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Lesson Learned in 2010: On Guests

One thing I’ve learned this year is that it’s easier to convince my friends and family living in America to come visit me now that I’m living in Berlin.

For some reason, despite Weimar’s relationship with Goethe and Schiller, plus it’s outstandingness as endorsed by the fact that it is the European Capital of Culture (1999), friends and family just didn’t seem all that interested.

Berlin can’t hold a candle to Weimar…

11 comments to Lesson Learned in 2010: On Guests

  • Hey now, I’ve been to Weimar. Granted it was for something like three hours …

  • I spent a whole week in Weimar. I thought it was a nice town and a good representation of life outside the major cities of Europe. In some ways, I preferred that trip over visiting places like London.

    In high school I had a pen-pal from the UK that wrote me, “I’ve been to New York, but that’s not really the United States…” Something I think is appropriate when someone from the US visits London, Berlin, Paris, etc., and that I did not really understand until I visited Weimar.

    I’d speculate there is a stark difference between life in Berlin and life in Weimar, but each has its advantages.

    Still, I think I would enjoy visiting Berlin sometime.

  • Ted

    Weimar is the head (brains) of Germany but Berlin is the Heart.

  • It’s true. I used to live in a shithole in Ireland, one hour away from my “friends” and none of them ever came to visit. Now that I’m in Berlin, I’ve found people I didn’t even know were my friends have come to visit. Coincidence? Methinks not.

  • MT – I’m not saying that no friends visited Weimar, just, uh… two.

    Cynical Queer – It was excellent having you. And yes, Weimar is not the same as big international cities. It’s also hard to get to.

    Ted – Awe… Weimar could use that as a marketing slogan.

    Irish Berliner – So it’s not just me! Not that I’m objecting to my visitors, but I was in Weimar for six years!

  • I didn’t think of Weimar as difficult to get to. For me it was a direct flight to Frankfurt than a 2 hour train ride.

    I found it much easier to get to than say, Swaziland. *grin*

    I guess it’s the amount of travel I do vs. what you do. I can see where difficulty might be seen compared to your normal travel habits.

    • I’ll agree Weimar is, pratically speaking, easy to get to, but when you’re traveling, transatlantic flights to the US often require going the night before, and after coming back to Germany, one can wait over an hour to catch that 2ish hour train ride back to Weimar.

      Plus, for tourists, there’s not as much to see/do in Weimar — when you say Berlin, lots of things pop into one’s head, but when you say “Weimar”, most Americans cannot name one thing there…

  • Reko

    For me, Boy-lin is ever scarier than y-mar!

  • Reko

    Perhaps I should try to come visit thee in boy-lin. Would thee help me orient myself? The last time I was there, there was still a large wall dividing the city into two parts: (1) Berlin–Hauptstadt der DDR; and (2) West-Berlin. I understand that this dividing wall is no longer there.