Tschus, Deutschland!

One final post from Germany before the long journey home tomorrow. Since I love making lists.....

Things I will miss about Germany:

1. The people
I realize our hosts volunteered to have us and I knew they would treat us well, but I've also observed how Germans treat each other. They are friendly and quite courteous. When they show up to an event, they greet everyone personally. They are wonderful people.

2. Flowers
Everyone had such lovely gardens here and I never get tired of seeing them!

3. German beer
I'm not much for Weiss beer but their pilsners and dark beers have been fantastic.

4. Nutella
I have never bought it at home because I knew I would love it. Turns out I do. So I got my fill in Germany and vow not to buy it in the states....unless I start missing Germany.

5. Active mindset
They turn to their cars as a last resort. Everyone bikes or walks whenever possible. One host said they are starting to have a child obesity problem here but I certainly don't see it like I do in the U.S.

6. The cool temps
I think it has been an unusually cool summer for them - I was in a fleece and wearing gloves yesterday. I am not looking forward to the heat and humidity in Illinois.

7. Planning & timeliness
Almost everyone I stayed with set specific times to do things (meals, departures) and stuck to that time. My favorite was when one host told me we would leave at 1:53 and then turned his GPS on en route NOT because he didn't know how to get there but because he wanted to know how fast he had to drive to arrive on time.

8. Sit-down meals
While there were times I wanted to eat on-the-go to be more efficient (see below), overall it's very nice that they have many sit-down meals together (breakfast, lunch, dinner). And everything is formal and quite nice...no paper plates.

9. Watching the Germans watch soccer
They are bananas over their soccer team. I'm bummed I won't be here for the final game(s) to cheer on Deutschland.

10. Asparagus & Potatoes
Two big crops here and they are tasty (especially because they are usually drowned in some type of butter sauce!)

Things I won't miss so much:

1. The driving
My goodness they drive crazy. Throw in all the stick shifts and I fear I may have a minor case of whiplash. I will say, they are quite courteous to other drivers and especially to bikers and pedestrians.

2. Inefficiency
I truly believe the phrase "can't talk and walk at the same time" originated from someone who visited Germany because they literally can't. Coffee to go is a novelty here....it's not something they do. I love multitasking...the more I can get done at one time, the better. This concept is lost on the Germans.

3. Paying to use a public bathroom
Self explanatory.

4. Sparkling water
We have to ask for "stillish vasser" or water without gas.  I haven't been drinking nearly the amount of water here that I do at home....but certainly pilsners must be hydrating?

As you can see one list is far longer than the other. I leave Germany with a few extra pounds, many new friends across the pond, and wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! I am very much looking forward to seeing my family and friends very soon - prost!

On to Halle

Our last morning in Naumberg on Monday was spent leisurely walking through town and shopping. Then we had coffee and cake...for lunch.  And it wasn't the first time on the trip. I like those Germans.  We then left for Halle around 2:30 p.m.

Our first stop in Halle was to tour a chocolate factory!  The sale of chocolate was actually outlawed at one point in history and people had to buy it on the black market. That's what I'm doing in the photo.  Lots of great samples at the conclusion.

We then had dinner at a restaurant on the Saale River but were forced inside due to rain. We headed home to our new hosts. Mine escorted me in their new Porsche. Life is tough.

Today we headed to Dresden and visited an art gallery with the Madonna painting.  After a "brat in hand" lunch and a 1€ ice cream cone, we had a 2 hour walking tour of the city. It was destroyed in WWII but they have rebuilt replicas of how it used to look. About a half million people live there and it's growing.

We arrived back in Halle after some bad traffic and had a delish Italian dinner (pizza).  I also discovered Pearl Jam is in Amsterdam tomorrow night and am trying to find a way to ditch out on our last Rotary meeting and get there.  I knew they were playing in Berlin but not until 4th of July. My German follow-the-rules genes probably won't allow me to break GSE rules though.

Somber Sunday

My Sunday started with a Protestant worship in the Naumberg Cathedral. I got to see a young 6 year old girl adopted from Russia get baptized, which was very special.

We then traveled to the Buchenwaid concentration camp outside of Weimar. It was very upsetting and moving to see what prisoners went through. One always thinks of the Jewish people who suffered but there were other groups too, including homosexuals, which I didn't realize. In total, 56,000 prisoners died at this camp alone. Our team had to ask to visit this site as no Rotary club has included any concentration camps as  part of our program. This is understandable since it's such a terrible part of German history.  We visited a memorial as the final stop, which was a nice way to conclude our visit.

Tonight was our farewell BBQ and what a wonderful meal we shared together. I was stuffed to the gills! We transfer to our last stop tomorrow, Halle. 

