15 July 2007

A Small World

My current home base is Weil der Stadt, yet another small town on the outskirts of Stuttgart. Some of you may remember my host, Verena Buhl, as an exchange student at Chaska High School a few years ago, the rest of you have no clue. Either way, she and her family have been such gracious hosts. Verena has showed me much in only the last three days. From friends in the neighboring town on the first night to a full day at Lake Constance (Bodensee) today, my schedule has been packed, so best start at the beginning.
I had no troubles finding the train from Marbach to Weil der Stadt, and right outside on the platform upon arrival was Verena. We spent the first day touring Weil der Stadt and its sights, including the usual suspect, the God-fearing installation that is the local Catholic Church. While Marbach has Friedrich Schiller as prominent native son, Weil der Stadt can claim astronomer Johannes Kepler as its own. Before we headed to a welcome-home party for a friend of Verena's, who spent the last year in Spain, we were going to stop in at the high school festival so Verena could say hi to a former teacher or so. What happened instead was we went there, and I ran into two (that is right, two not one) people from CHASKA!! Both were high schoolers on a 3-month exchange that I met through the German program at CHS, but it really taught me the world is small. If only that corresponded to a shorter trans-Atlantic flight!
Schlepperfest. Think Stiftungsfest, but with real Germans. This is one of Weil der Stadt's summer celebrations in which the local farmers show off their Schlepper (tractors) and give the rest of us an excuse to drink beer and listen to the community band. It was a great time, sitting at the long beer tables, eating currywurst and drinking the teenager favorite: beer mixed with cola. Go figure.
While it was a late night, that didn't mean a later morning. Instead we got up early and went with Verena's boyfriend all the way (somewhere around 250 kilometers) to Lake Constance. The Lake Superior of Europe that is, in the tradition of the cars and streets, much smaller than its US counterpart. But nonetheless, very impressive and idyllic. Meersburg (literally Fortress on the Lake) is a beautiful, and hopping, coastal town on the German side of the lake. The extremely hot day lent itself to a paddle-boat ride into the lake and hanging out under the willows, and with a conversation-filled family barbecue, a perfect day ended.

3 comments:

  1. Mick
    Have you ever thought of becoming a writer? I just love reading your work. I always feel like I am with you. Miss you! XX OO

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  2. johannes kepler is a lutheran! i only know that thanks to the lutheran song. you'll have to listen to it sometime. that's so cool that you ran into people from chaska! were they wearing white socks? i'm so glad you're having such a good time.

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  3. Michael,
    I now learned to comment on the correct day. Wonders never cease!
    Did you hear the latest news from Chaska? The Carver County city was named eighth-best place to live in the nation by Money magazine. Keep up your great reviews.
    Barb

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