Frankfurt...on the Oder River

So after I crossed the bridge back to Germany, I thought I'd walk around the 'other' Frankfurt....

I must say that I was overall impressed and happy that I visited. Earlier when I traveled through Frankfurt-Oder on the train I always thought 'UGH! This place...NO desire to see it!' because it looked so post-industrial nightmare from the perspective of the train station, but, it is a nice town!

My friend Wiki says: The town of Frankfurt was chartered in 1253 at the free ford (frank furt means a free crossing). The early settlers lived on the western banks of the Oder: later the town was extended to the eastern bank (today's Słubice). In late medieval times the town dominated the trade on the river between Wrocław (Breslau) and Szczecin (Stettin). In the 19th century, Frankfurt played an important role in trade. Centrally positioned in the Kingdom of Prussia between Berlin and Poznań, on the heavily-trafficked river Oder, the city housed the second-largest annual trade fair (Messe) of the German Reich, surpassed only by that in Leipzig.


This is the Friedenskirche (Peace Church). The original was built in 1226, but was 'kaputt' after WWII. It was just a ruin until 1990 (East German govt wasn't too 'religiously-minded' if ya know what I mean) when it was restored.


Next to the Friedenskirche is a cloister originally built in 1270 that the East German govt turned into a concert hall. Here is part of the new cloister doors - how sad....












There is the Poland in the backdrop and the Oder river. It was nice just to be out and about - I feel like all I do now is study and it was nice to go somewhere. I think this place would be even prettier in summer.










This is now a memorial/museum, but it was a 'detainee' center that the Nazis, Soviets and East German govt used - not a 'happy' place....got it?










This is the back side of the City Hall. I just recently told Jill that it's interesting that City Hall in German is 'Rathaus'. 'Rat' is 'advice/counsel' and 'haus', well, you got it. But from my English-language brain it's just so funny that City Hall is full or rats! ;) Haha!
















And for the up to date: a Tibetan flag flying from Frankfurt-Oder City Hall! Hmm.....











The front entrance of City Hall....I just find it so interesting! I can't think of any other city hall in Germany looking like this!










This is the Marienkirche that was just recently restored as well (ruins during East German days). It was originally built in 1360 and I thought it was REALLY interesting because....










The Marienkirche was along the route to St. James' burial plae in Sanitago de Compostela, Spain. I had heard of this pilgrimage, but only in the 'oh, people walked all along northern Spain to get there'. I hadn't thought of Germans, Poles, etc. during the Middle Ages trying to get to Spain as well....









There he is - James....
















City square and truly one of the more 'colorful' fountains I have ever seen....













Definitely the most colorful clock I've ever seen!!

I just saw this and thought 'this is the perfect tree'...in a 'sad' way I guess, but still it had an impact...

This is the old Post Office built in 1902. Again, I just thought it was a cool-looking building.

This is VERY interesting to me....a Theater of the Youth from East German times (built 1955)....

She has her part to play in the building up of the new state....UGH!

And so does he.....UGH!

People, I just read Pres. Monson's message for April this morning...seriously and it goes back to what I saw in Ireland and London as well -

MAKE SURE YOU ARE DEDICATING YOURSELF TO SOMETHING THAT IS WORTHWHILE!!

The East German state that so many gave a lot to, IS NO MORE! Just like the British empire, etc.!

Oh well....take a moment and reflect.......

I find this heelarious! So....the fact that stereotypes ARE stereotypes and that EVERYONE seems to understand what these stereotypes are, accept them, but then attack someone if they dare express them, I find all very interesting.

I do accept/believe, however, that you can always find an exception to a stereotype and so therefore....stereotypes are NOT 'all-around' true.

So this is a store in Germany called Mac-Geiz (Geiz is like...'scrooge'/stingy/miserly). I really didn't know until I came to Germany that supposedly the Scots are 'stingy'. NEVER EVER HEARD OF THAT! Of course I grew up watching 'Uncle Scrooge', but I just thought 'oh...he has a Scottish accent' and I got over it.

Usually 'Mac-Stingy' is a little more of a 'cartoon', but anyway, you get it. He is SO 'miserly' that EVEN HE thinks this is a good store with great deals! ;)

Now, back on the stereotypes thing, I do find it interesting....some are 'bad' to talk about or represent, while others are 'acceptable'. This stereotype of a Scotsman is acceptable - as is a character of a comedy show on BET who paints his face 'light', wear a cap with blonde hair and talks like he's a hillbilly.....in the end though, I actually thought it was funny ;) Because after all, we all know that hillbillies are really like that! ;)

The local Catholic Church, Holy Cross, built in the late 1800's. I just thought this was interesting because most of Prussia/Brandenburg was and still seems to be Protestant.

