Leipzig

Frühstück

This morning started with the breakfast buffet at my sleeping place. Unlike the last place, it's included in the price of my room. The breakfast room is also the only place where I can access the internet. (I'm at the same table right now.) I spent an hour or so contentedly sipping away at coffee and tea, nibbling on healthy things instead of pastries, catching up on the Internet, and getting ready for the rest of the day. Not bad!

Heading in

Today was Leipzig history day. I visited the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum, which has been located in the Altes Rathaus since 1905 (when the government moved to the Neues Rathaus). Its exhibits cover the history of Leipzig from the beginnings in the 13th century (if I recall correctly) and up through the 19th century. Leipzig was long a judicial seat, which I found interesting. It also fared reasonably well through the Middle Ages and such because it developed itself as a trade center. The city was populated by craftspeople and merchants, who did fairly well despite widespread pestilence and such. I also learned that the nifty passages I mentioned yesterday were developed to facilitate trade and markets, which is pretty neat. There is also a room devoted to J. S. Bach, who signed his employment contract in one of the Altes Rathaus's main rooms. In good news, I'm getting better at understanding spoken word. However, that's mostly only when it's something slower and controlled, like an announcer or someone reading an info sheet about a famous composer.

Oddly modern building,
considering its surroundings

Perfectly complimenting that museum is the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum (Contemporary History Forum), which takes on history from directly after World War II. It charts the division of Germany into the hands of the four major powers -- United States, Great Britain, France, and Soviet Union -- and how that developed into the East-West division. The story of the development of the DDR was also included, as was the raising of the Berlin (and other) Wall. There was also an area related to life in the DDR, with information on work, obtaining goods, DDR-specific products, and the like. A small area is devoted to the destruction of Leipzig's Universitätkirche (University Church), which was apparently quite the unpopular move, and a larger area to the protests of autumn 1989, which resulted in the opening of the Berlin Wall and, eventually, reunification. The advent of the European Union and the Euro currency were also covered. Interesting place. I might go to the third of these museums, in Berlin, depending on how my schedule ends up.

Back to anthropological mumbojumbo for a bit... The individuality of this city's memory, in contrast with Dresden, seems blurred. Before the (first) formation of Germany as a country, it was a certain place. That history is pushed into the background and more modern history is discussed as a passive occurrence, something that happened to...well, someone. I get the impression from other things I read that Leipzig was an industrial town before Reuinification, though that has not been discussed in the official histories I've seen. (To be fair, those at the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum were aimed at the entire country/ies, not at the city itself. I think I will have to look elsewhere for that more detailed information.)

Instead of seeming to live in memory, though, this city has a sense of youth -- largely, I'm sure, relating to the university -- and timelessness. The old buildings exist, new buildings go up, and Leipzig goes on. I wonder, then, what effect this sort of lack of history has on the inhabitants. I spent some time today at the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum half-watching a teenager and his father in the DDR section. (The college-aged kids I'd seen get excited about toys earlier likely came from the former West.) The kid was born after Reunification, but I was, unfortunately, not able to determine if the father was showing what life in the DDR was like or what his life was like. (I didn't want to listen too closely, too much cultural training against eavesdropping.) It would have been an interesting conversation, had it been the latter. What I really wish I had is time (and ability) to talk with people. So many questions!

I had a ridiculous ice cream concoction -- "spaghetti" (it didn't look like that, but the photo did) ice cream, chocolate, nuts, and liquor -- for dinner. So big I couldn't finish it!

To Leipzig

I'm typing this on my iPhone while waiting for dinner to arrive at my table. Silly, I know, but I somehow ended up at a posh hotel's bistro (the food is surprisingly cheap) and have nothing else to do. My entire outfit cost less than my neighbor's shoes, so out comes the prestige item! :P

Brotmarkt!

I am now in Leipzig after a couple hours by train. This day started with a trip to the Markt (market) portion of Dresden's Herbstfest (autumn festival) in the Altmarkt (old market). This weekend is a Brotmarkt (bread market), so the place smelled great. I had a Nutella crepe that was prepared in front of me, num! Had it been lunchtime or dinnertime, I would've picked up a roll or two for sandwiches. However, by then, I was well on my way to Leipzig.

