Happy Halloween...Luther Style

There are many, many reasons which contributed to my decision to study in Germany for this year. Perhaps the first inspiration was sitting through a year of Christian Thought lectures, and hearing the history of the formation of the church from it's earliest stages until today. I developed the desire to see these places that I had been learning about. I am captivated by the institution of the Church, its divisions, its reconciling abilities, its place in our neighborhoods, states, and world. We have a colorful history in the church, and I am doing my best to understand it so that I can better understand who and what we are as a church today. It is more than exciting when there are opportunities to visit the very sights that have had profound impacts on our history in the church.



My Halloween was celebrated Reformation Style traveling to Wittenberg, home of the Wittenberg door, which is where Luther allegedly posted his 99 Thesis on this day, 1517. In honor of this day, the town of Wittenberg hosts a Reformation Fest, which is the best Renaissance festival I have ever been to! Unfortunately due to train complications we missed the worship service and the lectures of interest. We, however, did not miss out on getting to spend the day with 20,000 other Luther enthusiasts.



Luther's Oak- planted on the sight where Luther burned the Papal Bull of Excommunication.

Luther's House turned museum. This was both our first and last stop of the day. I was incredibly impressed at how well done the museum was and certainly didn't have enough time to enjoy all its treasures. It was here that I discovered that if you want to run in to everyone that you know in Germany, go to the Luther Fest in Wittenberg and you'll be bound to find them. My fellow travelers (also exchange students) ran into people they knew 3 times during the day and I even ran into someone I had met earlier in Stuttgart. Crazy!

Looking out over the Reformation Fest, complete with Renaissance rides for the kids. Their were booths for shopping everywhere and surprisingly they were the real deal and not just the cheap stuff that often turns up at such fests.

The infamous Wittenberg door. Of course, it's quite controversial as to whether Luther actually posted the 99 Theses on the door or not. Nevertheless it has become quite the symbol of the Reformation. The original wooden door burned down in a fire and in its place is now a bronze door with the 99 theses inscribed in Latin.

St. Marien Kirche- the city church in which Luther preached.

Herr Martin Luther

Perhaps the best part of the end of the day is knowing that tomorrow I will have a lecture, given by a Catholic on his perspectives of the reformation. Such fun!

Treading Water

I have survived my first week of school and would describe myself as treading water- I'm definitely in the deep end, but I'm staying above water. Going into the week I was unsure how it would be. Would I be able to understand? Would I enjoy the lectures? Did I understand the descriptions of the classes that were given? Would I be able to find my way? These questions are now all answered.

There is no signing up for classes. Here you are free to go to whatever you choose. This first week is a week in which you try out all the classes that sound interesting. For those students working towards a degree here, they would settle into those that would be most helpful for preparing them for the exams that they have to take at the halfway point and the ending point of their degree program. You can choose to take the class for credit or you can take it out of interest. It seems to me to be an education system based more on self-discipline and you can work at a pace that suits your learning style.

Gratefully the week for me became better as it progressed along. My first class, 8:15am on Monday was a bit of a shock. I had a hard time following everything that was being said. The pace was fast and the dialect thick. The teacher was eager for class participation (which is something that I had been told is more of a rarity here) We were few so there was no blending in with the crowd. We were asked to sign up for a day to give an in class presentation. I left the class with the realization that I was definitely in the deep end. The second class was better, I could understand more. It was a lecture, there were many, and I sat next to a helpful soul, who was eager to invite me to the Wednesday night Stammtisch for "wechsel" students-- those students who have just changed to Goettingen from another University. And it is possible to explain part of my lack of understanding to the fact that the Theologicum is under construction and we are forced at times to listen to the sounds of the machines at work, drowning the voice of the professor. Each class experience was better. I could understand more in each class that I went to, to the point where in the last few I tried out I could understand almost everything (a very good feeling). The course content got more exciting too with each class. I am most excited and nervous about the last class that I tried out, a course on church pedagogy-- which I learned is actually for those who are preparing to be teachers of religion at the high school level, but it is a course in which we will visit the local churches, both medieval and modern, observing their architecture, art, and organization and developing lessons plans based on what we learn. We are only two, which means my participation is required. I will for sure be stretched- although I can understand, it's frustrating to have responses and not be able to communicate well what it is that I really want to say. But I am excited to get such an intimate look at the local churches and am learning ways to combine the words that I do know in creative ways to explain my thoughts.

I am eager to go into the second week of classes with more familiarity, knowing better what to expect and to continue to find my way of integrating myself within the community.

