A German pensioner flushed bundles of old banknotes worth a small fortune down the toilet because he thought they were now worthless, police in the northern city of Kiel said Thursday. The Reuters newswire said, he dumped some 60,000 deutschemarks -- which the euro replaced in 2002 -- into the bowl, unaware they could still be exchanged for about 30,000 euros (US$37,000).

A German pensioner flushed bundles of old banknotes down the toilet because he thought they were worthless, according to police in the northern city of Kiel. Police said he dumped some 60,000 deutschemarks - which the euro replaced in 2002 - into the bowl, unaware they could still be exchanged for about euro30,000 ($49,833).

One Northern Germany hotel is charging overnight guests based on their weight. According to Reuters, visitors to the town of Norden, close to the Dutch border, are asked to step onto scales before moving into their rooms. The rate is based on half a euro (U. S. 61 cents) per kilogram (2. 2 pounds).

A German man complained that the horse he just bought was impotent, so a court ordered that viagra be given to the stallion. Reuters reports that the buyer in the eastern town of Neuruppin refused to pay the full asking price, and shelled out just a tenth of the 4,000 Euro fee ($4,870).

A hotel in Germany is attempting to help its guests be healthier by charging them by the kilo for an overnight stay. Guests at the hotel in Norden have to pay half a euro for every kilo. Juergen Heckrodt, owner of the three-star establishment, says, "I had many guests who were really huge and I told them to slim down. When they came back the year after and had lost a lot of weight, they asked me what are you gonna do for me now?"