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Germany's face is more than a veneer
| Lonely Planet says Germany is more than Mercedes Benzes and shampooed poodles. Indeed it is. Having just spent most of the last week in the Bavarian capital city of Munich to attend a media preview for the forthcoming bauma (see news item), it is easy I suppose to make conclusions that maybe don't apply to the rest of the country. But here goes. |
For a country that for several years had the greens holding considerable political power, it is not hard to equate that with a noted greenness throughout the community.
For example, photovoltaic panels are widespread thanks to government subsidies. Near Munich, paddocks are full of them, in some cases covering several hectares.
There has been heavy snow this winter and some panels seem to have shed the white stuff better than others. Not that there has been more a couple of hours of sunlight this week. On the roofs of several houses I noticed solar water heaters had been cleared but not the PV panels.
On another front, my landlady at the bed and breakfast I've stayed at several times, was most put out when the council worker collecting her carefully separated recyclables, was simply recombining the plastic, glass and compostables. He apparently got very shirty when she upbraided him and told her it was none of her business. So the German Democratic Republic ‘aint so perfect after all.
In talking to people I came to realise that road infrastructure around the country is severely stretched. The motorways are excellent of course and speeds in excess of 200km/h are legal.
But several people said Germany is the cross roads for Europe and as such traffic is extremely heavy. One said that if you wanted to expel the cobwebs from your BMW or Mercedes, 3am was probably the best time to do so.
Given its size, the German rail system or Deutsche Bahn, is probably the most efficient railway on the planet. Last weekend I travelled to Rothenburg on the Tauber, about 3.5 hours and a couple of hundred kilometres North West of Munch, in three trains.
In summer you can hardly move for tourists. But on this bleak day of sleet and snow, there were only a handful of people around, including a family from Balgowlah in Sydney. Nevertheless there was an hourly rain service each way for about $30 return. Long distance electric ICE trains, which reach a bit more than 200km/h in a following breeze, travel to Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Geneva and other capitals, but are rather more expensive than the local trains.
