Mein Geburtstag im Rom!

I had wanted to keep going with all my travels from when I was in Marburg, but I felt as though I should jump forward into the present (if that's even possible!) to talk about my birthday. This year I turned 22, the year of contradictions according to my friends, and an age where everything is miserable and magical at the same time according to Taylor Swift. To celebrate this monumental year, I wanted to do something crazy and exciting, so I went to Rome with my friend Paul for a week. This is a recap of what we did each day: 

Day 1: How Much of Rome can we see in one night? 
As our flights got in a different times and we were staying in different parts of the Eternal city (great planning on our part), we agreed to meet at the metro and find somewhere for dinner. We ended up eating by the Trevi Fountain, but on our way there we were able to see the Victor Emmanuel II monument. After dinner we wanted to find our way to the Colosseum, but we got a bit lost and ended up at the Tiber river. This detour did allow us to see some of the ruins left from ancient Rome. We finally found the Colosseum enjoyed the beauty of it without the legion of tourists that are encountered during the daytime. Our final stop for the night was St. Peter's Square to get a stunning view of St. Peter's Basilica. We were also lucky enough to see the lights on in the papal offices! 

Day 2: The Magic Rome Bus and other Ancient Sites
As we had bought passes to see the sights of Rome and the Vatican, we were allowed to ride a hop-on hop-off tour bus for three days. This tour bus allowed us to take in the major sights of Rome so we could strategize a plan of attack for the rest of the day. Afterwards we headed back to the Colosseum for a complete tour of the ancient arena. Then we were off to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, where we perused ruins until closing time.

Day 3: Is that Moses or Paul?
This was a whirlwind of a day that brought us to three of the four Basilica's of Rome, and it was also my 22nd birthday! This included: St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. John Lateran. We also visited San Pietro in Vincoli. We also visited the Capitoline Museums, where Paul and I essentially had the run of the place and proceded to make various pop culture references in our photos. The day ended with dinner by the Trevi Fountain, where I threw in two two-cent coins for my 22nd birthday!

Day 4: The Golden Ticket Trip
Today was one of the parts of my trip to Rome I was looking forward to most: a visit to the vatican for an audience with the pope. I thought it was only a small group meeting, but I'm pretty sure I was one of 6,000. It was still pretty exciting. Then we not only toured St. Peter's Basilica and saw the Sistine Chapel, but we also attended mass there!

Day 5: Wine and Dine with David
When in Rome, go to Florence! At least, that's what Paul wanted to do. We managed to get promo train tickets so it wasn't ridiculously expensive (unless you count the cost of lost sleep) but it was worth it because we got to see David, and didn't have to wait in any lines! I got to shop along my favorite bridge and we even had a nice dinner with wine. We bought enough to bring home too!

Day 6: It's not Over 'til it's Over
Our last day in Rome was not wasted; instead we went to see a few more churches and piazzas and I made one last rendezvous to the Trevi Fountain. Then it was a frenzied trip back to Munich for a few more days of fun before heading back to Tübingen!

Overall, Rome was a fantastic trip (thank you Mom)! I ate fantastic food, enjoyed cone after cone of amazing gelato, saw the awesome and inspiring sights of Rome, and developed a greater friendship along the way (thanks travel buddy Paul)! I hope the rest of being 22 is as invigorating as the first few days was!  And I'll be home in less than a month!

Das Schöne, Das Historische und Das Komplizierte (Teil 2): Frankfurt

I've been in Germany for over three months already! I'm doing something special for my birthday, and then in one month I'll be coming home for Christmas!!! I know I've been behind on my blog, so I thought I would revisit a three-part post I had started a while back. Last time I talked about Edersee, which I considered to be absolutely beautiful. In this post, we're visiting Frankfurt, one of the most historical places I've visited. 

Frankfurt am Main is the largest city in the state of Hessen, and the fifth largest city in Germany. Commonly called Frankfurt, this city is the financial and transport capital of Germany, with it's international airport and home to headquarters of most of the German banks; in addition, it is home to the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the Frankfurt trade fair. Besides it's economic stronghold, Frankfurt is home to over 60 museums, and once a year it is possible to gain access to all of them for a relatively low price called the Museum Embankment Festival. It was this weekend that I was in Frankfurt, and the day was quite a busy one. We began with a three hour tour of the city, followed by a few hours of free time to eat and visit the museums. Some people chose to stay behind for the evening events, but I tried to get to see everything I wanted in the time we had been given. I'll share some of my favorite places from the tour. 

