10 accents

The English Language Journal

for Baden-Württemberg
www.accents-magazine.de
June/July/August 2006
magazine

Name your Game

Playing sport in Baden-Württemberg

Exposed: the Irish pub spy
Schwäbisch Hall alive this summer
Tips on Tipping, American style
 7
Contents
10 14 16
Feature Children’s Corner accent on… Regulars
10 Pick your game 9 Adventure parks 16 Schwäbisch Hall 4 Letters
English and American 9 Book reviews An open-air beauty 4 My Two Cents
sports in Baden- Sports expressions
Württemberg Arts and Culture Good to Know 20 accents choice
What’s on listings
News and Events 14 NEAT and ACTS 18 Money Matters 23 accents guide
Theatre birthdays VAT advice Clubs and contacts

Cover photo by Chrys Rynearson

5 Football fans aplenty 15 Book reviews 18 Heilbronn Tips 25 Classifieds
6 Exposing the pub spy 19 Review your investments
7 Special Report:
a degree in English Labyrinth
8 Writers meet in Stuttgart
26 Tipping in Germany
26 Tip big or eat at home!

Editorial

The German media is generally
quite critical of the ability of
its national sports teams. But
frankly, Germany is one of the
world’s most successful sport-
ing nations and invests a huge
amount of time and effort into
sport. Around 27 million people
are members of some 90,000
sports clubs across the country.
But where do minor sports or
sports introduced from foreign
countries figure in these stat-
istics?
You might be surprised to
learn that players of rugby,
American football and cricket
are included in the statistics.
The sports that originate or are
commonly played in English-
speaking countries may be hard
to 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 in
Germany – is becoming more
‘American’ in terms of its
accessibility? We’ve done the
leg-work on all sorts of sports
for you. Turn to page 12 for
more.
Looking for something to do
this summer to avoid the World
Cup football tournament? Every
year the town of Schwäbisch
Hall stages a three-month-long,
open-air, summer theatre fest-
ival. The main drama takes
place on the magnificent broad
steps of St. Michael’s church in
the town’s centre. ‘Hall’ is also
celebrating its 850th birthday
this year. It’s a beautiful town to
wander around in. We sent our
travel writer to Hall to discover
its charms.
We’ve also discovered a
couple of dream jobs. Meet
East London Andy, the English
diplomat, who’s actually paid to
go and watch any football game
he wants to in Germany this
summer. And there’s an Irish-
man in Göppingen who claims
he was paid to travel around
Germany to drink Guinness in
every Irish pub he could find.
Ha! The stories you hear…
As well, read through this
three-month summer edition of
accents for information on top-
class study in Bruchsal, red-
wine tasting in Heilbronn, and
quality English theatre in Stutt-
gart. And if you’ve never really
understood how much change
to leave for a waiter in Germany
after a beer or a cup of coffee,
we provide some timely tips
on tipping. Cheers! Zum Wohl!
Enjoy the summer.
accents magazine
editorial team

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 Marlow
Copy 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 Andrew
Golledge, 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

accents magazine 3
 Letters accents magazine
Neue Brücke 3
70173 Stuttgart

to the Editor editor@accents-magazine.de

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Books and drama

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 well
expatriates speak German after having lived here for 10 years
or so! I don’t think it’s fair always to assume that the rest of
the world needs to speak English. Native English speakers also
need to discover the value of learning a second language. Un-
fortunately, I know several people whose German is relatively
poor despite having lived here for a long time. Of course, there
are lots of exceptions. But how about a test of expats‚ German
ability to get an objective overview?
Dr. Cindy L. Halbert-Seger, Ludwigsburg
Hi and Bye
Dear accents,
I recently discovered your magazine on the Internet and read
the My Two Cents column on e-mail language (accents 04
p. 27.) I must admit that I myself also feel somewhat slighted
when someone doesn’t write at least “Hi” or “Hello” at the
beginning of a message. After reading the article, I looked back
over some e-mails that I’ve received. I’ve found that many of
my co-workers do not offer any form of greeting, but when it
comes 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 of
English books. The site (www.bookswapper.de) offers a venue
for swapping English books online with no charge. Its target
audience is expatriates or more generally people who read
English and are currently living in Germany.
Resi Kainz, Aachen
Hello accents,
We are an English-language drama group from Aalen, the
Round Table Players – you reported on us last year. We have
just put on our annual play, “The Bug”, which was a great
success. We just wanted to say that thanks to your article, we
were also asked to perform recently at the Volkshochschule
in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. It’s nice to know that through your
magazine word gets around about English-language arts and
culture 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 wondered
why your German husband is still attached to his mother’s
apron 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 walk
every Sunday afternoon can I still have the traditional Sunday
coffee and Kuchen? For all you readers who miss advice col-
umns in newspapers here’s your chance to write to the “Dear
Abby” of Deutschland. I hope to be of help! Send your quest-
ions to lizgaiser@online.de

My Two Cents fairness. A subject might be deemed to be

By Katharine A. Schmidt
Despite my fondness for baseball, and the
fact that I witnessed the Cameroon-Sweden
game at the 1994 Soccer World Cup, I am
not what you would call a big sports fan.
Nor are most of the people I know. How is it
then, that a quick E-mail request for every-
day expressions that come from the world
of sports yielded so many responses?
My dad was quickest off the bat, so to
speak, with “get to first base,“ a term that
denotes a step on the way toward sexual
intercourse. Those who don’t make it that
far can be said to have “struck out,” another
baseball term. The question, “Did you
score?” also has a sexual connotation –
or it can refer to an illegal drug purchase.
Many sporting terms relate to ideas of
“out of bounds,” while “moving the goal-
posts” all the time doesn’t help you close a
deal. Instead, you need to achieve a “level
playing field” so that everyone has an equal
chance of winning. Another word, common
in business and politics, is “whistleblower,”
a person who makes public inside know-
ledge of wrongdoing. I’m told that this
comes from soccer.
The list of examples goes on. From box-
ing we’ve got “below the belt” (a remark
that’s hurtful and unfair); from American
football comes “do an end run” (go around
an obstacle); golf yields “on par with” (equal
to). Basketball has given us “swish” (some-
thing that’s gone smoothly) and from motor
racing we’ve got “revved up” (excited,
ready to let loose). The English, and other
cricket lovers around the world, borrow lots
of expressions from their beloved summer
game, such as “hit for six” which means
shocked 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 American
usage have their origin in this game. The
Website wordsmith.org includes a citation
for a “sticky wicket” – a difficult situation –
from The New York Times Magazine.
Wordsmith also cites the expression “hat
trick” – three successes in a row in a game
or other endeavor – in a Business Week
article about real estate investment trusts.
The “wordsmiths” tell us the expression
comes from the former practice of awarding
a 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

4 Letters accents magazine

 News and Events

English and Australian fans

to party this summer

Andy Battson has got what many English softly approach to policing and good com-

Photo: UK Embassy, Berlin

visitors to Germany this summer would
consider a dream job: he’s Britain’s football
attaché for the World Cup tournament.
He’s essentially got a ticket for all of Eng-
land’s games but he’ll probably be too busy
to carefully follow all of those games live.
“I admit it is a rather unusual diplomatic
posting. But we’ve found in previous
tournaments that it was worth having a foot-
ball attaché to co-ordinate all the diplomatic
organising we have to do for such a big
event,” says Battson.
Around 100,000 English football fans
are expected to be in Germany to follow
England’s fortunes in the World Cup. But
Battson isn’t expecting much in the way of
problems with the oft-mentioned English
‘hooliganism’.
“Around 3,500 hooligans have been
banned from travelling to the continent,”
says Battson. “The vast majority of fans
just love their football and with a softly-
munication we shouldn’t have problems.”
The English team will be based in the
Buhlerhohe Schlosshotel, near Baden
Baden for the duration of the World Cup.
For this reason, thousands of English fans
are expected to stay close to their team
and base themselves in Baden-Württem-
berg for the World Cup.
Battson has been to Stuttgart twice for
diplomatic football duties in the lead-up to
the World Cup. “There’s a nice atmosphere
for football there, and if England win their
group, they’ll be playing their next round
match in Stuttgart,” he says. “They won’t
be too far from their base camp and a base
of supporters.”
The Australian football team is one of
five other squads that will also be based in
Baden-Württemberg for the tournament.
The ‘Socceroos’ will be training in Öhringen
near Heilbronn and staying in the nearby
Schlosshotel Friedrichsruhe. As a result,
A most unusual
diplomatic posting:
Andy Battson, the
UK’s football attaché
to Germany
according to tourism officials, there’s been
a flood of last-minute bookings from
Australians who plan to come to Stuttgart
for the World Cup. The fact that the
Australian team has made it to the World
Cup finals for the first time since 1974 –
when the tournament was last held in
Germany – is a good enough reason for
many Australians to party in Stuttgart’s
pubs and beer gardens.

Mondays
Music & movie quiz

Tuesdays
Live Jazz music

W ednesdays
General Knowledge Quiz

Saturdays
Darts tournament

The George & Dragon English Pub

In Hotel Le Meridien
W illy-Brandt-Stra§e 30
70173 Stuttgart
0711 2804969
w w w.gandd.info

