The End of My Trip to Germany, and Photos From the Week

Now I am back in my cozy apartment in Barcelona, after an easy and relaxing trip back. My time with Jasper and Suzanne has been so great, and in these 5 days, I feel like I was able to pack in so much that I have been hoping to experience since I knew I was coming to Europe. This morning, we all woke up very early and Suzanne prepared a yummy breakfast again before driving me to the Hamburg Airport. They waited for me to check in, and the said good-bye right before I entered security, and then stood there watching and waiting until I made it passed and headed to my gate.
Yesterday, Jasper and I had a lovely trip to the city of Lübeck, just east of Melbeck. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there, but one filled with beautiful scenery of the German countryside. We made a quick detour to ArnimStraße just outside of Lübeck, which is a street named after my great great great uncle von Arnim who fought against Napoleon's troops, and died in battle. We went to see the memorial, in a wooded area off of this street, right next to a hotel also named after him. Then we went into the town. It is a very unique city, with tower gates that mark each entrance. There are four large churches, for a town of 2,000 or so when first established, this is quite a lot, but they are beautiful and impressive none-the-less. Most of Lübeck suffered greatly during March of 1942 when the town was bombed by Allied Forces in WWII, and when looking at the churches, hospital and city hall--you can see what remains of the old, and what has been restored. The churches were unbelievable. Only two of the four were open today, but that was more that satisfying. The high ceilings, intricate paintings, and ancient artifacts that we saw were breathtaking, and so much more impressive to me than some of the most glorified churches of Europe, such as the Notre Dame. And hey, we didn't have to wait in any line or push through 500 noisy tourists to see them! In fact, in both cases we were the only ones inside.
We went to the information center and picked up audio guides that took us on a walking tour of the city with a pair of headphones and a mp3 player on a bright orange lanyard. I felt a little goofy walking around the town with the word "tourist." stamped across my forehead, but I actually learned quite a bit. We stopped for "lunch" around 1 at a cafe, where I had apfelstrudel and a yummy chai drink. Then, once we had finished the tour at about 4, we got Suzanne (still at home resting) some Marzipan from the most famous Marzipan company in Germany, who has a large store and restaurant in Lübeck. We came back, rested for a while, and then ate a delicious last dinner that Suzanne had prepared of cooked red cabbage with plums, and mashed potatoes with goulash. For dessert she made a concoction I had never before seen, but will definitely (try) to repeat. It was apple sauce in the middle, surrounded by warm, home-made strawberry/raspberry marmalade, with two small scoops of vanilla/walnut ice cream on top, then a dollop of whipped cream,  4 small pieces of sliced orange delicately placed around the sides, and powdered sugar sprinkled on top. It was beautiful too! After dinner, we looked on her computer so that I could better explain to her exactly what I am studying with cultural anthropology, and then I showed them both pictures of my family in California, and pictures from areas around the state (they have never been) such as Tahoe, Yosemite, and Santa Cruz. I think I may have convinced them to visit sometime soon! After dinner, we watched the news for a bit, then had some more of the delicious German wine, and Suzanne sampled the Barcelona chocolates that I brought them from Cacao Sampaka. Although she is a chocolate connoisseur, she had never tried rose chocolate, or violet chocolate, and she really liked them! Jasper had picked out a few of the Marzipan from today that are his favorites and gave them to me to take back with me, so I am excited to try them once I gain the ability to feel hunger again :)
Jasper and Suzanne have showed me the most fantastic time here in Germany, I could have not asked for any better hosts. I have seen four very important, and very different towns here, and tried some of the most traditional and delicious food from the region. This is the kind of traveling I will seek out more in the future--straying away from the busy capital cities, trying local dishes (even if it seems strange...it's popular there for a reason!) and seeing the important sights. But, most of all, experiencing the people of that town. Here, I was welcomed into the homes of many different family members, where I sat down at their dining rooms table, talked over a cup of coffee and piece of cake, and really related to one another. I feel like I have gained so much on this trip, above all, a sense of family history, and pride in the fact that I know part of where I come from. Now Dad, you once  said that we are somehow distantly related to the Queen of England...any chance you have her number lying around? I'm sure she serves one mean piece of cake...
:)
*Fair warning: Prepare yourself for a LOT of photos. This is the compilation of four days, mind you.

Flying over the beautiful island of Mallorca

The Swiss Alps and Zurich below

My humble abode for the week

What breakfast each morning looked like!

Their beautiful living room where we sat for a glass of wine each evening

Suzanne and I at breakfast

When touring the town of Lüneburg, this is the city hall

Weekly market outside of City Hall

One of several churches in Lüneburg

Mom! Suzanne said this is where you stayed when you visited Melbeck :)

Cute (but empty---far too cold!) cafes

Touring around Lüneburg

One of the city's many interesting doors

I love the architecture here!

