Fun nights and electric storms

Neblig Grüße aus Fulda! (Greetings from foggy Fulda)

Got up this morning to find the world reduced to a couple of streets around the apartment, and the rest a white, misty shroud. Quite a change from yesterday when it was about 30degrees and humid...Darwin weather....leading to a wild electric storm in the evening dumping sheets of water and even hail! But today (Saturday) it is cool and calm as we make final arrangements to head off to Bodensee..on the border between Switzerland and Germany.

Norbert is literally standing next to me waiting to whip the modem out of the laptop and take it into Fulda to finalise the internet, but I'm holding him off just 15 more minutes so that I can write a short update. [frowns] Did I just hear somebody mutter something like... I don't know the meaning of the word 'short'??? [laugh] Fair enough, but I'll do my best.

However, first my thanks to Uwe, Allison, Heather & Robby for your comments on my previous posting....
Uwe, not sure about the photos from now on but I will do my best!
Allison, I agree....I would have missed heaps and I'm so glad you encouraged me to just make the decision to go. :-)
Heather, lots of Black Forest cake around...but none of it gluten-free. :-( Don't let the boss get you too stressed...just keep thinking, "Will anyone DIE if this or that is not done?" [grin]
Robby, great to hear from you both! It is warm here, but I feel every teeny breeze so it takes a day like yesterday to get me to uncover. Still, I'm getting a tan here as the sun is not so strong.

Its been a quiet week and the highlight for me was spending another day in town practicing German by talking with locals. I spent an hour or so getting my nails done which was interesting as my little German dictionary didn't have the words I needed (like Acrylic Refills), but lots of laughs and miming meant we managed OK. I even managed to find a hairdresser and make an appointment for next week, so I was feeling quite good about my ability to cope with the language. Norbert has been suffering with hay fever which has been difficult for him. The term 'Spring is in the air' is quite literal here, as one can SEE the pollen and other stuff literally floating in the air. A hay fever sufferers idea of hell. Oh well...he's dosing himself on drugs so this is helping a little.

Yesterday was Norbert's last day at work so he had organised dinner out at a local Thai restaurant for a few close colleages and friends. Heather, we even decorated the table with your German/Aussie flags but we needed a Slovakian flag too...oh well. :-) Lots of fun and laughs, especially when the rain came down...everyone rushed up the stairs (the restauring is in the cellar) to watch the unexpected show of lightening and hail. Marcus commented that he had come on his scooter which would make going home fun for him! [grin]

We exchanged details as everyone wanted to keep in touch. Miro & Lubicia gave us a lovely book all about Fulda with some gorgeous photos - a good thing as I think it will be some time before I am able to read it. [grin] Jürgen and Bettina brought their daughter, Madeline who had her first tentative try of Thai food. The night finished off with a complimentary round of Schnaps from the owner of the restaurant who personally came out to see us all off at the end of the night (it had stopped raining by then). And so ended a lovely evening!

I must go as I'm getting 'the look' [cheeky grin]. We're off on another little adventure now and plan to see Neuschwanstein Castle as well as other sights in the Bodensee area. I'll tell you all about it...somehow [frowns]....when we get back.

Seeya!

A weekend in the Black Forest

G'day from Deutschland!

I've been quiet lately, I know, but I've been away for 4 days (AND away from the internet) so I've got lots of catching up to do! [grin] First of all though, great to hear from you Allison, Skye and Amber.

Allison, to answer your questions...it gets dark here sometime after 9:30pm. Schnaps are served chilled or room temperature, depending on what it is. Don't really have a favourite but I prefer something under 40% alcohol or I fall over too quickly. Induction Workshop? What are they again?? [frowns] ROFL
Amber, your decision re your job is yours, of course, but try not to be too impulsive as sometimes things work themselves out if you give them a chance.
Skye, I hope you have a wonderful time in the Canary Islands...we will definitely try to catch up online before I head off to Scandanavia. Talk about ships in the night! [laugh]

But now, back to what's been happening. And YOU have a decision to make! You will either have to go and get something to keep up your strength while you read the lengthy saga following... [cheeky grin], or perhaps just scan over the Executive Summary for the overview. Basically though, Norbert and I packed the car on Thursday morning and headed off toward the Schwarzwald area...the Black Forest. Land of mountains, fir trees, cuckoo clocks and Black Forest cake (Kirschtorte). Sound fun? Let me take you there....why not skip the Summary and read on for the whole experience. :-)

Executive Summary

OK....you only have 5 minutes so here are 4 days squeezed into 4 paragraphs. [grin] First, Thursday. We didn't want to fly past all the interesting scenery, so Norbert set the GPS to avoid main roads. What we didn't know was that it would consider that everything apart from a one-lane goat track is a main road!! [laughs loudly] At lunchtime though, Norbert started to get a migraine so he went back to the car to sleep it off (which is the only thing that really helps) and I set off by myself to explore the little town. We set off again after Norbert felt better and arrived in Heidelberg at around 6:30pm.

On Friday we enjoyed a cruise down the Neckar river, looking up at the lovely sight of buildings 'climbing up' the slopes, and castles perched on rocky outcrops. Just gorgeous! In the afternoon we went to see the famous Heidelberg Castle. One needs to climb about 375 steps to get up the hill but we made it. We then drove on to Pforzheim but had made the decision not to stay in cities (which it is), so we kept going as we were driving through a little village called Unterreichenbach, Norbert saw a 'Zimmer Frei' sign, and quickly chucked a lefty! Note that 'Zimmer Frei' means 'Room Free' and it is a sign usually displayed on a Gasthof or Gasthaus...which is an inn in the old meaning of the word. This particular one was lovely, comfortable, and cheap!

After setting off again on Saturday morning we came across Bad Liebenzell. An incredibly pretty place. We took off through the forest and before long were listening to the sounds of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves...and of course our own huffing and puffing. [grin] As it was Saturday it seemed that every town had a Saturday market in their Marktplatz. Picture cobbled streets with displays of colourful flowers, fruit, vegetables and other wares laid out for sale. In the afternoon it started to rain though, so as it was no longer the weather to wander around looking at scenery, we booked into another 'Zimmer Frei' at a farmhouse which was lovely and incredible value.

On Sunday we went to the Schwarzwald's version of Sovereign Hill - a small 'town' of historical buildings from various Black Forest regions and from the past 400 years. All the buildings are either replicas or were actually authentic and had been dismantled and re-built on this site...incredible, and extremely interesting! We then stopped in Triberg as they have the highest waterfall in Germany there, and followed that up with a visit to Titisee to see a beautiful (but icy cold) mountain lake. Home via Autobahn and it was no problem this time as trucks aren't allowed on them until midnight. So an easy run and the end of a really lovely weekend!

_______________________________________________________________________

The Full Story

Anyway, on to the 'real' story in all its wonderful detail! [laughs] When we got back last night, I asked Norbert for his impressions of the Schwarzwald area, and he said "green and mountainous". He's a man of few words though so I'm sure I can expand on that. [grin] Read on....

Thursday - checking out every goat-track on the way to Heidelberg!

We had both agreed that after spending most of our previous tour whizzing down Autobahns and gazing at what looked like wonderful scenery from a distance we wanted to enjoy a closer look at the country this time, so Norbert set the GPS to avoid main roads. What we didn't take into account was that it was a computer (and you know how smart they are), and it would consider that everything apart from a one-lane goat track is a main road!! [giggle] We certainly saw some amazing scenery though, as Norbert expertly eased the car around tight curves with towering cliffs on one side, and a breath-holding drop to a deep valley on the other. Through tiny villages which probably saw few strangers, and through darkened archways of incredibly tall trees with branches touching high above us.

