10The English Language Journal

for Baden-Württemberg

www.accents-magazine.de

June/July/August 2006

accentsmagazine

Playing sport in Baden-Württemberg

Exposed: the Irish pub spy

Schwäbisch Hall alive this summer

Tips on Tipping, American style

Name your Game

3accents magazine

The German media is generallyquite critical of the ability of its national sports teams. Butfrankly, Germany is one of theworld’s most successful sport-ing nations and invests a hugeamount of time and effort intosport. Around 27 million peopleare members of some 90,000sports clubs across the country.But where do minor sports orsports introduced from foreigncountries figure in these stat-istics?

You might be surprised tolearn that players of rugby,American football and cricketare included in the statistics.The sports that originate or arecommonly played in English-

speaking countries may be hardto find in Baden-Württemberg.But did you know, for example,that you can play club cricket in Freiburg, rugby in Heidelberg,and baseball in Filderstadt? And did you know that golf –traditionally seen as an exclu-sive game for a select few inGermany – is becoming more‘American’ in terms of itsaccessibility? We’ve done theleg-work on all sorts of sportsfor you. Turn to page 12 formore.

Looking for something to dothis summer to avoid the WorldCup football tournament? Everyyear the town of SchwäbischHall stages a three-month-long,

open-air, summer theatre fest-ival. The main drama takesplace on the magnificent broadsteps of St. Michael’s church inthe town’s centre. ‘Hall’ is alsocelebrating its 850th birthdaythis year. It’s a beautiful town towander around in. We sent ourtravel writer to Hall to discoverits charms.

We’ve also discovered a couple of dream jobs. MeetEast London Andy, the Englishdiplomat, who’s actually paid togo and watch any football gamehe wants to in Germany thissummer. And there’s an Irish-man in Göppingen who claimshe was paid to travel aroundGermany to drink Guinness in

every Irish pub he could find.Ha! The stories you hear…

As well, read through thisthree-month summer edition ofaccents for information on top-class study in Bruchsal, red-wine tasting in Heilbronn, andquality English theatre in Stutt-gart. And if you’ve never reallyunderstood how much changeto leave for a waiter in Germanyafter a beer or a cup of coffee,we provide some timely tips on tipping. Cheers! Zum Wohl!Enjoy the summer.

accents magazineeditorial team

Editorial

107 14 16

10 Pick your game

English and American sports in Baden-Württemberg

5 Football fans aplenty

6 Exposing the pub spy

7 Special Report:

a degree in English

8 Writers meet in Stuttgart

9 Adventure parks

9 Book reviews

14 NEAT and ACTS

Theatre birthdays 15 Book reviews

16 Schwäbisch Hall

An open-air beauty

18 Money Matters

VAT advice18 Heilbronn Tips

19 Review your investments

26 Tipping in Germany

26 Tip big or eat at home!

4 Letters

4 My Two Cents

Sports expressions20 accents choice

What’s on listings23 accents guide

Clubs and contacts25 Classifieds

Contents

Feature

News and Events

Arts and Culture

accent on…

Good to Know

Labyrinth

RegularsChildren’s Corner

Cover photo by C

hrys Rynearson

accents magazine Published by accents media GbR (Bryan Groenjes, Maki Kuwayama, Geoff Rodoreda) Neue Brücke 3, 70173 Stuttgart. Tel 0711 3102160, Fax 0711 3102161, info@accents-magazine.de Editor Geoff Rodoreda, editor@accents-magazine.de Arts Editor Stuart MarlowCopy Editor Katharine Schmidt Photographer Chrys Rynearson Contributors Toni Astle, Krysia Diver, Dagmar Fritz, Liz Gaiser, Anna Gentle,Melissa Martin, Rebecca Perrin, Steve Trevallion Advertising Enquiries Bryan Groenjes, ads@accents-magazine.de. Webmaster AndrewGolledge, webmaster@accents-magazine.de Website www.accents-magazine.de Graphic Design Brucklacher Visuelle Kommunikation Reutlingen,www.brucklacher.de Prepress CGS Möhrle, Vesoulerstraße 4, 70839 Gerlingen Cost free Published every two months Circulation 10,000 Distribution everywhere English is spoken: subscribing firms, cultural institutions, shops, pubs, clubs, theatres, hotels and selected tourist centres Advertisers and Corporate Subscribers Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, Biddy Early’s Irish Pub, Brucklacher Visuelle Kommunikation,Celesio AG, Corso Cinema International, Democrats Abroad Stuttgart & Heidelberg, Irys Ehmann Finanzberaterin, George and Dragon English Pub,Golfclub Domäne Niedrreutin, Golfpark Göppingen, Heilbronn Stadtmarketing, International Baptist Church, International University Bruchsal,Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum /James-F.-Byrnes Institut e.V.,Ernst & Young AG, MetClub Stuttgart, Open University, Piccadilly English Shops,Robert Bosch GmbH, Schiller International University, SEB AG Stuttgart ISSN 1862-345 X

Letters

to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Now that you have tested Stuttgart’s English skills, (accents 08,pages 8-11) I would be interested in seeing a test of how wellexpatriates speak German after having lived here for 10 yearsor so! I don’t think it’s fair always to assume that the rest ofthe world needs to speak English. Native English speakers alsoneed to discover the value of learning a second language. Un-fortunately, I know several people whose German is relativelypoor despite having lived here for a long time. Of course, thereare lots of exceptions. But how about a test of expats‚ Germanability to get an objective overview? Dr. Cindy L. Halbert-Seger, Ludwigsburg

Dear accents,

I recently discovered your magazine on the Internet and readthe My Two Cents column on e-mail language (accents 04 p. 27.) I must admit that I myself also feel somewhat slightedwhen someone doesn’t write at least “Hi” or “Hello” at thebeginning of a message. After reading the article, I looked backover some e-mails that I’ve received. I’ve found that many ofmy co-workers do not offer any form of greeting, but when itcomes to personal e-mails – from friends – the majority do. As for a sign-off, it’s mostly left out, even among friends. As a French-Canadian however, I’ve noticed that among Franco-phones the use of greetings and sign-offs is much more com-mon. Just my two cents’ worth.Christian Levesque, Montreal, Canada

Dear accents,

I’d like to draw your attention to a new Website for readers ofEnglish books. The site (www.bookswapper.de) offers a venuefor swapping English books online with no charge. Its targetaudience is expatriates or more generally people who readEnglish and are currently living in Germany. Resi Kainz, Aachen

Hello accents,

We are an English-language drama group from Aalen, theRound Table Players – you reported on us last year. We havejust put on our annual play, “The Bug”, which was a great success. We just wanted to say that thanks to your article, wewere also asked to perform recently at the Volkshochschule in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. It’s nice to know that through yourmagazine word gets around about English-language arts andculture on offer in Baden-Württemberg. Jennifer Hügler, Aalen

A note from one of our columnists

I have immense sympathy for newcomers here in Germany.Especially those who have a German spouse. Ever wonderedwhy your German husband is still attached to his mother’sapron strings? Why does he consider moving from his parents’apartment to the one downstairs to be “leaving the nest”?If the recipe for Spätzle is so simple, why does mine come out tasting like Play Dough? If I refuse to take a two-hour walkevery Sunday afternoon can I still have the traditional Sundaycoffee and Kuchen? For all you readers who miss advice col-umns in newspapers here’s your chance to write to the “DearAbby” of Deutschland. I hope to be of help! Send your quest-ions to lizgaiser@online.de

accents magazine4 Letters

accents magazine Neue Brücke 3 70173 Stuttgarteditor@accents-magazine.de

My Two Cents

By Katharine A. Schmidt

Despite my fondness for baseball, and thefact that I witnessed the Cameroon-Swedengame at the 1994 Soccer World Cup, I amnot what you would call a big sports fan.Nor are most of the people I know. How is itthen, that a quick E-mail request for every-day expressions that come from the worldof sports yielded so many responses?

My dad was quickest off the bat, so tospeak, with “get to first base,“ a term thatdenotes a step on the way toward sexualintercourse. Those who don’t make it thatfar can be said to have “struck out,” anotherbaseball term. The question, “Did youscore?” also has a sexual connotation – or it can refer to an illegal drug purchase.

Many sporting terms relate to ideas of

fairness. A subject might be deemed to be“out of bounds,” while “moving the goal-posts” all the time doesn’t help you close adeal. Instead, you need to achieve a “levelplaying field” so that everyone has an equalchance of winning. Another word, commonin business and politics, is “whistleblower,”a person who makes public inside know-ledge of wrongdoing. I’m told that thiscomes from soccer.

The list of examples goes on. From box-ing we’ve got “below the belt” (a remarkthat’s hurtful and unfair); from Americanfootball comes “do an end run” (go aroundan obstacle); golf yields “on par with” (equalto). Basketball has given us “swish” (some-thing that’s gone smoothly) and from motorracing we’ve got “revved up” (excited,ready to let loose). The English, and othercricket lovers around the world, borrow lotsof expressions from their beloved summergame, such as “hit for six” which meansshocked or surprised, and “stumped” which

means unable to find an answer or a res-ponse to something.

While we’re on the subject of cricket, I was surprised to learn that a couple of phrases that have entered into Americanusage have their origin in this game. TheWebsite wordsmith.org includes a citationfor a “sticky wicket” – a difficult situation –from The New York Times Magazine.Wordsmith also cites the expression “hattrick” – three successes in a row in a gameor other endeavor – in a Business Weekarticle about real estate investment trusts.The “wordsmiths” tell us the expressioncomes from the former practice of awardinga hat to a bowler who dismissed three batsmen with three successive balls.

Now that’s got me stumped. I think.

Comments, questions, and suggestions to

mytwocents@accents-magazine.de

or accents magazine, Neue Brücke 3,

70173 Stuttgart

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Hi and Bye

Books and drama

News and Events 5accents magazine

News and Events

Andy Battson has got what many Englishvisitors to Germany this summer wouldconsider a dream job: he’s Britain’s footballattaché for the World Cup tournament.He’s essentially got a ticket for all of Eng-land’s games but he’ll probably be too busyto carefully follow all of those games live.

“I admit it is a rather unusual diplomaticposting. But we’ve found in previous tournaments that it was worth having a foot-ball attaché to co-ordinate all the diplomaticorganising we have to do for such a bigevent,” says Battson.

Around 100,000 English football fans are expected to be in Germany to followEngland’s fortunes in the World Cup. ButBattson isn’t expecting much in the way ofproblems with the oft-mentioned English‘hooliganism’.

“Around 3,500 hooligans have been banned from travelling to the continent,”says Battson. “The vast majority of fansjust love their football and with a softly-

softly approach to policing and good com-munication we shouldn’t have problems.”

The English team will be based in theBuhlerhohe Schlosshotel, near BadenBaden for the duration of the World Cup.For this reason, thousands of English fansare expected to stay close to their teamand base themselves in Baden-Württem-berg for the World Cup.

Battson has been to Stuttgart twice fordiplomatic football duties in the lead-up tothe World Cup. “There’s a nice atmospherefor football there, and if England win theirgroup, they’ll be playing their next roundmatch in Stuttgart,” he says. “They won’tbe too far from their base camp and a baseof supporters.”

The Australian football team is one offive other squads that will also be based inBaden-Württemberg for the tournament.The ‘Socceroos’ will be training in Öhringennear Heilbronn and staying in the nearbySchlosshotel Friedrichsruhe. As a result,

according to tourism officials, there’s beena flood of last-minute bookings fromAustralians who plan to come to Stuttgartfor the World Cup. The fact that theAustralian team has made it to the WorldCup finals for the first time since 1974 –when the tournament was last held inGermany – is a good enough reason formany Australians to party in Stuttgart’spubs and beer gardens.

English and Australian fans

to party this summer

A most unusualdiplomatic posting:Andy Battson, theUK’s football attachéto Germany

Mondays Music & movie quiz

Tuesdays Live Jazz music

W ednesdays General Knowledge Quiz

SaturdaysDarts tournament

The George & Dragon English PubIn Hotel Le MeridienW illy-Brandt-Stra§e 30

70173 Stuttgart0711 2804969w w w.gandd.info

Photo: U

K E

mbassy, B

erlin

accents magazine6 News and Events

By Krysia Diver

Once upon a time, alarm bells wouldring as soon as a freckle-faced strangerwalked into an Irish pub in Germany.This meant only one thing: The Guinnessspy was in town.

That was in the 1990s, when Guinn-ess would pay some lucky guy to roamGermany in search of the Irish Pub ofthe Year. The so-called Guinness spy hadthe task of visiting hundreds of Irishpubs on an all-expenses-paid trip lastingone year. When Irishman Liam Cassidy –who now lives in Göppingen – landedthe job in 1998, he thought he had diedand gone to heaven.

Guinness had employed Liam – abusiness studies graduate – to sup pintsof cold, creamy Guinness in aroundalmost 400 Irish pubs scattered acrossGermany. For Liam, whose girlfriendwas in Germany at the time, it seemedlike the dream job. But Liam’s illusionsof savouring perfectly-pulled pints ofGuinness on Berlin’s sunny boulevardswere shattered soon after he arrived inGermany.

