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!
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