2nd Advent in snowy Lüneburg

As I woke up this morning and looked outside my bedroom window, I was excited to see that the snow forecast was on the money! We already had a little bit of snow last Sunday, but it was gone by the morning. I saw a picture of a local park in the next day's news of snow-covered grounds, but I had missed that. On Thursday morning, for the St. Nicolas (St. Nikolaus) Day, the 6th of December, Lüneburg citizens were blessed, or cursed depending on your mode of transportation and length of commute, with snow-covered tress, roofs, streets, and sidewalks, including the bicycle lanes.

But none of that could come close to the snow, which is still falling now, at 9:30 AM on Sunday, December 9. If only there were hills around here that I could ski down! Alas, living in the flattest part of Germany, I should probably have been prepared for that!

I put on multiple layers, ear muffs, a hat, gloves, hiking boots, long underwear, and legwarmers (not necessarily in that order) and ventured outside to capture the beauty of freshly fallen snow in the charming town of Lüneburg. This really makes up for the short days and the long hours of darkness every day, which is not helping the already grumpy attitude of most Germans in this area. Not to sound ungrateful, but having lived in a place where having a conversation with a sales person or fellow shopper that goes beyond grunting a brief "Guten Morgen" or "Schönes Wochenende" is absolutely normal, I sometimes feel like a fish out of water here. Of course, I am generalizing and might come across as slightly bitter (again, remember, daylight lasts only form about 8:45 AM in the morning to 4 PM in the afternoon!). In all honesty, the customer service I experienced in Germany before I moved to the US was even more abysmal than what I have experienced so far, with many places in Munich and Cologne being an exception, as the Bavarian people and he folks from the Rhineland seem to have a sunnier disposition than the people in my hometown and the North of Germany; however, I am grateful that I work with a lot of Americans, because if I would rely on human interactions solely provided by most of my German countrymen and women, I would wither away like a tulip in the first snow!

But I digress... As I said, the wintery beauty almost makes up for all of that! And here is the proof:

Exploring the Neighborhood

Just around the corner from my house, a little woodish area called Kalkberg, the cap rock of a salt dome, is nestled quite conveniently into Lüneburg's landscape. Until 1371, the Kalkberg (lime or gypsum hill) housed Lüneburg's castle, when angry citizens destroyed it due to their disenchantment with its inhabitants who ruled the Principality of Lüneburg-Brunswick from this location. Close by, the old St. Monastery, also no longer in existence, was located. Over the centuries, Lüneburg's population mined the hill for gypsum, a substance used for building construction I believe, causing the hill to shrink from about 80m to todays 56.3 above sea level. Today, the Kalkberg and its surrounding area are a nature reserve and provide charming opportunities for relaxing strolls close to the bustling downtown area.

The views of Lüneburg from its top are quite spectacular. On a sunny and clear day, the city skyline, with the spires of the city's three old churches (St. Johannis, St. Michaelis, and St. Nicolai) and the Wassertumr (water tower) as its highest points, is easliy admired and offers a great reward after climbing a set of stairs leading to the top.

The Charming City of Lüneburg

 

David likes to describe Lüneburg as one roller coaster rideaway from Busch Gardens. He kind of has a point. No matter where you look, there is an old building that will take your breath away. Being over 1000 years old, based on the first entry of Lüneburg in the records, Lüneburg has lost its castle originally built on a smallish kind of hill (the only one os its kind, as the whole region is pretty flat) and attached abbey or cloister. Apparently, the citizens of Lüneburg got upset at the aristocrat living in the castle and tore it down. Why I don't know, since at the point when the tour guide was giving that explanation, I was fleeing from a fellow tour participant whose cigarette fumes were tickling my still recovering sinuses and lungs, and the guide's words got lost in my futile flight, since another tour participant, in whose direction I was fleeing, just lit up one of those pesky little cigs himself.

To get back to my original point about Lüneburg, it is very pretty and very old and fantastic if, like me, you like to be able to walk and bycicle everywhere. The ability to walk everywhere came in very hand as David and I were trying to get re-connected to the world via internet and phone, but that is a story for another time.

Let me take to a typical stroll through Lüneburg with some of its most striking corners. I know I will be adding more detail to these in the months and years to come. Also, David and I did not accomplish to view all these things in a day, not even in two. Despite Lüneburg being a rather smallish town, its old town (almost all of which is a pedestrian zone) is pretty large and surprisngly well-preserved.

 

 



 

Pic. 1: My mom (right) and I (left, with the orange handbag, Go O's!) strolling down Grapengießerstraße. When I go to the city, I almost always take this road. The pedestrian zone begins here. Byciclists are only allowed to ride their bikes between 6 PM and 10 AM.

 

 

Pic. 2: A typical facade of old Lüneburg

 

 

 

 

Pic. 3: The Grapengießerstraße ends in the plaza-like street called Am Sande (translated loosely as "At the sand"), known for its beautiful gables on each house that are so typical for cities in the North of Germany, especially cities that, like Lüneburg, belonged to the old trade organization called "Hanse" (the Hanseatic League). In the background looms the tower of St. Johannis or St. John's church, built in the 14th century, the oldest protestant church in Lüneburg. It is one of the most well-known churches built in the northgerman brick gothic style (norddeutsche Backsteingothik).

 

 

 

Pic. 4: A gorgeous shot of St. John's church tower

 

 

 

Pic.5: Brodstraße leading to the town hall and its big square.