Starbucks: You think I'm kidding, don't you? In all seriousness, I was so happy to see a Starbucks when I got off the bus I had to go there for breakfast. Before I left for Germany, I was developing a love for Starbucks Mocha Caramel Frappuccinos and I was very happy to see they had them there. That's one thing I'll be looking forward to having when I touch down at Logan International in Boston. You can take the girl out of America, but you can't take America out of the girl. 

Römerberg: Römerberg is the town square of Frankfurt, and it is where one can find the Römer (Town hall) and the fountain of Justice. It had been severely bombed during WWII, but many of the quaint and picturesque buildings have since been rebuilt identically to their pre-war predecessors. Founded in the 15th Century, Frankfurt has served as the coronation cite throughout the Roman occupation of Germany when it was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Paintings of all 52 kings elected into power can be seen in the Imperial Hall. 

Eiserner Steg: Auf Englisch, the Iron Bridge, connects the district Sachsenhausen to the main part of Frankfurt. Built for pedestrians, this bridge sees its share of people daily, but perhaps the most memorable are those in a white dress and tux. The rails of Eiserner Steg are covered in locks left by couples married in Frankfurt. Tradition is that the couple comes to the bridge after their wedding with their friends and family as witnesses, and together they lock the lock and throw away the key to signify their unbroken bond. The town will even engrave the locks with the couple's name and marriage date when they go to pick up their marriage license. The hopeless romantic inside me is crying a little at the beauty of this gesture. 

Frankfurter Dom St. Bartholomew's: The Cathedral of Frankfurt has been through quite a lot since its construction in the 14th and 15th centuries. The original structure was destroyed in 1867 due to a massive fire, and during WWII six successive bombardments led to severe structural damage and an annihilation of the interior of the church. Nevertheless the Dom is still standing and its presence is another reminder of the history of the city. 


Jewish Holocaust Memorial Wall: This was certainly a moving sight to see. Along the Jewish cemetery runs a wall containing over 12,000 names of native-born Jewish Frankfurters who were killed during the Holocaust. Most of them list the concentration camp where they died. Over the years, names have been removed or added as more detailed records have surfaced. The most famous name on the wall is Anne Frank, who was born in Frankfurt. Stones are left on the metal bricks as a sign of remembrance.

Kleinmarkthalle: The cheapest way to eat in Frankfurt is by walking through the Kleinmarkthalle. Here it is easy to get your fill on samples from all of the different vendors, from meats and cheeses to breads and nuts and even some spiced cider and dessert. Just remember that the people actually sell these things and want you to buy them, it's not a free-for-all!

Goethehaus: This multi-story house was the childhood home of the writer, artist, and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the last stop on the tour. While I had never heard of Goethe before, the house was quite an exhibit to see. My favorite part was the elaborate furnaces and the functional grandfather house.

Entscheidungen

Making decisions are difficult in and of themselves, but when you throw in 3764.194 miles between you and your comfort zone (yes that's exact thanks to Google), you realize just how harder it is for a decision to be reached. As I approach the two month mark until I am able to return to my comfort zone, even if for only a brief period of two weeks, I wanted to share the observations I've noticed not only on the decisions I've made but on the decisions made by others.

What exactly makes a decision hard? The first thought screaming at me is consequences. Whatever decisions we make ultimately shape our immediate and eventually long-term future. There are some people who make decisions blindly without realizing the consequences until it is too late. The cards have fallen, the final act has begun. If consequences were not taken into consideration, there would be many more stupid, foolish decisions made each day. It is also true that we cannot predict what consequences will result; we can only guesstimate, as I like to say. I could only try to imagine how my family and friends would reach out to me when I came here. I had no idea what frenzy of emotions I would be feeling once I finally reached Tübingen. When we make a choice, we have to live with the consequences.

