quinta-feira, 27 de fevereiro de 2014

instalando internet na Alemanha: haja paciência

Bom, vou fazer jus ao nome do blog e falar um pouco mais do que se refere à minha vida aqui em Bremen.

(já que o dinheiro pra viajar acabou, né? hahahaha)

Tem mais de um mês que eu me mudei pro meu novo apartamento/flat/quarto/porão/cafofo e eu o aluguei sabendo que não tinha internet. E sem internet eu não vivo (mesmo!).

Ou seja, lá fui eu resolver isso. Posso ter tido azar (pra variar), pois sei de casos que foram mais rápidos e mais fáceis, mas eis a minha experiência tentando instalar internet na minha casinha:

Obviamente procurei a opção mais barata.
As companhias telefônicas/internet mais conhecidas aqui são a KabelDeutschland, a Vodafone, a O2 e a 1&1 (eu acho, pelo menos). Tentei fazer meu contrato a princípio pela KabelDeutschland - que tinha o melhor custo benefício (preço/gigas + linha telefônica). O detalhe, no entanto, é que o contrato mínimo teria que ser de dois anos.
Como eu não sei quanto tempo eu vou ficar aqui (talvez até agosto), preferi não arriscar. A única que oferecia a possibilidade de fazer um contrato sem uma data-limite foi a 1&1 - e por isso eu tive que pagar mais.

O bom é que eu fui pessoalmente numa loja que trabalhava com todas essas empresas e que pode me mostrar o que era melhor (eu esqueci o nome agora, mas fica entre as paradas de Am Brill e Domsheide).

Paguei 60 euros pra instalação + modem e a mensalidade custa 20 euros.

O negócio é que até eu conseguir usar a internet em casa foi uma novela! Demorou mais de um mês.

Primeiro me pediram o nome do morador antigo pra poder saber se eu ia pagar mais ou menos (ainda não entendi essa parte direito). Depois demoram uma semana ou mais pra entrar em contato pra só então marcar um dia pra o técnico ir na sua casa.

Enquanto esperava o técnico aparecer (mais umas duas semanas), tive problemas pra receber o modem porque o retardado do carteiro não achou a minha casa e disse que o endereço tava errado.

E aqui eles têm essa história de tudo ser resolvido por carta. Carta vai, carta vem. Pense numa chatice.
Além de tudo, fiquei dependendo do Steffen (meu amigo alemão-brasileiro que tá sempre salvando a minha vida) pra ligar pra 1&1 pra marcar/desmarcar as datas em que o técnico podia ir instalar.
No fim, o Steffen ainda ganhou um desconto de 20 euros na minha próxima conta porque reclamou que o modem não tinha chegado hahaha <3

A única coisa chata agora é que meu notebook tem que ficar ligado no fio do modem. Mas a velocidade da internet, mesmo sendo o pacote mais barato, tá super de boa e dá pra ver filme/série online tranquilamente.

PS.: Enquanto eu tava sem internet, fiquei frequentando a Starbucks. Riqueza? Não. Cara de pau. Chegava lá e muitas vezes não consumia nada.

terça-feira, 25 de fevereiro de 2014

Avaliem a situação

Ontem tentei abrir meu cofrinho de moedas de 1 e 2 CENTAVOS. Não consegui.


Ainda bem que fevereiro tem menos dias.

quinta-feira, 20 de fevereiro de 2014

My first germantrip!

Se você quiser ler este post em português, clique aqui




About the itinerary Hünxe-Augsburg-Füssen-Dachau-Cologne-Bonn: Actually, I don't know if this trip could be called germantrip. It wasn't really planned and the itinerary doesn't make much sense, but I had/have holiday so I wanted to do something. I decided: 1) to visit my aunt (I call her like this because it's easier, but actually she's cousin of my grandmother) - the last time I visit her I was two/three years old; 2) to visit Pedro in Augsburg (from there I could go to a castle and to a concentration camp) and 3) to stay in Cologne for a few days in my way back to Bremen. I also went to Bonn by chance.

About the transport: I made all my displacement between the cities by bus. As I said before, I search the cheapest tickets at Bus Linien Suche. The buses here are great, they have wifi, sockets, food and the bathroom is better than airplane's bathrooms. The only annoying thing is that the bus stops in a lot of cities. Actually, it is cool because I could have an idea of Münster, Nürnberg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, etc. My conclusion is that everywhere is quite similar.
This was also the first trip that I bought train tickets (in the north, where I live, I can travel for free with my semesterticket). The trains here are really good (and I only catched the regional ones), but they are incomparable more expensive than the buses.

