Of Bald Men and Bears

I'm starting to get some pictures from Bethany's and my "Eurotrip" SpringBreakEscape 2007 in Europe!!! uploaded on Flickr.
(Better Gray?)

Labels: Fun, Germany, Life, Nature, Travel

Posted by andrew at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

Bethany's train left for the Frankfurt airport at 3:15 AM this morning. (What all did we see and do in Europe? You'll just have to wait for that post.) I took a bit too long helping her get her bags on the train and was suddenly a captive passenger of ICE 5 headed toward Frankfurt. After explaining the situation to an understanding train conductor, who seemed to enjoy the opportunity to practice his English, I got off at the next stop around 4:45 and waited for the next train back to Göttingen.

During the wait I bought the latest copy of The Economist and holed up in an American-style diner reading it while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. (I still don't drink coffee.) I haven't read The Economist since a brief period of addiction while leasing apartments last summer, when each week I'd eagerly await buying up the glossy-paged British periodical at Barnes and Noble and reading the articles between my apartment showings. As I was paging through the magazine, I was thinking how it is sort of my pack of cigarettes, my guilty pleasure that I treat myself to now and then. What's so great about it? Despite it's weight toward economic analyses of topics (accompanied by a strong free-trade bias), each issue has articles on a host of political, social, and (of course) economic issues, all areas in which my understanding is admittedly very weak. All of the articles are anonymously written by the editorial staff and each article presents an opinion in addition to presenting its analysis. It therefore doesn't fain a completely objective approach like most journalism, which is biased but pretends to not to be, and which has an opinion on the given subject but pretends not to. The Economist's articles are thorough, well-written, straight-forward, and often a little witty - like a thinking-man's Newsweek.

I've never been one for newspapers, feeling that most journalism lacks analysis and historical perspective that really allows people to understand the issues, but I also realize that there's a large void in my knowledge of what's going on in the contemporary world. Since I don't think I could ever commit the time to reading a daily newspaper, I hope that The Economist might help fill that void a bit.

Yes, I am a nerd.

Labels: Germany, Life, News, Politics, Travel

Posted by andrew at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

I just had a dream that someone hacked into this blog and posted something to the effect of, "I'm appalled that Jacob hasn't written anything since Monday, especially since he has told us that he really wants to keep this thing updated. I'm not sure we can trust him any more." If the Lord has skilled any of you in dream interpretations--for do not interpretations belong to God?--I would be interested in what that means. Personally, I think that it had something to do with the 4-Alarm Spicy Chicken Sandwich that I had from Wendy's at 10:00 last night.

In other news, I am currently back in Nebraska for my Spring Break. I had an incredible flying experience on Delta through Cincinnati (both completely on time; good in-flight snacks; no layover to speak of; my luggage got in), and my parents and brother picked me up in Omaha to drive me back to Hastings. Yesterday was a long day (two tests and a paper due), so I am excited for a little R&R.

Although I have a 700-page book on the Reformation that I need to read in order to write a paper that is due next Thursday, I'm really wanting to read two books for fun. The one I haven't started yet is called Virtue and the Voice of God: Toward Theology as Wisdom, by Daniel Treier. I've continued to ponder the concept of wisdom in the Bible, and this looked like a great book to provide fodder for my thinking.

The second book is Progressive Dispensationalism by Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock. I'm reading this for two reasons: (1) I don't have a very good idea of how Progressive Dispensationalism differs from the type of Dispensationalism that I know (I read Charles Ryrie's Dispensationalism Today, now called Dispensationalism, when I was trying to decide between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology); and (2) Beeson will be hosting Darrell Bock in April for our Biblical Studies Lectures, and I want to read something by him in order to get more out of the conference. I read about 130 of the 300 pages on the plane last night, and I was actually very pleased with how "progressive" Dispensationalism is becoming. I'll write more about it later.

Labels: Blogs, Books, Fun, Life, Nebraska, Seminary, Theology, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

Well, I did get to go see Nebraska play Alabama, but I use the word "play" there loosely. Nebraska got dominated, losing 8-0, marking Nebraska's first shutout in 201 games. I did have a good time, though, especially because I got to meet a handful of people from Nebraska who were down at the game for all sorts of different reasons. Also, there's just nothing like seeing my team down where I live. It's as though they made a special trip just for me!

