Castles, castles, castles

Germany has got to have the highest number of castles per capita of any nation, because these things are all over the place. Any German town worth its salt has got at least one, preferably multiple. I'm on the subject of castles, because two weekends ago my friend Marie (the one I visited in Copenhagen in April) came to Tuebingen for a few days to see everybody again. So we took a couple day trips while she was here; on Saturday (the 4th) to Heidelberg and then on Sunday to Burg (Castle) Hohenzollern.

Heidelberg is a beautiful city, and it's easy to see why it's so popular with tourists--and it's got a very famous castle, or technically, ruins of a castle. The vibe of the town reminded be a lot of Tuebingen, but Heidelberg is at least twice as big, so it was a little bit more happening. I think I would rank it as my 3rd-favorite German city, after Berlin and Koeln.

the Neckar (way bigger here than it is in Tuebingen)






views of the Alte Bruecke and the Altstadt



we did a little hiking on the Philosophenweg ("Philosphers' Wag"). Lesson learned? we're out of shape and I have short arms






crossing the Alte Bruecke ("Old Bridge") into the old town; crowded!; there was some festival going on, complete with grilled sausage, an oompah band, and of course, beer.



we went into this souvenir shop and there was a huge section devoted to Christmas (though it was only the beginning of July)



Schloss Heidelberg



views from the castle



some of the castle facade; finally, champagne glasses big enough for mom!


the castle walls




the monkey you're supposed to rub for good luck; the best umbrella in the world


the obligatory tired/sleeping in train photos


Burg Hohenzollern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohenzollern_Castle) is a medieval castle on top of this hill/mountain near a village about 30 minutes south of Tuebingen. It's a little bit of a hike to get up to the castle itself, but the views of the surrounding countryside are incredible, and it's pretty obvious why some old noble decided to build his castle there!


pictures from the bus ride


when we got there there was literally a fleet of these Smart Cars and I have no idea why; hiking up to the castle; DREW


the ramparts; hi Zsofia!; Ade pondering the castle










Marie taking a picture; Drew looking threatening with Ade's duck umbrella



the main court/square of the castle



what, do they put Evian in the water bowls or something?; in the chapel



going through the little museum in the casemates




the village of Hechingen; a wisp of cloud that got stuck on the hillside; "die Frauen"



don't fall off the wall!


goodbye Burg Hohenzollern!


Dinner at Zsofia's; Marie and Ade hanging out in the park



When we got back to Tuebingen there were tons of people boating in the Stocherkaehne (those boats that are being punted with a long pole). The river was super-muddy because of the rains though.


Overall a great weekend: it was so nice to see Marie again, and I was also happy that I got to do a little more traveling and exploring around southern Germany. The only bad part was that Marie and I both suffered some kind of weird bug bite that made our ankle swell enormously, making some of the walking around a little difficult. But we survived!

The next weekend I went to visit Pascal, but we actually ended up going with his parents to go see his grandparents (the ones he and I visited back in January). It was a nice weekend, nice to see his grandparents of again, and nice to eat some good food, but of course I didn't accomplish as much work as I wanted to, so when I got back to Tuebingen I was a little stressed since I had 2 tests on Wednesday. But they went fine, and now all I have left is 2 more tests, research for my 20-page essay, submitting the IRB petition for my Senior Thesis Project (at WashU), completing all necessary paperwork relating to exmatrikulation and declaring the end of my residency in Germany, and packing up all of my belongings. Did I mention that all that needs to be accomplished within the next 10 days? That's right, only 10 more days in Tuebingen, then 13 days with Pascal, and then I'll (finally) be heading back to the US. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly! I'm half in denial that I'm leaving, half already waxing nostalgic, and half anxious to get home. My emotions are so conflicting that I need 3 halves to describe them! But that's always the way it is at life's turning points: something must be left behind in order to enter into something new. And in the fall I have my senior year, my apartment with Elyse, seeing my friends again, and yes, even classes and my thesis project at WashU to look forward to. Now if it would only stop raining so I could actually enjoy my last few weeks here! German weather is one thing I will not miss, that's for sure!