I'm staying in what is perhaps the cutest little not-quite-hotel ever. It's located in one of the city's many passageways. These passages are really neat -- they're all over the place and host all sorts of businesses and shops. It's like a confusing secret world within the city. Every time you go into one, you find a new business, pub, or bar. Leipzig is fairly small, so I can't get too lost exploring, right?

I did a good bit of wandering today. This is a university town with a fairly young population. There is also evidence of youth subcultures that have so far been hidden, z.B., goths and punks. This is a big change from the other places I've visited. Perhaps I actually won't be the youngest person at the museums tomorrow? (Meh.)

In young people-related news, I am apparently able to screw up being hit on in any language. I'm perfectly fine with the kid going away, though. Didn't even have to scare him away with my status as a doctoral student! (Seriously, great party trick. Makes unwanted boys melt into thin air!)

Layers of building

I found the Thomaskirche today. It is where Bach spent his days, as well as the place where he was buried. Neat building, with its layers of history. I was there at a good time, too -- a woman was singing hymns with the organ. Pretty cool. I've been to so many churches since I got here that I'm afraid I will miss these grand, calming structures when I return to the States. We don't really have anything like them. Maybe huge libraries or museums, but I'm not sure they really compare.

I should probably head back now and post this. My Dresden photos are now uploadable, so I will update those posts with images. Spaß für alles!

Mehr Dresden

I wonder how obvious my accent is. I just ordered a beer (in correct German, I might add) and the bartender told me the price in English. The place I'm staying is aggressively bilingual -- everything is in both German and English -- and that might have something to do with it. Perhaps they assume that it's easier for me? (To be fair, I asked the guy last night a question in English before I ordered. "Vom Fass" means "on tap," btw.)

It was beautiful out today, sunny and bright. I even retook some pictures, as the coloring will turn out better. I even managed to get a photo of me smiling! Miracles, I'll tell ya!

After a lovely breakfast of muesli and yogurt, I managed to miss when the Frauenkirche was open...again. I found a shopping area nearby to wait it out, including a store that was a small Weihnachtsmarkt. These are reportedly amazing, and Dresden has a huge Markt every year. I assume that this particular retailer is well ensconced in that activity.

(Side note: It's now well past eight and there's basically no one at the bar, not even the old men who made their appearance last night. Guess everyone goes somewhere else on Friday night. I mean, really, they're training a guy tonight...)

Cavernous

I visited the Festung Dresden. It is a small guided tour of some of the early fortifications of the city, which started out as a walled town in the 13th or 14th century. These fortifications are currently located under the Brühler Terrace. That means it's a bit creepy down there, dark and small in a few places (and we know how I feel about small places). It was still pretty neat, though. The fortifications are impressive, especially when you realize how intricate and nuanced they are and think about the work that went into creating them. I am afraid that I ordered the spoken electronic tour in English instead of German, but it was a good plan, since there were a number of technical terms I never would've understood in German.

I finally got to see the inside of the Frauenkirche. For some reason, the statue of Martin Luther out in front didn't clue me in to the fact that it's a Lutheran church and not Catholic. Silly me. It was still absolutely amazing. I'd seen photos and video (most notably the "Dresden" mini-series), but it was still amazing. Completely on par with the large Catholic Cathedrals, Stations of the Cross or no. They held a prayer and devotion while I was there. I also lit a candle for my grandmother, who is recovering from open heart surgery. (I've never seen the candle aspect at a Lutheran church, but figured I'd go for it -- my family is Lutheran, after all, not Catholic.)

Stadtmuseum

The other place I visited today is the Stadtmuseum. It has a number of exhibits at the moment, including their permanent collection of artifacts that trace the last 800 years of Dresden's history. The museum is quite lovely, located in another of the gorgeous not-really-historical buildings that were (re)built after 1945. Unlike some of the other buildings, however, it appears to have been built on its own in an historical style and not actually rebuilt. The 800-year exhibit, however, really got me thinking about things on my mind since I arrived here.

