Cuckoo for Cuckoo Clocks

After spending an evening in Stuttgart waiting for Alli to return from the U.S., I met her at the airport and we drove down to the Black Forest to meet up with our neighbors from Minnesota (now living in Germany...Katie and Tom in case you forgot). We managed to convince the desk clerk to keep the bar open late so we could catch up over a beer. The next morning after a delightful German breakfast, we toured a clock museum in Furtwangen which provided a historical perspective of the development of the cuckoo clock industry in Germany, as well as the various other clock making aspects that developed concurrently around the world. After the sun was a little higher up (we needed warmth) we went off on a hike to the highest waterfall in all of Germany.

As winter was taking it's sweet time retreating, we had to take a different path to get to the waterfall due to snow/ice covering the normal route. This wasn't a big deal until it came time to head back to the car and we realized we all would have to climb back up the way we came (not a quick walk, nor an easy one). I made the brilliant decision of going back to the car myself taking an unmarked route to avoid about 400 meters of roadway. I am sure I created quite the amusing photo opportunity for those watching below as I scaled the hillside (it was quite treacherous, had Alli been so against walking back herself she surely would have scolded me for even trying). Anyway, I made it back in one piece, and picked everyone up and we made our way to a lakeside lunch (by lakeside I mean a small pond). I had a well-deserved Radler (pilsner mixed with lemonade) and we enjoyed a great Spring afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent seeing more of the sights of the Black Forest, including an old water mill, eating Black Forest Torte, and walking the German countryside. As the next morning was Easter, we attended Easter Sunday mass at a local Catholic church which proved to be interesting as the entire service was in German and none of us really know much of the language. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile experience visiting these old European churches and participating in worship in buildings many hundreds of years old. While we didn't pick up an souvenirs (except maybe a German sugar buzz), it is always nice to see friends no matter how far away you are from home.

Germany Heritage Tour - Eisenach

My final official stop on my German Heritage Tour was Eisenach, with the Castle Wartburg perched above the city watching the valleys below. I parked my car in the castle parking lot and proceeded to climb the roughly 200m to the castle above, often taking two steps at a time (all that biking and walking in Lausanne's hilly streets finally paid off). The other American tourists were easy to spot as they were taking full advantage of the benches and plateaus every 30 steps on the climb up the hill. The castle is where Martin Luther hid out under the assumed name Knight George and translated most of the Bible into German...he also managed to get into a fight with the devil which apparently resolved by throwing ink at said Devil. The castle contains the room where these activities occurred, although previous treasure seekers have managed to chip away all of the ink-stained stone. Nevertheless, it was an interesting place to visit.

After leaving the castle, I headed down to my hotel which is perched on a different hill within the city...my room opened up to a view of the Wartburg Castle across the valley (I highly recommend the Haus Hainstein for those staying in Eisenach). After taking a quick nap, I walked down into the city to check out the sights and avoid the rain drops. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in this city, so his house is now a museum. I walked through the church where he was baptised and thought how cool it would have been to hear him play his music in a church like this...Eisenach also had its own Luther statue, and quaint pedestrian mall where one could pick up a tasty wurst for a couple euros and people watch until it was ice cream time.

The town of Eisenach has an old automobile factory from the Cold War that now sits in a state of ruin much like many of the old factory buildings in this part of Germany. In spite of this, Germany is making many strides to redevelop areas like this in hopes of bringing new economic growth to the country. It is encouraging to see this, and for visitors from the States, it gives one a chance to see the remains of an era past without having to travel all the way to Eastern European countries.

Germany Heritage Tour - Lutherstadt Wittenberg

The second city stay on my Germany Heritage Tour took me to the university town of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived a majority of his life. It was here that he raised his family with his wife Katharina, and it is here that he was finally laid to rest in the Castlechurch of Wittenberg. The church is also the church of the 95 Theses fame which helped to spark the Protestant Reformation (which in turn spawned Lutherans and as a result, sauerkraut suppers in church basements across America, as well as sitting in the back row of church). While in Wittenberg, I toured the Castlechurch and the amazing museum which once housed Luther and his brood (as well as his pupils, employees, and whomever else was hanging out...the place was huge). The Luther residence had previously been a monastery and thus had tons of space. Some of the highlights of the museum included the pulpit Martin Luther used to preach, as well as many paintings and sculptures of Luther. There was also a library on the top floor dedicated to preserving many original manuscripts and documents penned by Luther himself, as well as his contemporaries.

I also amused myself by realizing the more German beer I drank, the better my German became. I am sure the waitress was less amused, although she seemed to laugh anytime I said anything so apparently my German isn't as good as I think. Another favorite spot in Wittenberg is a tree, the Luther Oak, where Luther supposedly burned his Papal Bull of Excommunication (sort of like a predecessor to a non-binding UN resolution). The town itself is in the Saxony region of Germany so the food is more reflective of its East German past (lots of potatoes and simple dishes featuring cheap sausages...but all very tasty).

