It's the Simple Things in Life...

Today I am enjoying a day off from school, thanks for our nation's Veterans.  I've had a blast re-discovering the joys of staying at home once in awhile!  I've gotten to spend some time with Miss Mollie -we went to the dog park, where she romped and ran and exhausted herself.  Of course when we come back, she lays down for about 5 minutes, then is ready to GO again!  It's been so long since I've had a puppy, I'd forgotten about how much work they are!  Sophie was always so....mellow.  You could literally leave a whole turkey on a table and walk out of the room for 5 minutes, and when you came back it wouldn't be touched.  Mollie once jumped in the air and grabbed a banana...OUT OF MY HAND.  Sophie was a great listener, I swear she could understand everything you told her.  If I wanted her to stop, all I had to do was hold up my hand and say, "stay," and it didn't matter how far away she was, if she could see me, she would do it.  And I never taught her to do any of that, she just did it!  But then again Sophie was a full adult when we got her.  Anyway, Mollie went out to the garage with me to do some laundry, because, let's face it, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself when she's around!  Usually she just sniffs around while I load our front-loading washer and dryer, but today she discovered that the world of swishing laundry is quite interesting!  She had her nose pressed up again the glass, her head making small circles as she followed the laundry being turned over and over.  It was so funny!  I'll have to bring a camera with me next time I got out in case she does it again.  It's just been so nice today to not have to HURRYHURRYHURRY through all the household chores - to slow down and actually enjoy them!  Thank you, veterans, not only for serving our country, but for letting me slow down and enjoy the little things in life!

Reflections on Germany

So much has happened since we got back from Germany in July. Two family weddings, starting my second year of teaching, football season....I shouldn't be surprised that it's taken me this long to post all of my Germany pictures!  I have a few last reflections on our trip before I try to catch up on what's happenend since I've been trying to catch up on our trip  :)

1. The Germans are as complex as us Americans. Why does this surprise me? But as someone who's always had a keen interest in sociology, it was interesting to me to see how the Holocaust has shaped the German identity. Yes, there is the occasional delusional individual who still espouses the Nazi belief system, but they are about as common in Germany as they are in America.  Before I went to Germany, I read about the different "types" of Germans I would encounter.  Young people who seem almost apologetic about being German, afraid of showing too much German pride. Older Saxons who speak almost wistfully of the Old Communist days. Middle-agers who are almost TOO aggressive with their open-ness and acceptance, trying to overcome a stereotype put on all Germans.   I would say that yes, I saw all of those "types" of people, but more important than that, all Germans are still trying to deal with an event in their history that has affected every fiber of their being.  They may deal with it in different ways, and that is because they are individuals - a unique and interesting people!
2. I was really surprised by how different Germans eat. It gave me a taste of how Nils must have felt when he first came to live with us. Hardly any fried food, but there is....gelato!!  It wreaked havoc on my stomach, which does NOT like change, but I tried to fix that with....gelato. 
3. Certain types of stores are very abundant in Germany. Namely, pharmacies, bakeries, flower shops and.....gelato!!! Cheap gelato on practically every street corner. Love it.
4. Germans are way more active than Americans. We could really take a lesson from the German transportation system. The Hampes live in what could be called a suburb of Hamburg, and they can bike to the train station and take the "tube" to anywhere in Hamburg.  Then they walk to their job, grocery store...or gelato stand.
5. I like gelato.

But whenever I think of our trip, I think first and foremost of the wonderful people we met, who were kind enough to host us and show us their country.  I think of those who opened their homes to us.  Those who gave their time to us.  Those who took my heart and keep a part of it with them.  I think the coolest thing about the relationships we developed in Germany is that it is just the beginning.  Our lives are intertwined now.  Thank you SO MUCH to Christiane Hampe, Wolfgang Hampe, Benni Hampe, Julius Hampe (The Zealous!), Elke and Mattias Nilzschke, and Else and Wolfgang Hampe!

And of course, the boy who started it all....

German Adventure Day 11: Tuesday, July 28th





Our last full day in Germany. This day was so surreal for me - not looking forward to the long plane ride home, taking care of my still-swollen foot, but mostly trying to take it all in one last time. I realized that while there were things I were sick of in Germany, I would come to miss them once I was back in the States. Now what I mostly feel is relief that I am finally done posting these pictures! But I will give this day the same attention every other day has gotten and tell you about our wonderful last day in Germany.





