Kinowelt

I can't believe I didn't blog about this before! Almost two months ago I went to the movies here in Germany. The theater closest to us was finally showing the original version of Harry Potter and I was NOT going to miss out on seeing it on the big screen. In Germany, they dub over the original English version of the movie with German voices. So if you want to see a movie in English- you have to wait for the OV (original version) to come out.
So off I go on a cold and rainy weeknight, anxious for some buttery popcorn and Harry Potter goodness. When I arrived, I used my Dinglish (Deutsch and English) to get my ticket and obligatory overpriced snacks. Before going into the theater I decided to check out my ticket to see where my seat was. Fortunately I had been warned by other expats that they assign you a seat in the theaters here. And if you are in a crowded theater and sitting in someone else's seat, it can get interesting. Not wanting to be the cause of an international incident, I looked over my ticket carefully. Hmmmm. I knew what "Kino" and "Platz" meant. But what the heck was "Reihe"? It looked important. So I precariously balanced my tub of popcorn and drink (sans ice) in one arm so I could whip out the good old English/German dictionary. Which did not have that word listed anywhere. So what did I do next you ask? I ducked behind a huge cut out lizard and called Chris. Who then googled it for me. It meant row. Crisis averted.
Into the theater I went, prepared to find my very specific seat. The theater was empty except for three guys. One of which was seated in MY assigned seat. This is the part where I leave out the words I mumbled as I walked to another seat. Once situated, I watched the German advertisements and grabbed a handful of popcorn, which I had been SO excited for. That was, until I started chewing and realized two things. #1 It was not regular popcorn. It was kettle cooked. Which was okay, except that #2 It had no butter. WHAT? I thought it was a requirement that movie theater popcorn have 2 liters of fake butter on top. I readjusted my expectations, and took a sip of my warm coke to wash things down. Like my hopes and dreams for buttery popcorn. The lights dimmed and the previews started. In English! I was so excited! I also realized that I am totally out of touch with American popular culture. Then after the previews, the lights came back on and they played two U2 songs. I am pretty sure that the look on my face was priceless. Then the lights dimmed AGAIN and the movie started. I was squirming in my seat because I was so excited!!!!! The movie was fantastic, and the only issue I faced was that of the three guys in the theater, apparently only one spoke English. So he was busy explaining stuff to the other two. On the brighter side, I got a quick tutorial on Harry Potter in German. To be honest, the experience was not negative at all. Just different from what I am used to. Will I go again? Heck yes! And now I'll know what "Reihe" means and to expect kettle cooked popcorn.