On our way out of town, we saw several of the most famous sections of the Berlin Wall and took pictures.
(American troops talk with liberated inmates)
(collection of color photos)
Random thoughts on Germany
Some people speak German so rapidly here that to my ears it's like those commercials with disclaimers at the end they try to rush through to make the time slot: barely intelligible. But I can pick out a few words here and there.
The kids will sometimes try and talk German behind my back to each other. Occasionally I can tell what they are saying and if they are talking about me or something. Hafta keep an eye on those two, you know. ;)
Germans as a whole are precise about most everything: parking, time, being correct and precise, whether that is an order at a restaurant or with an argument they are making.
Such as today, for example, when I bought a water and some squares of Ritter Sport. The total was 5.55, and I handed her a $20 euro bill. She asked if I had change to make it even, and I happened to have 55 cents to use. I have had that happen quite often, where they ask you to make it "even." Perhaps this is the German exact-coming into play.
They also seem to be, on the whole, fairly environmentally friendly. Recycling is almost universal here, and wind turbines can be seen in the green fields of the countryside. There are also plenty of solar panels to be seen from the highway.
The part of Northern/middle Germany we drove through today is fairly flat, consisting mostly of farmland and the aforementioned wind turbines.
After this trip, we will have driven the nearly the whole length of Germany and will have seen almost all of the major cities.
Ellert has been hard pressed to get his homework done whilst on vacation and was hurrying to finish it as we drove today, since the kids return to school on Monday. He was getting frustrated and his Mom stepped in to help him."
"What is 3x3? You know this!"
(sniffing, crying)
"NINE, NINE."
"Ellert, work with me here, what is 3x3?"
*growing more agitated*
"MOM!!!! I SAID IT WAS NINE."
"OH! ok, I thought you were saying NEIN and saying it in German for effect! Yes, nine is correct."
Multi-lingual family probs.
A Short Dissertation on German Cuisine
We ate at a German rest stop that was nicer and classier than some American restaurants I could think of. (I do believe I may be turning into a frightful snob.)
The salad bars here are the best.
It's like someone asked me all my favorite things to put on a salad and they have it- house made sauerkraut, sweet or sour pickled stuff, including green beans/onions, And many different kinds of oil to put on it-hazelnut, olive.
Most grilled meats are served with an herb butter that is brought chilled and piped into a rosette with a star tip pastry bag. I am definitely continuing this habit upon my return home.
I also have a well-ingrained sparkling mineral water habit now. Regular water is boring to me now, after drinking sparkling water (wasser mit Sprudel) for nearly every meal. They are so dedicated to the "Sparkle" that they even have designated levels of carbonation content that is sometimes written on bottles- Medium or Classic. It must have something to do with the high mineral content, but you don't get thirsty as often and furthermore, don't need as much to quench your thirst, or so it would seem. Makes sense: body needs water AND the minerals, when you get the water but no minerals (*cough cough* most American water) the body says "more water!" And you are thirsty yet again, but you still don't get the minerals.
If you hate sparkling water (or just want to renounce your German citizenship) you can order "Still" water, with no bubbles.
("Wow, we've descended to a new low if she's discussing the carbonation content of water!")
Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist. I've been meaning to record my Dissertation on Food for a while now and I only just got around to it today.
When we I was able to help my little future soccer star with his math homework, which if you know me well enough to be aware and my deep and abiding love for math, was essentially the blind leading the blind.
But in the end:
"It was actually pretty fun with you."
Best compliment ever.
:)
On a lovely hillside, green with the foliage of summer, lay
Buchenwald. I thought we were visiting here tomorrow, but we had more time and so we did the visit today.
The first thing I noticed was the idyllic surroundings. It was surprising to me how a place of such suffering and cruelty could have a view that was so strikingly beautiful.
The birds were singing, the sun was shining, but yet there were barracks.
It is on top of one of the largest hills in the area, and the white monument commemorating the site where the
remains of the inmates are buried is visible for miles and miles away.
This was not a death camp, like Auschwitz-Birkenau, it was more of a concentration camp, where it was only a matter of time before they worked you to death or you succumbed to starvation.
The black and white picture exhibit was very moving, and it is the first pictorial history of a concentration camp in Germany. Despite the name of the exhibit, there were also some color photographs.
Black and white photos we see of any historical event impart a sense of temporal distance and have a documentary feel, the color photos impart a striking closeness to reality. Seeing the American soldiers shaking hands with the gaunt, liberated inmates in color makes it all very real.
We drove to downtown Erfurt, a small ish town which boats a total of 25 Gothic churches and most famously, Martin Luther went to school here.
Dinner was had at a riverside restaurant before George, Ellert and I headed to the UEFA Finals game. We found a little outdoor Biergarten and watched it on the big projector. It's basically the World Cup of the Euro league.
It was pretty surreal to be watching the big game here in Germany! P.S. Barcelona totally won. ;)
On the way home I saw this, one of the 25 gothic churches here in Erfurt. Must explore more tomorrow. :)
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