It's bestimmt Christmas!

It may not yet be December, but it is definitely Christmas time here in Germany. There is not a lane without Christmas lights, not a supermarket without Cliff Richard's CD playing, and Lebkuchen and Stollen is in abundance. I even managed to get "Mulled Wine to go" today. My friends, this is why I am here, to live the German Christmas lifestyle to it's full, kitschy potential!

My week had dragged somewhat last week, what with the weather getting colder, mornings feeling like they were getting earlier, and teachers being busier. The sad thing about teachers being busier, is that they have less and less time for me, and can't invite me on random trips places, etc. It also often means my classes have been cancelled as kids are writing tests....and I hate that, I love my job, I love working and keeping busy, so it's a bit annoying turning up to school to find out you may as well have slept in. Naja.

HOWEVER I managed to get my brave outgoing self together to join something I wouldn't normally do.....I took up badminton club this week. Having played it in my secondary school, I knew that I at least understood the rules, and low and behold, I actually enjoyed myself. I was shocked that I could remember how to play, and got quite into it, however unfortunately didn't manage to beat my super keen opponents. I aim to beat them at least once before Christmas, but they're really good! So I'm glad I've found a "new sport" that I enjoy, a hobby I can maybe take back with me to Edinburgh...maybe. We'll see =)

Yesterday, Friday, Rachel and I decided to visit Laura in Bueckeburg, a lovely little Niedersachsen village not too far away from us both. By absolute chance, we visited Bueckeburg on the one day of the year where something massive happens- Winterzauber! The Prince of Bueckeburg pays for the Castle to be all opened up, with lots of food stands, tents, etc! It was magical! I cannot describe how truly Christmassy it was. There was a tent where we drank Kaffee and watched a Nutcracker peformance, and in the castle there were lots of pretty decoration stalls, food stalls (with lots of probieren =) ) and then to finish the evening off, a big firework display over the moat, with cheesy American Christmas songs blasting out.....it was beautiful! It was so lovely to get in the Christmassy spirit, and Rachel and I had lots of fun being very English, getting excited about our very German surroundings! Laura had to work at her school so sadly couldn't join us, but we got to visit her school who had a Christmas Bazzar in full swing, so we got to poke around there too =)

After fireworks and excitement, it was hometime....but Deutsche Bahn being Deutsche Bahn decided I wasn't going home, as my last train was late messing up my connection...but the lovely Laura very kindly put me up for the night, so I wasn't homeless =)

And today I trekked out to Braunschweig, a very underrated German city in Niedersachsen! I've had such a lovely day strolling around the old town, doing a cheeky bit of shopping in the (what I presume was a former castle) shopping centre, and indulging in a wee but of Gluehwein =) I did find the most brilliant shop ever, which sold food and wine and schnapps, but in a sort of "try before you buy" stylee....if they had one of them in Diepholz, I'd never pay for anything! Ha!

Now I'm home....and sleepy....and so not ready for the big day of preparing for school tomorrow! But I am bestimmt ready for my exciting December adventures, not long until Sam and Deborah's visit now, and then Mum and Stephen are arriving the week after =)

Not much has happened, but I've been busy!

Liebe everyone,

So, it is that awkward, inbetweeny part of the year.... it's not quite Christmas, it's not quite winter, but heck, it's cold!

This week, however, has felt like a turn around! Since coming back from Prague, I have really noticed a marked improvement in my German...I think my biggest problem is, or was, worrying what people think of me....there are some people who, when I speak German with them, I get so nervous, and think too much about what I want to say before I say it...and I shouldn't. I should just go for it, because having no confidence in myself was getting me nowhere. And since sacking off my constant worry, I have been coming on leaps and bounds.

I've also been 100x happier because I've been busy! Not that I wasn't happy before, but there were days that dragged, you know? Being a Language assistant, a free day can be a killer, especially when you see those jammy people in cities who have millions of student friends, or the people who are in schools with lots of clubs...mine is lacking, somewhat, in any form of social activity, mainly because it's under renovation! I'm not moaning, love my school, teachers, flat and I have a BAHNHOF. I am so so so grateful I have a train station. So grateful!

However, having things to do has been bliss. I am writing this as a form of procrastination today, as opposed to giving me something to do with my time! Which is wonderful!

Last Sunday I met up with Rachel, Annwyn and Laura, three other assistants in Lower Saxony. We had such a lovely day out in Bremen, but due to terrible weather conditions, spent the most of it inside! Becks Bistro (Becks is brewed near to Bremen) was the lunchtime destination, I had a lovely chicken salad, which sounds boring, but it was so yummy! Then we went onto Cafe Toelke in the Schnoor (Debs/Sam/any other visitors, we are going), which is so small, so Vienesse, so cool! It was a perfect Sunday with lots of quatschen and bonding. Looking forward to our Weihnachtsmarkt visits!

I went to see Harry Potter on Wednesday! It was brilliant, so cool, and I could actually understand the most...I was somewhat perplexed by the magical vocabulary, and I am so looking forward to seeing it in English too! Teil 2 comes out in June, or July, whenever it is, it is when I am in Spain....I think that's quite cool, that I get to see a part in each language! Nerddd.

