Oct. 30, 2010

We woke up early this morning, Kristen, Kacey and I, to head to Prague. Hannah Eddy and Kirsten were planning to come with us, but unfortunately last nights dinner did not agree with their stomachs. It was a huge bummer for Hannah, she had been looking forward to going there for so long. I hope that she will get to go later in her life. 

It was the crack of dawn and we hopped on the first train to “Praha.” On the way there we entered a thick fog that blocked out view  of anything that was outside. At about ten we watched the scenery change as the sunlight began to enter into the white foggy air. And when we finally got to the train station in Praha (Prague) and there was a huge advertisement for the seventh Harry Potter! It was huge! So naturally us girls had to get pictures in front of it.  

We had around 5 hours to explore this new city in this new country. So after finding a map, getting some money in the right currency and asking a few questions we ventured into the unknown. Our first goal was to find a Polish dog to eat. I went up to this stand and asked a man selling sausages where the best place here to get a good sausage was and he pointed down the road. Honesty, it is good to know that it is still out there, he could have very easily said that his were the best. We took his advice and went to this stand. They weren’t bad! 

The next thing on our list of “things to do and paces to see” was the St. Charles Bridge. On the way there we walked through markets where scarves, jewelry, art and toys were sold. We walked through the town square and in front of us was the most intricate clock that I have ever seen. It could have been a astronomic calender as well as a clock and a few other things. It was beautiful. The most beautiful clock I think I have ever seen. Except for Big Ben.

There were a lot of people in the town square, actually there were a lot of people in Praha, but none us us got stolen from or anything. It was a major blessing. We walked through the streets and made our maze of a way to the bridge. The Saint Charles Bridge is known for its stands that sell handmade jewelry, trinkets and artists who will draw you for money. It is also known for its use in the movie “Mission Impossible” where one of the main characters throws himself over that very same bridge to stage a death and Tom Hanks runs down the steps to see his mentor “dead.” It was cool to be there and see where it was filmed. In the picture to the right I am on the steps. 

Much of our day was relaxing as we walked through this unknown (to us) city. But the time was running out and we had to catch our train home. On our long train ride home we had hoped to relax and sleep a little, but alas we were accompanied by two old drunk men. They had had a few beers before they got on the train and kept drinking the whole time they were with us. Kacey made the mistake of being friendly and talking to them, so the chances of sleeping were now nonexistent. I am not saying that you shouldn’t always be friendly to people, it’s just that I was so much looking forward to sleeping a bit. When their stop finally came they kissed Kacey’s  hand good bye and one of them kissed my foot!!! I just hope that they made it to their houses okay. Once the train began to move again we were finally convinced into having the worst hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Kacey said that it tasted like dirty sock water,  Kristen and I full heartedly agreed! But we enjoyed it all the same. Up to this point nothing bad had happened to us the entire day. We didn’t miss our train, didn’t get pick pocketed, or anything else. Mystery that… Prague was a great city. 

Oct. 29, 2010

Today we all ventured to the city of Nürnberg where we visited the Nazi document center. The establishment was in just one of the many buildings that were parts of Hitler’s dream Parade Grounds. After an hour of so in the building I actually began to understand how this man had the support of the nation. He slowly desensitized the people into the ideal followers that he so needed. Everyone knew the Nazi song and would sing it like a Christmas carol, subconsciously in the kitchen wile making dinner. He convinced them that the Jews and many others were inferior to them all and needed to be rid of. Propaganda filled the minds of every individual and it seemed so right that the undesirables should be disposed of. So when the time came and all the Jews and many others were disappearing, no one saw the harm in it. And when this large supply of rock began to come from nowhere, no one saw reason to wonder. Now we know that at most concentration camps had strenuous work for its prisoners to where many of the worker would die from being over worked and malnourished, but the German people did not know this. It was all a secret.  

We walked around later outside in the beauty of the yellow fall leaves. An hour was given to us to explore the grounds of the Nazi turf. I wish that we would have had more than an hour. Two would have been nice. We got to the famous Zeppelin field and I had to sit on the steps in defiance against Hitler. The irony to his end just screams JUSTICE!!! If he knew that this was all that was left of his “kingdom” he would role over in his ash can. 

Later that day we all got to taste the world famous Nürenburg bratwurst. They were smaller than normal, but Jerry says, “the smaller, the better.”

The next day we were off to spend the day in Prague!

Oct. 17-23, 2010

It was the second travel week for us Ambexers and I stayed with my oma in Winnenden (near Stuttgart, Germany). Every morning before breakfast I would roll out of bed and eat awesome chocolate and a banana and go on a run in through the village. When I got back I would eat a delicious breakfast of pastries, meats and fresh fruits accompanied by honey, jams, and Nutella. Oh and hot tea. While I ate my breakfast, my oma would be busy preparing the hot water for my shower. What a humble servant she was! She did everything in silence and with joy. When you offered help, she kindly denied it. She did the dishes, cooked all the meals, drove me to all of these villages and made sure that I had a week that I would never forget. And she did that successfully. 

She took me to see many things around Stuttgart. On Monday we went train hoping. First we went to Bachnang and walked around for a while. I was shown many beautiful half timbered houses. Then we went to see the castle in Ludwigsburg. We didn’t go inside, but we walked around in the gardens. Irmi Früh (my grandmother is technically my step-grandmother, but that doesn’t matter to me.) is one of the most educated women in botanics that I have ever met. If you sniff a flower she can tell you it’s name in German, Latin and English. One of the flowers in the garden at Ludwigsburg, get this, it’s called the Chocolate Flower!!! Here pictured to the right, the flower does not look like it’s covered in chocolate. No, it gets its name from its scent. If you smell the flower it does in fact smell like chocolate! Mystery that… 

We left Ludwigsburg and went to Marbach. Marbach, like many of the old villages in Germany, has a wall (older than time) that surrounds the town. It was very much like the city of Rothenburg which I saw in September. Marbach had entered a contest of some sorts to win the most pumpkins on a street. They had pumpkins up and down this street that Oma and I walked on. They were all carved with the number 4, I forget why. They won the contest. This is just another example of Germany’s sense of unity. Nearly every house on this street had pumpkins out on their property. The contest was held a few days before, so it is very likely that during the contest, every house on the street had their pumpkins displayed. 

