Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Christmas Markets Germany
We arrive in Munich and our guide makes it clear this is Bavaria. Bavarians favor autonomy from Germany and even have their own language. I have been here many times but looking through sober eyes now, I find it more vibrant, clean and sophisticated. We spend 2 days with Nancy, an excellent guide who has already emailed me to remain in touch.
I have a mini-group of just 26 so this is like a vacation for me. It is a first time abroad for some and I love to learn from them as they notice things with child-like enthusiasm that I do not.
This is the hi-tech land of engineering. We pass a 9 story Mercedes dealership with new cars stacked to the shape of an Advent tree. We also see the BMW factory. I wish I could work here with 7 weeks vacation per year, 340 different work schedules to choose from, a gym, spa and its many other benefits. We stop for hot apple strudel and visit the well known sites.
Here is the 100th Christmas tree with 2500 candles. Our welcome dinner at Haufbrauhous is a delight with yodeling, alp horns and sausages of everything-wurst. The group toasts their steins of natural beer made only of barley, water and hops.
It is time to move on to the enchanting storybook villages. This is a magical time to visit. No country celebrates Christmas with more passion than Germany. As we head to the alps, the morning sky looks like a pale bruise. Soon a blizzard engulfs our coach but we have an experienced driver named Eno who we fell in love with by trips end in 7 days.
We arrive at Neuschwanstein and ride by horse and carriage up to the famous castle. (This is the one Disney fashioned its own after.) I have seen more castles than I can count around the world but this medieval knight's fortress with gothic spires is spectacular. Built in 1869, it looks brand spanking new with decorated rooms intact. The 388 steps inside are well worth the climb. There's hardly anyone here whereas summer can draw 5,000 tourists each day. In winter, this fairytale castle becomes dreamlike surreal. That's why I enjoy traveling off season.
Pity poor Mad King Ludwig II who designed this worlds largest, most extravagant, expensive and opulent castle for himself. It's a sad story of the 6th king who lived here only 4 months. The people loved him as much as the German Tourist Board does today. His family however, did not. They sought to declare Ludwig insane and hired a team of psychiatrists to prove such. Although he was prone to depression and insomnia, no doctor could find him mentally unfit.
After short rule, his body was found in the lake and the family stated it was suicide. But the body of his psychiatrist was also found so most agree it was murder, particularly since an autopsy was refused. Later it was determined that Ludwig was gay, so the "fairytale king" was truly a fairy.
We stopped in charming Oberammergau, famous for its Passion Plays every 10 years. The wood houses are painted with fairytales: Hansel & Gretel, Red Riding Hood, etc. We then toured Nuremburg with an astute guide who brought the city to life before our eyes from 15th century to its destruction in WWII.
Some went off to the Toy Museum or Torture Museum while I set out to explore the world's largest Xmas market.
With giant lit trees, double carousals, horses with bells, over 400 stalls of food and crafts, this is a s festive as it gets! I graze my way through on white chocolate bananas, fruit breads, glazed grapes, dipped pretzels, pink marzipan pigs, licorice angles and all types of roasting sugar coated nuts. Shaped gingerbreads are omnipresent and the aroma of warm sweet Gluh-wine fragrances the air.
I'm on a sugar high and head for the crafts. Shopping is a blood sport here through narrow lanes but MasterCard is my armor and I find all my toy treasures. There are giant nutcrackers representing every occupation, unique mangers and 29 trillion ornaments. At dusk the illumination begins. I pause for a dinner of 6 bratwursts, Bavarian cheese and a pyramid of sauerkraut to last me to 2012.
In Rodenthal we toured the Goebel/Hummel Factory. I anticipated boredom yet became fascinated to learn how precious each piece is. From 1871 to today, 700 artists create these tiny non-useful figurines. They are paid per piece and if a mistake is made, it must be broken.
