Showing some love for Leipzig

I've been meaning to post these photos all week! Now with less than 24 hours to go until I leave on my next little jaunt (to Amsterdam with Kim-O), the race is on to get this blog up and out the door!

So here we go!

Last weekend, my lovely friends Jason Martin and Diana Hofsommer, invited me to visit them in their "home" town of Leipzig in the former East Germany. Although, I guess technically it is still in the eastern part of Germany...whatever, you get what I mean. I had such a wonderful time learning the history of this beautiful little town, eating and drinking traditional Saxon fare, and even celebrating St. Patty's Day! So, please, allow me to take you on a little walking tour to introduce you to Leipzig. (Jason, please correct and/or ignore any errors).

So where exactly is Leipzig?

Leipzig is a cozy little city located about an hour to an hour and a half southwest of Berlin. It has about 500,000 residents and is in the state of Saxony in Germany.

I loved the cafes and architecture of the center city. The picture on the right is of city hall and at the top you can see the Saxon crest. Notice the blue skies in both of these pictures. Leipzig might be my favorite German city thus far...because they absolutely delivered on the weather. It was GORGEOUS out, which made our 5 hour walking tour of the city very relaxing and comfortable.

Some recent history (1949-1989)

As I mentioned above, Leipzig was a part of East Germany, which was governed by the Communist Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) from 1949-89. This period of time was really quite oppressive for most East Germans. They lived without many of the comforts and means that we take for granted today. I learned a lot about the Secret Police, or Stasi, at the Stasi Museum right in Leipzig. Essentially, the Secret Police were plain-clothed agents for the government. It could be your neighbor, your colleague, your "friend." The Stasi were responsible for keeping track of you...they kept tabs on what you did, what you said, what you ate, where you went. They had wire tapping devices, letter opening machines, they used dogs to trace your wherabouts using scent. It was a world with no secrets. After the wall fell, residents could attain their "file" and find out who was watching them. The whole experience was quite shocking for me.  

 

On a brighter note: Leipzig is also credited for the "Peaceful Revolution." When East Germany was falling, the government was trying to hold onto everything they had. Tens of thousands of Leipzig citizens gathered together and the mayor of Leipzig refused to sign the orders to use violence on the crowds. 20 years after the fall, Leipzigers and those from small cities around Leipzig came to celebrate the fall of East Germany. Jason and Diana were there. How cool is that!

Of course there are still indications of the DDR days. A lot of gray, concrete, non-descript buildings still line the outside of the city. Mostly college students and senior citizens live there today. I didn't take any pictures because they are just not that attractive. I did, however, find the statue below quite interesting. The left side of the artwork is representative of the communist regime...strict, rule-abiding, oppressed. The right side of the statue represents stepping out into a new day with freedom and rights.

Another symbol "left behind" from the DDR days is the Ampelman. This little bugger tells you when you can walk and when you can't. The city and the former East Germany has really embraced this guy, selling lots of coffee mugs and shirts. He's a cutie...

Now for some history, history (back in the day)

So Leipzig can definitely hold its own in the history category. Johann Sebastian Bach was the choir master for the boys choir in St. Thomas' church here. He's actually entombed in the church, which is beautiful, by the way. Please note: the man featured in the picture on the left is not a random stranger. That's Jason.

The picture below and to the right are of beautiful St. Thomas Church.

 

Leipzig also has a very famous statue depicting Faust, the German legend of a scholar who makes a "deal with the devil." People rub Faust's left foot for luck. I'm not sure if there's a connection with Leipzig and Goethe, the author fo Faust, but...it's here, so I rubbed the foot.

One thing that German's really do well (actually most Europeans) is coffee and cakes. But in reality, it was the Turks that brought coffee to the region so many years ago. I was lucky enough to take a break at Caffe Baum, the second oldest coffee house in Europe that's still standing. The ornate carvings show a Turkish trader bringing coffee to a cherub.  

In Leipzig they have what's called a Leipziger Lerche. Now made with marzipan, this little cake was once made with lark, but once King Albert understood their significance for agriculture (they eat bugs) and noticed the waning supply (400,000 alone were sold in 1720), he banned the use of the bird in the delicacy. And for all of you who are wondering...I have no idea if that is what the paper in my picture says. I just looked it up on Wikipedia.

And now for the strange...

