We have been all over the place! We drove to Lübeck, where Nina grew up, and stayed at her mom's. It is such an old city and it was really cool for me to see things that are so old and still in use. A lot of the city burned down in WWII due to bombing but most of it was restored and is back in use.
There are lots of churches there and I learned a lot about the history of the city and how it came to be, since the middle ages! We went to Nina's favorite church, St. Marien Kirche on the first day and shopped around a little. It was really rainy the first couple days.
Nina with St. Marien
There was this big clock. In Germany you have your birthday (geburtstag), and you have your namesday (namestag). The clock on the bottom shows what the church regulated name is for each day and the namestag. It was interesting to look at.
This is the bell from the original church. It crashed down one of the towers in the fire when the city was bombed and they now keep it there right where it fell as a reminder.
We were there for a couple days and then Nina and I drove to Hamburg for a night to spend time with an old friend of hers. We shopped around and I got to see a lot of the city. It is really pretty and I think my favorite German city thus far. There are more bridges there than Venice which was interesting because it's so metropolitan and its the second largest city in Germany, after Berlin.
Nina's friend made a DELICIOUS seafood Paella and it we drank wine and chatted and we looked at a scrap book Nina had made for her when they were 18 of a 6-week trip they took to America. It was so funny to see pictures of them so young and hear about their adventure.
This is the Hamburg city hall.
This is where Nina and I got to sleep that night. Their house was 4 narrow floors and had a very interesting layout. I got the mattress on the floor which was verrrrry comfortable. Either that or it was the wine that made me sleep so well :)
We then drove back to Lübeck to pick up the kids and continued on to Rostock and Luuge, also in the north. We stayed at another friend of Nina's. She had 2 kids, 12 and 15, and we had apple crisp and tea then hung out and later had dinner and then the next day we went into Rostock and shopped around and hung out. It was pretty when the sun was out.
This is the city center of Rostock
The kids playing on the statues.
We saw so many rainbows because the rain was so on and off but this was one we saw while driving. Double rainbow!
We then went back to Lübeck for another 3 days. I had finished the 2 books I brought with me already on the first 2 days we were there so when it was rainy there wasn't too much to do. I had brought the second Fifty Shades of Grey book and The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This was recommended to me by Alice and it was really inspired me to want to travel so much that I made a goal for myself to see at least one new place every month that I'm here. The night I finished the book my mind was reeling with all the possibilities for my life. I could go to Australia and live on a farm or something for a few months. I could go teach English in South America or Indonesia. I could go back packing through Chile. Let's just say I got very little sleep that night and once I did, I had crazy dreams, only to wake and find they were still in my head :)
Nina and I had another day walking around the city where she showed me 2 other churches, one being the Lübeck Dom. After it's restoration, the entire church became white which was a very strange look and completely different from the rest of the churches in the city. We also saw the Hospital of the Holy Spirit which was from the 1300s and now still functions as an old folks home.
We went out one night and to a beer cellar from 1225. That was definitely the coolest place I've ever had a beer. The city at night is also really cool with the copper steeples of the churches, a trademark of Lübeck.
Lübeck at Night
The beer cellar, Brau Berger. This is me with the date.
We went to walk on the beach one day as well. Lübeck is right on the Baltic Sea so that was cool to go to another big body of water, even if it was freezing out.
We also had a day at the house where the kids collected hunderds of kastanien or chestnuts. I guess that's a fun fall activity here. We made little animals out of them and the kids had a lot of fun with that.
Another cool thing about Lübeck is that the city center was designed with it's safety in mind during the middle ages. There is water surrounding the entire city center and gates were built at each entrance. Many of them are still standing but the most famous, the Holstentor gate. They are really old and kind of all falling over and cooked. It's very cool.
Here it is and also another picture of me in the city!
Anyway, we're back now and back to the daily grind. Kids are back in school. I have decided that this is the week I start studying for the GRE so next time any of you talk to me, ask how that's going to make sure I'm doing it :)
I start my German class back up this week and tonight I am going to my first lacrosse practice in Köln! I don't have my gear yet but they said they have extra and i've been day dreaming about playing so I am very excited!!
My next book: On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Missing America,
Casey
No comments:
Post a Comment