Now it is October 19th and it is my youngest brothers birthday! Happy Birthday Mikey! I can’t believe how old you are! Oma must have known that it was your birthday, because we went to Waiblingen (another city surrounded by a wall) we went to a church that was called “Michael’s Church.” The stained glass inside was very modern, and very colorful. This church was actually one of the only churches in my entire stay that had a door open so that you could go in and see the inside. Al of the other churches we tried to get in were locked. It was very disappointing.  Today (the 20th) we relaxed. I sat around and read some of a book for one of my classes and did some other homework.. My eyes hurt from staring at the computer screen. No offense computer, but it just hurts to look at you sometimes. After a good couple hours Oma asked me if I would like to go in a walk. I, like anyone, thought it would be a short 15 to 30 minute walk. We ended up being out for 3 hours. It was amazing! We took a walk through the forest that was 5 minutes from the house. We walked all through the woods on a road that was only for walking, hiking and horses. There were signs that said no cars, trucks, or wagons. I felt safe walking through this place. Oma pointed out a slug that was making its lowly way across our path. I wouldn’t have even noticed it, though it was the brightest shade of orange that I have ever seen a slug. He blended in with the fallen autumn leaves on the forest trail. It’s like stopping to smell the roses, noticing the small things in God’s creation and not just keeping your head up to see what lies ahead. Slow down. Look at everything around you! Sometimes you will be surprised at how beautiful it is. 

After we broke through the forest and walked up a grassy knoll, we were welcomed by a torrential downpour of buckets and buckets of rain. But that didn’t stop either of us, we had come prepared with umbrellas and a determination to explore. The wind threatened us as well, trying to take our umbrellas from us, or just make them useless by turning them inside out. But no worries, we got the better of the wind. Up ahead in the hazing distance was a city on a green hillside. Oma turned to me and asked if I would like to walk there and I thought why not! Another 30 minutes later we were in this small town at the top of the hill, looking down at the most beautiful view. Oma said it was like looking out of an airplane, and I agreed fully. On our way down we strolled through several vineyards and I did what I have always wanted to do… I took some grapes. Though it was cold and gloves were important to the survival of my hands, I sacrificed them for these grapes! They were delicious! So fresh, cold and juicy! My hands were slowly turning different shades of purple blue and after we made it down the hillside, I started to lose feeling in them. So to my sadness I had to throw the grapes (only half eaten, because it was a big cluster) into the bushes to save my hands. Gloves never felt so good on my hands! 

With the excitement over for the day we got back to the house and relaxed for the remainder of the day. I really enjoyed that walk. The next morning I revisited the woods in my morning jog. I ran in my Five-Finger shoes so that I could feel everything (good and bad) and work my calves (because the shoes force you to run in your toes, which is the proper way to run, but if you are not used to that then it can cause very sore muscles in the morning). What a way to start the day! After my morning routine we headed to the small city of Openwailer. In this city there was another Castle! It was at the top of the hill of which the city was built on and was not for tourist. The Castle was a housing establishment for the gifted. In the square there during the Holiday season they hold a Christmas market, though very small, it is something to keep their hearts attached with the rest of the town. The view from this location was amazing, though not as exquisit as the one from yesterday’s “walk.” You can see it in this picture to the right. 

Later that day Oma and I went to her sons house for dinner. Norbert and his wife and son (Victoria and Andy) live in a good sized house in Winnenden. We came over for the evening to have a home cooked German meal. And I am glad that we did. It was amazing! Victoria had cooked pork, sour croat and potato dumplings called “Kinuddles.” Usually I am not one for kinuddles, I think they are so boring I don’t see the point in eating them… But these were the best that I have ever had! I was so glad that I could taste what one was really supposed to taste like. I could then see why Germans like them so much. So thank you Victoria! 

The next day was the 22nd and we visited the city of Stuttgart. Oma took me all around to see the Gothic Cathedral (that of course was closed) but was beautiful on the outside. Next we took a tram up to the top of the hill to see the Stuttgart Tower. From this tower, which bared much resemblance to Seattle’s Space Nettle, you could see the entire city of Stuttgart and much more. The fall leaves really brought out the countryside and the woods that surrounded the city. After a visit to the top we took the incredibly fast elevator down to earth again. It was a good sight. After that we made our way back down through the city and visited a town market that was inside, rather than outside, where I couldn’t help but buy some chocolate… Mystery that. While snacking on this chocolate I took in all of the different scents in this covered place. There were the cheese booths, which reeked of stinky feet and worse, but you knew that the cheese was delicious; the spice stands which you can imagine smelled like a far away country like India or Asia (I guess those aren’t as far away for me as they are for all those reading this in America); the sweet aroma dried fruits and nuts. There were so many different fragrances in that building. As we ventured back out into the fresh air I ate the last few bites of my Chocolate bar, it was delicious. 

Our next stop was the Old Castle. The Old Castle is now a museum for all to see. It possesses a tomb where the King of Stuttgart was buried; a large and out of place collection of ancient Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age artifacts; a small collection of art; and a beautiful display of Crown Jewels. We left there and journeyed over to the New Castle just to look at the exterior. When my oma was younger she worked for a group that catered, set up and waited on people for parties, banquets and huge dinner occasions. She met many important people because she served them their food. While she was working this job she did many dinners at the New Castle. After that Oma caught the next train home and I went shopping in the city. I thought about getting a Starbucks while I was shopping but once I saw the line… I rethought my decision. The line was as long as the line for Slash Mountain in Disneyland! Okay, I am exaggerating a bit... 

After I felt like I had spent enough money, I returned back to the little familiar town of Winnenden, Oma was there waiting and we drove home. What a great day! 