So this was a cool idea! This is an empty, VERY creeping looking tunnel by the train station. HOWEVER, they turned it into an art gallery of sorts and .....

here is an example of the artwork....

Good use of space, eh? As everyone knows, don't make me do math, but that is the city crest of Frankfurt-Oder and I am just assuming that the 750 means they were celebrating Frankfurt's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'OTHER' FRANKFURT!!

Slubice (Soo-woh-beet-za), Poland

So for study purposes I had to go to the German-Polish border and cross to Slubice, Poland. There is an archive there that I had to visit.

Here is the bridge that I walked over, in the distance is Poland.







Hello Slubice! Sister city, Yuma Arizona! Hello Yuma!











The interesting thing about Slubice is that until 1945 it was part of the city Frankfurt on the Oder River. After WWII though anything east of the Oder river was given to Poland. So along the Oder river there are old German cities that were cut in half.

This is a picture of what was called Friedrichstrasse in Slubice. It is now named after a Polish freedom fighter.





From what I have read and also saw, Slubice understandably tends to focus more on the 'EU'-Polish present rather than its German past.

So as always, going to a new place gets me very excited and probably even more so is sampling the local cooking. These are called Piroggi - they're dumplings with a filling that you choose. Good, but a bit on the 'greasy' side....

This was the inner courtyard of the institute/college I went and visited: Collegium Polonicum.

Here is my first Zloty bill. You say it Soo-woh-tee....

There is Frankfurt on the Oder (they say that because there is Frankfurt on the Main River in western Germany) on the other side of the Oder river.

'Once you cross that bridge my friend...' (it's a quote from 'Ichabod Crane')

Heading back to Germany....

The German side of the old border crossing...and that is what the EU does for Europe - no more border crossings! ;)

On to Frankfurt....

Rheinsberg: small Honeymoon 'cottage' for royals ;)

Herzlich Willkommen in Rheinsberg! (Heartily welcome in Rheinsberg ;)

So after Frederick the Great married in 1733, the young couple was sent to their little honeymoon cottage of Rheinsberg. They lived there until Frederick became king....then they never lived together again....

Hmm.....

I have to admit, one of the reasons I didn't want to put these pix up is that I would much rather show everybody things in summer when they are 'nicer', but....I guess the 'cold' last bit of winter has its own 'beauty', eh?

So here I am being my normally 'shy' self and 'acting'/singing on a 'stage' that the royals had out in their garden. Right underneath us in that 'open' area with the stones is where the orchestra would play. And then across on the other side...

...the audience would sit and watch the amusements....

Here is the inner courtyard of the castle....

This is the Rheinsberg Konzerthaus (concert hall) just next to the castle....

And all of this is one can find next to a loverly little lake....(this is my attempt at an 'artsy' photo ;)


Au revoir, Rheinsberg! Thanks for the apple streudel!

Neuruppin - the 'most Prussian' of Prussian towns...

So I feel like I have been doing nothing but studying since January and was going crazee! So I went with my dorm peeps to a town called Neuruppin. According to Wikipedia (and I hope I have said this often enough so that we all know that just about anything I write on my blogs info-wise comes from the Internet in some way ;) "Neuruppin has the reputation of being the most Prussian of all Prussian towns, due to its former status as a Prussian garrison town."

Our tour began here at the Temple Garden which Frederick the Great used as a vegetable garden when he was just a prince (before he became king).

It was later sold to private owners and they turned it into a 'Turkish villa'.

Here we are with our very own guide, Herr Luckow. He takes us on a variety of trips and knows A LOT!

Until I came to Berlin I had never heard of this guy. One of the reasons Neuruppin is famous is for being the birthplace of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. He designed just about every famous building in Berlin! It's intersting that he lost his father in a devastating fire in 1787 in Neuruppin - he said that it was watching the 'rebuilding' of Neuruppin that got him interested in architechture.








This whole area was burned down. Schinkel's family home was located in the grassy area just off to the left...









Schinkel's dad was a pastor and this was a home for pastors' widows and their children.

Schinkel's mom lived here with her kids for a while before moving to Berlin.









This is Theodor Fontane. He was also born in Neuruppin and unfortunately I hadn't heard of him either. He is a very famous for being the 'most important 19th century German language realist writer'.

?

Apparently he was famous for showing what the inner lives of the people were like at the time (mid-late 1800's).

This is Fontane's Geburthaus (birth house)....















Frederick the Great set this up as military housing for married soldiers. These are ORIGINAL buildings! And people STILL live in them! ;)









This is St. Trinitatis built originally in 1246.













This is the largest 'multi-functional'(?) (sometimes German terms REALLY confuse me) steel sculpture in Germany. Hmmm....

Anyway, the idea comes from a Middle Age story from the area...I THINK! :)



















Au revoir, Neuruppin! We're off to Rheinsberg!