I have posted pics of my host family in their backyard and the neighbors who hosted the BBQ tonight. The neighbor lady (Monica) is Swedish so I have been asking her all sorts of questions since my heritage is Swedish and German. Perhaps Sweden will be my next stop?

Town festivals are the best!

We had another lovely day in Naumberg! Mine started with a quick 5K by the Saale River. We then had a wonderful tour of the Naumberg Cathedral. The lady in my host family is a volunteer guide and speaks English well so she led us through. It is pretty amazing and photos won't do it justice. It is massive. I took a photo of the pulpit that has intricate carvings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.....and Martin Luther.

They currently have a cherry festival going on and there are crowds of people in town for it. Legend says during a war, a school teacher led her students to plead with soldiers to spare this town. They did and gave the children cherries.  We went to the parade after a quick brat lunch and it was pretty neat. Different groups were in character to represent the 800 year history of the town. We walked through the booths (anyone need some medieval garb?) then went home for some tea and a light supper.

Tonight we attended another string/choral Bach concert back at the cathedral and one set (probably so not the right term..sorry Sarah) was "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" so it was great to hear a familiar tune!

After the concert we went back to the festival only this time hit what I would call the midway. It was the biggest carnival I've ever seen. We went on the giant Ferris wheel and saw some amazing views. Tent after tent had music playing....which unfortunately I can hear from my bedroom as I get ready to hit the hay. Luckily they love American music here so they are familiar tunes....

Naumberg

Naumberg has been awesome thus far.  I've gotten a 2 for 1 deal with host families because mine are great (Hans and Andrea) and the other 2 girls on my team are living directly across the street with another fantastic couple (Bodo and Monica) and the two families are great friends! So I've gotten to know all of them.

Although Germany is known for beer, there are many regional wineries. We had a personal tour by a winemaker at one this morning which was very interesting. Many people grow grapes in this area on hills for hobby. Monks started this hobby many years ago. We took a drive through the countryside and it was so scenic (helps that this was one of the nicest days we've had). We are in a very hilly region....which was good for my forest run this morning!

Our group leader runs a trucking company and we were together today....so this afternoon I toured a window factory and talked logistics. Not the most interesting for me personally but we were fed a great lunch and our tour guides were very nice.

Tonight was the Naumberg Rotary meeting with our presentation and then my host family had people over to watch the soccer game. I still can't figure how a country can get so jacked over a game with so little action/scoring....but I am a Cubs fan and will shut up now.

Gute nacht!

PS

I think Naumberg and I will get along well. I'm staying close to a forest for runs, found one of my favorite items on my pillow, had a dunkel beer before dinner that was delicious, and then had the most amazing red wine for dinner paired with some tasty beef from Argentina (quite rare here...they eat pork). Oh, tomorrow my vocational trip is to a vineyard......

Bernburg

Our stay in Bernburg went by very quickly and I had great hosts - Dietmar and Ute. Dietmar is the president of their Rotary club and they are both wonderful people. I have included a photo of me with them.

Tuesday morning I got a long run in which was great. One of the Rotarians ran with me and my teammate Sara joined on bike. Half way through the run we crossed the river (Saale) on a pedestrian bridge and in the middle stood Dr. Clemens...their incoming president. More on him later. He had a table set up with water for us. He's a retired vet, so he pulled out a stethescope to check our pulse! He then stamped our hands with his stamp and sent us on our way! Very cute.

We then had a walking tour of town and a boat ride in the afternoon. I got to sit and chat with Dr. Clemens and his wife on the boat with my running buddy translating. He said his son wanted to be a vet but wasn't allowed under the former GDR. Unthinkable. The pic is on the boat with my stamped hand.

Wednesday was a vocational day so Dietmar took me to their farm progress show in the morning. I felt like I was in Decatur....long line of cars to get in and very similar setup. I stopped in at the John Deere booth and the marketing manager had just been to Moline a few weeks earlier!  It was a rainy day and they didn't have paved paths...so my running shoes got their first trip through a washing machine later that day. 

Wednesday afternoon I visited Anhalt University and a couple of professors talked to me about their ag program and showed me around. We were supposed to grill out that night but the weather didn't cooperate. We had a schnitzel dinner on a boat instead. I was hoping for a low key night with a decent bedtime...I was not prepared for what was about to occur. We left the boat around 10:30 thinking we would be home in 10 minutes but all of a sudden we were pulling into Dr. Clemens' house. He started pulling out bottle after bottle of homemade wine and then threw some brandy in for good measure. And trays of random food kept appearing (eggs, tomatoes, sausage). We were all sitting around a table and I swear at one point there was 5 different conversions taking place. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time and I couldn't even understand 75% of what was being said!  At one point Dr. Clemens went down to the basement to get more wine and came up with a cowboy hat on, holding the 2 bottles to his hips like guns.  We finally stumbled out of their house at 1 a.m. (except our driver....Germans have been very responsible in that department). Who needs sleep anyway?

