Sunday, October 25, 2015

First post from Deutschland!

Hey everyone!  I wrote this post shortly after landing, but am just now getting around to posting it!  Will do a new post soon with lots of updates!!!
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Guten Tag!  My flight to Germany passed somewhat uneventfully, and Corine and I were picked up from the airport by Volker. We spent the first couple days at Corine's house in Waldbrunn. Important things I have learned so far: they sell pretzels from vending machines at the local Aldi discount retailers, and they only cost ,29€.

We adventured to several sites right around Corine's house, including some twelfth-century church ruins, a large castle on the Lahn River,  and Dietkirche, a large parish church nearby. All were beautiful, and I took tons of photos, which Volker will help me edit so they are the highest quality possible. But for now, I share some of the originals with y'all!

Runkel Castle on the Lahn River

St. Lubentius, Dietkirche 

St Lubentius, Dietkirche

We went to a birthday party in Corine's neighborhood, and ate delicious kucheln (cakes) made by the birthday girl's Oma (grandma). I got to listen to LOTS of German conversations, and I enjoyed testing how much I could understand. The neighbors were all very nice, and after a few more birthday parties, I should be very good at German! Hah!

Today I am leaving the comfort of Corine's home, and Corine and Volker's guidance as I travel up north to Kloster Lüne (Kloster just means monastery or cloister) in Lüneburg. I am currently on a high-speed train zipping from Frankfurt to Hamburg, where I will transfer to another train to Lüneburg, and finally a bus to the monastery. And you wouldn't believe it if I told you,  but there are two nuns in my cart right now!

I'm so excited to visit Lüne and all the textiles there, because many of them are very well-known in small circles such as mine. But textiles are not always photographed or published online because they are so fragile. I will be allowed to take my own photos for my research, so I'm really looking forward to that! I will also be staying in a room at the monastery, so I hope to pretend I am a medieval nun!!

Tomorrow afternoon, I will catch another train/bus combo to Kloster Wienhausen in Wienhausen, not far from Lüneburg. Wienhausen was another powerhouse monastery in the Middle Ages, and they also have many awesome textiles. In Wienhausen I will stay two nights in an adorable bed & breakfast.

Both of these monasteries are in a region known as the Lüneburger Heide (the Lüneburg Heath),  and the group of monasteries is called the Heideklöster (or Heath convents). The Heath was once known for its Heideschnucken (Heath sheep!), so maybe I will get to see some of those too!!

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As I said, this post was written on my way to Lueneburg.  I have been in a whirlwind of Deutschland magic since then!! I can't wait to write a new post and share it with y'all!!!

Until then!

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