By mid-morning we were hanging out for coffee so pulled into a place with tables and umbrellas, and a lady out the front putting up balloons. We asked if we could have some coffee and she bustled off inside to get it while we sat and relaxed in the sunshine. As we left, she mentioned that she wasn't actually open until 5pm and was just setting up for the evening! Such is the hospitality of these folks. [grin]

Have I mentioned that there are about a zillion bikes on the roads every weekend? Both the push kind AND the motor kind. I reckon they get such a short burst of warmth and sunshine that they try to make up for a whole 12 months in just a few weeks.....but that might be just my interpretation. :-) Anyway, we continued meandering through the incredibly green and hilly countryside, coming across little villages every 3-5 kilometres with interesting names like Döllbach, Jossa and Bad Brüchenau until we reached Tauberbischofsheim where we stopped for lunch at a cafe run by a guy called Christopher O'Sullivan....yep, Irish, not German. One can tell. [nods knowingly]

Unfortunately, during lunch Norbert started to get a migraine which happens occasionally, so I sent him back to the car to sleep it off (which is the only thing that really helps) and set off myself to explore this little place. Isn't it funny how sometimes unexpected events can provide unforseen pleasures too, as I found a 'hidden garden' surrounded by ancient walls and flowing water. Just beautiful, and so peaceful! We set off again after Norbert felt better and arrived in Heidelberg at around 6:30pm.

Now I need to explain that Heidelberg was a place that I reeeeally wanted to get back to after seeing it 'oh so briefly' on our last tour of Europe. That time, we arrived when it was almost dark, walked across the old bridge, looked up at the castle....and were bustled back onto the bus. At the time I thought it was amazing and really wanted to see more. But now I realise that what we saw was the best part anyway, as the picturesque part of Heidelberg soon gives way to a big city and ordinary-looking suburbs spread out flatly and lacking in any real character. It was getting late and we had no accommodation booked so guessing that it would be hugely expensive in the 'pretty' part of Heidelberg, we drove on to an outlying place (probably more like a suburb really) called Mannheim and enquired at a hotel. Yep...they had a room but it wasn't cheap and it certainly wasn't big! Just enough room for the bed actually...but quite comfy for the night.

Friday - cruising by ancient castles, and fighting tourists to see them!

The teensy room was made up for by the huuuge breakfast spread, so we ate enough to ensure we wouldn't need lunch. [grin] Go on, admit it....I bet you've done that too when you've been away, haven't you! [points her finger] ROFL

Anyway, we checked out then headed back to 'pretty' Heidelberg'...see the photo below - isn't it just gorgeous!!! Like stepping into a land of fairies, castles and wicked witches in dark forests.

Anyway, as luck would have it, as soon as we got to the riverbank there was a cruise boat about to leave in 2 minutes! What luck! Jumped on board just as they pulled the ropes in, and proceeded upstairs to the deck where we could enjoy the sun and watch the glorious scenery roll past. What luxury...and how relaxing! The cruise went through 2 locks, lifting us a total of about 6 or 7 metres, and as we were travelling through the Neckar Valley we were surrounded on both sides by buildings 'climbing up' the slopes, and castles perched on rocky outcrops. Just gorgeous!

The cruise took an hour and dropped us in the little river-side village of Neckarsteinau where we had a cappuccino in a little coffee shop overlooking the river. Oh, and I watched a woman dust her front fence, and sweep the street in front of her house. Not just the footpath...the street itself! Everything here is soooo neat and clean and tidy, and I guess this must be one of the reasons - the residents seem to have such a strong desire for tidiness and order, and a work ethic to support it. Hey Mum? [winks]

In the afternoon we went to see the famous Heidelberg Castle....or Schloss, as they are called in German. One needs to climb about 375 steps to get up the hill but we made it....and hopefully wore off some of the breakfast! :-D The castle was old, beautiful and interesting with breathtaking views across the Neckar Valley and beyond. BUT, it was the first time since getting here that we came face to face with 'tourism' again.....large bunches of American and Japanese tourists being herded around by slightly weary looking tour guides, and myriads of shops selling T'shirts saying "My friend (mum, brother etc) went to Heidelberg and all I got was this lousy T'shirt." You know the kind. [sigh] But we did see the 'Apotheca Museum'...which is the history of the pharmaceutical industry from the dark ages until now. It might sound boring (I can see you rolling your eyes Skye) but it was all laid out in authentic 'sets' and very well done....even English explanations.

We drove on to Pforzheim...and found it was yet another big city so basically just skirted it and escaped out the other side. Don't get me wrong...we don't have anything particular against cities but we saw most of the 'major' tourist attractions in the cities last time we were here, and this time we were here to see some of rural Germany and more of the hidden and out-of-the-way places. Anyway, we'd made the decision not to stay in cities so as we were driving through a little village called Unterreichenbach, Norbert saw a 'Zimmer Frei' sign, and quickly chucked a lefty!

Note: A momentary break here to explain 'Zimmer Frei'. It means 'Room Free' and is a sign one sees a lot as you travel through Germany. They are usually displayed on a Gasthof or Gasthaus...which is an inn in the old meaning of the word.....a place for travellers to have a bed for the night, breakfast, and then go on their way. They are often very small and are usually run by a family. They are cheaper than hotels and you get the advantage of a homely feel and being welcomed by friendly hosts who are generally very pleased to see you as your stay helps with their income. Same sort of thing as a 'Pensione' in France and the traditional B&Bs in England. They usually include breakfast in the price.

Anyway, we were welcomed warmly and shown to a lovely room with a gorgeous view....at a price 30 Euros less than the hotel in Heidelberg.

Saturday - strolling through sunny village markets enjoying Currywurst und Eis.

We are using a borrowed 'Fodor's Germany' travel book to give us clues as to interesting places to see and travel routes to follow. Admittedly it is dated 1998 however we figure that a castle that has been standing for 800 years isn't likely to fall down, and a waterfall isn't likely to change its route in 10 years. So far its been pretty good except it recommended a place where you can see original garden gnomes being made traditionally, and apparently that is a thing of the past since the cheap Chinese imports. Oh well.... [sighs]

Anyway, we followed Fodors recommendations through many little towns and were pleased to come across Bad Liebenzell. Incredibly pretty place. We set off through the forest and before long were listening to the sounds of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves...and of course our own huffing and puffing. [grin] If you love the silence of a bush setting then you will appreciate this feeling, its just that here the trees rise absurdly straight and tall above the leafy forest floor and the views are of tiny villages with red roofs that have stood in place for hundreds of years. Its different, in a timeless sort of way, but just as quiet and tranquil. And then you walk 20 metres in a different direction and find yourself on a street, as the little houses climb right up the mountainside! Watched an elderly woman pushing a wheeled walking frame up one of the streets....now that would keep you fit!! [laugh]

It was Saturday of course, and it seemed that every town had a Saturday market in their Marktplatz, usually in the old part of the town. Picture cobbled streets dotted with flamboyant umbrellas, and displays of colourful flowers, fruit, vegetables and other wares laid out for sale. There was local honey from the forest, and little stalls to buy wurst and other delicacies. We had coffee in Calw just watching all the activity go by, and lunch was a Currywurst on a paper plate, sitting under a tree in the market place and watching hausfrau buy colourful flowers for their window boxes.

By the way, its not just the houses....window boxes adorn every part of the little towns including along the railings of bridges and overways. We saw a council guy come and water them. It makes everything so pretty though!!! [spins in a circle with her arms spread wide]

In a little place called Zavelstein we followed a Fodor's recommendation and wandered down a street to see a tumbledown castle. We weren't expecting much but we really enjoyed it as one could go down into the cellar and climb the tower...AND there were only another couple of tourists there so it was peaceful and we had many areas to ourselves. Just one of those 'finds' which are unexpected but provide great pleasure and many memories.

The 'market mood' continued through the afternoon, and at Freudenstadt we bought some glazed pumpkin seeds to try (yumm!!!!) and then decided to sit at a pavement cafe to have 'ein Eis' (icecream). But the sky was getting grey and before long, drops of rain began to fall so we made our way back to the car. Unfortunately it didn't stop. Can't complain as we had enjoyed beautiful weather up till then, however the rain made driving on the mountainous roads even more challenging and we couldn't really stop to look at things.

We did try to go to Glaswaldsee which is a mountain lake however by then the rain had really set in and despite standing momentarily in front of the sign pointing to the lake with umbrellas over our heads, we decided against it and thought we'd call it a day and look for a 'Zimmer Frei'. Which we found just down the road....a gorgeous farmhouse just ouside of Gutach, set against the mountain! Once again we were welcomed warmly and the lady seemed surprised but pleased that we were happy to take the room sight unseen (its quite OK to ask to see the room first). She said it was 38 Euro for the night including breakfast for both of us, so I was expecting it to be very basic .....but wow!! A beautiful and spacious room with stunning views, balcony and a private en-suite! What a bargain!!!! Here's a photo (above) ...what do you think?

