News

A Hitler painting of a Vienna cathedral has sold at auction for $40k. News-Antique.com:

In a recent auction held by Manion’s International Auction House, a leader in the sale of historic collectibles, an original 1911 dated watercolor of Vienna’s Votivkirche, painted by failed German dictator Adolf Hitler, brought the sum of $40,000.00.

“I’ve seen a few of his paintings over the years and they always amaze me,” said Manion’s representative John Conway. “It’s just one of those aspects of WWII history that you hear about, but almost don’t really believe it could be true.”

It is a known fact that the failed German dictator had aspired to be an artist, prior to the megalomaniacal activity for which he will always be remembered, but his paintings do portray an idiosyncratic side of evil.

A 54-year-old American was attacked by a man in Germany who yelled, "Heil Hitler!" Associated Press:

The attacker confronted the 54-year-old American for speaking in English with a woman at a McDonald's restaurant in Gelsenkirchen, in the industrial Ruhr region, police said.

The man demanded to know why the two were not speaking German. The woman said her friend did not speak German well, and the American asked, "What's your problem?"

Police said the assailant then said: "We are in Germany. German is spoken here," before shouting "Heil Hitler" and raising his right arm. The Hitler salute is illegal in Germany.

This reminds me of an experience I had in Munich several years ago. I was with a friend, a fellow American, and we spoke less than 10 German words between us. We were at a restaurant with outdoor seating on the side of one of the many platz's in Munich. Not able to read the menu, we asked the waiter if he spoke English. He nodded and said, "Yes." My friend pointed to a menu item and asked, "What is this?" The waiter's reply: "Not for Americans."

Like everywhere, the locals in Germany prefer that travelers speak the local language. Like many, and perhaps most, people in Europe, the locals speak English, at least enough to converse with tourists. In my experience in Germany, I found that producing an American Express card dramatically improves the English skills of most Germans.