In Ulm, um Ulm, um Ulm herum!

Hello my darling readers!

It's a late night here in Tuebingen, and since I have no desire to sit and watch my laundry go around and around and around (in the world's smallest front loading washer), I realized that I was forgetting something.  And that something was one more blog entry from our trip to Blaubauren!! I can't believe I forgot!  So you get an extra treat!  So curl up in your seats, grab a big ol' cuppa tea (or coffee if you're a caffeine addict), because I've got a post for you!

"In Ulm, um Ulm, um Ulm herum" is a German tongue twister (in German they're called Zungenbrecher; literally, tongue breakers. Cute, right?) about the city of Ulm, located right on the border between Baden-Wuettemberg and Bayern (the state where Munich, Oktoberfest, and Lederhosen come from).

Now Ulm is famous for its amazingly beautiful Gothic cathedral (well it's technically a minster, if you want to be picky).  Why?

Well:

 a) it took like 300 years to build (can you imagine growing up and dying and still not seeing something finished?!)

and b) it's the highest church steeple in the world.  It's 469 feet (143 meters) tall and you gotta climb all 768 steps to get to the top.

Unfortunately, as we were there I still was best friends with das Boot so I sent an emissary, the amazing Ms. Rachel up to the top to snag some pics for y'all.

Tada!

"And on the other side of the river is New Ulm and Bayern.
We Ulmers don't associate them"
No. Seriously, they don't.

Lovely shot of the back of the church from above

Fear Factor I

Fear Factor II

Getting a little dizzy...

Add this one to the "Jake's Faces" folder

Going down?

Gargoyles over Ulm

Quasimodo doesn't work here, sorry. 

Can you find me?
Hint: Left hand side!

Many thanks to Rachel who snapped all these pics!

Was ist blau in Blaubeuren? (Part 2 of 2)

Or Climb Every Mountain!

Which is really not as fun as it sounds.

On last Wednesday, the whole group of the Kompakt Course took a tour of the monastery in Blaubeuren.

The gorgeous triptych altar, painted in gold. 

Ceiling detail in the chapel

German poet Hoelderlin made his mark on the chapel walls.
I guess graffiti was popular in 1753 too.

 Gothic arches

So after an expansive history tour, we all headed down to the Blautopf for some ice cream.  After this delicious repast, we began our hike.

Now the Germans love to hike.  Not like in the vague American way of saying: "I like to hike" which means "I'll hike from the parking lot over the dune to the beach"  or "I don't mind walking from there to here since I don't have a car".  It's a big weekend activity here. Everyone from your sweet little granny to a babbling four year old goes hiking. They are hardcore.  Unless you like roughing it in the woods (which I do not), Americans have no perception of German hiking. 

The German perceptions on hiking are simple: 

1) Why take the car or the bus or train if you can walk there?!  

2) Paths, what are paths?  

3) Signposts and guardrails are for the weak.

So yes,

The Germans love, love, love to hike.

Now, I was a Girl Scout.  I mean, yes, more of the let's-make-a-sit-upon-while eating-trail-mix-while-gossiping-about-people type than the lace-up-my-boots-and-climb-this-mountain-type, but still. I was a Girl Scout.  I am no stranger to woods and forests and all the precious woodland creatures therein (except for spiders and snakes, they are evil. Pure evil).  But I have never before climbed a mountain range rim with a broken foot in a walking cast.

Just a little fast fact - It's hard.

It wasn't bad to begin with.  In fact, I thought, with a bright, cheery optimism, this might be so bad.  Then the "path" (and by path I mean goat trail) got really, really steep very, very quickly.  My boot although it was indeed made for walking, was not in the mood to walk over anyone or anything.  Plus, dragging around the extra weight on my right foot made me extremely tired.  So I fell behind. 

 Luckily, Zach and Rachel were there to keep me going.  So we kept climbing and climbing and climbing.  And I'm pretty sure I ran out of German expletives and had to switch to some English ones.  Finally after many swears and sweat, and tears (no blood, thank goodness!) we reached -

A road.  A windy road.  A highway. With lots of cars. 

Which leads to a little town.  With a bus stop. With another little path leading to the ruins of the castle we were hiking toward.

REALLY?! 

WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN EASIER TO TAKE THE BUS TO THIS LITTLE TOWN?!

Fuming, I shoved my anger down my throat and tried to smile at the tutors and teachers as I huffed and puffed  up towards them.

We can order you a car to take you back, they said.  The path isn't so great from here on out.

Oh. Really.

Unfortunately, I have a nasty streak of stubbornness (from which side of the family I received it from is unclear yet).  I had climbed all this way up.  I wasn't going back.  So we kept going.

