Debbie will write more soon about this amazing trip we took along the Mosel River this past weekend (it’s the home of the German Riesling)…but, for anyone who’s interested, here’s a google map of our bike route.
Entries from June 2008
June 26, 2008
And Germany Wins…
We were secretly rooting for Turkey but–after an exciting game–they lost and the city was littered with downcast fans wearing red and white crescents. I became an especially avid Turkey supporter when, during the Turkish national anthem, I heard my fat German neighbor at the biergarten say, pretty loudly, that the one Turk singing along [...]
June 25, 2008
Polizei
Today I had my first taste of the German Polizei. Well, not police exactly, but rather a big-bellied man who dragged me off the train. The buses and trains here have no turn styles. The public transportation system operates on trust—one buys a ticket out of a machine and has it stamped in a little [...]
June 25, 2008
Turkey vs. Germany
We’ve definitely contracted Fussball fever in the last few weeks. Even Debbie. In a few hours starts one of those world-historical matches that elevates the game above just a few men kicking around a ball. Germany is playing Turkey for the semifinals of the Euro Cup
There was a story in the New York Times today [...]
June 24, 2008
My First Ghost
Our friend, Daniela, who had this fellowship two years ago, told us that living in Germany felt a bit like being surrounded by ghosts.
And I expected to feel that heaviness of history as soon as I got to Berlin, which had such a large and influential Jewish community before the war. But not in Bonn, [...]
June 24, 2008
The Wedding Crasher
Dear friends,
Part of planning a wedding from a foreign country means doing things like finding a dj off the internet and hiring him–and his tux–sight unseen. So, now we want your help. In order to prevent a musical catastrophe we’re putting together a song list and a “do not play” list:
Ms. Franny Rojas has started [...]
June 19, 2008
Go Deutschland, Go!
I didn’t think it would ever happen, and then at 10:14 pm, there I was on the corner of Paul Street and Peter Street, fist in air, mouth dropped open, cheering for Deutschland. I’m not much of a sports enthusiast, but being in Europe during the Euro Cup it feels sacrilegious not to watch. So [...]
June 19, 2008
Morning on the Rhine
So we got these amazing bikes last week: sleek, black, handmade German machines. We love them dearly and spent much of my first month’s money on them. But it feels worth it. And especially in the morning when we bike to school. The neighborhood where we take our language classes is a few miles away [...]
June 13, 2008
Out of the Bathroom, Please!
Ok, this has nothing to do with Germany, but, Dad, can you take the Souza painting out of the bathroom already!
June 11, 2008
80 Euros!
Slowly adjusting to the language, all that die, der, das and gutteral disciplinarian sounds. But can’t get used to all those rules. I’m always doing something wrong. Ride through a red light on your bike? 80 Euro ticket. You can lose your driver’s license without even ever getting in a car. There is a side [...]