Today was Wittenberg! (Martin Luther....Reformation....95 Thesis). They had arranged an English speaking tour guide just for us. It is a neat little town and they are leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. Katharina, Martin's wife, sounded like a tough, independent lady. I posed for a photo with her....

We now transfer to Naumberg. Only 2 towns left and we head back to Illinois in 1 week...hard to believe. I will be very sad to part ways with Germany.

Ramblings from a hotel lobby

We are Bernburg bound shortly. Yesterday was fairly relaxing. I was told the Guineses here is imported from Ireland and the real deal. I had to have it. Luckily there is an Irish pub in Gottingen but sadly it just didn't taste as good as I remember in Ireland. This begs the question, is Guiness really that much better in Ireland or is it the simple fact that you are IN Ireland? I will continue my research. The streets were a buzz after another W for Germany last night. Bizarre that had they lost, they could have been knocked out. But since they won, they finished at the top of their grouping. I miss basketball. I was hanging with a young German yesterday that I had met earlier in the trip and he casually used the 4 letter F bomb. I can't always understand what the Germans are saying so I asked if he just used an English cuss word and he confirmed. Apparently it's not really a big deal to say it here or in some other countries. I advised him that should he return to America that he maybe not go around using that word... It is quite warm here today and no a/c, so I am quite glad it has been cool here for most of our trip. We have 11 days left and while part of me is ready to lay my head on my own pillow, a big part of me will be really sad to leave. But I will leave with the intention of returning some day. After all, I still need to check out Bavaria! Something tells me I would love Oktoberfest.....

Nearing the taper

Yesterday was a bit long as we sat through the afternoon session of their conference.  I know the lady who spoke the longest was dull even though I had no clue way she was saying because I spotted several Germans asleep in the crowd. We gave a brief presentation of ourselves at this session. We also got to hang out with the German exchange team again which was great. Look closely at the guys' ties!

Germans love serving buffets so that was our dinner last night. The highlight of yesterday was the chocolate moose on the buffet...it was rich even by my standards. You can see Sara and I enjoyed it immensely.

I am blissfully happy in the midst of our only free day! Our hotel is fine but not exactly sound proof. Nevertheless, exhaustion and a few glasses of wein with dinner ensured a restful night. I woke up on my own this morning (no alarm!) but somehow still on my Illinois schedule...because it was at 5:30 a.m. I managed to fall back to sleep for a few more hours, get a good run in, and had a delightful breakfast at the hotel. Translation:  there was Nutella. They eat bread at breakfast and either use a spread of some sort or use cheese and a type of meat. I quite like it. And their tea is much tastier than the Lipton bags I use at home!  I am heading out to explore Gottingen shortly and tonight is soccer mania!!!

We have a free morning tomorrow and then transfer to Bernburg by way of train & car. We met some of our hosts yesterday and there may be a bit of a language barrier at this stop. I'm not really speaking complete sentences (just a few) but have learned quite a few words.

This is a nice breather to energize us for the next 11 days. I'm using marathon training mentality. Only at the end I think I would actually prefer to run 26.2 miles rather than board the loooong plane ride home.

Ups and downs

Just a quick update from Gottingen. We checked into a hotel and have the Rotary District Conference today. Luckily they dismissed us from the morning business session since it was all in German. We go for lunch soon and then will attend the afternoon session. Tonight is a gala dinner followed by a college production of Westside Story.  Tomorrow is a FREE DAY!!!!  We are all very ready for it.

To paint an accurate picture of my trip I must be honest...the last 2 stops haven't been great for me. The visits usually go as the host family goes & unfortunately I had two families in a row not really interested in being hosts. I hope our last three stops will turn around. Each of us has had at least one bad stay....so I was due!

I have included a few photos of our trip into the Harz Mountains yesterday. We had hoped to hike but our guides were older and we mainly drove. We stopped for this famous pea soup at a little stand in the forest. I hope you enjoy the photo I took of it....

It was an early morning today to drive an hour to Gottingen for the conference. We couldn't find our hotel and when we finally did it appeared questionable. We walked a few blocks to check in at the conference and it was a bit if a frenzy. So, a bit stressful. I finally found coffee so things were looking up. Then we were released from the session and outside I saw HORST!!!  I gave him a hug and he said, "Debby Roadrunner!"  I am happy again :)  I included a photo of Horst and I right after our reunion and also one with Frauke, the exchange coordinator.

