With the student train ticket here you are covered for all regional commutes within the greater Freiburg area and beyond. You can stand on the bridge above the train yard, pick a red train that you like, and get on it. If you want to play the less risky version, you can glance slightly to your left and read where the trains are going. This game shuttled me to Offenburg on a dark, cold but wonderfully crisp Friday evening. I learned many things about the city during my 90 minute walk through its Christmas Market.
The economical epicenter of Offenburg is socks. They’ve misunderstood the concept of “Christmas stockings” here, but have thereby done something rather astounding. Every other business at their Christmas Market is a Christmas Stocking dealer, and they sell socks. People buy them and love them.
A warning to those who are planning a visit to Offenburg: watch out for unwholesome, self-idolizing high school degenerates. They are everywhere.
Saturday night I went to a Märchen Party, a fairy tale party. I have never, never never, been to a party with such lavish, successful, and time consuming preparations, nor have I attended such a victorious costume party. 96% of attendees came from Brothers Grimm. I don’t have any pictures, which is a shame; I can only mention for description the walls lined with evergreens, the dozen or so detailed fairy tale passages written throughout the apartment-turned-forest, and the “Rapunzel-limbo” built by the hosts, a game which involved coupled-off guests limboing under the ever lowering hair of the singing beauty.
At the beginning of the evening I was the brother of little red riding hood, who lead the lost through the dark and dangerous forest. My character quickly became disbanded. I had managed to prepare a basket and flower pot full of lit candles (eight) to bring with me to the party. My guiding light was immediately abandoned, due to the ridiculous danger factor when around too many people, and walls lined with tree branches. After several, several times clarifying that “it’s not a gender thing! I have no problem being a girl. I know little red riding hood didn’t have a brother! The point is to run with your imagination! I’m adding to the story, you see,” I simply became little red riding hood.
On Wednesday evening I and two other students from Madison went as the student representatives of Madison to a dinner hosted by the “Madison-Freiburg Partnership” (sister cities). This “Madison-Freiburg Gesellschaft,” as I came to learn, is merely a cover up, an excuse, for the richest people in Freiburg to have a dinner in a castle restaurant of the highest vantage point in the area. From the red leather lined lounge in which we were served from platter carrying peasants, we were led to the private dining room in which we would feast. There were 25 or so of us around one of those long rectangular wooden tables you see in the king’s court. I and the other students were presumably the only ones under 50. It was a five course meal, of which each course (excluding desert) included meat. I told the wait staff I was vegetarian five minutes before serving and I was made something especially tasty for every portion. It was, well it was great, but certainly noticeable. When it came time to serve the goose, and everyone had a white plate covered in dark meat and darker gravy, one could scarcely avoid noticing my brightly vegetably colored DELICIOUS platter. Easiest version of “Where’s Waldo the Herbivore” ever. Honestly I think the cooks had a blast cooking for me. Vegetarians may merely be myths at such a place in Germany.
Luckily I sat between the two out-of-their-mind clowns at this jamboree. The woman to my left was a rich gossip who just laughed and laughed and laughed. The man on my right was a family man first, a lady’s man second, both of which provide for highly interesting stories. I talked with them for several hours; we were the last to leave the dinner. We’re getting together before Christmas for a wine tasting. Splendid. Grandiose.
I went to a sort of Christmas Party hosted by the International House where I have my German course. I thought they did a really nice job turning a classroom into a Christmas party room, tree and all. Everyone grouped off into different country assemblies and performed for each other. There were three rappers who rapped in Arabic, some Spanish guitar, and Christmas songs in half a dozen European languages. There were four Americans including myself. We sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in fabulous four part harmony. Everyone who came brought a gift and threw it in a sack. Then you'll never guess what: SANTA CAME! I ACTUALLY GOT TO MEET SANTA! Turns out she speaks German. And he is a she. That was a surprise. She distributed the gifts along with personalized words about each student, which the teachers frantically wrote down and handed to her. Props to the International House for being awesome. I received a lovely teddy bear ornament which is now hanging from my Christmas desk lamp.
The “German is not my native language” thing is started to fade into the background a little bit, which is a very cool thing. It defines me here much less, it allows me to show people other sides of me, other than “I’m here purely to learn the language…oh you can already tell?” When the first impression you make on someone isn’t “I’m a visiting student studying your language,” many, many more doors for communications and connections are opened up.
The economical epicenter of Offenburg is socks. They’ve misunderstood the concept of “Christmas stockings” here, but have thereby done something rather astounding. Every other business at their Christmas Market is a Christmas Stocking dealer, and they sell socks. People buy them and love them.