So foggy you can barely make out the church steeple in the background

Walking the quaint streets of Lüneburg

Another cool door

The city's central square

We wanted to go into the church, but we got there just as a wedding was beginning. Here the bride is just about to walk down the aisle with her father!

My gracious hosts

The concert hall in Hamburg where Jasper and I went to hear Wagner

Jasper's sister, Verena's home in Hamburg

Talking over cake and coffee with Verena and her daughter, another "cousin", Katarina

My great, great, great uncle, Friedrich Wilhelm von Arnim's memorial

The entrance gate to the town of Lübeck

Old salt storage houses along the river

Cathedral in Lübeck

Inside the church

I was in love with the ceiling art and beautiful organ in this church!

Display inside the church

Some unfortunate folks...

My favorite passageway in Lübeck!

Up the street to the church

Another old passageway

Jasper following along to the audio-guide

Within one of the narrow passageways

The old hospital which unfortunately was closed that day

Well, this week is finishing up my final 20 page research paper for Anthropology, and then it's on to new classes, and new trips. Plans in the making for February: beach town of Cadaques on the Costa Brava, an old monastery town called Poblet, and then to Istanbul, Turkey!
I hope you are all doing well, and Jasper and Suzanne send their greetings to all of the family at home in the States!
Love,
Meghan

Visiting Family in Germany Part 3

I am sitting in their living room in Melbeck right now as the opera "Carmen" plays in full volume in the background. Today when sitting down for breakfast I learned that Suzanne was feeling ill, so she stayed at home today while Jasper and I went to the concert in Hamburg. The concert hall was just beautiful! It was all white inside with gold design lining the walls and an open glass ceiling. Before the concert started, we sat in the lower section to hear the conductor speak about the concert, and some background information about Richard Wager, one of the three composers we heard from this afternoon, the other two being Spohr and Hadyn. Of course I didn't understand a word other than the occasional "die" "ein" "das" "und" and "nicht", but I still laughed every time he said a joke because everyone else in the audience would crack up and it's literally impossible not to laugh when everyone around you is. Also, when Jasper would introduce me to friends who regularly attend the concerts as well, I would say "Hello", which is basically the same as "Hallo", so they would all think I could speak German, and then I would just see Jasper shake his head at them and say "nicht"...too bad, I wish I had practiced a bit more before coming, I have been missing out on so many conversations. Anyways, the concert was fantastic, and from the first glide of the bow across the violin strings, I had goosebumps. An especially impressive bit was when a young violin soloist joined the stage and played magnificently, and so dramatically, you could really feel his passion for the music. With each second, the music grew stronger and stronger until by the very end when he threw his arm and bow upwards to signal the end, the audience was on the edge of their seats eager for every coming note. During intermission, we went to the beautiful dining rooms with huge glass windows that looked out over the city, to drink a glass of juice and talk with his acquaintances. After the show had finished, we went to Jasper's sister, Verena's house. Her daughter, Katarina is about 29 and was at home too. They were extremely friendly, and Verena spoke quite a bit of English but were disappointed that I spoke no German. They served us coffee, juice, a fruity-layered cake, and chocolates and biscuits! We talked all about many different things, but they often switched to German unconsciously and I got lost instantly. However, I thought maybe I was getting a little more comfortable with the language until my very confused experience on the drive home from Hamburg. On the way out I had noticed a yellow side which read "Ausfahrt" and had used that as a marker of being close to Melbeck. So, I was very confused when on the way home I saw this sign, and Jasper kept driving much farther than I thought Melbeck was past this "town". Then, I saw another yellow sigh leading to "Ausfahrt", and wait, another!! Okay, are these all leading back to the same point, I am getting pretty mixed-up. When I asked Jasper where exactly Ausfahrt is located, he got quite a kick out of that. Unbeknownst  to me, this magical, unreachable paradise of "Ausfahrt" goes by another name: "exit".
I'm gonna try to remember that one. Maybe i'll write in on the back of my hand.
Anyways, when we got home I relaxed in my room for a bit, and then Suzanne joined us for dinner. Tonight we had cooked carrots, potatoes, and pork. For dessert, we enjoyed the last of the jam-like dessert. I can sense withdrawals from this heavenly treat as soon as I get back to Barcelona.
Tomorrow Jasper and I will tour Lübeck while Suzanne rests for another day at home. Looking at pictures online, the village looks very nice, so I am looking forward to exploring a bit. Right now we will share another glass of German wine while listening to the rest of Carmen, so I must go. More tomorrow!
Meghan

