The Last Dash
For my final trip while studying abroad, I was invited to
travel to my friend Lena’s home in Germany. Lena drove Leticia and I about 4
hours to a village called Morschen in the middle of the country.
Immediately things were different than I have been used to
seeing while in Europe. For one thing, the highways did not have speed limits
and Lena drove 130-140 kph (80-87 mph) just to barely keep up with the
other drivers. She is a great driver though so it didn’t bother me! Another
big thing that was different was something I am a little more used to in the US
but not in Europe: space. Morschen was surrounded by forests and meadows and beautiful
rolling hills. It seemed so quiet and quaint compared to the hustle and bustle
of all of the big cities I have visited. Of course, the countryside is more
my speed so this was the perfect last hurrah for me.
Morschen Countryside View
Kickin' it and Kicker
Friday night we arrived and met Lena’s parents. They were
just wonderful hosts and made me feel right at home. We had a late dinner, played some kicker (foosball) with her dad and later had a relaxing night in
the sauna in her basement. This was perfect preparation for the busy next two
days.
Slaying Fears
My horse Nick, and Leticia's horse Pallas
Saturday morning we went to the stable that
was a big part of Lena’s teenage years and rode horses. I have only been around
horses about two times in my life and know that I really prefer dogs. This was
a very intimidating experience for me because of all of the things I knew that
could go wrong when being around horses. The people working at the stables
spoke little to no English so but Lena and her friend were there to help us
through. They handed us brushes and told us to start brushing the horses to
clean them. Lena then walked over to her horse and left me alone with mine. Of
course I am sitting there thinking “you can do this, just gently touch the
horse with the brush..” while creeping closer to the beastly animal. Slowly I
got the hang of it and started to become less nervous. Lena’s friend Silke
taught me how to get the horse to lift their hooves and how to pick the dirt
out of them. Except for the thought in my head that I was going to be kicked in
the face, it was nice to figure out how to do that as well. Eventually, with a
lot of help from Lena and Silke, we managed to saddle up the horses and begin
our ride through the village and out onto a trail.
Silke, Me, Lena and Leticia finishing our ride
We were probably out on our ride for about an
hour and my heart raced the entire time. We rode very slowly and still I was
just as scared. Eventually we tried trotting and I think I might have screamed.
I don’t think you’re supposed to do that while you ride a horse. After my
second try trotting, I felt a little more comfortable with it and after that, I
was much calmer with the slower riding than before. By the end I felt pretty good about
horses but I still wouldn’t make horse riding a regular thing. It was so cool
to be able to get over a fear like that while being in a place like Germany.
The views on the ride were breathtaking and I am happy I chose to go despite my
fear.
Castles and Christmas Markets
Following our ride, we went to Kassel to do some
sight-seeing. Kassel is the largest city close to Morschen which is a little
larger than Nijmegen. There, we got to see a palace and a castle which are now
a park that people can take a nice walk through. Apparently the castle is a “fake”
one that was built much later by a rich man who wanted his weekend home to look
like an old castle. It was still much older than most buildings I have seen so
to me, it still seemed like a castle! Next we went to the Fairytale Christmas
Market in Kassel (Märchen Weihnachtsmarkt). This was the most impressive
Christmas Market that I have seen so far so it was one of my favorite parts of
our trip. The stalls were much nicer and there were a lot more options than the
others I had been to. We had a few glasses of Glühwein (Mulled Wine) with Lena’s
parents and then did some shopping. For dinner we had to try a bratwurst from
Germany! We went to a stand that sold ½ meter bratwurst where they folded it in
half and stuck it on a bun. I usually don’t like brats but these were
delicious! 
Kassel, Germany
Kassel, Germany
Sunday we got to travel to another village with Lena’s dad
where he showed us a “real” castle. This one was much older and had actually
served as a castle. We walked up many steps to get up to where this castle sat
on the hill overlooking the village. It had a deep mote surrounding the castle
and seemed like a real fortress. The entire time, all I could think about was Game of Thrones!
The Real Castle
The Mote and the View
In
all of the villages we visited, many of the homes are half timber style which Lena said was typical
for her region. I really love that style of home and enjoyed walking down the
streets of the villages to see all of the different designs. In Morschen, while riding through the village on horseback, I noticed some people had big
garage doors connected to their homes where they keep their tractors. They have their house and barn, all in one!
Morschen Half Timber Houses
Deutch, Deutch, Goose!
For lunch, Lena’s mom made us a traditional German Christmas
meal with Goose, cabbage and some potato dumplings. I had never had any of
those foods before so it was very authentic to see the German Christmas
markets, try bratwurst in Germany and now have their typical Christmas meal. I
actually really enjoyed it and even ate it with my knife in my right hand and
fork in my left to have proper table manners for Lena’s family. I think with
some practice I could get used to eating like that. Finally, we went to one
more village to a smaller Christmas Market. We enjoyed a drink there and then
came home to spend some time with Lena’s family before driving back to the Netherlands.
The Smaller Christmas Market
In Germany they decorate their homes with lots of beautiful Christmas
decorations. They are a bit different than the types we like to decorate with
in the States. Most of the décor is made of wood, with handmade figures and
nativity scenes. Two traditional types of decorations are wooden smoker men
which are similar to nutcrackers except you can light a scent inside and they
smoke up the room with a nice aroma, and the pyramids with candles on the
corners and a fan on top. The heat from the candlelight causes the fan on top
to spin and they are really beautiful. I would have loved to buy one of these
at the Christmas market but even the smallest ones were 30 euros or more and
they would have been difficult to transport back home. Lena’s mom also hand
makes elaborate stars with paper and hangs them throughout the home. Some even
had lights in them and made for a whimsical looking decoration.
I was so grateful to be able to go home with Lena and meet
her family. I loved learning all about German culture and it really was the
perfect time of year to go to Germany with all of the Christmas traditions. They fed us well and made sure we really got to experience their part of the country. Lena and Leticia have been such great friends for me here and made my adventure
abroad a complete success! This was a perfect way to finish off a great semester. Tschüss!
The view from the castle
Language Lessons
Lena taught us quite a few German words. I am working
on my pronunciation but I am sure that will come with time!
Tschüss – Bye!
Weihnachtsmarkt - Christmas Market
Ich liebe dich – I love you
Ich spreche kein Deutch – I don’t speak German
Entschuldigung – excuse me
Schloss – Palace
Links und rechts (pronunciation on this one is impossible
for me!) – left and right
Danke - Thank you
Bitte - You're welcome
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