It’s here!
The young Cosgroves’s
Germany post has arrived.
I apologize in advance: I have trouble with moderation in tasks such as this; it seems the options were nothing or too much, so consider yourself warned (one of you might regret your 'mega-schmega' comment).
SynopsisOur
Germany plans began when Ben and his advisors decided that he should attend a conference there (“Conference on Systems Biology of Mammalian Cells”).
We decided that I would accompany him, as the conference was in Heidelberg, where our good friends from Ann Arbor (my former labmate Trey and his wife Rachel) are currently living (with their one month - wait, now two months! - old son Ellis) while Trey works as a postdoc at the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL).
We stayed for almost a week (Ben’s conference was only for three days) with the Schek family and had a wonderful trip, experiencing interesting, beautiful sites, and enjoying wonderful company!
We got there!Our journey from
Boston to Frankfurt was elongated due to storms in
Boston during our scheduled take off.
After sitting on a Detroit-bound plane for 2.5 hours still attached to the jetway, we finally got off the plane and began waiting for an
Amsterdam flight.
All in all, when we got into
Frankfurt at noon on the next day, we had really only been delayed 4 hours.
Some highlights of the wait and the trans-Atlantic flight included: Logan Airport cuisine; trying to make a cell phone call to Germany to alert Trey of the complications, which involved a 15 minute conversation with a Verizon customer service agent, in which I learned about her first wedding and marriage, her children, and her next wedding (this month!); between 1/3 and 1/2 of the passengers on our plane participating in “Airobics”; Arrested Development on Ben’s computer; 2 hours of sleep = a good night’s rest.
(Below: we had seats on the left side of the plane, looking north, and so the sky was never completely dark. The airplane wing is in the foreground, and through our eyes, we could see stars at the same time.)
We arrived in Frankfurt not really knowing what to expect, since we had never actually gotten ahold of Trey after the change in flights. But, as we walked through customs (without even having to slow down), we saw that Trey was waiting for us, which was really nice because this way we were able to get into Heidelberg in time for the start of Ben’s conference. I seemed to be a lot more alert and excited than Ben, which, upon examination, we thought was likely related to the fact that Ben had to work and think while I got to go on to Bammental and see Rachel and meet wonderful little Ellis.
Bammental
Trey and Rachel live in a village called Bammental, about a 15 minute train ride from Heidelberg. The streets in Bammental were very still and quiet, and there was an abundance of lush, well-kept gardens. When Trey and I arrived at the Schek residence, Rachel and Ellis were there to greet us. Ellis was so small!! He was being very sweet (like he was almost all of the time, from what we observed).
Their apartment has a very open floorplan with lots of windows and natural light. It was a very pleasant place to stay. Here is the view from their back porch, into the house (across the dining room and the living room), and in back of the house:
Rachel and I spent the afternoon chatting and watching Ellis (hours and hours of entertainment) while Ben was at the conference and Trey was at work. After awhile, I got up the courage to hold Ellis, and after that I was hooked. I tried not to be an Ellis hog, but sometimes it was hard to hold back.
That evening, we had a tasty dinner cooked by Rachel and Trey. After dinner, Ben needed a 20 minute nap, but that was really a joke; he was done for the day. I went for a walk with Trey and Scout, their 2 year old Brittany spaniel, who got to run all around in the open field near their house and show off her trained-ness. She even knows the command “cool down!” (or was it cool off? something to that effect, anyway) which upon hearing, she dashes into the creek that runs along the edge of the field. Overall, Scout seemed to be doing very well: good behavior around the house, hardly triggering my allergies at all, looking pretty and healthy, and following Trey’s orders . . . for the most part.
After Scout was done playing (maybe she would have played all night, but we were ready to go), we went into the village and got some ice cream from a place that Trey and Rachel frequent, I believe.
It was very good, and the fruity flavors really tasted like fruit!
Here are the boys at the end of another evening walk with their ice cream.
As we walked through Bammental, it was amazing how quiet and empty the streets were. Maybe it was especially striking to Ben and me since we are currently surrounded by nonstop noise at our Boston location. One night as we walked down a street, two ladies were having a conversation from two separate houses across the street from each other, and they were speaking at volumes as though they were in the same room (see if you can pick them out in the picture).
The next day, Ben went to the conference (he managed to ride the train from Bammental to
Heidelberg all by himself but did sit in the first class section accidently and consequently got yelled at by the ticket checker in German), Trey went to work, and Rachel, Ellis, Scout and I hung out at the apartment.
We all (minus Scout) went into town for grocery shopping and delicious lunch of kebap - yum!!
