Week 37: Dortmund

Last Friday I had a work trip that took me near Dortmund. Since the train ride wasn't very far, Jason took it up and met me on Friday evening. Since Jason didn't arrive until about 9pm, we only went out for a drink and a Salzkuchen. A Salzkuchen is like a very salty bagel, with a cured pork filling (so, like a cold sausage filling). We each got one, but neither of us were able to make it through ours. My, it was so salty. I would haven needed much more beer to make any further than I did. It was worth a try, but I am not sure if I would seek it out again.

On Saturday, we spent some time walk around the shopping district, which was rather full of people. We came across a small open air market, where Jason found some Syrian bread, something we would often get back in the States, but is not quite as easy to find here in Germany. We munched on that as we continued our walk around.

We spent some time looking through a used CD/DVD store. I've been looking for some more German language stuff to listen to and watch and made two purchases. The first was the movie Goodbye Lenin, which we had seen many years ago. It is about the fall of the Berlin Wall back in 1989 and how it impacted the life of one family. It is a comedy, in a sense, and very much worth seeing. The other was a kid's cartoon movie about Till Eulenspiegel, a German folk hero. Sort of like a Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan. Neither of these have English subtitles, so we'll see how we do.

While we were looking through the store, we ran across the section shown in the picture below of "Black" music. If you take a close look at the album covers, you'll notice that it includes everything from hard-core rap to the Temptations and Ella Fitzgerald. Oh, and the Village People are in there too.

Way to illogically group musical stylings

It had been a while since we had walked around a shopping district while the stores were actually open and when so many people were out in the street, so we just spent a lot of time walking and checking out the various sights on the street. We saw a number of rhinos with wings, as shown in the picture below, which reminded me of the Mr Potatoheads you can find throughout Rhode Island. These rhinos (link in German) were painted by local artists and youth groups and are scattered about the city. They make for good photo ops.

Hier bleib ich! == Here I stay!

Another great find was the kid in the video below, who had wheeled a piano out into the street. He was pretty great, able to play so well in the cold with gloved hands. Don't worry, I gave him a good tip. He must have been asked to move along, though, as when we came back about an hour later, he was no where to be found. I hope he was able to keep his tip hat.

Week 36: Trip to Liege

Last Sunday we took a trip to Liege, Belgium, which is one of the largest cities and Belgium and was a industrial center for the country. Belgium is particularly interesting, as it has two distinct regions--Wallonia and Flanders--whose people are separated quite strongly by language and culture. Wallonia, the region closest to  us, is primarily French speaking (with a smaller German speaking area) and Flanders is primarily Dutch speaking. This difference was part of the reason that Belgium, up until early December of last year, had not had more than a caretaker government since June, 2010.

One of the big draws for Liege on the weekend is a very large market along the river. We arrived just as they were starting to pack up, but were able to walk through much of it while they were still set up. You could get just about anything you were looking for, especially if it was any of a wide selections of foods or that particular knock-off purse.

Liege's Riverside Market

In walking around the city, we stopped by the Cathedral, dedicated to St. Paul, for a wander around. There were some fantastic stained glass windows, which, unfortunately, do not photograph well on my phone. One of the nice parts of having all of these churches available to visit throughout Europe is they tend to be warmer than the outside in the winter and cooler than the outside in the summer.

Liege Cathedral

On a brief side note, we were reminded about how different Europe is from the US when we first parked our car at a garage in Liege. As I was zipping up my coat, I heard a familiar tune by Cee Lo Green, that was all over the place about a year ago in the US. There are two versions of this song. The first is the one you hear on the radio in the US: "Forget You"; the other is the album version, whose name in the listing is "F**k You". The one that was playing on the Belgian station was the second. It is funny how little things like this can still stop us in our tracks.

On our drive back from Liege to Germany, we made a stop in the old hilltop portion of Limbourg, Belgium. Our guidebook stated that it is a spectacularly well preserved example of a hilltop fortress, which it certainly is. It also noted that the main square had rather undulating cobblestones. We experienced those directly with the car. Jason though we should let Honda know about this, so they could use the area for a suspension test track.

Limbourg's Main Square

Once we bounced through the main square a bit and found a spot to park, we walked through the village. There were a number of side streets with fantastic stone houses, which looked over the side of the hill onto the main part of the town below. Since it was cold and wet (we are close enough to have the same weather as the Eifel), our walk was brief, but we did check out the exterior of the church, which was perched on the side of the hill. As the sun started to set somewhere behind the cloud covered sky, we made our way back to Germany in the soon to be complete darkness.