Good thing Zach and Rachel were there because on the path there were huge chunks of limestone sticking out of the rolly mountain rim.  Imagine one of those Pepperidge Farm cookies with the chocolate chips in them.  Just like that.  Except not tasty and decidedly uncomfortable.  Meanwhile, Emily joined us, inhaler in hand (poor thing!) and Jake sped on ahead, with little concern about our well being (thanks a lot).  One of the tutors, Susanne (she is so nice!) stayed behind to make sure we didn't get lost or eaten by bears or fall off the edge of a cliff.  So we practiced German while (almost) facing near death! Huzzah!

And eventually, we found the ruins!  Wir haben es geschafft! Unser Ziel war erreicht!  (Side note: I love the verb geschafft.  It's fantastic sounding).  

So we appropriately documented our victory.

The Very Helpful and Awesome Rachel and that Jake kid.

Going down?

Emily and Rachel celebrate their victory

The boys were too cool to smile for my picture.

And eventually we all got home, safe and sound. 

Was ist blau in Blaubeuren? (Part 1 of 2)

Last week, all the 50ish students of my intensive language course packed up and drove into the Swabian Alps (in German, die Schwäbische Alb).  It was pretty frightening driving up winding mountain roads in a giant mega-bus.  There were definitely moments when I looked out the window and saw a huge cliff beyond the railing.  After about an hour and a half, we arrived in Blaubeuren, a tiny little town nestled in the mountains.  We unpacked and then we had to do a scavenger hunt.  


I don't mind scavenger hunts in English, but I don't like having to ask strangers for information.  Let me tell you, it's even worse in German.  We were given a sheet full of ten questions and we were told to explore the city and get the answers from real Germans.  It was terrifying!  The first man we asked was a pleasant elderly man who spoke in fluent Swabian. So we couldn't understand a thing!  The next several people were also friendly, albeit difficult to understand.  Finally, we found a family who were more than willing to answer all our questions and look up (thank you iPhone!) the ones they didn't know.  Then they pointed us in the direction of the Blautopf, the pride and joy of Blaubeuren.

Blautopf this way!

Just don't go swimming, okay?

Die Schoene Lau - A statue commemorating the myth
 of a mermaid who learned how to laugh. 

Yep.  The water is really that blue.  It looks like anti-freeze.  And you can't tell from the pictures, but the Blautopf is about 60 feet deep and connects into a huge web of underground lake and tunnels.  The Blautopf was amazingly pretty and it did have a bit of magic about it with the forest mountains surrounding it.  It's no wonder that the monks decided to put a monastery right by it!

The cloister in Blaubeuren.
It's only about 1000 years old.
No biggie.

The monastery is now a boarding school! Like Hogwarts, but without the magic.
And more music.
And religion.
But you know, just like Hogwarts. 

Jake gives Rachel a piggyback in the courtyard.

3/5 of the Tuebinger 5 and our new International Friends!
Neils, Helena (both from Belgium), Rachel, Jake, and Emily

I haven't forgotten about you!

Hello my darling readers!

Yes, it is, I, back from a week in the Swabian Alb (not the Alps, there is a difference) at an intensive language retreat.  Alas, I had no internet. But I have lots of pictures and stories for you!

Unfortunately, tomorrow I have a big grammar test for my class. Since German grammar and I have a dysfunctional relationship, I'll have to keep you in suspense in for more day.  But here's a little teaser:

Big post coming tomorrow and Tuesday!

Hello my darling readers!

I put a research poll on the left sidebar  to see what you want from me and my blog.  I'm going to be starting classes tomorrow, so my posting might not be as frequent as before so I just wanted to see what interests you! If you have an idea for a blog entry or a theme you want me to blog on, feel free to leave a comment on this entry!

Lots of Love,
Your Humble Blogger

PS. The poll will be open until midnight next Sunday (9/11)

Leaving You in a Plume of Diesel Fumes (Or Holy Rescue Mission Batman!) Part II

 PART II

So, after an exciting day around Germany, we decided to all kick back, eat dinner together (pizza!), and watch a movie.  Naturally, I had already managed to secure a German copy of my favorite guy movie ever - The Dark Knight.  In my opinion, this is one of the best action movies ever made and I love it. ( Mostly because Christian Bale unbelievably attractive as Bruce Wayne. But Aaron Eckhart is amazing too!)  And I am happy to report that a good movie in English is still a good movie in German.  Although I missed the voice acting from the English version, I was able to follow the movie really well in German. Holy German Vocabulary Lesson Batman!

Zach left early because he was super tired and Jake was planning on taking the bus back to his dorm.  The only problem with the Dark Knight is that's it's a really, really, really long movie.  It keeps you engaged the whole time, but it's about 3 hours long.  Emily, Rachel, Jake, and I said goodbye around 1am and everyone went their separate ways.

At about 1:30 am, my phone starts ringing.  It was Jake.

Oh God, I think, he's missed his bus.  Instead I hear Jake's voice, small and shivery on the end, telling me that he took the wrong bus, he has no idea where he is, he can't see any houses or cars or lights, and it's raining.