I have been developing questions about the (official) production and reproduction of memory in Dresden. This city interests me as a possible fieldsite because of its history -- a longtime cultural center (and capital of Saxony), which was destroyed in the last months of World War II, rebuilt under the socialist DDR, and then re-rebuilt under a reunified German state. I have seen all of these things reflected in public memorials -- museums, monuments, the contents of the city's website. However, the bombing appears to be the most starkly present. It is listed in every chronology, with talk of rebuilding (recovery). The DDR and reunification are only occasionally mentioned, which interests me a great amount.  Basically, the portions of Dresden's history that most interest me are those through which my informants will have lived. However, the official line on that time period seems to be focused on bombing and rebuilding the city to its former splendor. Part of this happened during the DDR years and some was not until reunification. However, the political aspects of rebuilding and the changes that were seen in those politics with Reunification are not much discussed in official representations. DDR memorabilia can be found in the occasional giftshop and there are markers for 1989-1990 protests at various points in the city. However, the Stadtmuseum had little mention of either period (Reunification was barely mentioned, rather presented as a known fact). This, interestingly, was the same with the Nazi period -- they were mentioned, but the focus was on the war much more so than the politics.

Why, then, is this erasure/blurring of the past seen here? Why are some portions focused upon and others not? What is the significance of this? Will I find it in other places? Also, is this sort of official line shared by the populace? How do past and present play out, both in this official memorialization and in how individuals themselves remember? (Then, connecting memory with my medically-based research, how is this reflected in the experiences and narratives of individuals with chronic pain disorders?)

For those of you who don't care, pardon my anthropological aside. However, it *is* the official purpose of this trip. :)

(Interestingly, I learned of the DDR Museum only after it was basically too late to see it. It's not listed on the city's museum page. Interesting. I would've loved to see it, though!)

Vegetarianer Dönner

In other news, I finally tried a (vegetarian) Dönnerkebap for dinner. It's fast food, based in that of the large number (9% or so) of Germans who are a of Turkish descent. I picked it up at a stand on the way home. The thing was *huge* and I couldn't finish it. Lots of veg on some bread. Not bad!

Tomorrow, an Herbstfest (autumn festival) that starts with a Brotmarkt (bread market), then off to Leipzig!

Dresden

(Okay, so this pic's from Leipzig...)

It's a good thing that I like pastries so much, or I'd probably weight about five pounds by now, with all of the walking that I've been doing here! The Altstadt and Neustadt of Dresden are fairly close together and many of the main sights (museums, etc) are located in those areas. Instead of bothering with the public transit system -- though the streetcars here look quite nice and efficient -- I decided to wander on foot. (Speaking of that, awesome DDR crossing signals!)

Light and dark stones

Dresden is an extremely beautiful place, with tons of (rebuilt) historical buildings in the center. The main part of the city was something like 90% destroyed in an infamous one-night bombing campaign in 1945 and that is reflected in a number of ways. For one, many of the rebuilt buildings, such as churches and palaces, are very dark and some seemingly-randomly alternate between dark and light stone. I have not yet confirmed this, but my guess is that the dark stone was burnt in the firestorm/blitzkrieg/whatever you want to call it that was caused by the bombing. The light stone, then, would be replacements for that which was destroyed beyond recognition. Hopefully I'll find out more about that tomorrow when I visit the Stadtmuseum (City Museum). (I also hope to learn about the rebuilding, part of this city that interests me.)

(Side note: I'm in the bar at the top of my hotel right now and apparently 20:00 is the magic hour for old German men to come out of the woodwork. Ten minutes ago, there were very few people in here and now nearly the entire bar area is full of grey-haired men drinking what I assume is beer.)

My hostel/hotel/whatever is about half a kilometer from the Hauptbahnhof, which is itself directly south of the Altstadt. The boundary between the Alt- and Neu- stadt is the Elbe River. The first task, then, was to explore the Altstadt (and also find breakfast). I found a number of things on this wander. (The city is also nice enough to post maps every few blocks, so I wasn't worried about getting lost so long as I stayed in one of the major areas.)

