Homework,Reichstadten, and Der Dom St. Peter

Hello all of my two followers and random readers. Its wednesday night here and we are about to go out into Regensburg to do some reading at some random coffee shop that we shall stumble upon. Today we spent the day in the former Imperial Town (Reichstadt) of Rothenburg. It was a good trip and it was really cool to see the walled cities of old restored. We also got to walk through a torture museum they have set up there. Something cooler though is that we found out that Regensburg was also a Reichstadt. Thus it became one of the most prosperous cities in the region due to the perk of not having to pay taxes to the Empire. This led a lot of wealthy people to settle in Regensburg and thus a lot of churches were built.

I am thoroughly enjoying my time here and we are all kind of itching to get into a routine that lets us plan out our lives around classes and homework rather than fixating on it as we have been this week. I am finding myself oddly ok with the notion that i will not see america again for many months and i wish that this trip could continue on another semester.

Here is where i wax poetic:

There is a large cathedral here called Dom St. Peter  (Dom=Cathedral auf Deutsch). It is quite the impressive piece of architecture and is featured on the cover of the book Germany: Unraveling an Enigma. It survived the bombing of WWII with the rest of Regensburg due to the actions of three important town figures that accepted a deal from the americans to hand over the Nazis and be spared. They were executed for their actions but they were eventually successful. The reason i tell you all this is because when i enter the Cathedral itself i am overwhelmed with a sense of power. These were built as monuments to God. The almighty God. I find myself wishing i was Catholic and able to take part in the mass that is held there every sunday. Wishing that i had been steeped in this power all of my life. It literally takes me many seconds to realize that God dwells everywhere, not just in this edifice. The simple existence of this place, devoted to the worship of God, astounds me. I guess we just do not have this sort of thing in indiana, but i love it. I love the sombre atmosphere inside the church, love the darkness that seems to be omnipresent, love the stained glass windows that are so ornate they can have Ph. D.s written about a single scene. When i first entered there i found myself in the area devoted to prayer, not sightseeing. I was accompanied by a few older germans and we individually prayed what we felt we should. I havent a clue what those germans were saying in their prayers. I hadnt a clue what prayer to offer up to God in that place. I said the Lords prayer in german, a remnant from my memorization for German class. yet it seemed oddly appropriate. An old prayer for an old building and an old God. Im not about to convert to Catholicism, and i do not necessarily like the fact that the cathedrals also had their political purposes and the altars is coated in white gold/silver. But the simple size of that place draws me to it, draws me to heavier things, to the metaphysical realm of which we have little knowledge and much desire. It makes me want to know more, to want more, to be more.

IM HERE...and....its AWESOME

Hello my good friends who are still in the US! I made it to Germany safely ensconced between an ancient French lady and a Germany business man aboard our Airbus 830. The flight was fairly uneventful except for the realization at the airport that German baggage claim is a long ordeal. It simply takes forever for bags to come out! We were able to go into Munich for the afternoon after landing and walked around Marienplatz (the center square of the city) and then went to the famous Hofbrauhaus for dinner. We also found out before going to this famous Beer brewery that we were under Corban’s covenant for the semester and thus no drinking will be permitted. So we endured the jibes of the German fellows that we were sitting next to at the Hofbrauhaus and sipped our water bravely, for no one orders water at the Hofbrauhaus. Afterwards we came to Regensburg and got settled in to our rooms and had a little talk about what Sunday was to bring us.  As we are all extremely jet-lagged I feel no remorse in telling you all that it is only 10:10 here and yet I am exhausted. Still cant sleep well on planes, pity, cause the French lady next to me awoke for meals only!

Good afternoon all of you. It is evening here and we are about to go explore Regensburg on our own. Today we went to a military church so its in English and it was good. Went and got Italian food for lunch and the waiter made fun of the girls in the group that didn’t speak any German and thus didn’t know what he was saying most of the time. There are very subtle differences between US and German culture that we are learning and there are many obvious differences that of course we all know right away. Tomorrow we have orientation and a formal walking tour of Regensburg so that we know where to go and suchlike. There seems to be really good ethnic food here so that is a major bonus! I miss you all dearly, some of you more than others honestly, hehe, but it is good to be here, my group is really solid (a big praise as this was one of my huge worries for the trip) and finally, the food here is quite different. I feel like they eat the heavy food for all three meals and honestly I currently just want a salad. Also its kind of annoying that they charge for water, its tap water and you have to ask for it specifically or they bring you mineral water. And when i say charge i mean it, its no 50 cent fee, its a good 1,50EU for only .2L. Beer is cheaper most times. But we are covenant, its annoying. Thus I am thirsty. I love you all, thanks for reading, Peace.

Lets Bounce!

Lets hope the plane doesn't crash!

Well I’m off to Germany tonight. Yes I’m excited, yes I’m pumped, amped, happy, and what have you. Basically I am ready to bounce out of the Midwest and get on with this trip! The weird things is that I no longer feel nervous. I feel like I have prepared the crap out of this trip and now I just need to do it! I’m sure that Ill be hit by waves of uncertainty once I actually get on the plane in Chicago and start my flight to Munich. Hopefully I won’t get lost in the airports or miss a flight, but I am quite ok with an adventure in the MUC Airport. :) So in the words of Mr. James Blunt, an international man himself, “Goodbye my lover, Goodbye my friends.” I shall miss seeing your lovely faces. 

Two Days to D-Day

Well its Tuesday night and I’m ready to fly out tomorrow. Physically and mentally. Honestly I’m getting sick of what is fast becoming the status quo of being home. I’ve seen my friends here at home, made the necessary appearance on Grace’s campus, and now all that is left are half-formed plans with friends that keep falling apart last minute, leaving me bored at home. Here’s the kicker: Im going to be in Germany next week!
Yet all I can think about right now is who I’m going to be able to meet up with tomorrow or what obligations I need to fulfill. I know that this is one of the worst mindsets I can have and because of this knowledge I simply want to leave. To finally embark on this trip that I’ve been preparing for since May and get out on my own. In all, I’m ready to get out of Warsaw, to get out of Indiana, and to get out of the US. Sure I’ll miss some folks, but these two days before I leave will not make that any better, nor will I likely talk to those people all that much in these two days, its just how things go. Call me a pessimist, call it post-camp depression, I call it wanderlust. Being in Indiana is chafing me. I simply want to get out of here and get to someplace new, someplace where I don’t know what I’m going to find around the next corner, a place where I can wander, explore, and experience the people. For now I shall tell myself “Soon enough.” As I wrap this first post up I acknowledge Melissa Overmeyer, she is the one who convinced me to get a blog both through her blog and through telling me "Phil, you should have a blog," so if it stinks, yell at her. Peace.