(I apologize there are no pictures for now. I have to use Katie's camera to transfer them over since I forgot mine. Bear with me!)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Katie had class till 2pm, so I woke up late and had a very long breakfast with Johanna and Martin. We talked about everything! In the midst of all of these ancient buildings, history, shops and stuff, you might find it surprising that our little breakfasts we had together were among the most enjoyable things I did. It's the truth.
I can't even remember everything we talked about, but much of it was me asking what this word or that phrase was in German. They told me about themselves and I showed them pictures on the internet of Texas, though Martin has been there before. He told me one of the most odd things about Texas was the way the flag, both Texan and American, is flown on practically every doorstep. I can see how this surprising - you really don't see any German flags flying around here, though I have seen the Thuringia and Erfurt flag a couple of times. Someone - I can't remember if it was Martin or Katie - told me, "You aren't proud to be German." You can be proud of your region or your city, but not of your country. I think that's kind of sad, but the US could definitely take a lesson in humility.
Anyway, we ate these German rolls with butter, jam, nutella, you name it. I sort of just followed Johanna's and Martin's lead. Something kind of funny though: they put much thicker slices of butter on their rolls than I'm used to seeing. At one point, I forgot to put butter on one piece of the bread and ate it. It was pointed out. Martin explained to me that German breakfasts usually consist of bread and some kind of cheese or meat. I have also seen downtown in the morning that people will eat a sandwich for breakfast, as in, bread, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and some kind of meat, what I usually see eaten for lunch in the US.
I'll go ahead and tell you, I have eaten more here than I have anywhere else. Everything is so delicious. I have noticed, though, that the food here is surprisingly heavy compared to what I normally have. You don't drink 2% milk here. It's whole milk. (Katie laughingly told me how Martin referred to the milk in Texas as "watery.") Almost everything includes bread and meat. Popular "fast food" here is not McDonalds or Burger King, though they do have them here. Instead you'd go to a Döner, which is a Turkish kebab place that serves lamb meat with lettuce and some kind of sauce in a roll. It's really good.
I've also been to a Danish chain restaurant that serves crepes and waffles with any kind of topping. It's very easy to grab a bite to eat here. If you're in a hurry, there is almost always a bakery nearby with ready-made sandwiches, doughnuts, danishes, pretzels, and all sorts of things for you to pick up. It's pretty inexpensive, too.
I would get so fat living here!
Anyway, that evening Katie took me to one of her university's "Multicultural Nights," which is basically a party everyone from her class goes to at a bar (pub?) every Tuesday. This was a special Christmas edition, so we watched a bunch of Christmas favorites in a back room, drank, and ate cookies. That's where I met most of Katie's friends.
Of course, I'm terrible with names, but I can remember where most of them were from. I got to talk to Ravi again, who is originally from Sri Lanka and did his bachelors at Brighton in London for 4 years. He's VERY funny and smart. (And a great cook, but I'll get into that later!)
The guy next to me was Khalid (sp?) and he's from Afghanistan. He's worked with CNN and a bunch of other media giants. He's been all over the world attending different schools and working. I felt so unaccomplished next to him! He's extremely nice and told me about his wife, whom he just recently married. Congrats to them!
I also talked to a girl from Denmark, whose English was so impeccable that I could have mistaken her for someone from Britain. She, Katie, a guy named Sören (from Germany), and I compared and contrasted all of our different Christmas traditions. In Germany and Denmark, Dec. 24th is the big day rather than Christmas Day, though you generally celebrate the holiday for three whole days. You open all of your presents and eat a huge feast on Christmas Eve, though eating elaborate meals carries on the following three days. While in the US people put Christmas lights all over their houses, they are generally restricted to windows and indoors in Germany. All four of us use Christmas trees, but only Katie and I seemed to do the tradition of hanging up stockings.
It was a ton of fun getting to listen to everyone. We were from all over the world, but all of us wanted to know more about each other and our respective homes.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Day 2
Monday, December 13, 2010
I woke up around 9am to the dim light in my face from the window next to my bed.
The view. Martin was very kind to let me use his loft bed, so I have a whole room to myself!
I woke up around 9am to the dim light in my face from the window next to my bed.
The view. Martin was very kind to let me use his loft bed, so I have a whole room to myself!It sort of dawned on me where I was. I wasn't really sure of what to do. Katie and Martin were off at class and I really didn't know where I was. I procrastinated for about an hour before finally getting out of bed. Katie left me a wonderful note and a map of how to get to a nearby bakery for breakfast, but I felt scared to leave and actually have to, you know, talk to people, so I ate my leftover jägersnitzel instead and met Johanna, Martin's and Katie's roommate.