The next day, which was my last day there (the 23rd), we hardly did anything. It was good. I tried to do some more homework, without much success and later Oma took me to her garden. She and her husband had bought this piece of land a long time ago so that they could go somewhere to relax and tend the flowers. We hopped in the car and 30 minutes later we were there, to the only land that was and is fully Irmi Früh’s. A few years ago Oma’s sister got really sick, so she went to live with her and take care of her. The down side to this was that she needed to find a tenant for her garden while she was away. She left simple instructions for him to follow, but man must have been the daftest in all of Germany. He chopped down her Hazelnut tree and hacked down the majority of her beautiful flowers. This place of refuge and rest for my oma was no more. Her Garden house that her husband had built was not how she left it. The wall paper was peeling off due to maltreatment, and the man was trying to grow crops in places where light wouldn’t even reach. I wished that I could have met this man. I just couldn’t understand how someone could be so selfish, pigheaded and insensitive! If I met him I would replace the handshake with the face slap. Okay, probably not. But I would give him a slice of my mind-cake! 

We left the garden after about half an hour and headed to another small town. It was called Schorndorf. It was another beautiful town with cute timbered houses and cobble stone roads. We went up to the church to see if for some reason we could get in… But not such luck. Mystery that… We wondered around for a while and then headed back to the house. That night for dinner Oma made the most amazing meal! Bratwurst, red cabbage and the softest, fluffiest, lightest mashed potatoes that have ever entered my mouth! I went for seconds on the cabbage and potatoes right away. They were magic in my mouth! My oma makes the best red cabbage in Germany, probably in the world! She starts by sauteing onions and letting them soften and brown in butter. Then she slowly adds the cabbage and water, but not too much. Then she cuts up a small soft apple and adds it in with cloves and other spices. It will slowly cook for hours, filling the house with this magical aroma that could make full stomachs growl as though they were empty! Then she adds some burgundy wine into the bucket of dreams and in a short while it is finished. The result is sheer perfection in a deep shade of purple. When we finished dinner we relaxed for one more evening and in the morning I got ready to catch the 12:58 train making my way back to Regensburg. Thank you Oma for a very satisfying week of relaxation. I cannot wait to do it again. 

Oct. 16, 2010

Ah the city of Heidelberg. There was so much to see I don’t think it is possible to do it all in one day. The group was getting smaller and smaller because everyone had their own travels to attend to. Hannah E., Aaron, Steve and Phil had already gone on their way to Amsterdam. So all that are left to see Heidelberg are us girls (Kirsten, Kristen, Kacey, Hannah D. and myself). We were given a tour of a few interesting things in the city. First we went to the University and were shown the “studentenkarzer” or in English, the “student prison.” This “prison” is famous to the students in Heidelberg.Originally it was used for a method of discipline. You would be sent there if you were misbehaving in or out of class. We were read a list of common reasons for a student to be sent to the prison, some of which were; tipped off the hat of a police officer, shouts and sings in the streets at night, is found drunk on the campus, and so on. But it soon became the “cool” thing to do, to see if you could get into the students prison. These dorm rooms were covered with the students graffiti and artwork. A tradition was to paint the silhouettes of each student that stayed there. 

We made our way from the university over to the castle, in a roundabout way (after wondering through the main street, and to a church or two. This castle was redesigned (foolishly) by a later king to make it “prettier.” He broke down many of its amazing wall and put in terraces for gardens and such. It was prettier indeed, but when war broke out, this castle was like a playground for the enemy. They climbed up the terraces like they were a jungle-gyms. So much for that brilliant plan, huh there king! This castle has an extensive wine cellar, in which the worlds largest (I am told) wine barrel resides. On the top of this wine barrel there is room for 25 people to dance, and those aren’t just statistics, I was up there, and there is definitely room for 25 people to move around, at least! 

After dinner at the Jegendherberge, we got all dressed up to go out to the Hard Rock Cafe there in Heidelberg. I would have to say that Heidelberg has the smallest Hard Rock known to man kind! Ha! There were so many people crowded in there you felt like you were having a heat flash and the music (which was primarily death metal, not even rock!) was way too loud. I sound like an old woman, but it’s all true. Ask any one of us and we will be happy to tell you the same. Though it was fun to get dressed up and go out for a change. We are always so busy and either too tired to go out in the evenings or we are studying through the night. Well Heidelberg, you have served us well, maybe not for your Hard Rock, but for your German culture. Thank you oh so much! 

Oct. 15, 2010

Today we journeyed to the city of Mainz. The main attraction (that we knew of at least) was the Guttenburg Museum. It was very interesting to go throughout this museum and think that  back in that time era these where printers. The long process of putting all of the letters together to for a line then to keep going until you had a page, that would take so much patience! And that would only have been one page. The process of putting a book together would take weeks, I’m sure. However weeks is much faster than how long it would take the fastest scribe  write the Bible. One of the many advantages to the printing press of that time was that you could print multiple things. When you put a page together you would print that mage multiple time therefore you would end up with multiple books in the end. To that century this was explosive for authors, students, and anyone wanting to make money, learn to read and so on. The printing press made everything so much more accessible. People that weren’t motivated to learn before, were motivated now, because learning was now accessible. I made sure that I got to see some of the original Guttenburg Bibles. They were absolutely beautiful! I thought it was amazing how embellished they were. I also thought it was amazing the amount of security there was involved. Each Bible was in a glass case lined with security wires, hence if the glass were to be broken into an alarm would sound. The room that the Bibles were in was actually a vault. Is that secure enough for you?

We drove on from Mainz and the Guttenburg Museum all the way for a short stop in Worms see the Church there and where Luther’s famous “Diet of Worms” was. I noticed that inside this church the back of the church did not have an organ. It was located on the wall to the right. I wonder why it was this way. Another thing that was vastly different with this church was it stained glass. There weren’t many stories of Saints, or of Christ and the Scriptures. They consisted of larger chunks of colored glass not in any shape at all really. We walked to a Reformation monument and on the way over to it I noticed that all throughout Worms there are statues of dragons. Some of them more vibrantly painted than others, and all posing differently. Very curious. 

Our last stop the day was at a Jewish Cemetery (also in Worms). It was interesting to see such a large cemetery all for Jewish people. We learned about the significance in stacked rocks on a grave stone. It meant that the person was very significant and loved. It is a tradition for the Jewish people to do this rather than put flowers on a grave. I wonder why. All in all, there was a lot of traveling today and I am glad we made stops in these two cities. 

