DDR and I don't mean Dance Dance Revolution!

12/14/06

My parents were here and left, wow, yesterday. It was nice seeing them and giving them
an Hannah-guided tour of the Louvre, etc. (special: Tour tickets only $101.26 with mention of this email. Get yours today!) For them, I waived the fee in exchange for being stuffed on pastries more happyily as a child in the Willy Wonka factory. The almond
croissant deserves mention.. it was not flakey, but crumbly-moist and warm, buttery and
heavenly. Me and that's almond croissant, we're in love, but keep that on the down low.

Their visit also included a trip to Germany. That said...

BUNDESVERWALTUNGSGERICHT! I saw that written on a building and found it such an
incredible world that I wrote it down to share with you all. If you can tell me what that
means I'll send you a postcard. Seriously. Can anyone even pronounce that? I don't think that is meant to be said by the human tongue

On the plane over I met Antoine, a young Parisian gentleman studying in Berlin. It turned out to be a great thing. We spoke French on the flight over, and as it turned out, he was taking the same train as I from the airport to Berlin city proper. I was meeting up with my parents in Leipzig and was traveling alone, but thanks to Antoine I didn't have to worry about which train went where and what in the world Haubenstaofugnesvezzacht was (I made that up as an example of train vocabulary.) We talked a lot about his band. He gave me his CD and the number of his brother (who's a student in Paris) and his girlfriend (who lives in Berlin.. remember, I'm going there over winter break).

So Leipzig.. I arrived from Berlin in the evening and was met at the train station by my parents and our family friend Chuck. Back to the Johanningsmeier (Chuck and his fam) apartment we went. The kids who were all 'asleep' suddenly woke up to greet. I felt like Christmas morning. Maybe. (Hi J-kids! I bet you're reading this).

Friday we walked around the Christmas market set up all throughout Leipzig. The market consisted of a very large smattering of little log-house booths that sell everything from crafts to kitchen utensils to glutenwein (malt wine) more glutenwein and a thousand times over BRAUTWORST!

Brautworst seems to be the equivalent of chocolate. All the kiddies and adults want to gorge themselves upon it. Good after school snack, eh? PLLLEAAASE moooom can I have some brautwooorst! It was decent, but can't beat those French pastries.

Anyhow, Leipzig was part of East Germany aka Communist aka DDR (Deutchland Democratic Republic). Walking down the street you could see which buildings, 17 years after the fall o' the
wall, have and have not been renovated. Those redone are painted in bright colors and the
monumental sculpture adorning their facades is crisp and pretty. The 'DDR buildings' are
soot-stained and gray, caked with years of car exhaust and pollution. They look like the inside of a chimney, stained by ashes and never exposed to sunlight. A stark difference.

Evidently during DDR, even clothing was dull. The government-provided, caustic laundry detergent washed out color from once bright sweaters and and pants. Can you imagine what the fall of Communism must have been like? It's like the Wizard of Oz. Everything's black and white, drab and dull. Then one day, there's an earthshaking occurrence and color dashes intensely into your life. Gina J-meier told me about a woman she knows who upon entering West Germany after the fall was literally blinded by the vividness of the color in the west.

It was also interesting to see what would have been considered 'high class' during DDR
times. The J-meiers appartement was, back before '89 a place where visiting Communist
leaders would stay. I don't know about you, but I find fake wood linoleum floors
and inexplicable half-inch, dull metal protrusions at the base of door frames to be as ritzy
as the Plaza.

Also visited the Bach Museum (he was choir master in L-zeig for around 20 years) and went
to a choir concert and Nicolikirshe. The concert consisted of a world-renown choir
accompanied by an organ in the church where Bach used to be the head honcho of little
singing boys. Being the refined person I am who has an astounding musical appreciation for
such cultured concerts, I spent the duration of the show making a nice doodle on my program.

Then the Rothstein Wasserman trio was off... Berlin for a day. We didn't see much of the city, but I'll be heading back soon. Their 'Times Square' equivilant is replete with very architecturally innovative modern buildings. Then there was 'Checkpoint Charlie,' a museum on the wall. As
I learned at the museum, you can't imagine the ways people tried to escape East Germany. They built planes. They dug tunnels with knives and tools. They invented pulley systems to hoist themselves up an over. The packed themselves in suitcases carried by people going to West Germany. And don't think that if you were caught in attempt to escape that you'd walk out unharmed or even alive. Scary world it must have been. I'd make a stupid comparison and say it must have been as scary as having to admire the beauty of Micheal Jackson for innumerable hours on end, but I don't really think it's a funny subject.

For a place I didn't think I'd visit (and now will be going twice) Germany turns out to be interesting. They've got doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles.

As far as things in Paris...

I handed in a final paper today of 13 or so pages. Good to get that off my back. I can
now enlighten you all about the first nude female sculpture in Greek art. Shocking I
tell you, absolutely shocking!

Socially, things are good too "Touche le bois!" A French girl who I met recently gave me
a call to hang out Tuesday. She's a lot of fun. At the bar she and I went to, an Italian guy
Ivan took interest in me. Unfortunately he took more interest in I than I in him, but I bet he makes me some killer pasta. 'Dis is a goood spagheeettti!'.

Sunday it seems as though I might have a rendez-vous. Hopefully that will go better than Parisian date 1 Eric (lets not go there and talk about how uncomfortably awkward it was for me) and date 2 Bertrand (we had really nice date, he said he'd like to see me again, then must have got eating by a fire-breathing dragon with "BIG SHARP teeth!" 'cause he suddenly disappeared). Also I'll see for the 3rd time tomorrow another French person who I met. Though all this sounds nice as nutella, who knows, a week later everyone might have
flaked out and I'll have no French acquaintances (save 1) yet again.

Well kiddos, I know things get busy with exams, but university break is coming up and I know you're going to spend every last second writing me adoring emails! Ok, not really, but I do like
hearing your news if you get a spare minute. no obligation as always, ahem, ahem.

Till next time I hope things go "vachement bien" for you all.

Hannah