Before you despair of our team's ability to play baseball, I should mention that Nebraska ended up winning the games on Saturday and Sunday, so Nebraska was the victor in the series 2-1. I listened to both on the (internet) radio, and they sounded like great games. I wished that I could have gone to one of those instead!

---

This weekend, I downloaded the computer-game classic of my childhood, "Oregon Trail," and I spent a significant amount of time playing it. I had forgotten how much that game rules. If you want to relive your own second grade, you can download the game here. (I'm not sure if this will work on Macs or not.) Ignore the "Install" file; if you just open "Oregon.exe" you will be able to play immediately.

I had forgotten how frustrating it was to get to the end of the trail, float down the river, almost get to the landing spot, but then lose virtually everything by crashing your wagon on the rocks. Stupid rivers.

---

In other news, Alabama is heading into its Spring. Being from Nebraska it's really strange to see trees blossom in early March, but I'm definitely enjoying the 70 degree weather. I can't really say that I missed having snow, though.

(Yes, I am trying to rub this in to those of you still in Nebraska.)

Labels: Alabama, Fun, Life, Nature, Nebraska, Technology, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments

This evening, the Nebraska Cornhusker baseball team will travel today to Tuscaloosa, AL to play the Alabama Crimson Tide, and I'm going to be there. I talked some seminary friends into making the hour-long drive from Birmingham to see the game--some are Alabama fans, and some are just along for the ride.

One of the Alabama fans I'm going down with passed me this little poem, and I wanted to print it here in order to give you a taste of life down here in Alabama:

If you wanna know the password for where
     the streets are paved of gold
It ain't but one little phrase and that's
     "Roll tide, roll."

I could be in for a long drive.

Labels: Alabama, Fun, Life, Nebraska, Seminary, Sports, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Thanks to my lovely Bethany for finding this one:

Confessions of an Empty-Nester

While agreeing that urbanism (or rather "New Urbanism") would help develop a better sense of community, I should also add that, based on my experience in the very urban environment of Göttingen, friendly community doesn't automatically follow from the surroundings. The people you meet on the streets or in the grocery store of Göttingen are still more reserved and less outgoing than the average person in Lincoln. A more urban environment might help some of the problems, but it's not in itself the end-all solution to lack of community.*

*Though some of the problem could be my reserved personality. :)

Labels: Germany, Travel, Urbanism

Posted by andrew at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

This is about five miles from my apartment. Are they targeting 6-year-olds?

Labels: Alabama, Fun, Life, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I have a very exciting week coming up. First, I picked up my good friend Dan, who goes to seminary at Gordon-Conwell, from the airport at Atlanta yesterday. He's staying with me until Wednesday. He partly came to visit me and to see my seminary, but his main justification is that...

Second, Beeson Divinity School is hosting their annual preaching conference. Our speaker will be Cleophus LaRue, the associate professor of preaching at Princeton (apparently they have an amazing preaching department there, even if their theology and biblical studies departments aren't exactly producing lots of good things to preach).

Then, on Friday I fly out to Chicago to visit my girlfriend. It should be an amazing time--I'm finally going to get to see Moody Bible Institute, where she goes to school, not to mention getting to see her for the first time in a month and a half.

It should be a very good week.

Labels: Alabama, Life, Seminary, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments

I decided it's better to write a short, lame post than never post. I think I've been feeling that I need some really nice post (with pictures!) telling everything that's been going on in my life in order to be worthy to post. And I'm not sure when that will happen. So for now, a bullet list:

• Switzerland: I was there for about five days, visiting relatives who live in Basel, who took me skiing in the Alps for a day. Before anyone gets too jealous, the snow was really bad and it didn't come close to the skiing I did in Vail with Bethany's family last spring. I spent the rest of the time exploring Basel and the surrounding area. One highlight (to show how much of a nerd I am): Erasmus's grave.
  
• Hamburg: I visited Hamburg this Tuesday solely to see The Decemberists perform live. They didn't disappoint too much, although they were much more entertaining when we saw them last year at Sokol. In addition to the show, I was able wander around Hamburg and spend a restless night sharing a room with two random, snoring middle-aged men in the "youth" hostel there.
  
