Just found this: Seems like Ron P. is correct (again): this is one of the best things I've ever seen...and I know where my next beer trip (after Koeln and Duesseldorf this Xmas) is going to be.
Wow... lovely report. I guess living in the big city of Frankfurt does have a few disadvantages. The Geselligkeit (friendly atmosphere) there seems very inviting. Thanks for posting!
Very nice. I love the fact that they have a community Brauhaus where everyone is taking turns in brewing. Seems like a good place to visit.
http://www.zoiglinfo.de/pdf/Zoiglkalender_Internet.pdf You can be in the area in less than 3 hours. Frankfurt -> A 3 -> Nürnberg -> A 6 -> A 93 -> Weiden and then you're almost there.
If it were on a weekend, maybe my g/f could drive me/us to such a BA meeting at a Ziogl bar. I don't have a German driver's license and my American one expired. (Please DO NOT ask; it's too embarrassing to discuss.) My g/f is doing her Diplomarbeit (Master's thesis), which is due end of December, so I may not have a driver until 2013.
Take the train ? Plus, I wrote a Diplomarbeit myself 20 years ago so I know that taking a weekend off to do something totally different and fun is a great way to clear your mind. PS: On a somewhat more serious note, you do realize that after living here for 180 days your US driver's licence is not valid anymore and must be replaced by a German one, which depending on which state you are from is easy as pie or a complete administrative nightmare. My wife is from RI (but lived in MA last) and when we dealt with her licence we found out that an MA one is recognized and was turned into a german one relatively easy while an RI one is NOT RECOGNIZED and she would've been required to make a German one from scratch which would've meant an investment of about 3000 EUR...
I told you... don't ask! I am agonizing over the waste of money! I have to get a German license from scratch and I hate the thought of sitting in classes with teenies. Thank god I live in FFM and NEVER need anything but public transport and my bike to tool around town. Only need a car on weekends when my g/f doesn't want to drive any more, and to go to Mahruns.
When I got my German drivers license, Michigan had reciprocity. That made it an easy administrative nightmare. Stand in a long line. Go stand in another long line. Then get your temporary. Then be told to come back in a week to stand in more long lines all over again.
Which state are you from ? There's a list of approved states so going back, renewing your licence in your home state, move in with a friend or relative in an approved state, get a licence there and then come back with THAT and have it turned into a german one is stil a major hassle but less so than making a new one from scratch. If planned out properly and coinciding with vacation etc it's also a LOT cheaper We considered that course of action in case MA would've turned out to not be on the approved list. Thankfully it was.