accents magazine News and Events 5


What can The
Open University
do for you?
It can give you a BA/BSc degree, MA,
MSc, MBA, Diploma or Certificate.
But just as important, it opens up a
new world of interests, challenges and
achievements. The Open University
offers a choice of 199 courses which
are taught in English. And provided
you’re over 18 and resident in the
European Union, you’re eligible.
No previous qualifications are required
for most undergraduate courses.
Over 2 million people have studied
with The Open University. For further
information please contact Matthew
Hawkes on the email below –
please quote reference code DEFASB.
email: m.hawkes@open.ac.uk
www.open.ac.uk
6 News and Events
Exposed: the Guinness Spy!
A tough job but someone’s got to do it
By Krysia Diver
Once upon a time, alarm bells would
ring as soon as a freckle-faced stranger
walked into an Irish pub in Germany.
This meant only one thing: The Guinness
spy was in town.
That was in the 1990s, when Guinn-
ess would pay some lucky guy to roam
Germany in search of the Irish Pub of
the Year. The so-called Guinness spy had
the task of visiting hundreds of Irish
pubs on an all-expenses-paid trip lasting
one year. When Irishman Liam Cassidy –
who now lives in Göppingen – landed
the job in 1998, he thought he had died
and gone to heaven.
Guinness had employed Liam – a
business studies graduate – to sup pints
of cold, creamy Guinness in around
almost 400 Irish pubs scattered across
Germany. For Liam, whose girlfriend
was in Germany at the time, it seemed
like the dream job. But Liam’s illusions
of savouring perfectly-pulled pints of
Guinness on Berlin’s sunny boulevards
were shattered soon after he arrived in
Germany.
“In the first pub I came across, I
ordered a Guinness. I couldn’t believe it
– it had a frothy head, and it was just
like a Pils,” he recalls with disgust.
Despite a disappointing start, Liam soon
got into the routine of testing Germany’s
Irish pubs. “It would take a good few
nights 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 like
the ideal job, but there was a lot of
driving involved. I would sometimes
drive 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 tight
schedule. But I guess I did get to know
Germany inside out.”
Liam would arrive in a pub unannounc-
ed, sit quietly in a corner and make
mental notes about the atmosphere, the
décor, and of course the Guinness. But
surely the landlords who knew their
locals must have been slightly curious
about this lone punter? “Well I have red
hair and freckles, so I did tend to stand
out a bit,” says Liam. Because there is
a close network of landlords who own
Irish pubs in Germany, rumours would
circulate 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, you
just had to play the game,” he says. In
total, Liam was required to make three
round trips of Germany, the third time in
the company of a Guinness judge, who
chose O’Reilly’s in Heidelberg, from
Liam’s shortlist of 10 Irish pubs.
Today, Guinness no longer employs
people to embark on a one-year mission
to find Germany’s top Irish pub. Keeping
up with the times, Guinness’ Frankfurt
bureau now runs an interactive Internet
competition which invites members
of the public to decide which Irish pub
is worthy of the top title. John Galvin,
the European marketing manager for
Guinness, says: “We decided to give the
public the chance to participate online
and nominate their favourite Irish pub.
This is all about consumer choice.”
Members of the public are asked to
make their judgement according to crit-
eria including staff service, welcoming
atmosphere and good Guinness.
So what happened to Liam Cassidy?
Well, he opened his own Irish pub of
course, Dirty Nellies, in Göppingen. And
for those of you who have always want-
ed to act as a Guinness spy, now you
have a good reason to visit Irish pubs.
Vote for your favourite Irish pub by
logging onto www.guinness.de.
“With red hair and
freckles I did tend
to stand out a bit.”
Guinness expert
and former pub spy,
Liam Cassidy.
accents magazine
Special Report
International University in Germany
A model for the IT and business managers of tomorrow
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 training
young academics for their future career
paths. The university cultivates students’
drive to excel, along with interdisciplinary
thinking, 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 sponsors
from the business world.
“Today, most of our foreign students –
who make up about half of the 180-strong
student body - come here not least due to
our excellent connections with the indust-
ry,” explains Prof. Dr. Tomás Bayón, Vice
President of the International University in
Germany. It’s easy to see how this came
Main Hall,
International
University
in Germany
accents magazine
about. The course structure in the form of
trimesters allows subjects to be covered
much more rapidly than in the traditional
semester system. A bachelor’s degree
program (with a focus on Business Admini-
stration, IT or International Communication
Management) can be completed after only
nine trimesters, and a master’s (in Busin-
ess or IT) takes just five trimesters of study.
An excellent professor / student ratio of
about 1/ 7 guarantees students a steady
relationship with a faculty contact person
or mentor. These mentors provide compre-
hensive guidance for the young people in
Bruchsal, who are viewed as customers. In
addition to English as language of instruct-
ion, the required internship trimester and a
trimester abroad further enhance the value
of the education obtained here.
Every course of studies also includes
instruction 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 their
students master not only the actual subject
material. The teachers also support their
students’ character development and cult-
ural and people skills to make sure they
have the capabilities they need to achieve
success in their later careers. The students
live in international residential communities
and work on the university campus.
Students mixing
with employers
at a company
contact event
The university’s track record speaks for
itself. More than 95 percent of the stu-
dents attain their final degree. At the same
time, the vice president emphasizes the
fact that students can only earn their aca-
demic degree here by performing at top
level, despite tuition as high as 10,000
euros per year. Strict rules are applied in
terms of both admission requirements and
grading.
The study programs offered at the
International University in Germany meet
the highest quality demands: for example,
the bachelor’s and master’s degree pro-
grams fulfill the stringent quality standards
set by the FIBAA accreditation agency for
academic programs.
Graduates of the International University
are in high demand in the business world.
The blend of practical, entrepreneurial know-
ledge coupled with advanced IT or business
administration skills, as well as the inter-
national focus, are criteria that equip gra-
duates very well for their future as young
executives. The current college rankings
published by the Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung confirm the university’s high stand-
ing. 84 percent of International University
in Germany graduates surveyed rated the
quality of studies there as “very good.”
Prof. Bayón concludes: “Our vision has
proven itself in actual day-to-day practice.
We are proud to be able to meet the
expectations of internationally successful
enterprises. It’s only through communicat-
ion and cooperation that instruction and
educational goals can be continuously
adapted to the changing demands of the
economy. And we’ve managed to do just
that.”
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
News and Events 7
 Fingers to the keyboard
your business New writers’ group in Stuttgart
accent on
Draw a rough plan of the house or flat you
grew up in. Put yourself in a room in the
house, and conjure up a memory, some-
thing pleasant or unpleasant that happened
in that room. Now write a few sentences
about 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 created
Writers Group in Stuttgart.
“I find that I write best when I’m
motivated by other people, and have the
pressure of a deadline to write to,” says
Karenne Sylvester, the founder of the
group. “Writing is something you do by
yourself, but by reading your work out, and
www.brucklacher.de
working with a team to re-shape your work,
tel 07121 25860
fax 07121 25870
you become much more productive.”
Sylvester, originally from Grenada in the
Caribbean, arrived in Stuttgart two years
ago. She found work teaching English part-
time so she could use the rest of her time
pursuing her love of writing. She hoped
Building for a good cause
Students to help with housing
Mixing concrete and laying tiles instead
visuelle kommunikation
of sitting on a beach in the sun? It’s not
everyone’s idea of a holiday. But that’s
exactly what 22 students, parents and
72762 reutlingen
büro brucklacher
teachers from the International School in
kammweg 46
informational systems
corporate design
webdesign
Ready for a working
holiday in hungary:
the ISS building
troupe
8 News and Events
to find a writers’ group already in Stuttgart.
“I was surprised to find nothing here,”
she says. She decided to set up a group
herself.
The writers’ group now meets once a
month at the German-American Centre
in Stuttgart. The purpose is to provide a
forum where writers can be supported by
fellow writers. With simple workshop exer-
cises, readings, practical writing tips and
with the persuasion and encouragement
of other writers, stories get written. “It’s
very much a ‘do’ rather than a ‘talk-about-
writing’ meeting,” says Sylvester. The
group is open to both fiction and non-fiction
writers or wanna-be writers. There is no
fee or club membership involved. The
working language is English, although
anyone is welcome to write and read out
their own work in their own language.
For further information contact Karenne
Sylvester via E-mail: writersinstuttgart
@yahoo.com
Stuttgart (ISS) have chosen to do in July.
They’re travelling to Hungary to help build
housing for poor families.
“Habitat for Humantity“ is the name of
the American aid organisation the ISS has
decided to work for. “Habitat” was set up
in 1976 and is active in 94 countries. Its
goal is to provide simple, safe living spaces
for people without homes. With the organ-
isation’s help, two hundred thousand homes
have been built, and one million people
have benefited.
The 22-member ISS building troupe is
not 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 party
service and baby-sitting ventures. A giant
quilt is being sewn together for an auction
and the group is collecting cash donations
as well. The goal is to raise 18,000 euros
before the group sets off.
“I’ll be taking part in the project for the
second time,” says Janne Kaas, 18 years
old. “Last year I was in Portugal. Instead of
lazing around I want to do something more
useful with my free time. It’s a wonderful
feeling when you see the happy faces of
the 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
accents magazine

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,
Photo: Tripsdrill
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 to
Florence to become an apprentice to
Andrea del Verrocchio, to learn the trade
of an artist. He meets up with young
Sandro Botticelli and helps uncover a
plot to undermine the Florentine power-
brokers, the Medici. This is a masterfully
presented story, set against a background
of political intrigue, which presents
Leonardo as a sympathetic yet somewhat
accents magazine
Children’s Corner
Gmeinweiler (near Welzheim). Tel 07182
936100. Open daily in the summer from
9 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults 16 euros, children
13.50 euros. www.schwabenpark.com
Abenteuerwald Kenzingen
A ‘stroll’ through the treetops in an adven-
ture forest. There are six adventure training
routes, 6 -16 metres high in the forest.
Guided routes take up to three hours.
Address: Hinter dem Sportplatz, Kenzingen-
Bombach. Tel 07823 9612803. Open daily
in 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 – plenty
of rides, a wilderness park and animal
shows. Address: Treffentrill, Cleebronn-
Tripsdrill. Tel 07135 9999. Open daily in the
summer from 9 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults
19 euros, children (ages 4 -11) 16 euros.
www.tripsdrill.de (Also in English.)
Schwarzwaldpark Löffingen
A Black Forest fun park which opened in
April this year that promises “fun aplenty.
Little ones are BIG with us!” Address:
callow figure whose budding genius is
not yet recognized. What is appealing
about this book is the depiction of Leo-
nardo as a very human boy who plays a
Renaissance version of football and is
able to make friends like anyone else.
Angel Monster is the story of Mary
Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.
Mary grew up in a family that supported
women’s rights and the concept of free
love – unconventional, to say the least,
in the early 1800’s. When Percy Shelley
walks into her father’s bookstore, Mary
is only sixteen. She falls in love with the
controversial poet, who elopes with
Mary and marries her. Alas, Mary’s father
changes his mind about free love, and
the young woman is banished from her
family’s home. Mary’s consequent life
with Shelley and the appearance in her
life of the debauched Lord Byron provide
the context for the birth of her novel,
Writing competition
Thanks for your response to the writ-
ing competition we announced in the
last edition of accents. Due to dead-
line commitments for this edition we
were unable to sort through and prop-
erly judge all the entries on time. We
will announce the winners in the next
edition (September-October) of
accents.
Wildparkstraße 1, Löffingen. Tel 07654
808560. Open daily from 9 am - 8 pm.
Cost: adults 7 euros, children (4 -14 years
old) 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 the
summer from 9:30 am - 6 pm. Cost: adults
8 euros, children (3 -11 years old) 7 euros.
On Fridays, except during school holidays,
a child accompanied by an adult gets in for
free. www.freizeitpark-traumland.de
Frankenstein. Veronica Bennett’s book
is fabulous, written with the sense of
gloom and suspense one expects from
a gothic horror story, although there is
nothing horrific in the narration. Despite
her 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 summer
this is the book to read.
Children’s Corner 9
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 are
all played in Baden-Württemberg. Other
lesser known sports like hockey and golf
are becoming more popular, due in part to
the influence of American or British ways
of playing or promoting the sport. And
then there are obscure sports like ultimate
Frisbee, lacrosse and ‘korfball’ – a variation
of 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 sports
which you may be keen to try out for the
first time.
American Football
The popular US sport is also building up a
strong following of players and supporters
in Germany. There is a German Football
League, divided into northern and southern
leagues, the respective winners of which
play-off for the national championship,
the German Bowl. In Baden-Württemberg,
two teams play in the German League, the
Stuttgart Scorpions and the Schwäbisch
Hall Unicorns. But there are 37 other
American 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 the
modern variation of the game stem from
England. But it was in 1845 in the United
10 Feature
Contact Roland Dopp
Photo: www.photocase.com
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 played
for six hours a day, for five days in a row,
and at the end of all that time a match can
still end in a draw? Cricket, of course! A
Baseball, the popular
American sport, is bewildering sport for some, an extremely
played by 36 teams popular summer sport for many people in
in B-W. the UK and Commonwealth countries. But
cricket is also played in Germany. We’ve
found two cricket clubs in Baden-Württem-
berg.
States that the first all-encompassing base- The Cosmopolitan Cricket Club Hassloch
ball rules were written. By the 1870s in the (CCC Hassloch) is actually based in Rhine-
US, baseball was already so popular it was land-Palatinate. But the team has training
being labelled “The National Game.” Base- facilities at the University Sports Ground in
ball is also played professionally in Japan, Heidelberg.
Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Venezuela. Contact Arshad Razvi
In Baden-Württemberg, baseball and it’s Tel 06202 74852
underarm variant, softball, are organised E-mail razvi1971@yahoo.de
into one sporting association. There are 36 The Freiburg Nomads Cricket Club:
baseball and softball teams in B-W, ranging Contact Andy Holton
from the Aalen Strikers and the Esslingen Tel 0761 4537323
Eagles to the Heidelberg Hedgehogs, the E-mail secretary@freiburg-cricket.de
Nagold Mowhawks and the Sindelfingen Website www.freiburg-cricket.de
Squirrels. Baseball and softball are played
by both men and women. Field Hockey
Contact Information There are 40 registered hockey teams in
Baden-Württembergischer Baden-Württemberg, boasting 6994 play-
Baseball- und Softballverband e.V.
Tel 07158 9878447
Photo: Stock.xchng
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, has
developed into one of the best basketball
players in the USA. Baden-Württemberg
has three teams in the German men’s
national basketball league: EnBW Ludwigs-
Ducking under a fast
burg, Walter Tigers Tübingen and BG Karls- one: club cricket is
ruhe. But there are around 250 basketball played in Freiburg
clubs across the state. If you like basket- and near Heidelberg.
ball, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a team
to play with, or to watch, near you.
accents magazine

