It's raining today, and they think this is winter! If only they knew. I'm enjoying what I consider early spring. I even saw a few crocuses in the Danube Park (Baggersee) yesterday when I went there for the first time in a long time. The sun was ducking in and out of clouds all day, with the promise of rain to come. I took my binoculars and spotted a tufted duck. I saw a
female of the species a few months ago, but not the male. This time I spotted several males, all sharp-looking in their black and white plumage, with their jaunty tuft hanging down the back of their heads. I am looking forward to seeing more birds in their breeding plumage in the next few months before we wing our way back to Alaska (hopefully not in a Boeing) ;) I really want to see a stork.
Pictured here is the Hofbräuhaus in Munich. My friend who guided my tour said it was a tourist trap, especially popular with Americans, and that while the beer is excellent, the food is horrible. I guess maybe a few beers along you wouldn't notice. As we passed a British-sounding tour guide outside with his group in a semi-circle around him, we heard him say that this was a tourist trap and that the food was so-so. My personal guide made eye contact and gave him a thumbs-up.
This is the Fischbrunne--in English, the Fish Fountain. I was told this is a famous meeting spot. Apparently everyone knows what and where this is, and if you're meeting a person in Munich, you tell them to meet you here. While I enjoyed my tour of Munich, I much prefer Regensburg. I don't know how we ended up in such a gem of a location, but I'm in love with Regensburg and always will be.
As for my German language course--I'm in week 3 of 4 of level B1, part 2. I've heard B1 is the hardest level, because they really hit you hard with the grammar. Yes, they do! And I've entered uncharted territory the past week or so. I took German at the university I attended, and up to now, most of everything I've been learning has been review, but now...whew! German isn't easy, that's for sure. I think today, between the gloomy weather and the lesson in yet another complicated piece of grammar, the class was a challenge to our teacher, who is studying to become a full-time school classroom teacher. She's great, but we sure gave her a run for her money today. No one would talk spontaneously. I'm sure she felt she was pulling teeth. To illustrate her difficulties, she taught us a German proverb, that roughly translated goes: Which louse is running over your liver today? In English, it means, "why is everyone having such a bad time today?", or something like that. Good practice for a beginning teacher.
The topics this week, which we discuss in German are happiness, and stress. Yesterday and today was about stress, and things that annoy you. I've been pleased to vent about smokers at bus stops. Dang! I think 75% of Germans smoke, even young people who should know better. And always, always, always, there's someone smoking at the bus stop, and the wind is always, always, always blowing in my direction. I do appreciate some things about the US, and that's one of them, that most people don't smoke, and that there's a lot of rules and regulations about where they can smoke. I enjoy my fresh air and resent someone polluting it.
I think I'm getting better at reading and speaking in German. Hopefully, I can find something to use it with when I return to the states. If not, it's been a good enrichment for this aging brain. I've read learning a second language staves off dementia. Actually, German is my third, since I'm pretty good at American Sign Language. I should stay sharp until I'm 100!
Yesterday, four of us students and our teacher went out for beer after class. I should say, they went for beer. I had a latte. When I voiced that "Ich hasse Bier" (I hate beer), my Bavarian teacher said playfully that I shouldn't be heard saying that in Bavaria! I still enjoyed the fellowship with my fellow American, a Turk, and a Malaysian, as well as the Bavarian teacher. We compared driving regulations, building codes and materials, earthquakes and other natural disasters, food, and a host of other topics. I've benefitted a lot from all the international contacts. We plan to meet for lunch next week in our last week together in level B1. After two months, we've started to bond. I will do 7 of 8 weeks of level B2 before returning home.
And so, I will say Auf Wiedersehen for this time. Only two months left to enjoy Germany, and I still have several excursions to make.
I don’t think, for myself, I would do well in another country! I’d fail at learning another language! We are getting dumped on today! Spring sounds so far away!
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