Sunday - delighting in the Schwarzwald's version of Sovereign Hill.

Enjoyed a farmhouse breakfast which was laid out for us when we went downstairs, including boiled eggs and little pots of jam and what must have been home-made cream (we could hear the cows outside). OK...they didn't have a toaster but the lady tried her best and heated my gluten-free bread in the oven. Norbert thought the price was too cheap for what we got so when we left he gave them 50 Euro and refused to take the change and they waved goodbye happily as we drove down the long driveway to the main road.

We discovered that the place we really wanted to see was only a few minutes away so this was a good time-saver. Which was great as we spent quite a bit of time at Vogtsbauernhof. Picture something like Sovereign Hill in Ballarat....have you been there? No? [grin] OK...its a small 'town' of historical buildings from various Black Forest regions and from the past 400 years, all fully furnished and with some live displays such as broom-making, embroidery, felting etc. Its sort of like walking through a living history. You come up to an amazing old 3-storey house and you can actually walk inside and sit at the dark, aged wooden table. There are real cows munching hay in the barn and old tools and farm implements on the walls, looking like they were just put there yesterday when the farmer finished using them. Some of the buildings are replicas but many were actually completely authentic and had been dismantled and re-built on this site....an amazing feat in itself! Like to go on a virtual tour? I found one here for you, if you're interested. The photo above is of a comparatively tiny house which was often built on the main property for the 'old folks' to retire...so the photo is of me saying "Mum, welcome to your retirement home!" [big grin]

But this visit really fulfilled a major objective for our weekend. [sudden intake of breath] Good grief!! I sound just like some sort of project manager! [hits her forehead with the palm of her hand] Bad enough having an executive summary but next thing I'll be talking about strategic plans and measurable outcomes! Obviously I need to stay away from work a little longer. [laugh] Nevertheless, the weekend did fulfill a major objective as we had such a brief taste of the Black Forest on our last tour, we were determined to literally 'soak ourselves in it' this time...and the outdoor museum did this extremely well.

In fact, we were talking about a place that the bus stopped last time where there was a huge cuckoo clock....and lo and behold, we ended up driving right by it about 5 minutes later! What's the chances!!!! We then stopped in Triberg as they have the highest waterfall in Germany there....and while we didn't make it to the top, we enjoyed a special time listening to the sound of a man playing a traditional Alpine Horn to the backdrop of rushing water. The rest of the town was a bit 'touristy' though, so we moved on to Titisee where there is a beautiful mountain lake. Incredibly picturesque....but cold!!!

We decided our last stop would be Freiburg which is getting close to the French border on the west....but we needn't have bothered. Once again it was just another city. In fact it was a 'university city' like Heidelberg and it made me wonder whether this is the reason for the plethora of McDonald's and Burger King outlets and cheap blocks of flats in these types of places.

But, it was nearly 6pm and we wanted to get home by nightfall.....and we were still about 380km away from Fulda. No problem! Straight onto the major Autobahns which, we found out, don't allow trucks on Sundays!!! Bonus! Mind you...we saw hundreds of them lined up in truckstops and parking areas, looming in a predatory way and ready to roll out and take over the Autobahns again on the stroke of midnight. But it was a dream run for us! Zoomed along averaging about 140kph with our GPS giving us plenty of warning when we had to take an exit....and pulled up outside the apartment right on 9:30pm when the sky was just turning pink and growing dark.

And so ends another successful side-trip! Norbert still has to work for the rest of this week but then I'm not sure what we will be doing. He has somebody lined up to take over the apartment but the agent hasn't gotten back yet (service is apalling over here) so things may be in somewhat of a disarray in the next couple of weeks. What will definitely change will be these blogs. Norbert is handing over the internet at the end of this week and the luxury I have now to spend unlimited time on writing blogs and uploading photos will be over. I'm going into cold sweats thinking about having to spend rushed minutes at a public internet cafe, but I'm sure most of you will be thrilled to bits that you aren't faced with 'War and Peace' just to catch up on what we're doing. Hey Heather? [cheeky grin]

I've been watching the weather in Adelaide and it seems its getting colder. Hope you are all rugged up and enjoying lots of hot chocolate and warm, winter food. I will be coming back a few kilos heavier so I want to fit in. [laugh]

Bis bald!
Marlene (and Norbert)

Crooked houses....and nightmare traffic!

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
and they all lived together in a crooked little house.



Guten Tag!

Decided on a mid-week jaunt (after Norbert got home from work) to a nearby village called Alsfeld as it is known for its 'crooked houses'....half-timbered houses which escaped wars and are still standing, some built as early as the late 1400's! But boy are they crooked! I took the photo on the right but as it was dusk the light wasn't the best for taking good photos so I have 'borrowed' the one below from another Flickr photographer, as it is an excellent photo which shows clearly the completely 'out-of-square' lines of many of these old buildings.

Makes you wonder if the floors are sloping inside, how they manage to put square windows and doors into the frames....and whether they are safe to live in! [shakes her head in wonderment] But as Norbert pointed out, if they are still standing after more than 500 years then they probably are not going to suddenly fall down. :-) But just to be safe, I stood clear of the ones which seemed to be leaning out at a precarious angle. [laugh]

Anyway, we had a thoroughly enjoyable tea in a little restaurant called the 'Kartoffelsack' (potato sack) and then decided to head home. And you would think that would be the end of a nice little story.....but NO!!!!!!!

It was going to be a simple, 58k trip on the Autobahn....but nobody told us about the trucks!!!! (Question for our German friends....is this normal???) We were travelling along nicely and then turned a corner...and Norbert had to break quite quickly as ahead were loooooong lines of what seemed like thousands of big trucks, in a complete traffic jam (ein Stau)! Many were queued up, trying to get into truckstops, but on the Autobahn the lines of big trucks snaked waaaay into the distance! There were roadworks which made everything much worse, and the cars were jammed into a side 'lane' which wasn't really a lane at all. Basically, there would have been very little room for 2 cars to be next to each other, but there we were, trying to move along this narrow space with the massive big wheels of big trucks a hair's-breadth away from the right-hand mirror of the car. And can I just add that this is the side of the car that I am sitting on!!!! [terrified look]

I've borrowed the photo of traffic on the Autobahn from here , just to give you the idea (I was too terrified to keep my eyes open, let alone take photos!), but take into account that it was night...and with the roadworks, that gap you see between the line of cars and the line of trucks was virtually non-existent as there were road-work barriers on the left-hand side, several metres in from where you see the edge of this road. Norbert did an absolutely amazing job of driving under those conditions...trying to keep the car centred between these barriers and the moving wheels of the trucks just centimetres away from us.

I know he did an amazing job because we got home safely. [big sigh of relief] I had my eyes closed most of the time with sheer terror!!!! My fingernails were digging into the palms of my hands. I was positive that at any moment we would go under the wheels of a truck, or hit a barrier....or somebody would crush us in the small gap. It was sooooo scary!! [shudders with the memory] I think we should stay off the Autobahns at night if this is normal traffic....maybe the trucks do all their transportation at night or something?

Anyway, I had to have THREE glasses of Schnapps when I got home, just to stop shaking. [grin]

So....what is the most exciting thing that has happened to you this week?

Love to all,
Marlene

PS: Thanks Allison and Amber for your previous comments.

Allison, you asked to see the drawings I have in Adelaide? Unfortunately I don't have much. Drawing is a 'free-time' thing for me and I don't usually get much of that...which is why I promised myself I would try to make time while I was away from work.
Amber, congratulations on being offered some free-lancing work for a magazine! Well done! :-)

Pretty Towns & Scary Military History

G'day to all my patient readers [grin], and a special thanks to Heather for hanging in there and being my one and only commenter this time. What...has everyone given up already? [laughs]

Heather, you and Mum must be having lots of fun with the furniture shopping - everything here is 'IKEA type' and designed to be put together on the spot, then chucked away after a time.

Anyway, I have a weekend to catch up on but I know some of you are curious about whether or not I have gotten around to doing some drawing like I said I would...well I have done some playing around and at left is a drawing I did last Friday night while Norbert was out...its the back of the apartment block where we are living. The landscapes are inspiring me...especially the half-timbered houses which are soooo quaint. :-) But more about them in a minute...