Oct. 14, 2010

Today was my little brothers birthday! He turned 12! (For the fifth year in a row) I can’t believe that I wasn’t there to see it happen again. Sorry Alex, but we went to a castle. The Castle Wartburg is built in three sections that show everyone the time eras that royalty added on and on. The earliest buildings were built in 1067. The actual building of the castle began in 1156 and was finished around 1172. King Ludwig IV and his queen Elizabeth lived there in 1221-1227. The first section was made form sandstone and the middle out of brick. Both were built in the Romanesque style with columns in every window. The newest section of the castle was done in the half timbered style. It was here that Martin Luther would hide in safety and translate the New Testament from Greek into German over a span of a year. The castle originally consisted of 200 columns and was artistically crafted. Today it is one of the most preserved secular buildings of the Romanesque era on this side of the Alps (says the nifty English guide we were given that tells us about the castle). What an amazing site! 

Oct. 13, 2010

We made a stop today on our way to Eisenach. We stopped in Erfurt (Germany’s “Rome”) at the Monastery where Luther became a monk. It was very interesting to see the place where Luther lived and studied. However it was an authentic remake due to the Monastery’s destruction in WWII. We spent a large portion of our time in the Church there at the Monastery. The stain glass windows, which were under repair, were the oldest in Erfurt. They dated back to when the church was built, which was the year 1340. Even though we could not see the actual windows, there were large banners that displayed pictures of what they looked like. Then we were able to see the size of them and we could also study them in great detail. I thought it was very interesting how much detail and meaning there was in the windows. I knew there was meaning in them of course, but I had no notion of to which extent. We paid particular attention to the left window displaying the lions, roses, birds and lilies. The lions were representations of Christ. A rose was considered the queen of the flowers, therefore they were a representation of Mary. Curiously enough the design of the rose was quite significant. We noticed that it was very much like the design of Luther’s Rose. It is possible that Luther did design his rose after the roses that are in this stained glass, but then there is no way of knowing. The birds (which looked like parrots, but weren’t) and the lilies both were representations of purity. In a monastery purity a main idea. Monks are to be celibate. However Luther went against this when eh married his run-away-nun.   

Going to the Bach house was an awesome experience. One of the things that I enjoyed most was being able to hear some of the instruments from his collection. I actually got to take part in one demonstration of a house organ. There were these leather straps, rather like the size and length of a belt you would loop through your pants, and you were to tug on them in alternating motions to pump the air into the organ. The sound was soft, and it made sense that it was called a “house” organ. It was smaller than that of a church organ and it was not as grand sounding, because it was for practicing in your home. The room where we all were had many instruments. Just a few of what were in Bach’s musical collection. Bach’s collection consists of over 500 instruments. Some of which are not made anymore or are rare, such as the violin trumpet, the 7 stringed cello, mediaeval flutes, and bassoons the shape of a slithering snake. Another instrument that was in the museum was created by Benjamin Franklin. It was called the “Glass Harmonica.” I thought that this was one of the coolest things I had seen in a longtime. Have you ever filled up wine glasses and wetted the tip of your finger then ran it around the rim of the glass? You know that sound? That is what this instrument sounded like. That was actually how you played it was well. It was so clever, but that’s Franklin for you. My favorite instrument in the entire museum, however, would have to have been the double bass. It was so beautiful! I play the bass, so naturally I really wanted to take this home with me. I noticed that the strings weren’t how they are made today (which is copper cords with a silver metal wrapped around them). These strings were made of what seemed to be hide, or possibly intestines. Then wrapped around the two lower strings was some sort of metal. I wonder how it would have sounded, had I played it. 

Oct. 12, 2010

I really enjoyed Wittenberg. In this city of 50,000 people Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the castle church (or All Saints’ Church) door in 1517. The feeling of excitement overcame me as we arrived in the city. Our youth hostel is roughly a few hundred feet from this very church. I couldn’t wait to see the church, especially the door where it all happened. I realize that to Martin Luther this door was basically a cork board where people would post lost kitten signs, but to the world it would be so much more! Unfortunately the original door no longer stands, the French burned it when they invaded the area (have the French ever done anything right?). The door was replaced as a brass door and engraved upon it are the 95 Theses in Latin as Luther wrote them. To the right in the photo I am standing in front of the very door. What a sight! I know that it is just a door, but there is just so much meaning in it. Before we arrived at the door we first visited the city church where Luther taught, the location where Luther burned the Papal Bull “Arise, Oh Lord,” written to Luther as a warning to recant his writings by the Pope Leo X. There stands an Oak tree supposedly the very spot where he burned it. Then we moved on to Luther’s house. I was amazed by the size of the place! I thought that it would have been a tiny place that, lets face it, wasn’t going to be very impressive and to my delight, I was completely wrong. 

Luther had one of the biggest houses in the town. Here he and his wife brewed their own beer and wine, feed a constant supply of house guests, and tried to live their lives. I was lost trying to figure out the floor plan of the home in which they lived. There was a spiral staircase that led to the majority of all the floors which were now completely renovated to fit the museums white washed standards. To my happiness there was one room that was kept furnished how it was back in Luther’s time. I never thought that a monk would have lived as well as Luther. Especially Luther. I was under the impression that everyone was out for him because of the spread of thought and enlightenment in the Scriptures when he translated it into the common language so that all could read it and understand. This singular room was paneled with emerald and scarlet paints and embellished in gold twisted vines. The ceilings were painted beautifully as well. I don’t understand why they didn’t keep more of the house as it was when Luther would have roamed the halls. Above is a photo of Kristen and me sitting in front of Luther’s very own front door.

When we arrived at the church castle an entered inside we were able to see beautiful architecture and the graves of Luther and Melanchthon. It felt weird to be standing over where Luther’s body rested just 2 meters below me. After some time inside the church we were able to get the privilege to go up 289 steps to the top of the churches tower which is ironically 289 feet tall. Inscribed around the tower are the words “A mighty fortress is our God,” (though in German) which of course is Luther’s most famous hymn. When I reached the top and looked over the city of Wittenberg I sang along with Hannah Dupea that very hymn, now that was an experience. Wittenberg has two thumbs up from me. 

