Fernweh @germansummer2014-blog - Tumblr Blog

Just a few errands left to run.

This week was pretty great for the most part. I met a lot of amazing people that I hope I will see again—Laura from Australia, Korn from Thailand, Megan from England, Andreea from Romania, and lots of other great people, from New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Norway. I hope I can see y’all again.

I saw some great museums (the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Hundertwasser Kunsthaus), enjoyed some excellent schnitzel, tried some new wines, and wandered around a beautiful city. I saw Schönbrunn Palace, the gorgeous Gothic Rathaus (city hall), St. Stephan’s cathedral where we caught the end of a mass, and numerous cafés and bookshops. Vienna really appeals to me—it is historic and lovely with a thriving art and music scene. The coffee is great and the people are very friendly.

More than just Vienna though, I am glad I made the decision to travel alone.

I think it is important. Getting here, I was extremely nervous. I very seldomly travel alone and I have never done it for so long in a foreign country. It was good for me, though. I adapted easily like I knew I would.

And now, I am sad to go, but also very ready to just be home and relax for a little while. So thank you for following this blog. I hope you enjoyed my scatterbrained rants. I will post some of my real photos from the last few weeks in Germany to my week in Vienna, and then I will be done with this blog.

Auf Wiedersehen!

From yesterday afternoon.

I'm sitting at the top of the hill overlooking Schönbrunn Palace. I can see the peaks of the tall green hills surrounding the city, the red brick roofs that remind me of Lüneburg, the creamy yellow of the palace below. The sky is a pale blue with dark clouds. It looks like it may rain again after all. It is hard to leave. It is my last day in Europe. Tomorrow afternoon I fly to London Heathrow where I have a fifteen hour layover. I'm not excited about that. But then I will be one airport closer to Texas. Haven't I been talking about flying home to Texas for the past three weeks? Yeah. I'm excited. This summer went by even faster than I thought it would. I only left Germany on Monday, and tomorrow I'm leaving Austria. Where does the time fly? It feels so strange. I hope all of my life doesn't go by this quickly. I feel old. I'm not even twenty one yet. But sitting here on the cool grass overlooking the heart of Austria, it's hard to imagine being back home with my family and friends, celebrating my birthdays. Birthdays aren't really that exciting for me. I am just glad to be home. This whole trip has been a gift--a huge learning curve, to be sure, but also a gift. I think I am already romanticizing it but I guess that's just what I do. I am so ready to be home, as much as I will miss Europe. I do love it a lot. But I am tired and lonely despite having a great time and meeting new people. It's been almost three months. It's time to go home.

I did not have a tiny, overpriced coffee here just because this cafe is pink and cute...that would be...absurd...

Obwohl es regnet, ist Wien ganz wunderschön! I went to the (Upper and Lower) Belvedere today with a really sweet Canadian Romanian girl named Andreea today. We had the best time. We saw a lot of wonderful Gustav Klimt paintings (Judith, The Kiss, Sunflowers, Adam and Eve, and many others), several Egon Schiele paintings (including one of my favorites, Death and the Maiden) and saw many other important Austrian artists! It was a great experience. The temporary exhibition was 19th century Russian art. So there was a lot of World of Art and Ivan Bilibin--you can imagine how excited I was!!! Not only that, but there was also a second temporary exhibition for contemporary art, primarily German and Austrian artists, featuring many works including mirrors, disco balls, videos, and other fascinating things. It rained, but that didn't stop us! Tomorrow we are going to the Hundertwasser neighborhood in Vienna, the famous art nouveau area designed by the architect Hundertwasser! Ich freue mich!

