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