It turns out there are two bus stops with the same name in Tuebingen.

Jake has called me because I am the only one of the five who has both internet and access to taxis. I quickly googled his location.

The news wasn't good.  He was on the direct opposite side of town from his dorm. (Point A is Jake's dorm, Point B is where he was)

 I found a taxi number online and called. I explained (in terrible German) to the driver that he needs to pick up someone from the other side of town and drive them back home on the opposite side of town.  I can come in an hour, the driver says.

Meanwhile, Jake was having a panic attack.  His cell phone was out of minutes, a single car would drive by going 80 mph about every 10 minutes, and the only light and shelter from the cold was the overhang from a gardening shed that he found.  There wasn't a pathway for him walk even if he wanted to try and walk back home.  All he had was his wallet, a soon-to-be-useless cellphone, a jacket, and a bag of snacks.

So I did what Batman would do when faced with a daring rescue mission without the Batmobile - I grabbed my umbrella, my wallet, my keys, and my phone and found myself a taxi.

Luckily there was a taxi service company right outside my dorm. There was one taxi waiting outside, its little yellow light the only beacon of hope in the rain.  I tapped on the window and told the driver where I need to go.  He told me he knew the place, but gave me a weird look.  I quickly told him that my friend had gotten on the wrong bus.  The taxi driver made a little noise somewhere between a cough and laugh.  He patted the passenger seat on his side and invited me to sit there.

I scowled and sat in the back.  I'm not stupid. It was about 2am now and I was young woman taking a solitary taxi out to the middle of nowhere. There was no way in hell that I was going to get groped or raped while on a rescue mission.  Instead, I busied myself on the drive by keeping a close eye on where we were going, counting the number of turns, and trying to memorize where things were on the way in case I needed to escape or walk home.  I knew we were going the right way - the map and its twists and turns were burned into my mind thanks to adrenaline and panic - but I still worried.  I got really worried when I saw a Tuebingen sign with a huge red slash through it, proclaiming to all that, indeed, I had left the city limits.

What if Jake was actually somewhere else and I had incorrectly Googled his location?!

What if this taxi driver was taking me out of city limits for some nefarious purpose?  

What if he killed me and dumped my body in the forest or the fields?  No one would ever find me!  No one would know where I had gone! And Jake would still be stuck cold, wet, and lost in a field!

And worst  of all, I realized, was that I didn't know the number to call the German police.

The taxi slowed by a dark part of the road. Then I saw Jake standing by the bus stop.  (Bus stop here is an operative word.  Some bus stops are nice with little shelters and benches - this was just a pole with the bus schedule on it.)  Jake wrenched open the taxi door and said: "I knew it was you! This was the only car that has gone past in like 15 minutes!"

We then told the taxi driver to drive back to my house.  I called Zach to tell him that I had found Jake, because as it turns out Jake's phone was now useless and out of minutes.  We got back to my place, paid the taxi driver an exorbitant 20 Euros for the ride, and Jake crashed at my place for the night.

Then I switched off the Batsignal and curled up in bed, feeling like quite the superhero.

Leaving You in a Plume of Diesel Fumes (Or Adventures in Public Transportation) Part I of II

This a was a long entry so I split it into 2 parts.

PART I

Yesterday we embarked on a fun adventure to the Reutlingen Wine Festival and to Rottenburg (Am Neckar).  Both of them are smaller cities close to Tuebingen.  We went in the afternoon and decided not to play the it's 5 o'clock somewhere card, but we did get to enjoy a traditional large German midday meal.

Rachel at the Wine Festival

Zach making a funny face

Zach, Jake, and Emily (left to right)

Jake and Emily at the Wine Fest

  We then noodled around the Reutlingen Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) - we had just missed a wedding!

The pulpit is a work of art

A beautiful rose window adorns the nave of the church

Surprise! There's Martin Luther. 

A gorgeous stained glass window above the baptismal fount 

 And then it was off to Rottenburg, which was so quiet and peaceful, we decided that we would have to come back again soon.

I don't know what's going on here, but I love Rachel's face in this picture

Rottenburg Am Neckar

Jake and Emily by the bridge

Rachel, Jake, Emily, and Zach along the bridge

Behold the mighty Neckar!

Emily photobombs Rachel's wistful moment

Jake being all moody

Emily and Jake (again!) on the bridge

The Marktplatz in Rottenburg

All of this took place between making mad dashes for trains and buses.  With a huge government controlled and regulated system, the Germans have no mercy for late people or for people running after a missed bus or train. Even if you see your bus waiting at the station and you start running for it, because it's supposed to leave  right NOW, the bus driver will look at you and simply drive away.  It's your own fault for not being there on time. (Zach figures it's how the bus drivers get entertainment by leaving as a large group of Americans run after the bus.)  You have been warned: They have no mercy.