Well, I left Lüneburg today. I managed not to cry, but I almost did when my room mate Carla said goodbye to me. She is so sweet. If I ever go to Brazil, I will find a way to meet up with her. She has helped me so much with my German. I will really miss her.' I'm not a cryer, either. When I said goodbye to my American friends, I was sad. But it didn't feel real. We had döner by the beautiful river that runs through town and some drinks at Hemingway's and then I said goodbye to most of them. I don't like to say forever. It's upsetting. And it doesn't feel plausible, which is maybe why I was okay with saying goodbye. Because I was still in denial. I have such a bad habit of stifling negative emotions, that when I got home (ha, home...my German home, I guess) (I use that term too freely...)and wanted to cry, I couldn't. I just stared at the ceiling and thought about sad things and how much stuff I had to do the next day. I met up with Haleigh and Riley at am Sande, the main marketplace in Lüneburg, and then went home, finished packing, and had some franzbrötchen (a sweet bread similar to cinnamon rolls) and coffee with Carla. I said goodbye to my sweet landlady as she was showing around a possible new tenant, a German American named Phillip. It's weird to think that he is only eighteen and is doing an...not an internship, sort of an apprenticeship? It is hard to explain an ausbildung in English. But his parents are German, and he was raised in Wisconsin, but is fluent in both German and English. I showed him and his parents my room and answered their questions as best as I could auf Deutsch. It is strange to think that someone else will be living there soon; if not Phillip, then someone else. It was so temporary. I will miss looking out at the little garden every day. And now, after several hours of train rides and flying, I am here in Vienna. Even flying here, I felt (most of) my uneasiness fade away as I saw the gorgeous Austrian landscape unfold beneath me. Those hills, the little farms, the mountains in the distance! Even the rain couldn't dampen my mood (aha, ha). It did take me awhile to find out where my hostel was; I landed around 6:45 and got to my hostel around 9:30. But alles gut now! I have my luggage and five nights paid for. I talked to some of the people I am staying with--an Australian girl, a Spanish girl, and a Norwegian guy. Not sure about the others. Weirdly enough I ended up talking to the Norwegian guy about history; I swear, I somehow end up in deep conversations with strangers about American politics and history, ALWAYS. And I know what you're thinking, but it's never my fault, I never initiate it! It goes from simple small talk to deep issues and I don't know how it happens. Anyway, Norwegian Guy is cool. His English is immaculate. The Scandinavian people are becoming too powerful. Not only are they very good looking but they are also wealthy and multilingual. No one should be that fortunate. Anyway, after recuperating from a stressful day in my room for a few minutes, I made myself go out to the bar and meet people. Wow. I had no idea how easy it is to meet people when you are a single girl. I talked to a bunch of people! Well, guys. And a Belgian girl. But she went away. So I hung out with an Australian and two guys from Turkey. I will never escape the Australians. I guess it is natural that native English speakers gravitate towards each other. At any rate my German is not that useful here. I can read most things fine, as the vocabulary is the same for the most part, but the accents are difficult to understand. Maybe I'll get better in the next few days. Everyone has been telling me to ditch Bratislava for Budapest so that's probably what I'll do. For now, I should sleep. And tomorrow, museums!!!

