Europe Travelblog  -

+ 3 - 5 | § ¶Die Wahl 2005

On Sunday, Germans go to the polls to choose their next Chancellor. The process if very different from how we select Presidents, but many of the debates and issues would seem at home in America.  If all goes as expected, the leadership of Germany will be different, but it's possible that nothing will change.

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+ 4 - 10 | § ¶The Best American Travel Writing 2003

The Best American Travel Writing 2003 (The Best American Series) was a big departure from what I've otherwise been reading lately.  First, it's nonfiction (mostly).  Second, it's written by Americans, not the British. 

I really enjoyed many of the 24 short stories in the collection, although I wouldn't really categorize all of them as "travel writing."

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+ 6 - 3 | § ¶A Week in Franconia

We got back last night from spending five nights in northern Bavaria, in the Franconia region.  Jenny had to work most of the week with Siemens in the town of Forchheim.  Since my German classes are over I got to trail along.  While that meant I spent the first three days working on my computer in the hotel room instead of in the apartment, we also managed some fun tourism over the weekend.

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+ 7 - 2 | § ¶Tourists at the Gates of Dawn

We spent a long weekend in Vilnius, Lithuania, and we had a great time.  Between a lot of work and several consecutive weekends of travel, Jenny was pretty exhausted, so we took it easier than we normally would on a weekend trip, yet we still saw a lot of an interesting, historic city.

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+ 4 - 7 | § ¶Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens

I just finished Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens, the German translation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Of course, I have read the American version and seen the movie, so I was familiar with the story.  However, reading the book in German was a fun way to test and improve my German.

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+ 1 - 7 | § ¶It's All Downhill From Here

It's very likely that today I am more fluent in German than I have ever been before (or in any other foreign language), and more fluent than I will ever be again.  After sixteen weeks of three hours of German class a day, today was my last day. 

I've studied quite a few foreign languages in my life (most prominently Russian, but also Spanish, Chinese, and French), but I've forgotten most to all of each of them through years of disuse.  I'll try to maintain my German talking with Jenny, and I'll probably take occasional conversation courses when I return to St. Louis, but I expect that my German will atrophy as much as the other languages have.

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