Brooklyn’s German now

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What a day… March 26, 2009

Filed under: school — brooklyn23 @ 10:13 pm

So I had a kid throw a chair today!  Yeah, got mad at me cause I “never let him go first and always make him go last”  Yup…a chair!  Aren’t you all jealous now???  🙂

 

Are you ready for some FUTBOL???!!!! March 24, 2009

Filed under: Travel — brooklyn23 @ 6:58 pm

Sunday morning, 10am, Nichole, Sarah, and I are standing in our driveway waiting for the biggest soccer fan, Alfred, to come get us. 

Destination- Furth futbol fan clubhouse and stadium!                              Teams- Furth and Munich 1860 (enemies)                                                 Purpose-drink a lot, lose our voices from cheering, and have FUN!

So, Alfred picked us up, outfitted us with green scarves (Furth’s colors are green and white) and drove us the 40 minutes to the Furth fan clubhouse.  On our drive, Alfred gave us the quick history of futbol and the Furth team, who won the league in 1914, 1924,and 1928..yes that’s right, I paid attention for a little bit!  Furth’s logo is the kleeblatt, or a 3-leaf clover.  This has NOTHING to do with Ireland.  It was probably from the middle ages when Furth had to pay taxes to three different bishops.  At the end of our drive, we entered a one-room clubhouse that was decked out with green scarves, flags, and jerseys.  It was a quaint little bar full of fans enjoying a pre-game beer and bratwurst.  It reminded me a lot of 17th and State…one of those Cheer’s like bars where everybody knows your name!  We got 3 local beers, a lager, a lite, and a dark, and shared them while taking in the local scene. 

Then, Alfred asked us if we wanted to try the local speciality, sour sausage.  I, trying to be as German as possible said I definitely wanted to try the szitfel (the word Wolfgang taught me for sour sausage) except, I forgot to say the “sowre” (sour) part. The woman looked at me funny and said, sowre szitfel…I said, yeah, Szitfel.  She laughed and said, you have to say the sowre part because szitfel by itself means (as she gazed at teh man’s lap next to her) the man’s parts.  Let me tell you, that got a lot of laughs from the crowd!  So much for being on top of my German game!

Then, we went to the game!  What an experience.  The fans were singing and chanting, and had choreographed moves to every cheer.  WE tried to cheer along, but that usually resulted in us just screaming!  Two little kids in front of us were flipping the other team off and yelling words, which I can only imagine were kind, gentle words of encouragement (YEAH RIGHT) at the refs.  When Furth finally scored a goal, with only 10 minutes left in the game, the crowd went wild!  Don’t worry, I’ve got video footage (thanks for the camera Ryan) to show you all when I get home!  Lucky for us, that was the only goal scored and Furth won (I would hate to see those fans after a loss)

After the game, we went back to the clubhouse to enjoy a few more beers.  We met a wonderful elderly lady who introduced us to her daughters, granddaughters, and ‘boyfriends’ (who were our age!!)  She stayed, has her coffee, as everyone else drank their beer, ate her sowre szitfel, and had a cigarette while we chatted.  We enjoyed just hanging out, listenin to the cheers again, and drinking teh local brew.  It was a great experience and definitely made us feel like we were not just tourists, but German citizens!!!

 

Flohmarkt March 23, 2009

Filed under: Travel — brooklyn23 @ 8:10 pm

Flea markets in Germany.  Who would have thought I’d travel across an ocean just to go to a flea market?  Yeah, me either.  But, as it turns out, my grandma has rubbed off on me and I actually enjoy going to flea markets in search of that one great find!  So, on Saturday, we got up, took a train, a subway, and a bus (we’re getting pretty good at this public transport thing) and went to a flea market near Nurnberg.  It was HUGE!  Imagine if you will, a parking lot, maybe the size of a football field….full of tents, tables, and junk of all sorts!