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"

Some of you might recognize that quote as coming from Benjamin Franklin. Why is that the title of this post? Because today I will be treating you all to an analysis of the role of alcohol in German (as compared to American) culture.

Alcohol is a touchy subject in the American psyche, probably due to historical precedents such as the temperance movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and of course Prohibition in the 1920's, which banned the sale of alcohol nationwide. I haven't researched it thoroughly, but I'm quite positive nobody ever tried to deprive the Germans of their beer. Because of such events, alcohol has a bit of a tainted reputation; there is in America a tendency to view it as a harbinger of decay and depravity. This can also be connected to the fact that "alcohol" and "partying" are inextricably intertwined in the collective conscience. Especially in reference to the teenage/young adult population it is assumed that when alcohol is consumed, it is inevitably consumed in large quantities with embarrassing/dangerous/immoral consequences. This, and the late drinking age, leads to alcohol being viewed as forbidden and dangerous.

In contrast, alcohol is an ingrained part of everyday culture in Germany and begins at a younger age. It's common for kids as young as 9 to be offered a glass (or half-glass) of champagne to drink with the family on New Year's Eve. With 14 you can drink wine or beer in a restaurant as long as an adult is present, with 16 you can buy anything under 40 proof, and with 18 everything is legal. And from second-hand anecdotal evidence, it doesn't seem like the clerks/bartenders are too strict about checking idea, though I think that has been changing in the past couple years.

The stereotypes about Germans as beer-drinkers are well-known, but I can now confirm from personal experience: the Germans drink a lot of beer. In terms of volume consumed per capita per year, they are in 3rd place behind the Czechs and the Irish. But beyond just the quantity of beer consumed, what really strikes a visitor is how often they drink beer (or wine, or whatever). In America, among young people at least, drinking tends to be limited to Friday and Saturday night (and maybe Thursday as well). In Germany, among people of all ages, any time is a good time for a beer. That doesn't mean that everybody's cracking open a cold one before heading to work or school. Rather, Germans just enjoy the art of a leisurely drink or two. This could be with lunch, in the park in the afternooon with friends, at a rowdy bar after dinner, wherever. And the bars can be just as crowded Tuesday nights as Saturdays. The entire outlook on drinking is much more relaxed: it's an expected cultural ritual, not a vice.

However, that's not to say that the German system is all rosy and perfect and America should immediately lower the drinking age. Drinking at a young age is dangerous, as the liver and brain aren't fully developed yet. An informal poll of my European friends puts the starting drinking age at around 14, even in the countries where the official drinking age is 18 for all types of alcohol. In Germany specifically, people have told me that they got drunk (or at least had more to drink that just a glass of champagne at New Year's) as young as 13 or 12. Kids that young simply should not be drinking! I know of course that many American teens (at least from some social grops) begin drinking at about that age as well, but I think it is much more widespread in Germany, because people simply aren't as concerned about alcohol. So maybe Germany needs a little dose of American prejudice against drinking.

On a side not, these differing cultural perspectives create a bit of a conundrum for me in this Internet Age. In addition to this blog, I frequently post pictures to Facebook to share with my friends, or my friends post albums and tag me in them. Often, these pictures depict us sitting in a bar with a table full of beer glasses in front of us or lounging in a park with a bottle of wine. They are by no means crazy or depicting serious "partying" in any way. Your average German would look at the pictures and think, "oh, there's a group of friends having a couple of beers at the bar." But the important question for me is: what would American employers think (there's always warnings going around about people who lost/were denied jobs because of something on their facebook)? Would the mere sight of alcohol automatically bias them against me, assuming that I'm an unreliable partier or that I flount authority because I'm drinking under the age of 21 (though it's legal to do so here in Germany)? To be on the safe side I'll probably just delete everything off my facebook when I start job-hunting, but it's just interesting how the two countries can have such vastly different perceptions of the same thing.