Executive Summary

Here is the 'quickie version' of what we did over the weekend. On Saturday we drove to Bad Sooden-Allendorf to meet up with Hartmut (Norbert's cousin) who has been at a 'Kur' for 3 weeks...a rehabilitiation clinic. Bad Sooden-Allendorf is an absolute sea of half-timbered houses and narrow cobbled streets which we would have missed entirely if we hadn't come to visit Hartmut. What luck! Wandered the pretty streets, drank coffee, climbed the tower to look out over the town, had lunch at the Rathaus....and still got home by 9pm to enjoy Schnapps before bed. :-)

On Sunday we stepped back into history again and visited Point Alpha, a key strategic point during the Cold War, right on the border of what was East and West Germany. This place was fully operational right up until about 20 years ago, and it was quite strange walking past the barbed wire fences and out into no-man's land right on the border, and realising that one would have been shot on sight such a short time ago. But now it is quite safe and a standing reminder that it should never go back to this again.

On the way back we visited the Fulda Animal Park and then had a lovely night out with a colleague of Norbert's and his wife, at a local Thai restaurant.

But read on for the full stories.....

The Break-Out...into a Sea of Half-Timbered Houses

Last posting I teased you with mention of getting Hartmut (Norbert's cousin) out on parole. No, he's not in jail. [cheeky grin] The explanation is that he has been having a lot of problems with his neck and spine since a bad fall last November, and has been sent to what is known in Germany as a 'Kur' for 3 weeks...in fact its a rehabilitiation clinic for intensive therapy, exercise, treatments, doctor examinations, physio etc etc. But last Saturday we drove to Bad Sooden-Allendorf to meet up with him and join him in an 'escape' for the day.

There were heaps of roadworks on the Autobahn and even a road-diversion which took us out of our way for quite a while, but we arrived in the morning only a little bit late...and our trusty GPS took us straight to the clinic. Bad Sooden-Allendorf is a 'twin town' (think Albury-Wodonga) and we would never have thought to go there if it wasn't for this visit, but boy am I glad we did!!! [spins in a circle] It is soooooo pretty!!!! An absolute sea of half-timbered houses and narrow cobbled streets.

Now, you know I hate to bore you with travelogue-type stuff, but this is really interesting so listen up [puts on her 'teacher face']. This town is built on a salt-spring, and like Rotorua in NZ it has a history of being a place where one goes to 'seek the waters' and get healthy. In the middle of the place is this...ummm....structure. Now, how can I describe it. [scratches her head] It must be about 300m long and about 20m high, and it is a wood structure which is packed really thickly with small branches. The briny water is pumped from the top and it slowly trickles down through the branches, some of it evaporating and thereby increasing its salinity. Above is a photo of me touching the salt-encrusted branch ends (and getting wet in the process). Norbert explained that it works like the pads in an evaporative air conditioner. People walk around it on a platform and breathe in the salt-laden air and the salt-laden water is used in the health spas. Fascinating stuff!!


We even visited the Salt Museum...yep, there's actually a salt museum which enlightens one all about the value of salt in the area, and how it has been part of their history. That's definitely one to add to the list of 'things to do before you die', don't you think?? [chuckles]


We did lots of stuff like climbing the tower to look over the town (see photo) and also had lunch in the Rathaus Keller ...which is a restaurant in the basement of the Town Hall. Every town has its 'Rathaus'....and no, it's not a 'Rat House' although when I tell you that it is usually full of government officials, politicians etc you may disagree with me! [grin] The restaurant was a 'theatre-type' restaurant and we were greeted by a smiling, costumed fellow who read us the 'rules' such as not sticking knives into tables, and that forks were a devil's implement and therefore not provided. To ensure we washed our hands before handling the food, he came out with a bowl of water and towel and washed our hands for us! It was such fun!! :-D

We finished the day with very delicious (but not very slimming) icecream sundaes under the umbrellas in a cobble-stoned town square. Just lovely!

On the Border

Sunday was cool and threatened rain, but now that we have a car it doesn't really make that much difference so we pointed the black Fiat toward the border of the state of Hessen (where we are), and headed for Point Alpha. Click on the link if you would like to know more about it but basically it was a key strategic point during the Cold War, right on the border of what was East and West Germany. The Americans were stationed at Point Alpha which is on a hill overlooking East Germany with the border only metres away. It would have been a very tense time!

Ever since I visited Berlin back in 2006 I have been absolutely fascinated by German history. Not sure why but it might be because it is comparatively recent and therefore I can relate to it more than some of the European history of 400 years or more ago. Or maybe its because I am of German heritage and therefore feel an 'affinity'. Whatever....I really enjoyed the visit although it was a pity it was soooo cold on the top of this hill! I especially enjoyed the hot 'Wurst und Pommes' that I had for lunch in the cafeteria. [grin]

After lunch we walked to Border House which is built on the vehicle tracks of the actual border, stopping to say hello to a guard dog on duty. OK...it was a fake dog and not a real guard dog, or I would probably have been torn apart!! You can see the American watch tower in the background and I was on what would have been 'no mans land' between East and West, and therefore in a VERY dangerous position! Definitely not smiling like I am in this photo! And this was only 20 or so years ago!

One comment...I reeeally enjoyed the Point Alpha displays as it was an American installation and therefore all the information had English translations. A short walk to Border House which is the East German part.....and everything's only in German again. [frowns] I'm not sure whether it is just a naive assumption of the German government that everyone can understand their language, but they are probably missing out on a lot of international tourism because of this issue. I'm lucky I have Norbert with me for some translating, but anyone else wouldn't understand a thing.

On the way back we visited Fulda Animal Park....and unfortunately it was not the most positive experience. It is an 'old-type' zoo with animals kept in less than ideal conditions in cages and behind wire fences, and they looked so sad. [sigh] I felt sorry for the grey wallabies in the Australian exhibit (wrongly labelled as Känguru).

Had a wonderful night out at a local Thai Restaurant though! Met up with Lothar (who Norbert works with) and his wife Agnes. Lothar has spent 2 years in Australia and is very obviously a fan of all things Aussie and speaks fairly good English. We had heaps of laughs over spicy Thai food and a couple of bottles of good wine, and invited them to stay with us when they next visit Australia.....which hopefully will be soon! :-)

This coming weekend is a 4 day long weekend here (and they say Australia is the Land of the Long Weekend!!) so we are poring over the internet and maps and a Fodor's book to decide where to go. At this stage it looks like we might pack a suitcase and go further afield, perhaps starting in Heidelberg. So stay tuned!!

Love to all,

Marlene

A weekday story

G'day all!
This post won't need an Executive Summary...its mid-week and therefore most of what I do is pretty ordinary...you know, cooking, doing dishes etc. But somehow even this usually boring work is different when one is on holidays, don't you think? Not the same as when its just part of everyday drudgery and you're trying to fit it in during a working week. [grin]

Great to hear from you Allison, Skye & Amber!
Allison, you've now told the world that your ideal life would be to stay home and send your kids out for beer. Your professional reputation might be in tatters!!! ROFL
Amber, really great news about the rental assistance - you can afford to think about overseas holidays again.
Skye...what diet?? My last posting admitted that I have already gained weight [resigned look]. And how to order pizza in German? Easy..."Ich möchte eine kleine Pizza mit Tomate, Salami und Käse bitte." So...how did I do? :-)

A Fun Wednesday

Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I had a fun day yesterday. It was sunny again so I thought I would take myself to town for the afternoon. Put essentials into the backpack (camera, German dictionary, money, map etc) then walked into Fulda along the bike track. Its a lovely walk..past lots of little Lauben which are small gardens. Most people live in apartments here in Germany and don't have gardens like we do in Australia, so areas of land are set aside and people buy or rent these small plots to grow vegetables, fruit trees etc. They don't live there permanently but spend many sunny days there, tending their gardens. Its not just here...there are heaps in capital cities like Berlin too.