Limbourg--I swear I've seen this as a jig-saw puzzle...

Weeks 34 & 35: Christmas, Skiing and New Years

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and an excellent start to 2012. Our Christmas was low key, but we did get to celebrate Christmas Eve with some of Jason's co-workers. For that event, Jason made the ever popular Wacky Cake, which, with the help of the internet to find a template, I decorated with some confectioner's sugar. Despite there being far too much food at the festivities, we only came home with about half a cake, so it was, at least, a modest hit.

Frosty frosts the wacky cake

Christmas day was spent doing a little cleaning and then packing for our ski trip to Austria. We departed on the 26th and drove about nine hours to St. Veit am Pongau, The trip requires a little introduction: it was a package tour, organized by a group from Ramstein, the other larger American base in our area of Germany. I heard about it through my personal trainer. We figured it would be a good chance to do get away, do some skiing and meet some people.

We arrived after dark, went to the tour office, found out where we were staying and drove our car up a rather steep and frightening road to our guest house. We decided we were going to move the car as little as possible after that drive and mostly walked to dinner and town (about 20 minutes along the steep grade) for the week we were there, only using the car to drive to the ski area. We ended up having to leave the car in town for the last few days, as the foot or so of snow that fell completely impeded our ability to get up the hill. If we had only brought chains...

The view from our guest house--the town is over Jason's shoulders

Though the location of our accommodations left something to be desired, the skiing was great. We drove about 10 minutes from St. Veit to get to the Ski Amade area, where we took a gondola up to the ski slopes. The Ski Amade area is a semi-linked alliance of ski areas. You can see the full map here (we took the gondola up from Alpendorf). Some of the areas can be easily skied between, others require the use of buses.

Alpendorf gondola station (top)

Our package included five days of skiing with group lessons. We had two days of fantastic sun, which reminded me of spring skiing (you could almost go without your jacket) followed by three days of skiing between snowflakes. As I told Jason after the trip was over, I think skiing with an instructor helped me spend far more time on the slopes than I would have otherwise. Just having someone else there who is going to keep doing runs no matter what the weather (he's getting paid to do it), was enough to keep me skiing despite the snow building up on my hat.

It was the first time in 20 years that I had taken any sort of ski lesson. Jason had never taken one. We both, though, found it to be quite beneficial--I have to say, Jason looked much better on the slopes; I hope I had an equal amount of improvement. We ended up in separate groups for the duration, but since my group was dwindling to only two of us by the afternoon of the last day, Jason came and skied along with us. Between that afternoon and our pre and post-lesson runs, we did a fare amount of skiing together.

The view from one of the runs

Overall, we had a good time, though next time I think we will forgo the package deal and book on our own so we can ensure being a bit closer to the slopes and avoid driving as much as possible. Additionally, the package aspect left little opportunity for us to relax--after skiing we would take a quick shower before hiking down to dinner and the evening activities. Additionally, we were skiing while all of Europe had a vacation. While we were fortunate to have short lines on most of the days (primarily due to the weather), since we only have our own schedules to work around, we could certainly pick a less congested week.

Lift-line during good weather

Once again, we wish everyone a great start to 2012!

Week 33: The Mosel Runnith Over

Last weekend we made another trip out to some Weinachtsmaerkte. This time we first went to Bernkastel-Kues, which we had visited just before Thanksgiving as they were setting up for their Weinachtsmarkt. Since that time, we have had a lot of rain in our area. After returning in December, we were getting rain almost every day. Since we don't regularly pass by a body of water as part of our daily driving, we hadn't realized just how much water had fallen from the sky until we arrived at the Mosel, just outside of Bernkastel. We noticed that where we had ridden our bikes along the river earlier this summer was completely under water. And once we arrived in Bernkastel, we found the below sign at the entrance to the lot where we normally park: Hochwasser (high water). 

High water on the Mosel

We, of course, wanted to see the destruction a bit closer, so we walked through the parking lot at the water's edge, passing by the cruise ship docks that had both ends now underwater. Additionally, as you can see in the video below, the river is moving quite swiftly. And, man, does it look cold. We were very glad to be standing on the bank.

