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| Flensburg - COA |
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| A harbour in Flensburg |
Fulfilling a life-long dream for many of us, we continue our journey, this time going through Germany and visiting it's iconic places and attractions. Our first stop in the country is Flensburg in Schleswig-Holstein, the third largest town in the region (87,432 inhabitants as of 2016) after Kiel and Lübeck.
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| Schleswig-Holstein |
IF: The city's center lies about 7 km (4mi) from the Danish border.
Walking around this city famous for it's Pilsener beer and the greeting 'Moin Moin' in the German-Danish border, we start to get the feel of the country. Germany differs in many ways to Denmark, but here on the border there are still signs of our last stop. The city is the center of the Danish national minority in Germany where there is a considerable danish community running their own schools, libraries and churches, co-existing with the Germans. This symbiosis created a mixed German-Danish language in the region called 'Petuh', which is used in signs throughout the city. There are currently no official registration of ethnicity as German law prohibits government registration of persons due to their ethnic origins, and any membership in Germany's ethnic minorities is based on self-identification, so the disparity of the population is not known.
Petuh example
| Petu | German |
|---|---|
| Wie kann ich sitzen bei ausses Licht un szue Rollo'n un nähn abbe Knöppe an? | Wie kann ich ohne Licht sitzen und bei geschlossenen Rollos Knöpfe annähen? |
| besüsseln | jemanden hegen und pflegen |
| figellinsch | schlitzohrig |
| Kinner einlegen | Kinder ins Bett bringen |
English
How can I sit and sew buttons without a light?
To care for someone
crafty
Take the kids to bed.
Interesting fact: "In Denmark, Flensburg seems to be mainly known for its border-shops where one can buy alcohol, sweets among other things for cheap. The prices are lower because the tax is lower and excise taxes are either lower (e.g. on alcohol) or do not exist ( e.g. on sugar). Currently the border shops are able to sell canned beer to Scandinavians without paying deposits as long as the beverage is not consumed in Germany."
All transport systems in the city subscribe to the 'Schleswig-Holstein tariff system whereby anyone travelling from anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein or Hamburg may use Flensburg buses free to connect with their final destinations. A rider boarding any bus in Flensburg need only name his destination anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein or Hamburg, pay his fare, and travel all the way to that destination on that one ticket. We found that awesome! Imagine using buses like taxis, for transportation, germany holds many surprises..
Our only visits here will be museums, firstly what, as we were told, is an Ice age museum, from more than 13 other museums in the city:
Eiszeit-Haus
Phänomenta- an interactive science museum, where you can try experiments on you own, especially interesting for families and children and anybody interested in science.
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| Flensburger Firth |
Lastly, we visited the fjord, right next to Phänomenta museum, and then headed to our next destination.
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| Flensburg is quite a small city, with only 58km² |
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| 52 MILES TO KIEL |
Meaning of the COA: "The lions symbolize Schleswig, and the nettle leaf Holstein, thus expressing the town's unity with these two historic lands. The tower recalls Flensburg's old town rights and the old castle that was the town's namesake (Burg means "castle" in German). The waves refer to the town's position on the Flensburg Fjord. The coat of arms was granted the town by King Wilhelm II of Prussia in 1901, and once again in modified, newly approved form on 19 January 1937 by Schleswig-Holstein's High President (Oberpräsident)"
