Short trip to München

Neutrino and astro-particle physicists in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in southern Germany get together a few times a year to discuss progress in their research. I went to one such meeting in Tübingen last October, and another one over the last two days at the Max-Planck-Institute für Physik (Werner Heisenberg Institute) in Munich. This was my second overnight trip away from home since my sabbatical.

My colleagues and I left Karlsruhe on a TGV train to Stuttgart then onto an ICE train to Munich around 10:30 yesterday. Throughout the trip, my colleagues were all wondering about the quality of the hotel that the secretary has booked us into. It is near the institute, which is on the outskirts of Munich, and a single room is only 53€ per night, which is really cheap for an expensive city.

Here is my first sight of the hotel - not exactly love at first sight. I am not surprised by the Golden Arches next to a gas station, but I am surprised to find all three businesses occupying the same building. I'd imagine that there are some laws on a minimum distance between a gas station and dense living quarters.

The interior surprised me too. It has the most modern decor of all the hotels I have stayed in Europe. Not only that, there is free wireless internet (and not the usual 6€ per hour or 10-20€ per day rates at most hotels). As my parents would have said: "don't pre-judge anything or anyone based only on the outer appearance." After taking a mental note of the closest emergency exit from my room, I was a happy camper.

After four talks at MPI, we headed to the group dinner at the renowned Hofbräuhaus. I visited this joint back in 2002 when I attended a conference here. I recall sitting in the big hall filled with benches on the ground floor, and reading a menu filled with schweine entrees and beer choices. This time the meeting organizers booked a dining room upstairs, and we all enjoyed a hearty Bavarian meal. I was the lone soul on our table of 12 who chose a green salad over Kartoffelsuppe (potato soup) as appetizer. Since I was in Bavaria, I followed the ritual of having a Schweinsbraten (roast pork) for entree. Many laughters and "regular" weißbier later, we dragged ourselves back to the hotel. BTW, a regular beer is half a litre in Munich.

The talks on the second day were good. But the day passed by uneventfully until we arrived at the Munich main train station. The postdocs and students in the group rushed to the food fair and each ordered a leberkäsesemmel, which means "liver cheese bun" literally. What I have learned about German cuisine is that the descriptive names are usually inaccurate and sometimes deceptive. I was told that leberkäse has neither liver nor cheese (just like fleischkäse which has no cheese in it). But a 1-cm thick slice of mashed meat and whatever it is sandwiched in a semmel (bread roll) just did not look too appetizing to me (definitely not three hours after a hearty Bavarian lunch). I ignored my parents' advice on outer appearance this time, and passed on the opportunity to sample such Bavarian delicacy.

Three or so hours later, I was back in Karlsruhe.

Landesmuseum für Technik und Arbeit - Mannheim

It was a nice sunny day last Saturday. So nice that the kids wanted to go out of town to do something. We had been staying in Karlsruhe every weekend since our Paris holiday last month because it's either been cold/rainy or cold/snowy. Then it just became a matter of where we wanted to go. Alan suggested that we go the Landesmuseum für Technik und Arbeit in Mannheim, and that's what we did after we booked a trusty Stadtmobil.

We arrived in Mannheim just in time for lunch. We decided to eat before we went to the museum because we weren't sure what kind of food would be served there. Unfortunately, there weren't many restaurants in the near vicinity so we ended up cruising around for a couple of blocks. That's when we saw the sign. We saw a KFC sign on a light post which even had an arrow to point us to the correct direction. Upon seeing this sign, we all had an initial reaction of amusement because we hadn't seen a KFC this entire time that we've been in Europe. Then our amusement turned into a craving as we realized that this sighting coincided with our annual KFC feast. For some odd reason we eat at KFC only once a year, usually in the winter time. I guess our bodies just crave the fat in such a meal to build up our blubber and keep our bodies insulated. In any case, we followed the signs and arrows and had our feast. Once we had our fill of KFC we decided it was time to go to the Landesmuseum.

Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But as we started to walk around, I became more impressed. The displays in this museum show the technical and industrial innovations that have been made in Southwest Germany. We started on the top floor, which contained a lot of interactive exhibits for kids. Needless to say, Gabriel and Jocelyn thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they learned about pulleys, magnets, air pressure, electrical power generation and pendulums. As we walked down to the lower levels, we saw exhibits that showcased industrial weaving looms, printing presses and an assembly line for automobile manufacturing. We were also able to take a 5 minute train ride - yes, 5 minute train ride. The museum housed an older train that takes the visitors from the inside of the museum to the outskirt of the adjacent park outside, then back inside again. Here are some photos of the kids playing with the exhibits (and of Alan explaining an exhibit to them).



All-in-all, the entire family had a blast. We went home after a full afternoon of exploring.

More on lychees

We were surprised to find lychees at a local grocery store back in September. We are even more surprised to find lychees of even better quality in the middle of winter! And the quality seems to get better and better as the weather gets colder and colder outside.

The season for lychees in southern China (where the best lychees are grown) is around June. The logical question to ask is: "Where are all the lychees coming from?"

