Luneburg

So I've been spending this week in Luneburg with Miri at her apartment. It's a quaint little town built around 1420, mainly due to salt that was mined here. It has lovely cobblestone streets and buildings that are make you feel like you are in a movie. It's been fun walking around and just seeing what we can see.

This area is also used as a set in a German soap opera

Some storytellers entertaining children in the village square

Not sure the builders had spirit levels back then

 Most days I've lazed around her place in the morning and then walked in to town in the afternoon to look in a church or just around the shops. On one of her runs Miri found a whole row of blackberry bushes by the side of the road so we went and picked blackberries and have been coming up with recipes we can make with them.

Miri on top of the village wall (although you can't really tell)

The oldest church in Luneburg dating back to 1420

I'm trying my first franzbroetchen, a German pastry

They were short back in 1426. Us Bryants would have a lot of headaches I reckon getting in and out of doors.

Miri teaching me to make maultaschen (German dumplings)

Yesterday we visited Hamburg which is about an hour away from here. Was interesting to see the port and another historical city. We ate hamburgers (because you just have to in a place called Hamburg), got rained on, had a picnic in the car, met up with Miri's friend, Sally and found an awesome playground to play on. Big highlight for both of us was going to the museum where they were having a Steve McCurry photography exhibit (famous for the photo of the Afghan Girl in National Geographic). Amazing images! Was a fun day.

Hamburg town hall

A river in Hamburg...apparently grey skies are very Hamburg

Miri getting stuck in the playground

Awesome playground we go to be kids in again

My hamburger in Hamburg

On Sunday we head to Munich to have another adventure. We're also planning of skipping over to Salzburg, Austria to see if we can find the Von Trapp's to sing with.

Guten Morgen from Germany

I'm here in Luneburg  at Miri's apartment (Miri is part of our adopted family who came to live with James and Lisa for a year when she was in high school). I've hit the ground running a bit so will catch you up.

I flew into Berlin and Miri then took me to her family home south west of the city area. It's in a very beautiful, old section of town with cobblestone streets and large ancient oak trees lining them. Across from the house is a large park with a forest that stretches all the way into town. I have yet to explore this.

After a nap Miri, her brother Simon and myself went into the city to have a little history tour.

Miri in the memorial to all the Jews who were killed in WWII

Me playing hide and seek in the memorial (is this really inappropriate...probably)

This is right in the middle of Berlin. The horse statue on top of the pillars was given to Germany as a gift from France, then Napolean stole it when he defeated them, then they took it back when they overthrew the French. It's a well traveled statue.

Me hugging a large Steiff bear

Us at the US Army district of divided Germany

A part of the original Berlin wall

Where the Berlin Wall actually was

Next day I slept a LOT and then we met Miri's friend, Hannah in town for dinner (Hannah has also been to Perth so it was good catching up with her).

My first taste of the slightly gross curlywurst... Tastes like a processed hotdog with a bizarre tomato sauce.

Friday we drove north to a concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. This concentration camp was set up in 1936 as a model camp used for training (it's only an hour north of Berlin). It also housed the administration headquarters for all the camps in areas under German control. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in the camp from 1936-1945.

Gates to the concentration camp

The beds inside the Barracks (multiple prisoners in each very small bed)

The vast barren landscape of the yard...although there are a few trees that have been planted since

Trenches found contain ashes from the crematorium. There was so much ash to get rid of that they actually built roads out of them.

It's not an experience you enjoy, knowing that so many innocent people suffered in the place you are now walking and acts of horrendous brutality were committed. I felt weird taking photos (does it glorify the wrong things). It was very sobering and I honestly felt sick in my stomach most of the time. The hardship that people faced was hard to listen to, and this was not even an extermination camp. Miri said at one point "how did anyone survive at all?" Something that I'm glad I did because I think that it's important to remember, but not something I want to repeat often. It was humbling to think that we are all just a few unwise and bad decisions away from making these same mistakes.

After that we continued west to a village called Lilienthal near the city of Bremen. Miri has a friend from uni who we stayed with for the weekend. A lovely family. Saturday Karina (Miri's friend) gave us a tour of Bremen. Parts of the town date back to before 1420. It is very famous due to a children's fairy tale being set there. I have yet to understand what the fairy tale is about but it involves 4 animals who travel together.

This is the statue of the fairy tale. If you touch the donkey's feet or mouth it's supposed to bring you good fortune. Still waiting for my fortune to come through.

This statue is Roland. He has been guarding the city since 1420. I think his pointy knees are what everyone is really scared of.

Sunday Miri, Karina, myself and a couple of Karina's friends all entered the Colour Run (which is done all around the world). The premise being you run for 5km and gt colour thrown at you at each 1km mark (and you get your own colour packet to throw at each other along the way. Was a bit of fun, but Miri and I left straight after it so we felt quite disgusting an hour or so later when we arrived at her apartment in Luneburg...smelly and dirty. We had a relaxed evening just hanging out and watching a bit of tv.

Us after the Colour Run

Us before the Colour Run