Happy March! I took a walk in the Kurpark (cure park) the other day where there is this giant wall of sticks. Salt water trickles down the entire 30 foot wall and clears your sinuses. What a great invention! Then I found interesting playground equipment including a running machine and a back massager. It was very welcome after carrying my heavy backpack around for days. Then I watched some ducks by a pond, some dogs catching frisbees, and an insect hotel near some small gardens. They also have a little mini golf course and a nice patch of woods to stroll in. That's a great way to start a day, I must say.
One thing I have really enjoyed has been Germany's way of integrating relaxation with work, nature with urbanism. There is this wonderful park near my apartment with the coolest playscape ever. People aren't so worried about getting sued, I guess, so unique wooden ones still exist. Twisting slides, and a seesaw that you hang from rather than sit on, and rope bridges...I don't care how old I am, it's too tempting not to romp a little on the stuff. I like to go spazieren (stroll) down by the gardens near my apartment, too. Since people live a lot closer to each other, especially in towns like Lüneburg, there isn't enough room for backyard gardens. So they have these garden districts people can rent that include a little shed or cottage where people can come to get away from the bustle of the city, do some yard work, or just relax and enjoy. It's like being in a different world. There are these little streets and fences made of bushes, just really interesting and always calming. I really want to see what the inside of the cottages are like. Very German! Oh, and there are gnomes everywhere.
I went to Hamburg a few more times and walked around some more. The atmosphere is always really merry, and of course we always go after the football team St. Pauli plays. They are the underdogs of Germany, and have gotten into the 1st division league this year, giving all of these other teams a run for their money. Imagine if the Cubs were demoted from the MLB and had to be minor league, but then made a huge comeback and actually did well. That's what it's like.
Some friends and I have been going in on dinners, and it's starting to become a tradition to look forward to every week. I've met other people's roommates-some from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Germany. We all have a great time just feasting and talking about all of our antics and adventures together. Curry chicken, red wine, potato pancakes, and piglet pie (my invented desert of kiwis, peaches, and strawberries on angel food cake, topped with piglet shaped candy) was the latest meal. We also are fiends of a turkish sandwich called a döner. It's like a gyro, but it's either beef or chicken in a pita with cabbage, cucumbers, and tomato. It's the fast food here, and I've had one from every döner place in town (7 total). Doppel Döner Dienstag (double döner tuesday) is a weekly holiday, as well as Dönerstag (a play on Donnerstag, the German word for Thursday). You can guess what we order those days. Time to settle down on those for sure!
I went on a trip this weekend to Berlin, Germany's capital city with 9 other friends. We got a hostel for two nights and had a great time. The city is amazing! It is definitely one of my favorite cities. We did a lot of walking around of course. There was a great market that sold all kinds of things--from books to records to artwork to flags to hats to produce with accordian music in the background. I saw all kinds of landmarks. The Brandenburg Gate was off limits for 25 years when Berlin was split by the wall. I am thankful I was able to freely walk around this monument. I got to see the Reichstag where the German parliament meets. Every building in this middle area of the city is so majestic and amazing. We went to the history museum and saw the Hitler exhibition which was really interesting. It really hits home seeing the giant eagle sculptures, uniforms, and writings. A small group of us woke up very early each morning and went to the far east side of the city near where the Stasi headquarters were. These are the people who spied on their own citizens with cameras, hidden microphones, and "scouts". It was so much different. Whereas Germany has been a pretty familiar place to me, I definitely felt like I was in a foreign country over here. It's like going back into the seventies with many squares and rectangles, uniform buildings and just this very solemn vibe about the place. Yes, the wall is gone, but East Germany is not. We walked through a park across from Stasi headquarters where graves were strewn about unkept. Then after the stroll through the park, we got breakfast at a little bakery and had great political discussions. I really enjoyed myself and would like to come back and explore this living time capsule. Seeing people walking past me in the street I begin to think: Not so many years ago, these very people were not allowed go past the wall. It's a lot different than "Checkpoint Charlie". That was the entrance to the American sector. It's mockery at its finest, and has a party feel to it. Gas masks and Soviet military hats are sold by street vendors, McDonald's and Starbucks tower over the street, then you look behind you and it's quiet and white. Here lies the interesting spot of polar opposites meeting. I like it better in the middle of town, where it's not so full of in-your-face capitalist neon billboards, but not dismal and dead, gloomy and controlled either. That wall did a number on this city and it is just so weird to see it before your eyes. All the same, there is such a great spirit and atmosphere that has risen from the ashes of WWII and the Cold War. It is a beautiful place that should not be missed if you ever go to Europe. I will definitely be back.
I will be leaving tomorrow morning for my spring break adventure to Edinburgh, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland; and Stockholm, Sweden. More on that when I return!
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