And there I was thinking I'd gotten my evening nicely planned. A little innocent art theft followed by hot cocoa and steamy chick-lit.
—- Felicia Hardy (Earth-616)
heterotopian reblogged
The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 468
In these busy and stressful times it is good to take a timeout, sometimes. A massage can be a good way to relax. At least for those who like it, not everyone enjoys massages.
In our hometowns you can find several massage salons, and Thai massage is among the most popular here. The first photo shows a Thai massage salon in Cologne and the second one shows one in Munich.
I only had a Thai massage once, as it was in Thailand. The masssge therapist must have had a bad day, because the massage was rough, and the woman seemed almost aggressive. I was really afraid that she might hurt me. It was a very long hour.
And even though afterwards my muscles were really smooth and relaxed, since this experience I prefer other types of massages.
I think I should make an appointment to get a massage soon. My muscles need it.
What about you? Do you like getting massages?
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 468
This week we show you one of the maybe most important business in the country and probably the world: the delivery business. And we picked one of the best know firm in Germany that operates worldwide and has its headquarters close to Cologne in Bonn.
In all over Germany you will not only see shops that not only trade in packages and their delivery but also other items. But you will most probably not be able to leave the house and go into the city on a workday without seeing one of them yellow vans that deliver packages from early in the morning until 10 pm.
If you are not at home, your package will most likely be sent to one of them shops where you have to pick it up within seven days. You are lucky when there is a real shop that can be seen from far away thanks to the yellow color. But often your packages will be sent to a smaller venue, maybe a kiosk.
We decided to show you the shops that can be seen from afar, the first picture being from Munich, the second one from Cologne.
Now it’s time for you to admit hw many packages are delivered to you within a week.
heterotopian reblogged
Since April 1st of this year, Marihuana is legal in Germany. Not everyone is happy about this, of course. While I am glad, I can understand that some people are sceptical. I still can't believe that it really happened and until the last minute, it wasn't sure, especially not in Bavaria, because the Bavarian government was strongly against it.
Currently, it is legal to possess a certain amount of "weed", and to use it yourself, and it is allowed to grow three plants. But it is still illegal to sell Marihuana. There are plans to make it possible to legally obtain Marihuana via clubs that have strong regulations. It still is not really clear how this will be realized.
The first photo shows a shop in Cologne where you can buy lots of different products needed for smoking or growing "weed". Of course, you can't buy weed there. The second photo shows a regular kiosk in Munich, where you can get tobacco, papers, and something to snack on. Which all are also things you need for smoking "weed".
Marihuana is legal in other countries now or even has been for some time. How is it in the area you live in?
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 466
Dear readers, Stephi and I wish you a Happy Easter and hope you have a great time with family and friends. In a more and more secular world Easter no longer has much meaning. When it comes to the church it is more about the pope and if he is able to take part in the festivities.
And if you look at the post this year and the latter years, you will see that we probably never posted a picture of a church but mostly referred to the secular traditions, often the Easter bunny.
And that’s what we stuck with again this year. The first picture shows some chocolate bunnies that Stephi is probably hiding or giving away for her family. We didn’t really talk about that. But who knows the tradition of hiding eggs and sweets that the children have to search. I read two theories about the search for Easter eggs. One said that it is a sign for happiness, new life and resurrection. Another said that catholic priests gave away eggs and Protestants hid then and told their kids that this was the doing of a bunny. I did not verify any of these stories.
The second picture form Cologne shows the material side of Easter with them hugs bunnies in a department store. I had to go there more often as my daughter always wanted to see them huge bunnies. I tell you, these bunnies are really huge. Also, the chocolate is nor bad at all.
How you you people celebrate Easter, if at all. I will have been at my in-laws on the first day and then just relax with good food on day two. It almost feels like Christmas without the big pomp.
heterotopian reblogged
The Tale of Two Cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 465
One can find more and more empty shops in German cities. The first photo shows an empty shop in Cologne/Köln, and the second one shows an empty shop in Munich/München.
It has been like that for many years. One reason, of course, is online shopping, which has become even more popular since Covid. People order clothing, furniture, beauty products, electronics, food... almost everything from online resources.
Online shopping has its pros and cons. The pros are: It is easy to compare prices, special products are easier to find, it is time-saving, and we can shop anytime we want because the internet has no opening hours.
The cons are: many local shops lose customers and have to eventually close, you can't actually see or feel the quality of a product when you just look at it online, and you don't have the service or expert advice that in an actual shop.
I know people who buy everything online, and I know people who never order anything online.