Rediscovering my family in Germany

I came back from Portugal one day, had exams in the next day and I travelled at the following day.
Gisela and Gehrard
I catched the bus to Düsseldorf for 8 euros, but to reach my aunt's city (Hünxe, on the limit with the Niederlands, at the end of the world), I had to catch also a train from Düsseldorf to Wesel (that is the closest city there) for 16 euros (the double of the itinerary Bremen-Düsseldorf).

She and her husband picked me up at the station and we drove for more 25 minutes.
Hünxe is really cute, it seems like a condominum (unfortunatly, I didn't take pictures because it was raining a lot). I met their two grown children: Klaus and Elka - they are brazilians, but they don't speak a word in portuguese because they were naturalized in Germany.

I spend two nights there and it was great, everyone was cool with me and we only talked in german :D If I stayed more time there I would be so much better.

Live with a german family (~my~ family hahaha) was also good to get in touch with the culture, to learn more... and to drink! They always have drinks at home! During the luch, I realized that I was drinking beer with potatos and wine with ice cream! Then when I told them that I liked Jägermeister, they immediatly said: "Jägermeister was OUR drink!" and started to tell histories about the parties they used to give.

One thing that I thought that is very cool: you don't give a shit about the houses here, but once you get in - wow - a wonderful keller (basement)! I personaly loved their keller! They have a bar with all the imaginable drinks, a really interesting decoration with things from all parts of the world and a lot of musical instruments! Gehrard (my aunt's husband) plays everything! The old man is good!

The time I spend there was just a few, but was great. It's really comforting to know that I have family here - in a so strange and diferent place. I'm feeling as I earned new grandparents. Gisela (my aunt) remembers me a lot of my grandmother and my great grandmother at the same time - I don't know how to explain very well, but I think it makes sense.

I also discovered that they have a backery in the city (since 1800-and-something). One more deutsche bäckerei in the family! Cool! Bakeries are in the top5 of Germany's things. I'm thinking about to change my toEiscafé project for a Neumann Bäckerei, hahaha. It would be greaaat.

On Saturday morning, Klaus left me at the station and I took the train to Düsseldorf. From there, I went to Augsburg.

The romanic Augsburg, the Schloss Neuschwanstein and Dachau's concentration camp

It was 10 hours by bus until Augsburg. I arrived at 21h and Pedro picked me up. I left my things at the apartment and we went out to drink, of course. Ten hours in a bus aren't exausting, are just boring.

Me and Pedro - the only picture we took
hahaha


On Sunday, we went to the cinema with his niece. She is really fun, hahaha.

On Monday, while Pedro was working, I left to walk around the city. Because the way that Pedro used to speak, seemed that the city was the same size of my aunt's city (that even doesn't appear on the map, by the way). But Augsburg is the third biggest city in Bavaria. It is quite different from Bremen (the acquitecture, the people, the accent, etc.), but - maybe - is the same size (or almost). Althoug it is a really old city (the romans used to live there), the things seemed like new.

Ps of the day.: I bought Paulaner (das beste Bier der Welt) for only 40 cents!

Schloss Neuschwanstein


way to Füssen


Hugo and me in front of the castle

On Tuersday, I went to visit  Schloss Neuschwanstein - the famous Cinderela's castle -, that stays in a city called Füssen, next to Austria.
I bought the Bayern Ticket for 23 euros - with it you can get how many regional trains/bus/subways you want -, but it is even cheaper if you travel in a group.

Only the travel until the city already worths (it's two hours from Augsburg to Füssen). The day was wonderful and the landscape is unbelievable. When it gets closer to the Alpes... is indescribable.

Schloss Neuschwanstein



At the station of Füssen, I met Hugo - we studied german together in Recife - and we catched the bus until Hohenschwangau. There you can buy the ticket to get in the castle for 12 euros. Tip: before climb that great slope (I became sore in the following day), I recomend to walk to the opposite side and take some pictures in front of the lake - it's really beautiful.

way to Füssen










The castle of Neuschwanstein was the coolest/pretier/more awsome that I saw until now. I have to do a post with the top5 castles hahaha. The view from there is amazing, the castle inside is amazing, the castle outside is amazing, etc. It worths!