A Taste of the Town

I spent the week before classes started settling in and exploring the town, of course. I love it and am amazed that I get to live in such a place of beauty for almost an entire year! For those Atlantians- it's like living in the heart of Decatur without the rest of the city... and I've already found my Brick Store for the year. To give some perspective to the picture, this was taken on the outskirts of town, looking in. The church towers are just a tad bit further down the way from the center of the city.

This is by far my favorite fountain that I've seen yet here in Germany: the Gaenseliesel. She is said to be the most kissed girl in Germany as tradition has it that when students here earn their PhD, they are to give her a kiss.

Another gal that had taken the German course with me in Freiburg, is also studying this year in Goettingen and we wasted no time in getting out for a hike in search of this tower, Bismarkturm. We have no Schwarzwald for a backyard, and the land is much more flat in these parts, but there are a few forested hills to be found which makes for a nice afternoon hike. Sadly the turm is closed for the season and I'll have to wait until April to get the view from its top.

I've found my new running spot- the Wall, a path in the place of the old city wall, bordering the city. It only takes 20 minutes to run around it- it's not a big town. It's all about quality not quantity.
I can't get enough of these half-timbered houses- which is a good thing since they're everywhere. By the way, check out the date of this building over the door.

The second day is always better

It was good to be able to travel from Stuttgart to Göttingen with fellow students who will also be studying here in the next year. And even better was it that two of my fellow travelers had already been here for a semester and knew their way around. We went straight from the train station to the Stift- which will be my permanent residence for the remainder of my time here. To be honest my first impression was a bit overwhelming.

I as entered the Stift I was greeted by this grand staircase, which was nothing at all like I had pictured the Stift to be. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. From here I was rushed to visit the Hausmeister where I received the necessary keys, papers to be filled out and a tour of my room (on the top floor!), all the while being spoken to in German that was more than a mile a minute. I have learned to wait until a good nights sleep to make any permanent judgments. After waking up the next day- I certainly felt much better about my home and began to see the charm that is within its walls. Never have I lived in such a place and perhaps will I never again live in such a place.

The view looking down the staircase- quite charming.

It's amazing what a throw, some candles, plastic flowers and wrapping paper (covering the doors to my wardrobe) can do to brighten a place up! Somehow I avoided all the traditional cliches of college life, never living in a dormitory with small bedrooms, lofted beds, and shared bathrooms, so now is my chance to live into that. I like to think of my room as a two story room, my living room, study and breakfast nook is downstairs and my bedroom is upstairs. Although having to climb down the ladder in the morning before having truly woken up is perhaps a dangerous thing.

After nearly a week of camping with my winter mummy bag and travel pillow, I found a good deal on bed linens making my "bedroom" nice and cozy (yeah for bargain bins!). Notice the HUGE pillow. They don't come much smaller than that around here. And also for the record, it seems as if sheets aren't common- I do fit in! Also notice that there is plenty of space for a second mattress for visitors...

Tomorrow is the first day of classes, which I'm excited are finally here. Hopefully the preperation at Goethe Institute will pay off and I'll be able to understand the lectures.

Tübingen

My stay in Stuttgart also afforded the opportunity to visit Tübingen- home to one of the oldest universities in Germany and well known for it's philosophy and theology faculty. Having visited the city I was a bit jealous of those who were studying there, not only because of the opportunity, but also because the city was amazing. Not to worry though, upon my arrival here in Göttingen my jealousy dissipated.

Our first stop was at the Bebenhausen Monastary, which is incredibly well preserved as it remained in use after the reformation as a hunting lodge for the local king. Unfortunately, my success of understanding German for the week failed me during our tour of the monastery so I didn't get to learn so much about the history and practices of the monks who lived there. Despite my lack of understanding I enjoyed the atmosphere it provided and felt as if I could have stayed all day.

An inviting corridors of Bebenhausen

After our trip to Bebenhausen we had lunch, riverside and gratefully the weather couldn't have been better. And I was thrilled to learn that later in the afternoon our group would be riding the river in one of these boats which was perhaps more eventful than one might have hoped for. The long pole used to push and navigate the boat along got stuck in the mud, another boat in our group had a small accident with a paddle boat, and at one point we hit bottom and it took some fancy maneuvering to get ourselves unstuck.

The trees were gigantic!

Redeeming myself from my lack of understanding during the Bebenhausen tour, in the afternoon tour of the city I was able to enhance my German adding to my vocabulary. The sign above is on the temporary residence of Johann Goethe as he passed through town visiting his publishers. It reads "Hier Kotzte Goethe" meaning "Goethe puked here".

The Old Town House of Tübingen

Looking out over the city

Next post: Göttingen!

