Germany, can we put a lock on it?

My favorite cultural thing that I learned about Germany is this:

Here, when a couple wants to show their love is true, they get a lock and place their names/initials on it. Then, they place the lock on a bridge and throw the keys into the river below.
The place where this is most impressive is Koln. The bridge gleams gold with all the locks from afar and when you walk by or pass by on train to the main station you see the hundreds of locks.
Really is quite romantic and beautiful. Whenever I passed a bridge with a lock this month, I couldn't help[ but smile.

Other things I love:
the way they drive -I think my driving skills would be perfect here
Fanta is flavored with REAL oranges
how fresh everything is
the Purity Law
their rules for semi-trucks with mandatory breaks and no driving Sundays
walking/biking/public transport is the better way to go the majority of the time
the ice cream
the way they schedule classes for students at most schools
currents from the backyard
the flowers and flower shops
the history
AND
the wonderful hospitality and willingness to be so kind and amazing of the Germans...especially my host families.

So Germany, if it's okay with you, I'd like to put a lock on our relationship :)

For the love of Germany....always the heights!

If you know me well...you know I have a pretty bad fear of heights. So, to say that I have fallen in love with Germany despite the fact I have gone up somewhere incredibly high is saying something haha. But really, there was no way I was going to pass up the amazing views and experiences. To prove I was brave and as a testiment to my dedication to my love of Germany...here is proof my typically coward ways were at least faced with lots of pep talks from Amanda and Chris letting me cling to him. 

First, on top of the Koln Dom...all 533 steps up. The towers of the cathedral are so high you can see them  from the other cities...yes, THAT high.

In the Eifel region...climbed to the top of an old castle tower on our first day.

At the fortress in Koblenz overlooking the city far below where the Rhine and the Mosel meet

In Aachen, went to the place where 3 countries meet and went up a very high lookout tower to see over all 3 countries.

In Berlin, went to the top of the dome of the Reichstag  (by far the scariest and I clung to Chris the both ways)

In Dusseldorf, the first was walking on top of the Gasometer Museum

The next day in Dusseldorf they took us to the TV Tower where the glass angles out over the ground 178m below...I couldn't lay back on the glass...closest I got was to sit on it and hold on for dear life to the metal railings....so at least my butt was brave haha.

And finally, we hiked up the tallest of the Seven Mountains to the Dragon Rock in Bonn

And YES I am still afraid of heights.  But look at how BEAUTIFUL the view was at every point in our trip. For you Germany, I will brave my fear to experience the wonder you hold. 

Last stop... Bonn

Ferrofluids are amazing and we got to see a demonstration at the Technical Museum in Bonn. If you don't know what they are, it's worth googling or at least you tubing!
The instrument responsible for the amazingly eerie sounds for the birds in Hitchcock's "The Birds." Very similar in function to an mp3 player.
A very early particle accelerator. Not very practical though because the diameter was small compared to the size it should be to minimize energy lost in the form of radiation.
The Max Planck Institute for Mathematics!!! In the Berlin post I posted a picture of Humboldt University, where he studied. (I really got to get my "geek" on during this trip. :)
The old cathedral in Bonn, partially rebuilt after the second world war.
This organ is inside the Bonn Cathdral. We were fortunate enough to hear the lecture of a German professor of Organ who also played a selection. It was beautiful. By the way, there is lots of Roman architecture inside the cathedral.
The old city wall to Bonn. If you look closely you can see at least two cannonballs in the wall.
Beethoven was born in Bonn. This is the placard outside of his birth home.
Throughout Germany, you see many bananas painted at the doors of buildings. A German artist traveled around the country painting bananas at the doors of building and establishments that contained, in his opinion, great art.
The old classroom for autopsies at Bonn University, a renowned medical school. Later the classes had to moved to a much larger facility to accommodate all of the students.
The castle leading up the path to the top of Konigswinter. It was really pretty.
The view from the top... though our walking tour was a little taxing, the view from the top was spectacular and well worth the effort!
This street is named after the first Chancellor of Germany after the fall of the Third Reich. His birth home is also located on this street, hence the strase bearing his namesake.

