Twenty-One Little-Known Facts

This may be about as narcissistic as it gets, but as another blogger wrote, this is my blog, and I get to decide what goes on it.  :-)  After I become a regular reader of another blog, I start to wonder who this person is. I appreciate knowing some things about him or her, though I also understand the need for privacy. For some reason I feel like it's vain of me to do this (and therefore will probably delete this post), but I don't feel the same about other bloggers who do. Hm.

1. I'm a homebody. I'd far rather spend an evening at home alone reading than out at a bar or a party. My husband feels the same, and so we prefer to spend our evenings home alone together.


2. It drives me nuts when I publish a blog post after proof-reading, then review it the next day (or months later) and find typos. What the heck?!


3. I truly admire my parents for the volunteer work and the many volunteer activities they have been involved with all throughout their lives.


4. My life's dream has always (or at least since age 20) been to write a novel that would be deemed worthy to put on the reading list of an English (or German!) course taught at my alma mater.


5. I think I wish I could have learned Latin in high school. (I passed up the chance in college.)


6. I hate everything in the "bean" family. If they're related to beans (like lentils), I won't eat them. Lima beans are the absolute worst, followed closely by the nasty brown ones people put in chili - kidney beans? Blech!


7. I have some sort of strange illness which manifests itself by grammatical errors and typos jumping off the pages of anything I'm reading. This is even happening to me in German by now. E-Books are the worst. Who types those things?!? Why, in that case, occasional typos still slip past me in my own posts (see #2) is a mystery.


8. When I left Germany in 1986 after my 5 1/2-month exchange experience was over, I sobbed as the plane took off. It wasn't that I didn't want to go home, but rather that I didn't want to leave. I think I met my "old soul" here, and a part of me was coming home every single time I returned to Germany after that.


9. My son gives the greatest hugs of anyone I know (besides my husband).


10. I don't have a bucket list. I love my life so much as it is and has been that I have no unfulfilled wishes. I love reading others' lists, though!


11. I cannot swallow coconut. If I take a bite of a dessert with hidden coconut shavings, I find a discrete way to get it out. I'd rather eat dirt. Or beans.


12. München (Munich) is the only big city I have ever been to that I like. Chicago? Yuck. Big, gray, ugly rectangular buildings. Stuttgart? Great for shopping, lacking charm and a beautiful Altstadt. NYC? Chicago, only bigger. Great theater opportunities, though! Berlin? Culturally and historically rich, but gray and cold otherwise. Hamburg? Ok, that one's got potential, but I wouldn't want to spend more than a weekend there. Gosh, I have not been to many big cities! 


13. I truly love traveling with my daughter. She is calm, likes doing many of the same things I enjoy, is interested in the world, doesn't mind turbulence on planes, handles unexpected problems well, and is open to almost anything.


14. Esslingen, Germany, is my favorite city in this whole world.
    
    
    


15. I don't remember a time when I didn't have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), though I only realized how constant and loud it is after I moved to Germany. I would really like to know what silence sounds like again.


16. My mother-in-law is one of my closest friends.


17. If I were stranded on an island and only had two books with me (like that would be my biggest problem), I'd hope they were the Bible (because it would take a looonnnnggg time to get through) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (because Mark Twain was brilliant and that book is like an old friend though I have read and taught it more times than I could count).


18. My three biggest common (American) English grammar pet peeves, which sound like metal forks on a chalkboard to me, are "I should have went/ran/gave/came...", "Me and...", and "I did/am doing pretty good." There are 34 other ones, but those are the biggies.


19. I have an old-school cell phone which I use twice a month at most. It holds a charge for more than two weeks and I usually forget to charge it because I use it so rarely. I don't text, and I don't even know my own number by heart. I do not understand the appeal of Smartphones, iPhones, etc. and I hope it stays that way.


20. I love writing letters, cards, and postcards by hand and sending them through snail mail even though it takes 5-7 days to get to the U.S. from here.


21. I don't wear or even own make-up and haven't for many years. I think it's because I can't be bothered and because my husband has always said he prefers the "unpainted" me. I'm a lucky wife!

P.S. If you see any typos, for heaven's sake, let me know!

Things I learned this week

The following is a list of some of the things I learned this week from reading the newspaper, watching documentaries, talking with people...

• Alma mater means "nurturing mother" in Latin. I probably should have known that already.


• There is no other country in the world whose inhabitants throw away more food than the U.S.A.. 