Raising a glass in Deutschland to both my dear friend Angela and my dad this weekend....prost!

[Almost] Wordless Wednesday

It's almost Wednesday in Celle and this post is almost wordless. This mini hog farmer showed me around their operation today. Too cute for words...

Blessings

For my friends in Illinois:
Good black soil is something to be thankful for. Henry County corn and soil versus Germany corn and soil. We should be grateful!

Berlin

Just a quick recap of our daytrip to Berlin as I wait for a farmer to take his post lunch nap...

We did the big bus tour whence arrived and hopped off at Victory Column.  This is a photo of our team in front of it....we then went to the top. I was in need of a good stairs workout. The views were amazing (although heights on small towers like that make me nervous). We could see this massive street blocked off for a public viewing. No, nobody died. That's what they have for the soccer games here!!  The bigger the city, the bigger the viewing. I think that were expecting 400,000 in Berlin. Makes our March Madness look weak.

The next picture is the US Embassy over our left shoulder...but more importantly ice cream in or hands. It tasted like heaven.

Finally we toured Parliament and met with a member from Celle. That's our group on the roof with the German flag in the background.

We boarded the train home at 7:45 and ate dinner en route. And of course a few more pilsners were enjoyed. I do like trains!

Off to a hog farm followed by a Rotary meeting and presentation tonight. Fingers crossed I have time for a shower in between.....

Plural words should have an S!

Sunday morning we went to church at St. Michaels in Luneberg. There was a special service/concert with a 160 piece choir & orchestra. They played baroque instruments that were used in Bach's time.  Bach actually played at this church! We were front row so I snuck a photo (not where I usually sit in church!)

My host family was fantastic and it was another sad goodbye.  They spoke English very well and were the first of my hosts to speak sarcasm - my second language! Their kids were so well behaved, too.

We arrived in Celle and got a tour of the city by plane! Then another BBQ with great food. Frauke, the coordinator of our trip on this end, lives in Celle and is fantastic. She is quite the business woman and speaks 5 languages (also has a great wardrobe - I wouldn't mind taking her cast-offs.)  She was living and working in France but moved back 6 years ago to run the family brewery.  We got to taste her pilsner last night - delicious!

Today we are Berlin bound by bullet train. Yes, the same type of train that had a big accident by Celle many years ago. Frauke has assured us the technical problem that caused that accident has been fixed. We will do a bus tour of the city, visit a famous department store, and then a VIP visit to Parliament. We arrive back in Celle late tonight.

I am slowly picking up some German but unfortunately I'm also starting to speak like a German speaking English. For example, I caught myself asking one farmer if he had ever had sheeps.  Or asking if we can "have a look" (see) at something. They also describe situations in terms of "This is not a problem" or "This is a problem" or "This is a really big problem." So that has become our measure of severity among our team when an issue arises!  Please excuse me if I come back speaking like a first grader.

Many Germans have apologized for their poor English which I find ridiculous since we are in THEIR country and none of us even come close to fluently speaking THEIR language! And most of the time, their English is pretty good!  But they continuously remind us that English is the universal language.

With that, I'm off to have a look at the peoples of Berlin!

Party rockin'

Our last full day in Luneberg was a long one and included: paddle boating, horse farm, viewing some game from a hunting stand, and celebrating Germany's win with a trip to the discotech! Church tomorrow with a special choir performing Bach then we transfer to Celle. Gute Nacht!

Luneberg

Luneberg is very similar to Champaign - around 70,000 people and a university town. A river runs through the downtown area and it's quite charming!

Got a run in this morning. Everyone sends me or takes me to a forest for the "soft surface."  While I'm sure it is lower impact, I'm not used to it and it's creating some aches and pains. Plus,my left foot falls asleep after a few miles. And it's also a little unsettling running in desserted forests!!!

I then visited Luneberg University and met with three different people who either fundraise for scholarships or administer them. The school is quite young and has about 7,000 students. The tuition per semester:  500€ ($625).  The fundraisers said that Germans typically don't like to give to scholarship programs since the government supports education so much....understandable!  The photo below is of a new building they are [maybe] erecting. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind - the same architect who designed Ground Zero. They are quite proud of it, but my host couple wonder if it will actually get built ($). I guess there is also controversy over how modern looking it is.

Tonight we had a guided walking tour of the town (pic of me on top of Luneberg) and another big meal. I stepped on a scale a few days ago and the number was significantly less than when I left the US. Never mind that it was in kilograms.