Oct. 11, 2010

Wow! From the little that I got to see of Berlin, I loved it. Berlin, Germany’s capitol, is 8 times the size of Paris. In other words it is a huge city! Viewing the wall for the first time, I wondered more than ever what the real purpose of it was. This wall was up for nearly 30 years, but why? It amazed me as to how Germany could have kept this up for so long. Among the many things that struck my attention, as we walked around and observed part of the wall that was left standing, was the area in between the West and East walls called “No Man’s Land.” In this strip of land there once stood a church. It was right in between both sides, but from pictures I could see that they tore it down. I never found out why unfortunately. So little time and so much to see. To the left is a picture of me standing in part of the wall monument. Soon all of the wall will erode away and all that will be left are memories. 

We went to the Pergamon to see some old Greek, Roman and Babylonian ruins... It seemed so out of place in Germany. Mystery that... Here we have Berlin, a huge city filled with Germany culture, (because it is Germany) and out of nowhere there is this gigantic museum filled Greek, Roman, Islamic and Babylonian artifacts. Random right? That is what I thought. It just so happens that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the Turks in Germany asked the German government if they could build their own train station. Permission was granted and the Turks new land possession grew and grew. Nazi Germany was using this railway to smuggle in ancient artifacts from all over the world. The good thing is that today we can enjoy an amazing and random museum. Above is a picture of Athena winning a battle against the giants. She is grabbing the tuft of a giants hair to the left (that was said to be the only way that giant could be weakened)

Oct. 9, 2010

This morning Hannah D. and I went to the Saturday market to get some fresh croissants. The sun was rising and the light hit the clouds at such an angle that it created such brilliant and vibrant colors! It looked as if the sky was on fire. It is amazing how God’s glory can be displayed in every sunset! I bought two croissants when we found out where the bakery both was. I bought a chocolate croissant and a marzipan croissant. Each costing a euro, and oh was it worth it. We got back in time for breakfast and then we were on the road for Flossenburg. 

We stopped in the town of Flossenburg to visit the memorial of the concentration camp and see where Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged. Personally I wished that we could have been there longer, for perhaps another hour. I felt rushed and didn’t have enough time to really see everything. I did however get to see where Bonhoeffer’s last earthly steps were taken. There was a plague put up on the wall right where the execution would have taken place and inscribed (all that I could make out) was the verse 2 Timothy 1:7 which reads; “For God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but the spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” It was really cool to see scripture at a holocaust memorial. 

This was the third concentration camp that I have visited in my life time (the others being Dachau and Buchenwald) and it was also the smallest. Before Germany made it a memorial they were in a way sweeping it under the rug, in that housing was being built over some of the land of the camp. This can now be seen if you look to the right and left of the camp. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a road that cut right through the back of the camp’s entrance gate. It led straight up to the houses that were on the left! Not many can say that their back yard view is that of the Flossenburg Concentration camp. I cannot believe that someone even had to put their foot down to stop the building! Who would just go over the land where thousands (approximately 30,000) of people died and even more were tortured!? Over the camps lifetime there were approximately 100,000 encamped there. 30,000 of them did not survive. 

When we came into the camp, there was a film being shot (about the camp, I am assuming). All of us got to see a survivor by the name of Jack Terry. He barley a teenager when he was imprisoned. However now being in his late 70s he has risen above the hurt of his past and works in New York as a Psychologist. He specializes in the treatment of other Holocaust survivors. That was an amazing thing to hear. I really have an appreciation for him. I myself am a psychology major. 

We had to keep pressing on in our journey to Dresden. I really enjoyed Dresden. The first night we were there I got toattend a concert at the Protestant church of Dresden (which is now mainly a concert hall and a place where any religion can worship. Looking at the interior of the church, you could see that it was not the original of its time (since that was fire bombed in WWII), but it was a beautiful replication. The concert (which played Tchaikovsky and Ravel) has to be my favorite thing on my trip so far. I love classical so much!  

Another thing that I enjoyed about Dresden was simply how beautiful it was. Germany, in my opinion is a very quaint country of cute little houses and cookie cutter villages. But Dresden really displayed beauty! There was a high influence of Baroque culture and design by the King Augustus the Strong. We visited one of the most important art museums in Europe (not as important as the Louvre in my opinion) and I was privileged to see some works by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rafael. But there was one piece that really caught my attention. It was a piece by Rubens displaying what appeared to be bestiality. The piece was titled Leda mit dem Schwan (Leda with the Swan in English). Michelangelo painted the same piece and so did many other artists. I thought it very interesting that an artist would chose to paint such a grotesque subject as this. But that just proves the importance of art, the artists paint things for a reason, whether to show beauty or corruption. There is always meaning in art. The longer you scrutinize the more you discover. The story of Leda and the Swan is an ancient Greek myth of a god that fell in love with a woman that was on earth. He decided to come to earth as a swan and make her fall in love with him. And she did. So it is important to understand the background of this piece, otherwise it appears to be bestiality. There was so much more that I loved it in Dresden. I’ll have to go back someday!

