It's been a while, and I've got a lot to write about, so this is not going to be quick!
I'd better start where I left off, at the end of last year. Thursday 18th December was a date that had been highlighted in everyone's diary for weeks. Experiments had been planned carefully to leave this day free to leave time for everyone in the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology to prepare for the infamous Christmas party. With about 350 people working here, plus hangers on, it is no small task. The corridors were lined with lavishly decorated tables, xmas decorations were tacked anywhere there was space, a full-on stage was erected for the 2 live bands, the ice machines were cranked up high to cool the trollies of beer and wine (see picture of the empties the next day), cauldrons of mulled wine and bucketloads of food were prepared, and finally, all the labs had to be locked so “normal people” couldn't get in and play with toxic/genetically-engineered/acidic toys.
We started with an inspirational speech from the director of the institute, followed by mulled wine, beer, and dinner. After dinner, the 3 most important people in the institute were made to do silly things on stage, like presenting a presentation they'd never seen the slides of before, and doing menial lab work like filling tip boxes. After that, the bands started and fun was had into the wee hours.
The next day, I wasn't so happy about starting at 8, less happy after some bad news from home, and even less happy after spending almost the whole day on my feet helping with an important experiment. But I survived the last day of work for the year, made it to Berlin in time to buy some last minute Christmas presents, then back to Potsdam to pack for Christmas, and hit the hay.
I spent Christmas with the family of a friend from work, Melanie. So it was off to her boyfriend's for breakfast the next day, then a pretty long drive to a place called Molsberg. Molsberg is a town founded about a thousand years ago in the west of Germany, close to the Rhine. Its growth has evidently been quite slow, though, as it has a population of 474 people. There were lots of apple trees with too much fruit to handle, and a great view across the valley of no less than 44 other towns of similar sizes. The closest city that anybody has ever heard of is Limburg, a very old, historical city, with a big cathedral (see photos).
Christmas takes 3 days here. Christmas eve is the big day, we had a duck for lunch, went to a play kids were performing in the local church, then had lasagne for dinner. Then presents! I got stuff to keep warm (hat, scarf), stuff to eat (chocolate), stuff to drink out of (a Molsberg Steinkrug, they are famous for making them), and stuff to read, so I'm all sorted.
It was a bit weird waking up on Christmas morning knowing the main event is already over, but Christmas eve night German time is Christmas morning NZT, so it all kind of works out. Christmas day is still a pretty big deal, we had lamb for lunch (which is very rare in Germany), and a pavlova for dessert! You may have guessed by now that just like all over the world, Christmas in Germany is all about eating!
Boxing day is still a very important holy day here, no boxing day sales til the next week. The family took me on a tour of the Rhine, somebody knew something about every castle we passed (and there were a lot). For example, the two castles on opposite sides of a little valley that were built by two brothers that were the best of friends until a girl came between them and they built a wall between the castles. And the water castle that was a kind of customs point in the middle of the Rhine with the first “flush” toilets in Germany. Also went to the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), where the Mosel river meets the Rhine, now a powerful symbol of German unity.
On the 27th my time in Molsberg was up. We drove from Molsberg to Limburg, then I caught a regional train from Limburg to Giessen, then a regional express train to Kassel, then an intercity express train (really fast! but in the dark, unfortunately) to Berlin, then an S-bahn train to Potsdam, then a tram halfway to my flat, then walked the rest of the way home. So I think the only kind of public transport I didn't use was a bus, but I use them all the time.
And that was Christmas. Next, New Year. You may want to take a break here, I am going to!
The next morning, 6 of us (flatmates and friends of flatmates: Katarina, Mirko, Markus, Hanna, Mark, Me, and Mike to come later) loaded into a big white van and drove to the Czech Republic. The plan was to drive through Poland (3 countries in 1 day!). The border was a bit of a non-event, no passport check, no nothing, just a few unattended things that looked like ticket booths, and then all the signs were in Polish. A similar thing at the Czech border. The Schengen Zone makes it all very easy, but I'm a little worried about how they know where everyone is.
So after 6 or so hours, we arrive at our arranged accomodation. Our first impressions were not completely favourable. It was basically a large barn. The dining room was flooded with a few centimetres of water, rubbish was lying in every corner, our sleeping quarters smelled pretty funny, and our mattresses were basically moth-eaten cushions. Later the hot water water would stop working, and then all the water would dry up.
But anyway, we didn't let that get us down. The location (by European standards) was very isolated, and picturesque in its own way. We quickly settled into a routine of sleeping and eating, and occasionally walking. German breakfasts, especially on weekends or holidays start no earlier than 10, and last til at least 11, typically closer to midday. So after breakfast we mostly went for a walk. One day we drove to a mountain and walked to the top of it. I have no idea what mountain it was, but at the top, it felt a bit like the end of the world, although there were a few other people around. There was also a building of some kind. We decided to check out what was in it, and I at least, was shocked to discover it was a cafe full of people eating and drinking. And we had enough koruna to buy a round of hot chocolates and pancakes. Yum!
We went on other walks closer to home, through snow-covered pine forests, beside very cold rivers half covered in ice, along trecherous paths (see the last picture – it's not the river, it's the track!).
New Years Eve! Home made pizza for dinner, then a table tennis competition with a rag tag bunch of Germans, ex-pat Germans, Czechs, and a kiwi. Some people could speak German and Czech, some German and English, and some Czech and English, so it was a very interesting night! After the table tennis, they dragged out a keyboard, guitar and violin, and played music for hours while the keg of beer was drunk. At midnight we went out into the snow and greeted the new year with champagne. Even though I thought we were in the middle of nowhere, there were fireworks in all directions which seemed to go on for half a (very cold!) hour.
And that was basically my holiday, we drove back on the 2nd, through thick falling snow to a very white Berlin and Potsdam.
Back to work tomorrow, looking forward to getting back to it. Thanks for reading this far, I know it's a bit of an essay! What's up in New Zealand, or whereever you are?
