, you invite family members and friends and for hours you sit together and eat, drink and talk. In Bavaria preferably in your backyard, in Berlin in a jam-packed park. Often there is also music involved as well as a football/ frisbee/ volleyball.

The same applies for BBQs in the United Kingdom. But with lots of immigrants from barbecue-championing countries such as Australia and with regards to their not greatest reputation when it comes to food, the Brits are a bit insecure in terms of barbecuing. But luckily, you can join the British Barbecue Society http://bbbqs.com/content/ now which has been set up "to provide a place for BBQ enthusiasts in the UK to share their knowledge, learn from their peers and spread the word that BBQ is more than burnt bangers and botulism burgers".

In this spirit, I would like to finish this by quoting Albert Einstein: 
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop barbecuing.

An Afternoon at the Museum

So, what do you do on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon end of April, when it's supposed to be spring? All your European friends enjoy some sunshine and you don't even wanna go outside? Go to a museum!
I have been to a lot of museums lately: National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, British Museum, V&A, Natural History Museum, Science Museum...
The absolutely fabulous thing about London's museums is that they are free of charge and since there are 240 museums to choose from and they frequently change their exhibitions, it never gets boring.
My Top 3 are the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Modern and the V&A.

The V&A is described as the world's greatest museum of art and design. I love its Performance and Theatre section. They copied Kylie Minogue's dressroom, you can see one of Mick Jagger's stage outfits, and the best part, you can dress up yourself: 

The Tate Modern is just THE place to be. Wikipedia says "it is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year" which is very impressive. The MoMA in NYC by comparison had "only" 3 million last year. The Tate Modern even hosted the Universal Records Brit Awards 2012 after party.

The National Portrait Gallery is not that hip, but I like that it combines century-old paintings with comtemporary photography. On each floor you find pictures of a different generation of the royal family. I like particularly the Late Shift every Thursday and Friday until 21.00 where you can enjoy a wide range of events including tours, talks, live music, DJs, films, art workshops, lectures, philosophy salons and drop-in drawing sessions while having a cocktail.

One of the museums I still wanna check out is the Cartoon Museum for British cartoons, caricatures, comic strips and animation in Camden. It has a library of over 5,000 books and 4,000 comics relating to the subject. Also, the Design Museum in Southwark that covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. And the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret which is a museum of surgical history and one of the oldest surviving operating theatres. Gross? Interesting? Well, worth a visit...

Happy Record Store Day!

I was celebrating Record Store Day yesterday right off Brick Lane at Rough Trade East. Some of you might know the other stores in Notting Hill and Covent Garden or some of you might know the Rough Trade Label that represents artists like Arcade Fire, The Libertines, The Smiths, and Belle & Sebastian.

If you go to the Record Store Day website http://www.recordstoreday.com, you can read lots of quotes by lots of great artists, such as Jack White, Tom Waits, Norah Jones, and Paul McCartney, regarding Record Store Day. Here are two quotes that express what I was experiencing yesterday:

“My local independent record shop (Honest Jons) is a library, where you can go to listen to music, learn about it, exchange ideas about it and be inspired by it. I think independent record shops will outlive the music industry as we know it because long term their value to people is far greater, because even in our era of file-sharing and blogs, you cant replace the actual look on someone’s face when they are playing something they really rate and think you should listen to it too. It’s special.”
- Damon Albarn (Blur, The Gorillaz, etc.)

“Record stores have a magic about them that’s totally unique. They are a place where you can come across music and culture that you’re not open to in any other way, often by accident. I love that hands-on experience of browsing and buying music, and so I wish the Record Store Day every success “
- James Morrison

I have to admit I don't own a record player and I mostly get introduced to new artists and songs by friends and my favourite radio station: http://www.fritz.de/ that also promotes a lot of unsigned artists. But I very much liked the atmosphere at Rough Trade East. They have a Café and a "snug area" with sofas and desks. So, it's a great place to spend a rainy afternoon and just listen to amazing songs and discover new artists. I think Record Stores are all about discovery, diversity and passion. As Store Director Stephen Godfroy says: "You've got to create an environment where people want to spend time. It's got to be complementary to modern lifestyles, distinctive and competitive on pricing and have confidence in recommending exciting new products and not rely on chart product." If you are interested in exploring, check their website: http://www.roughtrade.com/

But the best thing about Record Store Day was of course that we saw Little Boots and Keane playing live on a small stage a couple of metres away from us. Amazing!!
If you don't live in the UK, you might not have heard of Little Boots yet, but you should definitely check out her website: http://www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk
I really liked her new song "Every Night I say a  Prayer".

Well, and what can I say about Keane? Spectacular! If you have a chance to see them live, do it! That's their website: http://www.keanemusic.com/

I love, love, love "Silenced by the night":

Street Art London

I have lived in Berlin for several years and Berlin has a very vibrant street art scene, too. Especially in the hip neighbourhoods such as Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain you can see a lot of great urban art. I personally enjoyed the chalk slogans on Berlin's streets, such as:

And of course the East Side Gallery which is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin wall that has been covered by approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world and is the largest open air gallery in the world:

If you are interested in knowing more about Berlin's street art, check out this blog: http://streetart.berlinpiraten.de/

And even though Berlin has a long history of street art, I would argue that especially since Banksy became a worldwide icon London is the hub of street art. In particular Brick Lane and Camden Town are famous for its graffitis:

There are even tours that take you to the best pieces. Have a look at: http://streetartlondon.co.uk/tours/ and book your East London street art tour. Street art in London is incredibly dynamic and changes every day as older pieces get painted over by other artists or get removed by the Council. That means these tours are always fresh and these guys always know where the latest street art is to be found.