The highest paid artists are the delicate face painters. I met one woman who has spent 12 years just painting eyebrows, another on lips and a man who has worked 10 years blushing cheeks! The eye strain must be like threading sewing needles for a lifetime and it takes 3 years apprenticeship to graduate to this level. Initially our guide assumed we were a collectors club when in reality we can barely afford a baby Jesus.
Later in East Germany we visited Lauenstein Confiserie, a chocolate/praline factory that was so busy with the season, they hardly notice us. I tasted from the chocolate fountain nearly having a cocoa orgasm and confirm again that America can never produce this product as purely or satisfying as Europe.
The best of all towns was Rothenberg, population 2300 where our Hotel Prince was located right inside the fortified walls of Old Town. Our guided walk here instantly awakened all my 5 senses and made me want to linger for days. We tend to go over the top each year with our flashy decorations. Among the half timbered homes here on cobbled streets, it is quieter and softer. One is taken back to the Middle Ages with the pewter ornaments hand crafted and evergreens lit with candles.
Afterwards, our guide Claudia invites us all into her home. I go to buy a "snowball" for which this town is renowned. They are piled high like colored softballs in the windows. For over 300 years, these pastries were frugally made from scraps of fresh pie dough. Dipped in chocolate, berries or cinnamon butter, they melt in your mouth. As the sun shines, I remove my coat to a balmy 50 degress. How I wished it would snow.
We end our tour in the Student Prince town of Heidelberg with entrance to the famous castle and its 55,000 gallon wooden wine barrel. That night I reflect on a great trip, my last one for 2005. I write this journal so my wonderful little group will remember it all. With pride, I will always remember them; on time, patient, no complaints, generous tippers, polite to locals and friendly with each other. Perfect travelers I wish I could clone. After hugging Eno goodbye, we exited with so many shopping bags that he now thinks he needs a trailer in tow of his coach.
This December, it was joyous to be transported back in time. It certainly brought me in touch with my inner elf. What a gift! Merry Christmas to all and wishing to see you in the new year!
Former Miss Wisconsin Suzy Davis has traveled the world for nearly 30 years, initially as a flight attendant and now with her company http://www.AdventuresForSingles.com
Some Facts About Goji Juice
The highlands region between Russia and China is home to many of the world's longest living people. these individual's happen to eat regular helpings of a pea-sized fruit from which goji juice is derived.
This berry is considered by certain research scientists to be the best anti-aging food in existence.
It is therefore legendary in Asia in general and the Himilayan region in particular, where it is has been historically associated with general vitality & longevity, while contemporary science verifies that there may be no berry with more antioxidants than the wolf berry. The wolf berry, or goji berry (technically known as Lycium barbarum) is of course where goji juices comes from.
This juice is blessed with 4 formidable polysaccharides (which are key phytonutrient compounds) that command and monitor some of the body's primary defense systems. A plethera of published research studies have concluded that these polysaccharides are the top bioactive parts of the berry in question. Some researchers like Dr. Earl Mendell consider drinking Goji Juice to be better than just eating the berry, as the actual quality of available goji berries can sometimes vary radically, and there is also the chance that the polysaccharides in the dried berries have already oxidized and thus degraded by the time you injest them. The liquid form is also easier to digest and enters your system faster. You can find additional research materials at Goji Juice Facts If you do decide to eat the dried berry itself, just understand that there is more than one particular kind of goji berry.
In fact, just as there are number of different kinds of grapes used in wine, there is a plethera of goji varieties. We are talking more than forty species of it growing in Tibet region of China alone. How much goji juice should one drink? Some researchers, including Dr. Mendell, recommend drinking two ounces daily, but drinking more than that does not appear to cause any negative side effects. Individual's will receive health benefits within different time frames depending upon variables such as their body's specific nutritional needs, but the majority of individuals will start to notice results in less than a month.
Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. More Goji Juice information at http://www.goji-planet.com
Creating an Internet Identity - For Authors
It's mere weeks before Christmas and the busiest season for anyone promoting their books. This is the time to schedule book signings at bookstores, readings at libraries and cafes, and it's also time to fork out some advertising dollars. Books don't sell themselves! Well, not unless you are Michael Crichton, Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. For the rest of us, we have to rely on smooth selling styles, setting up tables in our local bookstores, and finding unique and affordable ways to advertise our books. Affordable advertising can be difficult to come by for a self-published author. But there are ways around it. There is one thing you can do that will help to bring attention to you and your books. And that is to create an "internet identity".
Quick! Go to Google and conduct a vanity search. If you don't know what this means, it's simple. Type in your name. See how many direct hits to your site (or anything that pertains to you) come up. Two years ago I did this and was quite depressed to see that I was nowhere to be found. In the internet world, I simply did not exist. Since then, I have learned a few tricks of the trade, and I am now deeply entrenched into the top 10 pages (or more) in most search engines. What does this mean? It means that anyone, anywhere, can view information about my books and me.
Here are a few ways an author can build up an internet presence or identity:
* The first and most important tool you will need is a web site. If you have a published novel, this is a MUST! Go to www.NameSecure.com and register a domain name. For authors, you should select your name or pen name. Choose .com's or .ca's only. Next, you need a host, a place to store your web site. You can purchase web hosting packages from a variety of sources, or you can use free web spaces that may come with existing internet accounts. If you use a free space, then you will definitely need to buy a domain name. With NameSecure.com, you can then forward the domain name to the free web space. It keeps things looking professional.
* Once you have a web site, then comes the job of submitting it to search engines. There are a variety of tools and downloads that will assist you in submitting your site, or you can submit manually. I recommend that you submit once every three months, as most SE's may consider it spam if it is done too often. Look for "Add URL" or "Submit your site" on search engine home pages. Keep in mind that it can take months before your site shows up, and then most likely it will be many pages in. To increase ranking, make sure you swap links with other authors or sites that pertain to writing. Add a Resources page with links you've researched, links that other authors will find valuable. Get a Google AdSense account and place their ads at the top of your web pages. Remember, content is key on any web site!
* One of the best ways to establish a web presence is by writing Press Releases. A press release is a news article or announcement, usually averaging 400 words, that should be sent out a month prior to any event as it takes time for the release to be picked up by other media sources. Press releases can be written by professional companies or by the writer themselves, and you can send them out weekly. They should be sent to all local media sources (fax them to TV, radio, newspapers and magazines), and to PR feeds online. I highly recommend www.24-7PressRelease.com. This is the company I use almost exclusively. Their rates are affordable, they have a more personal approach and they are extremely generous in cases of emergency. 24-7PressRelease.com even sponsored a project I worked on, Project Drumheller, and became our official media sponsor for the duration of the campaign. I have used this press release service over PRWeb's service, and will continue to do so. 24-7PressRelease.com is the crme de la crme of online PR services. There are also a number of free press release services that you can submit your news release to: Press-World.com, Free-Press-Release.com, TheOpenPress.com and more. Your releases will get picked up by hundreds of RSS feeds and distributed internationally.
You will also want to find places you can advertise your books. I highly recommend that you apply for a membership at www.BookAdz.com. The rates are very affordable and you can promote your books through BookAdz without having to give up a percentage of sales. Sales can be directed to any outlet, your publisher or yourself. You have a choice between three packages, but with a GoldAdz membership you can advertise an unlimited amount of book titles. You can also advertise through www.NorthWestWriters.com and many more membership sites.
The fact is, the more your name is out there in cyberspace, the more people who read about your exciting action-packed thriller or suspenseful murder mystery, the more people who see your name pop up when they search for Canadian mystery authors, then the more potential customers you have. People buy more of what they know, what they frequently see. Your job as a published writer is to "get known".
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a former motivational speaker and journalist, with three published novels to her credit. The River, a terrifying techno-thriller; Divine Intervention, a psychic suspense; and Whale Song, a heartbreaking, emotional mystery can be found at Trafford.com, Chapters, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Powells and more. Tardif is the Edmonton Area Publishing Associate for Trafford Publishing, a leading print-on-demand publisher based in Victoria, BC. She is CEO of BookAdz, a company that promotes Canadian and American writers, and founder of http://www.AlbertaAuthors.com/ and A.F.T.E.R. Canada.