Sticking at it
Searching for the right sport
Jackie Wellhäußer loves
sport. But it took her six
years in Baden-Württemberg
and a lot of persistence to
find a team sport she enjoy-
ed playing.
When Wellhäußer, now
31, first arrived in Stuttgart
from England nine years ago,
she immediately set about
finding a local netball team
to play in. There wasn’t one.
Netball is not a sport that is
played in Stuttgart. So she
arranged to hire a hall with
friends once a week and
organised mixed (men and
women) netball games her-
self. However, there just
weren’t enough people con-
sistently showing up to
sustain it.
Next she tried her hand at
rugby – yes, women’s rugby
– played in Stuttgart-Deger-
loch. “It was a nice group of
people but it was a bit too
rough for me, especially after
being used to playing a non-
contact sport like netball,”
says Wellhäusßer. She then
tried indoor hockey but the
Scandinavians and other
women she was playing with
were so much better than
she was that hockey soon
lost its appeal.
“What I really wanted to
do was find a good team
sport, that I could play out-
doors, which I felt that I
accents magazine
Photo: Chrys Rynearson
could eventually get better
at.” So in 2003, Wellhäußer
decided she was simply
going to have to learn to play
the most popular sport in the
world.
Through an Internet
search she eventually found
a women’s football (soccer)
team looking for more play-
ers: VfL Kaltental. There
were no English women
among them but they were
a nice bunch of people. She
had no clue as to how to play
football and decided only to
train with the team for the
first year until she felt con-
fident enough to play in her
first real match. Now she’s
an integral part of the team’s
defence, and attends at least
one of the two trainings
sessions a week as well as
games on Sundays. The sea-
son runs from September
until the end of May, with a
three-month break through
the winter months.
“It did take me a while to
find the right game. Netball
was really my love in Eng-
land but it was not to be.
I really like playing football
now and we’re always look-
ing for new players – any
English-speaking women out
there would be welcome to
join us. You don’t need to be
experienced – I wasn’t.”
If you are interested
in playing football write to
jackiewellha@aol.com

