Going to China? (again)

It has almost been one year since I started this blog, and one of my first posts was Going to China?. In fact, it was the foremost reason to start blogging.

Then, the situation changed, as it often does in life, and our stay in Germany was extended for an indefinite period of time.

Now, we are back at where we were one year ago. With one difference: this time, it really seems to work out. The plan is, that I will move to Fuzhou, China, in the beginning of October, this year!! For all of you, who don't know where Fuzhou lies, I included a little map. Fuzhou lies in mainland China, at the coast, opposite of Taiwan.

For this blog, it will mean that the contents will probably change drastically. Yet, I intend to keep using the same concept. This time, though, it will probably be more interesting for the readers in Europe and USA, than for those in China.

However, for any of you who want to keep track of our adventures abroad, this remains the place to be. I will keep you updated regularly with stories and pictures from Middle Kingdom.

News of the week - DocMorris

Last week, a german court decided that the Dutch company "DocMorris" did not have to close its newly opened pharmacy in Saarbrücken. DocMorris started as an Internet pharmacy, offering its customers the possibility to order medication online and shipping the order home, all for prices that were much more attractive than thos of conventional pharmacies.

A few years ago, the company already won a lawsuit regarding shipping medicine to Germany. This time, a German pharmacist in Saarbrücken tried to stop DocMorris from opening a store there, argumenting that German law forbids persons without an official registration as German pharmacist to set up a pharmacy in Germany. DocMorris won the lawsuit based on European law that provides the freedom of settlement for all European citizens.

Interestingly, the so called Dutch company is actually more German than Dutch. It was founded by a Dutch pharmacist and a German IT professional (who recently started his own blog). The Dutch co-founder has already left the company though (he now leads the Online division of the Dutch "Kruidvat"). The current management is mainly German, and the main reason for founding the company in the Netherlands, were the price regulations for medicine that exist in German law. Through their settlement in the Netherlands, close to the German border, DocMorris can offer German patients low cost medicine. So in a way, Dutch law can provide German companies a competitive edge for business in Germany. This cannot be in the interest of the country.

Will this in the end lead to the highly necessary cost reform of the medical system in this country?

Couleur Locale - Kälkenfest

Next weekend, the traditional "Kälkenfest" will be held in Warburg again. This festival is organised every year in the old city of Warburg. Throughout the weekend, the civilians of the city perform various theater plays, telling stories from the rich history of this little town.

The name "Kälkenfest" (literally translated: "whitewash festival") got its name from the tanners of the old city, who prepared the animal hides for tanning with chalk. The chalk was gained from limestone quarries near the city.

If we would not have plans to go the Netherlands, a walk to the old city and watch a theater play or two would definitely be part of the weekend program. Well, perhaps next year.

Cycling again

I almost forgot to appreciate one of the attractions the region around Warburg has to offer: cycling through the fields. As the temperature has reached a very comfortable 26 degrees, I decided to take my racing bike to make a small tour again. It was wonderful!! The population density is very low here, so you can cycle through the fields endlessly, hardly interrupted by cars or other traffic. I passed lovely villages, where the people still hang their laundry on lines in the garden to dry.

I realised again, how right my Chinese parents-in-law were, in their appreciation for Germany. As always after a bicycle tour, I resolved to do this much more often.