There were, of course, some tables that held no interest for us.  But, there were some tables where we found excellent German souvenirs.  (I’m not telling which ones cause you might be getting some as presents)  I’ll show you all my treasures when I get home!  We had so much fun going from table to table and playing charades with the people at the booths in order to get a price on the item we wanted….unfortunately our German is still severly lacking!  It was definitley an off the tourist track place; which we LOVE!  When we got home, Paula was having a dinner party, so we went downstairs to join some of the teachers and have some dinner.  I ended the night by saying HI to all the Kiels while they were at a BBQ at Brad and Liz’s house.  (wishing I was there to enjoy that BBQ- it’s just not the same in Germany)  What a perfect ending to a great day!  More flea markets to come!

 

No such thing as a lazy Saturday March 15, 2009

Filed under: Travel — brooklyn23 @ 7:53 am

We had no plans for yesterday, 3.14.09, except get work done. I decided to hike up to a church above our house and watch the sunrise…so at 5:55 I woke up, tossed on some clothes and made the hike.  It was well worth it!  The sun rose over the mountains as I was sitting in the middle of a field near the church.  It was like being at home (except for the whole mountian part)  After sunrise, I made the hike back down and went back to bed, ready to enjoy my lazy day!

We had read about a flea market in a nearby town that sparked our interest…so we thought–let’s just get out of the house for a little bit. We invited paula to go with us, so the four of us drove to swandorf for an authentic german flea market in a parking lot (Grandma…I thought of you the ENTIRE time..you would have loved it!). We all left with a few good bargains, so well worth the trip!

On our way home, Wolfgang called to invite us to go hiking and rock climbing; this was not part of our lazy saturday. however, he said that if we wanted to go hiking/climbing in Italy with them in two weeks, this would be good practice…..so we got home, changed clothes, and were off. we drove for awhile to quite and open field then into a forest. we hiked up up and up. I was like–yeah I can do this–no problem, i’ve hiked like this before! then it was time to rock climb laterally on a moutain.

take a second: picture me: all equipped with the climbing harness, a yellow helmet, several ropes and colored carabeeners hanging off of me. got the picture…oh yeah!!!  And remember, I am not a person that loves heights!

we each took turns because we didn’t have enough equipment for everyone. wolfgang took each of us separately….when it was my turn, i followed him, looping one carabeener onto the cable that was attached to the moutain and then the second carabeener, then i scooted down about a few feet while using the rock to guide my feet, then took off one carabeener put it on the next section of cable and then the second carabeener. this was the system. after the “trial” climbing, i thought–wow that was easy, i didn’t need the fancy equipment, i’ve climbed like this before.

onto stage 1 of the mountain. same carabeener system but this time, i needed the fancy equipment…and every part of my body. whatever i could use to keep myself on that moutain, i was sure to use it.  As I was hanging off the mountain, I thought “Hmm…maybe that hike this morning was not the best idea but what can I do now.”  And then, I found the part of the mountain that Paula called “Oh shit” and realized the name was well-deserved since that was all I could think while I was climbing on it!  Wolfgang pointed out the fantastic views…but i was preoccuppied by keeping myself on the mountain! The rock climbing experience was a once in a lifetime (okay, maybe twice since we are going in Italy) that I will not forget, but I have to say that a lazy Sunday sounds pretty good after this experience!!

on the way down the moutain on our hike back to the car (because it got dark quickly), we invited paula and wolfgang to movie and popcorn–still trying to have some sort of a lazy saturday, haha. so then they invited us to grill out with them, haha, so we did. we stopped at kauflands to get more steak, turkey kabobs, mushrooms, baquette, and half of a lemon cheese cake from the bakery! wolfgang grilled out and we enjoyed cheese that can be cooked on the grill (so good), stuffed mushrooms, and a shot of their neighbor’s homemade liquor as appetizers, then kabobs (we were too full for the steak), salad, bread, and champagne for dinner. then coffee (for those drinkers) and lemon cheese cake for dessert. so yummy!

so our lazy saturday ended up to be a full day of new adventures!  Now for a lazy Sunday!!

