Weekends

(This post was written almost a month ago with the intention of being posted much sooner.  With that caveat...enjoy.)

            Throughout this year I have realized that I may finally be ready to be a real person and work at a real job.  You know, the kind of job where I get paid and will actually get that extremely adult thing called health insurance not provided by your dad.  I have actually experienced moments where finding a full-time job excites me, but what still depresses me is the work schedule.   Why can´t life just be a series of awesome weekends?  Would we not all just be a little happier in that world?  OK, so I will admit, work should and hopefully does for many bring a sort of satisfaction.  And for those people I would be willing to make a deal:  4 day work weeks and 3 day weekends.  In that world Hump Day (Wednesday for those of you who are not aware of its real name) would not even need to exist!  It could also take a break and not even need to be a whole day:  Hump Day would be more like „sleeping Tuesday night,“ and since sleeping is almost everyone’s favorite activity, that sounds like a good world.

            So, why am I even thinking of those things?  Well, simply because from the end of April to the middle of May I had such a solid series of weekends.  Work had been categorically stressful (and became even more so at the end of the month) with the different projects for Christel and Frauke, but each week I was pulled through by the thought that before long I´d be escaping that stress for two or more days and enjoying a real weekend.   On to my first weekend...

            During the last weekend in April I took a night train from Bremen to Saarbrücken, which is the capital of the province Saarland and also almost directly on the French border.  This area was where my German class in 2005 did our exchange, so as I rode the train to Saarbrücken I actually recognized many train station names.  It was neat to be in that area six years later and, just as I had remembered, the natural beauty of that area is its gem.  I was very excited for this weekend because my good friend from the language school phase (and with whom I’ve traveled several times), Morgan, has been in Saarbrücken since October.  As you may remember, most PPPlers moved in October to their final placement.

            Since I took an over-night train to save money and time, Morgan met me at the train station and we went directly to a cafe for breakfast, probably my favorite meal.  This was no ordinary breakfast, though—This cafe has pancakes.  I have never mentioned it, but one of the foods I have been continually wanting this entire year is a nice, fluffy, buttermilk pancake with maple syrup on top.  It is funny to me that I miss them so much considering all of the incredible food Europe has to offer and which I have more than happily eaten.  But anyway, this pancake, unfortunately, did not exactly fit my preferred description, but with its freshly cute fruit and honey drizzled on top, I had very little to complain about. 

            Morgan and I spent the rest of the day poking around Saarbrücken, shopping even though we shouldn’t have, and preparing for Ginny’s, another friend from language school who lives in Mainz (south of Frankfurt), 21st birthday celebration. 

            After a great evening eating with Morgan’s lovely host family (who are actually Polish, but have lived in Germany for over 20 years) and a really fun night with Morgan’s super fun Saarbrücken friends, we went to work early on Saturday on our birthday preparations.  One of the drawbacks of living with a host family or in an apartment that is equipped for the non-cooks of the world, getting to bake fun, interesting looking recipes is not a usual occurrence.  For that reason, Morgan and I happily volunteered to make the cupcakes for Ginny.  Per usual, given the different ingredients, the cupcakes did not taste just as we had hoped, but they did look pretty dang awesome, with their green, blue, red and yellow batters.  As I often want to tell German homeowners when I walk into their „white and white and white all-over houses,“ more color is rarely a bad thing.  These cupcakes fit the bill. J

            Seeing as this Saturday was the first day over 70 degrees I had experienced since September, the train without air condition was less than a comfortable ride, but despite everything we made it to Mainz, ready for a good birthday party and the food Ginny had promised to prepare.  An hour later and three PPPlers more, the party was started and we spent an extremely enjoyable evening in Mainz outside, bar-hopping and sitting on the Rhein.  Spring in Germany is just about the most wonderful thing about this country.

            Late Sunday I caught a ride back to Bremen, sad that the best weekends go so fast, but already looking forward to the next weekend adventure.

