Dinner at Rossano's
Trip Start
Oct 16, 2007
1
20
52
Trip End
Dec 16, 2007
Sachsen,
Germany
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
This all follows a day of work where, over very serious business, I had the pleasure to meet the dynamic colonel's wife
Rossano's
. She is petite, attractive, quick on her feet and competent. After business she shared the very interesting story of how she met her husband and on the third date looked at him and said, "I think we should get married." Twenty some years later and 5 kids - the youngest a 5 year old - she is going strong and waiting for her husband to come home. Much to her adolescent daughter's embarassment, she still finds him as sexy as she did when they met. The character, strength and straightforwardness of the people I meet daily never ceases to amaze me. I wonder why most of us are so afraid to reach out to grab what we want from life. The situation in which these women are living gives life a very serious and finite feel - I can actually understand this feeling. It is a side of life that most of us find difficult to envision and will never have to experience.In the meantime, I'm trying to grasp the German culture. In German class today I learned about some of the longest words in the German language. How about Unkameradschaftlichkeit (unsportsmanlike conduct) or
Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitansjackenknopflochbl ume (a word every 2nd or 3rd grader learns). Until a week ago I had no idea that in the German language words compound or grow, becoming more and more specific, as one links more and more descriptive words to each other. Seems to make sense but it doesn't make the language any easier to understand or to speak. Also, all nouns are capitalized!
I'm also getting a flavor for the repetitive, rule driven nature of the country. Each Bavarian village looks a whole lot like the previous Bavarian village - symmetric, clean, orderly and the same color
town
. This doesn't always leave a lot of room for creativity and or individualism. I do, however, like the metal work that goes into the signs that the artisans create to identify the local business establishments. Marilynn, I also realize why you are so attracted to Germany. Although I missed all of the Christmas markets I did pop into the Christmas store in Rothenburg where you can experience the wonder of Christmas year round. Hundreds of thousands of Christmas bulbs light the fairy tale shop - consisting of a maze of connecting rooms - which features hundreds of thousands of German Christmas decorations including an entire display of moving teddy bears making toys! It was a little overstimulating so I left to return to the street where a Dutch film company was shooting a movie. It was so real that I felt as if I had turned back the pages of history.
We decided it was all too much for us and we slipped into a quaint restaurant for more cabbage, venison, sausage, potato pancakes, strudel and, of course, bier. As if all of that wasn't enough we went on to sample the famous Schneeball. Don't even ask. Just talking about it is guaranteed to land 150 calories on a person's body. Let's just say that we walked the walls of Rothenburg and then went on to Dinkelsbuhl to do the same just to use up some of those calories. I drew the line at the museum of torture and punishment. Chuck assured me it was OK because on his last visit he had already purchased the plans for the metal pig's mask that was to be worn around town as a consequence for the sin of gluttony.
Enjoy your trip. Just be thankful that yours will be calorie free!
Bis spater
Comments
Again , Wow
The adventures are such fun to hear about, the signs were fun to look at...again you capture the essence of where you are and what the area is like...You are my special travelog and I love to hear about Germany and what is going on....You pictures are beatiful...what fun to read about Germany and wow, the language, those words were something else....Hooray for my beautiful American Friend who makes the most of where she is at and who she is with.
annie