“In the first pub I came across, Iordered a Guinness. I couldn’t believe it– it had a frothy head, and it was justlike a Pils,” he recalls with disgust.Despite a disappointing start, Liam soongot into the routine of testing Germany’sIrish pubs. “It would take a good fewnights to get round a place like Berlin,”admits Liam with a chuckle. His one-year contract wasn’t all a barrels of laughs, however. “I know it sounds likethe ideal job, but there was a lot of

driving involved. I would sometimesdrive 60 kilometres from pub to pub. I’d try to go to around five or six pubs a night, so it was often a pretty tightschedule. But I guess I did get to knowGermany inside out.”

Liam would arrive in a pub unannounc-ed, sit quietly in a corner and make mental notes about the atmosphere, thedécor, and of course the Guinness. Butsurely the landlords who knew theirlocals must have been slightly curiousabout this lone punter? “Well I have redhair and freckles, so I did tend to standout a bit,” says Liam. Because there is a close network of landlords who ownIrish pubs in Germany, rumours wouldcirculate quickly that the ‘Guinness spy’was in town.

“In some pubs, I would get a know-ing wink from the landlord as if to say, ‘I know who you are’, but of course, youjust had to play the game,” he says. Intotal, Liam was required to make threeround trips of Germany, the third time inthe company of a Guinness judge, whochose O’Reilly’s in Heidelberg, fromLiam’s shortlist of 10 Irish pubs.

Today, Guinness no longer employs people to embark on a one-year missionto find Germany’s top Irish pub. Keepingup with the times, Guinness’ Frankfurtbureau now runs an interactive Internetcompetition which invites members of the public to decide which Irish pub is worthy of the top title. John Galvin,the European marketing manager forGuinness, says: “We decided to give thepublic the chance to participate onlineand nominate their favourite Irish pub.This is all about consumer choice.”Members of the public are asked tomake their judgement according to crit-eria including staff service, welcomingatmosphere and good Guinness.

So what happened to Liam Cassidy?Well, he opened his own Irish pub of course, Dirty Nellies, in Göppingen. Andfor those of you who have always want-ed to act as a Guinness spy, now youhave a good reason to visit Irish pubs.Vote for your favourite Irish pub by logging onto www.guinness.de.

Exposed: the Guinness Spy!

A tough job but someone’s got to do it

What can The Open Universitydo for you?

It can give you a BA/BSc degree, MA,MSc, MBA, Diploma or Certificate. But just as important, it opens up anew world of interests, challenges andachievements. The Open Universityoffers a choice of 199 courses whichare taught in English. And providedyou’re over 18 and resident in theEuropean Union, you’re eligible. No previous qualifications are requiredfor most undergraduate courses. Over 2 million people have studiedwith The Open University. For furtherinformation please contact MatthewHawkes on the email below – please quote reference code DEFASB.

email: m.hawkes@open.ac.ukwww.open.ac.uk

“With red hair andfreckles I did tend to stand out a bit.” Guinness expert and former pub spy,Liam Cassidy.

News and Events 7accents magazine

The International University in Germany,

based in Bruchsal, north of Karlsruhe,

is an outstanding university in the best

sense of the word. Conceived on the

American model, coupled with an inter-

national orientation and English as

language of instruction, the students –

depending on their course of studies –

can earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree

in Business Administration, IT or Comm-

unication in only one-and-a-half to three

years. A practice-oriented approach en-

sures graduates a successful start in their

careers.

At the International University in Germany,a special approach is taken to trainingyoung academics for their future careerpaths. The university cultivates students’drive to excel, along with interdisciplinarythinking, internationality, and learning geared toward real-life applications. Relat-ing instructional content to actual day-to-day practice is reinforced through intern-ships and close collaboration with sponsorsfrom the business world.

“Today, most of our foreign students –who make up about half of the 180-strongstudent body - come here not least due toour excellent connections with the indust-ry,” explains Prof. Dr. Tomás Bayón, VicePresident of the International University inGermany. It’s easy to see how this came

about. The course structure in the form oftrimesters allows subjects to be coveredmuch more rapidly than in the traditionalsemester system. A bachelor’s degree program (with a focus on Business Admini-stration, IT or International CommunicationManagement) can be completed after onlynine trimesters, and a master’s (in Busin-ess or IT) takes just five trimesters of study.An excellent professor / student ratio ofabout 1/ 7 guarantees students a steadyrelationship with a faculty contact personor mentor. These mentors provide compre-hensive guidance for the young people inBruchsal, who are viewed as customers. Inaddition to English as language of instruct-ion, the required internship trimester and atrimester abroad further enhance the valueof the education obtained here.

Every course of studies also includesinstruction in so-called ‘soft skills’ – modules based on applied communication,cultural and cognitive sciences. After all,it’s important to the more than 20 inter-national lecturers at the university that theirstudents master not only the actual subjectmaterial. The teachers also support theirstudents’ character development and cult-ural and people skills to make sure theyhave the capabilities they need to achievesuccess in their later careers. The studentslive in international residential communitiesand work on the university campus.

The university’s track record speaks foritself. More than 95 percent of the stu-dents attain their final degree. At the sametime, the vice president emphasizes thefact that students can only earn their aca-demic degree here by performing at toplevel, despite tuition as high as 10,000euros per year. Strict rules are applied interms of both admission requirements andgrading.

The study programs offered at theInternational University in Germany meetthe highest quality demands: for example,the bachelor’s and master’s degree pro-grams fulfill the stringent quality standardsset by the FIBAA accreditation agency foracademic programs.

Graduates of the International Universityare in high demand in the business world.The blend of practical, entrepreneurial know-ledge coupled with advanced IT or businessadministration skills, as well as the inter-national focus, are criteria that equip gra-duates very well for their future as youngexecutives. The current college rankingspublished by the Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung confirm the university’s high stand-ing. 84 percent of International Universityin Germany graduates surveyed rated thequality of studies there as “very good.”

Prof. Bayón concludes: “Our vision hasproven itself in actual day-to-day practice.We are proud to be able to meet theexpectations of internationally successfulenterprises. It’s only through communicat-ion and cooperation that instruction andeducational goals can be continuously adapted to the changing demands of theeconomy. And we’ve managed to do justthat.”

Written for accents magazine by

International University in Germany

Campus 3, 76646 Bruchsal

Tel 07251 700-0, info@i-u.de, www.i-u.de

International University in Germany

A model for the IT and business managers of tomorrow

Main Hall,InternationalUniversity in Germany

Students mixingwith employers at a companycontact event

Special Report

accents magazine8 News and Events

Mixing concrete and laying tiles instead of sitting on a beach in the sun? It’s noteveryone’s idea of a holiday. But that’sexactly what 22 students, parents and teachers from the International School in

Stuttgart (ISS) have chosen to do in July.They’re travelling to Hungary to help buildhousing for poor families.

“Habitat for Humantity“ is the name ofthe American aid organisation the ISS hasdecided to work for. “Habitat” was set upin 1976 and is active in 94 countries. Itsgoal is to provide simple, safe living spacesfor people without homes. With the organ-isation’s help, two hundred thousand homeshave been built, and one million peoplehave benefited.

The 22-member ISS building troupe isnot only sacrificing two weeks of holidays,it has to finance its own travel and accom-modation expenses. The group has organ-ised flea markets and car washes, a partyservice and baby-sitting ventures. A giantquilt is being sewn together for an auctionand the group is collecting cash donationsas well. The goal is to raise 18,000 eurosbefore the group sets off.

“I’ll be taking part in the project for thesecond time,” says Janne Kaas, 18 yearsold. “Last year I was in Portugal. Instead oflazing around I want to do something moreuseful with my free time. It’s a wonderfulfeeling when you see the happy faces ofthe family you’ve helped build a home for.”

If you’d like to support the Stuttgart

students you can make a donation

Postbank Nürnberg,

Bank Number 760 100 85

Account Number 820 155 858

Building for a good cause

Students to help with housing

Draw a rough plan of the house or flat yougrew up in. Put yourself in a room in thehouse, and conjure up a memory, some-thing pleasant or unpleasant that happenedin that room. Now write a few sentencesabout it. On this particular Saturday morn-ing, with nine people in the group, nine different stories are born – forlorn, funny,fantastical. Welcome to the newly createdWriters Group in Stuttgart.

“I find that I write best when I’m motivated by other people, and have thepressure of a deadline to write to,” saysKarenne Sylvester, the founder of thegroup. “Writing is something you do byyourself, but by reading your work out, andworking with a team to re-shape your work,you become much more productive.”

Sylvester, originally from Grenada in theCaribbean, arrived in Stuttgart two yearsago. She found work teaching English part-time so she could use the rest of her timepursuing her love of writing. She hoped

to find a writers’ group already in Stuttgart.“I was surprised to find nothing here,” she says. She decided to set up a groupherself.

The writers’ group now meets once amonth at the German-American Centre in Stuttgart. The purpose is to provide aforum where writers can be supported byfellow writers. With simple workshop exer-cises, readings, practical writing tips andwith the persuasion and encouragement of other writers, stories get written. “It’svery much a ‘do’ rather than a ‘talk-about-writing’ meeting,” says Sylvester. Thegroup is open to both fiction and non-fictionwriters or wanna-be writers. There is nofee or club membership involved. Theworking language is English, although anyone is welcome to write and read outtheir own work in their own language.

For further information contact KarenneSylvester via E-mail: writersinstuttgart@yahoo.com

Fingers to the keyboard

New writers’ group in Stuttgart

Ready for a workingholiday in hungary: the ISS buildingtroupe

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Children’s Corner 9accents magazine

Children’s Corner

Two extraordinary lives

Recommended reading

Biographies written for young people

can sometimes be pedantic and boring

with no real sympathetic character-

izations. Not the following two books;

they are real page-turners that bring

fascinating historical figures to life.

Leonardo and the Death Machine

by Robert Harris

Harper Collins, 298 pages

Angel Monster by Veronica Bennett

Walker Books, 198 pages

A young Leonardo da Vinci moves toFlorence to become an apprentice toAndrea del Verrocchio, to learn the tradeof an artist. He meets up with youngSandro Botticelli and helps uncover a plot to undermine the Florentine power-brokers, the Medici. This is a masterfullypresented story, set against a backgroundof political intrigue, which presentsLeonardo as a sympathetic yet somewhat

callow figure whose budding genius isnot yet recognized. What is appealingabout this book is the depiction of Leo-nardo as a very human boy who plays aRenaissance version of football and isable to make friends like anyone else.

Angel Monster is the story of MaryShelley, the author of Frankenstein. Mary grew up in a family that supportedwomen’s rights and the concept of freelove – unconventional, to say the least, in the early 1800’s. When Percy Shelleywalks into her father’s bookstore, Mary is only sixteen. She falls in love with thecontroversial poet, who elopes with Mary and marries her. Alas, Mary’s fatherchanges his mind about free love, andthe young woman is banished from herfamily’s home. Mary’s consequent lifewith Shelley and the appearance in herlife of the debauched Lord Byron providethe context for the birth of her novel,

Frankenstein. Veronica Bennett’s book is fabulous, written with the sense ofgloom and suspense one expects froma gothic horror story, although there isnothing horrific in the narration. Despiteher experiences with Shelley and Byron,Mary never turned into a femme fatale;Shelley remained for her the gallant,great love she had dreamed of as a teen-ager. For a real gothic chill, this summerthis is the book to read.

Fun Parks

in Baden-Württemberg

Summer has arrived and it’s time for kids

to get outdoors. Baden-Württemberg has

a number of adventure and amusement

parks that are as much fun for kids as

they are for adults. Here’s a selection of

places you may wish to visit this sum-

mer.

Schwaben Park

An amusement park with over 50 attract-ions and rides. Address: Hofwiesen 11,

Gmeinweiler (near Welzheim). Tel 07182936100. Open daily in the summer from 9 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults 16 euros, children13.50 euros. www.schwabenpark.com

Abenteuerwald Kenzingen

A ‘stroll’ through the treetops in an adven-ture forest. There are six adventure trainingroutes, 6 -16 metres high in the forest.Guided routes take up to three hours.Address: Hinter dem Sportplatz, Kenzingen-Bombach. Tel 07823 9612803. Open dailyin the summer 10:30 am - 7 pm. Cost:adults 18 euros, children 12 euros. Price in-clude safety gear. www.abenteuerwald.info

Tripsdrill

A good Swabian amusement park – plentyof rides, a wilderness park and animalshows. Address: Treffentrill, Cleebronn-Tripsdrill. Tel 07135 9999. Open daily in thesummer from 9 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults19 euros, children (ages 4 -11) 16 euros.www.tripsdrill.de (Also in English.)

Schwarzwaldpark Löffingen

A Black Forest fun park which opened inApril this year that promises “fun aplenty.Little ones are BIG with us!” Address:

Wildparkstraße 1, Löffingen. Tel 07654808560. Open daily from 9 am - 8 pm.Cost: adults 7 euros, children (4 -14 yearsold) 4 euros. www.schwarzwaldpark-loeffingen.de (Also in English)

Traumland auf der Bärenhöhle

Perfect for younger children, with rides, a petting zoo and a fairytale land. Address:Auf der Bärenhöhle, Sonnenbühl-Erpfingen.Tel 07128 2158. Open daily through thesummer from 9:30 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults8 euros, children (3 -11 years old) 7 euros. On Fridays, except during school holidays,a child accompanied by an adult gets in forfree. www.freizeitpark-traumland.de

Writing competition

Thanks for your response to the writ-ing competition we announced in thelast edition of accents. Due to dead-line commitments for this edition wewere unable to sort through and prop-erly judge all the entries on time. Wewill announce the winners in the nextedition (September-October) ofaccents.

