Momentaufnahmen/Snapshots

Wowza, what a whirlwind. More than a month, and I'm finally back to write you again. As is life, it goes by quickly, and it is often difficult to recall for friends the most significant aspects of our experiences. Yet, here it goes: I returned to Gießen this week after ten marvelous days of travel. My trip seemed to be the typical American-style see-all-you-can in a short timeframe, but in reality it worked out quite pleasantly to make such a Carmen-Sandiego style adventure. Normally I would enjoy discovering the small sidestreets of a city for weeks, nonetheless visiting a number of friends in various cities enabled me to do just that. My trip consisted of: Italia, Deutschland, and Danmark. Traveltime to Bologna, München, Kopenhagen and Berlin was an extensive part of my vacation, but experiences from the road were just as engaging and exciting as the rejuvenating stays with long-time friends. I bring you this journey in memorable snapshots. Hab Spaß!

The first official day of Herbstferien from my work at the Ohmtalschule, I was given a generous free lift from my lovely Betreuungslehrerin and her husband. Side note: I feel truly grateful to have such an amiable person as my support teacher. At school, I admire her greatly for her strong and interactive teaching style, and I feel as though I will learn a lot from her this year. Back to the story- we flew down the Autobahn, breezing by a serene landscape. As we came into Bayern, I was often at a loss for words, as the flat sun-kissed fields became roaring mountains. This was my first time in southern Germany, and it was just as picturesque as I had imagined. We stopped for lunch at an old, and I mean 16th century old, traditional Gasthaus. Not only did the decor of animal trophies and classical landscape paintings make the experience, the sensational creamy fresh wild mushroom dish I ate left a lasting impression. After our meal we scooted over the border into Bozen, a quaint Italien city, where I said farewell to my delightful driving hosts. I had some time before my train to Bologna, so I wandered aimlessly through this magnificent place. Embedded in the foot of the Alps, Bozen is surrounded by sprawling vinyards, immersed in a dual-language culture (which helps because my German is much stronger than my minimal Italien), and it is packed with eye-catching people. Most importantly of which to me were the children. I arrived on the kid's play day, so in the main square there were toys of all shapes and sizes. Those who know me will be nodding their heads at the fact that I was in my glory- with adorable small children running around speaking various languages! I was reluctant to leave, but knew my good friend, and only college roommate, awaited me in Bologna.

 Bologna, although I was only here for a few days, filled me with historical facts, warmth, and a satisfied stomach; therefore, I dream of returning. Rozana and I wandered around the city with her childhood friend, and our host Ainab. We walzed through the streets being serenaded by broadcasted opera music; we lavished in an evening Gelatos and glasses of red wine; we toured some of the famous sites with attentive eyes, and hears attuned to listening to glorious italien words. I tested my minimal Italien, and wound up in very funny/compromising situations: such as ordering a Gorgonzola cheese pizza with mushrooms, and having two separate ginormous pizza pies being placed before us. But I needn't be fluent in Italien to enjoy the oldest University dating from 1088, or the etruscan/roman art, or the visible religious culture (the woman above was one amongst many participating in a catholic celebration, that filled the air with a subdued energy, repetitive chanting, and strong waves of incense). This leg of my journey was incredibly restful for both Rozana and I, but eventually we had to part ways- I continuing to Munich, Rozana making her way back to New York. Side note: If anyone knows of an available apartment in NYC or someone searching for a flatmate please get in touch, it would help Rozana tremendously.