Schloss Neuschwanstein



Concentration Camp of Dachau


Concentration camp of Dachau


dormitory

On Wednesday I bought another Bayern Ticket and went alone to visit the concentration camp of Dachau. The city (Dachau) is 25 minutes from Munique (that is 40 minutes from Augsburg).
Dachau also surprised me: the city is relatively big.
Before I get there, I was wondering if I should pay the entrance. But I shouldnt. I don't know how it works in the other concentration camps, but if you stop to think about it... is bizarre if they charge to show how they used to torture and to kill.

Concentration camp of Dachau.

There is people that thinks that to visit a concentration camp is a sinister/weird/macabre kind of tourist. I understand, but I also liked movies/series/books about the Second War and I couldn't not go there. Is not a cult of violence or something, is to get in touch directly with the History. Is the preservation of the past as a way of learning. Everytime I see/know something historical/original I only could remember Walter Bernjamin's essay about the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Maybe it doesn't make sense... but maybe it does, hahaha.

To visit a concentration camp brakes that happy atmosphere trip. Could be an exaggeration , but you should be strong to go. First, that hugeness, then the silence of the place. It almost made me cry and throw up at the same time.

The small house with the crematory and the gas camara.


The concentration camp of Dachau was one of the biggests and existed from the begining until the end of the war. The first prisioners were political prisioners. It's possible to visit the dormitories, the bathrooms, the gas camara, the crematory, etc. Beyond the 3 or 4 churchs of diferent religions that were built there after the war, there is also a museum that tells all the camp and the nazism history. There are some monuments in memory of the dead around the place too.

crematory





The organization how the things were done is the most shoking. Germans are organized, of course, but still shoking. The prisioners, for example, couldn't enter in the dormitories with boots/shoes to not mess up and every was carefully registrated.



In one of the corners of the camp, walking to the left, you can find a cute small house, surrounded by a forest and a creek. It could be a house of a happy family. But was the crematory. And the gas camara.

I confess that I left the place feeling down. You can feel the heavy atmosphere there. I even felt embarassing of taking pictures.

Museum

One of the churchs built after the war.


Mozart and Klee

My plan for Thursday was, at the beggining, go to Munich, but I tought that it didn't worth to go there tired, to pay another ticket (23 euros) and stay only one day. Munich is a city that deserves to be visited with calm, atention (and money).

So I enjoey the day to do what I didn't before in Ausgburg. I visited the house where Mozart was borned and I went to an exibition of Paul Klee - I confess that I didn't know that he was from that area Augsburg/Munich.

Viva Cologne!



On friday, I went to Cologne. More 10 hours on the bus. This time, the bus was full and the internet didn't work.
I arrived at night, under a heavy rain, alone, carrying my luggage/camera/rucksack/computer/bags and I didn't really know how to reach the hostel. I got upset with the crawlded station, I was pushed in the subway, I got lost. And everything I could think was why the hell I arranged this situation for myself.
Part of my irritation was because I did'nt sleep well on the last night.

About the hostel: I stayed at Meininger Hostel - from the same group of hostels that I stayed in Berlin. It was the cheapest that I found (in other words: it wasnt really cheap because the Meininger is a little bit expensive) - I paid 50 euros for 3 nights. I slept in a room with 8 beds. The breakfast is not included and it costs (6,5 euros). In general, the hostel is really good. However, the location could be better - to reach the Dom/Hbf you must take a tram and a subway.
inside the Dom


On Saturday, with a better mood and a sunny day outside (for the germans standard, don't forget), I went out to see the city.
I need a fish eye lenn to take good pictures of the Dom.


Before of everything, I entered in the famous Cathedral (the Sagrada Familia still winning). Then I went to the Farina Haus, where Eau de Cologne was invented. For 5 euros you do the tour and receive a sample of the perfume.
Apparently, all the queens, kings, princess and all the nobility in general were clients of the store - including D. João, Napoleon and Princess Diana. I wish I could bought a small bottle of perfume, but this was my poorest trip until now (I stayed all the trip carrying a bag of bread, cheese and bananas - check out my situation! hahaha)

After that, I crossed the street and entered in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum . I confess that I skipped the barroque's floor, but I liked it because there were some impressionists - that's what I like.

