German Grandmas Bake Cake

(i'm skipping a lot here, but this weekend is fresher in my mind)

The last three (four) days each will likely remain unforgettable. Friday remains something I have to get used to. I haven't had obligations on Fridays, basically, for the last three years (since fall of my freshman year, when I wised up to avoid having classes on Friday--ever). After 13-hour days Tues & Wednesday and an unaccustomed obligation on Friday, I seemed to seethe discontent. I left at 4:00 to ride to 4 hours to a city near Basel called Steinen, where Philipp--a great friend from Freiburg--lives.

The summary, it was extremely comforting to spend time with a good friend. Being around Minneapolis with great roommates, friends down the hall, and a small college (the business one at least), friends are always close. But I'm new in Stuttgart, and Germans are slow to befriend, so it was such a great weekend to hang out with Philipp. (Plus, I hadn't seen him for almost 2 years, so that added to the anticipation.)
First, you'll note the amazing view in the picture. It's the view out one of Philipp's balcony's. You know, it just happens to look right into the rolling hills of the black forest with (just off to the SW) a castle clear on the hillside--happenstance.

This picture also shows half of the village Philipp lives and grew up in. Awesome it's still called a village. The little white house is where his Grandmother lives.

Here's Philipp's Oma (Grandma). I was hoping she'd be the cute grandma stereotype--conversational, busy-bee, bakes a lot, proud of her family, her garden, and her cakes. She certainly was!

She's from Cologne, so she speaks her dialect Koelsch. I understood a 1/3 (at best) of what she said. Philipp can understand, no problem (despite the fact that many of the words are actually different.) But I was unable to tell that a Buggle Broden was a Tuette Broetchens. (Something to such an extent. Like I mentioned, I don't what she said.)

She was great. She was pitting cherries (very German) for a cake. And, as Philipp informed me, there will always be cake when you visit his grandma. We had 2 pieces and somehow ended up with 1/2 a cake to take home!

She was a lot of fun. (I just hope I didn't offend her when I'd screw up the formal and informal address.)

As the first photos show, I finally visited the village of Steinen, where Here lives Philipp=Hier wohnt Philipp hangs. And, as must be expected, we enjoyed a few chilled Rathaus biers simply relaxing and chatting on the balcony.

Despite my desire to adapt to Germany, to become eingedeutsched (this is the adjective used to describe english words in the German language, like Managen, and Hedge Fond). Anyway, note the food. I didn't even think about it, but Philipp called it and and laughed "ha, it's true that Americans do eat like that!" For me, these little differences are always amusing.

Philipp was a tourguide through the village of Steinen, the town of Loerrrach, and the city of Basel (in Switzerland.) I think the UofM is bigger than Steinen and Loerrach (definitely) and, with as many commuters as we have, almost as big as Basel. I grasped the size concept quite quickly and the tours were brief. Anyone remember touring the UofM as a prospective student and they tell you to plan for nearly 2 hours?

Philipp works at UBS as a trainee (i.e. on-the-job training before being a full-time employee.) Germans are great at creating new forms of education. It's actually what helped them become a leading economy--honestly, it's one of their strong points--education and Rothaus.
I basically mandated this photo. Like I said, I take no real tourist photos, but I'm always stoked to see businesses I know.

In essence, it was a relaxed weekend--visit a great friend, sit on the balcony, make some breakfast, walk around town, have some dinner, fall asleep in front of the TV as a bad French (stupid French) movie drags along, sleep in (until the church bells ring for an hour without stop), eat some more, have a beer. Yep, simple, but unforgettable.

Today still counts in the "last 4 days I won't forget". Well, it's the latest I've ever worked in the office. Granted there was the all-nighter while at E&Y, but that was at home and for other reasons. But I officially left the office on the next day. (Surbhi and other I-bankers, you're free to attack and call me out for almost whining.) It wasn't bad, but it does remind me that working late is one thing, typically very tolerable. But working late and going home when everything is closed, I mean almost EVERYTHING. Typically you could leave late and still get groceries or pick up paper towels from Target. In Germany, I feel I have to leave early just so I can beat the stores from closing before I leave work. We'll see how long I can go on 1/3 container of milk and some almonds...

Until next time (maybe I'll get around to the drag show in Konstanz where I was pulled on stage, the first days in Stuttgart, the irritation that is the Foreigner's office, or the hobos that get to listen to classical music in all the places the city doesn't want hobos hanging out. Until then.

Later Days,
Rick