Livin’ the Dream

Germany:  Relax time.  ehem.  riiiight.  Since we got to Deutchland we’ve continued our pattern of nonstop travel.  First to Berlin to see the World Cup live, then Hildesheim, then Goslar, then Gottingen and tomorrow Kassel.  Can someone please just tie us down so we stop travelling?

Berlin:  Our brief day trip into Berlin was jam packed but totally awesome.  The city has essentially been converted into one big World Cup party.  Our high speed train zipped us into the city mid morning among throngs of Tunisian and Ukrainian fans.  Our priority before the soccer match was the famous Parliament building.  An architectural gem, this building has serious history to it including mysteriously catching fire shortly after Hitler’s Nazi party won a majority in Parliament.  The observation deck recounts the importance of the place and yields exceptional views out over Berlin while parliamentary functions take place below with the aid of sunlight strategically directed in from a cylindrical set of mirrors above.  Very very cool and a great German history lesson.  Our World Cup match was an experience.  Soccer fans here are serious and we were super lucky to have somehow gotten tix.  Even though the outcome of the game decided who would move on to the next round,  the game itself was a little disappointing as well to put it bluntly, both teams sucked.  But we saw goal and got to yell and scream like crazy and pretend we were rooting for Ukraine all along so it was fun.

Dellisgen:  For those who dont know, this is where Jenny’s grandparents live.  A small countryside village about 40 mins by train from Hanover.  It’s a gorgeous place with tons of special meaning and memories.  Oma and Opa are as cute as a high school couple on prom night and the farms and forests right outside radiate tranquility.  Well at least until the thunder storms come in over the hill.  Somehow in between massive meals, mitte schlafts (afternoon naps), and coffee and cake we managed to get out and shop in Hildesheim which is the nearest “big” city to walk around a store shop.  Slightly disappointed that no Bose sounds speaker systems deals were to be found even though the factory is located 3 km away.  Another day trip to Goslar in the Harz mountains was especially rewarding.  Local craftsman sell unique and interesting glasswork in this picturesque city untouched from the World War II once famous for its lucrative mining industry.  And right now we’re in Gottingen, Germany’s college town and the place where Jenny studied abroad 3 years ago.  We both love it here and were fortunate to come in time for Phillip, a family friends graduation which was super fun and completely unlike anything you might see in the States. So with World Cup soccer one just about every night, great beer to drink and no real place to be, lets just say we’ve been having a great time in case our lack of communication wasnt evident of that.

Tags: Germany, Travel

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 1st, 2006 at 8:26 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.