"Can you imagine Ocktoberfest here," Yamila wondered out loud this morning as we stood in the madness of the Hauptbahnhof train station where all walks of life converge in a caffeinated frenzy. Ocktoberfest? People here don't need a special reason to celebrate. They do well enough without it. Muchen's central train station is a great place to people watch. In the brief 48 hours that we've been here I have observed the following: Kaffe --- There are no Starbucks ...

"What is that?" Yamila suspiciously eyes a yellowish lump of food on the plate before us. "It's a potato dumpling," I say. I can tell she's trying to equate it with one of the Colombian food groups she grew up with. Doesn't resemble an Arepa or a Paneono. Or even boiled Yucca. "It has a weird consistency," she grumbles. I think she would feel differently if she could add a splash or two of Tabasco to it, but there's none to be found here. We're at the Hofbrau...

How is it these people aren't FAT? I don't get it. Everywhere you turn: bread, sugar, pastries and cheese. The Germans are all thin and chic -- at least the young ones. I'm an adventurous spirit when it comes to food. I sampled the Dunkin Donuts bacon-donut sandwich when we were in Boston last month. The guy behind the counter was sheepish when I ordered it. I had to ask for it because it wasn't on the menu. Apparently, the public outcry over the "fat" content...