Upon arriving to Hamburg after spending many weeks in Italy, I immediately noticed a difference in cleanliness, efficiency, and general organization. In Hamburg I was greeted with my good friend from Ghana, Miriam Pahl, who greeted me with a Ghanaian flag in hand (and who graciously took me in for a whole week at her apartment in Bremen, 1 hour from Hamburg).
Everywhere were things that lived up to my expectations. Like the the fancy jet-engine hand dryers in the bathroom that dry your hands in 10 seconds!... ...or how the metro from the airport to Hamburg links up with another train while in transit.... ...or the cleanliness of the train interior (and exterior: I actually saw an automatic train-washing machine - not existent in Italy I'm sure!)
The other big thing was the popularity of bicycles in Bremen - and bikes of all types too: some that recline as you pedal, some carrying a trailer with a baby, or a basket holding a pair of puppies. Everyone bikes - school children, middle-aged people, people in business suits, and the elderly. But as you would guess, safety and traffic strategy take on a new meaning in Bremen. All these things came as quite a shock after coming from Italy:
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| signs guiding pedestrians/bikers to all surrounding suburbs |
- cross walks which people usually obey
- bike lanes (red brick quite consistently) between the street and sidewalk, and usually on both sides of the road.
- extensive bike trails (paved) which
- are clearly marked with signs which lead you to virtually any part of the city or suburbs
- are void of motorized traffic
- are widely used by people living in the suburbs who commute daily
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| notice the wind turbines; Leif's job deals with the legal issues pertaining to the installation of these privately-owned machines; they're common along highways and outside of heavily populated zones |
I was a complete failure when it came to picking up the language. English may technically be a Germanic language, but I would argue that it is much easier for an American to learn a Romantic language like Italian. I am told that Old German was a lot more like English, but is no longer spoken. I come away from Deutschland with only these:
Dunke (thanks)
Hallo (obvious)
Shus (bye)
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| Hackbraten |
Bremen had a good-sized daily outdoor market which sold fresh foods mainly. I stopped by for some bratworst, but had to settle for Herbsensuppe (chickpea soup) (mmmmm). Although I never got that bratworst, I got to try several delicious sausage dishes, and a traditional dish called Hackbraten (cabbage, potatoes, and minced beef). On the weekend, Miriam's boyfriend's (Leif) parents invited us all to a bbq at their country home. DELICIOUS. BBq'd lamb and pork.
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| the dom |
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| sir roland |
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| rathaus |
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| Bremen's extensive riverside park |
Still, the truly impressive natural area lies behind the train station, north of the city. I would estimate its size at 80 acres or so. It includes canals for kayaks, a gazillion pathways (it's easy to get lost), and it is well-used.
And that reminds me of 4 additional things I saw which proved my pre-conceived expectations (aka stereotypes):
- city employees along the river use a blow torch to burn the weeds between the cracks in the cement
- a woman using a knife to scratch out the weeds between bricks in her driveway
- city worker cleaning a glass bus stop shelter
- the automatic train wash
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| meet Leif, Miriam, and Nike |
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| busiest harbor I've ever seen - Hamburg |
I came at an interesting time to Germany because the pope and I were visiting the country at the same time. Protests were underway because of his address to the German parliament (separation of church and state, no?). We got into talking about religion a bit, and reasons for its decline in Germany (the decline in church attendance was largely the focus of the pope's journey to his home country). Leif explained to me that there just isn't a need for it anymore. People live happily and peacefully without. At a time of relative harmony in Germany, the church is no longer as necessary. The church could not keep up with the times, per say. And so people left. In Africa people need the church and God to give them hope. But here, people get along fine without, Leif told me. In fact, church-going people, he perceives, often irritate the harmony. I'll explain: The people that Leif described as "churchgoers" in his country seemed to fit my definition of (what I call) fundamentalists - that is, people, who instead of being freed by their religion, are blinded by it. Leif told me about Christians he knew who viewed homosexuality as a disease. This seems a very fundamentalist way of thinking. They see world issues through the "Law" that Jesus warned us against instead of using their own conscious.
Leif went on: Germany has had quite a history in the business of "putting up walls" and if that is what the church seeks to continue, then there is no place in Germany for the church. (This is the message, the answer that the pope seeks in his trip to Germany, but I'm sure he is blinded from it, God bless his soul.) My opinion (especially since I recently listened to a lecture by Richard Rohr about the Church's many mistakes) is that the church has strayed from its true role. It has failed to provide the type of servant-based, humility-based, conscious-based, community environment that is the REAL teaching of Jesus. Coincidently, last Sunday's gospel (Matthew 23: 1-12) is very relevant as it was a warning about religion. As my guru Fred Mercadante said in an email, "True religion for Jesus is religion that serves others and lifts them up. True religion is practiced with humility. That is how our covenant with God is truly realized." Being a Catholic myself, it is frustrating to see that what is preached is not what is practiced.
Sorry for the big tangent on religion. But it's important. Especially as immigrant Muslims put up mosques everywhere (although they blend in with the city, Bremen has 20). I mention this only because I hope that German Christians will exercise more religious tolerance than their American counterparts (anti-Muslim sentiments in America, I'm sure, are rooted in the fundamentalist culture).
Just so I don't forget (I thought it was quite interesting): When I asked about current German impressions of America, Leif said that as long as he could remember (growing up in the '90s), Germans and Europeans in general viewed Americans and our 'culture' as 'cool.' The American way of life was somewhat envied. Until 9/11. "Then something changed," Leif told me.
Being in Europe got me thinking a lot about the US, especially in terms of our foreign policy, and our habit of meddling in everyone else's business, all over the world. While in Germany, one of the major headlines was the Palestinian appeal to the UN for a grant of statehood. In expected anti-Palestine, pro-Israeli, American fashion, the US stated that its diplomats would not be present at the appeal hearing and would never ever support a Palestinian state. My deal: how can Palestinians live peacefully if they don't have a place to call their own?? I thought that was just dumb.
Wrapping this up... North Germany is lovely and far beyond my part of the US (the South) in terms of infrastructure, intelligent city planning, and also more important things like acceptance and diversity. I've been told I should not generalize all of Germany as parts (especially the east) are not so developed. Specifically, I can easily see how Bremen would be a nice place to call your home. River, parks, ability to walk anywhere, bike paths, not far from countryside, pub life, lack of ugly buildings/industrial buildings in city area, the university, people outside enjoying life....the list goes on.
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| this one to prove i was there |
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| RHCP, far beyond california |
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| best up-close pic i've ever shot |