Photo: Tripsdrill

accents magazine10 Feature

Feature

A sporting chance

Minor sports in Baden-Württemberg

Football or soccer is the most popular

sport in the world. And it’s certainly

the most dominant sport in Germany.

But there are many other sports played

across the country – including many

sports played in Baden-Württemberg –

which either stem from English-speaking

countries or are popular the UK and

America.

You may be surprised to learn that cricket,American football, baseball and rugby areall played in Baden-Württemberg. Otherlesser known sports like hockey and golfare becoming more popular, due in part tothe influence of American or British waysof playing or promoting the sport. And then there are obscure sports like ultimateFrisbee, lacrosse and ‘korfball’ – a variationof netball – which are catching on.

We certainly haven’t found every un-usual sport played here, but we’ve listed a number of sports – played in Baden-Württemberg – which you may have once played and are keen to play again, or sportswhich you may be keen to try out for thefirst time.

American Football

The popular US sport is also building up astrong following of players and supportersin Germany. There is a German FootballLeague, divided into northern and southernleagues, the respective winners of whichplay-off for the national championship, the German Bowl. In Baden-Württemberg,two teams play in the German League, theStuttgart Scorpions and the SchwäbischHall Unicorns. But there are 37 otherAmerican Football teams spread across B-W. Contact Information

American Football Verband

Baden-Württemberg e.V.

Tel 0621 7624567

E-mail office@afv-bawue.de

Website www.afv-bawue.de

Baseball and Softball

Many people think baseball was invented in America. However, the origins of themodern variation of the game stem fromEngland. But it was in 1845 in the United

States that the first all-encompassing base-ball rules were written. By the 1870s in theUS, baseball was already so popular it wasbeing labelled “The National Game.” Base-ball is also played professionally in Japan,Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Venezuela. In Baden-Württemberg, baseball and it’sunderarm variant, softball, are organisedinto one sporting association. There are 36baseball and softball teams in B-W, rangingfrom the Aalen Strikers and the EsslingenEagles to the Heidelberg Hedgehogs, theNagold Mowhawks and the SindelfingenSquirrels. Baseball and softball are playedby both men and women.Contact Information

Baden-Württembergischer

Baseball- und Softballverband e.V.

Tel 07158 9878447

E-mail Vorstand@BWBSV.de

Website www.bw-baseball.de

Basketball

This is definitely not a minor sport in Ger-many, especially since the German star,Dirk Nowitski of the Dallas Mavericks, hasdeveloped into one of the best basketballplayers in the USA. Baden-Württemberghas three teams in the German men’snational basketball league: EnBW Ludwigs-burg, Walter Tigers Tübingen and BG Karls-ruhe. But there are around 250 basketballclubs across the state. If you like basket-ball, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a teamto play with, or to watch, near you.

Contact Roland Dopp

Basketballverband

Baden-Württemberg e.V.

Tel 06224 766657

E-Mail roland.dopp@bbwbasketball.net

Website www.bbwbasketball.net

Cricket

What’s the only sport that can be playedfor six hours a day, for five days in a row,and at the end of all that time a match canstill end in a draw? Cricket, of course! Abewildering sport for some, an extremelypopular summer sport for many people inthe UK and Commonwealth countries. Butcricket is also played in Germany. We’vefound two cricket clubs in Baden-Württem-berg.

The Cosmopolitan Cricket Club Hassloch(CCC Hassloch) is actually based in Rhine-land-Palatinate. But the team has trainingfacilities at the University Sports Ground inHeidelberg. Contact Arshad Razvi

Tel 06202 74852

E-mail razvi1971@yahoo.de

The Freiburg Nomads Cricket Club:Contact Andy Holton

Tel 0761 4537323

E-mail secretary@freiburg-cricket.de

Website www.freiburg-cricket.de

Field Hockey

There are 40 registered hockey teams inBaden-Württemberg, boasting 6994 play-

Ducking under a fastone: club cricket isplayed in Freiburgand near Heidelberg.

Baseball, the popularAmerican sport, isplayed by 36 teamsin B-W.

Photo: w

ww

.photocase.com

Photo: S

tock.xchng

accents magazine

Jackie Wellhäußer lovessport. But it took her sixyears in Baden-Württembergand a lot of persistence tofind a team sport she enjoy-ed playing.

When Wellhäußer, now31, first arrived in Stuttgartfrom England nine years ago,she immediately set aboutfinding a local netball team to play in. There wasn’t one.Netball is not a sport that isplayed in Stuttgart. So shearranged to hire a hall withfriends once a week andorganised mixed (men andwomen) netball games her-self. However, there justweren’t enough people con-sistently showing up tosustain it.

Next she tried her hand atrugby – yes, women’s rugby– played in Stuttgart-Deger-loch. “It was a nice group ofpeople but it was a bit toorough for me, especially afterbeing used to playing a non-contact sport like netball,”says Wellhäusßer. She thentried indoor hockey but theScandinavians and otherwomen she was playing withwere so much better thanshe was that hockey soonlost its appeal.

“What I really wanted todo was find a good teamsport, that I could play out-doors, which I felt that I

could eventually get betterat.” So in 2003, Wellhäußerdecided she was simplygoing to have to learn to playthe most popular sport in theworld.

Through an Internetsearch she eventually founda women’s football (soccer)team looking for more play-ers: VfL Kaltental. Therewere no English womenamong them but they were a nice bunch of people. Shehad no clue as to how to playfootball and decided only totrain with the team for thefirst year until she felt con-fident enough to play in herfirst real match. Now she’san integral part of the team’sdefence, and attends at leastone of the two trainings sessions a week as well asgames on Sundays. The sea-son runs from Septemberuntil the end of May, with athree-month break throughthe winter months.

“It did take me a while tofind the right game. Netballwas really my love in Eng-land but it was not to be. I really like playing footballnow and we’re always look-ing for new players – anyEnglish-speaking women outthere would be welcome tojoin us. You don’t need to beexperienced – I wasn’t.”

If you are interested

in playing football write to

jackiewellha@aol.com

Sticking at it

Searching for the right sport

Photo: C

hrys Rynearson

accents magazine12 Feature

ers. Half of these are kids. Many Englishand American adults and children are involv-ed in the sport, and the league is growingin strength in B-W. HTC Stuttgarter Kickersare the current German champions. (Thehockey World Cup takes place in Mön-chengladbach this year from September 6 -17.)Contact information

Hockeyverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.

Tel 0711 7946620

E-mail hockeyhbw.gs@t-online.de

Website www.hbw-hockey.de

Korfball

Never heard of it? Neither had we, until we tried to find information about netball inBaden-Württemberg. Netball is an extreme-ly popular women’s (or mostly women’s)sport played in the UK and many Common-wealth countries. It’s a seven-a-team run-ning and passing game, requiring skillssimilar to basketball. But we haven’t dis-covered anywhere so far where netball isplayed by regular teams. If, however, youlike netball you may want to try Korfball.Invented in Holland, Korfball is essentially a variation of mixed netball – four men andfour women are on each team. In Baden-Württemberg it’s played in Karlsruhe.Contact Ute Wickenhäuser

SVK-Beiertheim-Verein in Karlsruhe

Tel 0721 9896070

E-mail ute@wickenhaeuser.de

Information about Korfballwww.korfballnet.com or

www.korfball.co.uk

Lacrosse

Played by teams of ten, lacrosse is mostpopular in North America, the UK andAustralia. But it’s gaining in popularity inGermany, where lacrosse teams oftenassociate with hockey clubs. The Stuttgartteam, HTC Stuttgarter Kickers, has anAmerican coach and is in the nationallacrosse league. There are also lacrosseteams in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Frei-burg.

Contact Bernhard Minke

Tel 0174 9989349

E-mail info@stuttgart-lacrosse.de

Website www.stuttgart-lacrosse.de

Rugby

Rugby is a tough, contact sport played in98 countries around the world and in 39countries in Europe at a competitive level.It is extremely popular in the UK, Ireland,South Africa, Australia, New Zealand,France and Argentina when played at aninternational level. The next Rugby WorldCup takes place in France next year. Baden-Württemberg is among the strongest rugbyregions in Germany, with 15 competitiverugby clubs, in – among other places –Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Konstanz, Ravens-burg, Rottweil, Pforzheim, Freiburg andStuttgart. Rugby is also played by womenin Baden-Württemberg.Contact Claus-Peter Bach

Rugby-Verband Baden-Württemberg e.V.

Tel 06202 4097860

E-mail C.P.B@t-online.de

Website www.rugby-bw.de

Ultimate Frisbee

This is not just about throwing a Frisbeeleisurely around in a park – this is a seriousteam sport, now played across Germany.And the one of the most amazing thingsabout the sport is that there is no referee!Seven players on each team, using some of the skills of basketball and football,advance the Frisbee down a field by pass-ing it to each other until they cross into an end zone for a goal. It’s also played in-doors. There are 11 Ultimate Frisbee teamsin Baden-Württemberg. All teams in Ger-many are united under a national Frisbeesports’ association, the President and Vice-President of which are based in Stuttgartand Freiburg respectively.Contact Volker Schlechter, President,

Deutschen Frisbeesport-Verbandes e.V.

Tel 0711 7352276

E-mail praesident@frisbeesportverband.de

Website www.frisbeesportverband.de

Stalling, 1, 2, 3, up!In ultimate frisbeethe players make thecalls.

The HTC StuttgarterKickers hockey teamwins the Germanchampionship.

Photo: Tobias M

erkle

Photo: w

ww

.frisbeesportverband.de

Getting into Golf

Open to all

An elitist game or a sport for every man

and woman? Golf has gone in for an

image change in Germany in recent

years – and has won thousands of new

devotees as a result. Melissa Martin

reports on an English professional golf-

er who’s helping to effect the change.

I grew up next to a park in Englandwhere fathers would rent golf clubs for aquick round on the public course whiletheir children played on the monkey bars.School friends played golf alongside teach-ers and an evening at the driving rangewas affordable, safe fun for teenagers.Golf is the sixth most popular sport in theUK, with nine percent of men regularly“out clubbing.” In the United States andAustralia you’ll find a set of golf clubs inthe garage of every sports-loving house-hold.

However, for a long time, golf in Ger-many was the preserve of those whocould afford to pay big money in annualclub membership fees. Or as British pro-fessional golfer Tony Lloyd puts it, “Golfwas for the ‘upper’ 10,000 few.” Lloyd is

the head golf pro at the Bondorf golfcourse near Herrenberg. He was intro-duced to golf through the British armywhilst stationed in Dortmund, and in 1995turned professional. In Bondorf, he runsindividual and group coaching sessions.He also runs his own shop, advisingcustomers on suitable golfing equipment.

Lloyd says that golf has now become a people’s sport in Germany, much moreaccessible and affordable than it everwas. Whole families now play together in Bondorf and there’s a thriving youthscene with about 100 players aged 18and under. The majority of golfers areGerman, but there are many English andAmerican expats amongst the clientele.

There are several reasons for the in-creasing popularity of golf. Around 700golf courses across Germany now offersome form of public green alongside theirmore exclusive members-only course. At the 27-hole Bondorf course, this takesthe form of a 6-hole course. To play onthis, you need only to secure a license-to-play, a so-called Platzreife – a basicgolfing qualification costing 110 euros,proving that you can at least play a bitand won’t put too many divots in the fair-way.

Becoming a member of the Associationof Clubfree Golf Players (Vereinigungclubfreier Golfspieler – VcG) is also an

option for beginners or for those whowant to take up golf again. A license-to-play qualification with the VcG costs 220euros membership per year and allowsyou to play on a wide range of coursesacross Baden-Württemberg. Since theVcG qualification costs less than the aver-age club membership, the associationhas seen its membership jump from10,000 to more than 18,000 in the lastfive years. Another initiative of the VcG is “Pay and Play” where you merely paygreen fees to play on particular courses.

So how has the sport changed in thelast 15 years? Tony Lloyd looks out of hisshop window. “These days,” he says“The car park out there is permanentlyfull.”

If you can play golf and are interestedputting your skills to the test you maywish to register to play in the 15thAnnual USO Golf Tournament. (The USOis a service organization of the US mili-tary.) It’s open to all expatriates and Ger-mans in the Stuttgart area. Registrationcloses on July 5. The tournament takesplace on Saturday, July 15. For moreinformation: Tel 0711 6804666,www.uso.org/stuttgart

For information about golf in

Baden-Württemberg: www.golfbw.de

accents magazine14 Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture

English-language theatre thrives in

Baden-Württemberg. Arts Editor Stuart

Marlow reports on two anniversaries of

note – the New English American Theatre

(NEAT) is celebrating 15 years of classic

and contemporary anglophone drama

and the Anglophone Collaborative

Theater of Stuttgart (ACTS) is five years

old.

No theatrical anniversary would be completewithout mentioning some of the memor-able embarrassments of the last fifteenyears. In theatre, you’ve got to be preparedfor the eventuality that one of your propswon’t work. “What if the gun doesn’t gooff?“ is one of those clichéd questionsstage actors ponder. And the gun literallydid not go off in one memorable NEAT per-formance of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All. What did the resourceful GretaRedmond do? She just said “bang” and lo,most of the audience thought it was one of the play’s comic features!

