Saturday, February 18, 2012

Berlin Again

(24.9.11)
    My mother had a general rehearsal in Berlin with the choir and decided that it would be nice if Jakob and I came to listen. Upon hearing this my father also decided to join the group.  So we decided to do a little sightseeing before hand.  We took the train and disembarked near the zoo.  We had a lovely stroll along what I would equate to the Boise Green Belt.  We could see several animals and often stopped to have a closer look.  We also proceeded to walk down Strasse des 17 Juli (Street of 17th July) to the Berliner Siegessäule (Victory Column).  It was quite fun climbing to the top and we had a wonderful view of Berlin.
Berliner Siegessäule
Brandenburger Tor
Winged Victory
 After our brief trip up the column we headed to the Philharmonie to listen to the rehearsal.  At one point I nearly fell asleep though the lack of leg room kept me awake.  My father, brother and I walked through Potsdamer Platz and saw masses of people.  It was the first day of the Berlin Marathon, which meant it was Inline Skates day.  Yep - a marathon on inline skates.  There was also a kids marathon which was considerably shorter.  It was quite enjoyable watching the skaters and I decided if I ever have the crazy desire to participate in a marathon inline skates is the way to go.
Inline Skate Marathon

(23.10.11)


Jakob, Anna and I drove to Berlin to meet Anna's cousin and her husband at the Berlin Wall center at Bernauer Strasse.  It was very interesting walking along the remaining parts of the wall and reading (or in my case, attempting to read) the information plaques.  It was amazing what the people of Bernauer Strasse did in attempts to cross the wall.  There is also a portion of the wall that is sealed off and left exactly like the border when have been like.  After reading and listening to what some people went through, the people who successfully crossed the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall) became my heroes.
Stretch of Berlin Wall


Spire from Conciliation Church that was demolished in 1985

Tunnel in an attempt to cross the Wall

Preserved section of the Berlin Wall border.
After walking we went to eat dinner.  Anna and I split an Eisbein, which was delicious.  I also managed to break a glass.
Eisbein





A Small Tour of Germany

(10.4.11 - 10.12.11)

During the fall holiday, a result of Germany's reunification (Celebrated on October 3rd), my family enjoyed a nice little tour of southwestern Germany.  The towns on our trip were Quedlinburg, Eisnach, Neckargemünd, Speyer, Heidelberg, Neckarsteinach, Köln and Duisburg.
Some of the highlights from the trip included:
-Walking through old town Quedlinburg, a UNESCO site
-Seeing the treasures in the Quedlinburg castle/cathedral
-Spending the night in the Creuzburg Castle
-Visiting the Wartburg
-Standing in the room where Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German
-Seeing the Bach house and statue in Eisnach
-Seeing Luther's house in Eisnach
-The Eisnach Cathedral
-The Narrow House
-Spending several nights with Andrea's brother and his family in Neckargemünd (their house was gorgeous), we would make day trips from their house to other cities
-The Speyer Dom (Speyer Cathedral)
-The Crypt in the Speyer Dom
-Der Bretzel-Mann (The Pretzel Man, a statue on Speyer Dom)
-A quick trip to France for the afternoon
-Heidelberg Castle
-Giant Wine Barrel in Heidelberg
-Walking through Heidelberg
-Heidelberg Cathedral
-The castle ruins in Neckarsteinach (Mittelburg, Hinterburg and Schadeck)
-The castle ruins Eberbach
-The Upper Middle Rhine Valley (UNESCO)
-Stoping in Köln (Cologne) on the way to Duisburg
-Köln (Cologne) Cathedral
-Meeting Anna's sister (who speaks no English) and going to the SeaLife with her and Jakob
Quedlinburg Rathaus
Quedlinburg Castle
View from Quedlinburg Castle
View from my room in the Creuzburg Castle
The Wartburg
Eisnach Cathedral

Bach


Me in front of the Speyer Dom
The Crypt of Speyer Dom
Getting in touch with my inner child.
Der Bretzel-Mann


Heidelberg Cathedral

Heidelberg Castle

Giant Wine Barrel in Heidelberg Castle

In front of Köln Cathedral
After climbing up the tower

Köln Cathedral