 

Rocklette Experience

Filed under: Uncategorized — brooklyn23 @ 7:42 am

Before the news of the cave restaurant, on wednesday 3.11.09, we were invited to the cozy home of the wonderful judy wrede (4th grade teacher). She and her husband brian (and her son who was visiting from the states) invited us and a couple other teachers to their house for rocklette, which is the art of using small table grills for dining. they set up two of these on their dining room table and then lots of fixings (which we helped to prepare): raw chicken/shrimp/salmon, vegetables, cheese…then at the table we all just put what we wanted on this grill to cook our food and enjoy.  For dessert we had chocolate fondue with many kinds of fruit. SO DELICIOUS!!!  We had such a delightful evening with the wredes and company and really felt like part of their family!

 

Chodovar “Your Beer Wellness Land”

Filed under: school,Travel — brooklyn23 @ 7:37 am

Friday (3/13/09)

http://www.chodovar.cz/id101en-hlavni-strana.htm

One of the teachers at the school, Judy (Sarah’s mentor) plans a trip to Chodovar Restaurant every year.  We joined the bus trip and all the teachers and faculty and had a wonderful time! 

a little back story of this cave restaurant: The family brewery in Chodová Planá was built on ancient cellars cut in granite massif (CAVE). The origins of the cellars are connected with the foundation of a little local castle. That time is also linked with a tale about Albi the dog, which found a well with a plentiful spring of water in the neighbourhood of the castle. Albi the dog has been considered a good spirit of the local brewery cellars for centuries. Thus the dog’s picture was also decorating the emblem of the local malting guild for a long time. Based on an old brewery tradition, the end of the working day in the cellars was always accompanied by a traditional ritual. When leaving, the youngest apprentice was supposed to prepare a jug of beer and pour it into Albi’s bowl. This should have ensured the dog’s favour so as to bring good luck and protect the old ale brewers’ work – the famous Czech lager—that’s the back back story.

This was a unique experience for many reasons! 1) we just hopped over the border to Czech for dinner (yes that’s right, we went to another country just for dinner!!!!) 2) the restaurant is in an 800 year old cave that was once used as the brewery cellar.  Let me tell you, this was an amazing experience!  The atmosphere was spectacular!  You walk into the front door, only to go over a bridge which is over a underground stream, and through a tunnel into a small cave opening which serves as the waiting area.  Then, you walk through another tunnel to a second cave opening which serves as the dining area!  We had traditional Czech foods…I had tomato and mozeralla (not the cheap stuff, but good, sliced mozerella!!!)  as an appetizer and  a sirlion steak in a cream pepper sauce for my main meal.  We also sampled the local brew, because it’s a cultural experience!  I had a dark beer and it was truly the only dark beer I’ve ever had that I enjoyed!  

The nearby hotel offers beer baths and beer shampoo!  It is suppossed to keep your skin healthy and happy.  My first thought was “Do you leave the bath feeling drunk?  DOes your skin soak up some of that beer?”  OVerally, great trip and hopefully we’ll get to do it again before long!

 

Flavored what???

Filed under: Uncategorized — brooklyn23 @ 7:24 am

Last weekend, Paula was VERY sick!  You know, the kind of sick where all you want to do is lay in bed all day long.  Wolfgang had dropped his car off in Amberg (about 7 minutes from here) and needed a ride to go pick it up.  Thus, guess who got to drive?  THAT’S RIGHT…interns on the autoban!  We were a little nervous, since the rule is “yield to the person on your right” and there are few, if any stop signs or lights!  But, our little drive was quite successful!  I drove on the autoban, don’t worry grandma, I only went 80mph (but I was getting passed!!)  It was quite an experience and I can now mark “Drive in Germany” off my list of things to do before I die! 🙂 

When we were in Amberg, Wolfgang asked us to run some errands with him.  Of course we would, what else did we have to do?  So, we went to a walmart like store and were in the toliet paper section.  Wolfgang started laughing and when we asked why, a hilarious conversation ensued.  It went something like this: 

Wolfgang: Paula and I had a conversation when we first started dating that Americans and Germans use toliet paper differently. 

