Six Days!

My friend Laura found the coolest thing online today. I know some of you may have seen the 3D tour of Erfurt online--this is even better. A 3D tour of the Erfurter Weinachtsmarkt. http://www.3d-top-event.com/weihnachtsmarkt-erfurt/# Simply click on the picture and your lovely tour will begin. This is where I live :) And since I will be leaving for good ol' Wisconsin on the 20th, and when I return the Weinachtsmarkt will be gone, I am determined to get my fill this week. So, my plan is to go every day. I can't wait!

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas time is here, we'll be drawing near. Oh that we, could always see, such spirit through the year. (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)

Christmas time is indeed here in Germany. I have already posted a few pics from the Weinachtsmarkt here in Erfurt, which is amazing. Here are some more pictures from the Weihnachtsmarkt on Domplatz.

I had heard a couple of rumors that Weimar's Weihnachtsmarkt was better than Erfurts. Less comercialized, more classic. As the bipartisan (heh) observer I am, I only thought it fair to give the Weimar Weihnachtsmarkt a chance so I went to Weimar today with a couple of friends to snoop around. End result: Erfurt's Weihnachtsmarkt kicked Weimar's Weihnachtsmarkts butt. Easily. But it was still fun, and worth the trip (whenever you get to pose like Goethe, it is a good day).

Laura, Evelyn and I passing time in the Erfurt Hauptbahnhof

We've arrived! At first glance, it is obvious that Weimar has a lot of catching up to do. Where is the Ferris Wheel?

Ok, one point for Weimar...Erfurt does not have a sweet manual carousel (Cord, Laura, and Evelyn)

Cord and Evelyn posing as Goethe and Schiller, respectively.

Goethe is a pretty big deal in Weimar.

Evelyn and I warming up in a cafe. We had Kartoffelwaldpilze Suppe (potato and forest mushroom soup) which was fairly lecker (delicious) although I think my mom could have made something better :)

Germany loves these things. Anyone know what they are called?

Laura, Cord, and Evelyn at an entrance to part of the Weinachtsmarkt in Weimar. A close-up of Laura's face pretty much says, "Ugh, I can't believe I am being made to take all these American tourist pictures." Well Laura, that's what happens when you travel with American tourists :)

So although Weimar's Weihnachtsmarkt was nice, it paled in comparison to Erfurts. Which is not surprising because Erfurt is pretty much the best. But even though Erfurt is beautiful and full of wonderful things at Christmas time, nothing compares to being home for Christmas. And that is where I will be in eight days! Bis dann!

A month later...

I seem to have let another month pass by without a new update on my blog. I think this is a good thing because it means that I am too busy to update...which means I am getting the most out of my experience here in Germany. Classes are still going well, although I think I am going to take less classes next semester so I can focus more on my own research which is kind of being put to the rear burner at this point. A new activity that I have added to my life is my Fremde werden Freunde family--Strangers become Friends. My family, the Böhms', are wonderful. Ines, Mathais, and Paul, 12, have taken me in as another member of their family. We've gone out for dinner and they had me over to their home on the First Sunday in Advent (a very family oriented day in Germany) for cookies and coffee. We also went to the Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt together. It's been great getting to know them and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.

The Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt--another source of distraction for me. The "Christmas Market" opened the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and has been creating a Christmas spirit throughout Erfurt. The Weihnachtsmarkt in Erfurt is predominantly located at Domplatz, but also is at Fischmarkt, Anger, and there is a medieval version at the Wenigenmarkt (small market). The market at Domplatz has a huge ferris wheel, which I went on with a group of ESPP friends as well as with the Böhms. The markets is filled with traditional German crafts, as well as carnival style games and rides...and of course, lecker (delicious) food. The gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds) and Glühwein (mulled wine) are my favorites. The Weihnachtsmarkt serves as a perfect distraction from school work and you can often find ESPP students hanging out there in the evenings. Here are a few pictures from the Weihnachtsmarkt:

View from on top of the ferris wheel--my camera does not do it justice.

Me, Laura, and Sebastian on the ferris wheel with the Dom behind us.

This is a pictures of me and my friend Laura at the opening night of an Irish pub, The Dubliner, in Erfurt.

That's all for now...13 days until I am home for a few weeks!

Time flies...

