Living in Busy Town

Thanksgiving and Eichstätt
I spent last Saturday to Monday in beautiful Eichstätt, Germany with Sarah Vikler and her friends. On Saturday we cooked and then ate a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. On Sunday Sarah's friend Anna, Sarah, and I took the 1.5 hour train ride to Nürnberg where we visited the oldest Christkindlemarkt in Germany. It was gigantic and very cool. We enjoyed Nürnberger Wurst, a little marzipan, and bought a few gifts. On Monday I was able to attend one of Sarah's lectures (on Global Governance). It was interesting to visit a lecture in German at a German University. Here are a few pictures:



























SNOW!
Hannover's first snow fall of the year was beautiful. We got almost 8 inches of snow! It is not only early for Germany to get snow but also somewhat uncommon. For the last two years they have gotten almost no snow. What a wonderful surprise to wake up to. This picture is take out of my window. The left hand corner is our back yard.






I was in the Newspaper...yes, here in Deutschland!
So as I was walking down the street in the city a woman stopped me and asked if she could take my picture and ask me a quick question. I was a little hessitant, I mean, it was in German. But I had time and she seemed nice, so I said yes. She asked me what I was giving for Christmas and what I recomended to give for Christmas. Here is a picture of the newspaper.


It says: "Ich werde meine Geschenke an meiner Schwester in die USA verschicken. Darunter Bücher und Schmuck. Noch aber habe ich nichts gekauft. Mein Tipp: Schmuck oder Schal und Handschuhe verschenken."
("I am sending my gifts of jewelry and books to my sister in the USA. My tip: give jewelry or a scarf and gloves." note: I was on the spot. I am actually not giving my sisters jewelry or books...haha)


Flat Stanley
I was sent a flat Stanley so I took him into the city and took some pictures of Hannover's Christmas decorations. I am copying what I wrote and the pictures because it is a good explanation.

I had a lot of fun with Stanley today.

We headed out on my bike for the 30 minute bike ride to the city center. So many people bike here in Germany as their only form of transportation. For example, the family I live with only needs one car because both of the parents bike to work everyday (even in the snow!). It is really nice to bike here because there are special lanes all over the city just for bikes. That makes it much safer. There are several good things about riding a bike everyday: it is good for your health, it is good for the environment, and it saves money on gas.

The next picture is of Stanley and I right in the city center. Everything is decorated for Christmas. It is so beautiful. Stanley and I are in front of a gigantic German Christmas decoration: Weihnachtspyramide or Christmas Pyramid. Normally these pyramids are much smaller and are a popular and famous Christmas decoration from Germany. When the candles are lit the the fan on top spins. Inside is the manger scene with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus on the first level, the kings on the second, and the angels on top. The inside spins too!

The last two photos are of Stanley and I at Hanover's Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market. Almost every city in German, small or big, has a Christmas Market. You can find some pretty Christmas decorations and gifts and get something warm to eat and drink. Hanover's Christmas Market is set up right in front of the beautiful main train station.