• Birthday: I'm now 23. The highlight of my birthday was a birthday present in the mail from Bethany. Aww :)
  
• Moving?: Another birthday present was an email telling me that my contract in the Wohnheim has come to an end, probably isn't renewable, and I need to move out in 13 days. That came as a total surprise, and apparently I need to read my contracts better in the future. And learn German first in order to do so. I hope to find out Sunday whether I can stay here or not.
  
• Academics: I finished up classes, getting my Scheine (papers proving I passed the classes), and am now trying to track down some archival material of Friedrich August Tholuck, related to my thesis on Charles Hodge's years in Germany. I'm also trying to finish up a scholarship application for grad school, while waiting to hear back on the status of my applications to grad schools. I've been accepted to Madison (my second choice), so I'm waiting to here back on the other three.
• Bethany: She'll be here in three weeks! We've been planning our travels around Europe and counting down the days.
  
• Reading: Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden, Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
• Listening: The Tigers Have Spoken by Neko Case, Gulag Orkestar and Lon Gisland EP by Beirut
  

Labels: Travel

Posted by andrew at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Today my daytrip was to the Wartburg castle, just outside of Eisenach. The castle is most famous for being the year-long hiding place of Junker Jörg (Martin Luther's pseudonym while in hiding) after his appearance at the Diet of Worms. Here, in the span of ten weeks, Luther made the first translation of the New Testament from its original Greek into German.

When asked what he did during his year in the Wartburg, he reportedly replied, "I fought the devil with ink," referring to his translation. Sadly, many tourists during the last four hundred years (the first "so-and-so was here" I saw etched into the wall was from 1602) have taken his statement a bit too literally and took home souvenir pieces from a large ink-stain on his wall, leaving a large hole. They also destroyed his original desk, and thus the one you see in the picture is a different one from his parents' house.

Luther's small study isn't much bigger than my own small room in Göttingen, so if he can do it for a year, so can. Although I probably won't be changing the course of history by putting the Bible in common hands for the first time. Or will I....?

No, I won't.

Labels: Bible, Church, Germany, Life, Travel

Posted by andrew at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

On Sunday, I took a daytrip to Goslar, a small town on the northern edge of the Harz mountains. The Harz range, just an hour or so by train from Göttingen, is becoming my place to go when I need a quick escape. Although not the most epic mountain range on the planet, I'm developing an affinity for it. For spring, I've been considering of a five-day Wanderung on the Hexenstieg, a long-distance hiking trail across the Harz.

The highlight of the day was a tour of the Kaiserpfalz ("imperial palace" - see picture) in Goslar. It served as a palace to the kings of the German empire during the middle ages. It was rescued from dilapidation by Kaiser Wilhelm in the late nineteenth century, who saw it as a means of symbolically connecting his reign with those of the earlier kings. The murals that he commissioned decorate the entire great hall, and depict German history so as to connect Wilhelm with the kings of old. Very interesting.

I have a few other photos from the day on my Flickr page.

Labels: Germany, Life, Nature, Travel

Posted by andrew at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

Today, I fly back to Alabama for the January term and the Spring semester of seminary. It will be hard to leave Nebraska again because being home has reinforced just how much I love this state. It is amazing how much God can tie our hearts to a particular place, even as he calls us to be somewhere else.

See you in March, Nebraska.

Labels: Alabama, Life, Nebraska, Seminary, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments

Last night I was afflicted with the worst case of stomach sickness I can remember. I was losing the contents (or lack thereof) of my stomach nearly every hour from two to eight AM. I'm not sure if it was food poisoning (I probably won't be eating Subway any time soon) or a stomach flu, but it was pretty miserable. Thankfully my lovely bride-to-be stayed with me (online) through the duration of it. I guess there are a few advantages to the seven-hour time difference.

Around 7:30 Marc, one of my German roomates, woke up to take his shower. I asked him what time the grocery store opened, and told him I was in need of Pepsi and Salzstangen (pretzel sticks). When Bethany was sick in October, this formula was the only thing we found to cure her upset stomach. My asking him was a subtle hint that maybe he could make the two minute walk and go get some for me. Instead, he gave me a lecture about how what I really needed was prayer instead of Pepsi and pretzels, and that I was putting my faith in this formula instead of God. I politely disagreed, telling him that I think God often works through material things like pretzels and Pepsi.

