Weekend in Belgium

January started off as a pretty low-key month.  Everyone got back from their Christmas adventures, and we spent a few evenings in Dortmund hanging out, as well as making little Ruhrpott day trips to places like Arnsberg.  I started getting a little restless, and lucky for me my friend Alex, who I worked and studied with at Korbel, moved to Brussels to start an internship with the European Parliament.  So, we arranged on Monday to do a little Belgium tour for the weekend (how lucky am I that I can seriously email someone saying “want to go to Bruges this weekend?  Like how is this real?).  Fun fact: if you’re under 26, you can go from the German border anywhere in Belgium for 7.80 euro.  And once you’re there, you can travel from city to city for 6 euro.  It’s a GoPass 1 and it is awesome.

So anyway, I met Alex on Friday afternoon by the Bourse, and we grabbed a waffle and meandered through Brussels and took in all the sights: Grand Place, Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis (statues of children peeing that are major tourist attractions – humans are strange, you guys), the Musical Instrument Museum (awesome), Parc du Cinquantenaire (Brussels’ version of the Arc de Triomphe; we climbed the top and there were pretty good views of the city despite the clouds).  From the arc, we meandered back to Alex’s apartment, naturally stopping along the way to pick up some Belgian beers and some frites from a stand outside his apartment.

The next day we stopped at the market outside Alex’s place before we got on the bus in order to make the train to Ghent! We actually ran into a slight hiccup here, when the bus driver unceremoniously kicked everyone off of the bus at a random stop, and then the bus following that one drove away without letting anybody on.  So that was fun and also horrible.  One thing that made us feel slightly better about ourselves was that all the Belgian people around us were yelling “pourquoi” and shaking their fists at the bus.  So we just walked the 20 minutes to the train station and had another problem with the kiosk taking our money without printing our tickets.  But eventually we had the tickets, ran to the train, and made it just in time.  It was quite the morning.

Pro of the cold, snowy walk: we caught this view of Brussels’ city center

 

Anyway, we made it to Ghent and the skies were sunny and the city was super cool.  We were only there for a couple of hours.  Long enough to see the big church with the Ghent altarpiece (pretty cool) and mosey around the old town for a bit.  There’s a castle and lots of churches. It was a quirky little town, and I’m glad we stopped through on our way to Bruges.

Ghent

 

Bruges was AWESOME! We spent the afternoon orienting ourselves by just walking around the city, going to the main churches, and walking along the canals.  We had an amazing dinner at Bocca, which is a takeaway pasta place that was perfect and full of carbs and delicious. After dinner we kept walking around, seeing the pretty sights lit up at night.  We stopped at Le Trappiste just off the main square before heading back to our hostel for their happy hour!  The bar was actually quite hoppin with locals as well as poor backpackers trying to get wifi reception.

A view of the bridge in front of The Begijnhof, or the convent in Bruges. We learned for a tour guide that we just happened to overhear that it wasn’t really a convent, it’s just where a lot of unmarried/widowed women who didn’t have anywhere else to go. People accused them of being witches.

 

We started bright and early Sunday morning with breakfast at the hostel and then set off into the town.  We went to the Grote Markt and climbed up to the top of the Belfry to get some awesome views of the city.

Grote Markt

Artsy Belfry Views

After that we bought some waffles and fries and then went on a tour of the Halve Maan, which is the only brewery that’s still operating within the old town.  The tour was great, and after it was over we got a free fresh glass to enjoy the restaurant, where the food smelled amazing (however, we just stuck to the drinks).  We did some shopping, and made sure to stop by The Chocolate Line to get some snacks for the train ride home.  Noms.

Fresh from the tap

 

 

Dark chocolate with mixed berries. Y’ALL.

Christmas in Germany

So, I didn’t actually spend Christmas in Germany.  I spent most of Christmas break back with my family in Arkansas – eating lots of yummy food, watching sports at normal hours, and spending lots of time with family and friends.  It was awesome and perfect — I had a great time but was also really excited to come back to Germany to continue my adventures!

I did, however, spend a lot of the Christmas season in Germany, and that meant CHRISTMAS MARKETS!  I love Christmas markets and I don’t understand why they’re not everywhere.  The atmosphere is super festive, you can find all sorts of gifts for people, but most importantly there is tons of quick, cheap, and delicious street food everywhere you turn (anyone surprised that that’s what I love about these things?!?  But honestly, it was super convenient when I needed food on the run).  Oh, and there’s gluhwein (mulled wine), which comes in cool, kitschy cups specific to each city, or sometimes the specific gluhwein stand.

I spent a lot of time at Christmas markets.  Luckily for me, I have a semester ticket and live in the Ruhrgebiet, so there are a ton of Christmas markets all around me that I could get to for free.  As an added bonus, my friend Elise came to visit one weekend, and we spent it travelling all up and down western Germany and visited a ton of markets. (also shoutout to Elise for letting me drag her across the country on trains. She’s awesome.)