Found my way into town and wandered around looking for new jeans and a T'shirt, as I'm running out all the time due to the warmer than expected weather. Lots of language fun including needing to ask where the change rooms were, that I didn't need a bag and figuring out money etc but I think I managed well. Its getting easier. I even went into the Subway shop and ordered myself a chicken salad for lunch...but forgot how to say 'no onion' in German so did lots of pointing and vigourously shaking my head. The young 'sandwich artist' got the idea. [laugh]

I definitely must look like a local as I got asked directions again, and this time I took it all in my stride including working out that the lady couldn't see the map I offered as she had broken her glasses and left them home...so I lent her mine. We said goodbye with lots of smiles. [beaming grin] BTW I've stopped saying I speak NO German, and have started to just apologise that my German is 'sehr schlecht'...or very bad. I guess its a good sign. :-D

I got my jeans and t'shirt at a shop called Galleria...think Myer. What do you think? Pretty ordinary but I was going for cheap rather than trendy. I also found this lovely shawl which will come in real handy as its a lightweight scarf for around my neck. I brought a woollen one over for the Scandinavian tour but that is overkill here right now...I just need something to wrap around my neck when the sun goes down.

Like last night when we went to the Schützenhaus again for tea and drinks. I'd only been there once before (last Wednesday night) but when we came in I got such a warm welcome! They are such nice people. The lady looking after the bar even remembered what I liked to drink.! [grin] And unfortunately I did a bit much of that as apart from some wine with tea, we HAD to do some toasting as it was one guy's birthday....and then they had another round of Schnapps when they wanted to toast somebody who is fighting cancer at the moment. EVERYTHING calls for a round of Schnapps here....and who am I to break this age-old tradition? [indignant look]

Oh, but I woke with a headache this morning, and took a bit longer to get into the day. Self-inflicted, I know, so I'll get no sympathy from anyone. [grin]

Next posting will probably be a long one again as I will need to tell you what we got up to this weekend. Only Saturday is planned so far....we are going to try and break Hartmut (Norbert's cousin) out on parole from a 'health clinic' for a few hours. Want to know what this is all about? [secretive look] Well, you'll have to read the next post!! [laugh]

Tschüs!

Of fairytales, castles, mountains & quaint villages

Guten Tag....Wie geht's? :-)

Warning....we've just had a long weekend and done heaps, so I'm afraid this posting will be a long one. [feigned apologetic look] You have a couple of choices...just read the Executive Summary below or go and get yourself a coffee/beer/wine/caffeine tablet etc to help you get through it. [mischievous grin]

But first of all, sincere thanks to my dedicated followers who have left a comment, Allison, Jamie, Ingrid, Amber & Heather:
Allison, you asked about local beers...we have Schwarzer Hahn and Hochstift Pils...about 5% alcohol content. There are 1,300 breweries here...about 40% of the world's total. Good place to be. [grin]

Ingrid, Vielen Dank für Ihr Schreiben! The word 'arvo' is Australian slang and is short for afternoon..or Nachmittag.

Jamie, yep...my last holiday blog should have given you the clue that I have a tendency to write prolifically. :-) Its actually for my own records but if you would like to keep up, by all means just scan the Exec. Summary. Fabulous to hear from you though!

Amber, can't wait to hear about the Media-Watch interviews! :-D

Heather, yes I did pass the test [grin], and read on for what we did on the Pentecost holiday!

So....[takes a deep breath].....let's get on with it, and bring you all up to date! But first, [frowns]...I've discovered I've gained a kilo since getting here. Do you think its the different air? Or something to do with the photo above? [grin]

Executive Summary

We have picked up our hire car...a black Fiat Bravo, and Norbert is doing really well with driving over here. I haven't yet worked up the courage. :-) On Saturday, we went for a drive to Steinau an der Straβe which is where the Grimm Brothers lived for quite a while and where the fairytales that we know and love originated.

On Sunday we had Mother's Day on the Wasserkuppe...the highest point in the Rhöne area, close to where we are. The Wasserkuppe is the mecca of flying and there were gliders everywhere, taking off...landing...circling above and swooping low. There is also a couple of large areas set out for model planes. The views from the top of the Wasserkuppe are amazing!!! You can see for miles and miles in all directions!!!

Yesterday it was a religious holiday here, so we thought we'd get into the religous thing and visit a monastery just over the border in Bavaria....which is exceptionally famous for its beer brewery! [big grin] There was still daylight left to go somewhere else, so we decided to check out Aschach to see the castle there....it used to be a private home and we spent a lovely hour wandering through history.

Driving in Germany

On Saturday morning we picked up our hire car...a black Fiat Bravo, about the size of a Holden Astra. I did organise an International Drivers License before I left Australia, however I'm not quite ready to leap into a left-hand drive car right yet, and drive on the wrong..umm, I mean the right side of the road. So Norbert is the brave one and he's taken it all in his stride.

There are 2 aspects which make it challenging. First of all, you are sitting in the 'passengers' seat and changing gears with your right hand. Norbert managed this easily though and has only tried changing gears with the door handle a few times. [laugh] I think I would find this a bit difficult though as its not just a case of using a different hand...third gear is away from you, for example, and you don't gear shift toward you. All back to front.

Secondly, there is the whole thing about one's 'space on the road', and undoing decades of subconscious awareness....and this applies to the passenger as much as the driver. Norbert has taken a bit longer to get used to this but he's slowly undoing 35 years of driving experience to learn the 'feel' of a new position on the road. I'm taking longer. [rolls her eyes] I've only seriously thought I would die a couple of times (just kidding!! :-D) when the right hand wheels went off the side of the road.....but I'm starting to get used to the white posts flitting past my window at what seems like 1cm away. Well...at least I've managed to stop flinching on every corner although I still close my eyes on some of the really tight turns. [grin]

The Autobahns are fantastic...last night we were doing nearly 160k! But we've been preferring to drive on the country roads and just use the Autobahn to get home quickly. The trouble is, don't think of country roads like Australian country roads. These are not much more than the width of the car with virtually no verge...in fact there is usually a ditch or drop or cliff and its impossible to pull over. So you keep going....and then another car (or a tractor!) comes the other way, and you both slow down to walking pace and eeease around each other, ever so carefully. This is similar in the little villages except there you find cars parked on BOTH sides of the road, with cyclists everywhere and people walking! And the villages are between 1-7km apart, with an average of 3km. One can't be in a hurry! [chuckle]

Fairytales and Castles

Fulda lies on what is called the 'Fairytale Road' here in Germany as it it is the area where the Grimm Brothers compiled all the fairytales that you and I grew up with. So on Saturday, we went for a drive to Steinau an der Straβe which is where the Grimm Brothers lived for quite a while and where the fairytales originated.

I won't bore you with a travelogue as anyone interested can look up this area on Google, however Steinau an der Straβe is one of the gorgeous little villages I keep raving about, full of narrow cobbled streets and half-timbered houses. I know..I know...I can hear you yawning already so I'll stop now! [grin]

We did the 'museum thing' then just wandered the streets getting a feel for the place. The castle is amazing and I could almost imagine Rapunzel in the top tower, or Sleeping Beauty behind one of the huge doors. Its also a very green and wooded area and its easy to see how the stories of Hansel & Gretel came about, and of witches and wolves.

Thanks to Norbert's GPS (she speaks with a British accent), we found our way safely home again and went out for tea at the Rhönblick....a local hotel and guest house where Norbert first stayed when he arrived here, and is therefore on a first name basis with the owners. :-)

Mother's Day on the Wasserkuppe

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! It was Mütter Tag here also, with lots of cards and flowers in the shops. We set off before lunch, bound for the Wasserkuppe which is the highest point in the Rhöne area, close to where we are.
Now...see this photo of me standing in a flowery field? This is where we stopped for lunch along the way, just outside of a teeny little town called Kleinsassen. That's all very irrelevant but I'd packed cheese and Vegemite sandwiches (I'd brought the Vegemite from home, of course), and as we sat in the sun amidst the flowers, gazing out at the high-pitched red roofs of the nearby village and munching on our sandwiches, Norbert commented that we were probably the ONLY people eating Vegemite for Mother's Day lunch.... in Germany, anyway. Do you think? [chortle]

Anybody who is interested in flying would absolutely LOVE the Wasserkuppe, as its the mecca of flying. Last Sunday they had gliders everywhere, taking off...landing...circling above and swooping low. There are also a couple of large areas set out for model planes. AND there is an amazing museum! Now I'm not that terribly interested in flying for its own sake (except to get into a plane to go on holidays [chuckle]) however the museum was modern and really very interesting. We spent quite a while wandering around the vast interiors of the buildings.

