
Guten tag and greetings from Deutschland!
We had an easy time getting to baggage claim, acquiring carts for our bags, and finding our ride. The driver, Klaus, was very friendly and helpful and loaded our five large suitcases/duffels and four carry-on bags into (what is considered here to be) a large van. The drive to Marburg was about an hour and my coffee began to wear off. Klaus helped us to get all of the bags inside while we checked into our hotel.
We also explored a grocery store to check the stock and prices, but we didn't buy anything. My husband was most interested in the candy aisles and beer aisle :-) I took a look at the shampoo/hygiene section and laughed at how small the bottles were thinking, typical European item. Then I got to the end of the aisle and saw bottles and boxes of laundry detergent as big as one could buy at Costco or BJ's! I guess it just depends on the item...
After a nap at the hotel, we went back out for dinner at the oldest restaurant in Marburg. The food was quite good and I'm sure we'll be back. Afterwards we decided to take an elevator in the town that will take you up part of the mountainside to the "old town". We walked a bit, but it was rainy, so we went back to the room. The best feature of our room are the wonderful black-out blinds that leave you with no way to know the time of day. We slept over twelve hours! And therefore we missed breakfast on Thursday. My husband went out in search of food while I stayed behind to work on my schoolwork. There is a grocery store right behind the hotel so he returned with some fresh rolls, sliced cheese, "spicy roasted ham", plums, yogurt, and of course, cookies. We did a bit more walking around and exploring while we figured out where to get our photos for our visas.
Today we meet the relocation aide in the morning and she helped us take care of registering in Marburg and beginning the process of obtaining visas and then opening a bank account. She showed us one flat, but all of the others she had hoped to show us had already been rented. It was very large and had great amenities (though the decor was pretty random), but its main downside was that it was very far outside of Marburg and we had pictured ourselves in the city. We will see what comes available in the next couple of weeks. At the end of our day she offered to drive us up the mountain to the castle where all of the photos were taken. (Taken with my Canon Powershot and iPod only since this was an impromptu visit.)
She dropped us off this afternoon and we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some lunch items (sans meat!) and I found some great chocolate-covered marshmallows, my new favorite. We've also found some other interesting food items I'll save for another post. We plan to rest a bit before heading out for a (hopefully) fish dinner.
Three items we have noticed that are or may be atypical of Germany as a whole...
1. There are a large number of blind or visually impaired people. We both commented on how we could not recall the last time we saw a blind person using a cane and yet we saw about three on our first night. After a Google, I found the above link as to why this probably is here in Marburg.
2. The idea that Germany is especially "clean". This was mentioned to us by a few people. While I don't find Marburg to be "dirty", I don't believe it is any more "clean" than your average area in the United States. It certainly isn't a topic that I would "write home about" other than that it was mentioned to me prior to our arrival.
3. The idea that everyone speaks English and learning German isn't really necessary. Yes, many people here do speak some English. But it certainly isn't everyone and most of them say "a little" and mean it. (Unlike suggestions that Germans will say "a little" and be quite good.) Again, not a complaint because I certainly believe this is their country and I don't expect them to all speak English to me, but I'm glad I did not decide to go with the information I was given previously. Also, the signs and information is all in German--it's not as though there is an English translation to go with everything. You need to know or learn something for sure. Since my foreign country experience is limited, I will say that I found English in Italy to be far more prevalent and an easier country to not know the language. Costa Rica was probably a bit more similar to Germany, but I remember it being easier probably because I know more Spanish than German.
Sorry for the length, but hopefully you enjoyed the first of my many posts about life abroad.
Wow! I'm so excited for you...what an adventure. How long are you going to be in Germany? I chuckled about the shampoo bottles/laundry detergent. It's probably going to be things like that that will make your stay so interesting - small differences and customs.
ReplyDeleteMy brother in law is German and we have always said we want to go (with him as our tour guide). His photos of places there give new meaning to the word "old"...buildings from 500 years ago, roads that date back millennia WHATT?? It's crazy when we think "old west" 1800's is old.
Can't wait to see what kind of place you'll be living in! Be sure and post lots of pics.
I would probably be like you on the flight. I rarely can fall asleep anywhere except in my own bed, and since I have to when I'm away, in hotel beds, but I don't easily fall asleep on couches or cars. Sounds like an interesting time. I have a friend who studied and lived in Germany for quite a bit. She's in love the culture, and I'm not sure if it was odd for Germans to see a little (she's not more than 5') Chinese girl speaking German fluently. =p
ReplyDeletehttp://joyceandnorm.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/our-week-in-photos-week-10-of-52-4/