Languages

In both my visits to Germany this trip I have felt completely inept, reduced to pointing and pleading with my eyes to be understood. Or more commonly after opening my mouth to say 'Guten morgen' had the other person respond in English. Considering the length of time I studied German at school I found this frustrating to say the least.

But then it came back. It didn't come in dribs and drabs, but rather in one rush of knowledge. One day I was pointing at the bread roll I wanted for lunch, the next day asking in complete sentences. I am no longer searching my brain to translate each word and then cobbling together a poorly structured sentence, I just know what I want to say. I'm not saying I'm fluent, but then I never was. But checking into the hotel the staff responded in German and in restaurants I am given the German menu, when the English one is posted outside. I had assumed all my German had left, atrophied from lack of use. Yet it was obviously stored somewhere, my brain just took a while to be convinced I needed it.

The reason for the trip

This whole adventure started because Clare and Guntram were getting married, so from London we headed back to Berlin. The wedding was in two parts. On the Saturday we were given a dance lesson to prepare us for the requisite dancing at the reception. After a quick rundown on three different dances we felt ready to party.

The wedding itself included a beautiful church service, with much of it luckily translated into English. At the start of the reception we were all given helium balloons to which we attached a card. The card was basically a post card on which we wrote what we would give the couple if the card was found and posted back. On their arrival nearly a hundred balloons were released into the air, with about half getting caught in the trees! I would love to know how many of the ones that made it into the air get returned. There followed a sumptuous banquet, lively conversation and of course, dancing. I feel very lucky to have been a part of their wedding, and I'm sure they will have a fabulous life together.

This marked the end of our trip with just a few days to see Munich and Neushwanstein before the mammoth trip back home. We were lucky enough to arrive in Munich on May 1st, a public holiday to promote worker's rights. The main square was hosting free concerts, jumping castles, face painters and general good cheer. It almost made up for the miserable weather that has followed us wherever we've gone in Germany.

Germany

I always hate writing posts about people who read the blog (Clare, Stephen), which leads to me writing very little of importance. After all rambling on about the pleasures involved in seeing old friends may come across as sappy and sentimental, a large deviation from the cavalier adventurous tone I usually aim for.

In planning for this trip we struggled to maintain our pack light philosophy whilst taking sufficient clothing to survive in -30 degrees. Our cunning strategy involved taking an extra bag than normal that we could fill with cold weather clothing and leave at Stockholm airport whilst in Jordan, and then with Clare and Guntram whilst we travelled in Europe. This plan worked perfectly until we got to Berlin on April 1st, when the newspaper proclaimed that it had been the coldest March in 130 years. I know Germany in spring isn't as hot as Australia in spring, but -4 is a little ridiculous. So with winter jackets in tow again we headed south for a week in Kronach, a charming old town in the middle of Germany. If everyone could just ask the weather gods to warm Berlin up in time for Clare's spring wedding in 3 weeks, that would be appreciated.

There should be something in here about being pampered with train trips and accommodation organised by someone else. Long walks, conversation and home cooked meals. But that might sound sappy, so I'll skip it. Possibly I should also mention tears and bad news for memories sake, but again that detracts from the overall tone so it too shall be skipped over.

From male bonding to girl chat

From Prague and a week with Stephen we headed to Berlin to spend a week with Clare.  We spent the week answering long unanswered questions.   We met Guntram, Rebecca and got to hear Clare speak German.  We spent a brief period attempting to be traditional tourists in the old centre of town but took more enjoyment seeing the other side of Berlin.  We crashed parties, went to the beach (still in Berlin, yes) and explored an old train yard that has been converted into a beautiful park.  The other main activity was eating.  Jason and I monopolised the kitchen enjoying the opportunity to cook with more than three ingredients.    The biggest hit was definitely the spinach salad.  Of course everyone helped with the desserts - mmm, chocolate and marshmallow fondue!