She is incredibly nice and speaks English very well, and I ended up talking with her over breakfast for hours. Yes, there was the occasional word we couldn't figure out how to translate (which is what dictionaries are for!), but she taught me a lot about herself and the German language. She even lent me an electronic translator for the week.
After getting ready for the day, Katie called me on a cell phone she lent me, asking if I wanted to meet in Anger so we could go up to the Petersberg Citadel. (Just so you know, Anger is pronounced "Ahnguh.") This involved me finding my way down some streets and intersections by myself to a tram stop, where I'd take the tram three stops down to Anger. I was determined to not look like an American. I wanted to look like I fit in, like I knew German and knew where I was going. I even nodded to a couple people, murmuring, "Hallo" as they walked by.
Later Katie told me people here don't do this. (It's a small town southern thing, apparently.)
Anyway, all was going well when I reached the tram stop and got on, where many people were scrunched together to get out of the cold. Then my cell went off, alerting me that Katie was wondering what was taking me so long. Naturally I started murmering to her in English, which earned me quite a few stares. I was actually pretty surprised at this.
This is what Katie and Martin have called "The German Stare." Whenever she and I talk to each other in English on the train, the tram, the bus, in a street, whatever, we will earn The Stare from someone. Keep in mind, this is usually from older people, and it's not them trying to be rude. They don't think you're weird or inferior for speaking English. They're just curious and, from what I have been told, it's not really viewed as a rude thing to stare at something like this. I don't know how accurate an assessment that is, and I'm sure there are some people here who would disagree, but again, I'm going off of what people have told me. I like to think that it's similar to how I listen to people speaking Spanish because I know the language a bit and I like it. Usually I don't stare, is all. Just for the record, Katie (jokingly) says it's a survival game of the fittest. You gotta stare right back. The tougher gaze wins, and the loser looks away. That's how you conquer The German Stare!
So, back to the real story. When I met up with Katie, we got another cup of glühwein, drank it gradually this time, and walked west, behind the Mariendom and up a really high hill that was covered in snow. There was a dead vineyard at its base.
Originally, each church maintained its own vineyard to make its own special wine for communion. Now its a tradition for a church to grow a little vineyard.
On top of Petersberg Hill, we found the main entrance to the Citadel:
The front gate.
An aerial view of the citadel from Wikipedia.
Founded in 1665, it started being built in 1695 but wasn't completely open to the public until the 20th century. It served as a military fortification, obviously, but the only conflict in which it was used that I can remember is the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The top overlooks Efurt. It's quite a view!
From atop the citadel. The big cathedral is the Mariendom.
The Christmas Market is on its left with the ferris wheel.
Katie tries not to break the top layer of snow.
Katie had class that afternoon, which she graciously let me attend with her. All of her classes are taught in English, so I got to experience a graduate course in Intro to Public Policy first hand, as well as meet some of her friends.
Katie's school, the University of Erfurt. Very snowy.
Intro to Public Policy. I like to think that I kind of helped Katie's group with their work...
That's Ravi, by the way - another friend of Katie's.
Later that night, Katie, Martin, their friend Stefan and I went to an Italian restaurant across the street from the Rathaus, where the Thuringia state government works. I had a margherita pizza and my first German beer: waldhaus bier.
Here, it actually doesn't taste like horse piss. On the contrary, it's AMAZING.
Martin and Katie. Awwww!
She is incredibly nice and speaks English very well, and I ended up talking with her over breakfast for hours. Yes, there was the occasional word we couldn't figure out how to translate (which is what dictionaries are for!), but she taught me a lot about herself and the German language. She even lent me an electronic translator for the week.
After getting ready for the day, Katie called me on a cell phone she lent me, asking if I wanted to meet in Anger so we could go up to the Petersberg Citadel. (Just so you know, Anger is pronounced "Ahnguh.") This involved me finding my way down some streets and intersections by myself to a tram stop, where I'd take the tram three stops down to Anger. I was determined to not look like an American. I wanted to look like I fit in, like I knew German and knew where I was going. I even nodded to a couple people, murmuring, "Hallo" as they walked by.
Later Katie told me people here don't do this. (It's a small town southern thing, apparently.)