Visiting Family in Germany Part 2

Today was another fantastic day in northern Germany. I woke up this morning, and after showering and getting ready, I walked out to the dining room to offer my help making breakfast and see the most beautiful set-up already prepared. This morning, my breakfast LITERALLY was served on a silver plater. We had fresh-squeezed grapefruit/orange juice, bread rolls, toast with jam, marmalade, or liver spread, cooked eggs in a little ceramic egg-holder, sausage, and cheeses. Not to mention fresh coffee and fruit tea. It was a breakfast fit for a queen! After a nice, leisurely meal, we put on our coats (I had to layer 5 fleeces and a wind-breaker and was still freezing!), and headed to the old town of Lüneburg. This town has so much history, some of the building we were looking at that now hold cafes, restaurants, or little boutiques, were built in the 1400's! Jasper and Suzanne showed me around the oldest parts of the town, as well as the newer ones. We went inside two of the three huge and beautiful cathedrals, and took a tour of the city hall. Lüneburg was one of the few lucky villages left undisturbed during WWII, so the historical aspect is still 100% in tact and visible. I was lucky enough to see the town on Farmer's market day. In front of city hall, vendors sold the most tasty looking fruit and vegetables, even peaches! Where are those even coming from?? There was also a few curry and bratwurst stands that reminded me of the Christmas markets in Berlin. We walked around all of the streets, and I got a very good feel for the town. The architecture is very standard through Northern Germany, but unlike what I had seen before, where the bottom floors of big houses were all stables, then the second or third floor was where the family lived, and the entire attic was for storage. I have lots of pictures from the town which I will up-load and post once I am back home in Barcelona. We stopped around 1 o'clock for some lunch and ate at and old converted mansion, turned German cafe, where we managed to stuff what small crack had opened in our stomachs since our breakfast feast. We toured around the town a bit more after lunch, and they pointed out to me the main buildings in the town, and the history behind them all. We finished walking around at about 4 and headed back to their home just in time for coffee and cake (I will explode!!!) and then prepared for some family to visit for dinner. The family who came was Jasper's nephew Felix and his girlfriend. They are both in their late 20's, early 30's and we fabulous people. We all sat around the table and talked while Suzanne served a tomato and creme soup, and then a bread and cheese/sausage/salmon/liver spread/tomato/butter display. After that, we ate the marmalade and creme dessert again, and then had some more German wine. I think I will be in a food coma for the next week or so, but considering my fanciest meals in Barcelona come in a plastic wrapper with microwave instructions, I suppose it is okay to indulge :)
I swapped e-mails with my new found "cousin" Felix, and they are trying to plan a trip to California soon, so it would be a lot of fun to show them around!
Tomorrow we are waking up early to eat breakfast before driving an hour to Hamburg for the concert. Afterwards we meet Jasper's sister in the afternoon, and then head back here. I don't know what is planned for Monday, but I think they might have work, so I suppose I will play it by ear. It has been so nice to get such an authentic feel for German life, and small villages in the country-side. It is so seldom to hear absolute silence, and here at night it is so quiet I have to snap my fingers to make sure I haven't gone deaf! Also, although it isn't snowing, it is about 2 degrees Celsius, which is about 35 degrees Fahrenheit, as the high for the day. Yesterday we rode on the Autobahn as well, which was really exciting for me! Jasper was driving about 180 km/h (112 mph) the whole way home from Hamburg, and cars were still zipping by us much faster! I cannot believe that they have far less automobile fatalities then anywhere in the U.S. with 65 mph limits.
Well, today was lots of fun, and tiring in the best way. I am off to sleep, very excited for what tomorrow will bring!
Love, Meghan

