On Thursday in school, I visited a class I hadn't been to before. As I walked in, the class did the usual turning around, mumbling and staring. As I took a seat at the back of the room, one of the pupils leant over to me and said 'Bonjour'. Startled, I replied by saying that I was English. 'Ach Sooooo' (which is a standard German phrase used several hundred times a day by a single person) was the response. It then occurred to me that he, and presumably other members of the class, thought I was French! I'm not sure, if it was the Beret, the baguette under my arm or my stripy jumper that gave them this preposterous idea, but I'm glad that it's been cleared up. (That of course was a joke - I'm struggling to understand how I can be mistaken for being French!) I'm also still surprised at how amazed the pupils, specifically the younger ones, are at the prospect of a 'real English person.' One of the pupils approached the teacher after one of my lessons and asked "Ist er ein echter Engländer?" (Is he really English?) and when she replied that I was indeed 'really English' his mouth dropped open and a look of confusion appeared on his face. They really cant believe it, but I think this is good, as it means they are equally as fascinated and curious as they are amazed, and it encourages them to ask questions and speak with me.
On Thursday afternoon I travelled to Eichstätt to stay with Lois for the weekend. The last time I was in Eichstätt was mid September, so I was looking forward to going again. We went out on Thursday night to a Bavarian restaurant. We hadn't, up till this point, visited a real Bavarian restaurant, so we thought as we are both becoming ever more established Bavarians, it simply had to be done. I tried something new (Schweinebraten) and Lois had a good old Schnitzel. Both were delicious and it was good to try something new.
On Friday we went to one of Lois' schools, as they had won a competition, and as a reward, a band had come to play during the morning break. We got there and they had already started. It was like a small concert in the school play ground! There were lots of people there, most them singing along (Lois even saw some of her teaching colleagues 'bopping' along to the music!) and the music was good. We went back to Lois' and switched on the TV and tuned into 'The Voice Of Germany' (Just like 'The Voice' in England but better - you should try it!) and you'll never guess what... The person we had just watched performing at the school is one of the judges on The Voice! He's the lead member of a band called 'Sunrise Avenue' and that's the band who were performing at the school! Cool, eh!?
So as I said at the beginning, Saturday involved a visit to Nuremberg. Luckily we had picked another lovely day and we were really excited to go. A mere 90 minute train journey and we were in another major city! There is so much to see and do and lots to learn about, so we had made a rough itinerary of things we wanted to do. Our first stop took us the 'Reichsparteigeländemuseum' (Germans like these long words) This was on the site of the well-known Nazi Rally grounds - The place where huge rallies, often a 'show of force' and speeches took place. The Museum was really interesting and we could have spent the entire day there as they was so much to read, but we wanted to see the actual grounds so we wandered outside. The famous Zeppelin Field, which can be often seen in documentary footage, was really interesting to see. It was a huge area and although there is very little left of the buildings that were there, there was an eeriness about it all, especially when we imagined the place being full of roaring crowds and thousands of troops. It was a very 'sinister' feeling, as we stood on the small exposed platform which is where Hitler stood as he gave long, inspiring speeches and where he stood as he watched his troops march past. To think that less than 100 years ago, such an infamous figure was stood exactly where we were stood was both fascinating and terrifying. It isn't until you actually see these places that you realise the scale of the events you see in film. It was a really meaningful experience.
This picture shows the Zeppelin Field during a rally. The white construction in the distance is the picture above
After this we lightened the mood, by exploring the beautiful old town and doing a little window shopping. (I was also told I looked like Leonardo Di Caprio in Titanic by one man at a market stall - I'm definitely taking that as a compliment!) We strolled through some lovely streets up to the Kaiserberg, which is the castle overlooking the entire city. It was really nice and the view was great on such a clear day. Following this we decided to go to the Courthouse, where the infamous Nuremberg Trials were held. It's slightly out of town and it's still an active Courthouse. We walked straight in, following the signs and upstairs to the actual courtroom. It was very modern and not how I expected it. We were going to go to the exhibition above the courtroom, but at this point, we were approached by a uniformed woman, who informed us that we hadn't paid and needed to go back downstairs and do so! We were very surprised and a little embarrassed, and hadn't meant to commit such a felony! Honest! As it turned out, we weren't that interested in paying to go into the exhibition, so we left, with our pockets as full as when we entered and with the added knowledge that we had visited the Courthouse of the Nuremberg Trials for free! Ooo how cheeky!
You see - People actually wear Lederhosen!
I think they stole the 'Boris Bike' concept - In Nuremberg they have 'Noris Bikes'
We ended the day with a beer (Obviously! We are in Germany)followed by a delicious Mexican meal ('Enchiladas' in Nuremberg is definitely worth a visit!) and got a late train back. On Sunday we had a relaxing walk around Eichstätt. Autumn is here and the trees are wonderful colours at the moment.
We're both really looking forward to doing one more week in school and then breaking up for half term, which means one week off. Lois' family are coming to visit next weekend for 4 days, and we're both really excited to see them and spend some time altogether. We have lots planned for that week so I'm sure I will have lots more stories to share soon.
Tschüß
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