Interns:  How do Germans use toliet paper???

Wolfgang:  Well, Germans fold t.p. and Americans, huh…what’s the word…wad t.p.

Interns: Yeah, some Americans do wad

Wolfgang: Paula says we have to get the softest, so find the softest.  (After searching for  alittle bit) Oh, here, this is flavored, she likes this.

Nichole:…..hhhh……FLAVORED?  You do use t.p. differently than us.

Wolfgang: huh?  is this how you say it?  flavored? 

Me: OH SCENTED!!!!

Wolfgang then blushed and we laughed the whole way home!!!  What a great way to spend a Saturday and learn a little more about the nuiances of language!!!

 

Dachau Concentration Camp March 9, 2009

Filed under: Travel — brooklyn23 @ 4:43 pm

What an experience!  I can’t say we had an exciting or great weekend, because that seems slightly morbid.  This Sunday, we took a day trip to Dachau, the first concentration camp in Germany.  Dachau opened it’s doors the day before Hitler took power and closed the day after he committed suicide.  It was the only camp to exist during the entire Third Reich.  It was a slightly windy and chilly day, I can only imagine what it was like for the frail prisoners who had only thin clothing to keep them warm.  When you entered the camp, there was a large open area called Roll Call Square.  Surrounding the Square were the barracks, 32 in all, and of course barbed wire fence and towers, which led to a pretty depressing scene. 

Here’s a little history.  Dachau was built in 1933 as a work camp for people who went against the government, i.e. Communists and Social Democrats.  Up until 1938, the camp held only political prisoners.  It was then that the Nazis started arresting Jews, Jehovah’s witnesses, homosexuals, and asocials (mentally retarded or ‘strange’ people).  Each prisoner, upon arriving, heard a speech which basically told them they were the scum of the earth and would not return to their families or lives until they worked their way free.  That point was made even clearer when they entered the front gate and saw an inscription that read “Work will set you free.”  This, of course, usually led to them working themselves to death.  They were marched through town, usually while being harrassed by citizens, stipped of all belongings, shaved with dull razors (which usually ripped hair out and left open wounds), cleaned with disinfectant (still with those open wounds), showered, and given ill-fitting clothing all before being asked to do labor of all kinds. 

Prisoners were also subjected to experiments.  At Dachau, prisoners could be assigned to be subjects in high-altitude, salt-water, and hypothermia experiments.  In the high-altitude experiment, prisoners were deprived of oxygen to see how long a human could live without oxygen.  Hypothermia experiments involved putting  a prisoner in extreme cold and measuring the effects on the body until they died.  In salt-water experiments, prisoners were given only salt-water to drink and eat.  Some say that these prisoners often licked the floors after they were mopped to get any moisture they could to drink.  Nazis justified all of these experiments by saying they would help the German army discover ways to help soldiers who were lost/stranded in extreme conditions survive. 

When we walked into the camp, it was an errie feeling.  I felt queasy, not like I was going to get sick or was hungry, but just uneasy and like I would never escape that feeling.  We walked into the museum, which stripped walls and floors to look like it would have in the 1940s, and saw a huge map of thousands of concentration camps.  I had NO idea the concentration camp system was SO LARGE!!  We walked the path so many had walked before us, going through the room where they were stripped and gave up all personal possessions and into the shower room.  It was in the shower room that they often beat prisoners with whips or hung them from the ceiling until their shoulder ligaments and muscles were so torn, they would not be able to work…again leading to their death.  We also saw the uniforms they were given.  The material was nothing…it was so thin I don’t know how anyone survived the winter!  The guide also told us about the marking system on the uniforms. 

