Ich Bin Ein Berliner

On Sunday morning's flight to Berlin, I was a bit melancholy at the thought of leaving behind friends and the magical city of Munich. I was cheered considerably by the thoughtfulness of Peter, who called and left a Welcome to Berlin message at my hotel. Paul and I walked from east to west on Unter Den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate, all signs of The Wall gone. So different from thirty years ago, although the Russian Embassy still holds a pretty impressive piece of real estate in the former east.

The view from west to east, this time without barbed wire and tanks, was a wonderful sight. Just a few blocks from the Brandenburg Gate is the new Holocaust Memorial: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

The 4.7 acre site is covered with concrete slabs that vary in height from 8 inches to about 16 feet.

Although there is some controversy as to the meaning of the sculpture, the interpretation that most resonates with me is that it represents the ordered system that lost touch with human emotion and reason. Walking between the columns is unsettling.

A few blocks in the opposite direction is The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament.

The glass dome was designed to symbolize transparency in the German government.

After meeting with the program directors at the Freie Universität (FU) on Monday, Paul and I agreed (I somewhat reluctantly) that it was time to return home. Loaded with Lebküchen, chocolate, and gifts from the Weihnachtsmarkt, we flew from Berlin to Frankfurt to Denver to Portland, finally arriving home at 10:30 PST on Tuesday evening. And we were back to work on Wednesday. I was dizzy for several days, and woke every morning at 4 am for the next week. The suitcase is unpacked, the presents distributed, the chocolate eaten ... and the last remaining evidence of my trip is the alarm clock on my nightstand, which still reflects German time. For some reason, I just can't bring myself to change it back to PST.

Deutschland Reise: München

Thirty years ago, I left a piece of my heart in Munich. Participating in Lewis and Clark College's Year in Munich Program, I studied at the Universität München during the 1978-79 academic year. For reasons that now seem fairly trivial (work, money, children), I never returned. Until now. Paul and I arrived in Munich around three in the afternoon on Thursday and took the U-bahn to Münchner Freiheit, a very familiar stop in Schwabing. From there, it was about a 10 minute walk to our hotel on the edge of the Englischer Garten.



After participating in the requisite meetings on Thursday and Friday, I had Friday evening and Saturday to catch up with old friends, wander through the Weinachtsmarkt, watch the Glockenspiel play, climb the steps of Alter Peter in search of photo opportunities, drink a few beers, and reminisce on some very happy times.





My dreams were answered when I awoke Saturday to find that it had snowed! The view from my hotel window was Christmas card perfect.

The time in Munich was fabulous, but too short. And an even bigger piece of my heart stayed behind this time.

Deutschland Reise: Tübingen

Our hotel in Tübingen was situated right around the corner from city hall. After a restful night in my very sweet room, I awoke to blue skies and sunshine. Paul and I walked to the Universität Tübingen and participated in the Study Abroad Fair that was held in the Mensa, then had a few hours to explore the city.

As is true in most German cities, the local castle proved to be a good starting place. Schloss Hohentübingen offers a wonderful view of the city.


And once again, I was struck by the similarities between the city of Tübingen and Cornelia Funke's Inkworld. In my imagination, Hohentübingen is the Castle of Ombra.


At the farewell dinner, we said goodbye to the Family Meeting participants and our gracious Universität Tübingen hosts, and the next morning Paul and I walked to the train station for the journey to our next destination: Munich. The rain was back, but the city still magically beautiful.

Mein Zimmer Ist Suss

I am staying at the Hotel Hospiz in Tübingen and my room is very sweet. The room is on the fifth floor, which is the top floor and more or less the attic. The view out the window is of the tiled rooftops of the Altstadt (old town).

The window opens and the Federdecke is warm ... what could be better?

The bathroom is very modern

with the sweetest tile.


How perfect can this trip be?

Deutschland Reise: Esslingen Weihnachtsmarkt

The conference sessions ended today at three and we left Blaubeuren, heading for Tübingen. On the way, we stopped at the Esslingen Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas market.

So many wonderful things to see


and buy


and eat!


Ben would have loved the cinnamon buns


and Peter's favorite would have been the bread on a stick.

My favorite part was the medieval section, complete with strolling players and artisans demonstrating their crafts. I felt as if I were in Ombra with Fenoglio and Meggie.

Deutschland Reise: Blaubeuren

The Germany trip is well underway. Paul and I flew to San Francisco on Saturday morning, then from San Francisco to Frankfurt, where we breakfasted in the Lufthansa First Class Lounge. It's good to fly with people who travel frequently. After a restful breakfast, we flew to Stuttgart, where we were picked up and driven by bus to the Heinrich Fabri Institute in Blaubeuren, site of the family meeting for study abroad advisors. Having not really slept on the plane, I was exhausted. Paul was committed to keeping me awake, however, gently but insistently tugging on my arm whenever my eyes closed, asking me if I was still awake. Paul's theory is that as soon as you step into a different time zone, you immediately embrace that time zone and never look back. We arrived in Germany around 9:30 am (12:30 am PST), therefore, Paul insisted that we stay up until the normal German bedtime. We arrived in Blaubeuren around 4 pm, checked into our rooms, then walked into the city. The streets, of course, are decorated with twinkling white lights for Christmas and it is all lovely. Around five, just as the church bells were chiming, we followed a group into the church, where an Advent concert was just beginning. We listened a bit to the harp and violin music but grew drowsy as we warmed up, so walked back to the Institute for a wonderful dinner of Rinderroulade mit Apfelrotkraut and Kartoffelspalten.

So far, Paul's theory seems to be working and, after going to bed around 9 pm, I woke up this morning feeling fairly refreshed. I stayed awake for the morning sessions, then everyone walked to the Blautopf, a cold water spring on the edge of the Kloster Blaubeuren.

The Kloster Blaubeuren is about 900 years old, built around 1085.

We spent a fair amount of time in the Kloster Blaubeuren, knowing that the meetings didn't start again until 4:15 pm.

On the way back to the Institute, we stopped and I bought a hair dryer to replace the one I toasted this morning in a 220 volt experiment that went terribly wrong. I fought off waves of drowsiness from 4:15 to 6:30 pm, when the meetings finally ended and we consumed yet more meat and potatoes.

Tomorrow afternoon we travel to Tübingen, with a short detour to the Esslingen WeihnachtsMarkt.