Oct. 3, 2010

Today marked the last day of the bicentennial celebration of Oktoberfest and guess who went? I did! Our group left at 9:40 in the morning and barely caught the train to Munich. Most of our group had to Stand the whole way there (around 1.5 hours), But Phil and I found some make shift seats. I was amazed by how many Germans possessed traditional garb! I’m talking about Dirndls and Lederhosen! We were also amazed by how many people you could fit on a local train to Munich! However this wasn’t nearly as insane as the metro to the festival location… We were all sardines and were forced to get uncomfortably comfortable with one another for about 5 minutes (thank the Lord!) The train spewed us out when we arrived at the awaited destination. There were millions of people there from all across Germany and all across the world. We could all already smell the beer, although it might have been psychological. And no we didn’t drink any. But we didn’t have too. There were enough people there drinking, to be sure! I witnessed one unfortunate throwing up. I felt bad for him. I actually went and got him some napkins. Fortunately his friend (who was sober) was there to help him and make sure that he wasn’t going to wear his spit for the rest of the day, it was roughly 3 o’clock! One thing I did enjoy tremendously was the abundance of awesome rides at Oktoberfest! Due to the price of each ride, however, I only went on one; Cyber Space! Kacey Kristen and I decided this was going to be the one ride of the day. Just watching it we got nervous. It was basically this giant swing (it held 8 people in roller coaster chairs, 4 and 4 back to back) that went back and forth getting higher and higher with each swing until you hung upside down for a moment and swung over to the other side! AHHHH! I am reliving it now! I had to hold my necklaces in my mouth because they were going to come off my head! You saw the most amazing view of the city when the whole platform you where sitting in began to turn on its own. On the next swing around it was almost as if you were doing a face-plant into the earth. It was crazy and totally worth the 7 euro! We also went to a beer tent just to see what was inside and oh my word! You could feel the energy of thousands and thousands of people crammed in here (but they surprisingly had enough room)! I don’t understand how they could be called tents! More like nations! We made a circuit around the main floor to take it all in. Insane I tell you! I can’t even imagine being part of the cooking staff or waiting on so many tables or constantly filling up beer classes! It would be never ending for sure! And there were a large number of these tents, all for major beer breweries in Germany. There were 14 to be exact. 
Immediately after the ride Kristen and I bought 1/2 meter long bratwurst! It was so stinkin’ good! The rest of the day at the fest I bought a few souvenirs, but my main purchase was food. I had a Nutella crepe, the wurst, some fresh squeezed juice blend, white chocolate covered strawberries and a well earned Sprite (if you know me, you’ll know that I really don’t like soda all that much, but there are a few that occasionally strike my fancy and Sprite is definitely one of them). After spending way too much money but having an unforgettable experience I was ready to “make like a baby and head out.” What a great day though. 

Sept. 26-31, 2010

I have had one of the most amazing weeks of my life! After learning that Copenhagen and Kobenhaven are in fact the same city I could find my route to Sweden on my map just to know where I was going. On the train I met a few new people and I am slowly discovering how much Germans love to talk politics… I also met the co-author of a book! His name was Richard Hammond. Him and his friend wrote the book “500 amazing getaways.” We were both going to Stockholm and our train was an hour behind schedule. We arrived in Copenhagen and had to make new connections. He was very kind, he bought me tea and introduced me to the “Daim” bar! It’s lake a Heath bar on crack! Anyways, when we finally arrived two hours late in Stockholm he made sure that I knew were my next connection was and said farewell. Richard, where ever you are, you were an Angel. I realized that I overpaid you for that book.. 12.99 pounds, not euro… Oh well, you bought me tea and you were very kind. 

I confidently traveled nearly 24 hours to stay with my long lost relatives, whom I had never met before, in Sweden. To my luck, they were the most lovely people you could ever imagine! My parents discovered that we had relatives when they visited Sweden (years ago) and were privileged to stay with them for the last two days of their stay in Sweden. I outdid them and stayed for 6 days! Haha! The house where the Gelin family (pronounced Ya-lin) spends their summer season in, well, it is in the woods. They live a few feet away from Sweden’s second or third largest lake that stretches from Stockholm to Uppsala. You can get a magnificent view of the lake form their balcony on the second floor of their house, or even the verandah where I had tea the first night that I was there and breakfast in every morning. Oh it was so gorgeous out there on the lake! To my luck it was the last week that they were staying in the summer house before they moved into the city (Uppsala) for the winter. So mornings were cold, especially when the shower was outside!

Every morning I would use the outhouse, then spend 15 minutes getting warm in their own personal sauna (or Bastü in Swedish) and after I would proceed to take a shower out in the wild! Exposed to all the elements! It really wasn’t that bad. I actually enjoyed it. Probably because the water was warm… If it was cold then it would be another story. However I didn’t shave my legs for the whole week (TMI I know…). Here, to the right is a picture of the Bastü and the shower. How would you like your own sauna? Isn’t that cool? 

The first morning I went on a mushroom hunt with Cissi (Benkt Ake’s daughter... My 3rd cousin? It’s so confusing). Only one other time in my life have I gone on a mushroom hunt. It was extremely unsuccessful. We roamed around in the woods for hours trying to find mushrooms that would kill us if we ate them. We didn’t find any. I felt like that rabbit trying so desperately to find Trix only to end with the same conclusion. So we packed our empty baskets into the car and drove home with frowns on our faces. But this time, this mushroom hunt, we hit the jackpot! We were hunting for two kinds of mushrooms; golden chanterelles and yellow stemmed chanterelles or “trumpet mushrooms” (which are otherwise quite pricey in the markets). There were so many mushrooms everywhere it was amazing! I took pictures of pretty much every single one, ha! Many of them weren’t good for eating. They either were poisonous or had too strong of a flavor. Which was why we were only picking two kinds of mushrooms and not the twenty or so that were growing. I have provided pictures of some of the mushrooms that I saw that morning. There were honestly so many different kinds. Many of which I had never seen before. Last year at Corban University (the college I attend) there were what seemed like tons of mushrooms growing wild around the campus. I was indeed mistaken! If there we tons growing at Corban then there were trillions growing in this little wood in Sweden. I found that some of the mushrooms that were growing at Corban were also growing in Sweden. It is always interesting to find similarities between where you are and home. 

When we got back Titi (Christina, Benkt’s wife) had made us lunch. It was a sort of cheese pie, similar to a quiche. Oh my goodness, it was amazing! I hope that she doesn’t forget to send me the recipe. Every meal that I had at the house was prepared by Titi and Geta (Christina’s older sister). And every meal was so so so delicious! Benkt is lucky to have such a wife! The table was always set and the food was arranged and garnished for us when we came to the table. Thinking back on it I will always smile. I love food, what can I say.