Photo: Tobias Merkle
The HTC Stuttgarter
Kickers hockey team
wins the German
championship.
ers. Half of these are kids. Many English
and American adults and children are involv-
ed in the sport, and the league is growing
in strength in B-W. HTC Stuttgarter Kickers
are the current German champions. (The
hockey 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 in
Baden-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 skills
similar to basketball. But we haven’t dis-
covered anywhere so far where netball is
played by regular teams. If, however, you
like netball you may want to try Korfball.
Invented in Holland, Korfball is essentially
a variation of mixed netball – four men and
four 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 Korfball
www.korfballnet.com or
www.korfball.co.uk
Lacrosse
Played by teams of ten, lacrosse is most
popular in North America, the UK and
Australia. But it’s gaining in popularity in
Germany, where lacrosse teams often
associate with hockey clubs. The Stuttgart
team, HTC Stuttgarter Kickers, has an
American coach and is in the national
lacrosse league. There are also lacrosse
teams in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Frei-
burg.
12 Feature
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 in
98 countries around the world and in 39
countries 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 an
international level. The next Rugby World
Cup takes place in France next year. Baden-
Württemberg is among the strongest rugby
regions in Germany, with 15 competitive
rugby clubs, in – among other places –
Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Konstanz, Ravens-
burg, Rottweil, Pforzheim, Freiburg and
Stuttgart. Rugby is also played by women
in 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 Frisbee
leisurely around in a park – this is a serious
team sport, now played across Germany.
And the one of the most amazing things
about 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 teams
in Baden-Württemberg. All teams in Ger-
many are united under a national Frisbee
sports’ association, the President and Vice-
President of which are based in Stuttgart
and Freiburg respectively.
Contact Volker Schlechter, President,
Deutschen Frisbeesport-Verbandes e.V.
Tel 0711 7352276
E-mail praesident@frisbeesportverband.de
Website www.frisbeesportverband.de
Photo: www.frisbeesportverband.de
Stalling, 1, 2, 3, up!
In ultimate frisbee
the players make the
calls.
accents magazine
Getting into Golf the head golf pro at the Bondorf golf
course near Herrenberg. He was intro-
option for beginners or for those who
want to take up golf again. A license-to-
Open to all duced to golf through the British army
whilst stationed in Dortmund, and in 1995
play qualification with the VcG costs 220
euros membership per year and allows
turned professional. In Bondorf, he runs you to play on a wide range of courses
individual and group coaching sessions. across Baden-Württemberg. Since the
An elitist game or a sport for every man He also runs his own shop, advising VcG qualification costs less than the aver-
and woman? Golf has gone in for an customers on suitable golfing equipment. age club membership, the association
image change in Germany in recent Lloyd says that golf has now become has seen its membership jump from
years – and has won thousands of new a people’s sport in Germany, much more 10,000 to more than 18,000 in the last
devotees as a result. Melissa Martin accessible and affordable than it ever five years. Another initiative of the VcG
reports on an English professional golf- was. Whole families now play together is “Pay and Play” where you merely pay
er who’s helping to effect the change. in Bondorf and there’s a thriving youth green fees to play on particular courses.
scene with about 100 players aged 18 So how has the sport changed in the
I grew up next to a park in England and under. The majority of golfers are last 15 years? Tony Lloyd looks out of his
where fathers would rent golf clubs for a German, but there are many English and shop window. “These days,” he says
quick round on the public course while American expats amongst the clientele. “The car park out there is permanently
their children played on the monkey bars. There are several reasons for the in- full.”
School friends played golf alongside teach- creasing popularity of golf. Around 700
ers and an evening at the driving range golf courses across Germany now offer If you can play golf and are interested
was affordable, safe fun for teenagers. some form of public green alongside their putting your skills to the test you may
Golf is the sixth most popular sport in the more exclusive members-only course. wish to register to play in the 15th
UK, with nine percent of men regularly At the 27-hole Bondorf course, this takes Annual USO Golf Tournament. (The USO
“out clubbing.” In the United States and the form of a 6-hole course. To play on is a service organization of the US mili-
Australia you’ll find a set of golf clubs in this, you need only to secure a license- tary.) It’s open to all expatriates and Ger-
the garage of every sports-loving house- to-play, a so-called Platzreife – a basic mans in the Stuttgart area. Registration
hold. golfing qualification costing 110 euros, closes on July 5. The tournament takes
However, for a long time, golf in Ger- proving that you can at least play a bit place on Saturday, July 15. For more
many was the preserve of those who and won’t put too many divots in the fair- information: Tel 0711 6804666,
could afford to pay big money in annual way. www.uso.org/stuttgart
club membership fees. Or as British pro- Becoming a member of the Association
fessional golfer Tony Lloyd puts it, “Golf of Clubfree Golf Players (Vereinigung For information about golf in
was for the ‘upper’ 10,000 few.” Lloyd is clubfreier Golfspieler – VcG) is also an Baden-Württemberg: www.golfbw.de
Arts and Culture
Neat Acts
Celebrating English-language drama
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 complete
without mentioning some of the memor-
able embarrassments of the last fifteen
years. In theatre, you’ve got to be prepared
for the eventuality that one of your props
won’t work. “What if the gun doesn’t go
off?“ is one of those clichéd questions
stage actors ponder. And the gun literally
did not go off in one memorable NEAT per-
formance of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains
It All. What did the resourceful Greta
Redmond 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 to
look back on was the moment in Misery
when Sophie Chaumette (playing the
disturbed nurse Annie Wilkes) put her heart
and soul into appearing to chop someone’s
14 Arts and Culture
leg off – so much so that she very nearly
turned fiction into painful reality. The trick
had been to use a dummy foot so that
Sophie could swing her axe convincingly.
John Doyle, who was playing the captive
writer Paul Sheldon, had tried to realign
the dummy foot, which had slipped, just as
Sophie wielded the dreaded weapon. John
still has the bruise to prove it.
Now well established in the Stuttgart
anglophone theatre scene, NEAT grew out
of an ensemble known as Open Minds, led
by Charles C. Urban in 1991. NEAT found
a fixed venue in 1994 at the Kommunales
Kontakt Theater in Bad Cannstatt. This en-
abled the group to offer audiences in and
around Stuttgart anglophone plays on a
regular basis. Recent successes range
from Macbeth with its innovative directing
by Cathie Mullen, and Samuel Beckett’s
Krapp’s Last Tape, to Chris Durang’s Sister
Mary, featuring a powerful performance by
Redmond. NEAT has also developed origin-
Tension grows
quickly in the ACTS
play Ancestors ,
which deals with
AIDS in Africa.
al pieces such as The Elvis Monologues
and has staged well-attended community
theatre events such as the ever-popular
Irish Evenings. In fact, the acronym should
contain the letter ‘I’ for Irish theatre, as
NEAT has staged a number of Irish plays
and cultural evenings.
Highly innovative and hugely popular is
the recently introduced series of favorite
fairytales read in English by NEAT actress
Greta Redmond on Sunday afternoons. The
sessions are open to all children 4 years
of age and up, whether native speakers of
English 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 at
Stuttgart’s Media University (Hochschule
der Medien), trainee actors, performing
artists living in the Stuttgart area and, more
recently, students of English from Stuttgart
University. Collaborative theatre combines
the production of issue-based plays with
active support for voluntary organizations
as well as established non-government
organisations. Not only do collaborative
theatre productions provide a forum for
intercultural and political exchange, they
can also create new communities of people
who come from widely varying cultural
backgrounds, 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 asylum
which went on to win a European theatre
award in 2002 for the best new play. This
was followed by a 2003 award for the play
Ghost Writing Hamlet on the ‘true’ identity
of William Shakespeare. In 2004, ACTS
developed Ancestors, a play linking the
colonial violence of nineteenth-century
South Africa with the AIDS pandemic. The
aim was partly to promote AIDS awareness
and partly to support local AIDS initiatives.
After the first run at Stuttgart’s Theater-
haus, Ancestors was adapted for a special
showing to an audience of AIDS victims
and doctors in Stuttgart. This performance
proved to be the essence of collaborative
accents magazine
theatre; the discussion with the audience
after the play was striking in its intensity.
After taking part in a live television phone-
in and debate on the US attack on Fallujah
in 2004, ACTS decided to devise the first
contemporary play on the current Iraq war,
Fallujan Women. It premiered at the Thea-
terhaus in April 2005. Fallujan Women has
been updated and will continue to run in
2006. Americans with a strong interest in
human rights are now working with ACTS.
One such campaigner, who is acting on
stage in Fallujan Women, is Michael Sharp.
He works as a legal counselor for disaffect-
ed US soldiers.
“I spend most of my time counseling
American soldiers who are struggling with
the issues of the war in Iraq,” says Sharp.
“Their stories and experiences make the
war real for those of us who don’t have to
participate in it. I see participation in ACTS
as a way of getting these stories out to the
public.”
International recognition
Both NEAT and ACTS represent Baden-
Württemberg at the annual Festival of
European Anglophone Theatrical Societies
(FEATS). This is an annual competition
between English-speaking amateur theatre
groups based in mainland Europe. The
festival started in 1975, centering on a few
groups in the Benelux countries but it has
since expanded to become a four-day fest-
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 creative
output, about his ability as a painter and
his production of scientific manuscripts,
but da Vinci’s life remains something of
a mystery because much of his personal
background is not documented. With
painstaking research, using a variety of
sources, Charles Nicholl has written a
sympathetic portrait of this enigmatic
artist – the human being, Leonardo da
Vinci. Nicholl has analysed Leonardo’s
accents magazine
ival featuring three one-act plays per even-
ing. One of its main aims is to help boost
the quality and range of skills displayed by
non-professional enthusiasts of anglophone
drama. The participating groups perform
either 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 of
Drama Adjudicators, judges the perform-
ances. He or she assigns points for various
aspects of each performance and offers
The actors of NEAT
constructive criticism, both publicly and in are looking ahead
a closed session with each group. with new chair-
As with many festivals, the competing person Sophie-Marie
drama groups are allowed only ten minutes Chaumette.
to construct their sets and five minutes
to deconstruct them so as to leave a bare
stage for the following group. This encourag- play, O’Flaherty V.C.
es pragmatic and creative approaches to The theatrical work done by ACTS is
staging plays and stresses the importance quite different to most of the work
of good backstage crews. staged by NEAT. But the groups do try to
NEAT and ACTS have both had their cooperate with each other closely and
share of triumphs and embarrassments at exchange ideas. In 2005 Sophie-Marie
FEATS. In 2002, ACTS had to suffer the Chaumette took over the reigns at NEAT as
crushing embarrassment of a video project- chairperson from Charles Urban. Let’s hope
or not functioning for what was billed as that both groups can constantly improve
a multimedia performance of Pricing Free- on their joint efforts to provide audiences
dom. One year later John Doyle had to in Baden Württemberg with a wide range
tough out a similar technical problem in of English-language shows and events in
NEAT’s performance of Krapp’s Last Tape. the years to come.
At times like that actors should be given
awards for bravery. NEAT will be traveling Contacts and Web Pages
to this year’s FEATS in Luxembourg with a www.neat-theater.de
provocative George Bernard Shaw one-act www.acts.hdm-stuttgart.de
work and describes the period in which parts. The first is a mixture of historical
he worked. It was a time when artists background and pep-talk about what we
relied on patronage and set up work- can accomplish if we apply ourselves.
shops to produce works in conveyor-belt- The second part focuses on a syllabus of
like fashion from a catalogue of popular learning, divided into seven “da Vincian
subjects or themes. The prices were set principles.” Each principle is described
depending on how often the hand of the with reference to da Vinci’s life or work
master had touched the work. In addition, and then assigned a modern application.
Nicholl explores the details of personal Included is a comprehensive musical
quests and curiosities scribbled through- listening list, as well as sensory, writing,
out Leonardo’s manuscripts, which pro- physical, and intellectual map-making exe-
vide an insight into his daily routines. (For rcises. The last section is a combination
example, a text on geometry suddenly of drawing lessons and a bibliography.
stops because “the soup is getting The exploration of the idea of genius com-
cold.”) No degree in art history is required bined with practical, modern applications
to enjoy the book; the analysis is clear makes this book a fascinating read.
and intelligently written and will be of
great interest to anyone curious to know
more about the workings of a most
elusive genius.
While Charles Nicholl attempts to
explore the human qualities of a genius,
Michael Gelb’s self-help book aims to
draw genius out of the ordinary human.
Essentially, Gelb outlines a course of
action for a rigorous, holistic humanities
education. The book is divided into three
Arts and Culture 15
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 city
is remarkably pretty. With so much snow
having fallen this winter you might expect
the buildings in Schwäbisch Hall to look a
little dirty, or at least a little damp, but no.
Every wooden-timbered, slightly crooked
old town house appears to have been
scrubbed clean, all masking the fact that
Hall is in fact a very old town. Were there
any other clues out there? Oh, that’s right,
the big red banner above my head. This
summer, Schwäbisch Hall is celebrating its
850th birthday.
Schwäbisch Hall is spectacularly situated
on the Kocher River in the north-eastern
part of Baden-Württemberg. Literally
translated, the name means Swabian salt
deposit. Salt was distilled by the Celts in
Schwäbisch Hall as early as the fifth cen-
tury BC. An imperial mint was also founded
here in the 12th century. The town grew
16 accent on…
prosperous from the production of salt and
coins, and from the 14th to the 16th cen-
tury Schwäbisch Hall controlled much of
the surrounding territory. In 1680 and 1728
fires destroyed large parts of the city, and
new buildings, including the city hall, were
constructed in the Baroque style. I was
delighted to discover that Schwäbisch
Hall’s twin town in England is none other
than Loughborough, where I went to
university. So when I set off to explore the
town I left my old student card sticking up
out of my wallet just in case anyone asked.
Since the beginning of the 20th century,
Hall (as it’s also known) has developed into
a city with many festivals. Especially well
known are the open-air theatre productions
(Freilichtspiele) which are performed every
year on the steps of St. Michael’s. It is an
incredible setting. This 15th century Gothic
church stands on the market square and
cuts an imposing figure into the sky. It was
here that I took off my backpack and began
to leaf through the handful of brochures
I’d picked up on this summer’s theatre
festival, which runs from June until August.
It was in 1925 that the very first play was
performed on the steps of St.Michael’s,
and this summer a new version of Hugo
von Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann will take
centre step. This play is the highlight of
the summer-long festival, which features
five other theatre productions at locations
throughout the city. One of these five pro-
ductions will be a Shakespearian drama. In
fact, Schwäbisch Hall loves the Bard, and
every summer stages at least one Shake-
speare play (in German) in its very own
Globe Theatre, a replica of the Shakespeare
Globe Theatre in London. This year As You
Like It is being performed. Gerhards Mario-
nette Theater will be staging the story of
Robin Hood.
June and July is the best time to visit
Schwäbisch Hall for entertainment, but
this year with the 850th birthday there are
some extra-special celebrations, including
historic walking tours and other activities
for both adults and children. On June 2, the
bells of St Michael’s will be removed for
cleaning, to be replaced by June 24. The
achievement 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 explore
more of Schwäbisch Hall on foot. Situated
mostly on the eastern bank of the Kocher
it’s a very attractive town to walk through,
accents magazine
 the streets rising high into a hillside. The
market square seemed the best place to
start. This is where the tourist office is.
But then it’s best to stroll all the way down
Neustraße, following its meanderings, till
you come to the river. What a beautiful
river scene it is. Colourful timber-framed
houses built up against an old stone wall
are reflected in the clear, quiet river. You
leave these buildings behind you when
you cross one of seven covered bridges
to bring you to one of the islands in the
Kocher. These islands are in turn connected
by quaint wooden bridges to a park on the
centre island. The bridge at Im Haal, the
first fork in the river, leads to the Haller
Globe theatre, which has a very pleasant
beer garden in front of it. This is where I
pulled up a chair to take a breather.
Schwäbisch Hall is as pleasing to the
eye as it is challenging to the legs, alt-
hough getting around the town needn’t be
so tiring. Regular buses ferry tourists up
and down the winding streets and out to
local sights. Plans for more escalators have
been put on the mayor’s desk. Cheered no
Photo: Schwäbish Hall Tourism
end by the smiling faces of the locals and
the warmth of the early spring sun on my
neck, I set off again.
Amusing statues and monuments are
dotted throughout Schwäbisch Hall. In the
Market Square, statues attached to the
buildings on the perimeter watch you as
you 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 southeast
corner, is worth a look. The town’s cannons
were once stored here with a granary up-
stairs. The Neubau is such a dominating
part of the landscape of Schwäbisch Hall
that as you peer through your camera lens
to photograph it, you’re reminded of a fairy-
tale scene with a giant’s house set among
the houses of miniature peasant folk who
dare to live on his doorstep. Situated on
the western bank of the river are several
buildings of historical significance, including
the town’s famous old brewery, the Sud-
haus. You’ll find a very good beer here
called Mohrenköpfchen. To demonstrate
my commitment to thorough research, I
downed 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’s
Kunsthalle, which itself could be conside-
red a piece of modern art, was opened in
2001. It holds an impressive collection of
modern and international works. Another
building worth viewing is the Altes
Schlachthaus. Formerly an abattoir, it’s now
a cultural centre with a café and a program
of theatre, cabaret and children’s shows.
The surrounding countryside is very
Schwäbisch Hall info
All information about the program,
prices and discounts for the summer
theatre festvial can be found at:
www.freilichtspiele-hall.de
pretty and worth driving around in. About ten
minutes away from downtown Schwäbisch
Hall is the Schloss Comburg. A former forti-
fied Benedictine abbey, founded in 1075,
Comburg is now part of a university and
the exterior grounds are accessible free of
charge. The outer wall is remarkably well-
preserved and the castle grounds are in
excellent shape. The view of Schwäbisch
Hall down below is grand.
So, during the summer months, when
the football world descends on Germany, is
it worth taking a trip out of the big cities to
enjoy the more relaxed charms of Schwä-
bisch Hall? Most definitely. Even if football
is your thing you can’t go wrong soaking up
the atmosphere and sights of a truly splen-
did town like Schwäbisch Hall. Wait until
the final whistle of the World Cup final in
Berlin and then head out to Hall. The final
curtain is not due to fall on this year’s
open-air festival until August 20.
Good to Know

Money Matters Because the experience with the introduc-

tion of the euro taught retailers that sud-
(although these may be re-taxed upon
arriving home.) It is important to obtain a
VAT rise: buy now! den, large price increases only serve to
upset customers unnecessarily; a slowly-
detailed receipt stating how much of the
purchase was taxed and to present this
but-surely approach to price increases receipt, along with the goods purchased,
keeps consumers happier – or at least less at the point-of-departure customs office
Despite warnings that an increase in irritable – over a longer period. before leaving the EU. If you buy your con-
Value Added Tax (VAT) is likely to lead That being the case, it would be wise sumer product from a store displaying a
to a slowdown in Germany’s current eco- for those contemplating buying a new car Tax-Free Shopping sticker you are entitled
nomic recovery, an unprecedented VAT or new furniture, white goods or electronic to a cash refund upon your departure. Not
increase of 3% is planned for 2007. The goods to take action now in order to take all stores are a part of the tax-free scheme,
VAT, or Mehrwertsteuer, as it is called in advantage of existing conditions. It may be so ask before you buy.
German, will jump from 16% to 19%. The useful to know that the European Central
direct effects on the consumer are, as Bank’s key interest rate is currently Written by Günther Spieth, SEB Bank, for
yet, unclear. One thing is certain though: relatively low, which means you can find accents magazine. With over five million
goods and services will become more favourable terms on loans. A quick plug for customers and 20,000 employees, SEB is
expensive next year, so if you’re planning our own services: SEB Bank has a special one of the biggest financial service provid-
any ‘big buys’ start shopping now. spring offer on loans of 15,000 euros. ers in northern Europe. www.seb.de
Repayments over 72 months are charged
According to the Federal Statistics Office, at an effective rate of 5.99%. For more
the increase in VAT is likely to push up the information, check www.seb.de. Send your
rate of inflation by an extra 1.4%. Experts And finally, an important tip on VAT for comments and
questions to:
predict that the major price shift will not non-EU residents visiting Germany: regard- Günther Spieth,
take place until the latter half of 2007. less of the VAT rate, you can reclaim VAT Director,
However, in a recent survey, 64% of re- upon leaving the country. If you’re here on SEB Bank Stuttgart.
tailers said they planned to start gradually a business trip, business claims are usually Email:
Guenther.Spieth
increasing prices in the second half of handled by the employer and can be extend- @seb.de
2006. The number of ‘special offers’ one ed to services as well as goods. Tourists
usually associates with the Christmas shop- are entitled to a VAT exemption on goods
ping season is also likely to diminish. Why? they take with them out of the country