We started off the day taking a look at a farmer's markey in Kiel:




All the farmer's markets that we went to had lots of berries, fish, and FLOWERS! The climate is different, and as such the selection is different as well. But it's no less charming!

Next we went to Lubeck, a town not far from Kiel. Much of its historic buildings were lost in World War II - do you see a theme in all my Germany posts?

However, the city has been rebuilt in keeping with the medieval theme. In fact, it was declared a World Heritage site in 1987!

The entire town is surrounded by water.

Mike with our generous and lovely hosts, the Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang Hampe the Elder.

I just LOVED the architecture of Lubeck! If there is anything like this in America, I haven't seen it!

The churches in Lubeck are breathtaking. This is St. Mary's church (Marien zu Lübeck), constructed in the thirteenth century.

The Marienkirche is a prime example of the Brick Gothic style. The architecture and structure was groundbreaking for the time of its many renovations. Unfortunately, the church was almost completely burned out duried the Allied raid on Palm Sunday of 1942

We saw many, many organs in Germany, but this organ.....WOW! I can see why muscians like Handel and Back have played here!

The main nave (ceiling).

These are the bells that burned in the belltower on the night of the Allied raid in 1942. They were found when reconstruction was done,and the church was rebuilt around them. What a juxtaposition they made with the rest of the church!

Else lit a candle for our safe return to the States. A very simple gesture, yet so meaningful.

A big clock/calendar/schedule of everything happening in the world right now. I swear I stared at this thing for a full 10 minutes and I couldn't figure it out.

A Last Supper relief.

I took this picture from a second-story cafe where we tried some of the delicious marzipan that Lubeck is so famous for. Wolfgang and Else are such calm, relaxing people - the kind of people you can just sit with and not have to feel like you need to talk. As we sat there, it hit me again that we would be leaving this wonderful country soon.

Do I really have to leave this place?!? Sure, my German is still horrible, but I said "Danke schön" to a cashier today and she did NOT look at me like I accidentally told her that her mother is an elephant or something. There's hope for me, right?? RIGHT?!?

Okay, maybe not. But there is hope for this blog post, which will finally be posted! Pretty soon I can blog about everything that has happened SINCE we got back from Germany in July!

German Adventure Day 11: Tuesday, July 28th

Our second-to-last full day in Germany. Christiane (Nil's mom) drove us to Kiel so we could spend our last few days in Germany with Nil's grandparents. Kiel is about an hour North of Hamburg, right on the Baltic Sea.

We stayed with Wolfgang's parents, Else and Wolfgang The Elder (that's how I think of him in my head to distinguish him from Nils' father, who shares the same name). They maintain a lovely home with a huge garden and many fruit trees.


German houses are so different than American houses - they don't feel the need to spread out so much and appreciate their space more!

Kiel was an important center for Naval Activity during World War II, and still is a major shipbuilding center. We got the unique opportunity to tour a submarine that was used during World War II, Unterseeboot 995. A crew of 40-50 lived on this vessel.

Only one word can sum up the feeling I got from being on this boat: snug!! I can't imagine what it was like to live on one of those things. They were pretty inventive:

That is a BED below the torpedo! Don't sit up too fast! I am told that 2-3 crew members would be assigned the same bed and would sleep in shifts. That's Else standing next to Mike. My poor husband....ships like this were NOT made for guys his height!

The spacious kitchen. I had about as much counter space in our first apartment!

Wolfgang, the Elder. Remember how I mentioned that Nils' dad has the most energy of any man his age I have ever met? He inherited it from this guy.

Every single square inch was put to use!

The ONLY toilet on the ship could not be flushed below 25 m!

Whew, was I glad to get out of there! The Laboe Naval Memorial is near the submarine, so we visited that as well. It was originally built to memorialize World War I, but was later rededicated to commemorate sailors who died in both World Wars. I liked that is remembers sailors of ALL nationalities, but I found that it presented a rather rose-tinted view of war.