Stuttgart

The week after the trip to Zurich and prior to my arrival here in Goettingen was spent in Stuttgart for an orientation, getting me acquainted with other students who will be receiving a similar scholarship as well as the rules and regulations that are to be followed in the next year. This was my first real test of my German skills, having left the comfort of Goethe-Institute where everyone was understanding of one another as we used our German, helpful in teaching one another, and in general spoke a combination of German and English on the weekends during our excursions so that we could have conversations other than talking about the local weather or what we had for dinner. Surprisingly, all went well with hearing everything in German as well as holding conversations with others. I was extremely tired by the end of the day, but also encouraged.

I took the TGV! A French train, which recently broke the world record, making it the fastest train in the world.

Looking out over the city of Stuttgart.

We toured the Stuttgart Bible Museum-- home of the Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia! It also houses an exhibit of the history of the Bible, which was good, but not as good as seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Cradles of Christianity exhibit in the Carlos Museum in Atlanta. It was exciting to see originals of the Gutenberg Bible and Luther Bible. The above picture was my favorite. It's an old Luther Bible with a hand carved wooden cover. The only way to open it is to whack it (hard) and release the locks, which came as quite a shock us unexpectant bystanders!

Our accommodations for the week were in nearby Herrenburg. Once again I was overtaken by the charm of the town.

I loved this old barn and the Herrenburg windows

Zwingli, Chocolate and James Joyce

My course at the Goethe-Institute ended on the 26th, leaving a few days before I needed to be in Stuttgart. There were several others who also had some time before they too needed to be at their next destinations, so we decided that the best way to use our time would be to go to Switzerland. Unfortunately the weather forecast wasn't looking particularly in our favor, so we didn't make it to our dream location of Interlaken and hiking in the heart of the Swiss alps-- leaving motivation for a trip next summer. Instead we headed to the city where Zwingli made a name for himself during the reformation, James Joyce frequently visited, and Swiss chocolate was readily available for consumption- Zurich.

A view of the city on both sides of the Limmat River

Swiss Chocolate!

Our first stop was to the grocery store to stock up on chocolate to give us the necessary energy for the day. There were three more shelves full of chocolate... unbelievable.

This is St. Peter, with the largest clockface in Europe

Fraumuenster

This is the first church that we visited as we couldn't get into St. Peter's church. It was fabulous getting to visit these churches in Zurich, as it was the first time I had visited a church so influenced by the reformation. My heart was strangely warmed, as the feel of the church was so much more conforting than those of the Catholic churches I have visited. They too are amazing, but their was something so much more familiar within the walls of the two churches we visited in Zurich.

Grossmuenster- the church where Zwingli held pastoral responsibilities.

Herr Zwingli himself

Zurich by night

Autumn

September 22, the first day of Fall, was a few weeks ago, and it feels wonderful to be in this crisp transitional season. The air certainly feels like fall, the trees are changing, the days are getting shorter, the flipflops have been packed away and the scarves are out. I spent my first day of fall in Munich seeing the town and making the obligatory stop at the Oktoberfest. It was fun to be back in Munich, so close to one of my childhood homes. I must say, it was much smaller than I remember it being. Unfortunately the Rathaus is under renovation so no good pictures were taken. All in all it was a great day!

People were everywhere! Most fun, was people watching and observing all the traditional bayrish costumes: Lederhosen and Drundels.

I refrained from sampling the chocolate sweets and candied apples, but couldn't resist the warm roasted almonds. Lecker!

The rides were of course way overpriced, but of course we had to do one for the sake of saying we rode the rides at the Oktoberfest.

Transition Time

First things first- I'm in Goettingen and back online! I have finished my time at the Goethe Institute in Freiburg, was able to do a little bit of traveling afterwards, spent this past week in Stuttgart for an orientation, and arrived yesterday afternoon in Goettingen. Everything has gone well and smoothly so far! I have lots of pictures to share from the past few weeks, so expect to see more regular updates in the upcoming days.

Just to say a little bit about Goettingen, since it's the last stop on my latest travels and I have yet to take pictures. It's beautiful! I cannot believe that I am going to live here for the next 10 months. And I've already accomplished lots... I've registered with the police, opened a bank account, recieved all necessary papers from the Uni, visited campus, and did a bit of shopping for the necessities: bath towel, pillow, internet cable, etc. Thanks to those who had well prepared me for the anmeldung process here and gave me all the necessary tips... so far everything has gone without problems. I have also been fortunate to have traveled from Stuttgart with a few others that are studying here in Goettingen, one newbie and one seasoned in the life of Goettingen. Classes start on the 15th. I'm glad that I have a bit of time to get better oriented with the city and get my room in order. A trip to Ikea is a must!