Visiting Family in Hamburg, Lüneburg and Melbeck

What an amazing couple of people Jasper and Suzanne are. I have always known about distant family in Germany, and had made it my goal to get in contact with them while I am studying abroad. Through my Grandma I got the e-mail address of a distant cousin living in Melbeck, Germany. I e-mailed him saying that I am Caro's granddaughter, and am currently studying in Barcelona for the year, and would love to meet them if possible. I instantly got a friendly reply from Jasper welcoming me to he and his wife, Suzanne's home for however long I would like. Well, after a few messages back and forth, I set a date and bought a ticket to Hamburg. Especially after my trip to Berlin in December, I couldn't wait to get back to Germany, and with this exciting trip planed, I was very much looking forward to meeting them. Well, today I flew from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca (most beautiful flight of my life, flying up to this Mediterranean island looked like a hidden paradise...only 25 minutes away too!) up to Hamburg (flew over the Alps, and could even see Zurich) and was greeted so warmly at the arrival gate by my new-found family! They drove an hour to come get me, and as we were walking back to their car, Suzanne was holding onto my arm and they were both so extremely welcoming that it really felt like family. When we got to their home in Melbeck, they showed me around their quaint and very homely house. Suzanne had made up my room so nicely with the bed pulled out, tons of comfy pillows, and a little display by my bed with pamphlets about Lüneburg, a bottle of bubbly water and a glass, tissues, and a little plate of chocolate truffles. We all sat down in the living room, filled with tall bookshelves of German classics, and endless travel books from all the places they have visited, and we enjoyed coffee and apple cake that Suzanne had made that afternoon. We drank our coffee in china cups with saucers, and she said they do that after afternoon around 3-4, but only cake when there are special guests :). Then, we sat around and got to know one another for a while. I learned that he had been in the army for about 35 years, and that they have grandchildren living in the United States. Their home is filled with antiques and extremely old photos of the Von Arnim family. Jasper has spent the last 3 years tracing back our family tree all the way into the 1200s!! All of that time the Von Arnims have lived here in Germany. He made a very organized printed book of the entire family tree, and has pictures of relatives back 8-9 generations! After he taught me all about the family in Germany, and how I fit into the picture, and where many of the Von Arnims live today, I showed them pictures of the family in California, and they enjoyed seeing all of us whom they don't know much about. Then, we ate a delicious dinner prepared by Suzanne of rice with a salmon and cod stew with peas and carrots. It was very good! Then, we had another homemade-treat: a special German traditional dessert of what is sort of a fruit marmalade, but bigger pieces of berries, that you put in a little bowl and pour creme over it. It was delicious! After dinner we sat down on the sofa again and had a glass or two of German white wine and continued to chat. My first night here and they are already spoiling me so much! They are so extremely hospitable and  welcoming to me, I could have never expected such a warm home to come in to. Tomorrow they are taking me around Lüneburg to see the town and city hall and a few Gothic cathedrals. Then, we will come back in time for coffee and cake and then Jaspers nephew and his girlfriend are coming over for dinner, so that I can meet even more family! Then, Sunday we will go to a violin concert in Hamburg, and after go to Jasper's sister house to visit. I will write more tomorrow night, because honestly I don't want to forget a single detail!
Love, Meghan

Carpe Diem

This first week back has been so much fun. In preparation to study abroad, I talked to a lot of people both in the EAP office, and friends who had just come back, and the topic of returning to the place that you had made so many memories in, years later, to revisit the places that had become so familiar. The sentiment seemed to be shared across the board from returnees, that although returning is something they want to do in the future, it would be very difficult and perhaps saddening to see all of the same places visit all of the same cafes and stores, to see that the faces have changed, the appearances have shifted, and you can never really re-experience what you had, because you will never be with the same group of people, at that exact time again. This is why I feel so lucky to have gone home over vacation for 3 weeks, and come back again. Being home gave this experience in Barcelona a strange sense of finality, and made me think of the next step, and the next year. I came home and gained even more appreciation for what I have here in Spain, and how lucky I am to be able to live here for a year. Then, to be able to come back to all of my same friends, my job, my intercambios, my classes, my travel plans, makes it feel like time had just stood still here in Barcelona, and I was able to start right back up where I left, almost a month later. It made me realize that almost 5 months have passed, and this year is really going to fly by before I know it. Although after this year, there will be plenty more amazing times of travel and new friends and places, I will never be able to come back to this place with these people at this point in my life. Which is why every moment is so precious, and every day holds something totally new and exciting to see. This morning I woke up to the sound of a saxophone drifting in to my room amongst the busy street noise. I opened my window to try to see the man but couldn't find where the sound was coming from. Only the sweet melody of jazz on a lazy Sunday morning.

Back to Barcelona!