Less funny at the time but amusing tolook back on was the moment in Miserywhen Sophie Chaumette (playing thedisturbed nurse Annie Wilkes) put her heartand soul into appearing to chop someone’s

leg off – so much so that she very nearlyturned fiction into painful reality. The trickhad been to use a dummy foot so thatSophie could swing her axe convincingly.John Doyle, who was playing the captivewriter Paul Sheldon, had tried to realign the dummy foot, which had slipped, just asSophie wielded the dreaded weapon. Johnstill has the bruise to prove it.

Now well established in the Stuttgartanglophone theatre scene, NEAT grew outof an ensemble known as Open Minds, ledby Charles C. Urban in 1991. NEAT found a fixed venue in 1994 at the KommunalesKontakt Theater in Bad Cannstatt. This en-abled the group to offer audiences in andaround Stuttgart anglophone plays on aregular basis. Recent successes range from Macbeth with its innovative directingby Cathie Mullen, and Samuel Beckett’sKrapp’s Last Tape, to Chris Durang’s SisterMary, featuring a powerful performance byRedmond. NEAT has also developed origin-

al pieces such as The Elvis Monologuesand has staged well-attended communitytheatre events such as the ever-popularIrish Evenings. In fact, the acronym shouldcontain the letter ‘I’ for Irish theatre, asNEAT has staged a number of Irish playsand cultural evenings.

Highly innovative and hugely popular isthe recently introduced series of favoritefairytales read in English by NEAT actressGreta Redmond on Sunday afternoons. Thesessions are open to all children 4 years of age and up, whether native speakers ofEnglish or not.

A hard act to follow

The Anglophone Collaborative Theater of Stuttgart (ACTS) was set up in 2001. It’s a venture involving media students atStuttgart’s Media University (Hochschuleder Medien), trainee actors, performingartists living in the Stuttgart area and, morerecently, students of English from StuttgartUniversity. Collaborative theatre combinesthe production of issue-based plays withactive support for voluntary organizationsas well as established non-governmentorganisations. Not only do collaborativetheatre productions provide a forum forintercultural and political exchange, theycan also create new communities of peoplewho come from widely varying culturalbackgrounds, yet have a common interest.

ACTS specializes in media-backed thea-tre plays, site-specific performances using non-theatre venues, and themed evenings.The first production was a play on asylumwhich went on to win a European theatreaward in 2002 for the best new play. Thiswas followed by a 2003 award for the playGhost Writing Hamlet on the ‘true’ identityof William Shakespeare. In 2004, ACTSdeveloped Ancestors, a play linking thecolonial violence of nineteenth-centurySouth Africa with the AIDS pandemic. Theaim was partly to promote AIDS awarenessand partly to support local AIDS initiatives.

After the first run at Stuttgart’s Theater-haus, Ancestors was adapted for a specialshowing to an audience of AIDS victimsand doctors in Stuttgart. This performanceproved to be the essence of collaborative

Neat Acts

Celebrating English-language drama

Tension grows quickly in the ACTSplay Ancestors,which deals withAIDS in Africa.

Arts and Culture 15accents magazine

Da Vinci mania

Book reviews

More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da

Vinci fascinated those around him with

his art and his ideas. Today, the mere

mention of his name evokes awe and

a sense of mystery and genius. What’s

special about da Vinci?

Leonardo da Vinci:

The Flights of the Mind

by Charles Nicholl

Penguin, 622 pages

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci:

Seven Steps to Genius Everyday

by Michael Gelb

Harper Collins, 318 pages

We know a lot about da Vinci’s creativeoutput, about his ability as a painter andhis production of scientific manuscripts,but da Vinci’s life remains something of a mystery because much of his personalbackground is not documented. Withpainstaking research, using a variety ofsources, Charles Nicholl has written asympathetic portrait of this enigmaticartist – the human being, Leonardo daVinci. Nicholl has analysed Leonardo’s

work and describes the period in whichhe worked. It was a time when artistsrelied on patronage and set up work-shops to produce works in conveyor-belt-like fashion from a catalogue of popularsubjects or themes. The prices were setdepending on how often the hand of themaster had touched the work. In addition,Nicholl explores the details of personalquests and curiosities scribbled through-out Leonardo’s manuscripts, which pro-vide an insight into his daily routines. (Forexample, a text on geometry suddenlystops because “the soup is gettingcold.”) No degree in art history is requiredto enjoy the book; the analysis is clearand intelligently written and will be ofgreat interest to anyone curious to knowmore about the workings of a most elusive genius.

While Charles Nicholl attempts toexplore the human qualities of a genius,Michael Gelb’s self-help book aims todraw genius out of the ordinary human.Essentially, Gelb outlines a course ofaction for a rigorous, holistic humanitieseducation. The book is divided into three

parts. The first is a mixture of historicalbackground and pep-talk about what wecan accomplish if we apply ourselves.The second part focuses on a syllabus oflearning, divided into seven “da Vincianprinciples.” Each principle is describedwith reference to da Vinci’s life or workand then assigned a modern application.Included is a comprehensive musicallistening list, as well as sensory, writing,physical, and intellectual map-making exe-rcises. The last section is a combinationof drawing lessons and a bibliography.The exploration of the idea of genius com-bined with practical, modern applicationsmakes this book a fascinating read.

theatre; the discussion with the audienceafter the play was striking in its intensity. After taking part in a live television phone-in and debate on the US attack on Fallujahin 2004, ACTS decided to devise the firstcontemporary play on the current Iraq war,Fallujan Women. It premiered at the Thea-terhaus in April 2005. Fallujan Women hasbeen updated and will continue to run in2006. Americans with a strong interest inhuman rights are now working with ACTS.One such campaigner, who is acting onstage in Fallujan Women, is Michael Sharp.He works as a legal counselor for disaffect-ed US soldiers.

“I spend most of my time counselingAmerican soldiers who are struggling withthe issues of the war in Iraq,” says Sharp.“Their stories and experiences make thewar real for those of us who don’t have toparticipate in it. I see participation in ACTSas a way of getting these stories out to thepublic.”

International recognition

Both NEAT and ACTS represent Baden-Württemberg at the annual Festival ofEuropean Anglophone Theatrical Societies(FEATS). This is an annual competition between English-speaking amateur theatregroups based in mainland Europe. The festival started in 1975, centering on a fewgroups in the Benelux countries but it hassince expanded to become a four-day fest-

ival featuring three one-act plays per even-ing. One of its main aims is to help boostthe quality and range of skills displayed bynon-professional enthusiasts of anglophonedrama. The participating groups performeither published plays or original scripts,which last a maximum of 45 minutes each.An adjudicator from the United Kingdom,who must be a member of the Guild ofDrama Adjudicators, judges the perform-ances. He or she assigns points for variousaspects of each performance and offersconstructive criticism, both publicly and in a closed session with each group.

As with many festivals, the competingdrama groups are allowed only ten minutesto construct their sets and five minutes to deconstruct them so as to leave a barestage for the following group. This encourag-es pragmatic and creative approaches tostaging plays and stresses the importanceof good backstage crews.

NEAT and ACTS have both had theirshare of triumphs and embarrassments atFEATS. In 2002, ACTS had to suffer thecrushing embarrassment of a video project-or not functioning for what was billed as a multimedia performance of Pricing Free-dom. One year later John Doyle had totough out a similar technical problem inNEAT’s performance of Krapp’s Last Tape.At times like that actors should be givenawards for bravery. NEAT will be travelingto this year’s FEATS in Luxembourg with aprovocative George Bernard Shaw one-act

play, O’Flaherty V.C.The theatrical work done by ACTS is

quite different to most of the work staged by NEAT. But the groups do try tocooperate with each other closely andexchange ideas. In 2005 Sophie-MarieChaumette took over the reigns at NEAT aschairperson from Charles Urban. Let’s hopethat both groups can constantly improve on their joint efforts to provide audiencesin Baden Württemberg with a wide rangeof English-language shows and events inthe years to come.

Contacts and Web Pages

www.neat-theater.de

www.acts.hdm-stuttgart.de

The actors of NEATare looking aheadwith new chair-person Sophie-MarieChaumette.

accents magazine16 accent on…

accent on…

Schwäbisch Hall

As beautiful As You Like It

Every summer, the picturesque town of

Schwäbisch Hall stages a spectacular

open-air theatre festival. Reason enough

to visit. Steve Trevallion reports that this

year there’s an extra-special reason to

visit the town.

One of the delights of living in Baden-Württemberg is that nearly every small cityis remarkably pretty. With so much snowhaving fallen this winter you might expectthe buildings in Schwäbisch Hall to look alittle dirty, or at least a little damp, but no.Every wooden-timbered, slightly crookedold town house appears to have beenscrubbed clean, all masking the fact thatHall is in fact a very old town. Were thereany other clues out there? Oh, that’s right,the big red banner above my head. Thissummer, Schwäbisch Hall is celebrating its850th birthday.

Schwäbisch Hall is spectacularly situatedon the Kocher River in the north-easternpart of Baden-Württemberg. Literally translated, the name means Swabian saltdeposit. Salt was distilled by the Celts inSchwäbisch Hall as early as the fifth cen-tury BC. An imperial mint was also foundedhere in the 12th century. The town grew

prosperous from the production of salt andcoins, and from the 14th to the 16th cen-tury Schwäbisch Hall controlled much ofthe surrounding territory. In 1680 and 1728fires destroyed large parts of the city, andnew buildings, including the city hall, wereconstructed in the Baroque style. I wasdelighted to discover that SchwäbischHall’s twin town in England is none otherthan Loughborough, where I went to university. So when I set off to explore thetown I left my old student card sticking upout of my wallet just in case anyone asked.

Since the beginning of the 20th century,Hall (as it’s also known) has developed intoa city with many festivals. Especially wellknown are the open-air theatre productions(Freilichtspiele) which are performed everyyear on the steps of St. Michael’s. It is anincredible setting. This 15th century Gothicchurch stands on the market square andcuts an imposing figure into the sky. It washere that I took off my backpack and beganto leaf through the handful of brochures I’d picked up on this summer’s theatrefestival, which runs from June until August.It was in 1925 that the very first play wasperformed on the steps of St.Michael’s,and this summer a new version of Hugo

von Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann will takecentre step. This play is the highlight of the summer-long festival, which featuresfive other theatre productions at locationsthroughout the city. One of these five pro-ductions will be a Shakespearian drama. Infact, Schwäbisch Hall loves the Bard, andevery summer stages at least one Shake-speare play (in German) in its very ownGlobe Theatre, a replica of the ShakespeareGlobe Theatre in London. This year As YouLike It is being performed. Gerhards Mario-nette Theater will be staging the story ofRobin Hood.

June and July is the best time to visitSchwäbisch Hall for entertainment, but this year with the 850th birthday there aresome extra-special celebrations, includinghistoric walking tours and other activitiesfor both adults and children. On June 2, thebells of St Michael’s will be removed forcleaning, to be replaced by June 24. Theachievement will be celebrated by a non-stop, three-day ding-dong.

After reading through my pile of brochu-res, I got to my feet to prepare to exploremore of Schwäbisch Hall on foot. Situatedmostly on the eastern bank of the Kocherit’s a very attractive town to walk through,

the streets rising high into a hillside. Themarket square seemed the best place tostart. This is where the tourist office is. But then it’s best to stroll all the way downNeustraße, following its meanderings, tillyou come to the river. What a beautifulriver scene it is. Colourful timber-framedhouses built up against an old stone wallare reflected in the clear, quiet river. Youleave these buildings behind you when you cross one of seven covered bridges to bring you to one of the islands in theKocher. These islands are in turn connectedby quaint wooden bridges to a park on thecentre island. The bridge at Im Haal, thefirst fork in the river, leads to the HallerGlobe theatre, which has a very pleasantbeer garden in front of it. This is where Ipulled up a chair to take a breather.

Schwäbisch Hall is as pleasing to theeye as it is challenging to the legs, alt-hough getting around the town needn’t beso tiring. Regular buses ferry tourists upand down the winding streets and out tolocal sights. Plans for more escalators havebeen put on the mayor’s desk. Cheered noend by the smiling faces of the locals andthe warmth of the early spring sun on myneck, I set off again.

Amusing statues and monuments aredotted throughout Schwäbisch Hall. In theMarket Square, statues attached to thebuildings on the perimeter watch you asyou pass. Schwäbisch Hall is full of char-ming cobble-stoned side streets which are

worth getting lost in. The massive Neubau,a castle remnant at the city’s southeastcorner, is worth a look. The town’s cannonswere once stored here with a granary up-stairs. The Neubau is such a dominatingpart of the landscape of Schwäbisch Hallthat as you peer through your camera lensto photograph it, you’re reminded of a fairy-tale scene with a giant’s house set amongthe houses of miniature peasant folk whodare to live on his doorstep. Situated onthe western bank of the river are severalbuildings of historical significance, includingthe town’s famous old brewery, the Sud-haus. You’ll find a very good beer here called Mohrenköpfchen. To demonstratemy commitment to thorough research, Idowned two.

Nearby is the Kunsthalle Würth art gal-lery, owned by the Würth Group, the world-renowned manufacturer of screws, head-quartered in the nearby town of Künzelsau.Würth is a socially engaged company sup-porting numerous social and artistic initia-tves in the area. (It’s also one of the foun-ding supporters of this magazine.) Würth’sKunsthalle, which itself could be conside-red a piece of modern art, was opened in2001. It holds an impressive collection ofmodern and international works. Anotherbuilding worth viewing is the AltesSchlachthaus. Formerly an abattoir, it’s nowa cultural centre with a café and a programof theatre, cabaret and children’s shows.

