be reaaaaly careful with that absinthe since it's illegal in the US. We have dumbed down versions of it, but the real stuff if illegal. My friend's sister tried to bring some back from Sicily and it was pretty much like "Throw this away right now or you're arrested".

6/6/2006 11:45:10 AM

the real stuff (absinthe) is illegal in Germany too, although you can get weaker versions. To get the real stuff, you have to go to somewhere like Prague in the Czech Republic. I got some in Prague and carried it back to the US in my carry on over christmas...... i think, i actually can't remember how I brought it back or in what bottle.
But i had the red kind - not nearly as popular as the bright green kind, so you may be able to pass it off as something else. Maybe pour it into another bottle - a bier bottle, or a (thoroughly washed) vinegar bottle or something.

I have 3 more weeks of my 1 year stay in Munich. Check out my blog and photo galleries here http://joelion.com/ for stuff i've seen and done, and ask any questions (if the front page of my photo gallery in the blog doesn't work, try here - http://joelion.com/gallery2 )

The weather in August should be great (in the south), at least compared to Raleigh. For example, the weather in Munich is almost exactly like the weather in Boone - i.e. low/no humidity, mild summers, sometimes lots of rain, but also sometimes not, cool nights. Nothing here has air conditioning, and most of the time it's not needed at all.

6/6/2006 2:01:08 PM

Quote :

"And has anyone brought stuff back? What's the limit to alcohol you can carry back with you? My friend wants me to bring him some absinth...but I don't want to get strip searched by a beefy german woman security guard. "

You'd be a balsy mo fo to try and sneak absinth back. I somehow got selected for a random search coming back into the country from germany(in dallas), and it wasn't a very plesant experience. I felt like i was being interrogated for a felony....

Have you ever been arrested?.....no
have you ever been stopped by a police officer?.....Yes, just for traffic violations
they never took you in?......no
are you sure?.......yes
Where did you go to school?.......NCSU
where do you work?........
how long have you been there?....
why do you have bandaids?......
why do you have asprin?.......
on and on for over an hour, all while he was ripping apart my bags and looking for "secret compartments"

the funny thing is i had a water bladder in my pack, full of water (but it could have been anything) and he didn't even look at it.

6/6/2006 2:17:49 PM

Spain is really good to find decent Absinthe, too.

6/6/2006 2:46:48 PM

i brought some back for myself. the stuff in germany is a weaker version of the real stuff,(i think about 5mg vs 10mg of the wormwood) i put it in my checked baggage, i woudlnt take it on a carry-on. the germans are very thorough searching you at their airports so dont have anything on you or your carry on that you dont want found.
someone asked how much alchohol you could bring back, i know you are limited to 6 bottles of wine.

6/6/2006 4:47:59 PM

Quote :

"Doner Kebaps! Doner Kebaps! Doner Kebaps! Doner Kebaps!"

the only thing you need to know
I wish i could get some here

edit:

Quote :

"...döner kebab is mostly unknown outside of places like New York City."

thats too bad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_kebab

[Edited on June 6, 2006 at 9:09 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2006 9:05:47 PM

absinthe is legal to posess(sp?) in the US. illegal to sell though... you can order online.

should be legal to bring back.

6/6/2006 9:10:53 PM

Its illegal to bring it back. The real absinthe contains hallucinogens and is banned in the United States. Its the same as trying to sneak in illegal drugs. There was a thread about it a while back, but I can't find it.

edit: The absinthe that is legal for sale does not contain the chemicals derived from wormwood, hence it is not banned. But there is honestly not enough of the chemicals in the real stuff for you to feel its effects before dying of alcohol poisoning.

[Edited on June 6, 2006 at 9:21 PM. Reason : .]

6/6/2006 9:20:15 PM