I do both, depending on what I need and how much time I have. I don't care to spend a few more Euros to get good expert advice.
Do you prefer shopping online or do you prefer visiting shops?
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 464
We have certainly presented you bookshops before. But with books being replaced more an more by e-readers, there are less and less bookstores to find. Especially small bookshops have become very rare. Even bigger bookstores have been forced to shut down forever or had to changed their business model.
Something that hasn’t changed though is the existence of second hand bookstores. While walking through the city last week, I saw some second hand bookstores that have been open for decades.
And that is our topic for today. The first picture shows a second hand bookstores from Munich with a more modern look from the outside. The second picture with a second hand bookstore from Cologne is really a dark bookstore that will need some skills in finding what you’re looking for. There is no real order or anything, just old books.
Do you still read physical books or do you use an e-reader? If you still read books, where do you get them?
heterotopian reblogged
Some jobs require specific work attire and gear. Today's topic is about shops where you can buy what you Need for your Job.
The first photo was taken by Heiko in Cologne and shows a shop in which you can get work attire in general. The second shop is in Munich and and is a little bit more specific: It's a shop for police, security and military equipment. But also things for private use.
And since I almost forgot that this week it's my turn for tales, and I have only have five minutes left until posting, I guess this is the shortest text of the Tales so far. I'm sorry about this. Next time, I'll write a proper text.
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 462
I bet we talked about it but Germany is y country with a lot of rules and regulations. For example, you are only allowed to use your washing machine in certain hours during the day as well as do manual work, like drilling holes and stuff. But that is not the topic today.
Germany also wants to be a clean place and public places are usually cleaned once a day. Underground stations are usually cleaned in the late evening, around the time the last trains pass by. Restrooms usually have to be cleaned more often and there are always sheets hanging out in which the person that cleaned the restroom has to sign that the work has been done.
A lot of times, this work is still done with the good old mop by hand. That is a tough work indeed and it is done in a pretty wet way. That’s why you should see these yellow signs in the first picture form Germany, That is another regulation. You have to put out these signs and warn people that the ground is wet and slippery. Otherwise it might be very costly. Not as expensive as in the US but nonetheless. (To be fair, in underground stations they usually use a cleaning machine.)
The second picture shows a public place in Cologne. There is no yellow sign there yet, as people were just getting started.
In the end, this often feels like pretending to be clean as the big cities have become more and more dirty and it is impossible to clean all these places in a reasonable way.
Yet, I also have a feeling that people are way more careless these days and create way more dirt and do not care to dispose waste in a decent way
Can we all move forward and try not to make the same mistakes again? — Ororo Munroe (Earth-616)
heterotopian reblogged
The Tale of Two Cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 461
This week it is all about escape rooms and escape games. The first photo shows an escape room in Cologne, and the second one shows an escape game that I own (but never played).
While I never played any escape game, I have already been a couple of times in an escape room. I've been there with my niece and nephew and also with my team at work as a means of "team building". I think it's quite fun to work together in a group to solve the riddles to find a way out of the room. I heard the games are fun too, and that's why I bought them but haven't had the opportunity to play one yet.
Have you ever visited one of these rooms or played one of these games? If yes, did you enjoy it?
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 460
It’s just been a couple of weeks ago since I wrote about winter and snow in Cologne, which is simply something special to my city. And just last week, temperatures rose to early spring temperatures, spring flowers were all in bloom.
I didn’t expect it, was just on a walk with my daughter when I looked into a front yard and saw all these crocuses in bloom. The sun wasn’t shining at all but there was a hope of spring that made me smile. Actually, I remember seeing crocuses around New Year’s like ten years back but that was just suer early. Still, seeing spring flowers that early in February with 10°C (50°F) combined with later sunsets gives you a feeling that winter might be coming to an end.
The first picture is from that front yard I saw last week in Cologne. The second picture from Munich is from a couple of years back and from the end of March. Still, Munich already might have some spring flower as well as the temperatures are similar as they are in Cologne.
How do you feel about the first spring flowers?
heterotopian reblogged
The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 459
Today, like every year during this time, we write about the "fifth season" of Cologne, which is one of the biggest differences between our hometowns.
It's carnival and this means that Cologne is in a state of exception. The whole city celebrates and you can see costumed people everywhere. There are carnival parties in bars and carnival parades at the streets. There is even a carnival worship service. Reserving tickets for it is necessary, otherwise the church would be overrun by people. The first photo shows the decoration of the St Agnes Church in Cologne during carnival. There's so much more to tell about carnival in Cologne, and if you are interested, I recommend reading the carnival posts Heiko wrote in the last years.