I walked by the Rhein River and visited the  Museu do Chocolate. Fatties thing... a dream haha! The place is huge and it was full. It shows since the cacau's plantation until old chocolate's advertising. Is very dinamic :)

Farina Haus

After that, I went back to the hostel and didn't go out more. My inicial idea was to enjoy Cologne's evening - that is famous for its parties and the opened mind people, but... as I said: I was poor! haha

Cologne has a zillion of churchs and I'm already bored of churchs (I confess, I confess), but on Sunday morning I gave me the task of going until St. Ursula's church just because of my name, hahahaha.

Around St. Ursula's Church haha

Then I went to Ludwigs Museum  (the one which I wanted to go since from the begging but I wasnt finding it). There are a lot of paitings of germans expressionists, Picasso, Man Ray, Kandinsky, Andy Wahrol, etc. This is the people whom I like hahaha Ludiwig's Museum >>> Wallraf-Richartz Museum.

Milka's cow in real size! haha


The Ludiwig's Museum stays just behind theRömisch-Germanisches Museum, that is very famous and has things from the period that the romans lived in Cologne. But with the time you learn to prioritize what you want to see. Is not because it is in your travel guide or someone's itinerary that you are obligated to visit! Is not just because it is famous that you shoud see! Tip: do what you really like, what really interests you - mainly if the time is short and the money is even shorter. Here is an advantage to travel by yourself.


Hohenzollernbrücke, Colônia

Just behind the Ludwig's Museum stays the Hohenzollernbrücke (bridge), where the trains passes. It is all full of romantic padlocks, hahah

At night, I stayed at the hostel. I clean up my luggage and got upset when I tried to sleep.
There wasn't even one soul that could be saved in that room. First, a couple that used to take showers together and they laughing and groaning at the other side of the room; second, a group of german girls that even seemed to be nice, but they really upset me because they came at 2h in the morning, switched on the lights and started to read jokes loud and to laugh (wtf? hi? I was sleeping in the bed upstairss!); and finally, some spanish guys also came late night and decided to take showers at 3h. Detail: the shower whistled really loud. Sincerely, I think I prefer to sleep in dormitory with 14/16 beds then to sleep in a room with 8 or 6 - is more impersonal and embarassing. However, I got really upset - mainly because I would have to wake up early in the next day.






Bonn, Beethoven, Haribo, police, persecution and a veeery long night

Monday: I did my check-out ain the hostel and went directly to Bonn. I discovered by chance that the same subway that takes me to the hostel also goes to the central station in Bonn. The circuit lasts 60 minutes (from Neumarkt Station, Cologne).

The interesting point of know Bonn is that it was the city of uncle Adolph. Eu really liked it! It is cute and small :)
The house where Beethoven was borned
and lived

I visited the house where Beethoven was borned and lived for 20 years. I enjoyed the beautiful day to walk along the promenade of river Rhein and realize my dream of know the  Haribo's Store! Fattie's/children's dream! hahaha (actualilly, I would like to see the factory, but I think it is not possible).


I walked around the city center, saw the castle from a long distance (I was worried about the time) and came back to Cologne to pick up my things at the hostel, go to the station and wait for the bus to go back to Bremen.

I arrived one hour before than the expected time after being pushed and squeezed in the subway.
I was exhausted of carrying my bag/camera/etc. again. It was so fucking heavy that I had to crawl. There was even a moment that I got myself locked in the bathroom's turnstile and the employee had to help me and open the special door for me because I couldnt pass through.

Rhein River, Bonn




Bonn Rathaus



When I reached the plataform I saw the sign of the bus company. I saw a bus from the company passing. I realized that was the same place that I arrived before with the same bus. So, obviously, I was at the right place. I waited, waited, waited... then I realized that there was almost nobody around with me. 16h35 and the bus didn't appear. So I remembered about the bus from Lübeck, that was 6 minutes late and I waited a little bit more. But there was something wrong.

I asked for information at the company desk and the guy was very rude. I discovered that Köln =/= Köln Deutz (my stop) - he told me that Köln Deutz was at the other side of the river. Fuck.