Keep walking uphill and you get to a huuuge radar dome, the remaining one of the 5 originally part of a US installation to keep an eye on East Germany. This one is decommissioned and is still surrounded by barbed wire, but there was a big sign on it to say that it was being turned into a tourist viewing platform and restaurant as the views from the top of the Wasserkuppe are amazing!!!

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You can see for miles and miles in all directions!!! I felt like breaking into song....."The hiiiiills are alive...with the Sound of Muuuusic...." OK, OK...officially shutting up now. [cheesy grin]

Penticost Holiday - Religion...and Kitsch

Monday, and it was a public holiday here. We thought we'd get into the religous thing and visit a monastery just over the border in Bavaria. (Random fact: Did you know that in Bavaria, any beer under 5% alcohol is considered a grocery item and anyone can buy it, even kids???!!! True!!!)

Bear with me for just one paragraph of travel stuff...or skip to the next paragraph if you must. [grin] The Kreuzberg, at 927 meters, is the second highest mountain in the Rhön (the Wasserkuppe is the highest). Franciscan monks founded a monastery here in the seventh century, and a brewery was built in 1731. Atop the mountain is a pilgrimage site, and a huge antenna...but the main attraction on the Kreuzberg is the brewery! Heh, heh

The monks brew what is considered by some to be one of the best beers in the world. Here's a photo of Norbert lining up. Oh, what a pity that beer isn't gluten-free [wrings her hands in dismay]

I found a webcam of the place but if you click on the link from Australia, you would have to do so either in the early morning or late at night....otherwise it will be dark on the mountain! :-)

Anyway, we decided to have lunch and because it was busy, Norbert asked a lady at a bench whether we could share...and then he went off to find some lunch for us. Well, she was a very friendly lady and tried to start up a conversation...but spoke no English. I did the very best I could but I ran out of German in about 5 minutes flat. Then we just smiled a lot at each other. [laugh] The one thing that spoiled this place for me were the stalls and stalls of plastic rubbish and 'kitsche' stuff...very touristy and it takes away from the feeling and culture of the place. Oh well, sign of the times I guess.

Apparently its a big thing to cycle to the top of this mountain and there were bikes everywhere!!!! Bruce B, you really must make this one of your future challenges. I watched one guy arrive and his legs were shaking so much that he almost keeled over trying to dismount the bike! Personally this doesn't seem like a fun activity to me, but I've been assured that it is. [doubtful look]

We walked up to the antennae which was used to beam western 'stuff' into Eastern Germany when they were cut off. But then as there was still quite a bit of daylight left, decided to leave the Kreuzberg and drive on to Aschach to see the castle there. And glad we did! This used to be a private home but all the rooms are laid out like they would have been hundreds of years ago, and one can wander around and look at everything. Really interesting... feels like you are walking in history.

One little story.....everyone is fascinated about us being from Australia, probably because the tourists mainly go to the major cities. What also makes it interesting
is that Norbert speaks German so they want to find out a lot ie about Australia, why we are here etc. Anyway, a couple of staff members engaged him in conversation as per usual and I heard the woman ask (in German) whether or not I speak German. Without thinking I shook my head and she laughed as obviously I knew enough to understand the conversation! [pleased grin] So I said "ein bisschen"...which means, a little. :-)

So...that brings us up to date! As usual the weekdays won't generate too much news as they are pretty much routine now, however rest assured I'll let you know if
there is anything to report. You know you can trust me on that, don't you. ;-)[chuckles]

Let me know what is happening in your world!

Bye for now!

Learning the language

G'day everyone!

Today is Friday and I can't believe I have been here for nearly 2 weeks!!! Why does time fly when you are on holidays, but go soooo slow when you are just wading through the everyday routines at home? I know...I know... a rhetorical question. [nods & grins]

Wonderful to hear from you Heather, Allison & Amber.

Heather - rest assured that you are not the only one who thinks I use up far too many words to say something which could be said in 5 sentences or less. Its been mentioned to me before....numerous times. [laughs loudly] So I'll keep doing an 'executive summary' for those who prefer me to 'cut to the chase'. :-)

Allison - Can't wait to hear about the Sydney conference...what a great guest speaker!

Amber - I've added you to Skype and sent you an invitation. And [confused look]...there's been a 'war thing' with Russia you think?? ROFL I'd do some history research on Google if I were you. [chuckle]

So...this posting is about how I'm going with the German language.

Executive Summary: I'm working hard on it, and I'm progressing slowly, but getting braver. :-)

Practicing German

The above photo shows the street I live in, and one of the first things I had to do was learn how to pronounce it properly in case I got lost and had to take a taxi home. [grin] The problem with me is that when I make up my mind to do something, I don't have the patience to take things one step at a time, and I want it all to happen immediately. My family, and colleagues at work will attest to this fact. :-)

I started to learn German in February and even though I have received feedback to say that I'm making good progress, I really want to be speaking it fluently....NOW! As I'm typing this I have the radio on in the background so that I can immerse myself in the language as much as I can. But I think I'm doing OK and when I look back at what I was working on in February, I can see how far I've come. But while being here is helping to accelerate my learning, its also showing me how far I have to go [frustrated look]. But let me give you a couple of examples:

Yesterday I took myself for another long walk...this time without shopping to carry! I won't go on about the walk except to say it was warm and sunny and really lovely...except for the inevitable hills. Anyway, I must look like a local because people often stop me to ask directions. So yesterday I threw myself in the deep end. A car pulled up alongside me and a young guy leaned over and said "Ibiy zfgdte cvdbghji jkli slahfiii?" Well, to a person who struggles with a language, that's what its like!!!!

I won't write the following in German because only my German friends will understand it, but rest assured that the whole conversation was definitely in German...albeit my side of it was pretty basic. ;-) I first said that I didn't speak German but did he speak English? He got this helpless look on his face and said his English was "sehr schlecht"...or very bad. So I reached into my bag and said that I had a map (ein karte)...which brightened him up considerably as I think he'd been driving around for some time. Then he asked me where we were on the map, and I was able to explain it to him. He found where he needed to go and handed back the map. I asked him if everything was OK now and he said it was and thanked me profusely. And then he said "Ihr Deutsch ist besser als mein Englisch"...or something like that. Which I took to mean that my German was better than his English! [beaming grin]

And this morning I was woken by the doorbell. (and we won't discuss what time this was) [grin] First of all you need to understand that this is a secure apartment, and anyone wanting a resident needs to ring their bell on the front door...which rings inside the individual apartment, where you answer it. Well, I picked up the handset to hear a fast spiel of German unpronounceable words again. It makes one feel a bit helpless, I'll tell you! [nods her head knowingly] So after establishing that he didn't speak English either (nobody here seems to speak much English, except for what they learn at school) and as I knew Norbert was expecting a parcel, I said "Post? Ein karton?" These being the only 2 German words I know to do with the postal service. And the voice said "Ja, ja" so I said "ein moment bitte" (because I didn't know how to say I was coming down), and raced down the stairs to open the door and sign for the parcel. So......I'm managing!!!! [pleased grin]

Last night, Norbert and I had a couple of games of Yahtzee and tried out another couple of brands of Schnapps. Oh, you would love it here Allison.....the beer and alcohol is cheaper than the juice and softdrinks! Easy to justify and I'm getting reeeeally used to this tradition of Schnapps after tea. [cheeky grin}

Anyway, back to the point...I'm waffling again. [grin] Norbert said that to help me practice, while in the apartment, we would only speak German. So we spoke German to each other for the rest of the night. Now....this is just wonderful of him to help me learn the language faster, but today I got to thinking. [frowns a little] Normally I chat a lot, but last night I would have said only 35-50 words in total, all night. Do you think its possible that he might have an ulterior motive????? ROFL

Must go - we are going out for tea tonight and then around to somebody's place for drinks afterwards.

Seeya!!!

Checking out the Schützenhaus

Hi all!
Just a short blog post today to tell you about my outing last night to the Schützenhaus.
But first, thanks to those who put a comment on my last post:

Allison - How are those project teams behaving themselves? :-)
Skye - I'm writing more posts than you simply because I have more time...and its all so new and different. Great to hear that you have a definite date for the homecoming!
Robby - Wonderful to hear from you! And yes....I have brought some paper/pencils with me and am looking forward to getting into some drawing. :-)

But on with the latest story.

