about time...

Hi!

Sorry I haven't updated in Forever. I haven't even been that busy. Just exceptionally lazy. I apologize. Things are going well in Germany, though passing the time on the weekends takes some inventiveness. Here are some super-quick summaries of the last month or so:

1. Dijon, France. Rainy, gray, cold, cramped, French, yet delightful:
Here, medieval Fachwerkhaeuser:

A wonderful French street. I think this is near their indoor farmer's market.
Hallo, Knut! Aside from this Eisbaer (the official protector of Dijon), there are owls all over the city, marking the delightful 2-Euro self-tour of Dijon that I insisted on completing with my poor American friends. The famous owl himself is on the corner of Dijon's Notre Dame. Rub him with your left hand for good luck!
My travel buddies, Amber and David. David and I took approximately 7 different trains coming home in a journey that lasted pretty much forever. And wasn't cheap. But fun, nonetheless.2. A German Bundesliga game; Hoffenheim v. Hamburg, only the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the league. It was a really exciting game to watch. Hoffenheim, the underdog, played exceptionally well and earned their decisive win.
And finally, a picture of my little room. It's on the at the very top of a very long spiral staircase and just off the kitchen in my apartment. I got all the furniture for free and most of it from a woman whose mother died last year. Kind of depressing, but nice, wooden furniture! Also, my host family and I carried all of it up the four flights of spiral stairs. Fun for everyone!
Things Are Good. Generally. I saw Weinheim with an American family from Kaiserslautern this last weekend and am looking forward to Dane's visit, which should include Strasbourg, more Heidelberg, and potentially Speyer, Metz, Bad Wimpfen, Schwetzingen, Worms, Koblenz, or Trier. Mal schauen.

Take care, everyone and thanks for reading!

more catch-up, please

Hello!

Thanks for checking my blog even though I update it rather sporadically. I finally went inside the Heidelberg Castle and visited Chrissy's host family in Stuttgart and Heilbronn. I also made a small day trip to Speyer, which is home to a beautiful Romanesque cathedral.
Some more shots of Heidelberg:


Here are some from Speyer! The cathedral dates from the 1000s. It is also home to the tombs of Salian emperors, circa. the 11th and 12th centuries. The crypt itself is huge--the largest Romanesque crypt in the world--and was described as "the most sublime monument on German ground" by Reinhold Schneider, a poet.
The crypt, so wonderfully solemn and spooky:
A view of the cathedral from the street. It's giant.
A monument/tomb at the entrance of the church:

Finally, some shots from Stuttgart: here, the castle and fountain

A lovely farmer's market view from outside the Markthalle in downtown:
The Haeffner brothers, Felix and Tobias, in a tent at the Stuttgart fest. They were all about their cool cameras. I'll bother them for pictures and, with any luck, post some ones far superior to my blurry shots.
Well, those are all the ones worth posting, really. I'll throw in a view from our kitchen window:
Instead of the original plans to visit Vienna, my friends and I are going to Dijon, France tomorrow morning at about 6am. I'll be back Friday evening and, I hope, ready to get back into the daily grind of things--my ever-stressful 12 hours a week.

au revoir!

beautiful october

Dear Readers,

Sorry for my lapse in blogging. I've been traveling! My two-week "Herbstferien" or fall break, began last Friday on the Day of German Unity (October 3rd). No one really celebrated except that we got the day off. The night before, I made my first trip to Heidelberg, which is ridiculously close to Mannheim. You can even take a street car there! I went with two other American Fulbrighters and after enjoying the local Neuwein on the train, we wandered the charming, cobblestone streets of Heidelberg. We also ate some delicious Chinese food at "China Restaurant Asia," which, despite its name, served authentic and tasty dishes. But I digress. Heidelberg is wonderful. It rained a little while we were there, but the clouds broke just before sunset and I got some breathtaking views. Have a look from across the river, see the castle on the left:


Another view down the river:

The sunset:
I also went to Oktoberfest! I visited an American friend who's been living in Germany for a few years now with her German boyfriend. We had a ton of fun, though the first two days were cold and rainy and we couldn't get into any of the tents. On Sunday we had a great time, however, and all I can say about Oktoberfest is that it is everything you imagine it to be... overly German, huge, crazy, expensive... and more.

Coming up next: a full length tour of the Heidelberg castle and a trip to Vienna! I'll keep you all posted!

Recap

Okay, so here are my chronicles from the month of September.

1. I went to an orientation outside Cologne. It was held at a former monastery/cathedral called Altenberg. Here are some choice pictures:



According to the information I picked up, the cathedral was constructed after 1259 as replacement for a Romanesque building dating from 1145. The monastic community dates to 1133! These days, the church is used for both Catholic and protestant worship and the abbey no longer houses Cistercians, but travelers and youth groups and Fulbrighters. The town itself is dwarfed by the huge church, but the grounds remain tidy and peaceful.

2. I visited an American family last weekend and we did a little day trip on the Mosel River. Here are some more pictures:

This is Burg Eltz. Never conquered! In its 33rd generation of primogeniture inheritance:


Here is a picture from Bad Bernkastel. The buildings are dated on their eaves and some are as old as 1583! Look at how this Weinstube slants:

I'm moving to my new apartment today! I'll take some picture of my area and my place once I'm settled!

Have a great weekend!

New Blog!

Hello Everyone,

I'm in Germany!
Here I am on a hike through the Pfalz, which is wine country. I am in one of the charming villages on the famous Weinstrasse. I'm wearing my most German outfit and am accompanied by a group of angry divorcees. It was ten miles and a lot of fun!

That's all for now! I'm having a great time so far!