We finally found the answer on one of the crates in the grocery store. These delicious lychees were imported from Madagascar. Since Chinese like lychees so much, I wonder why no one in North America or Hong Kong has thought about importing them from the island nation during the winter months.

Obama inauguration

Germans are very excited about the incoming Obama administration.

Just in case we want to recall in the future what we were doing during this historic swearing-in ceremony: Glenda and the kids were watching the CNN broadcast, while I was on agenda item #4 (status of SNO physics analysis) of a conference call with my SNO executive board colleagues.

Night skating

With less than 2 weeks to go before the outdoor rink at the town center is decommissioned, the kids wanted to go night-skating. We went to the rink early in the evening and the kids skated for about an hour (while I was enjoying a mug of glühwein).

Here is the link to three short videos of the kids skating.

It's warmer but the "Kalte Krieg" is still raging

It snowed heavily for an afternoon yesterday. Here is a picture showing the snow outside our flat.

Then it stopped in the evening, and came the sleet. My German colleagues keep telling me that Karlsruhe is the second warmest city in Germany (Freiburg im Breisgau is the warmest) and that snow rarely sticks to the ground for longer than a day...

By this morning, the temperature has risen substantially. It is still hovering around the freezing point, but Glenda doesn't think it's bone-chilling anymore. It may still take some time before the snow that has accumulated on the ground to melt (or get washed away by the rain when it eventually comes).

The "cold war" is still raging. Germany has yet to receive any natural gas from Russia, and Slovakia is about to re-start its nuclear plants, which were shut down as a condition to join EU in 2004.

Ice-skating outdoors

It was moderately cold, and we went to the outdoor rink in town center today. The rink is small, but the kids had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures of the kids at the rink.

das Wetter ist schön (und kalt)

The weather is nice and cold (sunny and a balmy -14C or about 7F). My German colleagues have been telling me that I picked one of the coldest winters to come for my sabbatical. It is not so bad. I kept telling Glenda that Sudbury, Canada, where I spent a lot of time working on my experiment is much colder.

Russia shut off its natural gas line to much of Europe on Tuesday. Russian gas amounts to over 40% of Germany's annual demand. There is enough reserve here, so rationing is not likely in the near future. But Austria is already drawing on its reserve and rationing may begin soon. Serbia is in a worse situation, and the Germans are providing them daily supply. Bosnia is also asking the Germans for help.

USPS - USeless Postal Service

This shows the status of Gabriel's and Jocelyn's application package for re-enrolling at our neighborhood school in the next school year. It was sent by registered mail from a post office in Karlsruhe, Germany on December 15, and arrived in New York the very next day according to the US Postal Service record on the web (Deutsche Post is not known for its efficiency). Then it took 11 days to get to a post office in Oakland, which is less than 5 km away from the Oakland Unified School District's placement office, and it has been stuck there since.

I called a phone number that I found on the USPS website. Apparently, the post office is waiting for OUSD to go and sign for it, and I couldn't convince the service representative to arrange for a delivery. Doesn't USPS deliver any more? The application deadline is January 15.

Fortunately I took the effort to have the application digitally scanned before posting. I actually sent an electronic copy to the placement office the day I mailed the package. I contacted the office again and explained this situation. It is unlikely that OUSD will send someone to the post office to pick up the package, but it will print out our electronic submission in lieu of the originals. Thank you, Mr. B.!

Unsere Kinder im Schnee spielen

We woke up to find fluffy white snow covering the plaza across from our flat.

The kids were so excited and kept nagging us to let them play in the schnee all morning. Their plea went unanswered until we finished running errands.

It was a good time to let them release their energy by mid-afternoon. We went to the balcony of the guesthouse (which has a fair size and a high wall, and I didn't have to chase them down if we were to go to a park). After some instructions (these Californian kids didn't know that they had to pack the snowballs), they had great fun for over an hour.

When I told them that we had to leave, Gabriel yelped "Was?" ("What" in German). I wonder how much German he knows by now.

Driving permit

Tomorrow is Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige), and is a public holiday in Germany. This means a lot of people are taking today off as well. Before the day of the three kings visiting baby Jesus, I had to go take care of our driving permits.

Getting a driver's license in Germany is a lengthy, difficult and costly process. For locals, they have to go to driving schools (Fahrschule), take mock exams after mock exams, take real theory and driving tests, and perhaps one to two thousand Euros (or more) later, they will get a license. For those who want to spend less money, to get a license more quickly, or have difficulties getting a license in Germany (such as those who have their licenses revoked after DUI citations), they may go get one in Czech Republic or Poland, which issue licenses that are recognized within the EU.

