Einbahnstrasse

Hey everyone!  It's Steve - I've finally broken my silence.  This is my 1st entry...I hope I can measure up to Andee's level.  Now, on to the story...

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When we decided that we were going to indeed head to Germany, I knew we would struggle with the language barrier.  I expected that this would probably be the single hardest issue to overcome.  Some of my anxiety over this was calmed when I heard that English is the 2nd language here and most people 30 and under actually know it quite well.  I must admit, that after staying in international hotels that cater to Americans and eating in mostly American-style restaurants for the better part of 2 weeks, I was lulled into a false sense of security.  I mean, after all, I had the basics down pat:  'Ein Kolsche bitte' (one beer please) gets you quite far in this town.  Throw in a 'Danke Shoen' (thank you) now and then and you've won half the battle.  And, if things get a bit sticky, you can always drop the 'No spreken zie Duetsche' to bail you out of most situations.

This euphoria I was living in quickly came crashing down last week when I exchanged my high-end European rental car that the concierge lined me up with, for the company-issued Ford C-Max.  My 1st car came equipped with a navigation system that spoke English (absolutely essential in a foreign city this big).  I thought that was a special feature on my car only, and wasn't sure if the C-Max would even have GPS, let alone one that spoke English.  Since I was getting it in Burscheid, I would have to figure out how to get back to Cologne without the help of someone giving me step-by-step instructions.  Then, when I got into town, I could just buy a GPS that I could understand and my problems would be solved.  So, I decided to look up some German driving words that might help me on the way home before I left work.

About half-way down the list, I noticed a particular word that struck me differently than the rest.  I had recognized other words on the list, but knew them only from catching a glimpse of them on signs on the Autobahn or when taking an exit ramp.  This one was different though, and more familiar somehow.  I thought back to my first weekend in the city, when I walked everywhere and tried to find my way around with the help from the touristy map the front desk gave me.  I was initially surprised at how hard it is to find street signs and, more importantly, which road at the intersection the sign is referring to.  90% of the roads in the town end in 'strasse', which is German for street.  The other 10% end in 'platz', which means 'place'.  There aren't many other options like Drive, Court, Boulevard, etc., like we have in the states.  This only helped add to my confusion, and I'm not embarrassed to say that the first couple of times in the city center, I lost my way and got completely turned around.  I felt many times like I was walking in circles, as I kept seeing the same street sign.  It never seemed like I was on this street, but it was always nearby.  I tried to follow them, as I assumed it was one of the main streets, even though I never saw it on the map.  Later in the week, I saw this same sign in another part of the city, but didn't think much of it at the time.  I just thought it must've been a very long street.

Now that I was reading a list of traffic terms however, seeing the name of a street in Cologne there didn't sit right.  I could feel my face turn red as I looked over to see the translation:

          Einbahnstrasse............................One-way Street

I could immediately see the sign again in my head:  "It's not just a blue and white sign, THAT'S AN ARROW YOU IDIOT!"