EuroYankee

Making fun of Germans is easy enough. There’s the unexplicable love they have for David Hasselhoff. There’s the affinity for cheesy techno a la Scooter (by the way, does anyone else think that Scooter ripped off their Jumping All Over The World video from that dancing guy Matt?) Yet these digs have become a little bit passe. Which makes this Republican National Committee video parody of Obama’s recent visit to Berlin is lame. There’s no other word for it. And did I mention that the production values stink?

Cornwall’s coastal path lived up to its Ordnance Survey designation. This wasn’t your average, run-of-the mill pretty, this was whack-you-upside-the-head gorgeous. We spent five days hiking and several days recreating. In total, we maybe walked 50 kilometers. The trail wasn’t easy. It kept going down to the coves and then back up to the top of the bluffs. There were only a few small villages along the route and the countryside was mostly pastures, heather and hedges. There were also some beautiful beaches. It was the perfect mixture of sea breeze and sunshine.

Some bands are best seen at free outdoor summer music festivals. Unfortunately Ben Folds is not one of them. His voice was thin and the piano kept getting carried away by the breeze. But no complaints. Rheinkultur is the only free outdoor music festival within biking distance. And it’s really all about people watching not about the music.

(photo credit: Mr Ush)

July 4 is just another day in Germany, so I was happy to catch the holiday edition of NPR’s Bryant Park Project which had some great examples of patriotic music videos. I am proud to be from a country where ethnocentricity rhymes with similarities.