Saturday, April 30, 2011

Not going to bother anymore.

This might be debateable, but I think I'm a fairly nice person and moderately tolerant of the flaws of others. But I'm not going to bother being nice to my flatmate anymore. Apparently she's allowed to leave me passive-aggressive notes but I can't leave her notes (that were actually nice and contained money - cos I'm nice). 

Either way, I'm out of here by the end of May.There is a slight chance I'll be homeless but anyway... WOOHOO!!! I'd rather sleep under a bridge than live with her anymore!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Frohes Ostern in East Germany - Potsdamchen und Osterfeuer

Following Leipzig, I spent a day in a completely different DDR city, Potsdam, the former residence of the Prussian Royal Family/Emperors of Germany. Like Regensburg, large swathes of Potsdam are UNESCO heritage listed and it's also a university town. In fact, Z had classes in various buildings within the Sanssouci Park! But in contrast to the Mediaeval cuteness of Regensburg, Potsdam is a little Baroque/Rococo jewellery box of pastel colours! The small cuteness of Potsdam resulted in the production of a new German word - Potsdamchen. It's a combination of the name Potsdam with the suffix *chen* implying something cute and beloved - e.g. Madchen (little girl) or Liebchen (sweetheart). 


The New Palace of Sanssouci, now part of the University of Potsdam 

Z had her Maths lectures in the palace on the far right!

 The Park of Sanssouci. Z said it was great during Spring-Summer when walking from a building of one side of the park to lectures on the other side. It was less great in Winter. 

The view of the Orangery from the park...

and the panorama shot. 

Z with one of the wings of the Orangery...

which in true DDR style, is still under construction!
(I joke, I joke)


The Chinese Teahouse in the Sanssouci Park - it looks like a sweet little cake

and was decorated with gilt statues of people from all over the world enjoying tea!

Looking back through the gardens to the New Palace/University.

In contrast to the grandeur of the buildings leading up to Sanssouci, the actual palace was a fairly small one-story building with an unimpressive front facade (of which it appears I took no photos) but an awesome optical illusion rear garden!

 Being a tourist at the rear facade. It consists of many levels of terraced vineyard which makes the entire garden look HUGE!!!

And the gardens were full of colourful pretty spring flowers in bloom *contented sigh*.

Just in case you didn't know where you were

Looking from the front facade towards (fake) ruins.

And this old Windmuehle was right next to the Palace too.

After being overloaded with cute, we went to the centre of Potsdam for lunch and to look at other things. 

These include *real* Brandenberg Tor - the one in Berlin (ending of a stage of the Amazing Race where that awful man pushed his wife around) was built after this one! Not far from here was the Holländisches Viertel, a few streets which look like they were transplanted from the Netherlands! Super cute.

And of course, Cecilienhof, last palace built by the Hohenzollern family and site of the Potsdam Conference 

I love topiary

More topiary!

This red star in the central courtyard.  

But it wasn't all period cuteness. If anything, Potsdam was a great contrast between the pre-20th century Prussia/Germany and post-WWII. Among the Rococo buildings and various palaces were many derelict old mansions interspersed between buildings showing the ugly functional *style* of the Socialist era which was both intriguing and depressing. I couldn't help thinking that if I had the money, I'd like to purchase and restore one of the old mansions and live in Potsdamchen - it'd be toll! Except that I will never have the money plus all the restrictions on period buildings...they'll probably just fall down one day :(


Other than Ostersonntag lunch, I ended my Easter sojourn in the east by taking part in a tradition from these parts - the Osterfeuer where on Easter Saturday, each village lights a giant bonfire to 'burn away winter'. There's a celebratory atmosphere and you can get beer sold by the local firefighters. 


Me and Z with the huge fire!

The local beer - a Pilsener. Thomas (Z's bf, a native Munchener) and I didn't like it much due to the bitter flavour - it's no Augustiner Helles! Actually, it probably tastes a bit like Australian beer, which is saying something. 


Thomas pointed out that things like the local fussball and firefighter clubs are the only things to really do to amuse oneself in these small villages, but I still found it cool! 


Ostersonntag was then a lazy day comprising of lying in Z's parents' (really lovely) garden, reading books, then a hearty lunch comprising of roasted meats, local Spargel, another vegetable dish that I can't remember the name of other than the fact it was called *Schwarz-something* (despite being white) and potatoes, and lots of chocolate. It was awesome. I then bid the family "auf Wiedersehen" and boarded a train back in Leipzig to head back to Bavaria.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Frohes Ostern in East Germany - Leipzig

My lovely lab colleagues are sharing me around for long weekends/holidays and so for Easter, I spent time with Zasie and her family in Saschsen-Anhalt. When people asked me where I was going for Easter, I would joke that I was going to *glamorous East Germany*, where I'd share a room with two other adults, and everything is always still under construction. But the reality is that I found the places I went to were really interesting. This includes Zasie's village where only 3000 people live, the church dates to the 13th century, the roads are still cobbled, and her home which is over 100 years old.  


