An illustrated tour of Bremen!

Kassia and I went to Bremen last weekend to do a homestay with a wonderful couple through the Servas organization. (Like couch surfing but peace-oriented and with references.) They met us at the train station on Saturday and took us immediately into the city, where we walked around for the afternoon. It's a beeeeautiful city with a great diversity in architecture, see photos below.

We toodled around little tiny back streets and had Kaffee und Kuchen in a cafe, ate delicious fish from the market in the old city center, put together puzzles outside a quaint little toy shop, and walked along the river as the sun came out in the late afternoon. We also went into a Christmas store in an old house that's open all year long which was the most sparkly place I had ever been.





There were tributes to the story of the Town Musicians of Bremen all over the city. (You can read about it here.) Apparently Kassia and I got good luck for touching their feet.


The old city hall and churches were beautiful, particularly after the sun came out.



A while ago the city of Bremen came up with a new idea for raising money. This involved putting this little contraption in the ground in the city center. Someone puts a coin in the slot and one of any of the Town Musician animal noises (donkey, dog, cat, rooster) comes out of no where. Sometimes when no one has put in anything, the animal noise just comes out of the street on its own to attract attention. It was wonderful.



After our city adventure, Marissa and Thomas took us back to their ADORABLE little tiny house in a garden-filled section outside the city. I had to duck to get through the doors. It was so, so cute. There they fed us, we played card games, and shared music.

They have a wonderful and joyful dog named Lola, that I greatly enjoyed spending time with. It was wonderful to cuddle a dog again.


Because their house was so tiny and adorable, Kassia and I slept comfortably in their old apartment back in the city. The next day we went into the countryside and took a long walk around back roads, bogs, and fields. It was most beautiful. Lola was thrilled.







After our long walk and a piece of cake and coffee at another cafe, we were all exhausted and Kassia and I enjoyed naptime in a pile of blankets in front of the roaring woodstove. The perfect afternoon! Once we finally arose, we played more cards and Thomas made a delicious Moroccan fish/veggie dinner. Then more sleep, fresh rolls and homemade jam for breakfast, and back on the train to Hamburg.


If you haven't caught on yet, it was a wonderful weekend. We met fantastic people and finally got away from English for a weekend, which raised my spirits a bit. After a while I think we got pretty close and were able to joke and tease each other and laugh about most everything, as well as have more serious discussions about cultural differences and such things.

The next couple days were quite stressful and involved many hours working on a paper and rehearsing for theater. Once all that was through, our wonderful Smithies Cara (studying in Denmark) and Martha (vacationing from the States) came to visit. It was particularly wonderful because they're both members of my house at Smith and thus much much love was exchanged. I was tickled that they were able to join us for our gigantic Thanksgiving dinner hosted at Joe and Sue's house lastnight. I spent a few hours in the morning setting the table and getting things ready for the meal, then spent many more hours later eating and making merry.

On that note, let it be known that I am so, so very thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life, near and far. I wouldn't be here without you and am most greatful for all your support.

This afternoon we went to the Weinachtsmarkt outside city hall where we wandered around eating delicious things and drinking Glühwein, which is a traditional hot mulled wine beverage that appears during the cold holidays. It literally translates into "glow wine" because it makes you warm and happy. It also made the rainy and cold weather a little better.


After many nights of sleep deprivation, tonight is no exception, as I will be on a train to Munich in exactly 7.5 hours. Martha and Sarah and I are spending two or so days there exploring the southern German ways. I'll be back on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!