It's my last day in Lüneburg. That's a fact. I've looked at my plane ticket numerous times, looked at the train schedule to the airport in Hamburg. And yet, it feels like just another day. Slightly overcast. I woke up earlier than I would like and laid in bed for awhile thinking about random, half-awake things. The only thing that indicates that it is anything besides another normal day in Germany are my suitcases in the corner of my tiny room, stacked on top of each other and bursting with German chocolate and Haribo gummy bears for people back home. Maybe it'll feel more real at the goodbye dinner tonight. I'm going to get döner tonight with some of my favorite Americans and Germans because everyone has different flights home; or in my case, to Vienna. Boy, am I going to miss Turkish fast food. But then I remember that Texas has Whataburger and I feel a lot better. Heh, it seems like yesterday that I had just landed in Hamburg, sans luggage, desperately trying to figure out the bus system and get directions from kind strangers. Again, I am so grateful for the nice people that helped me find my hotel and then the airport again so I could meet up with the group. That's what I get for arriving a day before everyone else, but then, I always did things on my own, and there was a bit of a learning curve, and I came out fine. I planned the trip to Copenhagen essentially on my own too; I would've gone by myself if no one else wanted to (but I'm glad we did go together, that was one of the most memorable four days of my life). But that's how it was with Vienna, too. At the beginning of the summer, I told my wonderful Nana I wanted to fly out of Vienna. (Originally it was Oslo...my wallet shudders at the thought. One day, Norway!) I knew I would probably be going alone. I thought another girl might go with me for a day or two, but now it's just me. And Gustav Klimt, and Egon Schiele, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! I am a little nervous, but only about traveling. I'm a pretty good planner. Everything will be okay. I am excited to explore a city on my own. It's just weird to think I'll be in another country tomorrow. And Austria is so far south, maybe I can actually wear summer clothes! It's hard to imagine it until I'm there. And then... One week until Texas!!!! I've been counting down for awhile, because I miss everyone and everything that's been going on--two of my dearest friends from church got married this summer, my little brother is going to college in the fall, and my best friend got accepted into the college she wanted after so long. I'll miss her by exactly a day but at least I'll get to see Lindsay and hopefully Tory and Leah. And my family and pups!!! I can't believe it's only a week away. Where did the summer go? It feels like I stepped outside of my normal life to come here, like it almost wasn't real, and I'll go back home and it will be May and the weather will still be nice and I'll be swimming in the lake or hanging out in coffee shops for hours...hm, pretty much what I do here, I guess, now that I think about it. It's going to be different though. I hope my advanced German class in the fall is as intensive as this one. Speaking in German for hours at a time is so beneficial for learning. And now I know that I might be able to handle living in Germany for international relations, I'm more determined than ever to improve my language skills. It would be such a waste if I didn't, after how much I've improved. I am still a long way from fluency, but that's okay. I'm not afraid of hard work or a challenge. I am very goal oriented. I will get this done. And when I get back I can start training for this upcoming season, my last year with my team. I've been running at the park as much as I can this summer, but frankly, my eating habits have been even worse than usual...something I try to accept as 'well, it's Europe, what am I supposed to do?' but then I look in the mirror and sigh think, 'why do I do this to myself?' /anyway/. I guess I'm trying to figure out what this trip has given me. More independence, certainly (scary!); improved German skills (except around cute guys apparently....); a greater appreciation for my home (pftttt because I didn't like Texas enough already); and an appreciation for the different things Germany and Germans have to offer. And, oh yeah, it only intensified my love for history. Again, you might not have thought such a thing was possible, but it DEFINITELY IS. It was so cool seeing Sanssouci where Old Fritz is buried, the tiny museum in Goslar with objects from the Napoleonic Wars, the Hamburg History Museum with all the simulations of Hamburg burning (poor Hamburg. It burned like, five times.) And seeing all the postwar remains of Cold War history in Berlin...yeah. It's been pretty amazing. It is one thing to study things but another to touch the Russian graffiti in the Reichstag from the Battle of Berlin (and picture that iconic photograph of the Russian soldier mountains the red flag on the German building with Berlin burning below...I think it is one of my favorite photographs); another to see medieval churches with their great spires, where Bach sang as a boy; to hike in the mountains where Goethe walked...I love being surrounded by history. It is when I feel the most...hmm...maybe alive is the word I am looking for? It is so important to me, and it has only reaffirmed in my mind how important it should be in classrooms. I still have a heart for education but I don't know if I want to tackle that yet. For now, it's time to get ready for my last adventure in Austria, say my goodbyes, and get ready for the upcoming year...for my Aggie ring ceremony (whoop!), my senior year of college, applying for internships, starting my seminars, and kicking back with my favorite people in the world in good old College Station with some tacos from Fuego and an ice cold Dr. Pepper. I'm so grateful for my summer in beautiful Germany, but I think I will be ready come Sunday to come home. Well, it's about ten thirty in the morning now. Time to lace up my shoes and go for a last run in my favorite park in Lüneburg. Bis später!

