Traffic Light Battles in Germany
Aren't these traffic lights from the former East Germany just adorably cute?
Unfortunately, they're in the middle of a legal battle over copyrights. The news story gave me my latest funny German word: Ampelmännchen or "traffic-light man"! I love his tiny hat! He even has his own website and Wikipedia entry. Hey, he even comes with World Cup-appropriate gear!
These little guys are just as cute as the "traffic-light man" in Taipei. When it's OK to cross the street, the little green man will start to walk. When the light is about to turn, the little man will start to RUN, and so you know you better hurry! (Hm, like his German counterpart, the Taiwanese traffic-man is also in the middle of a battle.) Last time I was in Taipei, I almost didn't cross the street in time; I was too busy looking at the running green guy. He really is fun.
Well, since I've gone on and on about these lights, I feel I need to lead all Monty Python fans in a rousing chorus of "I Love Traffic Lights!"
And the thought occurs to me that maybe I learned more about German history and contemporary culture from a little traffic light today than I have from reading books all year.