So, for you all I have prepared a ranked list of the Christmas markets that I visited this season, ranked from worst to best (based exclusively on my own personal experiences).  If you’d like another perspective, my friend and fellow TA from Britain Jamie created this list of his top five Christmas markets.  Anyway, here’s my ranking of German Christmas markets!

14. Herne
Oh, Herne.  Sweet, sweet, baby Herne.  This was definitely the most disappointing of all Christmas markets.  There was a very sad tree and some stalls in the Stadtmitte (center of town), and that was really about it.  It was so depressing and sad, all Jess and I could do was laugh and then get on the metro to Bochum.  I got currywurst at a stand there one day for lunch and immediately regretted it. (Also, nothing at the castle?  Really, guys?)

13. Hattingen
Hattingen is a super cute town and I had much higher expectations for the Christmas market than what I actually got.  Granted, their streets are steep and winding, and there weren’t too many squares for big congregating, but there really wasn’t that much on offer at the stalls they did have.  There was a French section which looked to offer tasty treats, but when we were there not a lot was open.  Bummer.  There was also a sweet older lady who would sing a song and open a door to the advent calendar every day, but unfortunately they also missed that.  AND apparently there was no deposit on gluhwein mugs.  Obviously I did Hattingen all wrong.

12. Burg Satzvey
Christmas markets at castles are cool because castles.  However, this market was very small, but you had to pay just to enter, and that entrance fee didn’t include the castle.  So that sucked.  However, they did have a living nativity that involved some Old German and Latin, and their gluhwein did not mess around.

Burg Satzvey! Looking festive.

11. Heidelberg Castle
Ok, so it sucks that this made it so low on the list.  This was one of the stops on mine and Elise’s whirlwind Weihnachtsmarkt tour, so we didn’t have a lot of time in Heidelberg, and we got to the market before any of the stalls really opened up.  We got to poke around the castle a little bit, and it offered great views of the city, but the market itself was underwhelming, although the Hot Hugo cocktail was delicious and the food offerings were pretty good.  I wish we’d gotten to see more of the city and explore Heidelberg’s markets, but this unfortunately did not occur.

Heidelberg Castle

10. Karlsruhe
This one was an out-of-the-blue surprise.  I’ve mostly considered Karlsruhe a place where I make train connections, so my expectations were kind of low.  However, Karlsruhe had a decent size market and good gluhwein (and cute mugs).  Good job, Karlsruhe, you exceeded my expectations!

9. Dortmund
Dortmund had a huge Christmas market, and the self-proclaimed hugest Christmas tree in the whole world (it’s actually a bunch of Christmas trees stacked on top of each other).  My main beef with Dortmund was that much of the stands were the same. I had a amazing pork chop sandwich there. Also I watched a cover band perform corny German Christmas songs and the classic “Atemlos durch die Nacht” – an elderly couple fell down while dancing to this and it was mortifying to watch (they were fine so it’s fine to laugh about it now, right?). They also get props for their gluhwein mugs.

8. Essen
Essen is known as the “Einkaufstadt” (shopping city), and that was reflected in their market.  They also have an annual light festival that coincides with the market, so it was all lit up and quite lovely.  Their gluhwein was tasty, they had a giant ferris wheel, and when I went there on my birthday my awesome friends bought me a gingerbread heart.  Good memories, good market.

7. Strasbourg
What? Strasbourg the “Capital of Christmas” doesn’t even get in the top five?  Yeah, there’s a reason for that.  Strasbourg’s Christmas market is a bunch of themed Christmas markets spread throughout the city. All kinds of food, all kinds of stuff to buy, all kinds of PEOPLE.  That’s the curse of a great Christmas market, there were thousands of people everywhere.  I would much rather visit a smaller market with less people than push through the crowds (and wait a super long time on flammkuchen – although it was delicious!). Also, they didn’t even have mugs for their gluhwein, it came in plastic cups (who does that!?!?).  However, the light displays were ah-mazing, the city was beautiful, and I am happy that I went.  Also, it was a reunion with my friend Lisa, who I went to Lille with last October.

6. Munster
I think circumstances probably bias this one as well – getting to Munster our train was delayed by AN HOUR, which sucked, and the weather was truly terrible, which quite literally dampened our spirits.  However, the market was big and showed off their beautiful church.  Just as much as my frozen fingers and toes, however, I remember a seriously delicious champagne waffle.  Noms. Again, if I had gone there when it was drier and warmer, I think I would’ve loved this a lot more!

