theotherlex

Written last night:

I have made it to Dresden. It is much wetter than I was planning, and sadly not any warmer. It is really cold. Luckily I have enough clothes to wear several layers as well a coat and gloves that I got in New York when it was similarly very cold. Inside it is not cold; they are good at heating things. I also have a proper hat, but I think I will have to go back to the woollen beanie if this keeps up, as it covers my ears. My proper hat is from the menswear department of Marks & Spencer. It is not green. They did not have the green one that I had previous admired, but I figured that I own enough green things (beanie, jumper, leather jacket, gloves, long sleeved top) that a dark grey and red and gold hat would do better.

There is free wireless in the Goethe Institute building, which is very cool. You can get internet for your room if you pay a deposit for the mobile internet stick, but I have decided not to have internet in my room. This will mean that I will have do non-internet things in the evenings, like drawing or writing or reading books from the media library or practising my juggling.

I had a bratwurst at the station when I got into Dresden. This made me happy, because I had tried and failed to get a bratwurst when I got in to Berlin. It was 11.30 pm by the time I got the hostel (having gotten directions at the transport info booth at the airport in German) and got out again. I found several late night food places open. One of them did do sausages, but only currywurst, which is brockwurst (fatter than a bratwurst) smothered in ketchup and curry powder. Odd.

We'll continue the food theme, because Sunday lunch was tapas. Mmm. Accompanied by strong sangria. Mmm. This was on S and her brother who drove me out to the airport. And put me up (and put up with me) from Thursday. S and I went to see Tim Minchin on Saturday night, dressed up. Not quite for Halloween, as we were in clothes that would be comfortable for everyday if the UK did not look so conservative.

Tim Minchin was fabulous. Funny and provocative and moving.

I can't remember when my last update was and I can't check from my room. It's Monday night now and I'm debating whether I should have my apple before my tiramisu or just skip the apple altogether. I plan to post this in the break tomorrow (maybe when I eat my apple). Classes finish at 1pm, so I'll come back here and cook lunch then. There's a tour of the old city at 2pm that I might go on, if I'm back in time for it. The Cultural Programme is extensive, so I will be able to do other things. Like the pub night on Wednesday!


Have had first bit of class. It is awesome. I don't have very much vocab, but the rhythm of German is still familiar. (Which can be a bit of problem because I'll understand the sentence structure without actually being able to translate the meaning.) Will eat apple at second break. Have bottle of Apple juice mixed with soda water from the vending machine.

I was absolutely exhausted last night and forgot to post before I went to bed at quarter to nine. I got away with not wearing my coat today, but it was a near thing and I was thankful I had my gloves.

( Monday )

( Tuesday )

( Wednesday )

These posts are not as meditative as it feels they should be. Although mine are a mechanism for actually writing posts. If you have any thoughtful quotes to add, that's really what it's missing. Or if you would like another category of daily item, tell me.

Five things about today that made me happy

1. Got to work on time!

2. Boss was in at work this afternoon, so we got to talk and I know where I am with work.

3. Chilli con carne for dinner at the Alpha course.

4. Timed heating. The house was warm when I got home.

5. Got to use my mobile internet connection on my laptop between work and the alpha course.


Three things I did well today

1. Put the rubbish out. I'm not sure if I've done it properly. I guess I'll know that tomorrow.

2. Did not get sucked into internet/sci fic Race Imbroglio instead of going to Alpha course.

3. Washed dishes.


Two things I look forward to doing or doing better tomorrow

1. Talking to P and L

2. Fish and chips for lunch.

Five things about today that made me happy

1. Pastries and fruit salad from breakfast.

2. R from church gave me a collection of cooking implements. I have a spatula. Actually two.

3. Had an interesting conversation with a guy at church who used to work in theatre lighting design.

4. Watched QI. I can get QI on my laptop, now. And Emma Thompson was on this week.

5. Pepper! I had pepper on the tomato on my bread for tea. I haven't had pepper since New York, and that pepper was dusty, old, pre-ground stuff. My pepper is freshly cracked from peppercorns that were released from their little plastic packet only two days ago.


Three things I did well today

1. Washed my hair. I didn't have time yesterday, but now it is washed and dried and I can delay getting it all chopped off.

2. Did more washing, including a tea towel and the table cloth. I will do another load tomorrow and then I think all my clothes will clean.

3. Read more of Seeing Voices with breakfast instead of watching a DVD or surfing the internet. I have to limit my computer based activities or I would never do anything else.


Two things I look forward to doing or doing better tomorrow

1. Sleeping in.

2. Checking out the local op-shop.

Five things about today (Thursday) that made me happy

1. Food at the Alpha course. Butter carrots and creamed leeks and cottage pie.

2. I ate the last of my very chocolately cupcakes.

3. Last day of work for the week.

4. Went the library between work and the Alpha course and read from a collection of poem by Australian women. Awesome, awesome stuff.