The Altmarkt (old market) area is getting ready for a festival. I saw the setup yesterday, but had been unsure as to what was going on until I saw a poster today advertising a festival. ...of course, I've gone and forgotten what it's a festival of, but I'll be sure to check it out tomorrow, on its opening day. I read somewhere recently that the Altmarkt was completely destroyed in the bombing, but restored with the same types of architecture surrounding it as was there beforehand. I have plenty of pictures, once I can upload them.

(Side note 2: Ten minutes later and most of them are leaving. Huh.)

Rebuilt!

Another major landmark in Dresden is the Frauenkirche, which is an imposing structure. The rebuilding of the church, with its unique dome, was hailed as a sign of peace between nations. It sounds as though the church was already a major part of Dresden's identity before the war, at least from current literature. The image of the dome falling, the day (?) after the bombing, is noted as important in that chapter of history. (Being an academic, I feel horrible that I'm not providing citations for these things! Gah!) Unfortunately, I was at the church at the wrong time to enter. I hope to go in tomorrow.

Also rebuilt!

Speaking of churches, I found Dreikönigskirche, a Lutheran church in the Neustadt. It was difficult to take photos of the building, as it was surrounded by trees. I went in nonetheless, and was happily greeted by a gorgeous alter, which was also rebuilt. It was a stone carving of a biblical scene, much more interesting workmanship than would be found in Lutheran churches in America. I tried to buy a postcard of the alter for my grandfather, but I managed to be there when the little giftshop was closed. Poo. It was interesting to contrast the Catholic and Protestant churches. I had been only in the former so far, large cathedrals that include features, such as the Stations of the Cross, a chapel/area for Mary, and the like, which are not found in Protestant churches. It seemed a bit...small...in comparison.

More rebuilding!

After walking through some other famous areas, such as the Zwinger, I decided to visit the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, which is located in a (rebuilt) castle. It has long been host to the Historiches Grünes Gewölbe (Historical Green Vault), a collection of treasures from the time of King August and his descendants. The entire palace is now a museum with a few permanent and a few moving exhibits. Certain floors of the building were not finished, which I'm sure has some significance. That was not mentioned, but I'd guess that it (again) has to do with the fact that it is another rebuilt building.

(Side note 3: Another twenty minutes and a few of the old men are back, sitting together at a table. They're even getting rowdy now. Awesome!)

Redesigned!

Another interesting sight, which I did not enter, was the Synagoge. Dresden's synagogue was destroyed on Krystallnacht in 1938. This new synagogue was built as another symbol of reconciliation. There are two buildings separated by a courtyard. The synagogue building rotates as it gets taller, which is quite interesting.

Since my hotel is a bit off the beaten path (read: not on a busy street), I've been coming back before dark. That means I got here in time to claim my free drink in the hotel bar and sit up here to write. I came up yesterday to take photos of the city from the (9th floor) balcony while it was still light. Now, I will go take some photos in the dark.

To Dresden

Today was the looooong (okay, only seven hours) train trip from Bonn to Dresden and marks my first day on my own. It was actually a fairly uneventful trip. I had to change trains twice, but had ordered a window seat both times, so that was really no problem.

Hi, Mainz! Bye, Mainz!

The only bit that was not so good was my transfer in Mainz. I had planned to eat during the second transfer -- when I looked online, it was at a different train, to Frankfurt, with enough time to grab some food. Can't book online with no printer, though, so I had to speak with an agent. Result: different train. That was fine and all, but I didn't have much to eat with me. I ended up stopping at the vending machine on the platform between the two trains...which pulled up at the same time. (Good thing they were on the same platform!) The digestive-type cookies were good and I made it here without fainting from hunger. Generally a good thing.

Blocks...

There's a definite visual difference between the Rhein area and East Germany. You can still see the huge Soviet block-style apartments here and there's a lot of industry. Part of this might come from leaving the river. (Though the Elbe flows through Dresden, it's not, to my knowledge, a major water highway like the Rhein.) It might also have to do with economic differences, as Bonn is a rich area. The industrial focus of the DDR/GDR (depends on the language) is certainly a factor, though. (I'll likely see this more when in Leipzig.)