            Five days later I was back on the German train system riding southwest to Aachen, in North Rhein-Westphalia.  Aachen is where our first exchange student, Friederike’s, brother is studying, and since he offered to show me around NRW, I jumped on the chance! 

            Despite the continual rain the entire weekend, it was easy to see that Aachen is a very charming, small city.  There is still a considerable amount of older German architecture and I simply really enjoyed the city layout.  The “old city“ is much larger than Bremen’s and almost everything can be reached by foot.  There is also a natural water spring in Aachen that, like most water springs in Germany, is popular for its healthy qualities.  Christian, my host, told me that Aachen’s name was almost changed to Bad Aachen (pretty much the equivalent of naming it Spa Aachen), but the town voted against it because then the town would lose its first-place alphabetical position in lists!  If I wanted my PPP friends and I could analyze that to the last detail for German idiosyncrasies, but I won’t, because I like Germans. J

            The cathedral in Aachen is also well worth the visit and I was personally astounded by the intricate mosaic that dominates the interior.  In almost every German town the standard things to do are, go to the church and climb the highest point in the town.  Since I have seen numerous German cities, I have seen plenty of cathedrals, but I found Aachen’s cathedral particularly stunning, from outside and inside. 

            Later that day we went to the “drei Ländereck,“ which is where the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany share a border.  This point is also, amusingly, the highest point in the Netherlands at something like 300 meters above sea level.  I have said before that Northern Germany is that flattest place I have ever been, but lest I forget, the Netherlands also shares this rather honorary distinction.  One thing that I particularly love about Europe is the preservation of cultures and traditions of each country.  It is no exaggeration when I say that as soon as we crossed into the Netherlands the architecture of the buildings changed and look distinctly different from Germany.  The same goes for Belgium.  Needless to say, these differences are simply charming. 

            That weekend we also visited Maastricht, a city in the Netherlands (whose architecture was so similar to Amsterdam’s) and also went to Julich, where we visited a fort from post-Renaissance Germany and finally to Cologne.  Just like the good tourist I am, I climbed every step to the top of (one of) the cathedrals famously high and ornately Gothic steeple.   The cathedral from inside was not as I would have expected it, considering only the day before Aachen’s had blown me away, but the outside is the real treasure.  There is a clear reason why this architecture is world-renowned.

            Like every weekend, I had to end up back in Bremen at some point and was happy to do so.  However, every time I leave my little northwest corner I realize yet again how much Germany has to offer and what beauty is hidden in every corner.  Aachen and the land around are wonderful examples of what treasures are hidden in Germany, even at its last corners.

            Now, finally to my last weekend.  Since I would imagine you are a little tired of reading and I am definitely over typing this blog, I will quickly summarize my perfect little canoeing weekend:

            My friend Sophie grew up in the part of Bremen called the “Blockland,” which is the area that was historically turf fields and farm.  This area is so incredibly beautiful and each time I am there I am continually amazed this wonderful oasis lies so close to the bustle and crowd of Bremen.  Two weekends ago Sophie and I did a canoeing course and trip hosted by the canoeing club next to her house and the restaurant her family owns.  After a Saturday of paddling instruction (I had no idea it was so complicated!), we had a 27 kilometer (16 mile) boat tour on Sunday.  The excitement and energy Sophie and I started with was long gone by the time we got to the 20^th kilometer, but eventually we finished the breathtakingly beautiful canoe tour on the Wümmel and through the turf canals, and then promptly rewarded ourselves with organic ice cream from a neighboring farm. 

            With all the traveling I am blessed to do, it is sometimes easy to forget what wonders Bremen has to offer.  Just today I went swimming in a lake, which is essentially in the middle of Bremen, but somehow maintains its peace and tranquility.  This is just one of the few reasons I have become so fond of Bremen and, as my traveling has shown me, these treasures are to be found all over Germany.