Heilbronn Tips
Swabia’s Tuscany
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 to
stay during the World Cup football tourna-
ment, situated as it is between Stuttgart,
Kaiserslautern, Nürnberg and Frankfurt,
where games are being played. The city
has set up the HYUNDAI World Cup Fan
Village on the Festplatz Theresienwiese,
where all World Cup games can be
followed on a giant open-air screen. Entry
is free. There’s a daily program of live
music, theatre and dance shows and
plenty 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 four
different stages, in idyllic natural surround-
ings, featuring local and international
stars. This year the line-up includes Nigel
Kennedy, Bob Geldof, Zap Mama, Ziggy
Marley, Jose Feliciano, and the Flying
Pickets. Further info at: www.gaffenberg-
festival.de
Did you know that the area around
Heilbronn is Germany’s number-one region
Photos:HYUNDAI World Cup Fan Village, Wine Festival by night, Wine Village by day
for red wine? Sample the best of the
best at the 36th Heilbronn Wine Festival,
which runs this year from September
14-22. Our wine village, built around the
town hall, attracts 300,000 visitors every
year. Three hundred various wines are on
offer as well as a lavish spread of Swab-
ian and international culinary delights. It’s
open till 10.30 pm every evening – and on
Saturday, Sept 16, till 11 pm. Live music
and entertainment are presented daily.
Come and experience for yourself
what the city and the region have to
offer!
Further information
Tourist Information Heilbronn
Kaiserstraße 17, 74072 Heilbronn
Tel 07131 562270, Fax 07131 563349
www.heilbronn-marketing.de
info@heilbronn-marketing.de