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. Time sure flies when you are having fun! I am all settled into my life here in Erfurt, and I am really loving it. The lovely city of Erfurt is a bit bigger than 200,000 residents and is the capital of the German state of Thuringen. My studies in Erfurt are with the Erfurt School of Public Policy, which is a Masters of Public Policy program. In my class of 38, we have students from Germany, the U.S., China, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, India, Kosovo, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, and Mexico (I might be forgetting someone, but I can't think of it now!) It is awesome to be sitting at a bar with my classmates and here conversations in many different languages...sometimes a question is asked in Chinese, then answered in German, and someone adds something else in English. So very cool. My classes are very interesting as well. The Fulbright only requires that I take one class for credit, but I am auditing several others as well. Plus, my German course...I suppose I have to learn how to speak German at some point! Since I am trying to catch you up on a month of my life within one blog, I think a couple of pictures might be useful :)

Domplatz in Erfurt with the Mariendom (left) and St. Severi (right). When I first arrived in Erfurt, Oktoberfest was being celebrated with a large, American-style carnival, with German-style food and drinks. Domplatz will also be the site of the Christmas Market in Erfurt, which is supposed to be fabulous. Protests against the GDR were held here in 1989/1990, so Erfurt is definitely a city with a lot of history.

Die Krämerbrücke--a very famous bridge, the only fully preserved medieval bridge with houses north of the Alps. The bridge dates from 1472 and originally had 64 houses on it. Now you can find really cute cafes and gift shops.

This is the townhall, or Rathaus, in Erfurt. It dominates the landscape of the Fischmarkt and is really quite pretty. In the vincity of the Rathaus are a lot really, architecturally interesting buildings. You'll just have to come visit to see for youself!

This church is actually in Leipzig. I went along with my friends Heather, Gracie, and Evelyn to nearby Leipzig for a day trip a few weeks ago. Leipzig is bigger than Erfurt, and has a lot of shopping and restaurants. We stopped by a couple of churches in the city, and walked through the main drag. The great thing about Germany, and Europe in general, is that it is so easy to just take a short little trip to a nearby city. And in the grand scheme of things, most things are 'close' in American terms. My German friends here think an hour train ride is long...
When Halloween rolled around, the American contingent (Evelyn, Heather, and I) decided to carve a pumpkin. Now, I actually haven't carved a pumpkin myself for probably 10 years, but it was like riding a bicycle...you never forget. We recruited a couple of non-American friends to help--and we made them scoop out the slimy seeds. Our end result, Zeus, was absolutely fabulous-complete with "ESPP" carved on the side.

More pictures to come, and I will try to update more often. Have a great weekend!

Ein Schönes Wochenende in Kassel

I can't belive six weeks went by so quickly. My session in Marburg is over and I am now officially in Erfurt--my home for the next 10 months. The last few weeks of Marburg flew by with my trip home for Sara's wedding, our final test in the language course, and, naturlich (naturally), saying goodbye to all of my new friends. With only a few of us left the last weekend, we decided to take a trip to Kassel--where I was going to go a few weeks ago but was deterred by a sprained ankle. Kassel, a little over an hour from Marburg by train, is an interesting city to say the least. Our first stop was Wilhelmshöhe Palace which was built in in 1786 by landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. Wilhelm had sold Hessian soldiers to the British government to use in the fight against the rowdy Americans and then used that money to build himself a large Palace. So Wilhelm got his castle and we got our independence--too bad Britain! On the land surrounding Wilhelmshöhe Palace are a number of "Roman ruins." A previous landgrave had built fake Roman ruins throughout the park. Everything from an Acqueduct to a giant statue of Hercules can be found in the park. Although everything was "fake" it was still one of the most picturesque places I have ever been. Not content with one palace, Wilhelm went on to build another palace called Löwenburg or Lion's Castle. This castle was modeled after medieval castles complete with a hedge maze and sheep.

Wilhelmshöhe Palace
Löwenburg in the fog
Everything here was absolutely stunning--it looked like it could have been an impressionist painting.
Four of us on top of Devil's Bridge aka where my wedding photos will be taken :)
Hercules can be seen in the distance (under construction, but majestic nonetheless)

Löwenburg

In the city, there was another palace called Orangerie which was built built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves.

After a long day of sight-seeing we head into to town where we found a festival complete with traditional German dancing--and Wurst! All in all, it was a Schönes Wochenende (beautiful weekend)!

Nach den U.S.A!

Well it has been a long time since I have last updated, but I think the delay is quite justified since I have been extremely busy with a trip to the U.S. for my friend Sara's wedding and the last weeks of my time in Marburg.