I just got back to beautiful, sunny Barcelona last night after a fantastic 3-week break at home in California. Surprisingly, I seem right on schedule already, and feel like I never left. Aside from the few additions to my apartment room from Christmas gifts, everything looks, feels, and smells just as I had left it, and was as welcoming as ever. The weather here is outstanding, cloud-less skies, and a warm breeze is just what I needed to defrost from the California cold. I wish I could keep this life forever of two equally amazing and beautiful homes across the globe, with the ability to hop from one to another. Although I must say I don't shy away from the prospect of being here for the next 8 months!
Being home over break was just what I needed. I spent most of my days in the company of my family, visiting them at their homes, or seeing them in Davis. You can make new friends abroad, but family is a one-and-only, and it was so great to be surrounded by it again. I went to see my sister Emily and her family, and spent afternoons hanging out and catching up over yummy Christmas cookies and Boboli pizza, and had fun visiting my brother Mike and trying his home-made bread and going to the movies! I got to catch up with my friends both from Davis and Santa Cruz and it was so nice to see them again and talk about everything and nothing and feel like no time had passed.
Christmas was great, all of the family came to out house in Davis, and Christmas morning my cousin Molly and her boyfriend Matt drove up from Tahoe just in time for stockings. Then everyone else arrived for a breakfast feast with my Mom's famous cinnamon roles, and every other breakfast food you can imagine. Then presents, and Christmas dinner all flew by and before I knew it, everyone was saying goodbye. Christmas always seems to go by too quickly, but it still was a great day, and wonderful to see everyone together.
The day before New Years Eve, I drove up to Tahoe to stay with Molly where she works. We had so much fun! Her apartment is literally 2 minutes from a popular ski resort where she works, and filled with many of the other employees, all students from around the world. The first night I got there we went night-skiing at Boreal, and then the next day we walked around Tahoe city after she got off of work. The next day I caught up on "school-work" (ahem: Friends re-runs....I blame vacation) while she worked, and then we hung out for the rest of the day and cooked dinner. New Years Eve we went skiing all day and were wiped out by the time night rolled around. Her, Matt and I went out to dinner at a yummy Thai restaurant (although once you order more than one plate there, you quickly realize every order consists of the same three ingredients with a different sauce) and then went back to her apartment. Although many people were out and about, ready to ring in the new year, we were exhausted from 7+ hours skiing and had a mellow evening of playing Yatzee while random people passed by her door yelling (screaming) and passing (stumbling/falling on their face) by. Honestly it was hilariously entertaining, and we went to bed at approximately 12:01am. It was more of a HAPPY NEWYE....ah goodnight. But fun none-the-less, and great to be able to spend so much time with her. However after going to bed, the night was not over. Oh no. At 3am we hear the fire alarm shaking the whole building, and while I slowly woke up from a fog, and came to the realization that maybe I should be moving a little quicker, Molly's roommate banged on the door yelling: "There's smoke in the hall!!!" Well, we all ran out in our pajamas and snow boots to wait in the snow for a good 20 minutes only to have the firemen tell us it was a false alarm. See some cabrón thought it would be funny to pull the alarm and then spray the fire extinguisher throughout the hall, making it look like smoke. Anyways we went back to bed, and then next day I had to head back to Davis. A few days later my Mom and I went skiing again, and luckily had a beautiful, sunny day with perfect conditions to greet us on the slopes. We had several hours, with fitting in a run every 6 minutes or so, it was perfect! And, in accordance with our regular ski-routine, we stopped for hot, delicious pizza on the way home. It was a great day.
Another day, I met my Dad at his work to go out for lunch and help him switch out some photos he hangs at a local restaurant for some new ones. We had a great afternoon taking down and hanging photos after a yummy lunch, and I got to meet many of the people who he sees and works with on a regular basis, who were all extremely friendly.
The second-to-last day in town, we had family over for some yummy Mexican food (no where to be found in Spain) and my Mom's cinnamon cake over games of Dictionary and Apples to Apples. Although it sucks to say goodbye, and even-more when you have to do it twice, being around my family for those three weeks gave me a great boost to continue my time here in Spain knowing what I get to come home to.
My last day, my Dad, Mom and I went to the Farmer's Market, out to lunch at Crepeville, and then went bowling at the UC Davis Memorial Union for a few games and some air hockey. Afterwards, we went out for coffee at Ciocolate, and back home for endless rounds of Quiddler, and my favorite home-cooked meal of spinach pasta with Ranch dressing and Caesar salad. My Mom stayed up almost all of the night with me, we slept for 3 hours in the middle so that we weren't total zombies the next day, and then went running at 5am for some exercise before the 15 hours of air travel. Then they dropped me off at the airport, with a quick goodbye (last time it was so prolonged, which makes it 100X harder to go) and I headed on my way! It was a really easy trip back, and now in Barcelona I am catching up with all of my friends, getting ready for finals, meeting with my intercambio group, getting back to my tutoring job, and planning future travels! Time never slows down here, but it's great to hop right back in to all of the excitement!!
Here are some photos from break:

The Robertson clan and their stunner shades

Great helpers with some yummy Christmas cut-out cookies!

Molly and I by her apartment in Tahoe :)

Great day at Northstar

At SugarBowl with Mom

My ski-buddy!

Dad and I at Mustard Seed in Davis

Mom and I 

My incredible parents

I love you all, thanks for making break so memorable and fun!
Meghan