18 Good to Know accents magazine

Finding the right mix
Your portfolio examined by experts
Irys Ehmann
Independent
Financial Advisor,
Stuttgart
As an expatriate living abroad, you’ve
probably made the decisions about your
financial investments under a diverse range
of circumstances and settings, step by
step along the way. If you change jobs or
change countries, your financial needs
change with you. But what about your
investments? They may need to change as
well. Even if you’re not an expatriate, the
normal developments in the market and the
simple changes in your own life are a good
enough reason to ask yourself: Do my
investments correspond properly with each
other? Do they reflect the needs that my
family or I have today? Are they completely
up-to-date?
This is where an independent financial
advisor can help. Stuttgart financial expert
Irys Ehmann (M.Sc., USA) – who was award-
ed EuroFinanzen magazine’s Top Finance
Advisor title in 2004 – and the Performance
IMC asset managers of Mannheim and
Freiburg are offering the readers of accents
magazine a free, no-obligation check-up for
their investment portfolios.
An experienced, independent advisory
team will thoroughly examine your personal
investments and provide you with a writ-
ten, comprehensive overview of your cur-
rent standing. Plus they will make concrete
recommendations about how to optimise
your investments.
“The financial markets are in a continual
state of flux and are highly dynamic,” says
Andreas C. Müller
Managing Director
Performance
IMC Vermögens-
verwaltung,
Mannheim
Volker Schilling
Portfolio Advisor,
Performance
IMC Vermögens-
verwaltung,
Mannheim
Irys Ehmann. Because of this you find that
shares, 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 some
cases re-structured.”
So, take part in this special offer. Get in
touch with Irys Ehmann (contact details
below) by August 30th. Or simply contact
accents magazine and they will refer your
enquiry to the advisor in your area, who
will then contact you regarding the portfolio
analysis. All information will be treated with
the strictest confidence. Participants are
not bound to make any commitments. The
only 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
 accents
choice
World Cup 2006
World
Jun 9 - Jul 9
Please see our special issue, world
cup survival guide , for detailed
information about all World Cup and
World Cup related events in the
region. If you don’t have a copy
available, just visit our website:
www.accents-magazine.de for a
download of the complete issue.
Events
Events
Freiburg
Independence Day Celebration
Following 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, Spiegelzelt
Heidelberg
d.a.i. - Book Sale
Jul 10 - Jul 14, 2- 6 pm, Jul 15, 10
am - 2 pm, Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut (d.a.i.) library, Sofienstraße
12, www.d.a.i.-heidelberg.de
Karlsruhe
Fest 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.de
Ludwigsburg
2nd Oßweiler Highland Games
Sports club Oßweiler stages this
Scottish competition of strength
with a pipe band, feasting
and whiskey. Jun 10 and 11,
www.asv-ossweil.de
Sindelfingen
30th International Street Festival
Big outdoor festival downtown with
music, dance performances and
culinary specialities by many nati-
ons. Jul 16, 17, 18
Stuttgart
accents forum
Come have a beer with the readers
and writers of accents magazine .
Thursday, June 8th, 7 pm
at o’reilly’s Irish pub,
Reuchlinstraße 27
Bollywood and Beyond
3rd Indian Film Festival, Jul 12 -16,
www.bollywood-festival.de
Hamburg Fishmarket
Jul 13 - 23, Karlsplatz, downtown
MercedesCup Tennis Tournament
Jul 15 - 23, Weissenhof,
www.mercedescup.de
56th Festival of Light
The night of one hundred thousand
lights with activities for kids,
live music, fireworks, etc.
20 accents choice
Jul 15, 4 pm - 12 am,
Höhenpark Killesberg,
www.lichterfest-stuttgart.de
Great Australian Barbeque
(Aussie BBQ)
Jul 29, for details please check
www.deutsch-australische-
freundschaft.de
Stuttgart 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.de
Tübingen
Punting Boat Race
Jun 15, 1 pm, Neckarinsel /
Eberhardbrücke
Arts & Crafts Market
Jun 24, 10 am - 7 pm
and Jun 25, 11 am - 6 pm,
around the Jakobus Church
52nd Tübinger Summer Festival
Jun 30 - Jul 4, Festplatz
American Night –
Impressions of New Orleans
With the Tübingen Louisiana Funky
Butts Brass Band, readings, guided
tours of the exhibition of photo-
graphs by Peter Granser, and Cajun
cuisine. Jul 1, 8 pm, Kunsthalle
Walddorfhäslach
“Paddy” Bort
A notable Swabian in Ireland
returns for a lecture with Irish Folk,
Irish Dancing and a slide show.
Jun 3, more info www.dif-bw.de
Exhibitions
Exhibits
Baden-Baden
Chagall: In new Light
Jul 7 - Oct 29, Museum Frieder
Burda, Lichtentaler Allee 8 b, Tue -
Sun 11 am - 6 pm, Mon closed.
www.museum-frieder-burda.de
Freiburg
Political Murals
in Northern Ireland
Dying for Peace, Terror in Northern
Ireland and the US, Jun 14, opening
lecture with Andreas Hüthner,
Jun 14 - Jul 7, Mon - Fri
9 am - 6 pm, Carl-Schurz-Haus,
Eisenbahnstraße 62
Stuttgart
Rainer Simon, USA Impressions
in photography, drawings, and
accents forum
Our informal get-together
for readers and contributors.
Thursday, June 8th, 7 pm
at 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
accents
magazine
paintings. Jun 7, opening 6 pm,
DAZ, Charlottenplatz 17,
www.daz.org
Kirk Pedersen Exhibit
The Nebraska-born artist will
personally present his paintings of
urban impressions, Jul 21, 6 pm
Luminous Buildings:
Architecture of the Night
Jun 9 - Oct 1, Kunstmuseum,
Kleiner Schlossplatz 1.
Tues - Sun 10 am - 6 pm, Wed and
Fri 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 Spring
40 main works of art from 30
world-famous collections.
May 20 - Sep 24, Staatsgalerie,
Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30 - 32
daily 10 am - 8 pm, Thur 10 am -
9 pm, Mon closed.
www.staatsgalerie.de
Tübingen
We 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, 07071
795260, www.dai-tuebingen.de
Elderly Grace
Photo 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
Freiburg
Stage
Closer
by Patrick Marber, performed by
maniACTs – the English Department
Drama Group, directed by Christina
Ernst. Jul 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27,
7:30 pm, Theatersaal, Alte
Universität, tickets@maniacts.de
Heidelberg
Hello Dolly!
by Michael Stewart. Music and
Lyrics by Jerry Herman.
Jun 2, 3, 8, 10, 16 and 17, 7:30 pm,
Jun 4, 6 pm, Jun 11, 3 pm family
matinee. Roadside Theater,
Patton Barracks, 06221 175020,
www.roadsidetheater.com
Theater Sport
World Championships
Preliminary round France vs. USA,
55 matches in total throughout
Germany, improvised stagings in
German and English. Jun 30, 8 pm,
d.a.i., see address above ,
www.theatersport-wm.de
Mannheim
Theater Sport
World Championships
Quarter final, 55 matches in total
throughout Germany, improvised
stagings in German and English.
Jul 3, 8:30 pm. Alte Feuerwache,
Brückenstraße 2, 0621 3367333,
www.theatersport-wm.de
Stuttgart
Theater Sport
World Championships
Preliminary round Japan vs Austria,
55 matches in total throughout
Germany, improvised stagings
in German and English. Jun 27,
Fast Eddy’s Blues Band
Stuttgart’s own blues man,
Eddy Wilkinson, makes the
rounds this summer. Originally
from London, Eddy has been
playing the blues in Stuttgart
and all over Europe since 1990.
8:30 pm, Rathaus, 3rd floor,
Sitzungssaal, www.theatersport-
wm.de
How to Eat Like a Child
by Delia Ephron, a collection
of songs and sketches about
the art of being a child.
Jun 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, at 7:30 pm,
Jun 4, 11, 18, at 3 pm, Stuttgart
Theatre Center – Kelley Theatre,
Kelley Barracks, Vaihingen
general public welcome,
tickets 0711 7292825,
www.kelleytheatre.de
Music
Music
Bad Rappenau
Folk Music Festival Schlosshof
Featuring 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, Schlosshof
Bonfeld, www.folk-im-schlosshof.de
Calw
Bonnie Tyler/
Chris Norman & Band
Aug 5, 7 pm, Marktplatz
Heidelberg
The Wrens
Jul 14, Karlstorbahnhof
Hockenheim
Dick Gaughan
Outdoor concert with the Scottish
musician. Jul 8, Pumpwerk,
06205 922625
Karlsruhe
The Melbourne Syncopators
Jun 1, 8 pm, SpardaEventCenter
Alexisonfire
Jun 1, Substage
Darkest Hour
Jun 8, Stadtmitte
An evening with Roger Hodgson
Rock Open Air,
Jun 23, 8 pm, Festplatz
The 101
Jul 23, Carambolage
accents magazine
The Spirit of New Orleans
Aug 31, 8 pm, SpardaEventCenter
Kornwestheim
Irish Night with Midnight Court
Aug 5, Hundesportgelände
Lauffen
Irish Night with Bachelors Walk
and Krusty Moors
Jul 22, Burghof
Lörrach
13th International Music Festival,
Voices 2006
International stars, choirs, singers
from various nations, vocal work-
shops, Jun 29 - Aug 6, Burghof,
www.stimmen.com
Stuttgart
Agnostic Front and Guests
Jul 8, 8:30 pm, Universum,
Pfaffenwaldring 45
Eamon Carroll
Guitarist San Diego / Dublin
Jun 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 Salzäcker
Jerry Lee Lewis & His Killer Band
Jun 21, 8 pm, T1 Theaterhaus,
Siemensstraße 11, tickets 0711
402070, www.theaterhaus.com
Stomp
Jul 25 - 27, 8 pm, Jul 28, 9 pm,
Jul 29, 5 and 9 pm, Jul 30, 3 and
7 pm, Liederhalle Hegelsaal
Tracy Chapman
Jun 30, 8:30 pm, Liederhalle,
www.liederhalle-stuttgart.de
Denis Murray (Dublin)
Jul 5 - 8, daily from 9:30 pm,
Dubliner Irish Pub,
see address above
Bobby Brady (Scotland)
Jul 9 -16, daily from 9:30 pm,
Dubliner Irish Pub,
see address above
New York Ska Jazz Ensemble
Jul 13, 9 pm, Landespavillon,
Schillerstraße
ISCM World New Music Festival
2006, Without Borders
Jul 14 - 29, events at
Theaterhaus and Schloss Solitude,
www.wnmf2006.de
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Jul 20, 7 pm, Liederhalle,
www.liederhalle-stuttgart.de
LBBW JazzOpen
Jul 25 - 29, Pariser Platz, Liederhalle
Mozartsaal, Freizeitpark Killesberg.
www.bw-bank-jazzopen.com
Mark Foggo’s Skasters and Guests
Jul 28, 8:30 pm, Universum,
see address above
The Spirit of New Orleans
Aug 30, 8 pm, Sparda-Bank
European Music Festival:
“Ways to Mozart”
Sep 3 -17, www.bachakademie.de
Joshua Kadison
Sep 4, 8 pm, Theaterhaus,
see adress above
Luka Bloom
Sep 24, Theaterhaus,
see address above
Ulm
Herbie Hancock
Jul 2, Ulmer Zelt
The Who
Jul 23, 7 pm, Münsterplatz
Vaihingen/Enz
Pipeline