OK...so one not so strange thing and one really, really strange thing. Jason and Diana own a Kleingarten (aka small garden). Found all over Germany, these little plots of land and laubens (aka sheds) allow people to get out and away from the city to relax and enjoy their gardens. So, what's weird, right? Well, most Kleingartens are owned by senior citizens. As noted in the picture below, Jason is not a senior citizen. See...told you it wasn't that strange. It's really actually pretty cool if you ask me. Plus the previous owner left a camping toilet in their lauben. So generous, right :)

So now for the super weird. I am very familiar with the goth culture. You know, the kids that die their hair jet black, pierce any and everything and listen to heavy metal music? I, however, was not at all familiar with the Waves. I guess they are inspired by Japanese Anime. I don't know. All I know is I took a lot of pictures of these girls...and just kept following them. I stopped paying attention to Jason as he explained the significance of something or another...I was on a mission, to understand what the hell was going on with these girls. Even now I still can't figure it out. I had to stop typing and think about the Waves for a second.

So on that note...that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed our little trip to Leipzig together. Next up...Amsterdam!

You win some, you lose some

So, now that I’ve been here for a few weeks, I’m clearly an expert at all things German, right? Ha! That’s a big, fat joke. Yes, while things are getting a little easier, they are still way hard. It’s interesting, because something that would have been second nature in the U.S.—ordering a coffee, going grocery shopping, cooking dinner, cleaning the bathroom—all require a hell of a lot more brain power. I’ve survived using pictures, which have led me astray in some instances. For example, I may have cleaned the mirror in my bathroom with toilet cleaner…I don’t know. All I know is my mirror is now worse off than it was before.

So, this general feeling of exhaustion is causing a little bit of a damper in my life, but I’m trying to take it in stride. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a little overwhelming at times. And I may have cried a few tears over the bathroom incident. But, hey, I’m human.

Anyway, there are a few small victories that I’ve taken tremendous joy in…and one small snafu that I know you all will find hilarious.

First…the victories!

Blackberry – 0, Katie – 1

Yes, I defeated my Blackberry. When I arrived the admin for our group handed me my brand new German BB…and then said, but you can’t get email on it and IT has no solutions. What? You see, even though I’m living here for two years, I’m still on all the U.S. servers. So, not only does this mean it takes my computer 15 minutes to boot up in the morning, but it also means that my German-configured BB cannot access the U.S. server. Thus…I have to carry two work BBs PLUS my own personal cell phone. Total crap. So, after complaining about this in my head and then possibly out loud a time or two, one of the guys I work with in the States told me to just load the software. You know, the stuff they put in the box that I’ve always ignored before because IT handles all that stuff for you? And it worked!!! When that first email came through on my new phone, I literally stood up, raised my hands above my head and shouted “YES!” To which, of course, my office mate just shook his head. He has had to do this a lot.

I have the fanciest (and most complicated) headset known to man

The headset literally has its own touch screen interface. No joke. So of course I’m totally amped to look like the fanciest telemarketer ever! Only problem…instructions are in German and I have no idea how to use my desk phone. Seriously, I was trying to call someone for 20 minutes one day. Finally, I gave up and sent an email. So, this is where pictures, and some patience, came into play…oh yeah, and a little help from my German buddy in the States, Juergen. Again, victory over technology. This never happened in the U.S. Maybe forced out of my comfort zone I am an IT wizard.

The bahn…oh, the bahn

I have to say, I’m actually pretty impressed with how easy this was. I needed to take the train about an hour and a half away from Munich to Erlangen (aka, Siemens World). Sounds complicated, but I only made one mistake. Of course, the mistake was I sat in someone else’s seat…and that person did not speak English. That was an interesting discussion bright and early on Friday morning. But, I learned how to find a seat that is not reserved, and as I type this I am currently sitting comfortably in my non-reserved seat on the way back to Erlangen (again). No snafus this morning, thus, I count this as a victory.

Now for the not so glamorous moment…

Windows open how?

The windows in our office are a bit complicated. They open a variety of different ways and are like 400 pounds. So a couple Fridays ago it got really hot in my office. I had seen my office mate Thomas open the window the previous day, so I thought “I can totally figure this out.” And I did. I opened the window. It seems so ridiculous when I type it, but you have to see this window.

Anyway, the day went on without any issues at all and when it came time to leave, I put my coat on and went to close the window. Next thing I know, the window has fallen off the track and I’m holding up this giant, 400 lb, awkward window. Shit! Way to go American girl…first week in the office and you’ve broken the window. And it’s 4:30 p.m. on a Friday, no less.

So, my first thought is, I let go and this sucker’s going down. My second thought is, even if I could reach the phone I still don’t know how to use it. And even if I did, I have no idea who to call. My third thought was, man, this is going to be a long weekend and I’m already hungry. Needless to say, it was the thought of starvation that gave me the strength to jam the window onto the track just enough so that I could run (arms flailing) down the hall to my colleague’s office. The whole time I’m thinking…don’t fall, don’t fall.

So, of course, Markus’ reaction is priceless. “Oh my God, Katie, what did you do?” So, next thing you know, security and the firemen are involved.

So, small victories and some small snafus seem to be pretty commonplace in my life right now.

By the way, the window did get fixed. Phewf.