Describing what , for me, was the program's "Highlight" is not possible. There were just too many. And each was as great as the next.
The first "Highlight," was the classtime. It was phenonimal. Our daily teacher, Frau Lueder, made sure everyone understood everything, pausing often to check. The phonics classes gave all my future German studies a big boost.
Another "Highlight" was the Mensa food. It was absolutely scrumptious, generously portioned and ridiculously affordable. How could this not be a "Highlight?"
Another "Highlight" were my accomadations. They were incredible, better than some four star hotels I've paid a lot more for and they included a delightful breakfaast every morning.
The students were wonderful and if that is not a "Highlight" nothing could be. We were from all over the world and the German we were learning gave us a way to communicate and a common challenge.
Lastly. but far from the least "Highlight" were the excursions. They were fabulous and informative. They provided insights and views one couldn't possibly get while being merely a tourist.
Any one of these could be the "Highlight" if the others weren't also the "Highlight."
My perception of "German efficiency" has changed. Granted it may have been a misperception to begin with, but having a burned out lightbulb go unreplaced for three weeks is ridiculous inefficiency in any culture. But that was a gripe, not a major problem.
The trains are a different matter. In the past, I have found the train schedules to be extremely accurate, but not this trip. We were fifteen minutes late on our arrival. For my return home, I left Ilmenau an hour early to make sure that a fifteen minute late arrival would not put my connections in jeopardy. I need not have worried. My connection was fifteen minutes late. Now this lateness did no damage to anything except my perception.
This was a very fulfilling three weeks and if some of my ideas needed adjusting, it did not diminish the overall greatness of the opportunity .
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Dresden
The readings were enticing enough to make the 40 Euro (about $50) ticket and three hour one way bus ride less daunting.
The 7:45 am meeting time found me tired and less the enthusiastic. When they announced that we would be in Dresden until 11 pm, THEN begin the three hour ride back and I almost left the bus. But, in for a penny, in for a pound, and off we went.
My seat companion and I intermittently dozed and visited and the three hours were not unpleasant. We arrived an hour before our scheduled tour guide so we had free time. We were off-loaded at a charming park and given a return meeting time.
This was my time of greatest exploring. There were people about but not crowds. I followed my camera from one towering edifice to another. Not knowing their names, uses or ages detracted nothing from their beauty.
We wandered through the festival. Here were stalls selling every imaginable hand craft.
stages of music and shops of foods with inviting aromas. Well it was two in the afternoon, so we bought Brats on hard rolls and plopped down on the church steps to enjoy the, Frau Page was of like mind and joined us there, having bought her own meal.
Since we had missed the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) Frau Page offered to give us a tour. My thought was, "Not ANOTHER church" but I tagged along.
How very badly had I misjudged. This was anything but "ANOTHER church" I have never and I must reiterate, NEVER been in such a church.
First of all, it is open and ethereal. Secondly, there are no stained glass windows, so the light was pure and clear. Of course this was mid-day. Next, there was no oppresiveness, no call to atone. The pale jade pillars were echoed in color all over the place, enhanced with pinks, yellows and whites. All of this is a reconstruction, only consecrated in 2005, based on records. I cannot expound eloquently enough to describe this, dare I say "Heavenly," beauty.
My energy flagged in direct proportion to the escalating heat. We sought shade and refreshments and found both in an Eiscafe, more or less an outdoor ice cream parlor. I had Eiscoffee on the recommendation of Frau Page and it was scrumptious. Strong, creamy coffee served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it and surprisingly not sweet. I could have easily scarfed down another one.
We ambled through royal residences, gardens and other buildings
until the bells invited me to Mass. The priest must not have spoken High German as his mother tongue, for he enunciated carefully and clearly. Or maybe he was being considerate of the many tourists. Whichever, I was much better able to participate than in Ilmenau.
After Mass, there was another three and a half, four hours and we were zapped. We actually went from seat to seat, waiting ang watching but not much touristing. We had managed, however, to put over 23,500 steps or over nine miles on the pedometer.
Our bus pulled out of Dresden at 11 pm and I awoke in Ilmenau a little before 2 am. This bus-ride sleep was topped by a brisk walk through Ilmenau to the Jugendherberge (our lodging place), about 3,000 steps. By 2am it was cooler and easier to walk home. Exhausting, though it was, it was a wonderful trip,
The 7:45 am meeting time found me tired and less the enthusiastic. When they announced that we would be in Dresden until 11 pm, THEN begin the three hour ride back and I almost left the bus. But, in for a penny, in for a pound, and off we went.
At the appointed time we met and were given an hour-long driving tour of Dresden, narrated by a woman speaking wonderfully understandable German. At one point we passed a women's health center and this statue was in front. It is named "The ball thrower"
This was followed by walking tour with a different but equally understandable speaker.
One of the first buildings she pointed out was the art academy with a unique dome. She explained that the Dresdeners called it "The Lemon Press" It is amazing how accurate that description is. Each time I caught a glimpse of it, I chuckled at the memory.
Dresden is hosting a "Stadfest", city festival and by this time the people are beginning to crowd in. We became separated from the tour at the "Procession of Princes" which is a huge mosiac depicting the family tree. The mosaics are from Meisen and survived the fire bombing of Dresden.