A nice side trip was in order as I needed some country scenery so I drove about 25-30 minutes out of town to a place called Wörlitz which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz. This place is a 50 square mile park created in the late 18th century by Duke Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau (falling asleep...must not turn into History Channel...go to Wikipedia for more details...). Anyway, I walked around the garden grounds for a few hours enjoying the magnificent weather with a delicious Coca-Cola Classic (have I ever mentioned how thankful I am that Coke dominates the international soft-drink market? Seriously, I love Coke, as do many Americans (or Pepsi if that's your preference)...but this experience would have been so much harder without Coke). The garden grounds had various buildings that evoked images of other landmarks from across Europe (which is evidently part of the story of how the buildings came to be in the first place), as well as a nice sized lake with many little islands and inlets. If I ever were to live inside a cheeseball romance novel, this would probably be what I would picture when the author begins to describe a summer romance which blossomed in a palatial European garden.

I would have to encourage anyone looking for a day trip from Berlin to stop in both of these places to capture both the essence of Martin Luther's life, as well as to appreciate a hidden gem in the German countryside. And if anyone from the Coca-Cola corporation wants to send me a welcome back to America gift basket, I'll be happy to forward you my home address.

Germany Heritage Tour - Lutherstadt Eisleben

The first overnight stop on my German Heritage Tour was a stop in the birthplace (on subsequently death place) of Martin Luther, Eisleben. It was quite obvious that I was now in what was formerly East Germany due to the deteriorating buildings and lack of charm. Most of my time was spent in the streets wandering about looking for the various sights, but being a small town I was able to find everything quite easily. Although the house we he was born burned to the ground many years ago, it has been rebuilt in what they assume to be an indicative style of the time as no original plans exist of the house. A rather large museum adjoins the home which is dedicated to his life and the reformation (very well presented).

Across town is the home he died in, which is a little less exciting except for those who are a bit morbid and like such things. A death mask sits in a glass case at this house to show that he died here (I don't think they had CSI Miami in Germany back then so they made the mask to prove to everyone else that he actually died I guess). I tried to get into the various churches in town where he either was baptised, parishioned (I think I made up that word), and preached before his death but they were all locked up. For the diehard Luther fans out there, this town is worth the visit, but for those who just want to see one Luther site while in Germany this is probably not your place (Wittenberg is much better).

A recurring item of interest is that every town that Luther is associated with in Germany seems to have a statue in the town square of him. I've included a snapshot of this as well as a curious picture of a Soviet cemetery near my hotel (definitely Eastern Germany).

Pop, Pop, Pop

Quick story, and I promise a flurry of posts in the next several days as I have been entertaining visitors, as well as visiting on my own the past few weeks...

So my cousin Joel just spent the last several days with us and as a result accumulated a few mementos from Switzerland.  As he is traveling without a lot of spare room in his backpack, he opted to mail his new two liter beer stein back to the U.S. along with a jacket that has now been replaced by a much cooler Swiss version.  One might guess this story will be mostly about the trials of attempting to communicate this to the Swiss Post Office, but one would be wrong (now that I am more comfortable speaking French, communicating the intent wasn't the problem).  One might also imagine humorous circumstances such as parking outside the Post Office in a 30 minute zone, and taking more like 45 minutes to complete our task causing my car to be towed, ticketed, or otherwise detained as a result of Swiss Parking Cop aggressiveness, but one would again be wrong.  (Although to be honest we did take 45 minutes to do something that should have taken 5-10, and I was illegally parked for 20 minutes or so which could have made a better story).  

One could even imagine the cost of shipping the box to the States costing well more than either of us had on our person and the clerk not accepting credit cards, forcing us to abandon the package in a frantic search for an ATM, getting money, and still not having enough to pay the bill as one of us managed to misunderstand the amount...but one would be wrong yet again (but only because I remembered I had a spare twenty in my pocket).

Instead, I will regale you with a tale about the most minor aspect of this story, which is now a funny story (at least for the three of us who know it so far).  As Joel and I were communicating to the Postal worker the need to ship a delicate, glass beer stein to the U.S., we realized we would need some sort of cushioning inside the box to prevent the glass from breaking.  Unfortunately we didn't not cover packing materials in French class, so I tried to get creative.  I asked for papier (paper), cacahuète du boîte (box peanuts, aka packing peanuts)...as you could see I may have been causing more problems than I was solving.  At this point, Joel decided to try the universal expression for bubble wrap by saying "Pop, Pop, Pop" while making a motion that he was popping the little bubbles on the bubble wrap.  I am pretty sure she thought we were a few corners short of a square...but all of the sudden she said "Voila!" and ran over to a shelf were she produced bubble wrap and said "Oui! Pop, Pop, Pop!"

Problem solved, and bubble wrap will forever remind me of the Swiss Post Office with my cousin Joel, whom has since entered into the 23rd annual International Charades & Signs Contest which will be held in Geneva next August.