Munich/München was delightful; the less-than-24 stay consisted of a reunion evening. To break up my long train trip from Bologna to Copenhagen I planned two stops: Munich and Berlin. A few weeks ago I heard that an old high school friend, Brian Holmes, has been living in Munich. We connected, and after (can it be true) more than five years since high school, we caught up. I arrived in the heart of the city-

Marienplatz, and walked around this gorgeous/wealthy city until Brian finished work. I saw it as a sign that this was the right place to be when I immediately happened upon a classical piano concert on the platz. Catching up with Brian over a few drinks, I heard exactly what I expected--that he is doing very well, settled into a good business job, running marathons, and happily situated in Germany. Quite the inspiration, literally. At his place I saw a form for the Vienna half-marathon in April. Wien... ich komme.  Hopefully I will see Brian again soon; I talked up the Weinachtsmärkte around Hessen, and gave an open invitation for friends to stay and experience the glory that is Christmastime in Germany. Let me know if you want to join in the fun! So I was off again on the road/train tracks, having interesting conversations on the route, and arriving in Berlin for another enjoyable time with Rachel, my friend from the FU-Best Program, before a early departure to Copenhagen.

Cami, Julia and Clem were  the best statues of the evening


Land of the Danes: sleek, modern, schön. Copenhagen is a great city to visit; yet more importantly, the friends that I was visiting made the trip unforgettable. I reunited with Julia once again, yet this time in the warm, inviting home of Yrja- our Norwegian friend who's studying veterinary medicine in Copenhagen. Also visiting were Clem and Cami, Julia and Yrja's French friends from Toulouse. I had heard so many stories about these two for the last few years, that we immediately felt a strong connection. It was striking how well our energies connected, making the whole experience simultaneously comforting and thrilling. Immediately, when I got of the bus in Copenhagen, I was already on an adventure; they had planned a sort of scavenger hunt involving a candle light path, flute concert and finally a wild goose chase.  For a few days we biked around the city; naturally Julia and I comically incurred some major stories and minor bruises from biking accidents. Another memorable moment was in front of a sculpture museum. It was culture night in the city; meaning museums, theaters, the university, and other institutions were open until midnight. Our visit to the Thorvaldsen Sculpture Museum (a glorious exhibition of Bertel Thorvaldsen's (1770-1844) classic sculptures and reliefs, as well as his Antiquity collection) was especially mystic. The rooms were lit by dramatic colorful spotlights, and walking around the museum was a solo saxaphonist playing smooth abstract jazz. Julia and I took the opportunity of the spotlight, the music, and the time we were waiting for our friends to create a modern dance performance outside on the grand museum staircase, in front of many onlookers. It had been a while since I've laughed so heartily.
While in Copenhagen, Julia and I made two visits with familial connections- we had dinner with Alex Bildsoe's cousins and spent an after-dinner evening with Peter, a Carlson family friend and ex-boyfriend of Julia's sister. Both were exceptional visits, consisting of good conversations on politics of Danish immigration policies, culture, and energy consumption, as well as wonderful homemade food. Importantly through this entire trip, I have eaten very well. I do not mean it was expensive or extravagant food, more filling it was prepared with friends, and slowly enjoyed. One evening with the clan we made pumpkin soup and two pumpkin pies, and still had half a gigantic pumpkin left.  Every part of this trip was savory, in multiple senses, so again, it was difficult to say goodbye.


Last remarks: The first picture shown on this post was a precursor to this story. I found a mitfahrgelegenheit (convenient rideshare) to Berlin with a dance group. When I first came to the meeting site for this ride I went first to a mini-van with a middle-aged woman sitting at the driver's seat. Wrong. The bus I was scheduled to take was the huge touring bus already loaded with dancers in their sixties and seventies. This ride was at the top of the charts; I was generously given sweets, food, drinks (including champagne), laughs, and lessons of traditional German songs. To top it off I immediately got along with my neighboring seat companion-- a swedish movie actor traveling to Berlin for a theater performance. We had a great discussion; most remarkable to me was his perspective of fatherhood. He is my age and has a son who is six; his outwardly affectionate description of parenting was an exceptional glance at what I hope to experience in the future.
 Along this trip I enjoyed meeting and listening to the paths of others, and as I returned to Gießen I reflected that I too, am heading down a beautiful path that is meant to be shared.


Wishing you an educational enlightenment!
Take care.