Since we had missed the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) Frau Page offered to give us a tour. My thought was, "Not ANOTHER church" but I tagged along.
First of all, it is open and ethereal. Secondly, there are no stained glass windows, so the light was pure and clear. Of course this was mid-day. Next, there was no oppresiveness, no call to atone. The pale jade pillars were echoed in color all over the place, enhanced with pinks, yellows and whites. All of this is a reconstruction, only consecrated in 2005, based on records. I cannot expound eloquently enough to describe this, dare I say "Heavenly," beauty.
My energy flagged in direct proportion to the escalating heat. We sought shade and refreshments and found both in an Eiscafe, more or less an outdoor ice cream parlor. I had Eiscoffee on the recommendation of Frau Page and it was scrumptious. Strong, creamy coffee served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it and surprisingly not sweet. I could have easily scarfed down another one.
We ambled through royal residences, gardens and other buildings
until the bells invited me to Mass. The priest must not have spoken High German as his mother tongue, for he enunciated carefully and clearly. Or maybe he was being considerate of the many tourists. Whichever, I was much better able to participate than in Ilmenau.
After Mass, there was another three and a half, four hours and we were zapped. We actually went from seat to seat, waiting ang watching but not much touristing. We had managed, however, to put over 23,500 steps or over nine miles on the pedometer.
Our bus pulled out of Dresden at 11 pm and I awoke in Ilmenau a little before 2 am. This bus-ride sleep was topped by a brisk walk through Ilmenau to the Jugendherberge (our lodging place), about 3,000 steps. By 2am it was cooler and easier to walk home. Exhausting, though it was, it was a wonderful trip,
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wartburg
My first impression of Wartburg was of the horribly inclement weather which could not have varied by any significant amount over the centuries. Although the Royals that lived here had the best of things, they still must have been miserable on days like this, days that made their home cold and damp.
The intricacy of the mosaics, the generous use of gold and the clarity of th story telling pictures captured my imagination and I wanted to just stay in this majestic room. It made me wonder how much comfort could be found here, before electric heaters and light bulbs. 
We proceeded through lots of rooms, many of which had elegant cabinets, benches or other period pieces of furniture. 
After St. Elizabeth's history we learned of some of the succession, then of Luther. We visited the room from which he translated the Bible into German. It was a small, cell like room that coresponded well with my idea of a learned man's working space. The furnishings here were of the period, but not the ones Luther himself used. There is a copy of the original printing of his Bible on display.
The museum parts of the Wartburg were very interesting with 15th-18th century artifacts, such as armor, drinking steins, carvings and pieces of furniture. The tour took a couple hours but left time to shop in a delightful souvineer shop, where I ran into my niece and nephew who were just beginning their tour.
The first room we entered was difficult to people. It was called "Knight's Room." and had nothing in it but crypt tops and stone walls. There was a variation on this bleakness for a few more rooms, Then we came to St. Elizabeth's kemente. WOW!
The intricacy of the mosaics, the generous use of gold and the clarity of th story telling pictures captured my imagination and I wanted to just stay in this majestic room. It made me wonder how much comfort could be found here, before electric heaters and light bulbs. 
We proceeded through lots of rooms, many of which had elegant cabinets, benches or other period pieces of furniture. 
After St. Elizabeth's history we learned of some of the succession, then of Luther. We visited the room from which he translated the Bible into German. It was a small, cell like room that coresponded well with my idea of a learned man's working space. The furnishings here were of the period, but not the ones Luther himself used. There is a copy of the original printing of his Bible on display.
The museum parts of the Wartburg were very interesting with 15th-18th century artifacts, such as armor, drinking steins, carvings and pieces of furniture. The tour took a couple hours but left time to shop in a delightful souvineer shop, where I ran into my niece and nephew who were just beginning their tour.What was surprising? At the risk of being terse, everything. It was a truely new experience. The only other fortress I have visited was Hohensalsburg, and it's greatest asset, to me, was the view of Salzburg.
The reading from the reading described the fortress, the activities of St. Elizabeth and the work of Luther. It was a good preperation and quite informative. But visiting was like seeing a really great movie adaptation of a good book.
Adaptation to Life in Germany
Surprisingly, there have been very few changes required between Cincninnati and Ilmenau and they have not been difficult. here and at home, I rise at six, shower, read some prayers and eat breakfast. The big difference is that here someone else prepares my food and cleans up after me. That is certainly not difficult to adapt to. That I have between 5 and 6 hours of class is somewhat challenging but the growing language skill and the sharing with wonderful classmates makes that more than acceptable. Eating a lavish lunch for very little money is different from home, but again, wonderfully acceptable. And my evenings are almost exactly as my evenings after work at home, quiet, peaceful, and to be used as the day has dictated. Yes, I have had to learn a different way to use my eating utinsels and make change in Euros, but that has caused me no great stress, thank God. This experience does make me realize how very blessed both situations are.