Wednesday - checking out the Schützenhaus
Norbert has been a member of a shooting club in Adelaide for...oh....decades now. So when he was here alone and bored out of his brain on the cold winter nights, he checked out the local shooting club to enquire if he could do some practice and give him something to do. Well, they welcomed him with open arms and made him feel very welcome, so he's been going to the club twice a week. I wanted to know more about it and meet the members so last night we walked to the Schützenhaus, which translates directly as 'shooting house'. (And yes.... the Schützenfest that we know in Adelaide is, of course, shooting festival!) :-)

First of all, everyone I met was extremely welcoming....I wondered what they thought about having a 'hausfrau' in their midst intruding on their 'boys night out', [grin] but there are quite a few female club members as there are in Adelaide and everyone seemed really pleased that I had come to meet them.

Here's a photo of me standing at the bar....a natural position for me lately. [laugh] Nobody spoke much English though so it got quite overwhelming with all the German conversations happening around me, especially when they had had a couple of beers and started to argue about world issues and the like, stabbing their fingers in the air and raising their voices. [rolls her eyes] But it was all good natured.

The amazing thing about this club though is how long it has been going on. Here is a photo of the club logo which is up on the wall outside.....check out the date at the bottom which is when it began!!!

In Australia we celebrate something going for...oh...25 years, or even 50 years. The concept of a club going for well over 400 years is just too mind-boggling to consider! There's another couple of photos in the photo stream opposite showing more of the inside plus the guys chatting outside.

So....until I have anything more interesting to tell you about I'll log off now and do the dishes. Or maybe I'll just sit and read in the sunshine. [grin]

Tschüs! (means Seeya!)

Marlene

More supermarket adventures

Greetings all!

Things have settled into the beginnings of a routine and I'm getting lots of sleep. Here's a photo of me right now, writing this blog posting in the apartment. Do I look rested? [grin] Note the funny sloping walls....we are on the top floor of the building and the whole side of the apartment is like this as it follows the roofline. The windows are built into the roof. It certainly adds character to the place and it isn't just the usual square box one often gets in Australia.

Thanks for your comments:
Amber, don't worry about the new editor until it all happens...you never know, he/she might be better than the one you have at present!
Bruce, great to hear from you again and I just know you would have had a ball in Darwin...they're a great mob up there. :-)

Not a lot to write about, but I'll bring you up to date.

Monday & Tuesday....lots of walking
The weather is just gorgeous here at the moment, although this has only been since I got here. Spring has definitely sprung and everything is soooo green and pretty. Its just lovely to get out into it. Norbert and I went for a walk after tea on Monday night so I could see a bit more of the area, then we came home and had a glass of Schnapps. Its a tradition here but it was 40% alcohol! Boy, did I go straight to sleep!!! [laugh]

Tuesday was an exceptionally slow start...I blame the Schnapps. ROFL It was so sunny again that I decided to meander to another Supermarket which Norbert had said wasn't that far away, but was bigger and had more variety than the local. So off I set to find it. First of all you have to realise that NOTHING is flat in this area, and for every downhill street there is a corresponding trudge up the next hill.

Anyway, I got lost. [laugh] Took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up somewhere in the middle of Petersberg which is a neighbouring village. At this stage I wasn't concerned as although I was already tired with all the hill-climbing, it was a lovely area and very picturesque. Ended up turning back and retracing my steps until I came to what I thought was the right turn-off, and although I know now that it wasn't, it did eventually get me to the supermarket, albeit the long way around.


By now I'd walked several kilometres up hill and down dale and was quite tired but I got excited by all the stuff in the supermarket and ended up buying quite a bit. Vegetables are hard to get here and there is definitely no variety or quality...so I took the opportunity to buy up on what wasn't available at the local supermarket. Oh, and I had to get a 6-pack of beer for Norbert...oh, and some Schnapps for me with less alcohol. [cheeky grin] I did very well at the checkout with my miniscule German, and then quickly packed the bags.

And then....Yeeks!!!! No car outside to just lob everything into the boot!!! Luckily I had brought an extra couple of cloth bags with me (green-bag type from home) because I ended up filling my backpack AND both these bags! And I still had to find my way home AND carry all this weight!!!!

I had about 50 rest stops on the way home but with shoulders aching and my arms feeling like they were being pulled out of their sockets, I finally made it back home.....to be faced with 2 flights of stairs up to the apartment! [look of sheer exhaustion] But I made it!! We are picking up a hire-car on Saturday, so hopefully I won't have to do this 'pack-horse' thing again! [grin]

As if that wasn't enough walking, when Norbert got home from work he said he had to go into Fulda to organise the hire-car, so we took a bus into town but then walked around - remember I haven't seen much of Fulda proper, and then mostly at night. Took a lovely walk through the old part of the town which is absolutely lovely with all the timbered houses and quaint cobbled streets.


Here's a photo of me outside a line of half-timbered buildings in one of the streets....although I think the photo is too small and you can't see me. Oh well...you can see the buildings. :-) Really quite lovely and very picturesque, and all very original as I think they escaped the war. I am looking forward to going into town myself sometime and spending some time wandering around all these streets. The nice weather is bringing everyone out too and there are a multitude of outside cafes with umbrellas up, and people having a meal together after work. We are at a high latitude here so the twighlight is long....the sun was still up at 9:15pm last night!

Anyway, that's enough raving on now. [smile] I hope I've given you a mental picture of the area though, and that you are feeling like you are here in the middle of Germany. I'd love for you all to see it as I'm sure you'd love it as much as I do.

Love to everyone,
Marlene

Weddings, Berlin & Germans in general

Hi everyone!
So sorry its been a while since my last posting, but this is the first chance I have had to get online again. I promise to make it up to you. :-) Thank you so much for all your comments - what a thrill to hear from you all!

Cheryl: You will definitely get your wish for a loooong posting this time.
Heather & Bill: I'll put in an 'executive summary' for you [grin]. Hope you are enjoying sunny Queensland!
Skye: I promise I will buy you a Farmers Union Iced Coffee the second you walk off the plane in Adelaide.
Bruce & Liz: More green grass than you can imagine here...with poppies and daisies in the fields. Gorgeous!
Stefan: I will write LOTS more about my time here in Germany...in English. Aber...deine English ist sehr gut!
Allison: Lots more 'language adventures'...but I'm getting braver.
Amber: Good luck with the defacto stuff...I presume they 'found' your papers?
Elena: Oh yes....I'm definitely happy. [big grin]

Executive Summary

For those of you who say "get to the point woman...stop waffling on..." [grin] here is an 'executive summary' of the last few days. We caught the ICE train (fast one) to Berlin last Tuesday evening, and were picked up at the Ost-Bahnhof by Tobias (the bride-groom's brother). Went to Strausberg the next morning where the wedding was being held and checked in to the hotel, then went to join the guests for champagne outside in the gardens. The wedding was beautiful and I'll explain in more detail further on in the posting, however while it was very similar to Australian weddings, there were marked differences...many quite amusing! :-)

Back to Berlin the next day and the combination of jet lag, travel and all the excitement was beginning to catch up on me so we had a fairly quiet afternoon just chatting to our hosts...Hartmut and Marina....and 'kaffeetrinken' in the sunshine outside. On Friday we had to go into the city as Norbert needed to have something for work notarised by the Australian Embassy. On Saturday we took a scenic boat trip around the many canals of Berlin (more than in Venice) to see the sights, and on Sunday we spent a lovely afternoon strolling through some gardens looking at amazing displays of multi-coloured tulips.

And then we caught the ICE again back to Fulda, which brings me back to today! And nothing much happening today except I have the washing machine on and I have yet to do the breakfast dishes. [laugh] That's about it!

But for those of you wanting to know more of the details, read on. I will also upload the photos I took while in Berlin so click on the link 'more of Marlene's photos' on the right and it will take you where you can see them all. Just click 'next' at the bottom of the screen to go to the next page.

Tuesday - We travel to Berlin

I spent the morning getting ready to go....ironing and trying to fit everything for 2 people into one suitcase. Sort of did it...but the fact that I had an extra couple of plastic bags for 'my stuff' doesn't really count, does it. [grin] The joys of train travel though, as one doesn't have weight issues and you can take as many bags as you can carry!

