1. One of the top SPD promises after the 2021 election....they would push to build 400,000 apartments (a year) throughout Germany to bring 'balance' to the shortage of homes in urban centers.
Well...N-TV picked up the topic and did some chat with the German housing industry folks. It won't happen.
Blame? Several factors: energy problems, lack of skilled workers, various shortages of building materials.
Their best guess on how many will be built in 2023? 250,000 apartments.
2. Some hype gathering up on China relaxing it's travel policy on Covid. Some Europeans now worried that Chinese tourists will arrive with Covid.
3. Just an odd 'fake' story.
Some Syrian guy figured up this scheme in Germany to have a 'major' concert of a fairly well known Syrian singer.
The concert was to be held in Ilsfeld (Baden-Wurttemberg region in SW). A hall was rented, but the guy who signed the contract....indicated it'd be for a wedding....NOT a concert.
So days passed and tickets were sold (170 Euro for each, which seems hefty but maybe you got drinks included).
Concert day arrives....around 300 folks paid for ticket, and arrived to find no singer, and the rent-guy had disappeared. Yeah, 51k Euro collected off the scam. Take out the 1,000 Euro for the hall.
Cops looking for the guy.
3. Fireworks go on sale today in Germany, until Saturday morning, for Silvester celebration. Some major urban areas have banned the sales.
4. Temp expected for Saturday evening (Silvester)....near 45 F degrees. Just awful warm for this time of year. In my local Wiesbaden area.....Sunday afternoon is expected to reach 18 C (64 F).
5. Poll done on Covid in Germany. Around two-thirds of the polled folks say the epidemic is not done for them.....it continues on. Bulk of polled folks say that the mask situation on buses and trains should continue.
If you walk around German grocery stores? I'd say one out of five people still wear a mask. I was in the center of Wiesbaden's shopping district yesterday, and would guess about one out of eight people both in the stores and on the sidewalk....were masking up.
On the bus/train thing....key factor is that long before Covid came along....if you tested sanitation onboard buses and train....there was all kinds of bacteria out there, and in the flu season....things got easily passed around. No one argues about this fact.
But it's amazing to review the difference between Christmas 2021 and 2022. Theaters are open....no funny rules on stepping into a pub for beer.....restaurants totally open today.
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