June 25, 2024

My German vocabulary!

Anyone who knows me can attest that I have no aptitude for foreign languages. The other night, while half heartly watching the German commentators after Game 3, I remarked to Tom and Stephan how many times they used English words while speaking. This lead to a whole conversation about how many words in the English language are copied from German. The first one they took credit for was Kindergarten, I never thought about that one. Gesundheit, I agreed was more common but I had no idea how to spell and don't hear it used all that often these days. Noodle,  was also claimed by Stephan, but I thought he was stretching things now. Foods that are German origin like Bratwurst, Strudel, Gingerbread, Schnitzel, Sauerkraut and Pilsner Lager I wouldn't count in the list. But I didn't think Hamburger ( even though I am in Hamburg, where it was supposedly invented) and now that I think about, is a major item on most menus I have seen here, was of German descent. Other's that are have German roots are Frankfurter, Weiner, Pumpernickel, Bundt Cake, Delicatessen, Pretzel, Foosball and they are even claiming Seltzer and Gummy Bears! 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Shopping & Fashion

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Shopping is huge in Manila - there are sooo many malls! Probably because it is so stinky hot! The air condition draws you in, plus the malls have everything - giant Hyper supermarkets, movies, entertainment venues, sport complexes, spas & medical services, tons of restaurants and every retailer you can imagine. SH Mall of Asia is the 5th largest Mall in the World! I went here 2 different days, first with the ladies- Anna Sherrie & Sarah. Then back the next day with Terri, mainly because I was now familiar with the layout, and could move faster and get what I needed quickly.

MAKATI, MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Nightlife

By Pat Patrick • June 11, 2026
Metro Manila is a massive urban jungle with a population of between 18 to 20 Million. Makati City, specifically the the neighborhood of Poblacion and P. Burgos Street is the heart of night life scene, this red light district is heavily concentrated with bars, pubs and go-go venues. I saw a Get your Guide VIP tour of some of the best clubs offered and Bosco and I, decided to check it out. When we arrived at the first venue, we found five other shipmates! We run into ship people everywhere! It's kinda nice, The Community is what we love about this lifestyle!

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - INTRAMUPOS

By Pat Patrick • June 8, 2026
The Intramuros section of Manila, Philippines is the historic walled core, of this Capital City. Today, the surrounding stone walls are ringed by a golf course, in lieu of the moat from long ago. Below shows comparison from rendering 300 years ago, under Spanish Colonization to Today. Many of the historic buildings, churches, fort and prison remain. Kimberly and I walked it for over 4 hours, and we saw maybe a quarter of it. We sadly gave up due to the heat, humidity and our exhausted feet and missed the Corpus Christi procession to the Manila Cathedral with the Bishop, by just a half hour! If only we had known ahead of time!