Red= political, Green= professional criminal, Blue= emigrant,

Brown=gypsies Purple= Jehovah’s witness, Pink= homosexual,

Black= Unemployed/forced labor “work shy”

Triangle with line above it= repeat offender (had been in camp more than 1x)

Triangle with dot under it= prisoners on “Special Workfoce”  the jobs that were punishment (like detonating bombs that hadn’t exploded on impact)

Triangle with golden triangle behind it = Jewish

Red dot= Flight risk; these were put on prisoners who might try to escape; the dots were sewn on the legs and chest to help guards aim their guns.

The camp also has a creamatorium and gas chamber, but they are reported as never being used.  They were built because Dachau was the training ground and model for all other concentration camps, including Auschwitz.  I can only imagine the horrors those prisoners felt as they entered these camps.

 

Nordlingen and surrounding areas March 7, 2009

Filed under: Travel — brooklyn23 @ 10:28 am

On Sunday (March 1st) after our great afternoon with Claus, Rudy, and Heidi, Wolfgang and Paula invited us to join them on a visit to the town where Wolfgang grew up.  After sleeping in again (this time until like 10!!)  we hopped a train and were off to Weissenberg.  As the train ride went on, the land around us started getting more and more farmlike…it really reminded me of home (especially walking on Grandma & Grandpa’s land)!  Paula and Wolfgang picked us up at the train station and had a full day planned for us!  Here was our itinerary (thank you Wolfgang)

1) Visit a castle (yes, I know, you’re thinking aren’t you sick of castles?)  But, this one was different.  Years ago, an artist bought the castle from the goverment for like $10 with the agreement that his family would live there and renovate the castle and turn it into a museum for the people.  The castle was very small and you would not know about it unless you lived there, but it was very interesting!  The artist had put his sculptures on display all through the courtyard and the castle.  There was a small, but gorgeous chapel.  The intricately-carved wooden alter and pews were surrounded by golden-gilded painting and statues of the saints.  (If I lived here, that is where we would get married Ryan)  That one little room probably only sat about 30, but it was my favorite part of the entire castle!

 

2) Then we were off for yet another history lesson!  History is so much more fun when you get to see it in person!  We went to Ehemalige Synagogue Hainsfarth, one of the few remaining synagogues in Germany.  It is in a tiny town called, you guessed it, Hainsfarth, and lies hidden amid the houses of residents.  Again, if you didn’t know where you were going, you would NEVER find this place!  To get a tour, you just knock on the door of the man who lives next to the synagogue and hope he is home!  (German’s are so laid back)  Luck for us, he was home and gave us a private tour.   During the Reichskristallnacht (Reich=3rd Reich, kristal= crystal, nacht=night) Nazis went to all Jewish businesses, churches, residences, etc and destroyed the buildings.  They call it “kritallnacht” becuase the Nazis said all the broken glass looked like crystal in the streets.  During the Reichskristallnacht, the Nazis had school children and teachers set some buildings ablaze.  This synagogue was one of those buildings.  Luckily, becuase it was in the center of town and the townspeople were worried that the fire would spread and destroy everything, the townspeople put out the fire and saved the building.  (I know, another amazing story and I was there)  Years later, a committee was formed to renovate the synagogue and make it into a memorial.  Inside, they kept parts of the old painting intact, so you know the restored state is the very same as it was during WWII.  Where the alter used to be, they did only one thing- put up a stone plaque that has the names of the last 30 Jewish citizens in the town.  All of those citizens were captured by Nazis, taken to concentration camps, and died before the end of the war.  Again, a moment when I was so overcome with the horrors of everything that I nearly started crying.  It is just an overwhelming feeling to be where those people were and finally understand so much more about the history from our school textbooks!  You can’t imagine it until you feel it.  Our tour guide, an older gentleman, is quite worried that when he dies, the younger generation will have no one to take his place.  But, he hopes that through the musical concerts that are held there, they will find someone who loves the synagogue as much as he does. 