I went to see Katrina and Jenny, two of my course friends who are nearby me in Germany, on Friday. It was so lovely to see smiley friendly faces and catch up on our respective year abroad times! It's also nice knowing I have two lovely Edinburgh people nearby, because we all seem very spread out through this country!

Yesterday I went to see Andrea, in Hamburg! For those people who don't know me that well/didn't know my 18 year old self, Andrea is my very very good friend from the German Exchange in Year 10/13, we were so lucky to get along so well and have kept in touch since being at school. She's currently studying in Kiel, which is about four hours North of me (so VERY North!), so we decided to meet halfway in Hamburg and have a catch up. I had such a nice time, catching up like old times, only this time I could actually speak German, as opposed to my GCSE/A Level set phrases that I would blurt out. We had a very funny day, spoke lots of mixtures of German and English, and I now am Hamburg's No1 fan! So excited to go back in a few weeks when Deborah and Sam (and maybe Ailsa! Come on Ailsa! :P) come to visit!

And today, well I'm having a big sort, clean, organisation of my life, and it's actually working. I woke up horrendously early, slightly hungover....I went out with my friend Christian last night, I had TWO drinks, no more, no less, and I was honestly absolutely wasted. So drunk. And today I'm hungover! No fair!

And then Annwyn is coming to visit this afternoon! It'll be nice for her to see where I live in things, and it's a lovely spontaneous surprise, especially as all I'd planned was to do planning all day. Instead, I got up super early and am sorting my life out! Then next week new things are happening to. I am so happy, I love year abroad, and I can't believe I only have three months to go in Germany.....

But exciting plans are lined up! I am going to Warsaw in January, and hopefully Frankfurt in the New Year too! I want to slide in a trip to Amsterdam before I leave too, so that's on the cards somewhere. It's just finding the time and money!

Now back to sorting my life out. Ciao! xxx

Prague macht Spass!

So, I went to Prague last weekend!

It's something I'd been looking forward to for ages. My big sister went to Prague when she was 18, and ever since looking at her photos, I've been dying to go. So when invited by friends to go on a wee mini-break there with them, how could I refuse?!

To add to this, my trains were dirt cheap (I heart Europa-Spezial tickets), and accomodation was equally cheap...and beautiful. And central. Aaahh.

So, after a 9 hour train journey (which I have to say I am becoming a pro at), I stepped out into the big city of Prague. After getting a bit lost, receiving our keys, finding our apartment and finding a lost friend...we went for dinner, in what appeared to be a French themed restaurant, with German posters on the wall...serving Czech food and wine. I can but presume it was a little culturally confused as to what to aim for. I, quite boringly, went for chicken (somewhat Italian styled, confusingly!), swilled down with some French wine....all good. It was so nice to see Magda and Richie again, and we were very quickly back to the giggly times, similar to our July antics...

After dinner, we walked around the old town. I am somewhat a fan of touring cities by night, or by evening....everything looks nicer in the dark in my opinion! Or maybe having moved to Germany, I have just realised that things look better lit up with artificial lighting, as opposed to the dreary rainy daytime..an hour later, everyone but me and Richie decided to head back to bed...true to form, we decided to explore Czech nightlife. Which, for a Thursday, in a capital city, was somewhat DEAD! We found an underground bar, where we managed to get suitably wine-d, and caught up on each others lives...it was lovely.

The next morning, as per, I was hungover. I had drunk quite a lot, and I guess I haven't really been drinking since being in Germany, so my liver isn't quite as used to it...but the fact that I always end up being hungover when others aren't does annoy me! We got up bright and early, headed out for coffee and breakfast...where I ended up paying 24 Euros for a coffee, an orange juice, and a sandwich. 24 Euros! It would seem some places in Prague have been taking "How to be robbing twits" lessons from their Swiss counterparts.

Magda and Richie had a meeting to attend, so I left them and joined two other friends that had come with them from Warsaw. I was still hungover, but determined to see Prague, with the little time I had there already! So we walked into the town, along the river....and it was stunning. I haven't mentioned this yet, but the weather was oddly warm. Especially for Prague. Especially for November. Coats were certainly not needed, at any rate. Walking along the streets of beautiful Prague in the sun, well, it was perfect. We walked up to the cathedral, and to the Jewish Quarter, and then through some unknown little streets until we muddled our way back to the old town. En route, I found Franz Kafka cafe...though, I can but presume, it has nothing to do with the man himself. All the same, I took a photo!

Then it was lunchtime. Lunchtime saved me. Although hungover, I sort of new, deep inside me, that a beer was going to solve me...and it did. It was shameful. But it worked...they do say nothing like hair of the dog?! This was followed by a walk back to the apartment to pick up Magda and Richie, where I then decided to crash. Midday crashes are the best things ever. And I needed it, for I would be on my feet for the next 14 hours. Eek.