It was absolutely pouring when I got off the train. Perfect for the day when my place of temporary residence is the furthest from the station! I was pretty soaked by the time I found it and was glad to get into my room and take of my wet jacket. (My umbrella also broke, the casualty of a gust of wind and me having only one hand to hold on to it. Oh well, it was free in a girlbag and I found a new one in an Apotheke for only €2,75.)

After organizing myself in the room for a bit, I left to explore the area around the Hauptbahnhof and find some food. I found a lot of shopping and eating, which was nice. There's a huge hotel here that has three buildings right next to the Hbf. Each building has its own restaurant, even. I'll have to remember the name when I go by it again tomorrow so that I can link it here.

The Hbf and toward the Altstadt

After my wanderings, I stopped at the front desk to purchase internet access so that I could write this lovely thing. The hostel/hotel also has a bar on the top floor, so I decided to check out the view. When I can upload photos again, I'll post one or two of said view.

Note on photos

It appears that the wireless at my current hostel is not letting me upload photos. Perhaps the next place will. Until then, use your imaginations!

EDIT: Photos are now up and filled in!

Yesterday

Written on the train to Dresden
----------

Graffiti on the Kunsthalle.
Appropriate.

Yesterday was a fairly full day. I went back to Museumsmeile and saw both the Kunstmuseum and the Kunst- and Austellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Both house modern art and the latter also hosts traveling exhibitions (no permanent collection). They are conveniently located next to each other and have the option for a reduced ticket price if one buys admission to both as a package. That is exactly what I did. Toll.

The special exhibit in the Kunstmuseum was not that interesting to me, but they have some amazing sculpture and there were other neat pieces upstairs. I think I had heard about one of their pieces, which consists of five red taffeta dresses rotating at various times. Pretty neat to watch/hear/feel. The museum was a fairly small place, though, so it was time to move on.

The Kunsthalle is currently hosting the traveling exhibition of artifacts from Afghanistan's National Museum. There were some amazing pieces and it was definitely worth the extra Euro to see. Some of the pieces, I believe, were recovered from the looting that occurred in the region after the US (and friends) went in. It appeared, though, that some also came from digs that were occurring at that time. (I missed that part of the informational movie.) The setup of the exhibit and the pieces were quite lovely.

They also had an exhibit of exploratory work by an architect, which was pretty nifty. Finally, I went to the basement (to visit the WC) and found more art, this time work by young artists from around the world. I also found an adorable old museum attendant man, who was more than happy to show me the artwork and explain it to me...in German, even when it was obvious that I only understood part of what he was saying. We made it work, though, which was pretty cool all on its own.

I did appear to be having an old man day, as another caught my attention at the gift shop to show me a funny postcard. I smiled and nodded to that one, since it was the only postcard from the bunch (quotes about art and by artists) of which I could make neither heads nor tails. So yeah, old German men love me!

UN

Back there somewhere...

After finishing with the exhibits, I did a bit of wandering. I found the UN Campus, the Rhein (again!), the Palais Schaumburg, the Bonn residence of the Federal Chancellor, and the Villa Hammerschmidt, the Bonn residence of the Federal President. The latter two were just gates with greenery behind them. Also, a ton of video cameras. The UN building, at least, is visible (though not nearly so pretty).

I think I walked through DHL headquarters at one point, too, though I'm not completely sure on that one.

After I came back, it was laundry time -- everyone's favorite birthday activity! I popped my clothes into the washing machine in U.'s basement and we went out for a fancy cocktail. I was sure surprised to see Caipirinhas on the menu! I got one of those, since it'd been nearly two years since my last one. Stark, aber gut.

I took the laundry across the street to the laundromat for drying and came back half an hour later, then it was time for dinner. It was announced that we would only speak German at dinner. It went...okay. My cadence has definitely improved, though I have certain pronunciation issues that will eventually be sorted. The next time I see U. and D., I'll be able to carry on an entire conversation with them, which will be pretty neat.

(In other news, I now have German toothpaste, German water, and a German travel tissue pack. Danke, Apotheke!)