We went to the fresh grocery where we got tasty fruit, and to the supermarket, where we got basics for dinner, as well as fresh bread from the bakery inside.
Back at the apartment, we watched a movie and hung out with Ellis.
When Ellis was awake, his arms often seemed in constant motion.
He really has the “show your muscles” pose down, fists and everything.
Stretching also appeared to be a very popular and important activity.
I might have taken a few (hundred) pictures of Ellis.
He didn’t seem too camera shy when I would hover over him (which I really tried not to do too much), trying to capture the incredible cuteness (which wasn’t actually possible, but I did my best).
Fortunately, he found the wrist string hanging down from the camera completely fascinating!
I took a few short video clips of Ellis being Ellis (yawning, stretching, moving his mouth really cute while he slept), so if you are interested, you can access them below.
(I highly recommend, especially if you want that a bit of that warm, fuzzy feeling.)
That night, we had another delicious home cooked meal thanks to Rachel and Trey.
Video of Ellis yawning
Video of Ellis sleeping
Video of Ellis movin' to the beat
Heidelberg (along with EMBL, Bierhelderhof, and Konigstuhl)
On Friday after lunch, Rachel, Ellis, and I took the train into
Heidelberg to meet up with Ben, once he was finished with his conference.
(Oh yeah, Ben gave a talk and presented his poster, which both went well.
He was even complemented by an Englishman attending the conference: “your English is very good” (about 80% of those attending were German).
Ben told him he sure hoped it was, as it is his only language.)
The train ride into town was very beautiful, running along the
Neckar River.
In
Heidelberg, we walked down the Hauptstrasse, visiting the large once-Catholic-now-protestant church, visiting shops and purchasing souvenirs, and taking in the scenery.
Heidelberg Hauptstrasse
Heidelberg Cathedral
Cathedral interior
Cathedral stained glass window
Pilsner glasses full of beer flavored gummies!!
Ellis' mode of transportation: the ring sling
Neuenheim, directly across the river from the convention center
Heidelberg Convention Center, location of Ben's conference
That evening, we took a bus up the big hill to meet Trey at EMBL and went inside to see his lab.
We went to dinner at Bierhelderhof, enjoying outdoor dining in very pleasant weather overlooking a green pasture, and excellent food, of course.
After dinner, we drove up to Konigstuhl, located at the top of the big hill that rises up behind
Heidelberg (
the castle sits partway up on this hill).
The view down was a bit clouded due to the mugginess, but you can sort of get the idea.
You can see the Neckar along with
Heidelberg and the surrounding area.
Train tracks up to Konigstuhl
The roads up on the big hill were a bit scary. They weaved in and out of the dense forest and back and forth up the steep incline. In a few spots, it looked as though we were on the set of one of those car commercials where the car zooms around bends through a picturesque forest road.
Back in Bammental, we played the board game Settlers of Catan. This game has been a staple in the activities that we have enjoyed with Rachel and Trey (eating really good food, often prepared by the two of them, is another). Partly in honor of our visit, they had purchased the German version of the game (the game was originally developed in German), which was exciting because it had different pieces and pictures than the version that we are used to playing back in the States. I won. It is possible that motherhood has softened Rachel, or that, for both Trey and Rachel, having a child has really put a game of Settlers in perspective. Or that I am one of the greatest players to ever play the game. We played again the next night (sans Rachel, as Ellis was having a bit of trouble falling asleep), and I “womped on” (as my mom would say) Trey and Ben. All hail Elissa, ruler of Catan! Here is a picture of German Settlers (and of my dominating victory):
The German Wine RoadOn Saturday morning, we set out for a visit to a winery in the
village of Gimmeldingen along the
German Wine Road.
After finding our original destination was closed for a private event, we ended up at Weingut Klohr, where we were treated to many very good white wines and a few interesting red ones.
Additionally, they brought out a plate of
interesting meats (liverwurst, blood sausage, and something “like head-cheese only butt”), none of which I would likely eat again by my own choosing.
It was a fun setting, and Trey did very well interacting with the man helping us and relaying all of the information to the rest of our group.
Road through Gimmeldingen, grape vines growing throughout!
Rachel and Ellis find some shade
On car trips, I got the best seat in the house - right next to the sweet sleeping baby, and with a view straight out the front of the car. Here we are navigating our way out of Gimmeldingen.