We went here after our last German test today. It has my favorite schnitzel in the world but today I got a pasta dish and a dark beer. Yum!

elsogo

Lüneburg, Germany, February 2014

#it is hard to believe this place is real #and that I am leaving in a few days #I'm trying not to be sad about if

Yesterday I went back to the little city of Goslar in southern Niedersachsen/Lower Saxony at the base of the Harz Mountain range. I didn't think I would ever go back because it's about three and a half hours away by train and a rather small city, although it's very sweet. Do you remember the last time I was there and I met the most adorable old man who ran a tiny museum by the market? Talking to that man about German history is still one of my most favorite experiences here. I originally went there a few weeks ago to go hiking, but I went again yesterday because some new students wanted to go hiking there. I'm so glad I went. It took us a little while to find a trail. The city is nestled right against the base of one of the mountains, but it's heavily forested, so there wasn't a good place to enter. After about an hour of wandering around town we finally found a path and started climbing up Steinberg. They are not great mountains like the Alps or the Caucasus, but they are too big to be hills--it reminded me a lot of driving through Tennessee on family road trips to New Jersey, actually. I'd love to go hiking in Tennessee and Virginia some day. Say what you will about the South, but we have some gorgeous landscapes. Anyway, it didn't take too long to climb to the top, but it was at the warmest part of the day. When we got to the top, though, the view...it was really wonderful. You could see the gentle swell of the surrounding mountains like dark green waves, with the little town is Goslar just visible above the horizon of trees, all red brick roofs and half timbered walls. And directly before us, a giant yellow expanse of grass before the brush began to thicken into a forest again. It was a bit heath-like--not northern England, Wuthering Heights heath, but northern Germany--thick tall grass and rocky paths. And the sky was a wonderful shade of blue and there were just the right number of clouds. If I'd have known we wouldn't be returning that way, I would've stayed longer to admire the view. As it was, we wanted to keep going. So we headed further into the mountain range. We went down a slope towards a lake, which is actually a protected freshwater drinking source. It's about eleven miles in circumference and mostly flat once you get down to the lake, after taking a very steep slope downwards. And even then, the lake is several yards away, probably twenty, and it's a steep slope covered in thick under brush. So even if I wanted to go down to the lake and swim--and I did--and ignore the numerous warnings--I thought about it--it would've been nearly impossible. But the walk was enough. Following the wandering path between the mountains was really something. The water was so still, there was barely any wind, and there weren't many people out, so the only noise was the crunching of pebbles and twigs under our shoes and the constant whine of insects. The surface of the lake was as flat and still as the surface of a mirror, and it looked like it had been untouched for hundreds of years. I could easily imagine Caspar David Friedrich coming out and painting there and falling in love with the German landscapes--how can you not? I am always sentimentally inclined towards the countryside, no matter where it is, but I guess I have seen so many German landscapes in oil, I like them even more than I normally would. Actually, Goethe used to roam in these mountains, specifically near the city of Brocken. One of the students I was with, a literature major named Phillip from Tennessee really wanted to go there (understandably!!!!) but it was a two hour train ride to Brocken. And the people we met were so friendly! But isn't it always that way in small towns? We came across this older couple that we kept catching up to and then passing as we all stopped at different points in the trail and I got to talk to them a bit. They were very cute, this small old man with a walking came and his wife with neat grey hair down to her chin, and they always held hands when they walked. "We make these rounds every day," the husband told me proudly. "If we were as young as you, we'd walk faster," he added regretfully. Given how warm it was--I stubbornly refuse to call anything under 90 degrees hot--and all the exercise, I was grateful for my youth and relative fitness. I definitely try not to take it for granted. Otherwise I would not be able to climb giant rock formations to get a better view or catch the tiny mud frogs that are no bigger than your fingernail. Maybe I am too old at twenty to be playing with frogs, but they are so cute and they remind me of catching frogs at summer camps in the Ozarks in Arkansas. This one looked very displeased with me, though, so I put him down after only a few seconds. We climbed almost all the way up a second mountain, Nordberg, before we headed back into town to enjoy a nice Schwarzbier. I don't remember the brand name, only that it was a black beer. I don't think I've ever drank a .5 L glass of anything so quickly. Hiking is thirsty work! I wish I'd had a beer while I was up there so I could really enjoy it like a German. Ah well. It was a good days even with the seven hour round trip.