Tomorrow we get to do some hiking and wildlife observation. Then we head back to town for a public viewing of Germany's opening game in Euro 2012!!!!!! Sunday we transfer to Celle.

Tschus!

Lessons that can't be taught in school

Our Salzwedel stop was absolutely incredible for me. This was our first visit to an East German town. I stayed with Paul and Rita Schulenberg in the village of Apenburg. To put it mildly, Paul is kind of a big deal! He has rich family history in the area and knows so much about his heritage. He is slowly buying back ground that was nationalized after WWII and rebuilt a house where his family used to live.  He had lived in West Germany and has just moved back within the last 10 years. The church and castle in his village was built by his family.

Paul has an organic farm that a farm manager runs. He also is part of a consulting business for executive searches and is a past District Governor in Rotary. He was born in 1937 & I could listen to his stories forever. He used to run but now power walks in his forest behind his house...he is fast!  I took a picture of him walking through his forest and also a photo of me with the 2 of them.

They took me to a town that was on the border and has a museum to show how things were. Wow. We went up a restored guard tower that and it was just eerie. There was a photograph of a couple getting married at the fence while the mom stood several hundred yards away watching from the other side. And one display case showed the border fence cutting right through a village.  They also had a display of the types of fences uses over the years and the trench in front of them so cars couldn't plow through. The lengths they went to to keep people from crossing are unimaginable. I have included a few photos from the museum.

We had a BBQ at their farm last night and are transferring to Luneberg today. It has been cool and rainy for our entire trip so far so I'm wearing 1 of 2 jackets I brought in most pictures. But it was warmer this afternoon and we saw sunshine!

While waiting to pull onto a road a few says ago Paul said, "They are very fast always." That sums up German drivers perfectly....and this was typed en route on my phone. So apologies for typos!

Tractor pulls are universal

The farm family I am staying with are fantastic. Their house is massive and full of history. They have 600 pigs and raise crops like sugar beats, wheat, potatoes, rapeseed, and maize. The maize feeds their biogas plant (as well as other things they have with energy) and they were pioneers in that area. The contract price for selling energy back last for 20 years and they are on year 11.  I am seeing that the ag industry here faces many of the same issues we do. Another similarity is how hard the farm wife works - Elke is amazing. I've included a photo of her garden of which I am in awe of!

This morning was a typical Sunday morning....we went to a tractor pull. Not quite as big as American pulls but the Germans were out there drinking beer well before noon!

I went with Reiner and Elke to their Lutheran church tonight. The church was gorgeous but sadly most Germans don't attend on a regular basis. They pay a monthly tax based on their income to support churches. Reiner said they go 5-6 times per year. Even though the service was in German, I could still follow along pretty well. It was moving to worship with children of God from another part of the world...and where my religion was founded to boot. It was a special service to install elected officials so we had champagne at the conclusion. In church. I may suggest this at my next church council meeting and see how it goes over.

Speaking of alcohol....I have done more shots in the last 5 days than I have the last 10 years. Beer is a given - they drink it like pop. I'm good with that. But I was not prepared for the hard liquor. We did a shot of Heidegeist (only found in this region) at LUNCH the other day...on an army base....with a captain.  It's 54%, by the way. We were also given a shot to kick off our walking tour of Uelzen last night (and a beer to finish it).  Tonight was my last meal with my host family and Rainer pulled out THREE different liquors for us to shoot. I take comfort in knowing that any illness that may have been settling in from travel is definitely dead.

Prost!

Friday....I think

Just a quick update - I am low on sleep and typing on a German keyboard.  I had a great vocational day yesterday! I got to spend the day with emloyees of Landvolk Niedersachsen and they took me to 2 dairies - a small family farm and a large 800 cow operation.  This photo is at the small farm:

The large operation also  had a biogas plant - maize is grown here for biogas. Other crops include sugar beets, potatoes, rapeseed, wheat, and they love their asparagus!

We transferred cities today and it was hard to leave Soltau and the friends we made.  Horst stood by his word and biked with me while I ran this morning.  I hugged him goodbye this afternoon and he said, 'You are my roadrunner.' I nearly shed a tear!  But they treated us so well it almost made me uncomfortable!  Here is my host familz from Soltau (Hanno & Claudia and their daughter Lena):

I am now staying on a farm in Uelzen.  The father is the local Rotary president and lives downstairs with his wife.  His son who is my age lives upstairs with his wife.  Not uncommon here.

The good news is my jeans that were a bit baggy when I came fit well now . The bad news is my jeans that were a bit baggy when I came fit well now.

Prost!