The main point of the trip to Bernkastel was to find Jason's X-mas gift, which I had seen at other Weinachtsmaekte, but was not to be found in Bernkastel, so we took a ride down to to Trier, where I found just what I was looking for: a Fruestueckbrett (breakfast board). It is essentially a small cutting board that Germans often eat breakfast from. Breakfast usually consists of bread, cold cuts, honey and fruit, so you don't have runny eggs or lots of bacon grease to contend with. Jason had been using our cutting board as a make-shift Fruestueckbrett. This way the cutting board can go back to its normal and intended usage.

The view from our bedroom after snow

On Sunday we awoke to a dusting of snow outside our window. As you can see above, it gives a nice look to our neighborhood. Since I had yet another work trip that needed to begin on Sunday night, we took a drive up to Frankfurt on the slick roads (we passed one car that had ended up in the ditch), but with Jason's New England driving skills, we made it without a hitch. In Frankfurt, we spent some time at the Modern Art Museum, where there were a number of very cool exhibits, including a collection of shadow boxes that displayed what appeared to be the contents of the artist's desk. 

Following our intake of culture, we walked through yet another Christmas Market in Frankfurt, before Jason dropped me at the airport for my plane to Hamburg. The Christmas Market was set up along one of the main shopping streets that winds through the city (the Zeil). Jason had been there last spring prior to meeting up with me when I first arrived, but this was my first visit. Since it was Sunday, all the shops were closed, but the Christmas Market provided more than enough distraction as we walked around. It was a pleasant way to end a weekend before another long week of work. 

Week 32: Weihnachtsmaerkte

It seems like two weeks behind is about how it working. So, a few weekends ago we visited our first Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Trier. We met up with a Meet Up group of ex-pats from Luxembourg City and spent the afternoon drinking Gluewein (mulled wine), eating an assortment of German fair-style food and checking out the stalls of crafts people. As you can see in the picture below, the market is very popular, with people coming in from the surrounding area to enjoy the festivities. 

Crowds at the Trier Weinachtsmarkt

One of the problems with having a wine that is heated, is that sometimes you have to wait for it to heat up. Gluewine is not a particularly "good" wine--one of my German colleagues calls it "horrible", but he also hates the very idea of Christmas markets, so take from that what you will. It really requires being heated to taste at all appetizing. The stall that we found selling the wine for cheaper than anywhere else (it was for a good cause! building schools in Africa, or some such thing) had a problem keeping up with the demand for heated wine and we had to wait on more than one occasion for the big warming pots to do their thing. Nothing like standing out in the cold in a big crowd waiting for cheap wine that brings you closer to your fellow man. Kumba-f'ing-ya.

Present at every Christmas market (at least any that I have seen so far) is a large Christmas pyramid. While I've had the below picture for about two weeks, I had no idea, until just searching on Google two minutes ago, what it was called. Yet again, the Internet saves the day. Anyway, they can be very intricate sculptures, with many various scenes and quite a bit going on. The one below, again from Trier, is a bit simpler than some of the others we have seen.

Weinachtspyramide in Trier

Following our visit to Trier on Saturday, I was off on a work trip that Sunday afternoon to Nuernburg, which is located about a 6 hour train-ride west of us in Bayern (Baveria). Nuernburg is famous for a number of things, including its particular type of sausage (which are spiced similar--at least in my mind--to an American breakfast sausage), Lebkuchen (a type of cookie that tastes similar to gingerbread), Nazi rallies during WWII, WWII related trials and, of course, the Christmas market.

I was told by multiple people, and the Internet, that the Nuernburg Christmas market was not-to-be-missed, so I took a slightly earlier train that I otherwise would have to spend some time walking through the market. It is is a very large market, with many different crafts people and a wide selection of food. Since I was there on a Sunday evening, the crowds were light and I had a nice time wandering through the market. Unfortunately, since it was so dark out, I was unable to get any good pictures of it with my phone, but when I ran across the children's area, I saw the carousel in the below video--it has two floors! Luckily, the video is a bit more forgiving that the still camera when it comes to light, so you get to enjoy it as well. 

Another Catch Up Post

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and didn't end up trampled under crowds on Black Friday. Jason and I were back in the States for the week of Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting friends and family and especially enjoyed climbing at Rock Spot with Jason's siblings. One of the big events for this trip back was Jason's 15th high school reunion. The best part of that evening was the bar we went to after the reunion, where a friend's sandwich was taken by a drunk girl when he left it for a moment to go to the rest room. Her response, with a mouth full of sandwich, was: Yeah? So what? 