Later that day Benkt, Johan, Cissi and I went to visit Skokloster Castle. On the same plot of land as the castle was another smaller building titled the “white castle.” There Carl Gustav was born. There was also a church that dated back to the 13th century. It was originally Catholic, but during the Reformation this church, along with all of Sweden became Protestant. There was an orchard growing between the church and the castle. We picked some apples and ate them while walking around the outside of the castle. It was the best apple I think I have ever had! The day we were there was the last day that Skokloster was open for the season and we got the last tour (Literally, our tour guide locked the castle up after we exited the door). The castle itself was never completed. It was one of Carl Gustav’s many (approximately 11) castles. Skokloster, however, was Carl’s dream castle. But the funds were never raised enough to complete it. most of the rooms were finished, except one. This room would have been the most magnificent of them all, had it been completed. The banquet hall had windows that stretched up to the high, vaulted ceilings. All to be seen by us was exposed beams that were to create these high ceilings and bare wooden floors. It is said that when the peasants (who were building the castle) heard that Carl was finally dead, they dropped what they were doing and went home. When Carl died he specifically wrote in his will that his collection and the castle never be taken away. So today we can all enjoy the 5,000 pieces that are left of Carl’s castle. Among his collection 3,000 of the 5,000 Items can be found in one room: the Armory. Carl Gustav was a man of war. He loved to fight, plunder and collect “war booty” as our guide said. His armory was amazing. There were so many beautiful guns from different countries. He had at one time 5 ivory pistols, but two of them were missing. Mystery that… Carl also had many show guns, for example he had one of the first had held “machine guns” which was really a nine barreled gun that you had to be a member of the strength team to pick up and actually aim at an opponent. He had riffles that were 9 feet long (for what reason, I have none), countless other riffles and pistols ornately decorated with mother of pearl, cross bows, spears, swords, knives and daggers. Among the sword in the collection I saw the very sword that Carl was holding in his most famous portrait. Prague likes to claim that 5% of the collection is all stolen, but it was recorded that it was either won in battle, given to, or purchased by Carl Gustav. I could go on for days about this castle! But I wont. SO moving on…

We got back home and had an amazing home cooked meal by Titi (Christina, Benkt’s wife). The dish was fish, in a cream sauce with mushrooms, topped with lemon. If you aren’t a fish person like my little brother (he wont touch a chocolate cake if you tell him that it was sitting next the leftover fish in the fridge) then you will still love this dish! I was so good. And for every meal, I had seconds. Titi would ask “would you like some more, please,” and how could you say no? 

That night after dinner I was introduced to one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time. It was John Cleese’s “Fawlty Towers.” If you have never heard of this show and you love Monty Python style comedy, you should check it out. It is one of Benkt’s favorites and I can see why. After an episode would finish he would look over at me and say, “One more?” and I would nod my head happily. Soon I was looking over at him and asking the same question. 

The next day (the 27th) Benkt and I went to Stockholm. We walked around in the windy city (I in a dress, naturally) and he told me a little bit of the city’s history. He had also set up a tour with a someone who worked in the Parliament. We walked around in the government buildings and I was able to see many places where the king and queen would and do come for Parliament meetings. And I sat in the Prime minister of Sweden’s chair! Here in the picture is proof. It was pretty comfy. We had lunch at the Parliament, they were serving moose, so I had to try it. It tasted like a cow and a goat had a baby and I was eating it. Delicious. Sorry majestic moose, but you taste too good. 

After the tour Benkt and I went to the Stockholm Cathedral where the Crown Princess and her husband were married in June of this year. It was a beautiful cathedral made primarily out of brick (most older buildings in Sweden are, rather than the half timbered buildings of Germany). In it there were places for all to sit and separate places for royalty. Their seats were underneath a giant sculpture of a crown that was held by flying seraphs. It was interesting to see where royalty still sits today. Among other interesting things in the Cathedral there was a painting that caught my eye. The painting was of a rare phenomenon that occurred centuries ago when multiple rings were formed in the sky. The people of the land thought that it was a sign from God and rather than be in awe, they grew very afraid and fled to the churches so that they could pray. 

Bengt took me from the church over towards the Castle. On the way there I spotted an old telephone kiosk. So naturally I had to have a picture of me inside it. 

We went to see the castle and made it just in time to see the changing of the guard, yes just like England, accept these guards were much more responsive. If you talked to them you would get a response. They were very friendly (probably because they didn’t have to were those silly hats like the English do). After we watched the changing of the guard, we continued walking around in Stockholm and made our way into the more shopping oriented part of the city. Bengt took me to “NK” which is the largest store in all of Scandinavia. It can be compared to Harrods in England or Macy’s in New York. It is possible that it was bigger. We spent about an hour going up and down the escalators to the basement and to the top floor trying to find a few things that Bengt needed. My favorite part about NK was that it had its very own chocolate store! I was in love! Bengt bought some of their famous mint truffles for us to eat when we got back to the house.  

We left Stockholm and came home to an amazing meal, I was a happy camper indeed. It was ham (my favorite) in a cream sauce with tomatoes. Served with steamed veggies and a special way of doing potatoes. They were pressed, not mashed, but pressed as though through a garlic press. Every evening meal was accompanied by lively chatter about the things that happened that day. Everyone would get excited and the volume would increase, it reminded me of home. 

Sweden in a land were Vikings would roam. Years ago much of the land was covered in water and ice. As the water slowly melted throughout time and the glaciers receded they formed ridges. On higher points of land natives and I like to think Vikings as well would put up standing stones. These stones gave a message that someone important died here, there was a battle fought there, or that something important happened at this spot. Today (the 28th) Bengt took me around to see a few of these standing stones. On these stone there would be carved an ancient message and also there would most of the time be a Celtic cross. We found one standing stone that did not have a cross. That told us that it was before Christianity had spread to that part of the land (older than dirt!). The carved parts of the stone were painted with the common red of Sweden. The color comes as an oxide out of the iron and copper that are mined from the lands. 

Little did I know that this whole time Bengt was secretly taking me to a ranch were I would ride an Icelandic horse! I love riding horses! Why? Because I’m a girl. Every day we would drive through the country side and go by Sweden’s second largest ranch. It seemed like every one in Sweden owned a horse and it was driving me crazy.