Surprises
Perhaps the greatest surprise are the buildings. Before coming to Ilmeanu, I thought everything from the former Eastern Sector had been left in disrepair. There is certainly evidence of decay but it is not dominent, Dominent is the obvious care and pride that has been put into this city and every city I have visited. They have either been beautifully restored or reconstructed. And there is a good portion of new construction.
The only unpleasant aspect has been the cold rainy days that I had not expected nor packed for. They were few and far between, so I shivered and enjoyed the splender of the flowers the rains bring.
Dealing with the unknown, here, makes me conscious of the cultural differences. At home, I rather well know what is acceptable and can comfortably proceed. Here I must ask for direction, because I really do not want to offend anyone. If I were unsure of something at home, though, I would seek out someone I trusted to guide me proprly. So although the setting is different, I guess the stradegy is the same. The novelities, such as how to use silverware properly, and my approach to them lets me see that having lived longer than my classmates, gives me more experiences to drew from and more confidence to ask questions. Somehow, this is a revelation.
The only unpleasant aspect has been the cold rainy days that I had not expected nor packed for. They were few and far between, so I shivered and enjoyed the splender of the flowers the rains bring.
Dealing with the unknown, here, makes me conscious of the cultural differences. At home, I rather well know what is acceptable and can comfortably proceed. Here I must ask for direction, because I really do not want to offend anyone. If I were unsure of something at home, though, I would seek out someone I trusted to guide me proprly. So although the setting is different, I guess the stradegy is the same. The novelities, such as how to use silverware properly, and my approach to them lets me see that having lived longer than my classmates, gives me more experiences to drew from and more confidence to ask questions. Somehow, this is a revelation.
Bergfest: The Mid-Point
The reality of Mid-Point brings disbelief. Half way? How can this be? I still have not learned to speak or understand German! Most of my class mates say the same thing. I have spoken with no one who is feeling half way finished. Most feel as I do, that we have only just begun, how can we be preparing for the end? My class includes people from many lands, and are of a wide spread age group, though none other than of myself is a grand parent. Yet we are none of us expressing a readiness to finish. It seems significant that this very diverse group could be of so like of mind, but we do share this concept. It is reasuring that people who study together, rise above age, differing backgrounds and language barriers to become a single group.
Erfurt
The trip to Erfurt began rather oddly. I found a shorter way into Ilmenau, but I could NOT find the City Travel Buro. I found the train station, but could NOT understand the schedule. After trying the patience of a very helpful gentleman, I finally understood that the train had not left but merely pulled out to have a break. When, I finally boarded and bought my ticket, as instructed, I had an uneventful journey without having my ticket checked.
The gentleman in the information booth told me the Mercure was easy to find, "just go straight ahead out of the Bahnhof and it was not very far away, on the left." WELL,,, straight out of the building was a courtyard faced by a building that made it impossible to "go straight ahead." When I went back to the information, desk, he apologized, instructed me to go left then straight ahead, and there it was across the street from the Kaufmanns Kirche
Since I had spent a lot of time looking for the travel bureau in Ilmenau, and my nephew took off work early, he and his wife were there before me about an hour. That gave my niece some time to rest and my nephew time to reconoiter the city. After dropping my bag in my room we got together and spent the night walking, talking, eating and drinking until midnight.
Eight the next morning, we started all over again. 
 |
    This city has suffered very little damage from wars so these buildings we were seeing have been seen by people for centuries.The Kämmerbrücke is the only bridge with occupied houses and shops north of the Alps. Wonderful shops for antiques, Meisen ware, souveniers, restaurants, etc.  Here, I found an Erfurt hat pin. |
In the Cathederal place, I oriented myself as directed and easily found the bookstore from which I bought a children's prayerbook. A short distance from here we discovered Erfurt is holding a three-week musicfest. We heard and saw the children practicing, Tender.
The "so called Wolfram" is a bronze Candlelabrum circa 1160.
We spent several hours in this massive structure. Just a few steps from this Cathederal is the St Severus Church. This easily took another several hours to view. This church had some fire damage in 1472 and was repaired with "Indulgence Money" in 1473. Both buildings hold fascinating memoribilia.
We spent several hours in this massive structure. Just a few steps from this Cathederal is the St Severus Church. This easily took another several hours to view. This church had some fire damage in 1472 and was repaired with "Indulgence Money" in 1473. Both buildings hold fascinating memoribilia. Although the Citadelle Petersburg is located atop a long set of stairs, we made the climb and it was well worth it. To give you and idea of the beauty of the place, five different wedding parties were having their pictures shot here. This fortress was built for protection against the inhabitants of Erfurt, not for the. This is a shot of Erfurt from this fortress.
We spent several hours here, including time to stop for refreshment. My niece and nephew escorted me back to the bahnhof, which was another few hours ow walking, talking and gawking, and waited with me until my train arrived.
We spent several hours here, including time to stop for refreshment. My niece and nephew escorted me back to the bahnhof, which was another few hours ow walking, talking and gawking, and waited with me until my train arrived.The information from the packet gave me an idea of what to look for but in no way prepared me for the splendor this city displays.
It is difficult to put into words the feelings of awe, reverence and humility I felt as I walked, talked and prayed where people have walked, talked and prayed for a thousand years.
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