Why thanks Matt. I’ve been before, and it’s a lovely city. My GF (and current wife) and I really liked hanging around La Vielle Cite quite a bit. Unfortunately, my confidence in my French ability is not that good, so I end up saying a lot of stuff like “Bonjour Hello” and “Merci Thank You”.
Unfortunatly, I’m in Chicago now, though New England will always be my spiritual home.
It would be easy for me (and not totally out of character, BTW) to cheat/lie and say I knew all of them, but I only knew the guilder/Germany answers.
As for your ignoramus brother-in-law, mebbe he thinks that crossing a border somehow takes hours, days, or even weeks (perhaps its those body cavity searches that take so long), whereas driving from LA to St. Louis, fer instance, could be done in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.
Heidelberg, Germany is famous for ______
Beer
The currency used in Holland is the ______
No idea
Munich is in what country? _______
Germany
Bonus Question: Explain how it is possible that it takes longer to get from Heidelberg to Berlin than Heidelberg to Amsterdam, even though Amsterdam is in a seperate country.
My wild guess is that you have to cross the communist part of Germany to go from one city to the other
Danielinthewolvesden
Have the freeways in L.A. gotten that bad? When I lived there in the early 80’s, even when traffic was bad, an hour was about the longest it took to go from Pasadena to Anaheim.
The cool medieval torture museum they have, or the large US Army Headquarters?
the guilder
Germany
bonus: Berlin is farther away, right?
I had no idea about the first two questions…why would I??
I did know that Munich is in Germany, though.
I don’t know about the bonus, as I have no idea where any of those places are. However, if you had asked a similar question about the US, I would have been able to tell you what you were looking for.
Zette
Although lots of people gave the right answers, my prediction that everybody would score 100% was inaccurate. Since I am not the brightest bulb, I just assume that if I know something, everybody else will, too. Got to learn to be less “tatertot-centric” in my thinking. 
Brother in law is still an idiot. I say this because what kind of a person spends thousands of dollars on a European vacation and doesn’t bother to look at a map before leaving?
And now for the answers (and why I though he should have known these things)
I was suprized that BIL was shocked that we had anything of historic or tourist value here in Heidelberg. First, because he knew we lived here, and one with think he would look it up on the internet or something. Second, because his brother (Hubby) often tells him about the neat things we do and see here. And third, because we have sent many postcards with pictures of the Old City, Castle and University.
2. They use guilders in the Netherlands. To be honest, I thought everyone knew that, but sometimes I am wrong.
I just thought it strange that he waited until five minutes before they left for Amsterdam to bother inquiring about the currency and how to get some. Speaking of, he brought no travelers checks, no ATM or credit card, barely any cash. Instead, he brought checks drawn on an American Bank!!! Luckily, we could cash them, but it meant depleting our funds to dangerously low levels, while we waited for them to clear.
The first time I had to tell him this, no big deal. It was around the fourth time that I mentioned Munich and he said “that’s in Austria (or Switzerland, or France), right?” that I began to lose my temper. And one of his traveling companions had never heard of Octoberfest! Well, he had, he just thought it was a kind of beer…couldn’t believe me when I told him it was an actual event.
Bonus Question. I don’t expect anyone to just know that Berlin is about 150K farther away from my house than Amsterdam. I do expect that most people will understand that sometimes a place in a foreign country can be closer than a place in the same country. It’s really not that difficult a concept. It really shouldn’t take half an hour to explain this to someone.
So, to wrap this up, I am a semi-snob and brother in law is a big fat idiot. Plus, he left his smelly socks all over my living room…what kind of rude shit is that?
I’m laughing my ass of with you Yankees. Florins?? We haven’t used Florins since 1800 or so. But this one takes the cake:
Hello? Bad Ugly GERMAN is what they thought. You got the currency right, CrankyAsAnOldMan, but we speak Dutch, not German.
Oh well… you’re free to speak English anytime. We all speak it here, well, at least 90%.
Tater: you prefer Munich to Amsterdam?? Blasphemy
I thought there was a university there. In addition, there’s probably a beer.
Euro. However, that doesn’t mean your average lunatic (such as your BIL) isn’t trying to use US dollars.
Germany.
Bonus Question: Explain how it is possible that it takes longer to get from Heidelberg to Berlin than Heidelberg to Amsterdam, even though Amsterdam is in a separate country.
In theory, it takes longer to go 80 miles than it does to go 10 miles, unless traffic is bad. Anyone who would argue against this theory, given that the mode of travel is the same for each route and that there are no unforeseen obstacles is, IMO, off their nut.
Just out of curiosity, does your b-i-l also think that cities within the same STATE must be closer than cities in different states?
Does he imagine, too, that if a state has a coastline, and is perhaps even famous for a certain beach culture, that everyone in the state lives by the beach or is a surfer? (Yes, I’m from California.)
And I might also point out to AHunter that anyone who comes to Sacramento looking for Yosemite will be as disappointed as a Mouseketeer in Glendale. Moreso in fact, since Yosemite’s at least 100 miles away as the crow flies, and a good 3-4 hour’s drive into the mountains.
(pretty funny about your visitors touring the Western US, though.)
panama jack
Florin is the sworn enemy of Guilder!
Heidelberg, Germany is famous for ______
(two acceptable answers)
The Heidelberger with cheese and for the world’s largest concentration of people from Heidelberg.
The currency used in Holland is the ______
Hollandollar
Munich is in what country? _______
Munichia
Bonus Question: Explain how it is possible that it takes longer to get from Heidelberg to Berlin than Heidelberg to Amsterdam, even though Amsterdam is in a seperate country.
Taking a plane to Amsterdam would be faster than taking a drive to Berlin.
Coldfire: I’m aware of the language, but I didn’t know Dutch, I knew German. And I thought spewing something other than English would make me slightly less of a shit. LOL
The Heidelberg Uncertainty Principle, which states that you can know either the currency used in Holland, or the location of Munich, but not both at the same time.
Tulip bulbs…I mean internet stocks…the Euro…oops, I repeat myself…
ER…I forget.
OH! WAIT! I remember…Munich is in Germany!!!
…but now I can’t seem to remember the answer to #2…
…how odd…
Heidelberg, Germany is famous for beer. I know that’s the lamer of two answer, but I can’t remember the less lame one.
The currency used in Holland is the guilder.
Munich is in what country? Bavaria. Some say Bavaria is part of Germany, but I know better. (last sentence = joke)
Bonus Question: Explain how it is possible that it takes longer to get from Heidelberg to Berlin than Heidelberg to Amsterdam, even though Amsterdam is in a seperate country.
Heidelberg is much closer to the Dutch border. Assuming a reasonably easy border crossing, it is natural to assume that the dash across the border is going to be quicker than going all the way across Germany, which is fairly wide by European standards.