As I said before, Kiel is right on the Baltic Sea. It was heavily bombed at the close of WWII but much of it has been rebuilt. We found this to be true of many German cities we visited. Kiel's port is very busy, with sailing ships, ferries from places like Sweden and Norway, and shipbuilding yards.

The next day was our last full day in Germany. I always start feeling the same way at this point in a vacation: sad to leave, but eager to get home. I was NOT looking forward to the loooooong plane ride, but I was really missing our animals, hearing ENGLISH, and American food. But our time in Kiel was very enjoyable - I was able to rest my foot and the rest of my body as well. As you can see from the pictures, Wolfgang and Else have a GORGEOUS home. It was so relaxing!! And as a bonus, Else the nurse took excellent care of my foot! We are so grateful for everyone who hosted us during our German adventure!

German Adventure Day 10: Monday, July 27th

The day after we got back from Dresden, we went on a canoeing trip on the Alster River in Hamburg. Mike and I got our own smaller canoe, and in the other boat was Julius the Zealous, along with some friends of the Hampe family.

Hamburg's elite lives in huge houses on the Alster, so we got to see how people who think they're way better than anyone else lives.

It was a beautiful day in Hamburg. Summers there are so different than in Florida! Of course, winters are different, too, but not in a good way!

I was more than happy to let Mike do most of the work while I took pictures :)

This picture is a product of me pointing the camera towards the back of the boat and snapping a photo. I didn't want to risk capsizing the boat by turning around!

Strangely enough, I did the same thing for this one, and it came out really well!

At this point in the trip, I remember starting to get over a bit of the "culture shock" of being in a foreign country. I didn't realize how tiring it is to hear a language you don't understand all day, to have to rely on someone else or your best gestures to order in a restaurant or ask for directions. At first I was extremely timid, fearful of even paying for a purchase without having at least Mike right there, but at this point in our trip I was much more confident. Of course it helps that most Germans speak English! They are so funny - if you ask a German whether or not they speak English, they always give the same answer - "a little." But their definition of "a little" is very different from mine. I thought that I spoke "a little" German because I can count to ten...but Ms. Cashier at McDonald's thinks she speaks "a little" English and is fully fluent! I guess I should quantify the amount of German I speak as "very little," or even "hardly none at all!"

German Adventure Day 9: Sunday, July 26th



Today we saw more of Dresden with Mike's relatives, Mattias and Elke. First we rode on Europe's oldest suspension railway to get beautiful views of the city.

The Blues Wonder (Blaues Wunder) Bridge over the Elbe river....which goes all the way to Hamburg in Northern Germany!

The Elbe River.



Elbe again.

We really enjoyed spending an extra day with Elke and Mattias. I wasn't sure what to expect before we met them, especially knowing that only Mattias speaks English. But they were both so welcoming and warm. Elke speaks about as much English as I speak German (translation: not very much, and not very well!), but she did not let that stop her from communicating with us. She just kept right on talking in German, and through gestures, pointing, and Mattias, we got most of it! But even when I didn't understand her, I was so grateful that she was trying. And Mattias, my English-speaking friend.....he was my saving grace! They asked us many questions about our family and life in the U.S. I hope they will come visit us someday!!

Before I show you more pictures, I have to tell you one of my favorite stories from the whole trip. When Mattias and Elke picked us up from the train station, we took our luggage and drove all over town for the rest of the day. When we got into their car, I immediately recognized the music that was playing rather loudly: it was an old Tanya Tucker cd (a country singer). I figured that when they heard we were coming to visit, they must have rushed to the store and bought the only English language music cd they could find to make us feel at home - how sweet! Well, the next day, we were driving around again, and an old Johnny Cash song comes on. Of course I made a comment about it to Mike, and Mattias cuts in and says "Do you like Johnny Cash? I love Johnny Cash!" I was dumbfounded - turns out they are both big-time country music fans!! I asked Mattias how in the world he - a German who grew up in Soviet-occupied East Germany - came to like country music, and he smiled mischeviously and said "Amazon!" So for the rest of the day our conversation sounded like this:

"Do you like Waylon Jennings?"

"Oh yeah."

"Hey, is this The Tractors?"

"Yes."

"They have a really good Christmas cd."

"I know, I have it!"