 







Apartment Living German Style: Salzbrückerstr. 11-12

Our new apartment is all we could have hoped for. Its superb location, high ceilings typical for buildings if its time period, and general "Altbau" (old building) charm has made it a super comfortable home for David, Juliet, and myself. My mother Mariana and her partner Karl had already assembled an IKEA bed for us and, most importantly, got a litter box for Juliet, by the time we arrived. Our new place is a typical "2-Zimmer-Wohnung" (2 bedroom apartment), with a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, which by the way is humungous!

The house we are living is in an eight-party apartment house. One of the apartments is mostly empty as my landlady and her husband use it when they visit the city. The rest of the apartments are inhabited by students, with the exception of my next-door neighbor, who lives by herself and spends the weekend with her boyfriend in Hamburg.

The house itself is a little atypical for Lüneburg's "Altstadt" (old town) as it was built about 160 years ago, during the "Gründerzeit" (Founder's Era), mid- to late 19th century, marked by economic prosperity. The architecture of the time reflects that as the buildings of that time tend to have multiple stories, high ceilings, and often elaborate facades.

Here are my mother Mariana and I leaving the house; the window on the left is one of our living room windows.

Most old houses in Lüneburg look more like this:

Here are some more pictures from the apartment. I'll post some more later that actually give a better idea of how it looks now:

Me (with Karl) at the dining-room table in the living room. At this point,

it was the only piece of furniture, apart from the bed, that was

in the appartment.

 

  

 The new red sofa with David and Juliet relaxing

 

Juliet has claimed her spot

 

 If you haven't figured out yet who really rules this household,

this picture says it all (Juliet claiming her spot in the bedroom)

 

 

 

Juliet über den Wolken: How to travel with a cat on a plane

After many weeks of preparation, Thursday, September 13, marked the day of our official departure from the U.S., on route via Frankfurt and Hamburg to Lüneburg, my new home for the (at least) next two years. In addition to the two of us, six boxes carefully weighed at max. 50 pounds (with clothes, books, and other essentials for my new life in Germany), one carry-on suitcase, and two personal bags, the probably most precious cargo we were transporting, Juliet, our 11 or 12 year old cat, was being packed up into her new carrier. Resting slightly sedated with Bach's Rescue Remedy (tranquilizers and other chemicals are not recommended for pets traveling on the plane) in the especially for this trip purchased Sherpa Pet Carrier, Juliet was admired by the very friendly check-in staff at BWI. David and were sufficiently equipped with all the knowledge, and some, about how to travel with a cat. Seriously, google "travel with at on airplane" or whatever combination thereof, and I promise you that you can waste away your life!

Anyways, David and I had followed all the suggestions about pet travel. We even took Juliet in her new pet cab to the Mall the weekend prior to our departure, so that she could get used to the motion. In one of our personal items, we had a collapsible water bowl, some food in a Ziploc bag, a portable litter box, litter in a Ziploc bag, and the leash that came with our harness. Honestly, I always thought that putting your cat on a leach is probably one of the more ridiculous things in this world. Well, I stand corrected. We are able to take Juliet out of her pet carrier at BWI and Frankfurt, so that she would not have to be trapped in her carrier the entire duration of our travel, which ended up being a total of about 18 hours door-to-door.

 

Juliet and David relaxing at the BWI Internationl

Terminal

 

 

Cat on a leash!

 

 

 

 

Juliet and her mobile home





T'was the night before the move to Germany....

As my cat is purring contently next to me on the sofa, I am taking a moment to just take it all in. Yesterday, I had my last day at work, a place where I worked for the past five years and that had become a big part not only of my life, but of how I define myself as a professional in higher education. It was strange to leave my keys behind, knowing that after the door shut behind me, I was done, and I am no longer able to claim my office as my office.

I spent this last full day in the MD/DC area saying good-bye to some of my favorite places: the National Gallery of Art in DC, spending most of my time in the gift shop :-) Yes, I have certainly learned the all-American past time of spending and consuming very well over the last 13 years!!! And either there were a lot of German tourists in that place today, or I suffer from severe hallucinations, I kid you not, I felt as if heard German spoken every time I paused to look either at another item I really don't need but really want to have or to admire a painting.

By the way, the current exhibition on George Bellows, an American painter in the early 20th century, is phenomenal. Here is some more info on the show http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/bellowsinfo.shtm. It will move soon to either New York or London.

I met my wonderful husband for lunch, and we made our way to another favorite place of mine, where I actually spent a lot of time while researching and writing parts of my dissertation: the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. On our way there, we stopped briefly by the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden, where I dipped my feet into the large fountain/pool.

After a meeting with our immigration lawyer, who is always nice to chat with, David and I went home, resting for our final dinner at Mandalay in Silver Spring. Tofu Ohni Hin and Mango Salad all the way!!! I need to be nourished well to face travelling with our cat for what seems to me now an eternity!

Farewell to America, au revoir....

 

Here are some pictures of Lueneburg, my new home over the next two years, to give everybody a taste.

This is a picture of the Christmas market on the mani square in the cuty's historic district.



A typical row of houses in the oldtown.

The old townhall.

The countdown has started, only 14 days before we leave for Germany! As Juliet, our beautiful grey cat is napping right nextto me on our bed here at home, Colston Drive condo in Silver Spring for now, and my wonderful husband David is hoping at Camden Yards that the Orioles can pull off a win after trailing behind with six runs in the 7th inning (I really hope I got that baseball lingo right...), I am pondering about what it will be like to retrun to living in Germany after being gone for 13 years. Well, based on the lenght of my previous sentence, I am at least ready to re-engage with the German language and its love for looooooooooong sentences.

In all of the excitment and hullabaloo of getting ready for a major transition, I pray that the quieter moments of saying good-bye to treasured friends and colleagues will not be swallowed up by the stress that such a move brings with it.