Ein Jahr

Herzliche Grüße an euch alle!

Hearty greetings to you all!

Today marks one year since I arrived in Hamburg, and what a year it's been! Much of my energy over these past twelve months has been spent on integrating into German society and culture - learning how to navigate the transit system, how to shop and read ingredient labels and recipes (including converting my favorites into metric and adjusting for local ingredients), and of course, learning the language (an ongoing process). Clarke and I have been slowly building a new network of friends, which is really helpful.

We've connected with the Mennonite church here, and I'm now regularly working in the church gardens. I really miss gardening, although I do have eight planter boxes hung along our balcony and window railings with flowers and herbs, but it's not the same thing. I'm happy to have the opportunity to maintain and re-envision the church gardens, which have been somewhat neglected for a period of time.

Clarke was off of work for the summer, so we managed to get in a couple of trips out of town, although not as many as we wanted. We visited Travemünde twice, which is a popular destination along the Baltic Sea (Ostsee in German, which translates to East Sea). Being summer, the beaches were very crowded, but we still were able to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. On our first visit, we spent most of our time at the beach, especially the FKK beach (FKK is a German concept of clothing optional outdoor activities). Clarke really enjoys the freedom this allows him (I'm a bit more reserved). He was brave enough on both of our visits to swim in the water, but it was much too cold for my liking. There are several dog beaches there, which allow dogs to enjoy the sand and water along with their humans. We were amused to find a Stöckchen Bibliotek (Stick Library) for the dogs.

Translation of the heading:
Here, furry friends can browse, swap, and have fun to their heart's content - all without a library card!

On our second visit, we decided to explore more of the town, and went to the oldest part dating back to the late Middle Ages. We especially wanted to see the St. Lorenz Church, which was originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the late 16th century.

The exterior of the church. It's simple structural design was common for German churches of the time.

Plaques describing the history of the church.

Interior shot of the sanctuary. While the exterior is rather plain, many of the details inside were quite elaborate, including the magnificent ceiling.

One of the other places we visited was the Sand Sculpture Museum, which was absolutely amazing! I was fascinated by the creativity and imagination of the various artists who created these beautiful works. Here's a link to some photos Clarke took (too many to post here).

On the last weekend in July, we joined a number of people from our church for a Gemeindefreizeit (Church Retreat) in Lauenburg, a historical town about 90 minutes from Hamburg. We spent the weekend having workshops on peace, singing, eating, and enjoying the Elbe River, which flowed right past the youth hostel where we stayed. One of the fun things we did was ride Draisinen (railbikes - small rail cars that are driven like a bicycle). This was a blast! Here's a video of Clarke and some others turning their railbike around at the end of the line.

We also visited a historical church nearby for an afternoon prayer service. Both the church and the service were lovely.

Interior shot of the church.

Beautiful craftsmanship was on display throughout the sanctuary

What's a German church without a proper pipe organ?

While technically it's still summer in the northern hemisphere, fall comes early this far north. We're already seeing cooler temperatures, more rain, and leaves are starting to fall from the trees. It's staying dark later in the mornings, and getting dark earlier in the evenings. All the traditional Christmas goodies have already found their way onto the grocery store shelves, so I guess winter won't be far behind.

I never fail to appreciate the opportunity to live in Germany, nor do I fail to grieve for what has become of my homeland. I pray for the safety (and sanity) of our friends and loved ones that we left behind. May justice prevail and wrongs made right.

Frieden und Liebe für euch alle.

Peace and love to you all.

David