the german in the general

germans pop up everywhere around dc. from occasionally overheard pieces of conversation on the streets to the omnipresent beer references. the fun is doubled when friends i go with get excited about me being delighted to spot german stuff. that's for the obvious. more hidden are statues such as the samuel hahnemann memorial, founder of homeopathy, at 16th st & massachusetts ave i stumpled upon one day.

then there are the less obvious scenes that remind me of germany such as the old canal that runs through georgetown in what was once an industrial area. my leipzig friends will know what i am talking about. also leipzig in its formerly industrial part of plagwitz offers a nicely set canal running along old brick buildings.

or this colorful row of houses. it awoke memories of the lovely hessian town of marburg. there, along the river lahn also small, cutsy houses are set side by side and people like to walk along side them. okay, i admit the small u.s. flag in the photo ruins the german feeling a bit.

some objects brazenly point out their german character. this bus rolled around the corner one fine sunny day and i quickly learnt from one of my germany-excited friends that it's used for a photo competition by the german embassy called "spot the bus". see it, snap a picture, and submit it. first come, first serve -- i did and won base cap sorely needed from the broiling southern sun when hunting for german busses outside.

to close the round of germanness the way it started, this menu offers doses of germanness in form of blond and dark liquids. without forgetting to remind the waiter that the funny dots above the o in the word Kostritzer are missing, i order a homey feeling far away.