• Despite the fact that there is a direct bus connection between our little town and Nagold, there is no way to find out by phone, email, or internet how much it costs to take the bus there because the towns are in different counties and controlled by different transportation associations. The only way to find out the cost is to get on the bus and ask the bus driver (who will not be happy to provide that information if I just get on the bus, ask him, and get off again).


• Every photo taken with an iPhone is automatically saved in The Cloud. Yet another reason why I am glad I don't have any sort of smartphone. (Then again, the most scandalous photos I take are of statues.) I don't even know if my Handy/cell phone can take photos - I use a camera for that. 


• Our local butcher is closed next week so the owner and employees can have some time off. Good for them! Bad luck for us.





• At the Internationale Funkmesse (International Radio Exhibition) in Berlin, an app was unveiled that allows a person to scan a recipe and the app will send a signal to his or her fancy oven to tell it when to preheat, to which temperature, and how long it should be on. And that's really cool because the hardest part of cooking is often turning on the oven to the correct temperature. Not only that, but setting a timer or looking at a clock is just so old-school.


• There's an app for your coffee maker, too. You can tell your phone to tell your coffee maker to make the next cup stronger. I'll bet there's also an app for flushing your toilet. In 20 years are people going to be able to accomplish anything without a phone in their hands?


• The Colosseum may or may not have been flooded several times in order for the "performers" to reenact sea battles. I thought this was already accepted fact, but apparently researchers are not able to figure out how it was flooded and drained and are therefore unsure that it was.

• Freudenstadt is known for its collection of sculptures. You can follow a Kunstpfad (Art Path) around town with the help of a brochure available in the Stadtinfo. The newest piece, which arrived this week, is this 29-ton thing called "Schwarze Wasser*" ("Black Water"), created by Wolf Brüll:

*I would think it should be called "Schwarzes Wasser," but if it is, it's a typo in our newspaper (twice). There is another similar sculpture in another location in Freudenstadt by the same artist called "Schwarzes Wasser." Apparently the patrons liked the first one so much that they wanted to provide another one just like it...?  I took this picture in a sort of "What the heck is that?" mood, and two days later it showed up in our newspaper - the newspaper photo was from almost this exact angle.

Diese Woche in Kürze / Week in a Nutshell

31. August, 2014

This week I...

• ...wrote letters to my children, who are now both in college. The hand-written kind of letters, sent via snail mail, that take 5-7 days to arrive.


• ...startled my husband, who was watching TV in the living room, with a shocked gasp when I discovered a typo in a blog post I had just published. I apparently used my "OMG, SPIDER!" noise, because he leapt out of his massage chair to rescue me.


• ...spent a day in Stuttgart (walking through the Rosensteingarten, a huge park) and Herrenberg (wandering the Altstadt). Forgot to turn off my GPS tracker when I got on the train - AGAIN! - so the data is screwed up and I don't know how to fix it.


• ...wrote the following memo: "Seriously, Fruit Flies, STOP drowning yourselves in my wine! I'm sick of it! And what is that noxious odor of nastiness you emit when you expire? Knock. It. OFF!" They didn't get the memo.


• ...linked two of my day trip blog posts in a blog hop on Young Germany. Wondered whether I should be participating; I'd hardly call myself young!


• ...wished from afar that I could have helped my son move into his college dorm on Thursday. Unlike a lot of parents who lose their minds a little when a kid (especially the youngest) goes off to college, I am nothing but totally excited for him and can't wait to hear about his experiences - the ones he's willing to tell me about.


• ...learned that a 9-year-old accidentally shot and killed her weapons instructor with the Uzi (a semi-automatic machine gun?) he was teaching her to fire at the Bullets and Burgers gun range in Arizona, USA during a family vacation. Just when I thought I'd heard the most ridiculous of U.S. gun "regulations," I find out that children as of age 8 are allowed to fire semi-automatic weapons in Arizona. Boy, was I cheated out of a childhood. My parents didn't even let me play with matches at that age. All I had were dolls, model horses, and stuffed animals.


• ...rode the Stuttgart U-Bahn for the first time.


• ...attempted, with M's help, to bake my first Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian plum cake) with Zwetschgen the neighbor shared with us from his plum tree. It wasn't bad!

• ...successfully created and inserted a table on a page of my blog, so now I have a list of German words I commonly use here along with the English translations.

• ...for the fifth time this summer, did not go to the historical city tour of Horb as I had planned. The first time I got the meeting point wrong. Twice, including today, it was chucking down with rain. Once there was a town festival going on and I couldn't find a place to park. Another time we'd had a big lunch at our favorite restaurant and I crashed on the sofa instead. I've got two more chances in September.





