Lübeck/Bad Oldesloe (7. - 8. December)

This orientation was supposed to start on the 6th but people had difficulty getting there because of the storm, so it was shorter than usual and had lower attendance.

Snow at the train station in Kiel!

Statue pictures. I love interactive statues.

A mini replica of Lübeck.

A church in Lübeck.

"Dem Gedenken aller Toten die in der fernen Heimat ruhen" (the thoughts of all the dead who rest in the faraway home)

The bell in the background has been left as it was when this church was bombed in the war. It stands as a memorial and a reminder of how destructive war is.

Left is Oregon (Callie), right is D.C. (Charlotte).

Matchbox advent wreaths at the Lübecker Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market).

Beeswax candles!

Noah's Ark, a small park.

I went down that slide. It was cold.

The big church you can pick out from the minimap (also the one we were in earlier).

Yeah the Weihnachtsmarkt is like the Mid-State Fair in winter in the big cities. I feel like people here just get that breaks are important. I mean they take month-long breaks for vacations, and they have light-up parties like this like five times a year. It's awesome up here!

And here we all are outside the church waiting for everyone so we can go get our bus.

And here we are in Bad Oldesloe giving presentations on Christmas around the world.

Blazers. Gotta love the blazers.

This is my home girl Juhie from India. We have long philosophical discussions. She brought Holi to us, which you'll see when I post the new Föhr pictures. Maybe I'll have a video up by then too, who knows?

And a few selfies to top off a nice batch of pictures.

Sister Post: Re: This one's for Dad (Jan. 9)

This is Dad and his truck, in case you didn't get why that one was for Dad.

Not an updated picture at all, it doesn't even have the whitewall tires here but I found it and thought it'd be nice so "y'all" can get an idea.

Wasen (October 12, 2013)

Wasen is the Stuttgart version of Oktoberfest, somewhat like our Mid-State Fair but bigger and in October.

There are rides, and there are rules

And there are people. Lots and lots of people.

I'm not sure if this video works but I think you can see it pretty well here. The audio is just background noise.

Wasen lights from the Ferris Wheel

City lights from the Ferris Wheel

Wasen lights again because Ferris Wheels go in circles. You can see the ride on the far left moved.

Here are the rides in the daytime (taken before the others).

I mean check this guy's Lederhosen out. The only authentic German thing he's wearing, I'd say.

That's all for now, folks!

Stuttgart Library (October 12, 2013)

Mara and I went to the Stuttgart Library, which was recently rebuilt.

It's not the only new building in Stuttgart.

Hey Mara! :)

Here's another view of the construction. I did sort of a panorama so that goes for the next few pictures.

And here's the inside!

Lots of corners.

Lots of stairs.

And the book return system! This is my favorite part!

See the track going up the wall? and all the little carts on the ground

There's these little cars that go along that track, as you can see here.

They have a book or a CD or a movie in them, nice and secure, and they go along the track and stop and drop their item(s) off where they go. It's completely automated and genius!

And on the left (well the middle of this picture) we see the road back down.

I had a video of it in motion, maybe I'll get that up later.

These next few pictures are me being excited at how many languages Harry Potter comes in, in one library.

If I ever need a Vanna White, I know who to call.

That is all thank you for joining, see you next time on Die Deutsche Erfahrung!