To boldly go...hiking!

#harzmountains

Well, it looks like everyone is either going to be in Prague, Münich, or Berlin this weekend. Dadgummit. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I probably wouldn't be so depressed about it if we didn't have so little time left and if I wasn't going to be on my own for an entire week soon. I could explore Hannover some more--I really only went to the Herrenhäuser Gärten. The city itself looks pretty. Maybe go to Bremerhaven and hang out by the sea. I don't know, I just feel so lonely. I mean, I love spending time alone, but I feel so isolated sometimes. "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone..."

Are you tired of my enthusiastic history posts yet?

Well, you can skip over this one, then.

Today in my composition class we talked about postwar Germany and the Cold War. Is it weird that I get so excited about the Cold War? I shouldn't, it was a very dark period of time, and I am not excluding the US from this. Ha, and the other day I thought to myself: I never want to study the division of Germany again, I am so tired of that particular part of history.

Who was I kidding, really?

The Cold War does include my three favorite countries--Germany, the US, and Russia (I guess I'll include the Soviet Union when I talk about Russia, because I like to study Hungary, the Czech Republic, u.a.)

It's just endlessly fascinating to me.

It gives me whiplash to think about how quickly the Allies--namely the US and Great Britain--went from bombing the cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, to airlifting supplies to Berlin only a few years later. And how quickly the West was to stand by West Germany. The whole thing is so complex and intricate, even though I've taken classes on German history, American history, etc., it is still difficult to understand. The only solution is to take more classes about it! And, well, it's forced me to open my eyes a little. I mean, as an aspiring historian, I try to be open minded regardless; but the more I learn about East Germany, the more confused I become. Because, make no mistake about it, I've learned for years in an American public school that communism is the ultimate evil! How old was I when I started reading dystopian literature, maybe nine or ten? Very young, very impressionable. Don't get me wrong, I do not like communism in any form, but I think it is worthwile to take a step back from my capitalist, American upbringing to question why it is that East Germany supported communism. Surely some people supported it without the Stasi breathing down their necks--how far can you get from fascism, after all? Communism is the complete opposite; surely, after the horrors of a fascist, authoritarian government, people wanted to get away, to something that maybe offered them some hope. After all, it was the East Germans that supported the creation of "der Berliner Mauer" as an "antifascist rampartment". Antifascist...? Who could they be calling fascists...? Ah, the former Allies, the West Germans...that is another thing I cannot comprehend. And why would they purposely divide their country? I know the answers that history has offered me, but I am still confused, I still don't understand. Maybe if I was German, I would. It did not occur to me that anyone would wililngly support communism in East Germany, and yet, watching films like Goodbye Lenin and seeing how much some people genuinely loved this form of government, it made me think. (Don't get me wrong, I know it is a fictional film, and I don't intend to take it as law. But it did make me think.) It really is a differnet world. I guess that is why I love history so much. Just when you think you understand something, a whole new sleugh of questions crops up, and you're left with more questions than answers. It can be frustrating, but ultimately, I think, it is most beneficial.

I am still sad that I didn't get to see Checkpoint Charlie when I was in Berlin. I know, I know it is such a touristy hotspot, which I don't quite understand...I just like this sign.

Ahh, and once I master German, think of how many primary sources I can read! AND THEN RUSSIAN!!!!

I am starting to think maybe I should study the Cold War at the graduate level...I am really considering it...because as much as I love the nineteenth century--it may be my most favorite century; for art, for literature, music, and also history--this is still relevant, this is still applicable to modern life. And maybe that is why I like modern history so much.

I am going to regret this because I can't afford grad school, but...I am going to look into it...