But when we pulled into “Stall Tängby” I was overcome with happiness. I finally put together why Bengt said for me to make sure that I dressed warm and brought my winter coat. The intriguing thing about Icelandic horses is that once they leave Iceland they can’t go back, they are not allowed. Iceland is very annal about their horses. They don’t want to risk their horses getting diseases so they wont let an immigrant Icelandic horse step a hoof on the soil of Iceland. They go as far as not even letting a saddle that was on an Icelandic horse anywhere but Iceland touch an Icelandic horse in the native land. Confused? Good. But what makes an Icelandic horse so darn special you ask? (A little more horse talk here then we will be done.) Horses generally have 4 “gears,” or gaits in horse talk; the walk, the trot, the canter and the gallop. But with the Icelandic horse you have 5. In between the walk and the trot there is the “Tölt.” In the tölt the horse always has one or three hooves touching the ground. Therefore the person in the saddle gets a smoother ride (unlike the uncomfortable bouncing of a trot). One final fact about Icelandic horses is is that they have never seen forests before. Iceland doesn’t have forests and the horses are used to being able to see everywhere without a mass of trees standing in the way. You must train an Icelandic horse to not be afraid of forests. Mystery that… We rode around for about two hours and I was able to experiment with the tült and canter through the woods. I was like a child on Christmas morning. (Ok, I was like myself on Christmas morning.) 

 Later that day Bengt showed me the house where my great-grandfather lived. It was a soldier’s house (these are all over in Sweden), therefore it was very tiny. These army houses were assigned by the King for each company. I did not get to go inside this house, because it was now someone’s home. We tried to ask permission, but whoever they were, they were not at home. We drove into Uppsala and I was shown around the city. We drove through parts of the University and Bengt  showed me were the Swedish graduation tradition of white hats takes place. But the main place that we went to Uppsala to see was the Uppsala Cathedral where hours before the King and Queen were. 

Inside this Cathedral lies the bones of King Gustaf I, his wife and the ashes of St. Erik (a Swedish Archbishop who was very important during the Reformation). We left the church and went to Gustaf I’s castle up on the hill where four canons were pointed at the church. This was originally ordered to be done by Gustaf I because he thought that since he was king, there should be no other higher rule, not even God. He was all for the separation of church and state. Another thing that was up on this hill besides the palace and a bunch of canons facing the church, was a bell tower.  This is the highest point in the city of Uppsala and from here you were able to see the entire city. The firemen would stand up at the bell tower and watch for fires. Every night at eight o’clock the fire marshall was to ring this bell and say, “It is eight o’clock and all is well.” Unless there was a fire of course. 

 When we got back to the summer house the table was set. Dinner was chicken thighs and legs. They were served with sliced potatoes (seasoned with salt and cumin spice), freshly picked mushrooms, and a Greek salad. Naturally I had seconds of the entire plate. This was my favorite meal that I had in Sweden, I think. It was just so stinkin’ good!

After dinner I made a surprise for both of my parents that they will and better love. I can’t tell you all for fear that they are reading this. Sorry.

Today (the 29th) we went to the city of Enköping (pronounced in-sure-ping) and had linch with the Mayor at the First Hotel. Anna was a very lovely woman and I could see her genuine interest in the matters of the town. Though most of the conversing at the table was in Swedish, you could just tell. After lunch I was given a tour of the fire station if Enköping which was very nice. 

On the way home we stopped at a medieval church in the woods. This church was one of about 40 churches that was painted on the interior by the artist Albertos Pector (spelling?). He painted these churches in the 10th or 11th cent. He did this because the peasants (who were the main comers of country churches) weren’t educated as the priests were. And the language of the church was Latin. Therefore no one could understand what the priests were ever saying.  Pector knew this and painted Biblical stories and scenes on the ceilings of churches so that the peasants could understand the stories of the Bible. The most famous of the paintings is not even a story from the Bible, it is actually the artists depiction of life. To the right you can see the painting. What it is saying is that you begin life and there is much music as you rise to the top or the prime of your life, but then death always pulls you down under and there your body lies. Many of these paintings were covered up during the Reformation with white paint because they were thought to distract the people from God. But through time they were rediscovered and uncovered using white bread to bring out the color. Most of the paintings came back to life, but there were some that would be lost forever.   That night for dinner we had fresh uncooked Salmon (a Swedish specialty) topped with sliced lemon, and served with boiled potatoes. On our dishes to begin were three open faced sandwiches, a small meal, but very delicious and filling nonetheless. 

Today (the 30th) was sadly, my last full day in Sweden. we went back to Enköping and I spent the morning with Cissi and her preschool class. They were all so adorable and so blonde! You know the Stereotype that everyone in Sweden is tall and blonde? It is not a stereotype! Out of the 40 or so kids that I saw running around the grounds of the preschool, I can only remember 5 that weren’t blonde! Crazy! One was a little Asian boy, another was a red head, another had dark skin (I think his parents were from Romania), and the two others just had brown hair. But 5 out of 40, it was the weirdest thing! I ate lunch with Cissi’s group of kids. We had spaghetti and a meat sauce with veggies and cabbage salad. They children were putting ketchup on their spaghetti and meat sauce. Am I missing something? Do Americans do that? I have never done that before.

 Later that day I went to Cissi’s apartment for a while and then we went shopping around Enköping. We had a great time looking at the small shops around the town. That night the town was having a special just for women, called “Ladies Night.” Certain stores had discounts on jewelry and other things, just for women. It was nice. We had dinner at the “WhiteElephant” which was a Thai restaurant. We were joined by Cissi’s best friend Anton and family friend Magnus. I was supposed to meet his little sister, Louise Katarina, but she got a concussion on her way to school that day. We missed her at dinner. Hopefully I will meet her some day, she is Titi’s goddaughter.

After dinner I went to a local school of music and I got to play the stand up Bass with the group that was practicing. It was so much fun! I haven’t gotten to play the Bass in over 5 months. It felt great to get rid of a small bit of rust. We played an traditional Swedish folk song, a minuet, an Air, and a piece from “Fame.” 

During my stay in Sweden I got to do many of my favorite things (besides worshipping God), I got to ride horses, play the Bass and eat amazing food with amazing people. Thank you so much Bangt, Titi, Geta, and Cissi for your hospitality and Johan, Anton and Magnus for your company. I will see you all again some day, I promise!