Champagne waffle, y’all

5. Bochum
Did you expect Bochum to be so high on the list?  Maybe it’s some hometown pride, maybe it’s the fact that I spent a lot of time there… But it was really good!  So much food!  So much currywurst! A medieval corner with honey! Very strange gluhwein mugs (they had coal on them, typical)!  Really, what more could you want?

4. Dusseldorf
It was like Strasbourg, but without all the people.  And gluhwein happy hours.  Need I say more?

3. Cologne
Absolutely beautiful market just beneath the Cologne cathedral. They had really good stollen, salami, and spaeztle. Also a ton of ornaments. Gluhwein was also tops.  I tried gluhbier (mulled beer) here!  It was so weird.  Gluhwein is better.  Don’t try gluhbier.

2. Mainz
Mainz blew me away!  It was on our way from Cologne to Heidelberg.  I texted my fellow Fulbright friend Laura, so she met Elise and I at the train station and showed us around.  It was huge, surrounding their beautiful cathedral.  Their food was amazing. If you’re going to do German Christmas markets, definitely put Mainz on your list.

1. Aachen
And the winner is… Aachen!  It was also surrounding their beautiful cathedral.  Their stands were unique and there were a ton of them.  Also the market had free wifi!  So you can Instagram it and easily google map your way back to the train station.  Thanks Aachen, for being so cool.

I also used my Aachen visit to tour the cathedral and see Charlemagne’s bones. The church is gorgeous!

Important to note – I had gluhwein at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and St. Pauli in Hamburg before their Christmas markets geared up. St. Pauli is… interesting… but their gluhwein was some of the best I had all season!

Thanksgiving in Deutschland

Exciting news you guys – I’m FINALLY up-to-date on the blog.  I realize I haven’t really talked a whole lot about my job (I do work, I promise) and where I live.  Someday.  But for now, let me tell you about my first Thanksgiving outside of the United States.

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday.  It is all about food, and food is my favorite.  My birthday is always close to Thanksgiving, so the delicious feast with my family is topped off with birthday cake (my grandma’s four layer chocolate cream cake — yum).  I love watching the Macy’s Parade on TV while we cook everything (my mom and I also do kick lines in the living room when the Rockettes come on — WE’RE NORMAL) and watching football while we try to digest the massive amounts of turkey and dressing.  So, I thought I’d be really depressed this year being away from home, but luckily I have lots of great friends who helped me not miss it all that much.

To first spread Thanksgiving cheer, I made pumpkin pie bars and pecan pie bars for the teachers at my school.  Easier said than done, as I had to roast and puree the pumpkin myself (no canned pumpkin in Germany), and corn syrup for pecan pie is basically nonexistent.  I spent an arm and a leg at Kaufland (Walmart-esque that stocks things like cheddar cheese), but it all turned out great and one of the teachers even asked for a recipe.  ‘Merica!

The main event, however, was Thanksgiving on Saturday night.  It was an international affair, hosted by a Swedish guy who did his undergrad at UNLV, and attended by two Germans, five British ETAs, and six Americans.  Gabby came over and made pies at my place Friday, and Saturday I woke up at nine to start cooking, which Gabby and I did all day until it was time to eat.  I loved cooking with Gabby, since she’s from Alabama we definitely bonded over southern comfort food!

Thomas downloaded the two Thanksgiving Day football games and was playing them on the TV.  We made hand print turkeys and played charades.  Our potluck had all the American favorites (turkey, dressing, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, buttermilk pie, apple pie), and some British dishes snuck in as well (Yorkshire puddings, pigs in a blanket – which in England means sausage wrapped in BACON, Victoria Sponge).

Football!

Our delicious spread — notice the decorative turkeys in the background

Sunday Susanna, her friend Christian, and Gabby came over to my place and we ate leftovers with my roommates.  I was so glad they got to experience the leftovers, as those are almost as important as the holiday itself.  I really thought that on Thanksgiving I would be really depressed about having currywurst for dinner instead of turkey and dressing (that currywurst was delicious #noregrets).  It turns out I wasn’t depressed at all, because I have so, so much to be thankful for, and I was much too happy (and too full) to be sad.

Out and About

Early November was crazy busy for us.  The week after Berlin we went to Hamburg for a German Fulbright Alumni Association event, which included things like wine receptions at the US Consulate and “networking” – AKA hanging out with current Fulbrighters from the US and past Fulbrighters who had recently come back to Germany after their Fulbright year.  It was a really fun weekend, and we got to meet so many new people, but we spent a lot of time conferencing, so I’d love to go back to Hamburg sometime and see more of the city itself.

Gabby, Breanna, and I all dressed up for the reception at the consulate for the German Fulbright Alumni Association

The next weekend and the following week most of us decided to stay around the Ruhrpott to recuperate from all the galavanting across the country we’d been doing.  We hung out in Bochum and enjoyed some sunny weather, and Susanna, Gabby, Claire, and I spent the day cooking tasty food (because it is everything) and having a Lord of the Rings movie marathon.