8:30 found me standing outside the grocery store waiting for it to open. As soon as drank my Pepsi and ate the pretzels, I started feeling better. [Another of my roomates, who recently completed med school, told me that the salt and the sugar actually form a compound that soothes the stomach, so it's not just a wives' tale.] As I reflected on my exchange with Marc, I realized that he was buying into a dualism between the spiritual and the material, which set these things in opposition to one another. Instead of seeing God as the creator and sustainer of the natural order who uses his material creation to accomplish his will, Marc views God as working primarily through supernatural means. Thus, to him, seeking pretzels and soda is evidence of a lack of faith on my part. I acknowledge that God has worked and does work through other means that his created natural order, but it seems to me that Marc's view of divine/natural relations misses the point of goodness of creation and the total redemption of the natural order.

Labels: Germany, Life, Nature, Theology, Travel

Posted by andrew at 3:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

Although it might be hard to believe, I was actually semi-pleased with our game. Certainly, it was frustrating to lose. Again. Make no mistake--I was disappointed with our loss. Still, I think that we proved that we can play with anyone--remember that Auburn was the only team to beat national-championship contender Florida this year, and the only team to beat two BCS bowl teams (LSU was the other). Also, I think that we were the better team on the field--the only two touchdowns they were able to get were from 14 and 9 yard drives, while we went 80 and then 73 yards for our touchdowns. Other than the gifts we gave Auburn, we shut them down offensively. Nevertheless, the points are the only thing that matter, and Auburn won fair and square. It kind of feels like we won the popular vote in a presidential election but lost the electoral college vote.

On the positive side, I think that this game may leave our players with a hunger for next season similar to what happened when Nebraska lost the '93 National Championship. The next year, our motto was, "Unfinished Business," and that team went on to win Nebraska's first national Championship in twenty years. "Unfinished Business" might be a great motto for the 2007 Huskers as well!

A few things:

• Zac Taylor started off with a great game, but then kind of withered as the game went on. Unfortunately, this seems to have been a pattern this season. I am a huge Taylor fan for what he did for us, so I'm really sorry that he couldn't have a stellar day to end his career. I hope that he goes on to great things.
• We definitely did better at stopping Auburn's run than Auburn did at stopping ours. We held them to 67 yards, and we were able to squeak out 104 yards. It was a defensive day, but I think that our defense proved to be the better one on the field, holding a top-ten team to 111 yards total offense.
• I was right about the trick plays, but that ended up being a killer for us. I'm not as mad as some about the call--we have been very efficient at our trick plays all season, and, if it had worked, we would all be lauding Callahan's genius. I'm not exactly sure, but I think that Shanle had a lot of room to run if he could have held onto the pitch.

Next year, we should be much improved. I'm looking forward to seeing how well we can do. Our players are already predicting a BCS bowl game with a shot at the national championship. With our great recruiting class (currently ranked #8 in the nation), a frustrated hunger through off-season training, and one more year to implement everything that Callahan is trying to do, I think that our players might be right.

Labels: Football, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

I can only describe my feelings for this bowl game as "Hopefully Pessimistic." I think that we will have a tough time winning the game, but I think that we have a good shot of upsetting Auburn. Here are my predictions.

• Look for Zac Taylor to have a good game. He played terribly against Oklahoma, but I think that he just wanted it a little too much. I think that he will step up for a big game tomorrow, but he won't have the pressure of playing against his childhood team and wanting to win his team a Big 12 Championship.
• Expect our Defensive Line to have a better day stopping Auburn's run than Auburn's D-Line will have trying to stop our run. We have Brandon Jackson back; Auburn had their #2 running back (their #1 touchdown scorer and main short-yardage runner) suspended. We lost our D-Line coach, but the replacement (who has been working with the team for the last few weeks) is from Alabama, who faced Auburn earlier this season. Hopefully, we can give us a few tips at how to beat Auburn's offensive line.
• Look for trick plays. I think that Bill Callahan, having had so much time to prepare, will have some gadgets up his sleeve. We didn't really run any against Oklahoma after running seven against Colorado (our last two games), and so I think that Callahan is going to try to work in some funny business.
• Related to the last point, recognize that Bill Callahan has not lost a game in which he has had at least two weeks to prepare since his first season in 2004, when he lost to Colorado, leaving Nebraska with a 5-6 record. (Still, I blame that one loss more on the lack of West-Coast-Offense players to implement the West Coast Offense than on coaching. Case in point: in that game, we brilliantly ran a trick onside kick, giving us the ball with great field position. Unfortunately, we then went three-and-out.) Also, Bill Callahan was reeling at his poor coaching at the Oklahoma game--he will have his team ready to play for a win tomorrow.