Jul 13, Archivhof
On Tour in the Region
Bill Craig
Irish musician from Canada.
Jun 5 -18, daily at 9:30 pm,
accents magazine
Dubliner Irish Pub, California, Berkeley. Jul 10, 6 pm,
see address above ; Audimax, KG II, University
Jun 21 - 25 and Jun 28 - Jul 1, Heidelberg
daily at 10 pm, Rob Roy, Discussion group
Eberhardstraße 35, 0711 7269668 with Dr. Steven Bloom
Fast Eddy’s Blues Band Jun 6, Has modern life made
Jun 10, Domino Deißlingen, 9 pm; intimacy more difficult?
Jun 15, Sudhaus Beer Garden Jun 13, Should religion be taught
Tübingen, 7 pm; in the public schools?
Jun 17, Oscars Esslingen, 10 pm; Jun 20, Why are so many
Jul 7, Altstadt Fest Durlach, 8 pm; people unhappy?
Jul 21, Die Halle Jun 27, Should the government
Reichenbach/Fils, 8 pm. continue to support the arts?
Tickets can be bought by calling Jul 4, Is the Unites States
Easy-ticket service 0711 2555555, a force for good in the world?
www.easyticket.de or Jul 11, Is it possible for men
SWR 1 ticket service 0180 5929211 and women to be just friends?
Jul 18, Are human beings as
intelligent as they think they are?
Lectures / Discussions Jul 25, As the Mayor of Heidelberg,
what would you change?
Freiburg
Lecture Wednesdays, 6 pm,
d.a.i., library, Sofienstraße 12,
www.d.a.i.-heidelberg.de
Open Dialog English-Language
every other Wed, 6:30 - 8 pm, Video Discussion Group
please check website for dates Jun 7, Lyndon Johnson - part 4;
and topics, Carl-Schurz-Haus, Jun 14 Hemingway - part 1;
www.carl-schurz-haus.de, Jun 21 Hemingway - part 2;
0761 31647 Jun 28 Hemingway - part 3;
Nostalgia, Jul 5 Hemingway - part 4;
the Ethnic Neighborhood, Jul 12 Hemingway - part 5;
and the World Outside Jul 19 Chinese Americans - part 1;
The Godfather Parts I and II (1972 Jul 26 Chinese Americans - part 2;
and 1974) and Mean Streets (1973), Tuesdays, 6 pm,
Prof. Stanley Corkin, University d.a.i. library, see address above
of Cincinnati. Jun 12, 8 pm, Karlsruhe
Hörsaal 1199, KG I, University DEF English Conversation Circle
Media Spectacles and Jun 20, General discussion “Visit
Current American Politics of our friends from Nottingham”;
Prof. Douglas Kellner, UCLA, USA. Jul 18, Talk and discussion
Jun 19, 8 pm, Hörsaal 1199, about New Zealand.
KG I, University 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:30
Billy Wilder, One, Two, Three pm, Moltkestraße 20, Room 4.
Lecture / discussion with Professor LitNight in English
Eric H. Denton, PhD, in comme- reading and discussing literature
moration of Wilder’s 100th birthday. 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month,
Jun 20, 8 pm, Carl-Schurz-Haus, 7:30 pm, American Library,
Eisenbahnstraße 62, 0761 5565270, www.american-library.de
www.carl-schurz-haus.de Poetry Please
What is Language? Poems read and discussed
Prof. Dr. John Searle, University of in English. 4th Tuesday of the
month, 7:30 - 9 pm, American
Library, Tom 0721 3540477
Jane Alison reads from her novel
Photo: Simon Hollington
Natives and Exotics
Jun 13, 7:30 pm, American Library
Stuttgart
The Empire Study Group
A popular study group by Laurence
Stallings 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, Three
Lecture / discussion with Professor
Eric H. Denton, PhD, in commemo-
ration of Wilder’s 100th birthday.
Jun 21, 7:30 pm, DAZ,
see address above
Conversation Circle
Jun 23, National Elections:
What To Expect?
every 3rd Friday of the month
from 6 to 7 pm.
Folk Music Festival Schlosshof The discussion group continues
Bands from all over Europe as a Stammtisch at 7:15 pm.
(here Battlefield Band from Conference Room, DAZ,
Scotland) play for two days see address above
in Bad Rappenau, Bonfeld. Tübingen
Music on two stages plus Writer’s Club
‘Lowland Games’ on Sat. with Carolyn Murphey Melchers,
Jun 23 and 24, Schlosshof, Jun 2, Jul 7, 2- 4 pm, d.a.i.,
www.folk-im-schlosshof.de see address above
Book Discussion
Jun 2, Khaled Hosseini:
accents choice 21
 The Kite Runner;
Jul 7, Jhumpa Lahiri:
Interpreter of Maladies.
6:30 - 8 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
Ars Erotica and the
Aesthetics of Popular Art
Prof. Dr. Richard Shusterman,
Florida Atlantic University, Jun 10,
12 am, Hörsaal der Archäologie,
Art Opening, Schloss Hohentübingen
Kirk Pedersen Talk At Eight: Discussion Group
The Nebraska-born artist on Current Issues
will personally present by Laurence Stallings.
his paintings of urban Jun 13, Jul 18, 8:15 pm, d.a.i.,
impressions, Jul 21, 6 pm see address above
Soccer in the USA
Happy 4th of July – Lecture in German by Prof. Karl
Celebrate with the DAZ! W. Deutsch, University of Michigan,
DAZ stand at the Meeting in cooperation with the d.a.i.
Point of Cultures and a Jun 28, 7 pm, Tent in the World
special stage show from Cup Park, Anlagensee
7- 8 pm. In co-operation Media Spectacles and
with Forum der Kulturen Current American Politics
e.V., Jul 4, 12 - 8 pm, Prof. Dr. Douglas Kellner, University
Rathaus of California, Los Angeles. Jun 29,
8:15 pm, d.a.i., see address above
Jackson Pollock Tribute The Empire Study Group
Lecture and movie on A popular study group by Laurence
the 50th anniversary Stallings. View topics and dates
of the artist’s death, on www.dai-tuebingen.de, Jun 30,
Jul 24, 7:30 pm 6:45 pm, d.a.i., see address above
Byron Katie: The Work
The bestselling author introduces
Deutsch- his new book. Jul 4, 8 pm,
Amerikanisches Zentrum Museum Lichtspiele, Kino
James-F.-Byrnes-Institut Elementary Structures of
e.V. Charlottenplatz 17 Imperial Leadership:
70173 Stuttgart The Circulation of Elites
0711-228180 Laurence Stallings und Scott Stelle
www.daz.org Jul 21, 6:45 pm, d.a.i., see address
above
Workshops
Subscribe
Freiburg
Work
Free-Trade Bi- and Minilateralism
in the Asia-Pacific Region
One-year subscription (6 issues): Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rüland, University
20 euros. Payment preferred by of Freiburg. Jul 6, 9:30 am - 4 pm,
direct debit or deposit check. Carl-Schurz-Haus, see address
above
Name Heidelberg
Preparation for the Internet-based
Street TOEFL Reading and Writing
Sections
Postal code/City Every Tuesday for five weeks,
beginning Jun 6, 7:30 pm, d.a.i.,
State/Country see address above
Preparation for the Internet-based
Telephone TOEFL, Speaking and Listening
Sections
E-mail Special five-day workshop
(10 course hours), Jun 8, 7:30 pm,
Account holder d.a.i., see address above
Advanced Conversation Course
Account no. Each class meets once a week
for five weeks. Jun 8, 6 pm, d.a.i.,
Bank Code (BLZ) see address above
Successful Job-hunting in the U.S.
Name of Bank Jun 17, 2 - 5 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
How to Apply for a Job or
I hereby give accents media GbR Internship in the U.S.
permission to debit the sub- Exhibition and 2-day-workshop.
scription fee of 20 euros from Jun 22, 4 pm, d.a.i.,
my account. see address above
Lörrach
Date Vocal-Workshops at the
Voices Festival
Signature account holder Jun 23 - 25, Solo-Jazz-Singing
and Improvisation,
Prof. Judy Niemack-Prins;
Jul 14 -16, Vocal Adventures,
22 accents choice
Lauren Newton;
Jul 22- 23, Music for the Soul –
Choir Music from South Afrika,
Harald Winter;
www.stimmen.com
Stuttgart
Writing Workshop:
Writing – Influenced?
New writers group. Jun 10,
10 am - 12:30 pm, DAZ,
see address above , sign up at
writersinstuttgart@yahoo.com
Quilting Bee:
The Baltimore Beauties
A multilingual, hand sewing quilting
group; guests are welcome.
3rd Friday of the month, 9 -12 am,
DAZ, see address above ,
Next date: Jun 23
Irish Ceílí
Halpin School of Irish Dance.
Irish Dancing taught every 3rd
Saturday of the month from
4 -7 pm, Bürgerhaus Botnang,
www.danceirish.de
North American Indian Dances
(Pow Wow)
Dance courses for children and
adults. Heike Mertens 0711 861967,
itkada@yahoo.de
Tübingen
Quilting Bees: A Forum for
Patchwork Quilters
3rd Thursday of month, 3 - 5 pm,
d.a.i., see address above
Next date: Jun 29, Jul 20
Kids
Esslingen
Kids
Alice’s Adventures under Ground
For kids 12 and up. Jun 23,
7:30 - 9 pm, Württembergische
Landesbühne, Schauspielhaus,
0711 35123044
Freiburg
Tell Me a Story!
Reading for children by Bill Wilson
(USA). Jun 2, 14, 23, 28, 5 - 6 pm,
Art Exhibit Kirk Pedersen
The Nebraska-born artist will
personally present his paintings
of urban impressions, Jul 21,
6 pm
Carl-Schurz-Haus, see address
above
Karlsruhe
Storytime in English!
Children aged 2 - 5 years, every 2nd
and 4th Wednesday of the month
at 4 pm, American Library,
www.american-library.de
Stories for Kids ages 6 and up
Jun 9, 4 pm,
Mirette on the High Wire;
Jul 7, 4 pm, The Blind Hunter.
American Library,
see address above
Leinfelden-Echterdingen
The whole world meets here!
bilingual reading for ages 4 and up,
Jun 22, 3 - 3:30 pm, Library
Echterdingen, Maiergasse 8,
0711 1600634
Stuttgart
Listen in
Story and activity for kids 3 - 6 years
with 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.de
Rhyme Time
Singing and rhymes for kids 0 - 3
with parent. Mon 10:00 -10:45 am.
Next dates: Jun 12, CEL,
see address above
Happy Days
Non-native English speakers
ages 3 - 6. Mon 4:15 - 5 pm and
Tues 3:30 - 4:15 pm CEL,
see address above
Let’s Play –
Mommy & Me English Class
Native English speakers ages 2 - 3.
Mon 10:45 -11:30 am and
Fri 4 - 4:45 pm
Singing and Story time
Native English speakers ages 3 - 6.
Fri 3 - 3:45 pm, CEL,
see address above
2006 Summer Reading Challenge
Get a Reading the Rainbow
Passport and register your child
with the Reading the Rainbow
Challenge at CEL, see address
above , any time after Jul 2.
Collect coloured stickers on your
Reading the Rainbow cards
by reading (or having read to you)
books by different authors. All parti-
cipants will receive a certificate.
Sunday Stories
Actress 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.de
Tübingen
English Storytime
for kids ages 4 - 6 with Anne
Crutchfield, 1st Wednesday of the
month. Next dates: Jun 7, Jul 5,
4 - 5 pm, Deutsch Amerikanisches
Institut (d.a.i,), Karlstraße 3, 07071
795260, www.dai-tuebingen.de
Kid’s Camp: Discover America!
Day camp for children ages 6 -10,
for English learners. Teachers
Monica Davis, Kristen Heim.
Aug 7-11, 9 am - 1 pm, d.a.i,
see address above
Kid’s Camp: Canada for Kids!
Teachers: Monica Davis, Kristen
Heim. Sep 11-15, 9 am - 1 pm,
d.a.i, see address above
accents magazine

