It's finally over...

Who would have thought seven minutes of video could be so taxing? Especially, unscripted video. But, I have to admit: it has been tough.

Not that Bonn has been an issue. She's been a perfect lady about all this. Every day a venue or story seemed to just be staring me in the face. And, I'm even prepared to say that I feel a closer bond to the city - who wouldn't, after a week of intimate videos together?

Looking at the commercial side of things: on average we've had 17 viewers a video. Not quite the numbers we or our sponsors were hoping for. Clearly, the project still needs time to achieve full acceptance with the audience. Still, I think this is going to take the world by storm. Payment for the series can be done by direct cash transfer to our office account.

So far, I've had one reader request to keep going with the videos - but that was "for the rest of my life" (no, it wasn't my girlfriend!). Otherwise, the overwhelming majority of just so euro readers have insisted that I stop the project immediately. Mainly because Youtube videos from the streets of Bonn just don't seem dramatic or newsy enough.

So, it's finally over. Or is it? One thing is for sure: we've done an outtakes video - c'mon you know you want to.

The "just so euro" Video Week

We promised it - here it is. The "just so euro" Video Week has begun.
Fun for all the family in 4:3 format for all our American fans.

Here's what's it's all about:



For all the updated videos click here or join us on Facebook.

Stopping Iran... in Bonn

The local Kurdish population got together last Saturday in Bonn to protest recent attacks by Iran on northern Iraq. The section of Iraq targeted in the July attacks was the Kurdish autonomic region, Iraqi Kurdistan.

It was a unique sight to see the protesters spread across Münsterplatz, the home of the famous Beethoven statue. It's not often that you see protests in Bonn - especially right in the middle of town like this one.

The latest big demo I can remember here was when locals blocked the Kennedy Bridge to voice their protest to nuclear power in Germany. Of course the numbers were huge then - over 10,000 turned out.

The anti-Iran protests last Saturday gathered together just a few hundred supporters. According to the website yekkom, Kurds number some one million in Germany. The group says that Kurds in Germany still struggle to be properly recognised as an official migrant group.

The attacks by Iran on the Kurdish autonomic region is a "developing story", as CNN would say. It certainly didn't get much coverage in western media over the recent weeks. Here is a small report from Al Arabiya for those that missed the story.

Love bridge

If you've been following this blog over the last few months, you might think that Wessies are a bit too busy going after the benjamins to be worried about such financially non-viable options as "love". Personally,  I've always wondered how couples here, in the moment of passion, could ever tear clothes off each other if the man is wearing a suit waistcoat.

But a closer look at the Kennedy bridge in town suggests that the Bonners are a more romantic bunch than you might think. In an orderly way of course. Every 2 meters along the top of the bridge there are colourful locks attached to the bridge. The little cuties are engraved with messages like: "Annika und Paul 2010" or "Für immer und ewig - Claus und Una".

They are love locks of course - that oh-so-euro symbol of everlasting love. It all started in Italy, says Wikipedia, and quite frankly I believe them. I'm told it's also very big in Cologne to attach love locks to the Hohenzollern Bridge as well, even though it is against the law. Obviously the people of NRW are lovers, not fighters.

I think it's a nice gesture - but obviously people need to work on their relationship as well though. Simply buying and engraving a lock at your local hardware store isn't going to guarantee a happy partnership for life. Although it's a major step in the right direction obviously.

Also, the Kennedy bridge is a bit wind-swept and bleak for mine. There are solar panels running along the south side and there's a tram line too. In fact, if you stand on there long enough someone rams you with their bicycle - I've seen a couple of people get knocked clean into the Rhine already, not a pretty sight.

Personally, I would be looking to go for a slightly more romantic construction really. What about Heidelberg's Carl Theodor Bridge for instance?

German Federal Garden Show

Wow, what a headline! If this doesn't bring in the hits, I don't know what will!!! Things are really hotting up here in the west. Last weekend I hit up the German Federal Garden Show (known as BUGA) in Koblenz, with two of our interns here at just so euro. I had no idea really what to expect as I generally head to sports events on Saturdays, but it seemed cultural so I thought we should head along. (These young journos have got to have some sort of benefit out of this whole thing).

One thing I had definitely been expecting though were some great flowers. I don't know... purple dandelions, a bit of kangaroo paw action, tiger-striped lillies, blue roses, something out of the ordinary. Instead, there were basically no flowers or really any living plants of any type on display. What was going on?

It might have had something to do with the location. The event took place in the Koblenz city centre and up on the site of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, a dusty plateau covered in old ruins and gravel situated high above the city.  Not exactly the most lush, fauna-inducing locations I could think of.

There was one saving grace though. The two spots were linked by a brand-spanking-new Doppelmayr gondela which stretches almost a kilometre over the Rhein river. The thing must have cost the earth. On the other hand, this masterpiece of Austro-German engineering might explain the exorbitant ticket prices.

20 Euros was the damage incurred for a day of fun at the German Federal Garden Show. You could buy yourself a trip to Leverkusen for that much ...not that you'd necessarily want to go there... but still!

I reckon, if Germany wants to get people back in to flowers again they need to make garden shows more accessible. These sorts of events can't be just for the boat-shoe wearing elite, or the busloads full of OAPs from southern Germany. Everyone deserves to come into a flower show and have a bit of a gander around. Of course we at just so euro got in for cheap due to our connections with the chap on the side gate, but that's not the point.

Germany is losing horticulturalists BY THE DAY because of things like this. Look at this young wayward visitor.... He had even taken to planking out of sheer boredom. Shame on you Buga, shame!

Playing Dress-ups

Why go down to Cologne or Düsseldorf to dress up and look silly today, when you could do it in Berlin? Well, probably because there really isn't a lot of history of it here in the Hauptstadt, I suppose. Still, I went out and played a little bit of dress-ups this last weekend in a few Berlin second hand stores - I had to, I had a guest! My favourite store is STILL "Paul's Boutique" on Oderberger Straße.

Carnival Monday (Rose Monday, Merry Monday, Collop Monday ...whatever you want to call it) goes completely without mention here in Berlin. I'm not really sure the people would be up for it. In fact, it's always poo-pooed by Berlin locals when they see the footage from down on the Rhein. But you've got to admit it, they really look like they are having fun.