5. Oliver Sacks' Seeing Voice.


Three things I did well today

1. Did not make disparaging comments at the Alpha course.

2. Did not turn on my computer before work.

3. Ate fruit.


Two things I look forward to doing or doing better tomorrow

1. Sleeping in.

2. Going shopping.

These are just through to Saturday, because I wrote Sunday and yesterday by hand and left the notes at home. I also left my snack and fruit at home, but there's pizza for lunch today, so I should be right until I get home.

( Thursday )





( Friday )





( Saturday )

I really like Frankfurt. It's a multicultural big city fell, which just goes to show that I am a Melbournian, I suppose. Frankfurt has a population of a little over 600,000 people, of which about 150,000 people are foreign born, or hold foreign passports. Frankfurt has recieved waves of immigrants through out history; English protestants fleeing Mary Tudor, Jews out of Eastern Europe, and Guest workers until the 1970s. I learnt all this at the Frankfurt History Museum yesterday. It was quite an interesting collection, although not particularly large. They also had a room on the 1920s, including a Rundfunk radio segment and a advertisement for new model living, with fold out tables and things like that. It all seemed like to much work to move the coffee table out of the way and turn the occasional table into an actual dining table.

I spent yesterday morning on the walking tour of the churches. It's just a borchure with a little map on it, and a list of what's interesting about the churches. We did a little on how to read a church in History in first semester, but it didn't really sink in. They're all quite sweet, though. And none are particularly decorated, although some have some fabulous altar pieces and sculptures. The city council didn't want to convert to protestantism, because they would loose their status as a Catholic free city, but they couldn't rule against the people.

Frankfurt was one of the three Free Imperial Cities which made up the economic union of Germany after 1812, and it was home to the National Assembly formed in 1848. (They only lasted a few years.) The church they met in was severely damaged during the second world war, but was almost immediately restored. The argument was that it was a symbol of the early democratic strivings of Germany and should be rebuilt against the shame of what had been done in the German name. Frankfurt was capital of the American section of divided Germany. And in another peice of interesting wording: 'Advancing American troops entered downtown Frankfurt on March 25, 1945. Three days later, Frankfurt was liberated from National Socialist rule.'

Yesterday was Thursday, wasn't it? (For me at least, it's already Saturday for you, although very early in the morning.) On Wednesday I went to the Städel Museum, the big art collection in the Museum quarter. It has a very diverse collection. Some very nice, and other interesting, religious art. It seems that many painters until the 14th or 15th centuries didn't really know what babies looked like. Baby Jesus is often rather oddly proportioned.

I discovered once again that I don't like this particular style. It's the one with all the shaded squares over a piece. Braque ended up painting it, Macke did too in the middle, and Picasso, too, when he wasn't even more strange in his shaping of things. That was the last room, and I thought; 'Aha, I don't like this... but I do like that one.' It was, of course, the one Paul Klee in the collection. (They had another room earlier with earlier stuff in, Max Beckmanns, and another Macke, so I was happy.) Although I do think my favourite art at the moment is German Realism. Of course, being in Germany, most galleries have a good collection of German Realism. None of them have anything Australian. I will be visiting our Australia collection just as soonm as I can.

I had lunch at the cafe between the old stuff and the new stuff. It was pricy, but very nice. And I got to eat vegetarian food. I don't think I've not eaten meat in a day since I got to Germany. It's not something that I'll miss, although I have been compiling a list of things I will miss, including:

Apfelschörle, although I can make it myself. (Apple juice and soda water.)
Legitimately consumming large quantities of bread. (Although this is made up for by the fact that I can eat proper toast (not sponge-bread-toast) and put vegemite on it.)
Being able to talk to people in German. (Although I haven't had a conversation in German all week. Except a very quick exchange with a guy at the hostel who wanted to borrow my mobile phone to send a text message.)

There are of course many more things that I will miss about simply being able to go pretty much where I want when I want. Although I look forward to being able to apply myself to something again. I went to the German Architecture Museum this morning. That was interesting. They were proud of the fact that their space doesn't force you into a linear representation, but lets you wander. This, of course, means that you loose any real sense of narrative progression though the changes in architecture over the last 20 years (when the museum was established) and the last 50 years (which is when their collection now goes back to).

One section was on the consoversy of New Urbanism, although it didn't really say what was controversial about New Urbanism. It described New Urbanism about being about healing the city by using tradtional forms of design, or something like that. I can't really remember because I thought, 'Yeah!' and 'who doesn't think that?' I want to see the Truman Show again now, because the town it was filmed in, Seaside, was the first whole community designed on New Urbanist principles. Which seem to include being able to walk, and walk comfortably, to all the facilities you need.

That was part of the Post-Moderism Revisited, which is the exhibition for the 20th anniversary of the Museum. They had some very interesting, and sometimes also attractive, models of work down to convert inner city industrial sites; and address environmental issues. The permanent exhibition is a history of building, beginning with prehistoric huts, and working up to the Main building in Frankfurt, which was designed with computer help to be energy efficient and have natural lighting. (Different from the American skyscrapers, they proudly proclaim.) I can tell you the Chrysler building is fabulous, and the PanAm building absolutely is not.