Jason headed back to Germany on Sunday evening, and I headed out to Concord, Mass to spend the week in the office and in the wonderful Best Western (Plus!) at Historic Concord. One of my colleagues says it smells like dirty socks. I think the smell has improved slightly with the addition of the "Plus" to the name over the last year. (One thing to note: if you are booked in a Best Western in Europe, do not despair! They are really classy joints here--the largest and nicest hotel room I have stayed in outside of Las Vegas was a Best Western in the Netherlands.)

My company has been growing recently, so there were a number of new faces in the office, including a new boss for me, who started that Monday. If nothing, I have good timing. There was also a cube realignment, which, for a space management system that is supposed to be flexible and easy to change, took a surprisingly long time to complete. I, luckily, was able to find my favorite chair and a desk to sit at, so I was content for the week.

The base from the bike trail

I returned to Germany that Friday, ready to face a busy week and jet-lag. Jason was kind enough to help keep me awake the Saturday I returned, mostly by watching TV shows with me. He was off, though, for the week Sunday, on a cultural education trip to Hamburg. I, in an effort to get my clock back to normally, went out for a  mountain bike ride in the cold and wet woods. I miraculously avoided the rain drops, and had a really nice view of the base under the cloudy sky, but was *covered* in mud on returning to the apartment, as the pictures below can testify.

Covered in mud

There is a pair of shoes under there...somewhere

While Jason was up in Hamburg, learning the details of the current German and European cultural landscape, I had a work trip that involved three cars, two trains and two planes. I supposed it really involved four planes, but 2 of them, headed to Hannover, were cancelled due to snow in Munich, and the fourth was found mostly by accident when asking in jest how to get to my next destination by the next morning. It turned out that the place I was headed, this small city two hours outside of Hannover, has an airport and the plane was leaving that evening, though delayed. Proof that it is always worth asking and that every cloud has a silver, though often slightly tarnished, lining.

Week 28: Jason Interacts with More Farm Animals

Last weekend we took a walk around the city of Bernkastel-Kues, which is really two cities on either side of the Mosel River and, like many cities in this region of Germany, has its own ruined castle looking down on the city below. We've been through here before on our bikes, when we rode between the towns (and Weinfests) of Zeltingen-Rachtig and Brauneburg. On that trip we just passed on through, so we took an afternoon to see the area at a slower speed.

Bernkastel is the less modern of the two and they were just starting to set up for their Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), which started a week after we were there. (We're very excited to visit a few of the Christmas Markets once we get back from our Thanksgiving trip to the States. We've already had the Gluewein, a heated mulled wine at home.) During our wandering we came across a very narrow house from the 15th century, known as the Spitzhaeuschen. 

Spitzhaeuschen

We also took a walk across the bridge to Kues, which, being the more modern portion of the city was a little less charming, but made for a nice walk. It also gives a good view back to Bernkastel. In the back of the picture below, you can see one of the cruise ships. There are a number of dinner and tourist cruises that take passengers up and down the Mosel on trips lasting from a few hours to many days.

Me with Bernkastel in the Background

On Sunday, we went off to an open-air museum about an hour or so from our place. Essentially, this museum has houses and buildings collected from one region of Germany on display for visitors to walk through. For those of you from New England, it is on the lines of Strawberry Bank or Plimoth Plantation.

Jason and I had been to a fantastic museum like this just outside of Copenhagen when visiting Denmark a few years ago and had really enjoyed ourselves. The museum here in Germany, while much smaller than the Denmark version, was still quite nice. There were many examples of Fachwerk buildings throughout the museum. They even had a nice exhibit (though, all in German) showing how the buildings are constructed. The basic idea is that you frame out the house with timbers, then fill in the spaces between the timbers with things to keep out the cold--mostly sticks covered with straw, mud and plaster.

Open-Air Museum

As many of the buildings were taken from farming communities, the museum included quite a selection of animals, including cows, chickens, sheep and goats. We took some time to visit with a number of them. They animals were once again fascinated by Jason.

Pig and Jason

Jason and Sheep

We are on our way back to the States for a bit for Thanksgiving. While it will be great to see friends and family, I am looking forward to getting back and having some more Gluewein!