We had a blast with our relatives. Elke and Mattias showed us the rest of Dresden, including some places that were near and dear to Oma. Mike got ahold of the camera and took lots of abstract shots:

We spent the afternoon riding the train back to Northern Germany and the Hampes. Dirty bathrooms, smells, standing-room only....I've had enough of trains for quite awhile, thankyouverymuch!

German Adventure Day 8: Saturday, July 25th

Mike and I took the train to Dresden....BY OURSELVES. What struck me as strange throughout this whole trip was the magnitude with which seemingly small accomplishments struck me. I am aware that some people live jet-setting, global lives which include things like flying halfway across the country and back in the same day just for a business meeting, or actually ordering from those SkyMall catalogs, but I am not one of them. Traveling to Georgia is a big deal for me, much less EUROPE! But one comfort I found in traveling so far outside my comfort zone was the fact that we had our hosts, the Hampe family, to keep us out of trouble. So as you can imagine, traveling on a train by ourselves in a foreign country was a big deal for me. Thankfully, we had family waiting for us on the other side, but in order to explain this to you, I need to dig out the Wolfe family tree....hang on a sec....

Okay, ready? Mike's grandmother, Gertrude Ludwig Wolfe ("Oma" to pretty much everyone) was born in Germany. She moved with her family to America when she was a teenager in the early 1930s. She left behind her extended family, including a cousin with whom she was very close, whose name is Kathe.

Oma lived with Mike's family for most of Mike's life, and Kathe (who speaks no English) kept in close contact with Oma through letters and phone calls. Mike's mom once told me that when she answered the phone to a string of words she couldn't identify (German), she would just go get Oma :)

Kathe has a daughter, Elke, who married a man named Mattias, whom I love dearly for 2 reasons:

1. He is the ONLY one on this side of the family who speaks English.
2. He loves country music.

Mike with Kathe, Mattias, and Elke

So now that you have your Wolfe family history lesson, , it's time for a pop quiz!! Just kidding - I'm still learning myself!

Elke and Mattias met us at the train station and took us to Kathe's home. She is now in her 90s and lives in an assisted living facility. And lemme tell ya, stepping into her place was like stepping into the twilight zone. Oma lived in a "mother-in-law suite" that was attached to the main house by way of the porch, and it was about the same size as Kathe's place. But what was really eerie was how they had decorated their respective homes EXACTLY the same - full of handmade crafts, family pictures, and lace. They really are two peas in a pod, from their mannerisms to their looks.

I can't begin to describe how special meeting Kathe was. Oma passed away in May, and everyone misses her dearly. She welcomed me into the Wolfe family without a moment's hesitation, and did the same for Nils. She greatly enjoyed speaking German with him! Kathe shared pictures that Oma had sent her over the decades, from baby pictures of Mike's dad to pictures from our wedding. Their bond was evident. She also asked us (through Mattias) for more information about how Oma passed away and what her final months were like. I feel proud to have met that side of our family, like we somehow brought the circle of our family, which spans an ocean and many generations, a little closer.

And I made a new friend!!! Kathe thought it was so funny when I struck that pose.

The feel and look of Dresden really spoke to me, especially after leaving the rush and crowds of Berlin. Dresdeners are very proud of their history, and although many of their landmarks were lost World War II or destroyed by the East German government, many of them have been rebuilt. Some pictures; along with captions when I can remember:

As you can see, the weather was not cooperating! Luckily the rain held off most of the day.

The clock tower.

A statue of the Saxon King John. Built in 1889.

Behind us is the main entrance to the Zwinger Palace, which was the first historical structure to be rebuilt after WWII.

The Frauenkirche - a Lutheran church whose reconstruction was finished in 2005. Elke and Mattias wanted to show us this church because Oma remembered it fondly.

A statue of Martin Luther in front of the Marienkirche.

The dome of the Kunstakademie, an Academy for Arts.

I was getting so bad about posting Germany pictures that I have taken to leaving Blogger up all the time, so that whenever I open my laptop I can upload a few pictures or write a couple of sentences and maybe eventually finish! Unfortunately Blogger does not always feel like letting me do this, so that makes postings even more delayed. I caught some sort of cruddy sickness from my kids, so I can't guarantee another post for at least a couple of days!