And I thought choosing this was hard

I am the girl who took four hours to pick out wallpaper; 30 minutes for the pattern and 3 and a half hours on whether I wanted it in gold or in silver (I picked gold). I knew I would have to live with this wallpaper for the next decade or so, but it wasn't about the color; it was about making the right decision. I was the only person who knew what the right choice was, but I couldn't even come up with it. It felt like I was taking a one-question test and the time was ticking away like an hourglass. Sand trickling down from above and slowly collecting on the bottom. I felt this when I went to Stuttgart at the beginning of the month. I wanted to buy a dirndl (a traditional German dress, think Hansel and Gretel), but they are hard to find at an affordable price. When I was at Oktoberfest in Munich I tried some on but I never found one that I loved and I felt like I missed my opportunity when I came back. So I found myself in Stuttgart in a gorgeous dress, wanting to buy it and take it home with me, worried I wouldn't have another opportunity yet worried that it was too expensive for my budget (I am thoroughly enjoying the Fulbright experience but the budget needs to be increased because money runs out quick when you have to pay 800€ in rent fees alone and you only have 1000€ for the month). I was worried what people would say about my purchase. Well, not everyone; ultimately, I was worried what the person would have to say: my mother. My mom had told me I could get a dirndl; she wanted me to get one in fact. What neither of us had planned on was that I would have to pay cash.

I've said I was strapped for cash, but I mean it when I said I had 20€ on me and had to pay for this dress that was certainly more than 20€. I told the woman to hold it for me and I would come back with the cash in an hour. The problem was, I didn't have the money in my German bank account. I had to make a decision: walk away from the prettiest dirndl I had seen and possibly my last chance to buy one, or get the cash. Well, I emptied my bank accounts in Germany and took some money from my account in the US (fees included) and I bought that dirndl. I had 6€ left over but I looked stunning. Then I spent two hours on the train, dreading the ominous Skype call to my mother, hearing the "you don't have the money for that," feeling guilty. But none of that happened. She was thrilled and told me I made the right decision. She surprised me but she was right. I stare at that dress every night and wonder how bad I would feel if I let that opportunity slip away from me. It was a consequence I wasn't going to face.

A sneak peek of my dirndl

I thought when I came to Germany I would receive a slew of support from my family and friends in the US. When I was making the decision to come here, the amount of encouragement was overwhelming from my roommates and friends to faculty and family. I had a wonderful support system that helped me throughout the planning and preparation. When I came to Germany I received many well wishes and "keep in touch" messages, and I felt like I was going to continue to feel this as time went on. But I forgot that everyone had lives to live. I am the person whose put the daily drudge of life on hold for adventure, how can they understand how it feels to stare at the computer waiting to receive an e-mail from them. Days turn into weeks and you still hope you'll hear from them. And when you finally do hear from someone once every few weeks it feels great, but you miss the daily contact, the "thought of this and had to share with you" texts, the conversations that don't have to take place when you should be sleeping. You miss normalcy.

I thought I would receive an e-mail a day from someone, whether a family member, a friend, a former teacher. Not the same person every day but at least something from someone to know that they were thinking of me, they were proud of me, they knew it was hard but that it was worth it. And maybe I expected too much; everyone I know is speeding through life a hundred miles an hour. They may not know how much I could use them right now. When I was home, it wasn’t like I talked to these people on a regular basis; there just wasn’t enough time between school’s challenges and life’s unexpectancies that we sometimes forget there are others outside our little bubble. And we never exclude those outsiders on purpose; perhaps we just haven’t taken the time to notice that’s where we’ve placed them. You can’t expect people to go from occasional conversations to weekly e-mails overnight.

I hear from my mother religiously twice a day, and I wouldn't want to trade her for all those other e-mails or Skype conversations. My mother is my best friend, she's honest and she stays true to her word. She doesn't make false promises and she's not a hypocrite. I understand that people are busy and I truly treasure the moments I do hear from a friend or professor or family member. I replay those conversations in my mind like rereading a favorite story; if they were letters I could hold they would be well worn from their usage. But when you reach out to someone to only receive bitter silence week after week, that feels like the door has been slammed in your face. There are words that hang in limbo, words that you write to be heard, and you never know if they are truly understood or received. Sometimes not making a decision, not choosing to act, is the ultimate decision you can make. The curtain closes. The last note lingers in the air like the mist after a cold, rainy night. The beginning of the end.