My concerns:

• Brandon Cox, Auburn's quarterback--especially against our shaky secondary. Apparently, he played terribly in his last several games (I didn't watch them), and most sports analysts think that he never really recovered from a mid-season injury. This long break, though, has apparently given him a time to recover. Will he continue to play poorly, or will he be the game's MVP?
• Good focus on Auburn's part. One of our advantages last year against Michigan was that Michigan felt they got shafted in being placed in the Alamo Bowl rather than a better bowl. (By the way, this is the reason Michigan is going to get dominated by USC in the Rose Bowl this year.) Last year, when Auburn played Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl, they were the better team, but they were really focused in their preparations, expecting simply to beat the Badgers with ease. Instead, they got embarrassed. So, Auburn has vowed not to be caught napping. Still, I think there are hints that they don't respect Nebraska as a football team, which could definitely be to our advantage.

My prediction: Nebraska 24, Auburn 17. (That's my hopeful side winning out over my pessimistic side.) Watch for me on television (Fox, 10:30 Central)--I'll be sitting beside my brother, who will be wearing a cornhead.

Labels: Football, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

I blogged about this last year, but the football bowl games are again giving very nice gift packages to all the players in their games. You can see the list here. The Cotton Bowl (where Nebraska will face Auburn on January 1, 2007) is giving a pretty good gift package, even for not being a BCS bowl game:

• Fossil wrist watch
• MP3 player
• Camcorder
• R+L Carriers (by the way, does anyone know what this is?)

You would think that the National Championship would give a great gift package, but the BCS Championship Game (Ohio State vs. Florida on January 8) is only giving a portable XM Satellite radio and a commemorative Tourneau wrist watch. Granted, Tourneau's web site advertises some watches that cost in excess of $10,000, so hopefully the watch is on the high end--otherwise, what were they playing for?

Worst gift package? The International Bowl (Cincinnati vs. Western Michigan on January 6):

• Souvenir watch
• Souvenir football for autographs
• Leather club bag

Unfortunate year to be a Bearcat or a Bronco!

If anyone was curious, it does not appear that the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be giving copies of John Eldridge's Wild at Heart, as they did last year. Pity.

Labels: Football, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

[I wrote this post yesterday in the Denver airport on my way home. Had I been there just a day later, I'd currently be snowed in for who knows how long.]

Just as I reached my tolerance limit yesterday evening of trying to understand why the verb “knowing” can’t be formed in passive (apparently something can’t “be known by” someone, someone must always actively know it), the instructor dismissed our class for Christmas break. I had a strong feeling of relief and a weight lifted off me, which surprised me, since academically this semester has been probably the lightest workload of my college career, but I guess I didn’t realize how much living in a foreign place and foreign language wears you out. The thought of being home the next day, speaking in English, seeing Bethany, my family, and friends gave me a big smile on my face as I biked home through Göttingen’s lamp-lit streets, dodging acceleration-obsessed German drivers in their manual BMWs.

Thirty hours later (10 of those hours spent in an economy-class airline seat) I’m sitting in an American airport, eating a burrito for which I first tried to pay in euros, and still saying “danke” and “entschuldigung” instead of “thank you” and “excuse me.” It’s weird to think that just this morning I was running with three bags to the train station trying desperately to catch the overly-prompt Deutsche Bahn. And missing it. (Apparently when Germans say they’ll “pick you up” and “take you to the station,” they just mean they’ll walk there with you.)

It’s good to be home.

Labels: Germany, Life, Travel

Posted by andrew at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments

(Note: I wrote this post Thursday evening while I was still at the Houston Airport, waiting for my return flight to Omaha.)

I have spent the day trying to get back to Nebraska from Alabama. Because Houston went through a particularly foggy spell, all flights into the international airport were shut down for most of the morning. As you can imagine, this caused significant backups and delays. Beyond this, the day has been generally crazy. So, for your enjoyment, I am providing a list of highlights from my day.

