Along with visiting the Wartburg castle, which was a tiring but fun adventure, one of the more interesting events during our stay was just sitting at the dinning table, talking with Sebastian’s parents about Germany’s history–specifically East Germany. See, they lived in east Germany their entire lives. Until 1989, they lived under the rule of the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik). Sebastian’s grandparents, who live downstairs in the same house, remember life before WWII and the aftermath split of the country.

This just blows my mind.

When I see an old person in Seattle, I think, oh, nice, you must have seen a lot in your life. But in Germany, when I see an old person on the tram–or meet in a friend’s house, I’m totally at a loss. They lived through Nazi Germany, and, most likely in Magdeburg and in other parts of eastern Germany, probably lived in the DDR.

Fred and Rita, Sebastian’s parents, took us near the east/west Germany border, a short drive (just over the hill) from their house in Schnellmannshausen. They pointed out the area that the Stasi patrolled and explained the areas where you could, at the time of the DDR, encounter land mines and auto-firing border protection weaponry. Prisoners in their own land. They showed us the papers that allowed them to travel in and out of their town (within the rest of East Germany), which was specially guarded and identification enforced because of it’s location. Rita even had a receipt for an automobile request she made, which had a 20 year waiting list in the DDR. They explained all about the corruption and problems with the socialist experiment and how it broke down. Fred was even offered to become part of the Stasi, which he obviously declined.

Why is this? Because I love my towel: The REI MultiTowel: http://www.rei.com/product/783079

It dries fast, absorbs well, but best of all, it’s super light. Without question, I will be taking this towel with me on all my intergalactic…er transcontinental adventures.

As a side note:
In my search for photos and other links relating to my particular favorite towel, I stumbled upon this quite detailed article by Chuck Smith, comparing the REI MultiTowel with the ShamWow: http://tapirtantrum.com/2009/04/12/shamwow-vs-rei/

Now I’m curious enough to go looking for a ShamWow…

We are starting to feel more at home here. Tomorrow morning, we will be signing a lease for a flat that is in the same apartment complex as Brendan and Stina (our friends who are currently putting us up). It’s also right underneath our new friends Robert and Sebastian, native Germans who have been entertaining us with board games and humoring our bad German. Last night, they brought over Munchkin, which is an awesome game–but much more difficult when all the cards are auf Deutsch.

The snow is beginning to melt and we have found lots of places that are easily accessible by either walking or taking a quick tram ride.

One of the things we’ve noticed is that people just leave things on the sidewalk when the don’t want them. Our friends have furnished and populated their apartment almost entirely with found objects. Just yesterday we found a space heater, entryway rug, large fan, toaster oven and a vacuum cleaner (which we didn’t take). Every time we go for a walk, we stumble upon another pile of stuff. Today, we passed by a couch, bed and some other objects that were too wet from the snow.

Wish I had time to write more… still getting settled with work… well, back to it.

There are no Scoop-the-Poop Laws

As evidenced by my walk to the tram stop every day, the city apparently doesn’t care about dogs crapping on the sidewalks. Although the sidewalks are covered in snow (and ice) at the moment, you have to be extra careful not to step in the (probably) more slippery substances that are so carefully placed every few feet.

Shuffling Cards

Tonight, I learned that most Germans are not adept at shuffling cards in the Riffle bridge format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuffling#Riffle). This is quite common in the US–but maybe it’s more common to play card games there…

Pushing Buttons

If you want something to happen, you have to push a button. The trams (streetcars) have doors that will not open for you unless you push a green button on their middle. The trains work the same way (most of them).

Ready Made, Chilled Cheeseburgers

You can buy ready made cheeseburgers in the meat section of the grocery store… bun and all.

Sit When You Pee

In nearly every restroom I’ve seen, there is a sign insisting that you sit while peeing.

Keys

In the two apartments I’ve visited, both have keys in all the doors.

Drinking

You can drink just about anywhere. People drink on the train, walking down the street… pretty much anywhere.

Zwei Bier, bitte!

Other Photos From Our Trip

Want to buy a rock?

Here’s an example of 4 different trash receptacles on a train:

Facebook

I am now uploading all of my trip photos to Facebook–but you have to be my friend to see them :)

http://facebook.com/atomantic