We set off back into the city of Prague once more, with no other aim than to see pretty things! It was much of what I'd done all day, just wandering...followed by beer and researching Jazz Bars for the night time! We researched, and then trekked up to the castle to meet some friends who'd left us earlier....the castle was beautiful....

Dinner was so much fun. We met with a friend of Magda's, who lives in Prague, and she took us to this little restaurant by the river. Because the weather was quite nice, and not too cold, we could sit outside. The food and beer was good and cheap (or guenstig, as the Germans would say!), and it was lovely to sit and talk, so relaxed, without a care in the world! We did, however, stay a bit too long, as we realised the clock was ticking on our evening, and me and Richie were determined to get changed before heading into the nightlife of Prague....so we hurried everyone along, got our gladrags on, and headed to venue numero uno- a Jazz Bar called something or other that roughly translates into White Horse! We should have got there earlier, as the jazz sadly ended half an hour after our arrival...but it was so brilliant. We spent the rest of our evening, and well into the morning (bedtime was 6.30am...) in various clubs and bars in Prague, meeting many interesting characters and having lots of laughs along the way!

The next morning, half drunk, half hungover, I clambered onto my train....which was delayed...and 10 hours later, I arrived in Diepholz. The whole thing felt like it had been a dream....but it is definitely full of brilliant memories. And I can't wait until I go back.

My life after Herbstferien...it's getting serious...(not).

So, after my Autumn holidays, reality hit me with an almighty thud. Don't get me wrong, I love my life here, I love my school, and it beats lectures hands down! But having been to Edinburgh, home, and visiting good friends in my holidays, the loneliness of Diepholz was not really beckoning me!

Amazingly, I seem to fill my time here. I don't have many things that I do regularly, but I seem to acquire random invitations to places, or like this week, I have just been sleeping...but then again, I have had an exciting life of late!

For this blog, I have to rewind. I have done quite a lot, and my memories are becoming quite vague!

So yes, back to my first week back after half term. School began, I had a new timetable, and I just got on with it, despite feeling sad... The fear has officially set in now, the fear being that I will never learn German....the fear is exactly what I need, and I feel like I've thrown myself into German a little more. I'm still not speaking enough, but at least now I know it's not for want of trying!

Anyway, first week passed, and then Janni came to stay! It was lovely, and oddly me knowing a friend would be coming to stay got me through the relative melancholic first week back!

Janni's train was inevitably late, yet upon his arrival we had dinner, and headed out into the night of Diepholz...even on a Saturday night, it isn't particularly the place to be! However, we frequented the new cocktail bar that has recently opened, and actually had people in it, and it wasn't half bad. We didn't go mad, deciding a clear head for Hamburg the next day would be the best idea.

We went to Hamburg on Sunday! Hamburg is such a brilliant, vibrant city! I really badly want to go back, and I am already planning to take any visitors that may come over (Deborah Britland, you're next!) there. Sadly, the day was slightly marred by horrendous weather, that left us soaked through and freezing...nevertheless, it was a great city.

So we stumbled off the train into City Hafen, which is a growing industrial area, with some beautiful archtecture. Janni has dragged me into appreciating architecture after my stay in Konstanz, and there were some really impressive buildings. We then decided to find this little cafe we'd heard of, which took some doing, but was definitely worth it! It was so small, had a menu of about 5 things....however was cheap and cheerful, and so cute! The food was really yummy and North German, and moreover, the cafe was WARM AND DRY, something I had longed for since my arrival in Hamburg! Full of food and Hamburg beer, we dredged back outside into the cold of Hamburg....

This is when we found the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, what is to be a great orchestra hall. Like everything else in Hamburg, it was under construction, but we got to see the outsides, and what it has the potential to be like, and I was impressed! A future visit to Hamburg when it is completed is a must, any music fans take note, I will take you there!


After a quick tour of the Altstadt (standard, when in German cities...), we jumped on a train to Bremen. I was entirely determined to not have our day ending on a sad note (we were thoroughly downhearted due to horrible cold Hamburg weather), and thus made Janni go to Bremen Freimarkt-like a Christmas Market, but without the Christmas!

This was so worth it, lots of happy people, lots of beer tents, lots of bright lights...enough said. We were happy, and back to Diepholz we went!

Janni stayed two more days....the next day we visited Bremen again, and I did a proper tour de la Stadt, ending in us drinking in the Becks Bistro (Becks is made near Bremen...) and eating some traditional North German grub! During his stay we also visited Bremerhaven...I do not recommend it as a winter destination, but I am sure the beach and sea is very pretty in summer! We did however go to the Einwanderer Haus, detailing the millions of people who fled Germany in the 18 and 1900s. We ended up spending all afternoon there, and it was quite geekily, the best 10 euros I've spent in a while!

And this marked the end of Janni's stay. Svenja came to dinner one night, which was lovely and full of good chat and giggling. I am so thankful to have Svenja here as a friend!

So yes, I will publish this very haphazardly written post...and will write about my Prague visit soon, probably over the weekend...I have big gaping time holes to fill!