Took the local bus to the Fulda train station then had a 10minute wait and it was straight onto the ICE. The ICE trains are the really fast ones, and we don't have anything like it in Australia. They look like a bullet and although we were flying along at 250kph, apparently they can go even faster than that when the lines are really good. Here is a photo of me on the train, drinking wine and checking out the view. What a life, hey??!!

We travelled through to the Ost-Bahnhof which is in old East Berlin...its a bit further on than we needed to go but apparently parking is easier there than in the Haupt Bahnhof....the central one. Which was a good thing because as soon as we got there I saw a familiar face coming up the platform - it was Tobias, coming to collect us. Tobias is Norbert's cousin's younger son and a few years ago he came to Australia for a month-long trip where we climbed Uluru etc.....so I got to know him well. [smile]

He took us back to his parent's place (Hartmut & Marina) where we settled into the spare room and got an early night.

Wednesday - the Wedding!

I was really looking forward to this day and it was one of the reasons I came to Germany earlier than I had planned. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with the family AND experience a typical German wedding! The wedding was in a little place called Strausberg which is about an hour out of Berlin....in what would have been East Germany. We were driving with Rolf (Hartmut's father) however Tobias was in front of us and supposedly leading the way...except he missed a turn off the Autobahn and we got hopelessly lost!!! [laugh] Luckily we had left ourselves plenty of time so with the help of a few passers-by, we were finally on the right track again after meandering through several small villages. Great opportunity to admire the local scenery though!

Finally arrived and checked into the hotel. The wedding was being held in the gardens of the hotel and many of the guests were staying for the night as German weddings finish quite late. It was a 12 noon wedding so I had thought it might be all over by early evening. Heaven forbid....not a chance! ROFL

For all the ladies out there for whom this is important, the colours of the wedding were apricot and ivory, and the bride wore a strapless gown covered in crystal embroidery, and with a short train. There were no attendants however their son Lucas (about 9 months old) 'carried' the ring with the help of his Uncle Tobias. Here is a photo of the bride and groom....Sebastian & Jessica.

Now....you don't want to hear about the whole wedding because so much of it is similar to eddings in Australia - you know, lots of photos...champagne...eating...laughing...dancing etc. So I will just tell you about the aspects which were surprising and interesting.

First of all, there is no such thing as a 'church wedding'. You can have a wedding in a church but you must have a civil ceremony as well because the church one isn't legal, and a minister is not legally allowed to marry anyone.

The first ceremonial aspect is where the bride and groom share bread with water...and I think salt or something. I guess it has a similar meaning to our sharing of bread and wine. Then they have a large sheet put in front of them with 2 hearts drawn on it. The bride has to use scissors to cut out the hearts and then they step through the hole in the middle.

After that comes the sawing of a tree trunk. No kidding!!!! The bride and groom have to grab each side of a saw and cut through a large-ish tree trunk. Talk about not being dressed for
this type of work!

But it gets worse. They celebrated a particular tradition called 'Polter Hochzeit' which sort of translates as 'noisy wedding'. And you throw crockery against a wall. Hey....would I joke about stuff like this??? [looks aghast] Here is a photo of me in full-flight, throwing a plate against the stone wall. All the guests brought their own crockery - we brought our plates all the way from Fulda. After there is a huge mess on the ground, the bride and groom are given a shovel and broom and they have to clean it up. Sort of signifies working together I think. That was bad enough but the young German guys here are just as mischievous as Aussie guys, so when the bride & groom had finished they upended the bin and the poor couple had to start all over again! [laugh]

The eating and drinking pretty much continued throughout the day although the actual 'wedding feast' began in the evening with lots of extra guests arriving for the eating and dancing...which went on until the wee small hours of the morning, I lasted out until midnight but then just had to get horizontal or I would have fallen down. :-)

Thursday - back to Berlin

The night was too short but we had to be up and checked out of our room in the morning, so went downstairs for a wonderful German Früstück....or breakfast, and then packed up again. Just one more little thing for the 'lucky' couple to deal with first....the young'uns had wrapped their car in glad wrap. Completely. And Norbert had tied cans under the car - he likes to join in the fun! [grin]

Anyway, we drove back to Berlin with Hartmut and Marina...to find that we were locked out of the house. Now this involved getting a locksmith on a public holiday so not exactly an easy or cheap exercise to get back in, but finally we were sitting out the back enjoying coffee, cake and sunshine.

That night we walked to a local Italian restaurant which was interesting. I speak just a teeny bit of Italian and first of all it was strange to hear these Italians speaking fluent German. But I addressed them in Italian and then found that I was getting my German, English and Italian all mixed up!!! [chuckle]

I think I'm doing OK with the 'Deutsch' though, as I'm hearing it all around me now. When I first started learning, my goal was simply to be able to understand enough to keep up with the topics of people conversing around me...and I find that I am able to do that. Framing sentences myself is still very difficult but I at least know what everyone is talking about and can add a phrase or two. Its all good! [beaming smile]

Friday - Into the city via U-Bahn

The U-Bahn is the underground here - Skye you would know that it is very similar to the London Underground except the stations all have unpronounceable names. :-D Norbert has been trying to get an ABN for some time now so he took his passport, Medicare card, Aussie drivers' license etc into the Australian Embassy to get copies signed and notarised to send back to the Australian Tax Office. Its really hard doing stuff like this from a distance! Anyway, you could really tell the Aussies who work in there, from the local people. I mean no disrespect whatsoever as the German people I've come to know are friendly and hospitable and absolutely lovely people. However there's this 'thing' which is hard to explain, but Norbert has been telling me for some time.....and now I've experienced it myself. They are different when it comes to authority. They seem to just accept it and also like to have it...together with all the accoutrements and privileges. People in positions of authority are very formal, referred to my last names ONLY, never smile, never make allowances or show flexibility, and seem to wear a uniform with extreme pride. Nobody questions this, and nobody ever 'bucks the system' or asks WHY something is done a certain way. I noticed it in the Embassy where the way we were met at the door was markedly different from the Aussie guy behind the counter. And I'll explain further on in this post where we had a run-in with another 'official'.

Anyway, we just hopped off and off the U-Bahn for the afternoon, exploring the city a bit and having lunch, then back home again. I don't have photos of the day because I forgot my camera. Norbert showed a deep regret when I told him I'd left it behind. [rolls her eyes] :-D

Saturday - Boat trip on the Canals

A lovely day! Last time I was in Germany we went for a short boat trip, but it was winter and the scenery was grey. But I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do it again so the 4 of us hopped on one of the canal boats and set off on a 4 hour tour. There are more bridges in Berlin than in Venice although a lot of people don't know this....one can travel a long way by water, and its a wonderful view of all the buildings and interesting architecture. The difference between what was East and West Berlin becomes obvious, and many of the new buildings are amazing! It started out sunny and warm although there was a rainshower or two...,but we didn't let it worry us.

Sunday - Flowers, flowers everywhere!

The last day of our stay in Berlin and our wonderful hosts took us to a gorgeous park! I couldn't get over the swathes of brightly-coloured tulips everywhere!! It was sooooo pretty and so relaxing. At one stage we were sitting on rocks by the lake, enjoying coffee and listening to jazz music being played. Can you picture it? Wish you were here? [heh, heh]

But then it was off to the Haupt Bahnhof where we had to catch the 6:30pm ICE bound for Fulda. We said goodbye to Hartmut and Marina but we hope to catch up with them again while we are here - AND I think we may have talked them into coming to Australia next year!!! Woohoo!!! [jumps up and down with excitement]

The end of the day should have been uneventful except it was spoiled by one of those previously described 'German official types'...a female train conductor.... who decided that the ticket Norbert had bought for me was incorrect and that he would have to pay a fine. She just kept on an on!!!! Wouldn't listen to reason and didn't seem to care that we were visitors from Australia....just that we were 'breaking the rules', according to her. I wondered what she would have done if I had been alone because at least Norbert could understand her ranting and raving...I would have been distraught! Luckily Norbert sorted something out, but its a pity as it marred what would have been a perfect day.

Monday - and back to routine

I went back to sleep after Norbert left for work...what a life!!! [big grin] But then I put on a load of washing and made some lunch. This will be the longest blog post by far for a while as the weekdays will all be pretty routine from now on, although we plan to do some sight-seeing on the weekends so I will definitely take photos and let you know all about that.

In the meantime, take care everyone and I hope to hear from you soon,
Cheers,

Marlene (and Norbert) :-)