German Soccer and Munster (6-22 to 6-23):


Germany vs. Greece (6-22):
There was no way that I was going to spend time in Germany and not partake in a viewing a soccer game.  This past Thursday I got to experience first hand what makes soccer the most popular sport in the world.

After dominating the group stage, Germany was to face Greece for a place in the EuroCup 2012 semi-finals.  Not only was the game an opportunity to progress in the tournament, it was a chance to represent ones country on a world stage and, according to some people, symbolically represent the relationship between two countries.  Heralded by some as a symbolic representation of the political turmoil between the two countries, I just thought they were reading too much into the game.

In Essen, there is a large plaza surrounded by bars, cafes, and outdoor eateries; this was where I watched the game.  When I arrived to get a seat almost all of the chairs were already taken in front of TVs that were scattered everywhere in the plaza.  I found a good spot with the help of some new friends, ordered a beer, and, like everybody else, was waiting anxiously for the game to begin.

The atmosphere was similar to American Football, but there was something different, a greater feeling of solidarity.  At that moment, I knew that almost the entire country of Germany was watching the game and cheering on their team to victory.  Even the prime minister of Germany was on her feet cheering on the team.  The feeling of nationalism was ever present and made talking with strangers even easier.  If you were cheering on Germany, you were a friend.  Every substitution was followed by a round of clapping, every attempted goal was a gasp, every goal made against Germany was an agonizing sigh, and every goal made by Germany was cause for great celebration.

Ultimately, Germany won the game 4 - 2 and at the end a round of beer was brought out to everyone that stayed for the entirety of the game.  It was a great experience, one that I hope to enjoy again next Thursday.

Munster (6-23):


Today I visited Munster, a city North of Essen.  It was very fortunate that I went to see the soccer game because one of the people that I was watching with, offered to give me a tour of his favorite city, Munster.  Another new friend, Joe from Minnesota, also wanted to see Munster, which brought the group up to three.

We meet in the morning to catch the train to Munster.  I was happy to be have some traveling companions and was also delighted that one of them could speak German.  As we traveled through the country, we chatted about German and U.S culture differences, differences in political system, and shared many other things about our respective countries.  It was interesting to learn that Germans and Americans share many similar viewpoints, cultural mindsets, and beliefs.  I wonder if that is also a big reason why the two countries have grown so close on the international stage.

On the way to Munster, Martin, our German companion made a short stop in his home town.  His home town was just 20 minutes by train outside of Munster and had a very suburban atmosphere.  The town was very small, almost all residential with small shops nestled in between town homes and ranches.  As Martin exaplained, most young Germans spend time in the city, but move out to the "suburbs" to raise families.  However, unlike the suburbs the homes were squeezed in tightly with "large" houses being the equivalent of a medium sized ranch in the U.S.

A "Large House."  Martin told us this couple raises honeybees.

Typical town homes in the suburbs.

Martin's home was meant for two families.  One family would stay on the top floor and the other on the ground floor.  However, no family had lived in the upper floor for many years, so Martin's family expanded into the upper floor, which made quite a substantial house.  The most intriguing thing about Martin's home and other homes similar to his was the well kept gardens.  Another big reason to move out to the 'burbs' are the gardens.

The impressive garden that Martin's family has in their backyard.  There were so many different kinds of vegetables, unfortunately the potatoes didn't fare well this year. :(

After a short visit into the 'burbs' and meeting Martin's family, we headed into Munster.  The first thing that greeted us was the multitude of bikes.  Not just a couple of bike racks or the equivalent of the amount of bikes on a university campus, but a multitude!

This is a picture taken near the train station.  Imagine this amount of bikes around every bus stop and shopping center, that is the magnitude.

I speculate that the amount of bikes can be attributed to the amount of bike friendly trails (there is a bike trail that runs around the entire city, it used to be the old city walls), the limited car access, the local university, and the lack of a subway system.  As we traveled into the city we past the former location of the city walls, which has been converted into a green park that surrounds the city center.

The green area that surrounds the city.  To the left of the trees is a bike and pedestrian pathway.

Like most cities in Germany, the old city meets the new in stark contrast, but unlike some German cities any new renovations near the city center must try and fit the old style German architecture.  I also noticed that Saturday in Munster is the busiest day for the city.  Most of the people in the surrounding suburbs head into the main city to shop, socialize, and enjoy the beautiful weather.  This is most evident in the farmer's market.  The main cathedral is central to the city and has a large square adjacent to its walls.  This large open space is where the farmer's market is set up.

The gold lettering of on the new shops is required if you open a store near the city center.  This was done to maintain the old city atmosphere.

A braille map of the city.  Although, our group wondered how you would find this map, since there were no signs or indications that it was in this location.  Anyway, this give you a good picture of the town layout and the square in front of the cathedral.

The crazy farmer's market.  There were a variety of stands selling all sorts of items including: cured meats, raw meat, cheese, eggs, vegetables, flowers, decorative plants, spices, fresh herbs, etc.

After traveling through the farmer's market, we were starving so Martin showed us his favorite local dish, currywurst.  Although we had to walk quite far because the best currywurst is served by an annual carnival.  Currywurst is a dish comprised of a special grilled sausage covered in a red sauce.  The dish seems plain and simple, but the flavor is quite unique.  After having two of these, a side of french fries (pommes), and some water (wasser) to wash it down, I was quite full.

Delicious Currywurst from a carnival stand!  Apparently, the best currywurst.

From the carnival, we walked a half block to the University of Munster.  The main campus is located in an old castle (schloss).  Apparently, castle being a liberal term for a mansion.  However, it was quite an impressive sight, and the grounds were beautifully manicured with campus buildings hidden in between large green spaces.

Welcome to the University of Munster!

After touring the campus grounds we met some of Martin's friends and headed to the city park, which featured a large lake.  It was a schönes wetter (beautiful weather), so we decided to hang out and people watch.  People from all walks of life were enjoying the weather; young families, old couples, groups of friends, and the occasional bachelor or bachelorette party ensemble.  I guess summer is just the best time for weddings.

Schönes wetter heute, nicht wehr?

(Beautiful weather today, isn't it?)

Our group walked around a little more, but decided to head home.  Munster was such a wonderful town, if you ever get the chance to visit or live there I would highly recommend it!