In Munich it is all very different. First of all, here it is called "Fasching" instead of "Karneval". And secondly, it is not a big thing here. There are private parties, some parties in bars and some very small carnival parades as well, but not many people really celebrate it here, and I'm not one of these few, so there's not much to tell about Fasching in Munich. The second photo shows the decoration at Karlstor in Munich at "Weiberfasching" (in Cologne it's called "Weiberfastnacht") and as you can see, no one wears a costume.
BTW, there's a fun tradition in Germany during Weiberfastnacht: women cut off the neck-ties of men on this day. A few years ago we made an extra post about this tradition.
Usually, Carnival is Heikos topic to write about, while mine is Oktoberfest which is our fifth season in Munich.
Writing about something important for Cologne and Heiko while not having any real idea about it, was a bit of pressure. I'm grateful that Heiko gave me some info about the carnival worship service, so that I had at least a little bit to write about.
Is carnival a big thing in the area you live in? And do you like to celebrate carnival?
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 458
Today we present you a totally different topic as it is about shopping, which we haven’t talked about in a long time. We will show you products that are on the alternative side of things as we shop you shops in Munich and Cologne that sell CBD-based products.
Products you can buy in theses hops are on a wide range from cookies over oil to candles that include CBD or THC. While these products are not bought by a majority of people, there is still a growing range of customers that buy these products. That’s the reason there are a variety of shops and these are often around the center of our cities, where rent is not cheap at all. Hence these shops must sell a certain amount fo products to be profitable.
Often these shops, as a lot of other business try to use kinda witty names as the Munich shop in he first picture is named „Hanf im Glück“. This is a clear reference to stale from the Brothers Grimm about a guy that believes he is a very lucky person.
The shop from Cologne in the second picture is called Honeypot which alludes to the believe that you can distract a bear with honey, as cannabis might distract you from stuff in life.
Do you have such shops in your town or is this something that is kind German (and something you will see in the Netherlands)?
heterotopian reblogged
The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 457
Today it's all about music, or about music shops in general. Heiko and I show two different shops. The first photo shows a specialized music shop in Cologne. You can get music instruments, sheets of music and other things you need for making music or how to learn it. And of course you can get consultation.
The second photo shows a second hand music store in music where you can buy (or sell) used CD's or LP's. Such shops always make me smile because my father collected LP's and we often listened to them together and went to flea markets or such shops. Now I have all his old LP collection.
I remember a time with big music shops and buying CD's was something special. You took your time when you walked to a shop, you listened to a some CDs there before you chose to buy one. Now it's so much different. I don't want say better or worse, both have their good and their bad sides.
The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 456
Two weeks ago, I wrote about winter activities without actually knowing winter in the city of Cologne. As you know, Munich often sees sow en masse and it often leads to chaos in the city and the surroundings, while when it snows in Cologne it is usually gone within hours.
This week was different though. That’s why we bring ups he winter topic once again. It started to snow in Cologne on Wednesday afternoon and continued through the night. Everybody left work when it started to snow as the weather forecast predicted heavy snowfalls. That’s exactly what happened. The street were white and traffic was pure chaos. It was a miracle that trains were still riding and they had the least amount of problems of them all.
And the snow didn’t melt away within hours. It’s actually still here, even though in icy for now. Bt four day of white is something really special for Cologne. You are seeing snowmen and snowomen all around and the kids had so much fun with the falling snows. That was such a peaceful atmosphere. Yesterday it was icy cold but the sun was shining and it was such an amazing and beautiful day.
And Munich? It has been snowing there just as well. So, nothing special to talk about actually.
This week, I will show my hometown first for the special occasion. I present to you Cologne Cathedral surrounded by snow illuminated by the sun while the second picture shows a snowy backyard in Munich.
heterotopian reblogged
The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 455
A few months ago, I already wrote about the train strikes. Since Heiko and I do not only write about "general topics of our hometowns" but also about current topics, I'll write about strikes again once more.
After the negotiations failed again, the third and longest train strike was announced this week.
I won't write about my opinion about these particular strikes because it doesn't matter, I want to say, though, that I'm glad to have the possibility to go on strike, and that people can fight for their rights and better conditions.
This strike lasted three days. But not all trains were canceled. Both, Heiko and I, were still able to get to work with public transportation because the trains and "S-Bahnen" (local trains) went once or twice an hour. We needed to travel within our hometowns and surroundings which was certainly easier than for those people who needed long-distance trains.
I don't think that this was the last strike of the near future, but we will see.
First photo was taken by Heiko I Cologne and second photo was taken by me in Munich