I have had a pleasant couple of days in Hanau. On my second day here, Claudia and I took Pucki, their 1 year old dog, on a walk around Wilhelmsbad, a park in Hanau, with a stream, hills, ruins, and a large museum of dolls. It is pleasant weather - Claudia said I brought the spring with me from California. I left my camera at home again - little did I know a walk with the dog would lead me through such a beautiful park.
We also walked with the dog to visit Marguerite, Werner's mother, for tea at her home nearby.
That evening, Claudia, Werner, and I met some 
friends of theirs at the movie theater to watch Die Budenbrooks, a film adaptation of a famous German novel from the early 1900s.
It was all in German, but luckily, the dialogue was slightly limited, so I had time in between conversations to rethink exactly what was said. We had a glass of wine afterwards at their friends' home, where I felt a little bit more comfortable speaking German. I think the film was a good warm-up. Claudia said the next morning that she was pleased I tried to speak more German.
I would like to think my German is getting better, but I am really not sure. Hopefully I will have ample practice with basic conversation before heading to Potsdam on Monday.
Thursday, Claudia and I visited Fulda, a town within an hours drive from Hanau. We visited a residence with rooms decorated in the traditional style. I think the most impressive room was a small hall of mirrors with ornate gold framed mirrors overcrowding red walls. I know Mom would have loved it. The picture below is the large Cathedral in Fulda, representing the Baroque style of the city. It was quite impressive inside and much larger than aticipated.
Claudia and I had lunch in the town center with charming buildings and cobblestone streets. The picture below is of the old city hall, which was just as impressive to me as the grandeur of the baroque architecture and churches.
On the drive home, we took a drive around Claudia's childhood hometown near Hanau, stopping to tend to her parent's grave. I thought it was interesting to see a graveyard in a German town, where most headstones are complemented by a small flowerbed where surviving family can garden and also bring cut flowers for permanent vases. There were many families here, probably taking advantage of the pleasant spring weather and gardening conditions.
friends of theirs at the movie theater to watch Die Budenbrooks, a film adaptation of a famous German novel from the early 1900s.It was all in German, but luckily, the dialogue was slightly limited, so I had time in between conversations to rethink exactly what was said. We had a glass of wine afterwards at their friends' home, where I felt a little bit more comfortable speaking German. I think the film was a good warm-up. Claudia said the next morning that she was pleased I tried to speak more German.
I would like to think my German is getting better, but I am really not sure. Hopefully I will have ample practice with basic conversation before heading to Potsdam on Monday.
Thursday, Claudia and I visited Fulda, a town within an hours drive from Hanau. We visited a residence with rooms decorated in the traditional style. I think the most impressive room was a small hall of mirrors with ornate gold framed mirrors overcrowding red walls. I know Mom would have loved it. The picture below is the large Cathedral in Fulda, representing the Baroque style of the city. It was quite impressive inside and much larger than aticipated.
Claudia and I had lunch in the town center with charming buildings and cobblestone streets. The picture below is of the old city hall, which was just as impressive to me as the grandeur of the baroque architecture and churches.
On the drive home, we took a drive around Claudia's childhood hometown near Hanau, stopping to tend to her parent's grave. I thought it was interesting to see a graveyard in a German town, where most headstones are complemented by a small flowerbed where surviving family can garden and also bring cut flowers for permanent vases. There were many families here, probably taking advantage of the pleasant spring weather and gardening conditions.That night, Harrold, Angela's friend, picked me up for drinks in Hanau. He brought two friends and we met another at the restaurant. I had met Harrold and one of the other guys last year when we visited. It was a nice time and I really enjoyed seeing what young people like to do here on a Thursday night. Harrold was kind enough to translate if I couldn't understand the conversation and gave me a few pointers on my grammar as well. I promised to visit again in July, when I will actually be able to converse and keep up. (side note: The restaurant/bar was called Grimm's, which honors the fact that the Brothers Grimm were born here.)
In a few minutes, Claudia and I head off to Frankfurt to meet Michaela upon finishing her Physics exam. Tschüß!
1 comments:
I love this! Your language is so peaceful :) I'm so glad I can follow your travels.
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