accents
guide
Emergency
Police 110
Emerg
Fire Department 112
Ambulance & Emergency
Medical 19222
Poison Hotline 0761 19240
English Speaking Poison
Control 06131 232466
Doctor for House Calls
0711 2628012
Consulates/Embassies
sulates
Australia
030 8800880, Wallstraße 76-79,
Berlin
Canada
0711 2239678, Lange Straße 51,
Stuttgart
Ireland
030 220720, Friedrichstraße 200,
Berlin
New Zealand
030 206210, Friedrichstraße 60,
Berlin
South Africa
030 220730, Friedrichstraße 60,
Berlin
United Kingdom
0211 94480, Yorckstraße 19,
Düsseldorf
United States of America
069 75350, Gießener Straße 30,
Frankfurt
Schools & Preschools
ools
International School
of Stuttgart e.V.
0711 7696000, Sigmaringer Straße
257, Stuttgart, www.international-
school-stuttgart.de
Botnanger Kinderbetreuung
Bilingual Kindergarden
0711 6993404 Gina Kussi,
Griegstraße 18, Stuttgart
Internationaler Montessori
Kindergarten e.V.
0711 93150510, Sulzgrieser
Straße 114, Esslingen,
www.montessori-esslingen.de
EducCare Bilingual Kindergarden
0711 6581447, Hasenbergstraße
31/2, Stuttgart, www.educcare.de
English for Kids!
0711 6491537 Conny von Scholley,
www.spielendsprachenlernen.de
European School Karlsruhe
0721 680090, Albert-Schweitzer-
Straße 1, Karlsruhe
English Garden
English and music lessons, 0761
8866181, Hasenweg 34, Freiburg
Oberlin Kinderuniversität
0761 85648,
Am Mühlbach 13, Freiburg,
www.oberlinkinderuniversitaet.de
International School
accents magazine
of Kreuzlingen Konstanz
0041 71 6722727
Hauptstraße 27, Kreuzlingen,
Switzerland, www.iskk.ch
Heidelberg International School
06221 7590600, Villa Heinstein,
Wieblinger Weg 9, Heidelberg,
www.hischool.de
International School Ulm/Neu-Ulm
0731 3793530, Beyerstraße 45, Ulm,
www.is-ulm.de
English for preschoolers
and first graders in Freiburg
0761 1378177 Cathy Plog,
plogs@t-online.de
Little English House
English and art for kids 3 and up
www.littleenglishhouse.de
Helen Doron Early English
Learning English with fun and
gamens, www.hdee.de
Libraries
Librari
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.de
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum
Charlottenplatz 17, Stuttgart,
Tue-Thu 2-6 pm
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Tübingen
Karlstraße 3, Tue-Fri 1-6 pm,
Thursdays 1- 8 pm
Karlsruhe American Library
0721 72752, Kanalweg 52,
Tue-Fri 2-6 pm, Wed 10-12 am,
Sat 10 am-2 pm,
www.amerikanische-bibliothek.de
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Heidelberg
Sophienstraße 12, Mon-Fri 1-6 pm,
Wed 1-8 pm, Sat 10 am-2 pm
Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
Kaiser-Joseph-Straße 266,
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, 3-6 pm
Clubs & Organizations
Clubs &
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum /
James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V.
0711 228180, Charlottenplatz 17,
Stuttgart, www.daz.org
70173: English Spoken Stammtisch
12:00 pm at Restaurant Plenum in
the B-W Landtag Building, contact
Andrea.Krueger@wm.bwl.de for
dates. 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 TRANSATLANTIK
Once a month at Plenum Restaurant
Stuttgart, info at DAZ 0711 228180
Metropolitan Club e.V.
social, educational & cultural events
for all nationalities, www.metclub.de
Stuttgart Conversation Club
0711 8892252 Ed Wilson,
35 years and up, www.metclub.de
Conversation Group Stuttgart
for native and non-native speakers,
Pádraic Ó Leanacháin 0711 2737740,
www.englishcom.de
Baltimore Beauties
Quilting bee at the DAZ, Stuttgart,
every 3rd Fri of the month,
9 -12 am, 0711 243242 Judy Ehmer
Stuttgart Book Club
www.StuttgartBookClub.de
German-American Club 1948
0711 814270 Eberhard Stein
German-American
Women’s Club Stuttgart
info@gawc-stuttgart.de,
www.gawc-stuttgart.de
International
Women’s Club Stuttgart
All nationalities and ages, every 1st
Wed of the month, 10 am - 12:30 pm,
Kulturcafe Merlin, Augustenstraße 72,
0711 6566340, www.iwcstuttgart.org
Anglo-Stuttgart Society
0711 568113 Günther Jaumann,
www.jaumann.de/ass
British Club Stuttgart
0711 455464 Alison Seyerle
Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft e.V.
0172 7391495 Peter Alderath,
Gasthaus Hirsch, Bernhausen,
1st Wed of the month
Asia Circle International Club
07156 29164, asia-circle@web.de,
www.asia-circle.de
International Choir of Stuttgart
0711 769600912 Carola,
int_choir_stuttgart@hotmail.com
Stuttgart Singers
07159 44991 Kathy Williams,
www.stuttgartsingers.de
Stuttgart German-American
Community Chorus
0711 463463 David A. Beckner
EUCOM Harmonizers
Stuttgart-Vaihingen
barbershop and a cappella,
07146 20677 John Gerrish
German-American Seniors Club
0711 2560867 Hildegard Göhrum
English Round Table, Esslingen
Conversation group,
0711 3451344, Claudia Stadelmann,
info@bueroservice-jaeschke.de
Fáinne Irish Dance Group Stuttgart
0711 483901, www.fainne.de
Irish Dance Ceili, Stuttgart
every 3rd Saturday of the month
www.danceirish.de
German Conversation Group
07032 77919 Elena Fieres
ELTAS e.V.
English Language Teachers’
Association Stuttgart, www.eltas.de
International Toastmasters Club,
Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe,
Freiburg, Ulm
presentational skills in English,
find links to all chapters at
www.toastmasters-stuttgart.de
English-Speaking Stammtisch
S-Untertürkheim
0711 3041337 Derek Evans
Deutsch Australische
Freundschaft e.V.
07031 607521 Jeff Gomes,
www.deutsch-australische-
freundschaft.de
Friends Club International e.V.
Böblingen-Sindelfingen
07031 806522 Jan W. Boon
“Here We Are”
International Group Esslingen
07163 8580 Alison Unrath
English Morning Tea Aidlingen
07034 7339 Ellen Zeller,
Wed 10 am - 12 pm
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Tübingen
07071 795260, Karlstraße 3,
www.dai-tuebingen.de
Anglo-German Club Pforzheim
07231 472155 Dr Maurice Claypole,
www.agc-pforzheim.de
Pro Country e.V. Deutscher
Country & Western Dachverband
07150 33212 Ralf Russig,
www.pro-country-ev.de
English-Speaking Circle Starzach
and Landkreise Freundenstadt,
Tübingen & Zollernalb
07478 8290 Kevin MacInerney-May
Schorndorf English Club
07181 64440 Marion Rube
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Heidelberg
06221 60730, Sofienstraße 12,
www.dai-heidelberg.de
German-British Society,
Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Stuttgart
0761 4098804 Dr. Susanne Press,
06221 864761 Prof. Manfred Liedtke,
0711 66721255 Dr. Christoph Selzer,
www.debrige.de
German-English
Friendship Club e.V. Karlsruhe
0721 7569503 Rose Schrempp,
info@def-karlsruhe.de,
www.def-karlsruhe.de
International Women’s Club
Karlsruhe e.V.
Annemarie Frenzel, Postfach
110448, 76054 Karlsruhe
Verein Deutsch-Amerikanischer
Freundschaft Pfullendorf
07552 6249 Dr Gary Anderson
Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
0761 31647, Eisenbahnstraße 62,
www.carl-schurz-haus.de
Anglo-German Club e.V. Freiburg
07661 1324, Wehrlehof Straße 11,
Oberried, peleube@hotmail.com
Freiburg English Club
0177 6553688 Terrence Barr
www.freiburg-english-club.org
Network of English-Speaking
Women e.V.
07664 962450 Candice Siegenthaler,
NesWomen@web.de, www.nesw.de
British International
Villingen-Schwenningen
07721 53278 Carol King,
www.bivs.gmxhome.de
Deutsch-Irischer Freundeskreis (dif)
0711 2361736, www.dif-bw.de
Region Schwaben, Verband der
Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs e.V.
07156 29164 Mi-Kiyoung Wöhler,
www.schwaben-vdac.de.vu
Theater Groups
Theate
A.C.T.S. Anglophone
Collaborative Theatre of Stuttgart
0711 6858370 Stuart Marlow,
smarlow@hdm-stuttgart.de
Kelley Theatre
Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart,
0711 7292825, www.kelleytheatre.de
N.E.A.T.
New English American Theater
Sophie Kränzle, kkt@z.zgs.de,
www.neat-theater.de
Outcast International
0711 634409, Stuttgart,
www.outcast-theater.de
Anglo-Irish
Theatre Group Tübingen
07071 67968 David Hegarty,
dave@anglo-iren.de,
www.anglo-iren.de
The Round Table Players, Aalen
Eva Schumm,
schumm@vhs-aalen.de
Roadside Theater
Patton Barracks, Heidelberg,
06221 175020,
www.roadsidetheater.com
Theaterhaus TiG 7
0621 154976, Theater Trennt e.V.
G7, 4 b, Mannheim, www.tig7.de
The maniACTS Freiburg
Read accents guide on
www.accents-magazine.de
accents guide 23
 University English Department,
www.maniacts.de
World Cup Kids & Playgroups
Survival Guide ygroups
English Playgroup Stuttgart-West
0711 6361169 Bryan Groenjes,
EKiZ Ludwigstraße 41-43,
0-6 years, Wed 4-6 pm
English Playgroup Stuttgart
0-9 years, www.englishplaygroup.de
English Playgroup at the DAZ
Available now in Stuttgart Stuttgart
or online at 0711 228180, 4-6 years on Tue
3-4 pm, 6-8 years on Tue 4-5 pm
www.accents-magacine.de English Playgroup Böblingen
07031 287647 Stefanie Spence,
0-7 years, Wed 3:30-5 pm
English Playgroup
Holzgerlingen/Böblingen area
07034 654608 Anita Mayer
0-5 years, Wed 9:30-10:30 am
English Playgroup Sindelfingen
07031 873823 Christine Mitlacher,
Feb 2001 - Feb 2003, Thue 3 -
4:30 pm, Mitlacher-sifi@t-online.de
St. Georg MKK English
Playgroup in Bonlanden
Tue 3:30-5:30 pm,
0-5 years, Nicki 0711 3270748,
5-10 years, Mhorag Heger
07127 960046
English Playgroup
Herrenberg/Nebringen
07032 77452 Erika Laudenbach,
0-5 years, Mon 3-5 pm
English Playgroup Calw/Nebringen
07051 70712 Susan Rosa, 0 - 5 years,
Fri 3 - 5:30 pm
Meet, Chat and
Playgroup Waldenbuch
07157 8561 Elaine Rauhöft,
Fri from 4 pm onwards
English on a Friday Afternoon
Tübingen
07071 930466 Günter Henke,
Fri from 3:30 pm onwards
English Playgroup in Rödersheim-
Gronau (postal code 67127)
06231 929616 Mrs I. Smith,
Fri 10 am, Luise Koch Kindergarten
English Reading Group Freiburg
Mütterzentrum Weingarten,
Krozingerstraße 11,
0761 286803 Amanda Lampert or
07666 99126 Fredi Trenkle
Political Groups
Political
American Voices Abroad Tübingen
fritz.hackert@arcor.de,
www.americanvoicesabroad.org
Democrats Abroad
Heidelberg,
06221 3780 Charles Keene,
Stuttgart,
0162 9824870 Dennis O’Donohue,
www.democratsabroad.org
Republicans Abroad Stuttgart
07146 20677 John W. Gerrish,
www.republicansabroad.de
Business Organizations
siness
American German Business Club
e.V. Stuttgart, Heidelberg,
Karlsruhe
Stuttgart: 0711 2486078 Peggy
Stinson, stuttgart@agbc.de,
Karlsruhe: 0721 6268760 Raymond
24 accents guide
Jordan, karlsruhe @agbc.de,
Heidelberg: 06221 23597 Barry
Swanson, heidelberg@agbc.de
American Chamber of Commerce
in 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.de
USA forum Tübingen
07071 55970 Bernd Zeutschel,
www.usaforum.de
Religious Services
St. Catherine’s Church
Reli
(Anglican) 07151 68973,
Katharinenplatz 5, Stuttgart,
www.stuttgartanglicans.de
City Chapel e.V. Stuttgart
0711 6142956 Roland Krumm,
Marienstraße 12, www.citychapel.de
International Baptist Church
Stuttgart-Vaihingen:
0711 6874365 Pastor Jay McFadden;
Heidelberg-Sandhausen:
06224 51516 Pastor Richard Blake;
www.ibcstuttgart.de
St. Antonius Church
0711 4597152 Odilo Metzler,
Catholic Mass in English
1st Saturday every month, 6:30 pm
Paracelsusstraße 87,
Stuttgart-Hohenheim
First Church of Christ, Scientist
0711 6207921 Heinz Clauss,
www.christian-science-stuttgart.de
United Methodist Church
Stuttgart: 0711 251984
Dr Hans-Martin Niethammer;
Reutlingen:
07121 78546 Harald Rückert;
Karlsruhe: 0721 43721 Peter Vesen;
www.emk.de
Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints
Stuttgart:
0711 3419240 Ralf Gierschke;
Mannheim:
06223 809040 Dr Frank Heckmann,
www.lds.org
Church of the Nazarene
0711 551147 Mary Schaar,
Friedenskirche, Bad Cannstatt
Evangelical Students
Community Tübingen
07071 61928 Heidi Abe
English Vesper Service Tübingen
Sun 6 pm, during the university
semester, 07071 51475,
www.institut-urchristentum.org
Jewish Observance,
Learning & Meditation, Tübingen
07071 968590 Martin H. Potrop,
SPIRITSHUL@aol.com
St Columban’s Mission Karlsruhe
(Anglican) 0721 28379 (Fax also)
Rev. Dr. Hanns Engelhardt,
www.staugustines-wiesbaden.de/
karlsruhe.htm, St.Columban@gmx.de
Calvary Chapel Freiburg e.V.
0761 7071333 David Pham,
www.ccfreiburg.de
Anglican Church of Freiburg
0761 904693 Minister Rev Robin
Stockitt, Katharinenstraße 9,
www.anglicans-fr.org
English Church Heidelberg
Erlöserkirche, Plöck/Schießtorstraße
06221 804146
accents magazine
 Child care
Child care on Thursday morning
from 9 -12 am for a small group
of kids from 1- 3 years of age
offered by English native speakers
in Stuttgart-Degerloch. Please call
0711 6491537
Classes
New conversation classes
and business English on Tuesday
and 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 German
family (age 18-88). Looking for
native English speakers! 3 children
(7 yrs., 5 yrs., 5 months) in Korn-
westheim (S-Bahn from Stuttgart
Hauptbahnhof 12 minutes). We are
looking for an energetic, caring,
patient and warmhearted babysitter
for our children. Somebody who
loves to read them books, play
games, do arts and crafts and loves
the outdoors. Someone who enjoys
a picnic in the park, a bike tour,
a visit to the zoo and to go swim-
ming. We have had 4 aupairs from
the United States, so our children
are 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
Send ads to
classifieds@accents-magazine.de
or fax 0711 3102161. One line
of text contains approx. 34
characters, including spaces,
full-stops and commas.
Personal ads
Price for three lines E4
Each additional line E 0.90
Frame around ad E5
Commercial text ads
Price for three lines E 15
Each additional line E2
Frame around ad E7
Commercial designed ads
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Classifieds 25
Labyrinth
Tipping
Paying extra for service
You’ve just received the bill in a restaurant,
a café or a bar, you’ve just got your hair cut
or have come to the end of a taxi ride. Now
you’re faced with the question of whether
or not to offer a tip. And if so, how much?
The problem is universal. There is no right or
wrong when it comes to tipping in Germany,
and there are no hard-and-fast rules. But
there are a few guiding principles.
Generally speaking you’ve already paid
for the provision of a service in Germany
with your bill. You don’t tip as much as you
might in some other countries – nothing
approaching the 10-20% expected for
restaurant service in the United States for
example. Tips are not a ‘must’ but offering
some form of tip is customary and is best
done in Germany by rounding up the bill
rather than paying a fixed percentage on
top. Leaving no tip at all in a restaurant or
a café would be an indication that you were
not satisfied with the service.
How much to round up after a meal or a
drink? If the bill is under 10 euros you would
generally round up to the nearest euro but
not necessarily by more than 50 to 60 cents.
This is based on the assumption that the
service was sufficient or satisfactory. For
example, a bill for 2.80 euros or 8.60 euros
Tipping Rules
American-style
My American tipping habits are hard to
break. 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 the
price, give the person an extra euro. If
you can’t afford to leave the waiter a
lousy euro, then you can’t afford to go
out to dinner in the first place. Stay home
and eat Spätzle!
I tip taxi drivers on a per-ride basis.
Even those who haven’t shaved in three
days and look like they’ve just escaped
from prison automatically get an extra
euro. I always throw in another euro for
after-midnight taxi drivers, grateful they
haven’t driven me into the forest and
made 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
26 Labyrinth
Photo: www.photocase.com
A one-euro tip for
a coffee? It’ll make
the waiter happy!
can be rounded up by 20 or 40 cents
respectively. You establish the tip by naming
the total price to the waiter. “Make it three
euros.” Or simply: “Nine euros.” If the bill
came to 5.10 euros or 7.20 euros you might
just add 50 cents to the total. For better-
than-average service you might round these
sums up to six or eight euros respectively.
Between 10 and 20 euros – goes the rule-
of-thumb – you round up to the nearest euro
or add on 50 cents or more. A bill of 12.20
Cheap Cuts or Snip n’Save. Not the case
in Germany. I feel that paying anywhere
between 30 and 40 euros for a haircut
– and that’s a simple, no-nonsense snip –
is more than enough. You even pay extra
for a lousy shot of hairspray at the end.
So when tipping the hairdresser, I follow
the German rule and round up to the
nearest euro.
We had our house insulated and paint-
ed last year. The two workers were fast
and efficient. I made sure to leave drinks
on the picnic table and offered them
lunch every day. I don’t know whether
they considered eating lunch at a picnic
table with at least five noisy children
a good tip, but they always accepted.
Actually, they knocked a hundred euros
off the bill for the lunches. Who tipped
whom here?
As for tipping the bellman or a porter
euros would become 13.00 euros but
15.70 euros might become 16.50 euros or
17.00 euros.
For bills beyond 20 euros you might
round up a euro or two more depending on
the quality of service. You don’t need to tip
more than around five percent of the total.
Remember, in German eateries you don’t
leave the tip on the table. Give it directly to
the waiter.
The German Tourist Board advises
travellers visiting Germany to tip according
to the level of satisfaction. “Five percent is
average,” it says, “Whereas 10% indicates
exceptional service. Tip taxi drivers about
5%, and porters and others who assist you
with baggage one euro per item.” In taxis,
others advise simply to round up the fare
to the nearest euro. Only give more if you
have cumbersome or heavy luggage. A hair-
dresser’s bill is often also rounded up to the
nearest euro.
It’s also traditional to offer a tip to furn-
iture movers or to trades people who do
work for you, though this might be done by
offering them coffee or money for a beer at
the end of a long day – after all, the German
word for a tip (Trinkgeld ) means, literally,
“drink money.”
in a German hotel, I have to say that I’ve
never actually seen one of them at the
door. Maybe they’re not common here –
or my husband is taking me to cheap
hotels. I suppose that in finer hotels (the
ones we don’t go to) they help you with
your bags. But let’s be honest, would you
take a job that is based mostly on tips in
a country that doesn’t tip? I don’t think
so.
Experience shows, however, that
service seems to be upgraded when the
server realises you’re American. Apparent-
ly we are good tippers. All I can say is
that here in southwest Germany, where
the locals are said to be tight with their
money, a one-euro tip seems to go a long
way.
By Liz Gaiser
accents magazine