This is the purpose of my lengthy message to you all, the goal I hope I have achieved: to remind you that it's never too late to make a better decision. I don't want to change others because their decisions have let me know where I stand and of what importance I carry in their lives; they should realize it and change it themselves, it’s a decision they have to make. And not everyone will think that they should change; they like things the way they are. That's their decision; they will have to live with those consequences and maybe one day they will turn around and realize who and what they missed out on. And to those of you who do reach out to me, I am grateful to have you in my life, you are as precious to me as the gems beneath the earth. I want you to continue to reach out, I want to talk and laugh with you and to share your triumphs and your sorrows. This is not meant to condemn; this is my way of saying, "Here I am! I’ve been waiting for you for so long, but I rather you come late than never come at all. It's okay, I’ve been waiting but now when we do connect it will still be as magical as the first time we met." And if we've never met and you are stumbling onto this blog wondering why a girl whose never been away from everything safe in her life for more than two weeks would travel 3764.194 miles away from home for a year to find herself, I ask you to remember, if anything, this one, simple lyric from a country girl who became a superstar, "It's never too late to be brand new." 

Taylor Swift <3 

Das Schöne, Das Historische und Das Komplizierte (Teil 1): Edersee

It's been almost a month since I last posted on here, between the Deutschkurs Prufung (German Language Evaluation test), moving, getting sick again, and settling in to Tübingen, I haven't had much time for blogging. Also, I will be blogging for Let's Go Travel Guides and am currently working with them to get my online account set up. Once that is done my blogs will appear here and on their website! But without further ado, here is my latest post!

I've been debating whether to condense the three Fulbright sponsored day trips into one post or into three mini posts, and I ultimately decided it would be unfair to force each of these trips into a paragraph, so there will be three parts to this blog post. The title for this post is "The Beautiful, The Historical, and The Complicated," as I think this is the perfect description of each of the three trips to Edersee, Frankfurt an Main, and Weimar/Buchenwald.

Our first excursion was to the beautiful Edersee, located in Waldeck-Frankenberg. The Edersee is one of Germany's largest reservoirs, and the Edersee dam was a major target of Operation Chastise during WWII. This bombing resulted in catastrophic damage to the center of the dam, which took several months to rebuild. Here in Waldeck, we saw some very interesting and engaging sights aside from the Edersee, and I'd like to highlight my favorites.

On a hill overlooking the Edersee you may be able to spot Schloß Waldeck protruding from the trees. The first historical mention of this exquisite castle dates back to 1120 AD. In history, the castle has served a number of duties, including a palace home, a barracks, and a prison. Today as you walk up the winding pathway to the entrance, you may notice a number of antique cars careening past you, which are available to rent from the castle, which not only a museum but also a hotel and restaurant. Here are a few stories meant to give some insight into the Schloß Waldeck's curious past.

One of the major displays in the Schloß is of the medieval torture tools used when the castle served as a prison. And they were certainly a peculiar mixture of instruments. The show-stopper of the chamber would have to be what I like to call "The Hangover Hangout." It's a wooden cage suspended from a post that would be put in the center of town. If you were accused of public drunkenness, you would be schackled in the cage and people could come up to you and spin the cage around for the entire day (talk about a bad hangover). Some other interesting tools included die Schandsteine, also known as the Blasphemous Stones, which were used as a form of social punishment (think The Scarlet Letter).  There was also the tradition of whipping you on both your arrival to and departure from the prison, complete with a lovely array of whipping materials. Lets just say you didn't want to come to the Schloß when it was a prison. 

The castle was not only a prison but was also involved in witch trials. I particularly like their method of testing if a person was a witch. In the castle there is a hole in which suspected witches were thrown down several hundred feet. If they survived, they were considered to be a witch and would be sentenced to death since they could not get you out of the deep dark pit; if you died then you were deemed innocent. Makes perfect sense huh? The tour guide also told us that because they could not remove the bodies, it was possible to see calcification of the bones on the cement if you looked down. I took a picture of the area where the victims fell through and there is a very strange orb in the picture. The ghost of a victim perhaps? 

Then there's the story of the two prisoners who dug a 400ft well. They were told that if they dug the well completely they would be let free. Essentially they were digging over the length of a football field straight down through rock. It took these poor guys twenty years to finish. Tragically, when they finished the first one left the well and went blind because he had not seen light for extended lengths of time, then the other died because of a heart attack almost immediately. Guess there's no fairy tale ending for them.

Aside from Schloß Waldeck, we also took a luncheon cruise on the Edersee, and took a tour of the Edersee Dam. As I mentioned, part of the dam was destroyed during WWII. The dam was originally built in 1908, but prior to that the river separated several small villages. Records date back to as early as 1297.  When the water is lowered today in the dam, it is possible to still walk across bridges from those villages. With it's breathtaking view and beautiful landscape, it's understandable why the Edersee Dam draws so many to its waters. 