A warning to those who are planning a visit to Offenburg: watch out for unwholesome, self-idolizing high school degenerates. They are everywhere.
Saturday night I went to a Märchen Party, a fairy tale party. I have never, never never, been to a party with such lavish, successful, and time consuming preparations, nor have I attended such a victorious costume party. 96% of attendees came from Brothers Grimm. I don’t have any pictures, which is a shame; I can only mention for description the walls lined with evergreens, the dozen or so detailed fairy tale passages written throughout the apartment-turned-forest, and the “Rapunzel-limbo” built by the hosts, a game which involved coupled-off guests limboing under the ever lowering hair of the singing beauty.
At the beginning of the evening I was the brother of little red riding hood, who lead the lost through the dark and dangerous forest. My character quickly became disbanded. I had managed to prepare a basket and flower pot full of lit candles (eight) to bring with me to the party. My guiding light was immediately abandoned, due to the ridiculous danger factor when around too many people, and walls lined with tree branches. After several, several times clarifying that “it’s not a gender thing! I have no problem being a girl. I know little red riding hood didn’t have a brother! The point is to run with your imagination! I’m adding to the story, you see,” I simply became little red riding hood.
On Wednesday evening I and two other students from Madison went as the student representatives of Madison to a dinner hosted by the “Madison-Freiburg Partnership” (sister cities). This “Madison-Freiburg Gesellschaft,” as I came to learn, is merely a cover up, an excuse, for the richest people in Freiburg to have a dinner in a castle restaurant of the highest vantage point in the area. From the red leather lined lounge in which we were served from platter carrying peasants, we were led to the private dining room in which we would feast. There were 25 or so of us around one of those long rectangular wooden tables you see in the king’s court. I and the other students were presumably the only ones under 50. It was a five course meal, of which each course (excluding desert) included meat. I told the wait staff I was vegetarian five minutes before serving and I was made something especially tasty for every portion. It was, well it was great, but certainly noticeable. When it came time to serve the goose, and everyone had a white plate covered in dark meat and darker gravy, one could scarcely avoid noticing my brightly vegetably colored DELICIOUS platter. Easiest version of “Where’s Waldo the Herbivore” ever. Honestly I think the cooks had a blast cooking for me. Vegetarians may merely be myths at such a place in Germany.
Luckily I sat between the two out-of-their-mind clowns at this jamboree. The woman to my left was a rich gossip who just laughed and laughed and laughed. The man on my right was a family man first, a lady’s man second, both of which provide for highly interesting stories. I talked with them for several hours; we were the last to leave the dinner. We’re getting together before Christmas for a wine tasting. Splendid. Grandiose.
I went to a sort of Christmas Party hosted by the International House where I have my German course. I thought they did a really nice job turning a classroom into a Christmas party room, tree and all. Everyone grouped off into different country assemblies and performed for each other. There were three rappers who rapped in Arabic, some Spanish guitar, and Christmas songs in half a dozen European languages. There were four Americans including myself. We sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in fabulous four part harmony. Everyone who came brought a gift and threw it in a sack. Then you'll never guess what: SANTA CAME! I ACTUALLY GOT TO MEET SANTA! Turns out she speaks German. And he is a she. That was a surprise. She distributed the gifts along with personalized words about each student, which the teachers frantically wrote down and handed to her. Props to the International House for being awesome. I received a lovely teddy bear ornament which is now hanging from my Christmas desk lamp.
The “German is not my native language” thing is started to fade into the background a little bit, which is a very cool thing. It defines me here much less, it allows me to show people other sides of me, other than “I’m here purely to learn the language…oh you can already tell?” When the first impression you make on someone isn’t “I’m a visiting student studying your language,” many, many more doors for communications and connections are opened up.
I've been getting a good amount of writing done lately, in styles that I haven't really touched before. It's exciting. I'm looking foward to visits from Nick, Pops, and Erinn this Christmas, aka, less than three weeks. I've rediscoverd The Shins as a great late night walking band, and rediscovered the Onion as an awfully good time killer.
A lovely second Sunday of Advent and week to follow.
Until next time.
Ice Skating at the Offenburg Weinachtsmarkt. If you look closely you can see a skater with a penguin. This was a common commodity for learners, one that I find much more creative than the New England milk crate.
Welcome to the Offenburg Weinachtsmarkt.
Rathaus, Offenburg.
Offenburg.
Freiburg!
Residential Quaters.
Downtown.
Münster, Freiburg.
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