Sunny days in Bochum

 

The next week the Christmas markets officially opened in all of their glory (they’d been open before, but the festivities really got underway after Totensonntag (Dead Sunday – an old Prussian holiday where you remember all of your dead loved ones on a day where you’re not allowed to play music or dance.  Afterwards you can celebrate Christmas!).  We saw the world’s largest Christmas tree lit up in Dortmund.  Jess and I went to the market in Herne, which was actually extremely sad… so sad we just got on the train and went to the one in Bochum.  We’ve spent a good few nights after class at the market in Bochum.  On my birthday, I went to the Essen market after class, where the crew bestowed me with one of those adorable little gingerbread hearts.  They’re the best.

Dortmund Christmas Market

Dortmund Christmas Market

Roommates made me a birthday cookie cake! “The best thing to come out of America. I mean, besides you, of course.”

My roommates also gave me a homemade advent calendar hanging above my bed. Too cool!

 

Birthday in Essen!

 

Looking for Freedom

This year is a big year in Germany for many reasons (Weltmeisters!  Whaddup!), one of the biggest reasons being the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Originally I didn’t really think anything of it as far as celebrating, but then the Tuesday before the anniversary Susanna texted me and was like, would you want to come to Berlin with me and Gabby this weekend?  It was a whirlwind spontaneous trip, but probably one of the most fun and memorable weekends I’ve had so far.

When someone who says this invites you to go to Berlin with them for the weekend (or to do anything with them ever), you don’t say no.

 

We left Dortmund at 8 am on Saturday morning, and due to lots of traffic jams didn’t make it there until 3 pm.  But we were greeted by sunshine and a city filled with really fantastic energy.  We stored our luggage in the Alexanderplatz Bahnhof and off we went.

How we feel about Deutsche Bahn strikes, insane traffic, and questionable music choices

 

After lunch/dinner in Nikolaiviertel we walked down Unter den Linden to the center of the action: the Brandenburg Gate.  The city had giant screens posted along the old border showing scenes from the building of the wall and those from the night of November 9, 1989.  They also set up a “Lichtgrenze” – a huge light-up balloon installation – to show where the Berlin wall used to stand.  At the Brandenburg Gate, different organizations were giving out a ton of free swag, and the west side of the gate had a huge stage with musical acts going.  We walked along the Grenze past the Holocaust memorial toward Checkpoint Charlie.

Source (this page has a couple of nice videos showing different parts of the Lichtgrenze)

Party Time at Brandenburg Gate

Other side of the gate, and our first glimpse at the Lichtgrenze

Holocaust Memorial

First Gluhwein of the season at Potsdamer Platz

Checkpoint Charlie

 

We were insanely lucky that our hostel was only a block away from the East Side Gallery, so day two of our Berlin weekend began at 9 as we cruised along the east side of the wall.  I’d never been there before, and I’d never been particularly keen to see it, but I’m so glad we went!  It’s such a cool art installation, and we were very lucky that we went so early in the day, because there were minimal crowds that we had to navigate through!

One of my favorite murals

It’s famous

These two…

Shenanigans

After the East Side Gallery we had breakfast in the Kreuzberg district (seeing any repeat patterns from my last Berlin trip?).  No longer hangry, we went back to Unter den Linden to visit the Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle’s temporary Contemporary African Art exhibit.  It was a small exhibit that mostly dealt with cultural perceptions and differences that the artist encountered moving from Benin to the Netherlands.   It was relateable and interactive, and I’m glad we were able to catch the exhibit before it left Germany.

Breakfast at Bateau Ivre

The Meschac Gaba exhibit included a library

 

Our last stop was Angry Chicken in Kreuzberg.  Some Aussies we met in the hostel Saturday night recommended it, and they definitely knew what they were talking about.  It’s a tiny little joint on Oranienstrasse but their food is outta this world.  Noms.

By the time we were done eating, it was time to head back west to the Ruhrgebiet.  We spent just a little over 24 hours in Berlin, but it was amazing to see how much the country has changed since reunification.  It was also amazing to see how abrupt and disruptive the wall was (not to mention the oppression it represented).  Usually you’re kind of conscious of where the wall stood, but seeing the lichtgrenze in places like the middle of the road helped to put a few things in perspective.  Not to mention the lichtgrenze was totally fluid; you could just jump from one side of the balloons to the other like people two decades ago could’ve only imagined.

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For further reading, here are a few articles on Germany 25 years after the fall:
Washington Post on the continuing divide between East and West
Time: Germany’s Wall that Didn’t Fall
Washington Post: Walls still standing
Washington Post: Three Generations Reflect on the Wall
Buzzfeed: Germans who love the Hoff (NRW makes an impressive showing, and my own beloved Bochum is represented at number 13!)