I went back inside to the main station with all my things and entered in Starbucks. So I discovered that the next bus just would left in the next day, at 20h30 and the train was only 70 euros. I payed only 8 euros before.
The solution was to buy the ticket for the next day - for 18 euros. I was already poor, then I became poor and a half.
Haribo's Store, Bonn


I didn't even think in a possibility of go to a hostel - I would spend more money and I got tired just to think about to carry all that things throught the city
.
I decided to keep my things in a locker at the central station (6 euros/24h) and take some pictures at night. I also went to a few pubs (I didnt' go out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to go out on a Monday, tsc, tsc).

I went to a 4 diferent pubs. The first one was irish, where I drank a polish beer. The second was what I liked most (I went back again there), it was well tricked and there was a guy playing piano, super fun :)
After, I went to a pub with money from every place of the world hanging in the bar, but I didn't stay there for a long time. The last pub played really good music, but the people was old.
Cologne



On my way back to the central station (around 00h/01h), I passed in front of the first pub I went and the police was there with a lot of cars and everything. I think it was because of some soccer game.
Poolish beer in the first pub


Still on my way, a turkish guy started to talk with me and I couldnt escape of him in anyway! I even hadnt I place to go. And he kept following me. So I decided to hide myself in the bathroom of the station. I had to pay 1 euro! 1 euro to hide myself, hahaha ridiculous. I waited half hour and tryed to go out. But he was there... waiting for me. So turn back and waited more. After a long time I discovered another door in the bathroom. Then I left, waked in another direction, took my luggage and went to McDonalds to use the internet. I stayed there until 4h00, when it closes.

Dom, Cologne

I tryed to stay in one of the chairs of the station but was too cold and there were only drunks and  beggars. So I went to a small markt and waited until Starbucks opens again.

This time the bus stop was right :D but the seat was wrong - I seated next to a annoying guy that didn't allow me to sleep.

Ps of the day 1: After arrive in Bremen, I slept the 20 following hours and I just woke up because someone called me on the phone.
Ps of the day 2: I stay all night talking with Dani and it made the time flyes <3












everything isolated by the police














Hall of Ps's:



Ps 1: Why I went to Cologne so close to the Carnival? Why I didn't go during the Carnival? - I heard a lot this questions. Explanation: the Carnival in Cologne is very famous and I want to see/participate one day. I decided to go to Cologne just because the price of the ticket from Augsburg to Bremen was almost the same price if I went to Cologne, slept there and and took another bus. Then I could know the city - that is beautiful! Even so, I could see some groups with costumes around the city.


Neumarkt, Cologne


Ps 2.: Weissbier is from the south and it's amazing.

Ps 3.: I thought that Augsburg is empty. Not so much people on the streets.

Ps 4.: I thought that Cologne is a crawlded city. Really full.

Ps 5.: I've heard that Cologne is the San Francisco of Germany, hahaha

Ps 6.: I didn't expect that Cologne was so big.

Ps 7.: I thought that Cologne is so cool as Berlin. Ok, almost.

Ps 8.: The people from east Germany seems to be the nicest.

Ps 9.: The south is beautiful beautiful beautiful with all that tradicional houses and the mountains, etc.

Ps 10.: I entered in a bakery in Augsburg and ordered "Zwei crossaint, POR FAVOR". Sometimes I got crazy.

Ps 11.: Apparently, Bremen is the city of the bikes - I did'nt see a place with so many bikes and bike lanes as here.

Ps 12.: Germany <3

More pictures:


way to Füssen


Füssen
Füssen
Füssen and the Schloss Neuschwanstein behind.
View from the castle.

View from the castle.

Dormitory at the concentration camp in Dachau

Bathroom of the concentration camp in Dachau.
Concentration camp in Dachau.
Crematory at the concentration camp in Dachau.

Gas camara at the concentration camp in Dachau
Monument in memory of the dead at the concentration camp in Dachau

Front door of the concentration camp of Dachau

1/4 of the Cathedral in Cologne.

Cologne

Chocolate Museum, Cologne
Chocolate Museum, Cologne

All the toys of the Kinderüberraschungen :)  - Chocolate Museum, Cologne

Chocolate Museum, Cologne
Chocolate Museum, Cologne
Chocolate Museum, Cologne

Chocolate Museum, Cologne

Cologne

Cologne

It's almost carnival in Cologne!

Cologne, Hohenzollernbrücke

Rhein River, Cologne

Hohenzollernbrücke, Cologne

Rhein River, Cologne

Bonn
Rhein River, Bonn
Haribo's Store, Bonn!
University of Bonn
Cologne

Cologne