Anyway, all was going well when I reached the tram stop and got on, where many people were scrunched together to get out of the cold. Then my cell went off, alerting me that Katie was wondering what was taking me so long. Naturally I started murmering to her in English, which earned me quite a few stares. I was actually pretty surprised at this.
This is what Katie and Martin have called "The German Stare." Whenever she and I talk to each other in English on the train, the tram, the bus, in a street, whatever, we will earn The Stare from someone. Keep in mind, this is usually from older people, and it's not them trying to be rude. They don't think you're weird or inferior for speaking English. They're just curious and, from what I have been told, it's not really viewed as a rude thing to stare at something like this. I don't know how accurate an assessment that is, and I'm sure there are some people here who would disagree, but again, I'm going off of what people have told me. I like to think that it's similar to how I listen to people speaking Spanish because I know the language a bit and I like it. Usually I don't stare, is all. Just for the record, Katie (jokingly) says it's a survival game of the fittest. You gotta stare right back. The tougher gaze wins, and the loser looks away. That's how you conquer The German Stare!
So, back to the real story. When I met up with Katie, we got another cup of glühwein, drank it gradually this time, and walked west, behind the Mariendom and up a really high hill that was covered in snow. There was a dead vineyard at its base.
Originally, each church maintained its own vineyard to make its own special wine for communion. Now its a tradition for a church to grow a little vineyard.On top of Petersberg Hill, we found the main entrance to the Citadel:
The front gate.
An aerial view of the citadel from Wikipedia.Founded in 1665, it started being built in 1695 but wasn't completely open to the public until the 20th century. It served as a military fortification, obviously, but the only conflict in which it was used that I can remember is the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The top overlooks Efurt. It's quite a view!
From atop the citadel. The big cathedral is the Mariendom.The Christmas Market is on its left with the ferris wheel.
Katie tries not to break the top layer of snow.
Katie had class that afternoon, which she graciously let me attend with her. All of her classes are taught in English, so I got to experience a graduate course in Intro to Public Policy first hand, as well as meet some of her friends.
Katie's school, the University of Erfurt. Very snowy.
Intro to Public Policy. I like to think that I kind of helped Katie's group with their work...That's Ravi, by the way - another friend of Katie's.
Later that night, Katie, Martin, their friend Stefan and I went to an Italian restaurant across the street from the Rathaus, where the Thuringia state government works. I had a margherita pizza and my first German beer: waldhaus bier.
Here, it actually doesn't taste like horse piss. On the contrary, it's AMAZING.
Martin and Katie. Awwww!Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Day 1
9:14am December 12, 2010
I couldn’t sleep very well on the plane, so I watched Eat Pray Love and Despicable Me. I read A Christmas Carol on Mom’s Kindle for a little while before the Melatonin kicked in. I dozed on and off until we touched down.
Now I’m in Frankfurt on the train. I think it’s the right train. I’m not gonna lie, I’m terrified right now. I’ve been having nightmares about this part of the trip for the past week. I don’t know how to take trains. I’m from Texas for crying out loud. Luckily everyone in charge speaks English, but they give you that glazed over look when they realize you can’t speak their language. I don’t blame them. I’m a tour guide.
I don’t even know if I’m in the right seat. My ticket is completely in German. The train arrived just as I bought it, so I jumped in the first door that I saw, which happens to be the second carriage. To me, this should be “first class,” which I definitely did not purchase. My section of the train is called “The Quiet Zone,” with glass doors closing it off from the rest of the carriages. So far nobody is telling me to move, so I’m going to stay as long as I can. I wish I knew where the bathrooms were…
The temperature isn’t so bad. Around 34o F I think. Wet. From my window I can see Frankfurt flying by. Lots of construction. Graffiti. Lots and lots of graffiti. I remember someone telling me they weren’t impressed with Frankfurt because it wasn’t “quaint” like the other towns. Whatever. I think it looks gritty and cool.
Whoah. We’re going backwards. Why are we going back? Shouldn't the rail go in, like…a circuit? I don’t get trains. I don’t get them at all.
11:09am
I think I’m in the clear. The ticket master came through asking for our papers (or something), she stamped mine and didn’t make me move. The landscape is beautiful. I’m now seeing quite a bit of snow. I’m surprised by how much undeveloped land there is. Every now and then we pass a cluster of old brick houses and apartments, which, I suppose, signifies a town. Each hamlet as at least one ancient church with a very tall steeple. Some of the houses we passed flew German flags, I am happy to say. I’ve always heard of the lack of nationalism in Germany because of their past, but I think people are getting over it.