Offshore Oil Rig Jobs
While many of the offshore oil rig jobs are physical in nature, many of the rig companies go out of their way to make sure your time spent onboard is an enjoyable one. For instance employees may find themselves living in accommodation wings that meet 4 or 5 star hotel standards - despite the fact that you a living in the middle of the ocean. While you are on board the company will usually meet all food, board and laundry expenses, along with travel and transfer costs.
There are a large number of offshore oil rig jobs that are available. The range of employment opportunities include:
Driller, Derrickman, Shakerhand or Mudman, Toolpusher, Floormen or Roughnecks, Motorman, Assistant Driller, Crane Operator, Roustabouts, Cleaner/Painter, Storekeeper, Mechanic/Electrician, Sub Sea Engineer, Rig Mechanic, Rig Electrician, Rig Welder, Barge Engineer, Ballast Controlman or Watchstander, Captain and Chief Engineer, Rig Medic and Safety Man.
Most offshore oil rig jobs call for a 14/21 day rotation that means you work for 14 days and have 21 off. This equates to you having approximately 3/5 of the year off on holiday.
In the offshore oil rig industry, there are opportunities for drilling employment and travel to countries such as: Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, the United States, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Mexico, Russia, Norway, China, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Typically salaries for roustabouts and roughnecks (drill deck workers) are approximately US $300 per day. Annual salaries work out to be approximately US $47,000.
More specialized jobs such as that of Driller is likely to make around $56,000 per annum, which Toolpushers, Drill Leaders and Supervisors are likely to earn around the US $75,000 - $100,000 mark per year.
Entry level positions typically make between US $50,000 - US $80,000 per annum. Trades, technical and professional positions will likely earn between US $70,000 - US $220,000 per annum. The website at http://www.oil-rig-job.com features more information on getting jobs in this industry.
Life Offshore
- You will be issued with safety boots hard hat safety glasses and coveralls.
- Keep a good attitude and be focused on why you wanted to work offshore.
- There are smoking rooms at various places on a rig where safety matches will be supplied.
- For meals you take off your work gear and eat in the galley.
- You may have to work a night shift or two as an oil rig is a 24 hour operation.
- Don't upset the radio operator, medic or chef. Helicopters, medical attention and food are most important.
Aboard an oil rig every piece of lifting equipment has a color code on it - this is an indication that it was tested as safe to use on the last lifting equipment check. Only items with the current color code on them should be used.
When working in the petroleum industry, don't bring alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons (of any description) including knives, flammable items, lighters and matches (safety matches will be provided in the smokers room) when working on energy jobs.
If working aboard an offshore rig, remove batteries from electrical equipment before checking in you luggage. If you are to be transported by helicopter your mobile phone may be taken from you before you board the helicopter.
A number of people working aboard oil rigs work are in support roles such as catering crew and doctors, etc. The following is an outline of what may be expected for doctors or medics. Because of the physical size of rigs, many of these types of roles are sole charged and one must be able to make do with the facilities and resources at end. In the case of doctors or medics based aboard oil rigs, it may be necessary to treat patients suffering from a huge variety of ailments and illnesses. Issues can arise as a lot of the workers aboard oil rig installations may speak foreign languages, so it is critical for the medical personnel to be able to quickly and effectively diagnose the problem. Generally medical staff will work one of two shifts, either day or night. Their role can often also include checking and maintianing stocks of emergency supplies, testing and verifying drinking water supplies are clean, as well as inspecting both raw and cooked foods from the kitchen. They are also often responsible for conducting weekly first aid seminars for all workers aboard the oil rig.
Claire Calkin has been working in the oil rig employment industry for over 4 years and during this time has provided countless people with advice and assistance on how to best get jobs in the oil industry.