Thirteen days to go. It's raining now and it's nice. I have some quiet music on and I am going to finish Z after this. It's a book about Zelda Fitzgerald. It is honestly making me hate both Scott F. Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, although ironically, I ended up buying this cute edition of the Old Man and the Sea (by Hemingway) because, well, I liked the idea of it. It is about an old man and a boy that fish and Cuba. I'm sad to leave but I am excited to go home, and take a two week break from German before my senior year starts in the fall. I've been able to put off thinking about the fact that this is my last year as an undergraduate student, and possibly my last year as a student, because it makes me unbearably sad. Learning is my passion. There's still so much I want to study. Numerous history classes, political science classes, and I really want to take Russian. Oh, and more literature classes, too! It's never enough. If I could be a student forever, I think I would. But being here has been educational in more ways than just improving my German. I think it's proven to me that I am even more capable of being independent than I thought. I know, some of you back home are probably shaking your heads. Molly, not independent? Is that even possible? Well, I am pretty stubborn, independent, a lot of other adjectives that aren't necessarily flattering. But this trip forced me out of my comfort zone. I am a perfectionist, so using a new language was difficult for the first few weeks because I kept messing up. I still do, but now I don't mind as much. Which is good, because I know I need to be more humble. It is a virtue I struggle with. So that has helped. It's also helped me realize how short life is. I know, that's kind of a huge topic to tackle, but being here in Europe for less than three months has forced me to go out more than I normally would. I'm not antisocial or anything, although I joke about it a lot, but I do tend to keep to a selective number of people and activities. But this has made me more adventurous, because who knows when I might get to see Hamburg, Copenhagen, or Berlin again? So that is good. And I've also realized that I can be more confident in myself, and that's really nice. I can make friends easily and I like to meet new people from different parts of the world. I think that is what I may miss most, is meeting people from countries I've never been to. I'm going to Vienna soon, and I'm honestly only nervous about traveling there--I just had a rough trip getting here, but hopefully the flight from Hamburg to Vienna won't be bad. But people seem surprised that I'm traveling alone, which irks me a little. "Oh, that's really brave of you!" I've heard that one more than once. Why does that make me brave? I literally based my decision to go to Vienna on nothing more than the fact that they have numerous Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele paintings and I wanted to try Austrian coffee and pastries. I know women my age don't seem to travel alone, but that only makes me more determined to go (shocking, I know, given my mild and amiable nature). I just don't understand why you wouldn't go somewhere you wanted to, if you had the chance. But then, I guess I just like being on my own, too. I'm not saying I'm going to throw caution to the wind and run around the shady parts of town, but I am a grown woman, and I want to have some adventures of my own. Not just in art museums, I want to go hiking in the hills nearby and try wines (my hostel is along some sort of wine trail!) and go sailing on the Danube. That is what I am most looking forward to. I love palaces and museums but the summers here are so gorgeous and mild, it feels almost wrong to be inside. I am excited for that. It feels weird to think about going home though. I feel slightly different, but I don't know why. I'm still me. I wonder what it will be like to experience culture shock in my own home, haha. I imagine I will probably be even more irritated by the unfortunate lack of environmentally friendly policies in Texas than before. And I will miss the cheap beer. Other than that, though. I am excited to go home. It's hard to say goodbye though. I really do love Lüneburg. I think this weekend I may go biking to some nearby cities, maybe even go all the way to the Elbe river. The cities along the former border are so pretty. I love the green plains of Lower Saxony. Especially when the sky is so blue and it's deliciously warm and and the meadows spread out as far as the eye can see, it's this gorgeous emerald color, it reminds me of pictures of Ireland that Dad used to show me and my brothers when we were little. Ah. I'm really going to miss Germany. It is such a special place.