Those arriving in Germany with a valid US or Canadian driver's license may or may not need to take the tests before they can drive legally. If they stay for less than 6 months, nothing needs to be done (i.e. tourists without an International Driver Permit can still drive legally during that period). Those who plan to stay for longer than 6 months can trade in their Yukon, Northwest Territories, Wyoming, South Dakota...driver's license for a German one without any further testings. But if they come from the big provinces or states such as British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, California, Texas, and New York, they have to take some combinations of theory and practical tests. The German authority seems to value skills to maneuver around moose, bears and other forms of wildlife over those to navigate treacherous landscapes among faunas (in the form of pedestrians) and predators (in the form of cyclists) in concrete forests. (The real story is that there are bilateral agreements between different states and provinces, and not between federal states).

The gray area is for those who live in Germany for more than 6 months but less than a year (which is our case). We could get an extension of the 6-month grace period up to a year (for a fee, of course). Two months ago, the foreigner service office at my lab drafted a letter to the licensing authority to request for such an extension for Glenda and me. About a month ago, I received a positive response in writing and a fee of 40€ will be levied for each request. But there was no information on how to pay the fee!

Since I still have not received further instructions, I decided to go to the licensing office and pay the fee in person this morning. The scene at the office was similar to any DMV office in North America - people were chain-smoking outside the front entrance, while long lines were formed inside. After getting bounced from the information desk to another office on another floor of the building, I was told by a very friendly lady that I would receive an invoice in the mail in the future.

Wenn (When)? Perhaps in the middle of January, maybe in February, but she didn't know...

viel Glück für 2009!

Candy stores are selling marzipan pigs (and lots of them) around this time of the year. I learned that the pig is a symbol for prosperity. In fact, a German idiom "ich habe Schwein gehabt" ("I have had a pig") actually means "I was lucky." So getting a good-luck pig for the household is a new year tradition in Germany. We didn't get
one for our flat, as it is unlikely that any good-luck pig has the power to reverse the (mis)fortunes in our retirement investments.

Good luck in 2009!

Le dernier jour: Paris - traveling to Gare de l'Est station then Karlsruhe

Our train would leave Gare de l'Est station at half past eleven this morning, so we left the hotel around ten o'clock. We were surprised to find that Métro was still free this morning (it was free last night due to the New Year's celebration).

The city of Paris was probably a mess this morning. We changed Métro trains at the Châtelet station, perhaps one of the busiest subway stations in Europe. It smelt like one giant urinal. Glass from broken florescent lamps were all over the passageways between different subway lines (i.e. parts of the station were not lit). But we managed to find our way to the connecting subway train.

The situation at Gare de l'Est station was much better, albeit some of the arrival and departure monitors were not working. The ones in the main hall, where all the passengers from Métro would arrive at, were not working. Bonne année!

We finally found a few monitors that worked and stood next to one of them to wait for the announcement of the track where we would board our Karlsruhe-bound train. Why wouldn't the French train company SNCF schedule this weeks in advance, similar to what Deutsche Bahn does? Je ne sais pas.

When the monitor announced that we would leave from track 5, we headed toward the TGV train parked there. Once boarded the train, we had a hard time finding our seats. The train interior designer decided that it was a good idea to give each seat two numbers, and one would be applicable for each journey depending on the train's direction of travel. The applicable seat number would light up for the journey, except that this lighting system was not functional for our journey. We just so happened to have the extreme seat numbers (i.e. the seats that would be at one end of the car if the train were traveling in one direction, or at the other end of the car if the train were to travel in opposite direction). Being a physicist I decided to choose the coordinate system for the seating plan of this journey (and avoided the hassle of moving).

Other than these minor snafus in France, the journey back to Karlsruhe was an orderly one.

Ringing in the New Year on Champs-Élysées

After we put the kids to bed, Glenda and I went for our New Year's celebration. No worry, my in-laws were asleep in our hotel suite with the kids.

We went to a cafe off Champs-Élysées for a quick drink and dessert before joining the crowd on the famous boulevard. Some restaurants on Champs-Élysées were charging an obscene amount of money for their (exquisite) Saint-Silvestre menu. For example, you can get a view of the crowd (and police in riot gear, and stores boarded up in preparation for the worst, and no view of the fireworks, while thousands of people peeping through the window to watch you enjoying your Saint-Silvestre feast) for merely 189€ per person here (and that's before drinks).

We were on Champs-Élysées, equidistant from Arc de Triomphe and the giant Ferris Wheel at Place de la Concorde. The police had cordoned off the boulevard as a pedestrian-only zone. There was not really a countdown, but we knew 00:00 hr came when the Brits around us were all cheering and dancing in a circle (just like how they would do it outside football stadiums around the globe, which you have all seen on TV). Older folks brought along bottles of champagne (and glasses), which were popped open by the time the Brits were dancing around the circle in opposite direction. Now, this is an alien concept for North Americans: drinking alcoholic beverages (without a brown bag covering the bottle) in public area!

There was supposed to be fireworks in Paris, but Glenda and I only saw glimpse of it from our vintage point. That didn't matter, as this was our first celebration sans kids for some years now.

Just as we were about to leave Champs-Élysées, the riot police got into action. Perhaps the barricade was not able to hold the raucous crowd outside the Louis Vuitton flagship store, or the boarded up Nike store? We don't know, as it was a good time to leave.

Bonne année!