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Bremen Day-Trip

After three weeks of crap weather, the gods finally smiled on northern Germany. It was sunny and 80°F all over Niedersachsen. So, Jess and I took a day trip to Bremen, a former Hanseatic league city and present-day independent federal state. It is is very nice town, a very easy day trip. We saw the windmill:




We walked around the market square and saw the Rathaus...



We walked around the flower market...



and St. Peter's Cathedral...



We were also harassed by a German dude with his toddler. He claimed that George Bush was a traitor, oil-man, and racist. His toddler kept asking "Wie heißt du" (Who are you/What is your name?). After extricating ourselves from that conversation, we meandered around the Schnoor district...




We ended the day with a bier at the Windmill.

A Tribute to Beavis

I've been insanely busy the last few weeks with my dissertation. I've been writing as much as possible before my ma' and hubby arrive on August 1. I took a short break last Friday of sorts. I hosted a 4th of July party at my apartment - hamburgers, beer, cole slaw, and FIREWORKS! Matt risked the federal penitentiary by sending me a box stuffed full of sparklers, black cats, snaps, and poppers. See his handiwork:




I packed almost 20 people in my studio apartment. We blew up things and played poker until 2:30AM. And, I nearly burned off a knuckle trying to light a black cat with three sparklers:



More next week. I'm going to Bremen and the beach.

Kieler Woche

I did the most important part of my Germany fieldwork last week - I recruited around 70 students and ran a pilot experiment in three different undergraduate courses. I was rather burnt out and looking forward to a weekend in the country.

So, I spent a fabulous three days in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost region. Jess (a Canadian on fellowship at ZDEMO), Steffi (ZDEMO staffer), and I drove to Steffi's home city of Neumünster (around 90,000 folks) on Friday night. Neumünster is a working class town full of closed factories (including GE). Steffi's father worked at the city's brewery for many years, and her mother was an office worker. They treated us to a full-blown German breakfast every morning (rolls, jam, cheese, fresh fruit - yum!).



On Saturday, we went to Kiel for the parade of the windjammers. Kieler Woche is one of the biggest sailing events in the world, and definitely one of the biggest parties among the EU-member states. It is a 9-day affair with drinking, sailing, eating, and more drinking.



We spent Sunday in Plön, a town that is home to the Schloss Plön and situated on the Großer Plöner See. The castle was where some of the House of Hohenzollern princes received part of their education. It was a little piece of Switzerland in northern Germany.

Für meinen Mann

Anyone got a bottle opener?

Every German male over the age of 16 can open a beer bottle with just about anything - eating utensils, tables, counter tops, teeth, etc. In an attempt to neutralize the gender imbalance, I've been learning how to open my own beer bottles. This is quite a valuable skill because Germans don't usually drink beer from cans or screw-top bottles. The ZDEMO men find my ambition rather amusing, and they have been eager to teach me. So far, I can open any beer bottle with:

1) a cigarette lighter
2) a fork
3) a knife
4) a plastic 1L soda bottle (with the cap on)

and, my personal favorite...

5) a can of mushrooms

Ayyyy, matey!

Last Friday, Henrike Schultze celebrated her 28th birthday. The party had a pirate theme. I brought "Fuzzy Pirates" (one part rum, one part peach schnapps, one part OJ), and some serious pirattitude.



Henrike, the birthday girl



Niko, her boyfriend