Less than three weeks left in Europe; only thirteen days left in beautiful Lüneburg. To say I'm a little sad would be an understatement. This town turned out to be perfect for me. My other choice would have been Berlin, and I cannot believe I even considered it for a moment. I would like to visit Berlin again because I just did not enjoy it that much the first time--I mean, the trip itself was fun, but the city just depressed me. I just wasn't feeling the love. But Lüneburg. Lüneburg is everything I could've dreamed for and more. I'm sitting outside of a Brazilian coffee house right now working on my homework and WWI presentation. The weather is perfect, balmy and sunny--to me, this is fall weather. I have been so spoiled by all this cool weather I will probably fry when I come back home. The view is gorgeous--historic shops and cafés all around. This is what I love. This is where I think I am the happiest. I love cafés, and Lüneburg--Germany in general--is overflowing with them. I just fell in love with this town--how could I not? It is gorgeous but it's more than that. It's a smaller city so people are also more friendly--although on the whole, I have really lucked out with all the kind Germans in general that have been willing to give me directions and explain things to me. But people in smaller towns are even kinder in general, I think. No, Germans are not overly friendly; they tend to be quite reserved with strangers. But they are very helpful and patient when you need them to be. And of course the older folks here are just wonderful. I would like to adopt them all. I think they feel the same way about me, I am a real hit with the senior citizen community. Germans aren't particularly fond of Germany but I do think a lot of people are proud of their language--I read a comment by a German girl somewhere that it is structured, orderly, and practical, just like Germans themselves. And I do think I am starting to appreciate the language. I do not think it is a pretty language necessarily. It does not have the musical qualities of Italian or Spanish. But I like it in its own way--I like the way umlauts look, I like the way everything is pronounced exactly as it is spelled, I like the way it sounds when people smile. And I still think German accents are charming. Somehow they always sound so earnest when they speak English, it's really endearing. You can see it in their faces, too, how hard they try. Of course there are some Germans who speak it so well it is difficult to discern an accent at all, but what fun is that? I like accents. I like being able to tell where people are from. It is part of who they are. Not necessarily in a patriotic way--I am starting to understand just how many Europeans feel no attachment to their home country--but because...well...I don't know. Where you come from is important. It shapes who you are in so many unconscious ways. And I like to know these things. Maybe it is just because I am so curious about other people. I don't know. Last night I went to Hamburg with a bunch of friends and we stayed out until dawn--not actually that hard to do, given the sun rises at around four am here. It wasn't the first time that's happened. It was not the greatest night of my life, but we did have some fun dancing. I just...agh...the Reeperbahn is so seedy...I felt dirty walking around there. On the way back we thought there was a five o'clock train but it turns out it didn't come until six. So I sat miserably on a bench waiting for the train for two hours, shivering and trying to sleep. It was not ideal. It was also pretty strange because these German guys came over to us and one guy just sat down next to me and started running my back and asking me if I felt okay and at that point, it wasn't even weird, I was just mumbling tiredly in German and wishing the train would get there. Oddly enough, my favorite part of that night was walking back to my apartment early in the morning. It was very still out, no buses running, no cars or bikers. The sky was this wonderful periwinkle color barely tinged with grey and the buildings were just beginning to emerge from the shadows. It was so quiet and still. It made me very happy for some reason. I need to get up at six some other time just to walk around the city and enjoy the peace and quiet of the early mornings. And then grab some coffee and read the newspaper before my day can truly begin, like a real German. ;)

Two weeks and a day left in this beautiful town.

St. Petri Dom in Bremen.

#Bremen

Yesterday we went to Beck's brewery I. Bremen! It was a lot of fun! Now I know how beer is made. It's pretty gross actually. When we went to the room where they showed us the hops it just smelled like feet, which was pretty unpleasant. But our tour guide was so adorably excited about beer it was a lot of fun. Germans really do take a lot of pride in their beer. It's not hard to see why. It's pretty great. We tried the original Beck's, which I've had before and is really good, and the Haacke, which is more bitter but also very good. I also tried Summer Hollander. I asked the waiter for a recommendation and he naturally recommended the fruitiest, girliest drink to me. It had 2.5% alcohol. If I wanted a cocktail I would've gone to a cocktail bar...grumble grumble...I am becoming an ornery old man. I mean, it did taste really good, I just wanted a real beer. Whatever. It was a really fun day!

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