• When I went through security, I mentioned to the security lady that I was headed back to Nebraska. She then asked if I was a member of the UNL Wrestling team. Not sure where she would have gotten that from...
• I learned what a horrifying experience it can be when, upon entering a public restroom as a man, you cannot see any urinals. Combine this with the fact that a woman was at the sink, and you have a recipe for a quick heart attack. Moral of the story: pay attention to the little signs outside of public restrooms.
• At the Houston Airport, I was amused to see a 50+ year old white man with his hair in cornrows as well as a cowboy wearing a denim trenchcoat. Interesting people, these Texans. (I suppose both of them could read the signs outside of restrooms, though, so they have something on me.)
• I finished Surprised by Joy. Good book, but not quite what I was expecting. It helped tremendously to flesh out many of Lewis's motivations for what he writes in his fiction and his nonfiction. It made me want to revise the thesis that I had written on Perelandra.
• Reading a book on Covenant Theology, watching the Huskers play the National Semifinal Volleyball tournament on TV, and enjoying a Shiner Bock on tap--all at the same time at a restaurant in the Houston Airport! I was one happy delayed traveler at that point.
• Having to leave the Omaha airport without my luggage--as of Saturday morning, I still don't have my stuff, but they are supposed to be delivering my bags to my home in Hastings some time today.

Labels: Fun, Life, Travel

Posted by Jacob at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

I have no idea where to begin summarizing the last six months or so since I stopped blogging. For those who don't know, I'm living in Göttingen, Germany for the year, studying on a Fulbright grant. I have a research project on nineteenth-century German Protestantism, but right now I'm just concentrating on learning German. I follow Jacob's lead and just list some thoughts:

LDR
I'm probably stating the obvious, but long-distance relationships are hard. Bethany and I are constantly confronted with the difficulties of an engagement separated by 6000 miles. Still, it's been challenging in a good way and we've grown tremendously in our communication abilities. We can really say that we're closer now than we ever have been. She visited for a week in October, which was wonderful, and now we're counting down the days (17) till I come home for Christmas. And June can't get here soon enough.

Language
German is difficult. For some reason I thought I'd pick things up faster and be very comfortable by Christmas. I know I've learned a lot since coming in August (considering I could barely form a German sentence then) but I'm constantly realizing how much I have yet to learn. Learning German is my primary goal for the year, and while speaking is important, the main thing is learning to read German, since that's what I need most for intended graduate study.

Cooking
No longer having mom or the dorms to cook for me, my options were either learning to cook for myself or microwave dinners and restaurants for the year. I opted for the former, especially given that it will be a useful skill to have once married. As with the language, I'm a slow learner, but I also find it quite rewarding. So far my experience has been limited to Italian-ish dishes, and the oven still scares me. I tried a red curry once but it was a little out of my league. But I can now cook the following quickly sans recipe:
-Pasta w/ Arrabiata Sauce
-Pasta w/ a Garlic Olive Oil Sauce
-Pasta w/ Tomato Sauce
-Salmon w/ Oregeno and Lemon
-Chicken breast w/ vegetables and gouda cheese

The City
Göttingen is a small-ish university city of around 130,000, with around 30,000 students. The city is built around the oldest part of town, the Innenstadt, a circular tangle of old steets and buildings surrounded by the old city walls, most of which are still intact. I love the Innenstadt because of the historic buildings and winding, narrow streets, so it's great that I live just a five minute walk from the heart of it.

Cultural Differences
-Because the built environment is much more walkable/bikeable in Germany, Germans are much more active in their daily life. Most people walk or bike whereever they're going rather than drive. This means less overweight Germans, and I think is a huge advantage of German urbanism over American suburbanism.
-Germans are more direct in their speech than Americans. They'll just tell you what they want without politely trying to hint at it, the way we sometimes do. I suppose that's both good and bad.
-Recycling is mandatory. Every house has about four or more trashcans with different rules for what can go in each. Despite the hassle, it's good and America could learn something here.

Obviously, there's lots and lots more to be said about my experiences in Germany, but I leave it at that for now.

Labels: Germany, Life, Travel

Posted by andrew at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments