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New German Class and Birds

 

Guten Abend von Regensburg!

Spring has sprung in Bavaria, with crocuses, daffodils, and other flowers I'm not so familiar with starting to blossom everywhere. The migratory birds are starting to return, and the resident birds are singing their territorial and mating songs, a delight to my ears! 

I was told where to go and look for a storks' nest, and lo and behold, there were two storks there, right where my friend said they would be. I took my binoculars to the Old Stone Bridge on Saturday and again today. On Saturday I saw only one, and only the top half. Today I was treated to two beautiful, ungainly, long-legged storks standing on the nest, giving me a full view of their white bodies with their black tails and wingtips. My son told me he thought storks were a myth. I told him only the part about delivering babies was a myth. They are a symbol of fertility, which is probably why they're connected with babies. 

The storks up on the chimney

While walking along the Danube (Donau, locally) I saw a common merganser, a beautiful black and white duck-like bird. My bird list grows longer and longer. I'm getting in almost an hour a day of walking, and my new knee is tolerating it just fine. 

German language class level B2 began this week. Unfortunately, this cohort is as  large as in B1, but this teacher keeps things moving, and I think I've spoken more this week than I did the last 2 months. B2 is considered advanced intermediate, and the sentences are longer, and in the listening exercises the speakers speak faster. The vocabulary consists of longer and more abstract words, and German grammar is a beast! But, my brain will stay young if I keep struggling with it, and it gives me something to do every day, so I'm ready to keep on with it. 

The buildings here have so many details. I spotted this one today on the way from class to my bus stop across town (which I go to instead of the nearest one, for the exercise and opportunity to see things such as this). If you look closely, there is a frog and he's looking up at the snails above him. The snails go all around the door, with another frog on the opposite side. 

Gute Nacht!

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