Dusseldorf

While in Dusseldorf, we went to the Gasometer which was used as a fuel storage tank until it was converted into an exhibition hall. Nefertiti's bust was one of the many exhibits on display. It is so much more breathtaking in person than in textbooks!
Also on display was Rodin's, The Thinker. Again... AMAZING!
Our Rotary Club host in Dusseldorf was the Neandertal Club. Their club name is taken from the fact that the first specimen of Homo sapiens neandertalis, that was actually studied, was found here.
This was an exhibit in the Neanderthal Museum displaying all of the artificial implements that humans can get: just to name a few, prosthesis, hip and knee replacement, heart, testicle, breast, and cochlear implant. The sculpture is appropriatley displayed standing in on a bed of prescription pills and tablets.
This is a miniature Russian doll given to the ladies on the team by the District Governor of Russia.
Students hard at work in the Neanderlab making various bath products. This was one of our vocational days in Dusseldorf to a technical high school that also allows younger students from local high schools to come in and perform experiments to get them interested in science. GREAT IDEA!
This is a historical luxury car showroom that is in an old train repair station. These cars were amazing!!!
All throughout the cities we've been in, I have noticed stones (not the bronze holocaust markers) that have names on them. I finally figured out what they are for. They are placed in memorial for individuals who have lost their battle to HIV or AIDS. RIP Freddy!

District 1810 Conference

We had the pleasure of being guests of honor at the District Conference here in Germany. It was a wonderful night with our wonderful host District. It was an amazing night with lots of great conversations with Rotarians as well as entertainment in the form of opera, presentations, and of course our group's introduction and singing of the world wide famous song that originated in Kentucky: Happy Birthday :)

With Klaus Jancke...the person in charge of our overall GSE visit here in Germany (who by the way has done an AMAZING job because this has been such a wonderful time)

with the Russian World Rep and District Gov.  

being introduced

changing of the guard 

Amanda and I with Lars who was a member of the GSE team that went to Kentucky

Cheers to another wonderful night spent with our amazing Rotarian hosts 

Berlin! Berlin!

During one of our free days, Ashley and I took a walking tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentraion camp, the only camp actually located in Germany which was a work camp originally utilized as a camp for political prisoners. This is where Georg Elser, the man who probably came the closest to actually assassinating Hitler, was held. The inscription means "Work makes free."

This is me being goofy outside the gates of Humboldt University, which is the same university that Max Planck and Albert Einstien studied.

This is a photograph of the Holocaust Memorial for the Jewish victims. Peter Eisenman, an American architect is responsible for the design.

Here are remnants of the Berlin Wall. The government sold pieces to the public and now they serve as works of art and reminders of histroy throughout the city.

Now I have all of the passport stamps (seven in total) to cross between the East and West sides of Berlin.

Here is part of Humboldt University. This courtyard was the site of the burning of books by Jewish authors and others that were "un-German."

This is the home of the Chancelor of Germany. It is beautiful.

This is a new creation that I discovered on the trip... Berliner Weiss. It is a very light colored white beer that has had flavored syrup added to it. The green is ade by adding lemongrass flavoring to it. There is also a rasberry flavored one that is red. Who knew you could get green beer on days other than St. Patrick's Day?

While in Berlin, we stayed in the posh Hotel Luise. Every room has a unique theme and is designed by different artists. Our room was the spy room- by far the coolest room for our group. Ashley couldn't resist playing spy with the decorations in the room!

Peter and I at dinner- Peter was one of our guides from Rotary for the time we spent in Berlin. Together, Ingrid and Peter provided us with a lasting impression of the city! Thanks!

Here is the Brandenburg Tor at night. It is spectacular to see at night!

Just one of the amazing sunsets on the River Spree...

Looking up at the dome of the Reichstag. Ingrid was able to get us a tour of the Parliament building. The top of the dome provided a great view of the city.

To end our stay in Berlin, we went to the cabaret to see Yma. It was a spectacular showcase of song, dance, tap, acrobatics, contortionists, and serial stunts!

Here I am in front of the Friedrichstadt Palast after the show. The performers from Yma came to the restaurant across the street where we were having coffee after the show!!