I’ve already picked up a lot of German. It’s funny how much easier it is to learn when you have to. No wonder I stink at Spanish.
Just passed through Eisenrach (sp?). Next stop, Erfurt! Hopefully Katie is waiting for me.
*******
…And that’s all I wrote down.
As soon as I got of the train at Erfurt, I saw Katie and Martin (her boyfriend) waiting for me. After lots of shouting and hugging, we all took the escalator downstairs to the station where I exchanged some more money for euros, bought a week-long tram pass, and a bottle of water. Thus began my first few lessons in German culture.
First off, these bottles of water I see everyone with are huge. They’re about as long as my forearm and you can get them with regular water or water with bubbles. Katie told me that Germans are obsessed with bubbly drinks. (You know, like it’s slightly carbonated.) The stuff tastes like fake champagne, but for some reason you can get any type of drink – be it water, fruit juice, whatever – with bubbles added.
We took the tram to Katie and Martin’s apartment that they share with another girl, Johanna. It’s a short distance away from the university they attend. Katie is going to a graduate program here in Erfurt in Public Policy. We dropped off my stuff and Katie took me around the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) where the Christmas Market is.
This may actually be the inside of the Severikirche... I can't remember.
Krämerbrücke
I couldn’t sleep very well on the plane, so I watched Eat Pray Love and Despicable Me. I read A Christmas Carol on Mom’s Kindle for a little while before the Melatonin kicked in. I dozed on and off until we touched down.
Now I’m in Frankfurt on the train. I think it’s the right train. I’m not gonna lie, I’m terrified right now. I’ve been having nightmares about this part of the trip for the past week. I don’t know how to take trains. I’m from Texas for crying out loud. Luckily everyone in charge speaks English, but they give you that glazed over look when they realize you can’t speak their language. I don’t blame them. I’m a tour guide.
I don’t even know if I’m in the right seat. My ticket is completely in German. The train arrived just as I bought it, so I jumped in the first door that I saw, which happens to be the second carriage. To me, this should be “first class,” which I definitely did not purchase. My section of the train is called “The Quiet Zone,” with glass doors closing it off from the rest of the carriages. So far nobody is telling me to move, so I’m going to stay as long as I can. I wish I knew where the bathrooms were…
The temperature isn’t so bad. Around 34o F I think. Wet. From my window I can see Frankfurt flying by. Lots of construction. Graffiti. Lots and lots of graffiti. I remember someone telling me they weren’t impressed with Frankfurt because it wasn’t “quaint” like the other towns. Whatever. I think it looks gritty and cool.
Whoah. We’re going backwards. Why are we going back? Shouldn't the rail go in, like…a circuit? I don’t get trains. I don’t get them at all.
11:09am
I think I’m in the clear. The ticket master came through asking for our papers (or something), she stamped mine and didn’t make me move. The landscape is beautiful. I’m now seeing quite a bit of snow. I’m surprised by how much undeveloped land there is. Every now and then we pass a cluster of old brick houses and apartments, which, I suppose, signifies a town. Each hamlet as at least one ancient church with a very tall steeple. Some of the houses we passed flew German flags, I am happy to say. I’ve always heard of the lack of nationalism in Germany because of their past, but I think people are getting over it.
I’ve already picked up a lot of German. It’s funny how much easier it is to learn when you have to. No wonder I stink at Spanish.
Just passed through Eisenrach (sp?). Next stop, Erfurt! Hopefully Katie is waiting for me.
*******
…And that’s all I wrote down.
As soon as I got of the train at Erfurt, I saw Katie and Martin (her boyfriend) waiting for me. After lots of shouting and hugging, we all took the escalator downstairs to the station where I exchanged some more money for euros, bought a week-long tram pass, and a bottle of water. Thus began my first few lessons in German culture.
First off, these bottles of water I see everyone with are huge. They’re about as long as my forearm and you can get them with regular water or water with bubbles. Katie told me that Germans are obsessed with bubbly drinks. (You know, like it’s slightly carbonated.) The stuff tastes like fake champagne, but for some reason you can get any type of drink – be it water, fruit juice, whatever – with bubbles added.
We took the tram to Katie and Martin’s apartment that they share with another girl, Johanna. It’s a short distance away from the university they attend. Katie is going to a graduate program here in Erfurt in Public Policy. We dropped off my stuff and Katie took me around the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) where the Christmas Market is.