The surrounding countryside is very

pretty and worth driving around in. About tenminutes away from downtown SchwäbischHall is the Schloss Comburg. A former forti-fied Benedictine abbey, founded in 1075,Comburg is now part of a university andthe exterior grounds are accessible free ofcharge. The outer wall is remarkably well-preserved and the castle grounds are inexcellent shape. The view of SchwäbischHall down below is grand.

So, during the summer months, whenthe football world descends on Germany, isit worth taking a trip out of the big cities toenjoy the more relaxed charms of Schwä-bisch Hall? Most definitely. Even if footballis your thing you can’t go wrong soaking upthe atmosphere and sights of a truly splen-did town like Schwäbisch Hall. Wait untilthe final whistle of the World Cup final inBerlin and then head out to Hall. The finalcurtain is not due to fall on this year’sopen-air festival until August 20.

Schwäbisch Hall info

All information about the program, prices and discounts for the summertheatre festvial can be found at:

www.freilichtspiele-hall.de

Photo: S

chwäbish H

all Tourism

accents magazine18 Good to Know

Good to Know

Money Matters

VAT rise: buy now!

Despite warnings that an increase in

Value Added Tax (VAT) is likely to lead

to a slowdown in Germany’s current eco-

nomic recovery, an unprecedented VAT

increase of 3% is planned for 2007. The

VAT, or Mehrwertsteuer, as it is called in

German, will jump from 16% to 19%. The

direct effects on the consumer are, as

yet, unclear. One thing is certain though:

goods and services will become more

expensive next year, so if you’re planning

any ‘big buys’ start shopping now.

According to the Federal Statistics Office,the increase in VAT is likely to push up therate of inflation by an extra 1.4%. Expertspredict that the major price shift will nottake place until the latter half of 2007.However, in a recent survey, 64% of re-tailers said they planned to start graduallyincreasing prices in the second half of2006. The number of ‘special offers’ oneusually associates with the Christmas shop-ping season is also likely to diminish. Why?

Because the experience with the introduc-tion of the euro taught retailers that sud-den, large price increases only serve toupset customers unnecessarily; a slowly-but-surely approach to price increaseskeeps consumers happier – or at least lessirritable – over a longer period.

That being the case, it would be wisefor those contemplating buying a new caror new furniture, white goods or electronicgoods to take action now in order to takeadvantage of existing conditions. It may beuseful to know that the European CentralBank’s key interest rate is currently relatively low, which means you can findfavourable terms on loans. A quick plug forour own services: SEB Bank has a specialspring offer on loans of 15,000 euros.Repayments over 72 months are charged at an effective rate of 5.99%. For moreinformation, check www.seb.de.

And finally, an important tip on VAT fornon-EU residents visiting Germany: regard-less of the VAT rate, you can reclaim VATupon leaving the country. If you’re here ona business trip, business claims are usuallyhandled by the employer and can be extend-ed to services as well as goods. Touristsare entitled to a VAT exemption on goodsthey take with them out of the country

Send your comments and questions to:Günther Spieth, Director, SEB Bank Stuttgart. Email:Guenther.Spieth@seb.de

Heilbronn combines the best of

Swabian diligence with Franconian

savoir-vivre. Situated on the Neckar

River, it’s been described as the

Swabian Tuscany with its undulating

landscape, picturesque views, extensive

vineyards, and historic locations –

a city embracing nature, culture and

history.

It’s especially worth a visit this summer.In fact, Heilbronn is the perfect place tostay during the World Cup football tourna-ment, situated as it is between Stuttgart,Kaiserslautern, Nürnberg and Frankfurt,

where games are being played. The cityhas set up the HYUNDAI World Cup Fan

Village on the Festplatz Theresienwiese,where all World Cup games can befollowed on a giant open-air screen. Entryis free. There’s a daily program of livemusic, theatre and dance shows andplenty to eat and drink.

Later in the summer (July 12-16), don’t miss the 20th Gaffenberg Festival

– the biggest cultural festival in the region. It’s a music festival utilising fourdifferent stages, in idyllic natural surround-ings, featuring local and internationalstars. This year the line-up includes Nigel Kennedy, Bob Geldof, Zap Mama, ZiggyMarley, Jose Feliciano, and the FlyingPickets. Further info at: www.gaffenberg-festival.de

Did you know that the area aroundHeilbronn is Germany’s number-one region

for red wine? Sample the best of thebest at the 36th Heilbronn Wine Festival,which runs this year from September 14-22. Our wine village, built around thetown hall, attracts 300,000 visitors everyyear. Three hundred various wines are onoffer as well as a lavish spread of Swab-ian and international culinary delights. It’sopen till 10.30 pm every evening – and onSaturday, Sept 16, till 11 pm. Live musicand entertainment are presented daily.

Come and experience for yourselfwhat the city and the region have tooffer!

Further information

Tourist Information Heilbronn

Kaiserstraße 17, 74072 Heilbronn

Tel 07131 562270, Fax 07131 563349

www.heilbronn-marketing.de

info@heilbronn-marketing.de

Heilbronn Tips

Swabia’s Tuscany

Photos:H

YU

ND

AI W

orld Cup Fan V

illage, Wine Festival by night, W

ine Village by day

(although these may be re-taxed upon arriving home.) It is important to obtain adetailed receipt stating how much of thepurchase was taxed and to present thisreceipt, along with the goods purchased, at the point-of-departure customs officebefore leaving the EU. If you buy your con-sumer product from a store displaying aTax-Free Shopping sticker you are entitledto a cash refund upon your departure. Notall stores are a part of the tax-free scheme,so ask before you buy.

Written by Günther Spieth, SEB Bank, for

accents magazine. With over five million

customers and 20,000 employees, SEB is

one of the biggest financial service provid-

ers in northern Europe. www.seb.de

Finding the right mix

Your portfolio examined by experts

As an expatriate living abroad, you’ve probably made the decisions about yourfinancial investments under a diverse rangeof circumstances and settings, step by step along the way. If you change jobs orchange countries, your financial needschange with you. But what about yourinvestments? They may need to change aswell. Even if you’re not an expatriate, thenormal developments in the market and thesimple changes in your own life are a goodenough reason to ask yourself: Do myinvestments correspond properly with eachother? Do they reflect the needs that myfamily or I have today? Are they completelyup-to-date?

This is where an independent financial

advisor can help. Stuttgart financial expertIrys Ehmann (M.Sc., USA) – who was award-ed EuroFinanzen magazine’s Top FinanceAdvisor title in 2004 – and the PerformanceIMC asset managers of Mannheim andFreiburg are offering the readers of accentsmagazine a free, no-obligation check-up fortheir investment portfolios.

An experienced, independent advisoryteam will thoroughly examine your personalinvestments and provide you with a writ-ten, comprehensive overview of your cur-rent standing. Plus they will make concreterecommendations about how to optimiseyour investments.

“The financial markets are in a continualstate of flux and are highly dynamic,” says

Irys Ehmann. Because of this you find thatshares, savings and bonds in many port-folios have not been scrutinised properly.Every portfolio should be carefully re-examined from time to time and in somecases re-structured.”

So, take part in this special offer. Get intouch with Irys Ehmann (contact detailsbelow) by August 30th. Or simply contactaccents magazine and they will refer yourenquiry to the advisor in your area, whowill then contact you regarding the portfolioanalysis. All information will be treated withthe strictest confidence. Participants arenot bound to make any commitments. Theonly condition: your portfolio should have a net value of at least 25,000 euros.

Irys Ehmann Diplom-Ökonomin

Master of Science (USA)

Eberhardstraße 47, 70173 Stuttgart

Tel 0711 6333643, Fax 0711 6333641

E-mail invest@irys-ehmann.com

Irys Ehmann IndependentFinancial Advisor, Stuttgart

Volker SchillingPortfolio Advisor, Performance IMC Vermögens-verwaltung,Mannheim

Andreas C. MüllerManaging Director Performance IMC Vermögens-verwaltung,Mannheim

StageExhibits

Music

8:30 pm, Rathaus, 3rd floor,Sitzungssaal, www.theatersport-wm.deHow to Eat Like a Childby Delia Ephron, a collection of songs and sketches aboutthe art of being a child.Jun 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, at 7:30 pm, Jun 4, 11, 18, at 3 pm, StuttgartTheatre Center – Kelley Theatre,Kelley Barracks, Vaihingengeneral public welcome, tickets 0711 7292825, www.kelleytheatre.de

Music

Bad RappenauFolk Music Festival SchlosshofFeaturing Midnight Court, Battle-field Band, Urban Trad, Rapalje,Solid Ground, Puke, Anne Haigis,Cromdale, and Enter the Haggis,two stages plus ‘Lowland Games’on Sat. Jun 23 and 24, SchlosshofBonfeld, www.folk-im-schlosshof.deCalwBonnie Tyler/Chris Norman & BandAug 5, 7 pm, Marktplatz Heidelberg The WrensJul 14, KarlstorbahnhofHockenheim Dick Gaughan Outdoor concert with the Scottishmusician. Jul 8, Pumpwerk, 06205 922625KarlsruheThe Melbourne SyncopatorsJun 1, 8 pm, SpardaEventCenterAlexisonfire Jun 1, SubstageDarkest HourJun 8, StadtmitteAn evening with Roger HodgsonRock Open Air,Jun 23, 8 pm, FestplatzThe 101Jul 23, Carambolage

paintings. Jun 7, opening 6 pm,DAZ, Charlottenplatz 17,www.daz.orgKirk Pedersen ExhibitThe Nebraska-born artist will personally present his paintings ofurban impressions, Jul 21, 6 pmLuminous Buildings: Architecture of the NightJun 9 - Oct 1, Kunstmuseum,Kleiner Schlossplatz 1.Tues - Sun 10 am - 6 pm, Wed andFri 10 am - 9 pm, Mon closed.During the World Cup the museum is open every day from 10 am - 6 pm. www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de Claude Monet: Fields in Spring40 main works of art from 30world-famous collections.May 20 - Sep 24, Staatsgalerie,Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30 - 32daily 10 am - 8 pm, Thur 10 am - 9 pm, Mon closed.www.staatsgalerie.deTübingenWe Are Here to Stay Photo exhibit on Afro-American culture in New Orleans. Mar 24 -Jun 16, Tue - Fri 9 am - 6 pm,Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut(d.a.i.), Karlstraße 3, 07071795260, www.dai-tuebingen.deElderly GracePhoto exhibit by New York photographer Chester Higgins Jr.Jun 23 - Aug 8 and Sep 19 -29, Tue - Fri 9 am - 6 pm.Opening night Jun 22, 7:30 pm.d.a.i. see address above

Stage

FreiburgCloserby Patrick Marber, performed bymaniACTs – the English DepartmentDrama Group, directed by ChristinaErnst. Jul 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27,7:30 pm, Theatersaal, AlteUniversität, tickets@maniacts.deHeidelbergHello Dolly! by Michael Stewart. Music andLyrics by Jerry Herman. Jun 2, 3, 8, 10, 16 and 17, 7:30 pm,Jun 4, 6 pm, Jun 11, 3 pm familymatinee. Roadside Theater, Patton Barracks, 06221 175020,www.roadsidetheater.comTheater Sport World Championships Preliminary round France vs. USA,55 matches in total throughoutGermany, improvised stagings inGerman and English. Jun 30, 8 pm,d.a.i., see address above,www.theatersport-wm.deMannheimTheater Sport World Championships Quarter final, 55 matches in totalthroughout Germany, improvisedstagings in German and English.Jul 3, 8:30 pm. Alte Feuerwache,Brückenstraße 2, 0621 3367333,www.theatersport-wm.deStuttgartTheater Sport World Championships Preliminary round Japan vs Austria,55 matches in total throughoutGermany, improvised stagings in German and English. Jun 27,

Jul 15, 4 pm - 12 am, Höhenpark Killesberg,www.lichterfest-stuttgart.deGreat Australian Barbeque (Aussie BBQ)Jul 29, for details please checkwww.deutsch-australische-freundschaft.deStuttgart Summer Festival Aug 10 -13, Schlossplatz /Theatersee,www.stuttgarter-sommerfest.de Weindorf (Wine Village)Stuttgart’s annual wine festival,Aug 30 - Sep 10, 11 am - midnight,Marktplatz and Schillerplatz,www.prostuttgart.deTübingenPunting Boat Race Jun 15, 1 pm, Neckarinsel /EberhardbrückeArts & Crafts MarketJun 24, 10 am - 7 pm and Jun 25, 11 am - 6 pm, around the Jakobus Church52nd Tübinger Summer FestivalJun 30 - Jul 4, FestplatzAmerican Night – Impressions of New OrleansWith the Tübingen Louisiana FunkyButts Brass Band, readings, guidedtours of the exhibition of photo-graphs by Peter Granser, and Cajuncuisine. Jul 1, 8 pm, KunsthalleWalddorfhäslach “Paddy” Bort A notable Swabian in Irelandreturns for a lecture with Irish Folk,Irish Dancing and a slide show.Jun 3, more info www.dif-bw.de

Exhibitions

Baden-BadenChagall: In new LightJul 7 - Oct 29, Museum FriederBurda, Lichtentaler Allee 8 b, Tue -Sun 11 am - 6 pm, Mon closed.www.museum-frieder-burda.deFreiburgPolitical Murals in Northern IrelandDying for Peace, Terror in NorthernIreland and the US, Jun 14, openinglecture with Andreas Hüthner,Jun 14 - Jul 7, Mon - Fri 9 am - 6 pm, Carl-Schurz-Haus,Eisenbahnstraße 62StuttgartRainer Simon, USA Impressionsin photography, drawings, and

accents magazine20 accents choice

accents

choice

accents forum

Our informal get-together for readers and contributors.