3) On a lighter note, we ended the day with a trip to Nordlingen.  The town is located in the middle of Nordlinger Ries, a giant meteorite crater!  It is also one of only 3 towns in Germany with a completely intact outer wall that surrounds the city (Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where we have been, is another, and the 3rd is Dinkelsbuhl)  We went there mainly for a tourist attraction- a 90m-steeple called “Daniel”  which is part of the Saint Georg’s Church and made of a type of rock found only in this area, called suevite.  The suevite was created from the heat and pressure of the meteorite impact.  (History and science…really, what more can I ask for?)  We climbed to the top of the tower by way of a narrow spiral staircase inside the tower.  When we reached the top, we got to speak to the night watchman.  He showed us the living quarters, where he still sleeps occassionally, and told us the story of how the watchmen did the night call to the soldiers at the front gates to close the city gates each night.  He still does that call on Friday and Saturday nights…amazing, huh?  Then, we got to go outside onto the tower where night watchmen used to patrol the city.  It was so calming and so interesting.  I really felt like I was the protector of the city and needed to watch over the citizens below.  I can only imagine what the watchment felt like hundreds of years ago when they had to watch for incoming enemies and fires that might destroy the entire city! 

4) We ended the day with a trip to a celtic sacrificial alter.  We had to hike though some woods to get to it, and again, we would NEVER have found it if we didn’t have Wolfgang!  It was basically a rock formation.  It looked like a fire pit, but one side had a small drain going down a slight hill to a smaller collecting pool surrounded by rocks.  Wolfgang told us that historians don’t know much about the Celtics, but they do know that this alter was used to sacrafice animals and humans.  They would chop off their heads in the fire pit area, the blood would drain down the hill, and they would collect it at the bottom in the pool.  It was interesting to see because it seemed so insignificant when we looked at it.  Truly, if I had not heard the story, I would think it was just a lookout point in a park and nothing more.  Odd how some historical places are huge and grand and others are hidden away and nothing more than rocks?

Overall, great way to spend a weekend!  We are so blessed to have Paula and Wolfgang to show us these places that tourists just don’t get to see!

 

Hello German Family!

Filed under: Uncategorized — brooklyn23 @ 9:40 am

The following weekend, (Feb 28th and March 1st), we needed a break!  We were exhausted, traveling does that to you and just wanted 1 day to sleep in.  So, we decided we would make NO travel plans and would spend the weekend catching up on teaching stuff, laundry, cleaning our apartment, and our mental sanity!!  Thanks to Shelley, Nichole’s mentor, we have a plethora (yeah, I know, great word!) of movies and seasons of tv shows to choose from (thank you no internet/no tv)  Friday night, we spent watching a new series “Big Love”  We are now addicted to it and can’t wait to finish Season 1!   

Saturday, we woke up late (that’s like 8:30am for us) and spent the morning cleaning our apartment…its’ amazing how dirty it can get even though we are only here to sleep!  In the afternoon, Paula came up and told us Wolfgang’s family had come for lunch and wanted to meet us.  So, we joined them for dessert.  What a great family!  His dad, Rudy, his dad’s girlfriend, Heidi, and his brother, Claus, were so friendly!  Rudy spoke very little English, but managed to make fun of us for having to couch surf our way back from Barcelona and invite us to go to flea markets with him in the spring.  They also told us their family history…AMAZING!  When Rudy was little (during WWII) his family lived in Czech.  His father had been a soldier that took care of prisoners.  When Hitler fell and the Czech took over that land, they forced the family to leave the country.  At 4am, soldiers came, Rudy’s mom thought they were coming to kill her husband, but since he had been the only nice guard to the prisoners, they merely forced the family to leave the country.  His father was the only guard that did not get killed!  The soldiers told the family they had 2 hours to leave, and pushed them out into the winter morning.  To survive, the family rented a restaurant and Rudy and his 4 brothers played violin, guitar, and trombone to entertain the customers.  Isn’t that just an amazing story!  To these people, history is so real because they lived it.  To hear them tell it and see Rudy’s eyes, it was like you felt the family’s pain and struggle.  It was truly one of the best cultural experiences I have ever had in my entire life!  Needless to say, I feel that I have a German grandpa in Rudy!