If you wanna watch a great movie about street art, watch Banksy's "Exit through the gift shop" - the world's first street art disaster movie. I watched this very ironic documentary at the Berlinale Film Festival and laughed A LOT.

Language Barriers

Sometimes I get a little coaching regarding the English language. The other day my colleague sent me a very useful table and I would like to share it with you to shed light on these confusing expressions:

Can you discover a pattern? Yes, they always say the opposite of what they mean. So next time someone invites you for dinner, don't wait for the invitation! Oh well, I'll do it anyway...

Snow in England

Unfortunately, I missed the only snowy weekend in London this year - so far.
But I've heard that the English got so excited about the white cover that they packed their skis and snowboards and went to the park. Just to remind you, England is pretty much flat. There aren't any mountains, just what I would call little hills.
I went for a walk yesterday and people were still going for a sleigh ride even though there was only a little snow left and you could already see the grass show through. To me it seems quite strange and funny having grown up close to the Alps.

Another phenomenon that strikes me every winter is the following:

I'm not sure if you can actually see it properly (I was too shocked to find my camera right away), but the girl who went for a run in the snow covered park is only wearing hot pants!!
How do English girls manage to wear mini skirts and ballerina shoes when it's absolutely freezing outside? A friend explained to me that she just tries to deny it's winter and she is too lazy to buy boots. That's the explanation? Seriously? What makes me wonder even more is the fact that when you take a closer look at their bare arms, legs and feet you can actually see that the skin is already stained and turning blue.
I would be very happy if any English girl out there could explain that to me...
Many thanks!

The TV series everyone is talking about

It's the first Sunday in 2012 that I don't spend watching the brilliant BBC series Sherlock. We were left last Sunday with one of the greatest series cliffhanger ever. I'm still trying to figure out, how he could jump off this building without being dead? Yes, it has something to do with Molly, the pathologist. But how could Dr. Watson not get it? What do you think?

Some friends and colleagues claimd the falling man was really Moriarty, who moments earlier had himself committed suicide on the rooftop by putting a gun in his mouth. They suggested Holmes had wrapped his nemesis in his overcoat and tipped his body over the ledge. Dr Watson is hit by a cyclist and tumbles dazed to the pavement, as he runs to reach his apparently dying friend. Sherlock had enough time to run from the rooftop to the street and pretend to be fatally injured before being whisked away....
I have also read that some viewers suggested the suicide act Dr Watson had witnessed never took place. In the episode before, The Hounds of Baskerville, a hallucinogenic drug was used to trick the pair into seeing a terrifying wild dog. Could Sherlock have used a similar chemical agent to trick his friend?
The mystery is thickened by the fact that in the book by Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes actually dies in the short story on which the episode was based.

I was very happy last week when co-creator and co-writer Steven Moffat tweeted the following:
"Yes of course there's going to be a third series - it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!"
If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about at all, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Benedict Cumberbatch, the 21st century Sherlock:

I could spend hours talking about Benedict Cumberbatch's blue eyes, the amazing storytelling, witty references, how Holmes uses his iPhone to solve his cases and Dr. Watson writes a blog, but I suggest you just watch it yourself! 

Tea is a Cup of Life

Yesterday, I bought some tea and when I opened the box there was the following written:

"If you are cold, tea will warm you.
If you are too heated, it will cool you.
If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you."

Tea is a cure-all in England. Whether you have a broken heart or a broken bone, the first-aid will always be: I'll put the kettle on!

It's also the perfect displacement activity in an awkward or uncomfortable social situation. You know, when the conversation isn't flowing anymore or you are supposed to talk about a sensitive issue, well just put the kettle on first.

Tea even effects magicians like Harry Potter: 
"Harry found the tea seemed to burn away a little of the fear fluttering in his chest"   J.K. Rowling. 

So, next time you are cold or hot or depressed or excited, you know what to do.
I'll have a cup of tea now...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you! Ich hoffe, Ihr seid alle gut reingerutscht - as we say in German.
NYE in London is quite overwhelming. There are lots of (expensive) parties everywhere. Too many probably. Because most of my friends decided to stay at home or go to house parties, including me. I couldn't be bothered waiting for 12 hours at the riverside to watch the 12 minutes fireworks at midnight. If you couldn't be bothered either and missed it on TV, because you were too busy celebrating with your friends at your house party, here is the whole spectacle again:

Christmas time was very interesting, too. Every time I went to a Christmas Market I could order my German drink (Glühwein) and German food (Dinnele/ Bratwurst) in German and while eating it, listened to German music. It was amazing. At Winder Wonderland in Hyde Park they even had a Bavarian Village where you could get original French fries from Germany, served by original girls from Germany (they just look Asian):

Another thing I found quite odd, were the Christmas paper crowns. What is that all about? Are we all kings and queens at Christmas? When I first saw a couple of drunk middle-aged men wearing these crowns at a Christmas party at my local pub, I laughed at them. One week later I was wearing one as well at my own company's Christmas party. At least my colleague affirmed me that I rock the medieval look.
You probably ask yourself now, how do you get these crownes. Many Christmas meals in the UK are accompanied by Christmas Crackers. These are brightly coloured paper tubes which are twisted at both ends and two people have to pull on each end and when it breaks the already mentioned paper crown, a small gift (I got a sparkly heart-shaped key fob) and a joke written on a piece of paper appear. Supposedly, the Christmas Crackers have already been invented in 1846.
Ham wa wieder was gelernt!