Which brings to the most important part of the Frankfurt description. I fell in love with a building. It's a fabulous building, and what is most fabulous about is that it is not fabulous. I discovered today that it is actually three buildings, and I would happily live in any of them. They are six storeys high, which is what made me first look at them, because they don't seem too high. They are ordinary appartment buildings. I don't know how old, but maybe twenties. At least, they were just built when buildings which were just built were still engaging and interesting and nice. They are on the Sachsenhausen side of the Iron bridge (which is a great bridge, and quite popular, and a foot bridge, and has a lift up to it.), and look great at night with the lights from the bridge. One day I will live there.

In other, more pressing news, everthing still fits in my suitcase and backpack. I have no idea how heavy they are, or how heavy they're allowed to be, but I'll find all that out at about half past nine tomorrow morning. I did without my gloves today. The wind was a bit chilly early on, but walking back here it was propar wind temperature; not at all chilly, but giving the sense of refreshing coolness. It was eight degree yesterday, which was lovely. But then, I am wearing three layers underneath my coat.

Very long post, but I think it covers everything. I'm going to have spätzle tonigh. Yum. And hopefully also some Frankfurter Applewine, depending on which restuarant is cheaper. (I think the Baravian one is cheaper, and it doesn't have applewine, because it has Weißbier instead.)

I'll probably write again from Singapore. It's twenty two hours for me to get to Melbourne from Frankfurt, but I arrive 34 hours after I left. Brilliant, ha?

There actually seems to be a rather large number of Call Shop (which is where you find the internet in Germany) in Darmstadt. I passed several on my way from teh train station. My suitcase is lighter now, because I've moved the three and a half kilos of gummibears into my back pack. My shoulders are a bit sore.

I walked half way to the youth hostel before thinking that if I was walking in the right direction it was because I was walking parallel to the street I wanted and would never find it. So I caught a tram back to the main train station, discovered the map I had walked past early and caught another tram back to where I had started from to continue my journey. But the youth hostel is very nice.

Had brunch with M today before he drove me to the station. I had a British Breakfast, or at least, the German version of one. It was very nice. But, of course, came with Earl Grey tea. I haven't had Earl Grey tea for weeks, and it tastes a bit strange now. Although that may just be the brand.

Yesterday M showed me around the university a little bit. They have some fabulous old buildings, and some not so fabulous ones as well, of course. Because Heidelberg and the Uni were built and grew together the Uni is pretty much spread out around the old city. I also saw the fabulously decorated large meeting hall in the Old University, and the students' prison. Until I don't know when (possibly 1935) the Univeristy had full jurisdiction over its students, its own courts and prisons. There's some great grafitti there. 'Richard Kohl, imprissoned 3. II. 98 to 2. III 98.' and 'Oh, sweet Emmy, how difficult things are here without you.' (In German, of course).

Also, we had lunch at the Mensa. I love Mensas. German Univeristies feed their students cheap (but good) food. At Heidelberg you pay by weight. And M said that they have different food in the evenings to what they had during the day, it's open until 11 at night, and serves cocktails after 7 o'clock.

I forgot my Rough Guide to Germany at Jana's, and it arrived in the post today, but I didn't hear the doorbell, and M was coming back up the stairs from checking (for the third time) so they took it back to the post office. So I've looked up the tourist sights for Darmstadt and Frankfurt. I am looking forward to my last week, a little bit because it is the last one. I think I have the brain space left to go to the all the good looking museums.

(Which, of course, I will then describe to you.)

Just a quick update to say that I would really like to see more of the country around here, and the alps. I got to stay in very nice rooms because the youth hostels were clossed for renovations. The night in Prien a Chiemsee was rather posh, and I got to have a hot bath.

The lake was fabulous, and the boat ride great. I got to walk around the large island a bit, and see Ludwig II's copy of Versailles. The little island is home of the nunnery, still functioning. The church was very interesting. There were many more people both on the islands and visiting them than I had thought.

I wanted to go up to the Zugspitze, the highest peak in the Bavarian Alps, from Garmisch-Partenkirchen yestersday, but it was closed due to storms. I did a very nice from one lower peak to another instead. I think it was probably better, and more of a mountain-y experience than just going up and coming down. (I did that when we went skiing on the exchange, years and years ago.)

I met a couple from Sydney who were there for the day from Munich, where they were staying with friends to escape the Australian summer. We ate Brotzeit together afterwards, which was very pleasant (I don't have the time to think of more words). And certainly a break from the bread rolls I've eating most of the time here.

It snowed on us on the walk, which was certainly better than the rain that we got when we got back down to the village. I got quite damp in the evening, but was able to lay everything out to dry in my room. Yay! The sun came out, or was out, as we got closer to Munich. It would be much too complicated to stay here now, but I'm definitely coming back to go walking (when the youth hostels are open, damn it!)

I'm catching another train back to Bayreuth soon, and will have to see how well I can fit everything into my suitcase.