As you can see from our poses, we are incredibly excited for the Berchers! The wedding was absolutely amazing--a perfect late summer day in Northeast Wisconsin was the beautiful backdrop for a wedding filled with beautiful singing, touching words of wisdom from the parents, and, of course, an incredibly amazing couple--Sara and Ben. Here are a few more pictures!
Me with Mom and Dad Burg. Russ and Jana were a hit on the dance floor--outlasting many of the younger crowd. Dad and I polka'ed and mom got down to Brick House. It actually got a little embarassing for me when they started their version of 'dirty dancing.' Yikes!
Sara and her lovely ladies.

I will post again soon with pictures from my daytrip to Kassel as well as stories from my last few weeks in Marburg, as I am now in Erfurt. As always, feel free to email, and now that I have a permanent address--letters (and care packages!) are definitely welcome!

Love to all,

Rachel

Saalburg, Limes, and Burguine Frauenberg

It's been awihle since I last blogged, so I have a few trips to catch you up on, and obviously some photos to share! I am getting very settled into my routine here in Marburg, and I will definitely miss all of the great friends I have made. But, it will be awesome to visit them all over Germany.

One of my German teachers (we have two) has created the routine of taking us to a Cafe during our Tuesday afternoon class where we speak in German over coffee and cake. It has been quite lovely since Germans know how to do cake right. My favorite so far has been the Pflaumekuchen--or plum cake, which is a regional Hessen specialty. These trips have also resulted in us getting to see more of the city. On one of the trips we walked through a neighborhood with these adorable little German row houses. I want one :)




Last Saturday, the weather in Marburg was absolutely gorgeous--high of 78 both days. On Saturday, I spent the day in the city with my friends Ashlan and Chris. We watched some of our other friends take paddle and row boats out onto the Lahn River, which runs through Marburg. Below is a view of some of the houses on the Lahn.

Last Sunday, our Fulbright excursion was to the Saalburg and the Limes. The Saalburg is a Roman fort located on the Taunus Ridge near Bad Homburg. It is part of the Limes Germaniscus, which was the Roman linear border fortification of the German provinces. The Limes and the Saalburg are UNESCO World Heritage Site. Below is a picture of the walls around the Saalburg.
Our formal tour of the site was really interesting, but the highlight of the day were our mini-lessons in spear throwing and archery. As you can see from below, I was a pretty realistice Roman spear thrower. In reality, I was terrible at the distance throw, but I was the champion of the last contest--running and throwing the spear into a triangle of sand. Mine stuck every time. Mom and Dad, be proud of your little girl :) I think this means that if I were a Roman warrior, I would probably not have been very good at the actual taking down of an enemy, but I would have been great at "finishing off" anyone on the ground.
I was better at archery. A skill which I am sure will come in handy...
Today we went to a small fortress at Burguine Frauenberg. The fortress was erected in 1250 by Sophie of Brabant, daughter of Saint Elisabeth (who Elisabethkirche is named after). It's main purpose was to oversee the crossing below and to watch the enemies. As you can see from these pictures, it has a great view of the surrounding area.
That's all for now. I hope all is well for all of you...and maybe I will see you in a few weeks when I will be home for the wedding of the lovely Sara Henrickson (soon to be Bercher!)

Mittelaltlicher Markt und Orgelkonzert

Now that I am almost two weeks into my German adventure, I am starting to get settled into life here. My week days basically consists of language courses Monday thru Friday 8:45 to 12:30 and then again on Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 3:30pm. During the other afternoons, we have our German Culture and History Course. Evenings usually involve some combination of homework, emailing/chatting online, hanging out at the student bar, or watching going out to dinner in the city with friends. It's quite the nice, little routine I have over here!

On Saturday I went to the Mittelaltlicher Markt (or Middle Ages Market) in Marburg. The Market was located on top of the hill on the grounds of Marburg's castle. Complete with musicians, crafts, delicious food, Meth (which is the old German word for Mead...don't worry Mom!), a man balancing fire on his face, sing-a-longs, costumed people, and animals, it was, in my imagination, exactly what it would have been like to live in the Middle Ages. And to make it even more real, it was in a location that actual saw the Middle Ages. Living history :) Below are some pictures from the Mittelaltlicher Markt!

Not very comfortable...at all.

A group of Fulbrighters after the fair, in the Oberstadt close to the Rathaus (the town hall). Bottom Row: Keith, Shane, Marty Top Row: David, Ashlan Elisa, Chri, me and Marco.