Thursday, June 8th, 7 pmat o’reilly’s Irish pub,Reuchlinstraße 27, Stuttgart,next door in the beer garden.If it rains, we’ll meet inside.

Friday, Sept 1st, 7 pm location to be announced

accentsmagazine

Fast Eddy’s Blues BandStuttgart’s own blues man,Eddy Wilkinson, makes the rounds this summer. Originallyfrom London, Eddy has beenplaying the blues in Stuttgartand all over Europe since 1990.

World

Events

World Cup 2006

Jun 9 - Jul 9Please see our special issue, worldcup survival guide, for detailedinformation about all World Cup andWorld Cup related events in theregion. If you don’t have a copyavailable, just visit our website:www.accents-magazine.de for adownload of the complete issue.

Events

FreiburgIndependence Day CelebrationFollowing the World Cup Semifinal,Brenda Boykin and Austin DeLone(USA) will groove you through the night with some home cookin’blues. In co-operation with the Carl-Schurz-Haus. Jul 4, open 6 pm,game 8:30 pm, ZMF, SpiegelzeltHeidelbergd.a.i. - Book SaleJul 10 - Jul 14, 2- 6 pm, Jul 15, 10am - 2 pm, Deutsch-AmerikanischesInstitut (d.a.i.) library, Sofienstraße12, www.d.a.i.-heidelberg.deKarlsruheFest der Völkerverständigung with a DEF stall, music by the“Pitchbenders” June 24, 10 am - 6 pm, Karlsruhe Market Square.Helpers please call 0721 7569503 Deutsch-Englischer Freundeskreis(DEF), www.def-Karlsruhe.deLudwigsburg2nd Oßweiler Highland Games Sports club Oßweiler stages thisScottish competition of strengthwith a pipe band, feasting and whiskey. Jun 10 and 11,www.asv-ossweil.deSindelfingen30th International Street FestivalBig outdoor festival downtown withmusic, dance performances andculinary specialities by many nati-ons. Jul 16, 17, 18Stuttgartaccents forumCome have a beer with the readersand writers of accents magazine.Thursday, June 8th, 7 pm at o’reilly’s Irish pub, Reuchlinstraße 27Bollywood and Beyond3rd Indian Film Festival, Jul 12 -16,www.bollywood-festival.deHamburg FishmarketJul 13 - 23, Karlsplatz, downtownMercedesCup Tennis TournamentJul 15 - 23, Weissenhof, www.mercedescup.de56th Festival of LightThe night of one hundred thousandlights with activities for kids, live music, fireworks, etc.

Lecture

Dubliner Irish Pub, see address above;Jun 21 - 25 and Jun 28 - Jul 1, daily at 10 pm, Rob Roy,Eberhardstraße 35, 0711 7269668Fast Eddy’s Blues BandJun 10, Domino Deißlingen, 9 pm; Jun 15, Sudhaus Beer GardenTübingen, 7 pm;Jun 17, Oscars Esslingen, 10 pm; Jul 7, Altstadt Fest Durlach, 8 pm;Jul 21, Die Halle Reichenbach/Fils, 8 pm.Tickets can be bought by callingEasy-ticket service 0711 2555555,www.easyticket.de orSWR 1 ticket service 0180 5929211

Lectures/Discussions

FreiburgOpen Dialogevery other Wed, 6:30 - 8 pm,please check website for dates and topics, Carl-Schurz-Haus,www.carl-schurz-haus.de, 0761 31647Nostalgia, the Ethnic Neighborhood, and the World OutsideThe Godfather Parts I and II (1972and 1974) and Mean Streets (1973),Prof. Stanley Corkin, University of Cincinnati. Jun 12, 8 pm, Hörsaal 1199, KG I, UniversityMedia Spectacles and Current American Politics Prof. Douglas Kellner, UCLA, USA.Jun 19, 8 pm, Hörsaal 1199, KG I, UniversityBilly Wilder, One, Two, ThreeLecture / discussion with ProfessorEric H. Denton, PhD, in comme-moration of Wilder’s 100th birthday.Jun 20, 8 pm, Carl-Schurz-Haus,Eisenbahnstraße 62, 0761 5565270,www.carl-schurz-haus.deWhat is Language?Prof. Dr. John Searle, University of

The Spirit of New OrleansAug 31, 8 pm, SpardaEventCenterKornwestheimIrish Night with Midnight CourtAug 5, Hundesportgelände LauffenIrish Night with Bachelors Walkand Krusty Moors Jul 22, BurghofLörrach13th International Music Festival,Voices 2006International stars, choirs, singersfrom various nations, vocal work-shops, Jun 29 - Aug 6, Burghof,www.stimmen.comStuttgartAgnostic Front and Guests Jul 8, 8:30 pm, Universum,Pfaffenwaldring 45Eamon CarrollGuitarist San Diego / DublinJun 19 - Jul 4, daily from 9:30 pm,Dubliner Irish Pub, SI-Event-Centre,Plieninger Straße 100, 0711 7212460, www.si-centrum.de, U-Bahn Stop SalzäckerJerry Lee Lewis & His Killer BandJun 21, 8 pm, T1 Theaterhaus,Siemensstraße 11, tickets 0711402070, www.theaterhaus.comStompJul 25 - 27, 8 pm, Jul 28, 9 pm, Jul 29, 5 and 9 pm, Jul 30, 3 and 7 pm, Liederhalle HegelsaalTracy ChapmanJun 30, 8:30 pm, Liederhalle, www.liederhalle-stuttgart.deDenis Murray (Dublin)Jul 5 - 8, daily from 9:30 pm,Dubliner Irish Pub, see address aboveBobby Brady (Scotland)Jul 9 -16, daily from 9:30 pm,Dubliner Irish Pub, see address aboveNew York Ska Jazz Ensemble Jul 13, 9 pm, Landespavillon,SchillerstraßeISCM World New Music Festival2006, Without BordersJul 14 - 29, events at Theaterhaus and Schloss Solitude,www.wnmf2006.deAnne-Sophie Mutter, violinJul 20, 7 pm, Liederhalle,www.liederhalle-stuttgart.deLBBW JazzOpenJul 25 - 29, Pariser Platz, LiederhalleMozartsaal, Freizeitpark Killesberg.www.bw-bank-jazzopen.comMark Foggo’s Skasters and GuestsJul 28, 8:30 pm, Universum, see address aboveThe Spirit of New OrleansAug 30, 8 pm, Sparda-BankEuropean Music Festival: “Ways to Mozart”Sep 3 -17, www.bachakademie.deJoshua KadisonSep 4, 8 pm, Theaterhaus,see adress aboveLuka BloomSep 24, Theaterhaus, see address aboveUlmHerbie HancockJul 2, Ulmer ZeltThe WhoJul 23, 7 pm, MünsterplatzVaihingen/Enz PipelineJul 13, ArchivhofOn Tour in the Region Bill Craig Irish musician from Canada.Jun 5 -18, daily at 9:30 pm,

California, Berkeley. Jul 10, 6 pm,Audimax, KG II, UniversityHeidelbergDiscussion group with Dr. Steven Bloom Jun 6, Has modern life made intimacy more difficult?Jun 13, Should religion be taught in the public schools?Jun 20, Why are so many people unhappy?Jun 27, Should the governmentcontinue to support the arts?Jul 4, Is the Unites States a force for good in the world?Jul 11, Is it possible for men and women to be just friends?Jul 18, Are human beings as intelligent as they think they are?Jul 25, As the Mayor of Heidelberg,what would you change? Wednesdays, 6 pm, d.a.i., library, Sofienstraße 12, www.d.a.i.-heidelberg.de English-Language Video Discussion GroupJun 7, Lyndon Johnson - part 4;Jun 14 Hemingway - part 1;Jun 21 Hemingway - part 2;Jun 28 Hemingway - part 3;Jul 5 Hemingway - part 4;Jul 12 Hemingway - part 5;Jul 19 Chinese Americans - part 1;Jul 26 Chinese Americans - part 2;Tuesdays, 6 pm, d.a.i. library, see address aboveKarlsruheDEF English Conversation Circle Jun 20, General discussion “Visit of our friends from Nottingham”;Jul 18, Talk and discussion about New Zealand.3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:30pm, Moltkestraße 20, Room 4.LitNight in Englishreading and discussing literature1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month,7:30 pm, American Library, www.american-library.dePoetry PleasePoems read and discussed in English. 4th Tuesday of themonth, 7:30 - 9 pm, AmericanLibrary, Tom 0721 3540477Jane Alison reads from her novelNatives and ExoticsJun 13, 7:30 pm, American LibraryStuttgartThe Empire Study GroupA popular study group by LaurenceStallings and Scott Stelle.View topics on www.daz.org.2nd Friday of the month at 5 pm,DAZ, Charlottenplatz 17,www.daz.org Billy Wilder, One, Two, ThreeLecture / discussion with ProfessorEric H. Denton, PhD, in commemo-ration of Wilder’s 100th birthday.Jun 21, 7:30 pm, DAZ, see address aboveConversation CircleJun 23, National Elections: What To Expect? every 3rd Friday of the month from 6 to 7 pm.The discussion group continues as a Stammtisch at 7:15 pm. Conference Room, DAZ, see address aboveTübingenWriter’s Club with Carolyn Murphey Melchers, Jun 2, Jul 7, 2- 4 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveBook DiscussionJun 2, Khaled Hosseini:

accents choice 21accents magazine

Folk Music Festival SchlosshofBands from all over Europe (here Battlefield Band fromScotland) play for two days in Bad Rappenau, Bonfeld.Music on two stages plus‘Lowland Games’ on Sat. Jun 23 and 24, Schlosshof, www.folk-im-schlosshof.de

Photo: S

imon H

ollington

Kids

Work

Lauren Newton;Jul 22- 23, Music for the Soul –Choir Music from South Afrika,Harald Winter;www.stimmen.comStuttgartWriting Workshop: Writing – Influenced?New writers group. Jun 10,10 am - 12:30 pm, DAZ, see address above, sign up at writersinstuttgart@yahoo.comQuilting Bee: The Baltimore Beauties A multilingual, hand sewing quiltinggroup; guests are welcome.3rd Friday of the month, 9 -12 am,DAZ, see address above, Next date: Jun 23Irish Ceílí Halpin School of Irish Dance.Irish Dancing taught every 3rdSaturday of the month from 4 -7 pm, Bürgerhaus Botnang,www.danceirish.deNorth American Indian Dances(Pow Wow)Dance courses for children andadults. Heike Mertens 0711 861967,itkada@yahoo.deTübingenQuilting Bees: A Forum forPatchwork Quilters3rd Thursday of month, 3 - 5 pm,d.a.i., see address aboveNext date: Jun 29, Jul 20

Kids

EsslingenAlice’s Adventures under GroundFor kids 12 and up. Jun 23, 7:30 - 9 pm, WürttembergischeLandesbühne, Schauspielhaus, 0711 35123044FreiburgTell Me a Story!Reading for children by Bill Wilson(USA). Jun 2, 14, 23, 28, 5 - 6 pm,

The Kite Runner;Jul 7, Jhumpa Lahiri: Interpreter of Maladies.6:30 - 8 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveArs Erotica and the Aesthetics of Popular ArtProf. Dr. Richard Shusterman,Florida Atlantic University, Jun 10,12 am, Hörsaal der Archäologie,Schloss HohentübingenTalk At Eight: Discussion Groupon Current Issuesby Laurence Stallings. Jun 13, Jul 18, 8:15 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveSoccer in the USA Lecture in German by Prof. Karl W. Deutsch, University of Michigan, in cooperation with the d.a.i.Jun 28, 7 pm, Tent in the WorldCup Park, AnlagenseeMedia Spectacles and Current American PoliticsProf. Dr. Douglas Kellner, Universityof California, Los Angeles. Jun 29,8:15 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveThe Empire Study GroupA popular study group by LaurenceStallings. View topics and dates on www.dai-tuebingen.de, Jun 30,6:45 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveByron Katie: The WorkThe bestselling author introduceshis new book. Jul 4, 8 pm,Museum Lichtspiele, KinoElementary Structures of Imperial Leadership: The Circulation of ElitesLaurence Stallings und Scott StelleJul 21, 6:45 pm, d.a.i., see addressabove