Our day ended with a nature walk through the beautiful Kellerwald-Edersee, which included a stunning bridge walk above the trees to see the entirety of the Edersee. Our guide told us that people even come up there for wedding ceremonies. Hope no one is afraid of heights! Overall it was a fantastic trip, one whose beauty still astounds me.

Alles geschieht aus einem Grund

This exact moment one short month ago I was sitting on a plane by myself, gazing out the window as I caught one last glimpse of the northeast before takeoff. I was tired. I spent part of the night before and most of the morning packing, unpacking, and repacking until the two suitcases stored safely beneath me were ready for this journey. It was in the last 24 hours before my departure that I was concerned more so with my luggage than anything else. And I remember sitting on that plane, moments before takeoff, asking myself if I was ready. Sure, the paperwork was in order, there was someone ready to meet me at the train station, and even my luggage was patiently waiting to leave. But was I ready? No, I don't think so. I remember calling my mom at least three times from the plane just so I could talk to her. Most of the conversations involved me crying and her trying to figure out what I was saying, or her crying and me trying to figure out what she was saying. It was the best way for me to use the last of my AT&T minutes. I was "ready" in every sense of the word, but I wasn't ready to be ready. I was scared. I was leaving everything I knew and loved and was comfortable with for something completely and undoubtedly foreign. I don't care what anyone says, visiting a country does not prepare you to live in a total emersion in that place. But I really didn't have a choice; whether or not I was ready, I was leaving.

I am a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason I applied for the Fulbright. It was the last major discussion I had with my father before he passed away. If you're thinking that he told me I should do it, the answer is wrong. What he did say was that I should apply if I thought I would want it, and that I shouldn't let what was wrong with him stop me from doing something I might want. What I found out recently was that he told my mother he wouldn't live to see my decision and he wanted to be supportive regardless of his opinion on the subject. Three weeks later we were planning his funeral.

 A lot of changes took place after that. I fought to keep myself afloat while preparing for my senior year of college. It seems that the odds were not in my favor. My mother lost her job, a family member received a stage-4 cancer diagnosis, and my long-term boyfriend broke up with me. I was not in the right frame of mind to make life decisions, but I didn't really have a choice. I forced myself to start my senior year and make the best of it. I applied to the Fulbright and several graduate schools in my area. I threw myself into my work, I tried to come to terms with emptiness left by the men in my life. I attempted to be social, both at work and with my roommates. Ultimately, I was struggling, but was making it work.

December helped turn things around. I started seeing someone and for a while I felt that things were going my way in life. I branched out a bit. I was more social with my roommates and I relaxed on my studies, feeling that the final stretch was approaching. But that's not how it works. I was denied acceptance at three of my schools, including some in my top three. It came down to the three interviews I was offerred. One school had one professor I loved but not much else. Another had a great location but not the strongest program. The last school had the perfect program for me but was also the furthest from home: 3 1/2 hours. I know some people who don't know me well are probably wondering why this would be such a big deal for a girl who decided to go to Germany. But this is also the girl who couldn't stay at a college 40 minutes away from home for more than 2 weeks without feeling like she would breakdown. But everything happens for a reason. I only got into one school. Guess which one? Yes, I was accepted to Dartmouth College, 3 1/2 hours away from little North Smithfield, RI in Hanover, NH, an Ivy League Division 1 research institute. It was perfect and horrible at the same time. I struggled with making a decision, should I go or should I try to work for a year and then reapply? Ultimately, I decided to accept  the position at Dartmouth in the PEMM program. I finally thought I had a plan. A few weeks from graduation, a great graduate school lined up, a good support system at home.

But I guess that my life was meant to be complicated. After I made my decision about Dartmouth, the person I had been dating for several months decided to end our relationship. I thought we were perfect for each other, but he didn't see what I saw between us. Looking back I recognize that it might have been the wrong time for us to be a couple, but I also recognize that I'm not sure there will ever be a right time either. It was a great day that turned into tears. But that story is not the purpose of this post...

A week later, I received my Fulbright acceptance. I knew that I had been listed as an alternate, and I also knew that there were people who were counting on a Fulbright to come to Germany for years. I was not one of those people. I only took German my senior year because I thought it would help my case and I had the space for it. I actually enjoyed those classes, mostly because of my wonderful and patient professor, but I never really thought I would need them. I didn't expect to receive the Fulbright, and once I did receive it, I didn't know what to do with it. People I told on campus were ecstatic, while my mother was in shock. It's not that she wasn't happy, because she tells me every day how proud she is of me, but to her it meant she would be losing another person, even if it was temporary. I struggled with my decision for days, knowing I had less than a week to inform them of my acceptance or denial of their offer. I asked so many people for advice, but I was often reminded that no one could make my decision for me.