Speyer Cathedral
From the German Wine Road, we proceeded to Speyer, located along the Rhine River. The main attraction was the gigantic Romanesque imperial Cathedral of Speyer (Kaiserdom). None of the pictures I took communicate the grandeur of this cathedral. It was quite a sight. Here is what Trey said about the cathedral on his blog post: “The cathedral was in the older heavy Romanesque style, which isn't as ornate as the later Gothic catherdrals on post cards and jigsaw puzzles. Inside the cathedral had two unique features. First the stones were an array of colors. In some places they were random and others the were in carefully arranged in patterns. The nave was set with several paintings of bible stories like the ones in the picture. The church crypt is the burial place of several unremarkable Holy Roman Emporers as well.” Yes, exactly!
Overhead shot of cathedral (from internet); Rhine River in upper left corner
Ben at cathedral entrance
Cathedral interior
Speyer
After visiting the cathedral, we ate in Speyer, and then returned to Bammental for some rest and relaxation.
Schwetzingen Castle Gardens
On Sunday (our one year wedding anniversary), we drove to Schwetzingen to visit the castle gardens. We first ate lunch in town. For a very cute series of pictures of Ellis at this lunch (with very fun captions from Trey), look here. Here’s the blissful one-year-old couple:
Ben helping out at the asparagus statue in Schwetzingen
The castle gardens were expansive and beautiful! (They are described by UNESCO as “one of the most significant works of horticultural art.”) There were flower gardens, pruned tree arched walkways, numerous statues (including Apollo, Athena, and Pan), temples, fountains, a mosque, artificial ruins, a beautiful bathhouse (sorry, no pics allowed), a variety of birds, and nice wooded areas with paths through and to everything. Most of the items in the gardens were commissioned by the Palatinate Elector (local ruler) Carl Theodor in the 1700s (I think). Schwetzingen Castle was his summer residence (Heidelberg Castle was his home). Now the gardens belong to and are completely run by the local community. Trey said that one of his colleagues told him that virtually every teenager growing up in the town holds a job there for a summer or two.
Flower garden with stag fountains in the distance
Ben observing Pan
Kids-playing-with-goat statue
Monkey Ellis
Bird Fountain - on most days, the birds lining the upper rim spout water
Mosque - under repair
Elissa in the Temple of Athena
Boat trip up the Neckar
On Monday, Ben and I ventured out on our own back into Heidelberg, where we hopped on a boat tour that went up the Neckar River to Neckarsteinach and back. The boat ride proceeded at a leisurely pace while our guide shared facts about sites we passed in three languages - German, English, and French. It was a beautiful day, though a bit hot in the sun, and we had a very relaxing time. A good chunk of the time on the boat was spent in locks, as we had to pass through two to get to our destination (and then again on the way back, of course). The land surrounding the river was covered with densely packed trees, and we had a good view of many villages as we passed. We saw campers all along the banks. Neckarsteinach is home to four old castles, sprinkled along the river, apparently commissioned by four brothers who did not want to live together. Two are currently inhabited (one of these two, partially covered with vines, is pictured below).
Village along the Neckar
Two currently uninhabited castles
Monday night we had our final meal with Trey and Rachel: green beans from their garden, cheese-tomato-spinach stuffed turkey breast, and zuchini fries. Delicious!
Germany Notes/ Observations
- almost all Germans we encountered were quite patient with our inability to speak German
- obey crosswalks (no jaywalking - really!); this seemed to create a more relaxed feel amongst pedestrians
- scheduled breaks: stores close for a 2 hour midday break
- houses: red roofs everywhere, very stereotypical “European” look
- fast drivers on the autobahn? most definitely
- a striking difference in defining an historic site: Boston - 16/1700’s vs. Germany - 1000’s (or earlier!)
Auf Wiedersehen!
Rachel and Ellis very kindly took us to the airport on Tuesday morning. We got there with plenty of time and had a safe, smooth, uneventful trip home. We had a great time in Germany, but the highlight was spending time with our friends (and meeting a new one :) )!
Kurt takes a dip in the waterfall
After Scout was done playing (maybe she would have played all night, but we were ready to go), we went into the village and got some ice cream from a place that Trey and Rachel frequent, I believe. It was very good, and the fruity flavors really tasted like fruit! Here are the boys at the end of another evening walk with their ice cream. 
The next day, Ben went to the conference (he managed to ride the train from Bammental to 
Heidelberg Hauptstrasse
Heidelberg Cathedral
Cathedral interior
Cathedral stained glass window
Pilsner glasses full of beer flavored gummies!!
Ellis' mode of transportation: the ring sling
Neuenheim, directly across the river from the convention center
Heidelberg Convention Center, location of Ben's conference
Road through Gimmeldingen, grape vines growing throughout!