On Sunday, I went to a Orgelkonzert (organ concert) at the Elisabethkirche with a couple of other Fulbrighters. We had the opportunity to see the outside of the Elisabethkirche when we went on our tour of the city--the inside was just as breathtaking.
This is the organ on which we heard some AMAZING organ playing. It made me wish that I had kept up with my piano a little more.

Above is a picture of the front of the church. Simply beautfiul.

After the concert, we went out to dinner and I had a regional Hessen specialty--auflauf. Basically a good ol' Lutheran caserole, it consists of noodles or potatos covered in cheese and cream sauce with your choice of meat and/or vegetables. It was fabulous. After dinner, we went on a Pub Crawl with the rest of the Fulbrighters throughout Marburg. On the way to the meeting spot, we went through the Botantical Gardens and I took this picture below. Through the trees, you can see the two towers of the Elisabethkirche.

The pub crawl took us to four different bars in Marburg. One of the favorite things about Germany, so far, is the amount of grafitti in bathroom stalls. Actually, it is not so much the amount of grafiti, but rather the content. Instead of lame things like "Jackie Loves Tom," the grafitti in German is very political, angsty, and usually quite deep. My favorite so far is this saying that I found on a bathroom wall in a pub: "When your world breaks apart, dance on the pieces." Who knew you could find such good advice on a bathroom wall!

Burgwald-Christenberg

Welcome to post number zwei of my blog. Germany is still treating me well and I'm starting to get to know some of the other Fulbright students well, which is wonderful. We had our first "exucrsion" this weekend with a trip on Sunday to Burgwald-Christenberg. Our group departed from the center of Marburg on this classy Mercedes-Benz bus...only in Deutschland :) When we arrived on the 387 meter high Christenberg in the Burgwald, we were treated to a lovely German bbg complete with sausage and "pig sticks" which were essentially sticks of bacon and essentially delicious. With full bellies, we were then taken on a tour of the Christenberg. The picture below is of the view from the top of the hill which overlooks the village of Munchhausen and the Kellerwald. The word Christen comes from the Latin word for castle, and apparently there used to be a castle on the hill starting around 200 BC or so. The remains from the guard walls can still be seen.
Now on the Christenberg is the Martinskirche, which was built around 1000 in the Roman architecture style. The legend is that St. Boniface ordered the building of the church and left a footprint (which can still be seen) in the rocks to mark the place. However, some say the footprint was left by the Devil who was angry that the pagan people of the area had been Christenized. Either way, it was an incredibly beautiful old church which the villagers of Munchhausen still use for worship services.
So, the trip to Christenberg was pretty fabulous. The idea of these excursions are great because these are probably areas that we would not know about/be able to get to easily if they were not planned out for us. Plus, it gives us something to do on Sundays when everything else in town, literally, is closed. That's all for now, auf wiedersehen from Deutschland!

Marburg!

Hello Everyone! I arrived safe and sound in Marburg on Tuesday, August 12. It's been pretty much a whirlwind since I have arrived--meeting new people, starting my language course, trying to navigate the winding streets of Marburg, and, of course, stumbling through conversations with Germans in the city.





The city of Marburg is approximately 80,000 people, 20,000 of which are students, so it is pretty much a college town. But it also has a lot of history. We were taken on a walking history tour of Marburg yesterday and I was able to get some pictures of the castle, the Elisabethkirche, and some fantasic views of the city. I'm posting some pictures and some tidbits of information, so if that does not interest you, stop reading now. You have been fairly warned :)




The picture to the left is of the Elisabethkirche, or the church of St. Elisabeth. It was built in the 13th century and became an important place of pilgrimage in Europe because it is built on the tomb of St Elisabeth. Today it is a protestant church.








The picture on the right is taken in the Obenstadt section of Marburg (which you can take an elevator up to!) and it is one of the oldest houses in Marburg. I think the tour guide said it was built in the 13th century, but I could be making that up. The style of the house is called a Timber house because it was made of timber and then the middle sections were filled in with mud and other things.
This, along with the picture of me at the beginning, is a view of the city of Marburg from the Castle. See those white buildings on the left side of the mountain in the distance. Those are the Studentendorf, which is where I live. Yes, on a mountain. It's approximately a 45 minute walk to and from class every day and the way back is uphill...the whole way. No wonder Europeans are so fit!

Finally, this is a picture of Marburg's castle, the Landgrafenschloss, which was built around 1000 years ago. I'm not going to bore you with any more history on the castle, but how cool is it that this city has a castle?

That's all for now. More to come in the future. For now, tschus!