The best advice I received on my dilema came from two very different people. The first was from my cousin whom I mentioned earlier (she was the person diagnosed with stage-4 breast cancer). She told me that I should not do something just because I was afraid. If I do not do something just because I am afraid of doing it, I will miss out on a great deal of life. And I realized she was right. I wanted to do the Fulbright but I was afraid. Afraid of the distance, the language barrier, the new people, of not succeeding in my lab, of being homesick. But almost everything I was afraid of also could apply to Dartmouth. The second piece of advice I received was after I had already accepted the Fulbright. At Commencement, I was privileged to meet Brian Kelly, the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and to listen to his address to my graduating class. He asked us a very simple question that I will continue to ask whenever faced with a difficult decision: "Are you doing what's good for you, or what's best for you?"

So now you know the story behind my decision that led me to living in a dorm overlooking the Elisabethkirche and the Schloß of Marburg. And I don't regret the decision to come; in fact, I believe I would be very angry with myself if I hadn't come and knew what I would have already done in one short month. I've made friends with people just like me, a Fulbright student, but with stories of their own very different from mine. We all took a different path to reach this place, but we are here together. I've toured three incredibly beautiful and historical cities in Germany. I've bought yeast instead of butter, ordered a mudslide instead of a frappuccino, and been left behind in a Cathedral (on more than one occasion). But I've also walked the same path the Brothers Grimm walked on their way to school, traveled to another city on my own, walked across one of the largest man-made lakes in Germany, and discovered that I am stronger than I ever thought I was.

I know that I would not be where I am today were it not for the mosaic of events that led me here. Whatever has happened, happened for a reason, and I am positive that whatever will happen over the following months will also happen for a reason. I look forward to what adventures await me next, and I hope that you have the courage to do what is best for you, no matter how afraid you may be. You're ready.

Ein Führung de Marburg! (Teil 2)

Welcome back to the second part of our tour of Marburg! When I last ended our tour we were just leaving the Elisabethkirche and heading up to the Schloß. Let’s take a look at some of the things I saw on my way there…

By turning left from the Elisabethkirche and crossing the street, you’ll be heading into the Oberstadt (the old part of town) and up to the Rauthaus (Town Hall) built in the early 1500s. As you walk up Steinweg, you can see that there are three stories to the road. Which level of the road you walked on depended on your class status, as the road was the most convenient place to dispose of trash or empty the family chamber pot. Traditionally, the lower class walked on the first story where most of the waste collected, the middle class on the second story, and the upper class on the third (we would all be considered middle class, so at least we wouldn’t be in the worst conditions). Along this road is where I encountered my first Grimm sighting.

Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany in the late 1700s. The two brothers came to Marburg to study law at Phillips Universität, the oldest Protestant University in the world. It was here in Marburg that the Brothers Grimm began the collection of fairy tales with the purpose of preserving the stories as they had been handed from generation to generation—something that the industrialization of the world threatened from continuing. This year commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the Brothers Grimm first publication; to celebrate, the town of Marburg has erected several monuments based on stories from the fairy tales and they have been scattered throughout the city. This year is also referred to as The Year of the Frog Prince.

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

The monument seen from Steinweg is based on the tale "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids." The story is somewhat of a combination between "The Three Little Pigs" and "Little Red Riding Hood," involving a wolf who tries to trick the goats into letting him into their home. After several attempts he succeeds and swallows all six goats whole (they're still alive in his stomach). After he falls asleep the mother returns with the youngest goat and, seeing the wolf asleep and the house empty, the mother goat cut open the stomach of the wolf and freed her children. She then filled his stomach with six large stones and sewed him back up. When the wolf awoke he went to the river to drink, fell in from the weight of the stones, and drowned.  

The Frog Prince

Further up the street you can see another one of the Grimm monuments, based on the fairy tale "The Frog Prince." Most people have a general understanding of the story: a prince is turned into a frog and must be kissed to become human again. The major difference between the mainstream version and the Grimm version is that the girl never actually kisses the frog; rather, she throws the frog against the wall and the crash breaks the spell. They still end up getting married and living happily ever after, but the frog prince never receives that kiss that many young girls read about and try to imagine that the frog in the pond down the street will ask them for a kiss. 



