Location Spotlight: Meissen

     Hi again, and welcome back to the latest installment of "Location Spotlight!"  This week's guide is on the city of Meissen (Meiβen in German).
     Meissen was officially founded in the year 929, after being home to a tribal riverside settlement.  The city is located on the Elbe river, in the German state of Saxony, approximately forty minutes' drive from Dresden.

     Meissen is primarily known for being the home to the first porcelain factory outside of the East, with the Royal Porcelain Factory opening in 1710, in Albrechtsburg castle.

Tips and Tricks: Volume 5 - University Referate

Yes, this is from Spongebob.  It illustrates the point
perfectly though.

     Here in Germany, one of the primary methods of grading in university seminars is using a Referat, or oral presentation, designed to both teach a topic to the rest of the class, and evaluate the student presenters.  While most college age students are fairly familiar with how to give a standard presentation, there are a few odds and ends which warrant mentioning before you go off to the great wide world of standing in front of a room of disinterested fellow students.

Culture Post #5: Eis!

The first person who can actually make this for me will win
a cookie!  You provide the cookie.  You can't have any of mine.

     Welcome back!  It is totally that time of the week again, where I talk about something culture related, and this post is not possibly, in any way, replacing the normal oddities post.
     That being said, today's topic is ice-cream and desserts here in Germany, specifically how they appear to hold a different status in German culture than in the United States.
     Jump in!  ...Or just click the link.  No one wants you to fall out of a chair or something like that.

Rules of the Road: Volume 6 - Paying for Things

The marble plate is for checking if coins are real.
The more you know!

      Hi again!  It turns out that someone was actually able to make use of last week's post regarding setting up a cell phone here in Germany!  Anyway, during this week's post, I'm going to discuss some of the little things that I have noticed about how paying for various odds and ends is different here in Germany, compared to the United States.

Enjoyable Oddities: Volume 5 - American Groceries in Germany

      Its Friday, so that means its time for another round of oddities!  This week, I decided to comb through a local grocery store, and see how many products that I recognized as being offered in the exact same form back home in the United States.  The list was short, but interesting nonetheless.

     Jump in!

Cooking for People Unsure of what a Stove Does: Recipe 7 - Pizza!!

Giant elevator buttons?

     And its that time of the week again!  We'll be taking a field trip away from my sad little kitchen and its pair of burners, to visit a friend with an oven to make pizza!  The good news is that I wasn't allowed to take so many of the final pictures, so hopefully you all enjoy having more proper photography for a change!

Simple Pizza

*Ingredients:

• Flour (2 cups) (+ some extra)
• Brown Sugar (1 teaspoon)
• Salt (1 teaspoon)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Don't be so second-best, use the good stuff)
• Yeast (1 packet)
• Warm water (a little less than 1 cup at the same temperature you'd use for a baby's bathwater)
• Tomatoes (very ripe and diced)
• Tomato Puree (1 cup or more)
• Oregano (fresh or dried)
• Rosemary (fresh or dried)
• Basil (fresher than Will Smith)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Garlic (3 cloves)
• Onion (one small)
• Bell peppers (sliced; any topping of your choice will do)
• Fresh mozzarella (not ever optional)
• Good quality melting cheese
• Salad (optional, no ones cares it's pizza!)

Culture Post #4: Imbisses

The nearest one which actually said "Imbiss" was an hour
round trip on the tram.  Sorry about that.

     Now that I've successfully managed to both take pictures and get them put into my computer, we can be off with the fourth culture post of the summer!   This week, I'll be tackling Imbisses, the latter of which have come out in full force now that the local temperature has been hovering at approximately 100 degrees (Fahrenheit, keep your hats on metric system lovers) for the last few days.  Take the jump!
     Seriously.  That's where all the good stuff is!

Location Spotlight: Rothenburg

Alright, alright, we all know I couldn't take such a good

picture.

     Oh hi there!  Now that Blogger has decided to cooperate for a change, welcome to the next Location Spotlight!  This week, I'll be going over the medieval walled city of "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" (don't forget the last part if you're looking for directions, as there are multiple "Rothenburg"s in Germany!).

     The first settlements in Rothenburg date back to 950, with the city proper being founded in 1170.  The city grew to prominence through trade and cloth making, due to local long distance East-West and North-South trade routes intersecting just outside of the city.

Tips and Tricks: Volume 4 - Packing a Day Trip Bag

Isn't this the absolute best bag you've ever seen.

     Continuing in this week's blatant failure to pretend to follow the schedule which I arbitrarily assigned to this blog, I give you this week's "Tips and Tricks:" how to pack a day trip bag!  It seems like common sense to many people, but lets be honest, doesn't everyone like having a little checklist to go off of?

Rules of the Road: Volume 5 - Buying a Cell Phone

I used one of these as a toy when I
was little.

     Oh hi there!  Because I am simply amazing at planning out picture taking, we are going to do a little rearranging of posts this week (don't worry, the culture post of the week is on its way).

     I've done some checking, and this week's "Rules of the Road" post is the first one which can be done with a complete lack of actual roads!  Anyway, because your American (or other non-German) cell phone plan will charge you the approximate value of mid-size suburban home's mortgage if you use it here in Germany, it seems prudent to explain how to set up a prepaid phone, as it is really the best option for short term stays here.  Take the jump!

The Weekly How-To Manual: Volume 4 - Setting Up a Student ID

Remember this building?

      

     And we're back!  Lesson learned:  it is very easy to stop blogging, and very difficult to start it back up again.  Don't stop!

     For this week's how-to manual, I'm going to give the run-down on obtaining a student ID here in Leipzig.  Its not a particularly involved process, but considering the confusion I went through to get it, it never hurts to pass along some tips!

   Step 1: Return to Goethestrasse 6! (If you remember it from the last time it made its appearance here...)