The Christmas Market is something that tourists come to see from other cities every year. It reminds me a bit of Santa’s Workshop in Richardson, but about 100x as large with vendors from all over Germany, selling hats, gloves, handcrafted ornaments, wreathes, baskets, pottery, you name it. And glühwein. Lots and lots of glühwein!
Glühwein is how Germans stay warm, according to Katie. It’s literally “mulled wine,” and you can buy a mug of it for about 2,50 euros. If you return the mug once you’re done, you get 1,0 euro back. There are glühwein stands all over the place, and each one claims to be the original, but Katie can pick out the best. It really does make you warm. It is strong stuff.
For instance, after buying me a mug, Katie took me across the Domplatz and up to the Mariendom (Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary). We had to chug our glühwein because we couldn’t bring it inside. By the time I got up the 70 14th-century steps to the entrance, I could barely stand up, and it wasn’t because I was jetlagged. And they say Americans can’t hold their alcohol…I wonder why?
The cathedral is huge. It originates from a chapel founded by Boniface in 742. Inside are massive stained glass windows and stone walls. Very cold and dim. Inside are 14th-century choir stalls, a Romanesque stucco Madonna, and a bronze chandelier, or candelabrum, named “Wolfram,” which dates to 1160. In the middle steeple hangs the bell “Gloriosa,” which, according to this English brochure I bought, rings on religious holidays. Katie tells me that the people of Erfurt are obsessed with this bell. She has heard it repeated to her a dozen times that it is the largest free-swinging bell in the world.
This may actually be the inside of the Severikirche... I can't remember.Just next door to the Mariendom is the Severikirche (St. Severus Church). While it’s significantly smaller than the Mariendom, this church began being built in 1280. Supposedly the bones of St. Severus, a bishop of Ravenna (wherever that is), were transferred here. Before that, though, this church was the site of the Benedictine convent of St. Paul. On the inside is St. Severus’ sarcophagus (1365), a stone Madonna (1345), lots of wall paintings, and a fountain (1467).
After exploring we got dinner at a café near the Medieval Market across the Krämerbrücke (Merchants Bridge), an extension of the Christmas Market but with a medieval theme. (If you haven't already guessed, Erfurt was the boom town of the Middle Ages.) The bridge is lined with 64 medieval houses, 32 of which still have inhabitants and shops lining the road. I ate jägershnitzel for the first time, which was so good but so big I had to take half of it home. Katie made me stay up till 9pm watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation so I wouldn’t mess up my internal clock. I slept a whole 12 hours, something I haven’t done since I was probably 2.
Krämerbrücke
Flight
This was all written down in a spiral notebook, so that's why it's in the present-tense.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Mom, Dad, Trevor and Philip brought me to the airport in Austin at 12:10pm. My first flight – the flight to Dallas – was a breeze. We literally lifted off and touched down 40 minutes later. At DFW I took a tram to Gate D and waited for about an hour to load the plane for Frankfurt. My seat was 34F, two seats over from the aisle.
I was fantasizing about ending up sitting next to some hot guy who would teach me German the entire 10 hours.
Instead I was seated directly in front of a screaming baby. And I’m mean f***ing my-god-why-have-you-forsaken-me kind of screaming baby.
Of course.
I waited for another half an hour or so for the plane to be loaded. Everyone was awkwardly looking around, trying not to make eye contact because we were all thinking the same thing. Ten hours with this child. Help meeee….
Our flight ended up being delayed because, as it turns out, the child was injured. The family decided to leave the flight and they had to find their luggage amongst the thousands of other duffel bags, backpacks, and who-knows-what in the cargo hold. The only way I knew this was from eavesdropping on a flight attendant. Something about the kid being “swollen.” I immediately felt guilty about wanting it to shut up, and felt even worse when I realized how relieved I was I wouldn’t have to hear it anymore. I really do hope they are all OK...
Monday, December 13, 2010
Introductions!
This is my blog for my trip to Erfurt, Germany, to visit one my best friends, Katie. The trip lasted from December 11 – 22, 2010. I know it’s kind of pretentious to keep a blog about so short a trip, but I have a terrible memory and wanted to keep my travels in writing.
Unfortunately I was an idiot and grabbed the wrong cable that connects my camera to the computer to transfer photos. So, you’ll have to use your imagination on a lot of the things I talk about until I can upload them at home. Sorry!
So let’s get started! I hope you enjoy it.
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