After finding my future (yet currently amphibian) husband, our tour guide took us down a particularly sketchy alleyway and led us to a large metal door. Then she says to us (I love this part), "Make sure no one is following us and if someone stops you just speak German." Now I'm concerned. As we make our way through this narrow, dimly lit tunnel, I ask myself are you sure this is the tour guide and not some crazy lady? Once we were through the tunnel, however, I saw that we were being taken to a place that not many people are privileged to visit. Our tour guide brought us to the remains of a Jewish synagogue that had been destroyed by angry locals during the Black Death of the 1300s. Customarily, only German citizens are able to walk into the remains; tourists are able to view the synagogue from a glass-enclosed viewpoint. We were very fortunate to have entered the archeological remnants. 

The Valiant Little Tailor, or Seven in One Blow

After leaving the Jewish synagogue, we made our way up to the Oberstadt and to the Rathaus. When facing the Rathaus there is another Grimm monument on the left commemorating "The Valiant Little Tailor." This story is rather odd and definitely not one of my favorites. The essence of the story is that the tailor kills seven flies in one blow and, to boast this accomplishment, he makes a belt with the inscription "Seven in One Blow" on it. This leads to some trouble with giants who think he killed seven men in one blow. Somehow he carries out a number of impossible acts that end with him marrying the king's daughter. The monument focuses on the catalyzing factor of the story: the flies. Ugh. 

Walking away from the Rathaus led us to two historically important houses: the home of the Brothers Grimm during their schooling years at Philipps-Universität and the home of Martin Luther, founder of Lutherism and the man responsible for the Protestant Reformation. First was Martin Luther's house on Barfüßerstraße from 1529. I found this particularly interesting as my former boss Allen, the Director of the Academic Support Center at Assumption College, is a direct descendent of Martin Luther. The home of the Brothers Grimm was slightly further ahead, and they lived there between 1802 and 1805. 


Once we had seen the home of the Brothers Grimm, we ascended the steps to the Schloß, the same path that  Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm walked every day to school. Along the way we passed several attractive looking men. And by several, I mean seven short, bearded men. That's right, another Grimm monument, this one devoted to the classic fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," though Snow White seemed to be absent (she must be filming Once Upon a Time) so I sat in for her.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Cinderella

Finally we made it to the base of the Schloß when all of a sudden I spotted a giant red shoe. Wait red? That's what I said when I first saw the super-sized pump (But if it was made out of glass I'm sure it could be broken easily). That's right, the final Grimm monument on our tour was dedicated to the fairy tale "Cinderella." Very fitting that the shoe sits in between two exhaustive staircases. Continuing up the final staircase brings you to the base of the Schloß where there is a delicious Biergarten you can visit after your leisurely walk up the hill. There is also the Schloßpark, where festivals and theatre productions are held. 


Once I know more about the history of the Schloß I will be sure to write about it, but for now, enjoy the mystery and beauty surrounding the happily ever after of my tour of Marburg.

One last look at the Schloß as we make our way home

Ein Führung de Marburg! (Teil 1)

Guten Tag! I have been sick since last weekend but am finally able to share my tour of Marburg with you all! But first, some general background information about Marburg and how it came to be the town it is today.
 

Marburg was settled as part of a medieval highway linking the trade route route from Cologne to Prague and the trade route from the North Sea to the Alps and Italy. It was strategically built along the river Lahn, which cuts through three federal states. Coins date Marburg's existence back to 1140 AD. It's most famous for serving as the home to the widowed princess-countess of Thuringia, Elisabeth, in 1228. She was known for her dedication and willingness to serve the poor. She became a saint after she died in 1231 at only 24 years old. Marburg has also served as home to several famous figures in history: the Brothers Grimm, best known for their grisly fairy tales inspired by many of Marburg's sights, and Martin Luther, famous for breaking away from the Catholic Church and founding Protestantism.

During WWII, Marburg was converted into a hospital town with schools and government building. By the end of the war there were over 20,000 patients being treated at once, most of them being German soldiers. Because of it's primary role as a hospital, Marburg avoided a majority of the bombing. In fact, the only thing to suffer from the bombings was the train tracks. Because of this, Marburg is a traditional, beautiful German town full of history, a bit like it was taken out of a fairy tale and placed in the middle of the woods.