German Heritage Tour - Genealogy Stop

While Alli was off in the U.S., I decided to make the most of being so close to Germany (the land of my people...my people being White Anglo Saxon Protestants). After spending some time reading through my Great Uncle Chuck's research on our family history, as well as spending some time on Ancestry.com I found out that my Great, Great, Great Grandma and Grandpa came from an area in Germany which is now known as Oehrenstock (in the Thuringen region of Germany).

Using my trusty GPS, I was able to navigate to this small town (maybe 200-300 people still live here) where I soon realized nobody spoke a lick of English. Using my logical skills of deduction, I figured I could confirm my lineage by finding the town cemetery and finding old tombstones with my family name on it. Unfortunately my GGG Grandma and Grandpa's tombstones where not to be found having died sometime in the late 1800s, but I was surprised to find many, many, many others with the same last name as me.

This proved exciting for many reasons, but mostly because I always assumed we were one of those families who changed the spelling of their last names upon arrival in America to make themselves fit in better...but each tombstone contained the current spelling of my last name (Seeber, which translates roughly to Sea Bear). Even though I didn't really talk to anyone, I am pretty sure these people were all somehow related to me, even if only because we have the same GGG Grandma and Grandpa (although it appears it would be their G or GG Grandma or Grandpa judging by their ages). Anyway, I though it was pretty cool....

Monkey Mountain

As you can probably tell from the lack of blogs, we have not been in Switzerland for the last week or so...we are also leaving tomorrow for a week in Provence so who knows how many posts I can crank out in the next few hours (don't set your hopes too high). Two weekends ago, we drove up to Lake Constance (or the Bodensee) for the day to meet with Alli's sister and her beau. The highlight was a visit to Affenberg, also known as Monkey Mountain. This nature park contains a habitat for Barbary Macaques which anxiously await the arrival of visitors to feed them. Upon arriving, you get a giant handful of popcorn and then you begin your adventure...

The monkeys are trained to sit on the railings where they will gently take all the popcorn you have in your hand and eat it. For fun, I kept my hand closed which proved no challenge as they simply pried my hand open to get to their treat. It was very cool yet creepy to interact with the monkeys...they are just a little too similar to humans in their mannerisms and abilities. Either way, we enjoyed the stroll through the "mountain" feeding the various monkeys. The park also has other animals such as deer, frogs, ducks, swans, and storks, but the monkeys are definitely the draw.

After we left Monkey Mountain we thoroughly washed our hands (I don't think the monkeys use hand sanitizer between meals), had lunch, and strolled along the lake en route to some delicious ice cream (it's just not a perfect day without a double scoop!). Springtime has definitely arrived which allowed us to enjoy a our dinner outside overlooking the Bodensee while enjoying our visit with Felix and Susie (such a cute couple, especially when they speak German gobbly gook with each other). We then drove to Stuttgart to check out Felix's apartment, and spent the night in a nearby hotel as Alli departed the next day from the Stuttgart airport (she had to go to Memphis for a work event), while I went off on my German Heritage tour.

A Wheely Good Time

I received a telegram (maybe I should have said email to make this a little more believable, but if you think people still receive telegrams than perhaps I am not the one needing a brain exam) last night from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency absolving me of any wrongdoing (you know, from my meat importation incident), provided I agree to one simple request. I obliged, considering I don't want to live in Switzerland much longer. My penalty required that I become an eco-warrior and help reduce the scourge of global warming. I chose to demonstrate this by powering the country of Switzerland using my own two feet...how you may ask? By converting my amazing running speed into electricity through a giant hamster wheel (I'd explain to you how this works but I'm afraid of losing my last four readers). I must say I enjoyed myself and learned my lesson...which is "hamsters are easily amused."



P.S. Thanks for playing along with my April Fools...I suppose I should get outside more.

Unexpected Turn of Events

I received a very disturbing letter from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency today.  Apparently, as a result of my violation of bringing excess foreign beef into Switzerland, I will have a hearing to determine whether or not I can be allowed back into the United States (most likely just a significant fine).  Alli will fly to the U.S. next week on my behalf to discuss this matter (part of my trial indicates I remain in Switzerland until the matter is resolved).  I find this interesting as I was able to come back for Christmas, but apparently the new administration has issued new rulings in conjunction with its crackdown on foreign tax evasion.  The new administration determined if the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency improved its methods, the revenue generated from the taxing of imported goods (specifically from tourists and expatriates) would generate a significant windfall to help decrease the projected deficit (the letter discusses how as much as $375 million dollars in unenforced duties and taxes go uncollected each year at our Nations points of entry).  The administration also acknowledged the capability of fining U.S. citizens found guilty of violations in other countries when traveling under the guise and auspices of a U.S. Passport or Government Visa.  I will provide more details to this situation as soon as Alli returns from the U.S.