Workshops

FreiburgFree-Trade Bi- and Minilateralismin the Asia-Pacific Region Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rüland, Universityof Freiburg. Jul 6, 9:30 am - 4 pm,Carl-Schurz-Haus, see addressaboveHeidelbergPreparation for the Internet-basedTOEFL Reading and WritingSectionsEvery Tuesday for five weeks,beginning Jun 6, 7:30 pm, d.a.i.,see address abovePreparation for the Internet-basedTOEFL, Speaking and ListeningSectionsSpecial five-day workshop (10 course hours), Jun 8, 7:30 pm,d.a.i., see address aboveAdvanced Conversation CourseEach class meets once a week for five weeks. Jun 8, 6 pm, d.a.i.,see address aboveSuccessful Job-hunting in the U.S.Jun 17, 2 - 5 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveHow to Apply for a Job orInternship in the U.S.Exhibition and 2-day-workshop.Jun 22, 4 pm, d.a.i., see address aboveLörrachVocal-Workshops at the Voices FestivalJun 23 - 25, Solo-Jazz-Singing and Improvisation, Prof. Judy Niemack-Prins;Jul 14 -16, Vocal Adventures,

accents magazine22 accents choice

Carl-Schurz-Haus, see addressaboveKarlsruheStorytime in English! Children aged 2 - 5 years, every 2ndand 4th Wednesday of the month at 4 pm, American Library,www.american-library.deStories for Kids ages 6 and upJun 9, 4 pm, Mirette on the High Wire;Jul 7, 4 pm, The Blind Hunter.American Library, see address above Leinfelden-EchterdingenThe whole world meets here!bilingual reading for ages 4 and up,Jun 22, 3 - 3:30 pm, LibraryEchterdingen, Maiergasse 8, 0711 1600634StuttgartListen inStory and activity for kids 3 - 6 yearswith parent. Sat 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Jun 7, Creepy crawly mini-beasts;Jul 15, Sport Sport, Sport.Children’s English Library (CEL),Etzelstrasse 25 - 27, 0711 3582215,www.celstuttgart.deRhyme TimeSinging and rhymes for kids 0 - 3with parent. Mon 10:00 -10:45 am.Next dates: Jun 12, CEL, see address aboveHappy Days Non-native English speakers ages 3 - 6. Mon 4:15 - 5 pm and Tues 3:30 - 4:15 pm CEL, see address aboveLet’s Play – Mommy & Me English ClassNative English speakers ages 2 - 3.Mon 10:45 -11:30 am and Fri 4 - 4:45 pm Singing and Story timeNative English speakers ages 3 - 6.Fri 3 - 3:45 pm, CEL, see address above 2006 Summer Reading ChallengeGet a Reading the RainbowPassport and register your child with the Reading the RainbowChallenge at CEL, see addressabove, any time after Jul 2. Collect coloured stickers on yourReading the Rainbow cardsby reading (or having read to you)books by different authors. All parti-cipants will receive a certificate.Sunday StoriesActress Greta Redmond (NEAT New English American Theater)tells stories for kids, 4 and up. Jun 18, 3 pm, kkt, Kissinger Straße 66 a, 0711 563034, www.neat-theater.deTübingenEnglish Storytime for kids ages 4 - 6 with AnneCrutchfield, 1st Wednesday of themonth. Next dates: Jun 7, Jul 5, 4 - 5 pm, Deutsch AmerikanischesInstitut (d.a.i,), Karlstraße 3, 07071795260, www.dai-tuebingen.deKid’s Camp: Discover America!Day camp for children ages 6 -10,for English learners. TeachersMonica Davis, Kristen Heim.Aug 7-11, 9 am - 1 pm, d.a.i, see address aboveKid’s Camp: Canada for Kids!Teachers: Monica Davis, KristenHeim. Sep 11-15, 9 am - 1 pm, d.a.i, see address above

Art Exhibit Kirk PedersenThe Nebraska-born artist willpersonally present his paintingsof urban impressions, Jul 21, 6 pm

Art Opening, Kirk PedersenThe Nebraska-born artistwill personally present his paintings of urbanimpressions, Jul 21, 6 pm

Happy 4th of July –Celebrate with the DAZ!DAZ stand at the MeetingPoint of Cultures and aspecial stage show from 7- 8 pm. In co-operationwith Forum der Kulturene.V., Jul 4, 12 - 8 pm,Rathaus

Jackson Pollock TributeLecture and movie on the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death, Jul 24, 7:30 pm

Deutsch-Amerikanisches ZentrumJames-F.-Byrnes-Institute.V. Charlottenplatz 1770173 Stuttgart0711-228180www.daz.org

One-year subscription (6 issues): 20 euros. Payment preferred by direct debit or deposit check.

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07478 8290 Kevin MacInerney-MaySchorndorf English Club07181 64440 Marion RubeDeutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Heidelberg06221 60730, Sofienstraße 12,www.dai-heidelberg.deGerman-British Society, Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Stuttgart0761 4098804 Dr. Susanne Press,06221 864761 Prof. Manfred Liedtke,0711 66721255 Dr. Christoph Selzer,www.debrige.deGerman-English Friendship Club e.V. Karlsruhe0721 7569503 Rose Schrempp,info@def-karlsruhe.de, www.def-karlsruhe.deInternational Women’s Club Karlsruhe e.V.Annemarie Frenzel, Postfach110448, 76054 KarlsruheVerein Deutsch-AmerikanischerFreundschaft Pfullendorf07552 6249 Dr Gary AndersonCarl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg0761 31647, Eisenbahnstraße 62,www.carl-schurz-haus.deAnglo-German Club e.V. Freiburg07661 1324, Wehrlehof Straße 11,Oberried, peleube@hotmail.comFreiburg English Club0177 6553688 Terrence Barrwww.freiburg-english-club.orgNetwork of English-Speaking Women e.V.07664 962450 Candice Siegenthaler, NesWomen@web.de, www.nesw.deBritish International Villingen-Schwenningen07721 53278 Carol King,www.bivs.gmxhome.deDeutsch-Irischer Freundeskreis (dif) 0711 2361736, www.dif-bw.deRegion Schwaben, Verband der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs e.V.07156 29164 Mi-Kiyoung Wöhler, www.schwaben-vdac.de.vu

Theater Groups

A.C.T.S. Anglophone Collaborative Theatre of Stuttgart0711 6858370 Stuart Marlow, smarlow@hdm-stuttgart.deKelley TheatreKelley Barracks, Stuttgart, 0711 7292825, www.kelleytheatre.deN.E.A.T. New English American Theater Sophie Kränzle, kkt@z.zgs.de,www.neat-theater.deOutcast International0711 634409, Stuttgart,www.outcast-theater.deAnglo-Irish Theatre Group Tübingen07071 67968 David Hegarty,dave@anglo-iren.de, www.anglo-iren.deThe Round Table Players, AalenEva Schumm, schumm@vhs-aalen.deRoadside TheaterPatton Barracks, Heidelberg,06221 175020, www.roadsidetheater.comTheaterhaus TiG 70621 154976, Theater Trennt e.V.G7, 4b, Mannheim, www.tig7.deThe maniACTS Freiburg

accents guide 23accents magazine

Librari

Clubs &

0711 814270 Eberhard SteinGerman-American Women’s Club Stuttgartinfo@gawc-stuttgart.de, www.gawc-stuttgart.deInternational Women’s Club Stuttgart All nationalities and ages, every 1stWed of the month, 10 am - 12:30 pm,Kulturcafe Merlin, Augustenstraße 72,0711 6566340, www.iwcstuttgart.orgAnglo-Stuttgart Society0711 568113 Günther Jaumann,www.jaumann.de/assBritish Club Stuttgart0711 455464 Alison SeyerleDeutsch-Britische Gesellschaft e.V.0172 7391495 Peter Alderath, Gasthaus Hirsch, Bernhausen, 1st Wed of the monthAsia Circle International Club07156 29164, asia-circle@web.de,www.asia-circle.deInternational Choir of Stuttgart 0711 769600912 Carola, int_choir_stuttgart@hotmail.comStuttgart Singers07159 44991 Kathy Williams,www.stuttgartsingers.deStuttgart German-AmericanCommunity Chorus0711 463463 David A. BecknerEUCOM HarmonizersStuttgart-Vaihingenbarbershop and a cappella, 07146 20677 John GerrishGerman-American Seniors Club0711 2560867 Hildegard GöhrumEnglish Round Table, EsslingenConversation group, 0711 3451344, Claudia Stadelmann, info@bueroservice-jaeschke.deFáinne Irish Dance Group Stuttgart 0711 483901, www.fainne.deIrish Dance Ceili, Stuttgartevery 3rd Saturday of the monthwww.danceirish.deGerman Conversation Group07032 77919 Elena FieresELTAS e.V.English Language Teachers’Association Stuttgart, www.eltas.deInternational Toastmasters Club,Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe,Freiburg, Ulmpresentational skills in English, find links to all chapters atwww.toastmasters-stuttgart.de English-Speaking Stammtisch S-Untertürkheim0711 3041337 Derek EvansDeutsch Australische Freundschaft e.V.07031 607521 Jeff Gomes,www.deutsch-australische-freundschaft.deFriends Club International e.V.Böblingen-Sindelfingen07031 806522 Jan W. Boon“Here We Are” International Group Esslingen07163 8580 Alison UnrathEnglish Morning Tea Aidlingen07034 7339 Ellen Zeller, Wed 10 am - 12 pm Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen07071 795260, Karlstraße 3, www.dai-tuebingen.deAnglo-German Club Pforzheim07231 472155 Dr Maurice Claypole,www.agc-pforzheim.dePro Country e.V. Deutscher Country & Western Dachverband07150 33212 Ralf Russig, www.pro-country-ev.deEnglish-Speaking Circle Starzachand Landkreise Freundenstadt,Tübingen & Zollernalb

of Kreuzlingen Konstanz 0041 71 6722727Hauptstraße 27, Kreuzlingen,Switzerland, www.iskk.chHeidelberg International School 06221 7590600, Villa Heinstein,Wieblinger Weg 9, Heidelberg, www.hischool.deInternational School Ulm/Neu-Ulm0731 3793530, Beyerstraße 45, Ulm,www.is-ulm.deEnglish for preschoolers and first graders in Freiburg0761 1378177 Cathy Plog, plogs@t-online.deLittle English House English and art for kids 3 and upwww.littleenglishhouse.deHelen Doron Early EnglishLearning English with fun andgamens, www.hdee.de

Libraries

Children’s English Library e.V.0711 3582215, Etzelstraße 25-27,Stuttgart, Tue 4-6 pm, Fri 3-6 pm,Sat 2-5 pm, www.celstuttgart.deDeutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum Charlottenplatz 17, Stuttgart, Tue-Thu 2-6 pmDeutsch-Amerikanisches Institut TübingenKarlstraße 3, Tue-Fri 1-6 pm,Thursdays 1-8 pmKarlsruhe American Library0721 72752, Kanalweg 52, Tue-Fri 2-6 pm, Wed 10-12 am, Sat 10 am-2 pm,www.amerikanische-bibliothek.deDeutsch-Amerikanisches Institut HeidelbergSophienstraße 12, Mon-Fri 1-6 pm,Wed 1-8 pm, Sat 10 am-2 pmCarl-Schurz-Haus FreiburgKaiser-Joseph-Straße 266, Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, 3-6 pm

Clubs & Organizations

Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum/James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V.0711 228180, Charlottenplatz 17,Stuttgart, www.daz.org70173: English Spoken Stammtisch12:00 pm at Restaurant Plenum inthe B-W Landtag Building, contactAndrea.Krueger@wm.bwl.de fordates. Open participation. Founders:Andrea Krueger & Dr. Peter Mendler(both of the B-W Ministry of Eco-nomic Affairs) and Rainer Wieland(Member of the European Parliament) Stammtisch TRANSATLANTIKOnce a month at Plenum RestaurantStuttgart, info at DAZ 0711 228180Metropolitan Club e.V.social, educational & cultural eventsfor all nationalities, www.metclub.deStuttgart Conversation Club0711 8892252 Ed Wilson, 35 years and up, www.metclub.deConversation Group Stuttgartfor native and non-native speakers,Pádraic Ó Leanacháin 0711 2737740,www.englishcom.deBaltimore BeautiesQuilting bee at the DAZ, Stuttgart,every 3rd Fri of the month, 9 -12 am, 0711 243242 Judy Ehmer Stuttgart Book Clubwww.StuttgartBookClub.deGerman-American Club 1948

ools

Emerg

sulates

Emergency

Police 110Fire Department 112Ambulance & EmergencyMedical 19222Poison Hotline 0761 19240English Speaking PoisonControl 06131 232466Doctor for House Calls 0711 2628012

Consulates/Embassies

Australia030 8800880, Wallstraße 76-79,BerlinCanada 0711 2239678, Lange Straße 51,StuttgartIreland030 220720, Friedrichstraße 200,BerlinNew Zealand 030 206210, Friedrichstraße 60,BerlinSouth Africa 030 220730, Friedrichstraße 60,BerlinUnited Kingdom0211 94480, Yorckstraße 19,DüsseldorfUnited States of America069 75350, Gießener Straße 30,Frankfurt