The tour begins at the Elisabethkirche, known in 

English as Saint Elisabeth's Church. The Church of Saint Elisabeth was built between 1235 and 1283 directly on the grave site of St. Elisabeth. It was the first church in Germany to be built in a purely Gothic style. The history of St. Elisabeth's life is illustrated on panels displayed in the church. Elisabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and at the age of 4 she was brought to Thuringia to be raised with her future husband the son of the Count of Thuringia. When she was fourteen they were married, and together they had three children. When the crusades began her husband left to fight and was killed in action. She was widowed at 21. She move to Marburg after his death, as her brother-in-law and his family despised her. She cared for the poor and the needy for the next three years until her death. After she died, miracles began to happen with the sick. The lame could walk, the blind could see, and the deaf could hear after visiting her grave site. Rapidly she was made into a saint by the Catholic Church. While the Elisabethkirche was originally Catholic, it is now a protestant church. 

There are some very important aspects of the Elisabethkirche to point out. First is the crucifix on the alter of the church. This was made by expressionist artist Ernst Barlach. During WWII the Nazis went through churches destroying any artwork that made the human race look weak, particularly those works including Jesus suffering on the cross. A parishioner took the crucifix in the middle of the night and hid it from the Nazis until the war was over. It is one of the few original pieces remaining in the world. 

 

  

Another important sight to point out in the church are the monuments dedicated to the Knights of the Teutonic Order. This organization paid for the church to be built, and it is the most prominent members who can be seen carved into the walls of the church. 

 

Deep in the front of the church, in a small alcove is the Golden Shrine. It had originally been stolen for its jewels, and to move the jewels from Germany to London, the jewels were disguised to look like chocolate. Eventually the shine was recovered, but the jewels that were stolen were never replaced as a reminder to those of what happened. 

 

Right near the entrance to the church, you can find the tomb of Hindenburg and his wife. Hindenburg was the second president of the Reich and appointed Hilter as Chancellor of Germany.

 

 

The final and truly exquisite sight to see in the Elisabethkirche is its organ. Built in 2006 by Johannes Klais. It has 57 registers, 3 manuals, and a pedal. The colors of the church are meant to mimic the stained glass of the church.

After leaving the Elisabethkirche, we headed through the old part of town up to the Schloß. In my next post, I'll tell you about the sights we walked by, including the homes of the Brothers Grimm and Martin Luther. Perhaps we'll even spy a fairy tale character or two...

Ich bin in Marburg!

Guten tag! Can you believe that I am in Marburg? If I wasn't looking outside at the Elisabethkirche while writing this I wouldn't believe it either. My trip here was far from flawless though, and I really thought that I would be going home by the time I got here with everything that happened. Let me give you a breakdown of how I got to Marburg...

8/5/12
7:00am                Woke up Sunday morning, the day of my flight. Total number of bags packed and  
                                  ready to go: zero. This was going to be a long day.

9:30am                First bag is packed and weighed. Comes in just under 50 lbs (23kg) which is the max.

10:00am             Second bag is packed and weighed. Comes in at 80 lbs...unable to close...contains no
                                 clothing. Screwed.

11:00am              After some careful and scrutinous repacking, I managed to get both bags under 50
                                 lbs, along with packing a duffel bag weighing 50 lbs as my carry on.

1:00pm               Pack the car and drive to the airport to arrive for 2:30pm

3:00pm               Get lost trying to find the airport

3:15pm               Bags get checked in and are accepted!

3:45pm               Finish saying goodbye to my mother and Sue and get through security...so difficult.

3:50pm               Plane is boarding, have to hurry down to the gate and get on in time!

4:35pm               Plane leaves Boston!

6.8.12
5:35am               Arrive in Frankfurt. Never slept during the 7hr flight

6:45am               Finally find the baggage claim and carry 150 lbs down two flights of stairs to get the
                                 train

7:20am               Have to change trains which involves carrying my bags up and down two flights of
                                stairs

8:50am               Get off train...at the wrong stop

9:22am               Get on the train again

9:25am               Get off at the right stop, meet another Fulbrighter and wait to be picked up.

10:30am             Arrive at Universität Marburg dorms!

Looking back on it, my arrival doesn't seem too terrible, but after being awake for over 24 hrs and having to manage 3 bags by yourself in a place that has yet to embrace elevators can be overwhelming by yourself.

Look for my next blog post this weekend where I will take you through some of the amazing places in Marburg!!!