...passed on another opportunity to drive on the Autobahn to Esslingen.

Day Trip 4: Herrenberg

Since Herrenberg is on the train route home to Horb from Stuttgart, it was a logical place to stop after my time in the big city. It has a pretty little Altstadt with lots of Fachwerkhäuser, a history I'm still getting to know, a beautiful church, remnants of the medieval wall that once protected the city, and an outlook platform which provides a nice view of the surrounding countryside and the Swabian Alb.

As always I made my way to the Stadtinfo first, where I picked up brochures and a map along with some tips from the woman behind the counter. Once again I forgot to ask her if she has any information in English! I want the brochures in German anyway, but if I'm going to recommend these towns in a blog that's aimed at English speakers, I should find out if there is information in English available!
Update: There is a brochure about the town and its attractions available at the Stadtinfo on the Market Square! With that and the town map (also available at the Stadtinfo), you will be able to enjoy a self-guided walking tour. See below for business hours.

Let me tell you this: Herrenberg is definitely worth a stop if you want to see and take pictures of beautiful cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered houses, a striking church, and a gorgeous Marktplatz. And once again, there are not many tourists here - the people who show up on your photos will be real Germans, not bus groups. You'll miss some of Herrenberg's charm if you don't know that it's known for narrow passageways and stone stairways linking its streets, squares, and courtyards.



Taking my brochures and map, I chose an outside table at an Eiscafe on the Marktplatz and sat down for a cappuccino.

This is where I learned about the stairways and passageways, which I had not noticed during my first short walk through town last winter. Instead of just walking past them again and ignoring them, I looked for interesting views for my camera.

am Marktplatz (on the Market Square)
The cafe where I had my cappucino is to the left.

Marktbrunnen (Market Fountain), Rathaus to the right,
Stiftskirche rising over the top of the Rathaus.

View of the other side of the Marktplatz
from the stairs leading up toward the Stiftskirche

Herrenberg is said to have one of the most beautiful market squares in Germany. The beautiful buildings were built after 1635, when the second great city fire destroyed nearly all of the Altstadt. The city was founded in 1276, and today the population is about 31,000.

After my cappuccino I went to the Stiftskirche. An organist was practicing for a Bach concert that evening, which created a nice atmosphere in the church. This was the first gothic hall church in Württemberg, and it was built in two phases ending in 1293 and 1328. The Schlossberg, the hill on which the church was built, is not stable and in fact is sliding ever so gradually. The church and the earth beneath it, therefore, are encroaching on the Altstadt (the old part of the town) by a millimeter each year.

I have discovered that I like arches and doorways.

As I was leaving the sanctuary after having taken several photos without flash, a woman who was available for questions and to keep things orderly and quiet approached me. I was expecting to get scolded for something, but she asked me, "Have you been upstairs?" I said no, but I would if I'm allowed. "Oh, you looked so professional, I thought maybe you knew your way around already. But you'll get a really nice view from up in the balcony." I certainly did not look professional in my capris, tanktop cover and backpack, but I had my "big camera" with me, pretending I know how to use it. Had I only brought my point-and-shoot, which I had considered that morning to lighten my load, I never would have seen the view from the balcony, which I surely did appreciate.

There is a Glockenmuseum (bell museum) in the tower of the church, but it's apparently only open on days I'm not in Herrenberg. It must be quite a popular and impressive exhibit, because the woman at the Stadtinfo was quite apologetic that it wasn't open that day. That just gives me another reason to return!

Then I climbed up to the lookout platform atop the former Pulverturm, or powder tower, as in gun powder. It's not at all a difficult walk, and I recommend it for the view and the lovely breeze. The walk up follows the remaining sections of the medieval wall, which are nice for artistic-type photos.

Here you see the baroque "onion top" of the church tower,
which replaced the original two gothic towers in 1749.

The view roughly south with the Swabian Alb in the far background.

Back down in the Altstadt I found some more pretty views, and one of the most unique stairways.

Tübinger Straße

Stuttgarter Straße

This is the Löwenstaffel. Staffel, or even better Stäffle, is Swabian for Treppe, or steps. Löwe means Lion, and the steps were named for the former inn located nearby. These steps were made of sandstone, and through use by people with hard-soled shoes, the steps got worn. The Swabians, as I have written before, have always been a frugal people. Instead of replacing the worn stones, they were flipped over around 1920 and nestled in a bed of mortar which has since eroded away. Over the years the steps became worn again, and now the stairway is blocked off by fences on both sides.