Schools & Preschools

International School of Stuttgart e.V. 0711 7696000, Sigmaringer Straße257, Stuttgart, www.international-school-stuttgart.deBotnanger Kinderbetreuung Bilingual Kindergarden 0711 6993404 Gina Kussi,Griegstraße 18, StuttgartInternationaler MontessoriKindergarten e.V. 0711 93150510, Sulzgrieser Straße 114, Esslingen, www.montessori-esslingen.deEducCare Bilingual Kindergarden0711 6581447, Hasenbergstraße31/2, Stuttgart, www.educcare.deEnglish for Kids!0711 6491537 Conny von Scholley,www.spielendsprachenlernen.deEuropean School Karlsruhe0721 680090, Albert-Schweitzer-Straße 1, KarlsruheEnglish GardenEnglish and music lessons, 07618866181, Hasenweg 34, FreiburgOberlin Kinderuniversität0761 85648, Am Mühlbach 13, Freiburg, www.oberlinkinderuniversitaet.deInternational School

accents

guide

Read accents guide onwww.accents-magazine.de

Political

siness

ygroups

Reli

University English Department,www.maniacts.de

Kids & Playgroups

English Playgroup Stuttgart-West0711 6361169 Bryan Groenjes, EKiZ Ludwigstraße 41-43, 0-6 years, Wed 4-6 pmEnglish Playgroup Stuttgart0-9 years, www.englishplaygroup.deEnglish Playgroup at the DAZStuttgart0711 228180, 4-6 years on Tue 3-4 pm, 6-8 years on Tue 4-5 pmEnglish Playgroup Böblingen07031 287647 Stefanie Spence,0-7 years, Wed 3:30-5 pmEnglish PlaygroupHolzgerlingen/Böblingen area07034 654608 Anita Mayer0-5 years, Wed 9:30-10:30 amEnglish Playgroup Sindelfingen07031 873823 Christine Mitlacher,Feb 2001 - Feb 2003, Thue 3 -4:30 pm, Mitlacher-sifi@t-online.deSt. Georg MKK EnglishPlaygroup in BonlandenTue 3:30-5:30 pm, 0-5 years, Nicki 0711 3270748, 5-10 years, Mhorag Heger 07127 960046English PlaygroupHerrenberg/Nebringen 07032 77452 Erika Laudenbach, 0-5 years, Mon 3-5 pmEnglish Playgroup Calw/Nebringen07051 70712 Susan Rosa, 0 - 5 years,Fri 3 - 5:30 pmMeet, Chat and Playgroup Waldenbuch07157 8561 Elaine Rauhöft, Fri from 4 pm onwardsEnglish on a Friday AfternoonTübingen07071 930466 Günter Henke, Fri from 3:30 pm onwardsEnglish Playgroup in Rödersheim-Gronau (postal code 67127)06231 929616 Mrs I. Smith, Fri 10 am, Luise Koch Kindergarten English Reading Group FreiburgMütterzentrum Weingarten,Krozingerstraße 11, 0761 286803 Amanda Lampert or07666 99126 Fredi Trenkle

Political Groups

American Voices Abroad Tübingenfritz.hackert@arcor.de, www.americanvoicesabroad.orgDemocrats AbroadHeidelberg,06221 3780 Charles Keene, Stuttgart, 0162 9824870 Dennis O’Donohue,www.democratsabroad.orgRepublicans Abroad Stuttgart07146 20677 John W. Gerrish, www.republicansabroad.de

Business Organizations

American German Business Clube.V. Stuttgart, Heidelberg,KarlsruheStuttgart: 0711 2486078 PeggyStinson, stuttgart@agbc.de,Karlsruhe: 0721 6268760 Raymond

Jordan, karlsruhe @agbc.de,Heidelberg: 06221 23597 BarrySwanson, heidelberg@agbc.deAmerican Chamber of Commercein Germany e.V.0711 1667156 Prof Dr Roderich C. Thümmel, Regional Chairperson,www.amcham.de British Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V.0711 25540460 Ralf Steppart,Regional Chairperson, www.bccg.deUSAforum Tübingen07071 55970 Bernd Zeutschel,www.usaforum.de

Religious Services

St. Catherine’s Church(Anglican) 07151 68973,Katharinenplatz 5, Stuttgart,www.stuttgartanglicans.deCity Chapel e.V. Stuttgart0711 6142956 Roland Krumm,Marienstraße 12, www.citychapel.deInternational Baptist ChurchStuttgart-Vaihingen: 0711 6874365 Pastor Jay McFadden; Heidelberg-Sandhausen: 06224 51516 Pastor Richard Blake;www.ibcstuttgart.deSt. Antonius Church0711 4597152 Odilo Metzler,Catholic Mass in English1st Saturday every month, 6:30 pmParacelsusstraße 87, Stuttgart-HohenheimFirst Church of Christ, Scientist0711 6207921 Heinz Clauss,www.christian-science-stuttgart.deUnited Methodist Church Stuttgart: 0711 251984 Dr Hans-Martin Niethammer;Reutlingen: 07121 78546 Harald Rückert; Karlsruhe: 0721 43721 Peter Vesen;www.emk.deChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Stuttgart: 0711 3419240 Ralf Gierschke;Mannheim: 06223 809040 Dr Frank Heckmann,www.lds.orgChurch of the Nazarene0711 551147 Mary Schaar, Friedenskirche, Bad CannstattEvangelical Students Community Tübingen07071 61928 Heidi AbeEnglish Vesper Service TübingenSun 6 pm, during the universitysemester, 07071 51475, www.institut-urchristentum.orgJewish Observance, Learning & Meditation, Tübingen07071 968590 Martin H. Potrop,SPIRITSHUL@aol.comSt Columban’s Mission Karlsruhe (Anglican) 0721 28379 (Fax also)Rev. Dr. Hanns Engelhardt,www.staugustines-wiesbaden.de/karlsruhe.htm, St.Columban@gmx.deCalvary Chapel Freiburg e.V.0761 7071333 David Pham,www.ccfreiburg.deAnglican Church of Freiburg 0761 904693 Minister Rev RobinStockitt, Katharinenstraße 9,www.anglicans-fr.orgEnglish Church HeidelbergErlöserkirche, Plöck/Schießtorstraße06221 804146

accents magazine24 accents guide

World Cup

Survival Guide

Available now in Stuttgart

or online at

www.accents-magacine.de

Business Services

Translations English-German, German-English for Economics /Marketing / Medicine / CertificatesChristine Schwartz, Certified Translator contact 0711 5779139 or selectranslate@t-online.de

TAX ME NOT – IRS FREE MONEYUS Citizen? Pay German Taxes? Have kid(s)? IRS may owe you a refund! Full range of Professional Tax Services. You must file a tax return even if you don’t owe! 07071 968590 potrop@aol.com

English-speaking Homeopath Sonja McGough, Heilpraktikerin for Classical Homoeopathy.Herrenbergerstraße 2, Böblingen, Tel 07031 265900, www.h-p-a-s.net

Medical Writing and TranslationsGerman-English, English-GermanKaren Grützner mgruetz@t-online.de

Beautiful Celtic music (harp andvocals) available for special eventsMUSIKELTA 07163 534703

Employment

Linguarama Spracheninstitutis seeking qualified native-speaker EFL teachers for busin-ess English courses starting in March 2006. Especially those with a technical background are welcomed. Application materials by e-mail stuttgart@linguarama. com or call 0711 997993-30

Native speakers wantedwith financial /technical /businessexperience and excellent inter-personal and language skills.Freelance work. Contact:andrina.rout@fokussprachen.com

Business English Trainers required for in-company courses in the Stuttgart area on a freelance and employee basis. If you have aminimum of one year’s teachingexperience together with a TEFL or equivalent certificate and cancreate a stimulating atmosphere forlearners to discuss business topics,we would like to hear from you. Please contact ELBC on 07116209932 or send your CV anddetails to us at info@ELBC.de

Great opportunity, new in Germany. Join an established network marketing company fromEngland. New distributors and team leaders urgently required.Please call: 0711 3803771 or e-mail: c.vonscholley@t-online.de

Native speaker English teachers

Are you interested in teaching Eng-lish to young children in a fun-filledway in the greater Böblingen andHeidelberg areas? Above averagepay, freelance work, curriculum and training are provided. Pleasecontact Dr. Erika Burk, 07159408221, info@cleverkidsenglish.de

Child care

Child care on Thursday morningfrom 9 -12 am for a small group of kids from 1- 3 years of age offered by English native speakersin Stuttgart-Degerloch. Please call0711 6491537

Classes

New conversation classesand business English on Tuesdayand Wednesday morning for adults starting now in Degerloch, König-sträßle 2. Please ask for M.Brown(native English speaker) at spielend-sprachen-lernen on: 0711 6491537

Personal

Seeking Babysitter for Germanfamily (age 18-88). Looking for native English speakers! 3 children(7 yrs., 5 yrs., 5 months) in Korn-westheim (S-Bahn from StuttgartHauptbahnhof 12 minutes). We arelooking for an energetic, caring,patient and warmhearted babysitterfor our children. Somebody wholoves to read them books, playgames, do arts and crafts and lovesthe outdoors. Someone who enjoysa picnic in the park, a bike tour, a visit to the zoo and to go swim-ming. We have had 4 aupairs fromthe United States, so our childrenare used to the English language,however they are not fluent. Baby-sitting 2-3 times/week, daytime preferred, phone 07154 187360,e-mail n.schuttenberg@web.de

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The deadline for the Sep / Oct2006 issue is Aug 11th

You’ve just received the bill in a restaurant,a café or a bar, you’ve just got your hair cutor have come to the end of a taxi ride. Nowyou’re faced with the question of whetheror not to offer a tip. And if so, how much?The problem is universal. There is no right orwrong when it comes to tipping in Germany,and there are no hard-and-fast rules. Butthere are a few guiding principles.

Generally speaking you’ve already paidfor the provision of a service in Germanywith your bill. You don’t tip as much as youmight in some other countries – nothingapproaching the 10-20% expected forrestaurant service in the United States forexample. Tips are not a ‘must’ but offeringsome form of tip is customary and is bestdone in Germany by rounding up the bill rather than paying a fixed percentage ontop. Leaving no tip at all in a restaurant or a café would be an indication that you werenot satisfied with the service.

How much to round up after a meal or adrink? If the bill is under 10 euros you wouldgenerally round up to the nearest euro butnot necessarily by more than 50 to 60 cents.This is based on the assumption that theservice was sufficient or satisfactory. Forexample, a bill for 2.80 euros or 8.60 euros

can be rounded up by 20 or 40 centsrespectively. You establish the tip by namingthe total price to the waiter. “Make it threeeuros.” Or simply: “Nine euros.” If the billcame to 5.10 euros or 7.20 euros you mightjust add 50 cents to the total. For better-than-average service you might round thesesums up to six or eight euros respectively.Between 10 and 20 euros – goes the rule-of-thumb – you round up to the nearest euroor add on 50 cents or more. A bill of 12.20

Tipping

Paying extra for service

My American tipping habits are hard tobreak. I find it embarrassing if not down-right degrading to tip a waiter forty cents.I don’t care if the tip is included in theprice, give the person an extra euro. Ifyou can’t afford to leave the waiter alousy euro, then you can’t afford to goout to dinner in the first place. Stay homeand eat Spätzle!

I tip taxi drivers on a per-ride basis.Even those who haven’t shaved in threedays and look like they’ve just escapedfrom prison automatically get an extraeuro. I always throw in another euro forafter-midnight taxi drivers, grateful theyhaven’t driven me into the forest andmade mincemeat out of me.

As for hairdressers, that’s a whole different cut, so to speak. In America,students fresh out of beauty school give$8 haircuts at popular salons such as

Cheap Cuts or Snip n’Save. Not the casein Germany. I feel that paying anywherebetween 30 and 40 euros for a haircut – and that’s a simple, no-nonsense snip – is more than enough. You even pay extrafor a lousy shot of hairspray at the end.So when tipping the hairdresser, I followthe German rule and round up to the nearest euro.

We had our house insulated and paint-ed last year. The two workers were fastand efficient. I made sure to leave drinkson the picnic table and offered themlunch every day. I don’t know whetherthey considered eating lunch at a picnictable with at least five noisy children a good tip, but they always accepted.Actually, they knocked a hundred eurosoff the bill for the lunches. Who tippedwhom here?

As for tipping the bellman or a porter

in a German hotel, I have to say that I’venever actually seen one of them at thedoor. Maybe they’re not common here –or my husband is taking me to cheaphotels. I suppose that in finer hotels (theones we don’t go to) they help you withyour bags. But let’s be honest, would youtake a job that is based mostly on tips ina country that doesn’t tip? I don’t thinkso.

Experience shows, however, that service seems to be upgraded when theserver realises you’re American. Apparent-ly we are good tippers. All I can say is that here in southwest Germany, wherethe locals are said to be tight with theirmoney, a one-euro tip seems to go a longway.

By Liz Gaiser

Tipping Rules

American-style

Labyrinth

accents magazine26 Labyrinth

euros would become 13.00 euros but15.70 euros might become 16.50 euros or17.00 euros.

For bills beyond 20 euros you mightround up a euro or two more depending onthe quality of service. You don’t need to tipmore than around five percent of the total.Remember, in German eateries you don’tleave the tip on the table. Give it directly tothe waiter.

The German Tourist Board advises travellers visiting Germany to tip accordingto the level of satisfaction. “Five percent isaverage,” it says, “Whereas 10% indicatesexceptional service. Tip taxi drivers about5%, and porters and others who assist youwith baggage one euro per item.” In taxis,others advise simply to round up the fare to the nearest euro. Only give more if youhave cumbersome or heavy luggage. A hair-dresser’s bill is often also rounded up to thenearest euro.

It’s also traditional to offer a tip to furn-iture movers or to trades people who dowork for you, though this might be done byoffering them coffee or money for a beer atthe end of a long day – after all, the Germanword for a tip (Trinkgeld ) means, literally,“drink money.”

A one-euro tip for a coffee? It’ll makethe waiter happy!

Photo: w

ww

.photocase.com