Unless you really want to delve into the history and take a guided tour of Herrenberg, you can probably see and photograph the sights in just a few hours with a stop for coffee and/or ice cream. Take your time. Look for unusual views - and don't forget to stop and look behind you! When you see a narrow passageway, go through it. When you pass a stairway, go up or down it. Therein lies part of Herrenberg's charm.

Stadtinfo Business Hours:
  Mon., Tues., Wed., and Fri.:  8:30 am to 12:00 pm
  Thursday:                               1:30 pm to 5:30 pm                    
  Closed on weekends.

P.S. I may be breaking a "never publish two posts in one day" blog law, but I went to both places the same day, and so this was really just a two-part post.

A Nature Walk in Stuttgart

On a tip from another expat blogger I hopped on the train yesterday to explore a huge park in Stuttgart. I've never found Stuttgart to be very attractive (but good for concerts & musicals, the Christmas Market, and shopping), and that's why I went - I wanted to see a pretty side of the big city!

Travel Tip:
I planned to stop in Herrenberg on the way back to explore its Altstadt, so I bought the MetropolTagesTicket for €20, which is valid on all slow trains and buses as well as the U-Bahn and S-Bahn for a large area surrounding Stuttgart - and includes Horb! It's a better deal with more people - each travel companion up to 4 pays just €4 additional, so adding even just one friend (or mother-in-law) to your day trip cuts your cost down to €12 (€24 for 2 travelers). If you happen to have 4 friends who want to galavant around a large part of Baden-Württemberg with you for a day, you each pay only €7.20!

I went first to the Tourist Info near the Hauptbahnhof on Königsstraße and picked up some brochures and a map. Armed with notes from the blog post about how to get to several parks, I found the U-Bahn (first time for me in the Stuttgart U-Bahn), got on the U14 toward Remseck, and got off at the Wilhelma (Stuttgart's Zoo). In hindsight I wish I had taken the U5 all the way to Killesberg Park even though the timing of this shorter walk worked out well.

It was a beautiful day (the only one this week) for a very nice walk through a gorgeous park. It was not crowded, but there were plenty people enjoying the day as I was - jogging, pushing prams, lying on the grass, sitting on one of the many benches, reading, feeding the water birds (the birds encouraged that behavior, though I don't think wildlife experts do), power-walking on their lunch break, schnuggling with a lover...

Mom and Dad forged a path through the slime for their young 'uns

 

There is something wonderfully romantic about willow trees.

This Children's Book Exchange Station is located near a pavilion for a children's program and playground. The instructions on the side tell children to first bring and leave a book, and then take one. An early lesson in the honor system AND a promotion of reading books!

Ah...Germany and her rules. On this stretch of grass, you may lie down and strike a sexy pose (or creepy, depending on how you look at it), but you may not let your dog loose or have a ball.

I'm sure there's a good reason for this.

Thus endeth my walk through the Rosensteingarten. I crossed a street and followed a sign to the Schloßgarten, but the only picture I took there was of some men playing chess on a huge chess board with pieces half as tall as they were. I haven't seen one of those in years.

At this point I was back near  the muddy abyss known as Stuttgart 21, and found a walkway leading back to the Bahnhof. Naturally the next train to Herrenberg was leaving three minutes from then and there was no way for me to get to the platform that fast, so I grabbed a sandwich at one of the kiosks and waited 30 minutes for the next S-Bahn.

Travel Tip:
Make at least one of your meals each day a grab-and-go. Get a sandwich from a kiosk and a bottle of whatever you want to drink from a grocery store, and you will save yourself time and money. If you buy your drink at the kiosk you'll pay more, so when you're walking around in the morning and notice a grocery store, pop in and grab a bottle of water. You might even find a bottle of Coke in the refrigerated drinks section of the store. If you get a cheap drink and a sandwich at a kiosk, you can have a filling-enough lunch for €5 or €6. Eat it on a park bench while you people-watch. Later in the afternoon when you need a rest, you can find a cafe and treat yourself to a coffee.

I love a good sit down meal in a nice restaurant, but when the purpose of my day trip is to explore towns and cities, I bring a small bottle of water from home and for lunch grab a sandwich - maybe a Leberkäsweckle, but usually a sub sandwich on good German bread! There are all kinds of options, and that day I went with Tomaten-Mozzarella mit Basilikum, so basically a caprese sandwich. Instead of a sit-down lunch where I would have felt obligated to buy a drink as well, would have tipped the waitress and taken an hour for lunch, I paid €3.60 and ate on the train, saving time.

So then...on to Herrenberg.