Anyway, this far west was actually liberated by the American forces during the war but due to the terms of the Potsdam Agreement, it was handed over to the Soviets. As someone who was alive at the time of liberation, Oma said this was like *hooray!* followed by *noooo!* The former DDR (Deutsch Democratische Republik) is generally poorer than West Germany and residents of this country (including yours truly) pay a tax dedicated to the reunion that's supposed to help the East rebuild their infrastructure. Pulling into Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, I noticed that in contrast to Muenchen, there were a lot more derelict buildings with graffiti, but the station itself is a glorious piece of well-restored early 20th architecture. Zasie said Leipzig is probably the most well-recovered of the major DDR cities (excluding Berlin), probably due to the fact it was quite a prominent city both then and now with many trade fairs as well as a strong history to pull tourists. This combination of old historical sites playing different roles over time was quite interesting to me. 


Leipzig was extensively bombed during WWII but still has a moderately intact Old Town. 


Nice contrast of the old buildings on the right with the newer ones on the left.

The Rathouse

Johann Sebastian Bach worked at and is buried in the Thomaskirche. There was a service going (it was Good Friday) on so we couldn't go inside. 

Goethe was a student in Leipzig, and the restaurant where the Devil bewitches the students still exists with a sculpture to let you know it took place there!

Statue of Goethe outside the old Bourse

Between the Thomaskirche and Auerbachs Keller was this really nice park with lots of cherry trees in blossom. 

The park was the site of an impromtu and illegal public musical performance in 1989 that led to the violent arrests of the musicians and members of the audience. 

Inside the Nikolaikirche, late Rococo/early Neoclassic style with plant-like Corinthian columns! The Nikolaikirche was also where dissidents gathered (the Church being sympathetic to them and the regime a little unwilling to go against the church) and demonstrations against the DDR centered around the church. 

Cool mural celebrating the demonstrations! These demonstrations paved the way to the fall of the Berlin Wall. People Power!!!

This sculpture is also supposed to represent DDR oppression but I can't remember what. 

So I found Leipzig a really interesting city showing the contrast of the different histories it has had. Ultimately however, I think it can be summed up by this sculpture located on the outer wall of a beer hall...

Because, East or West, Leipzig is still Germany - aka Beer Country! 


Next entry - Potsdam(chen) and burning away winter!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Biking progress update

In comparison to my recent failure(s) in the lab, my attempts at re-learning how to cycle have been much more successful!


Because we've recently had a bout of fine weather, my teacher decided it was time to leave the Institute's closed road circuit and do something a little bit more challenging. And so, we cycled out of the Institute, across the highway, and onto a bike path with other users, over a bridge, through a small gate, and then to Schleissheim Palace


Having judged my ability, apparently I should soon be able to graduate to cycling on bike paths on my own soon, I just lack confidence. Here's to hoping I'll be doing that before the summer is out!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Lab progress update.

I am no good at PCR :( 


After initial success with a simple genotyping protocol, I'm now trying to genotype for a different gene but I keep failing. And it's definitely a problem with me because other people have done it and made it work :(

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Return of the Animal

I'm someone who is rapidly approaching their 30s . Like my bike announcement, this was met with utter amazement because apparently my youthful appearance and immature personality would never indicate my age. At some points, I've had to show my passport to get this believed but now it is accepted that, yes, I am the oldest person im Deutschkurs and the oldest *junior* person in my Dept.


This hasn't stopped me from feeling as though the clock has been turned back to 2006. When I say 2006, I mean that for the first time in my life, friends and I were finally looking of an age where I can enter places without having to prove that we are of age but more importantly, I've suddenly found myself with a regular source of income that didn't require getting up on Saturday morning to acquire it. That this phase of my life coincided with the realisation that I loved red wine was probably not a coincidence. Now that I'm in Muenchen, I'm finding I enjoy German beer. It's a lot smoother than Aussie beer, tastes a lot less bitter, comes in nicer glasses, (moderately) cheaper with bigger sizes...it's just better all-around. Combine steins of beer with the company of younger people and you find me coming home early in the morning. 


So now in Germany, a few years after I thought I'd put my inner animal away....she's come back with a vengeance. And apparently, it's quite impressive - Juliane said Friday night wiped her out while Ruben, my company on Sat night and Sunday arvo said it was downright impressive and that he hopes to be as animalistic as me when he turns 30 (he turned 26 on Sat/Sun - feliz cumpleanos!). What I find truly amazing is that I seem to be handling it moderately well, the sole exceptions being when I was being poured 50% vodka tonics, and this past weekend where I was basically out Fri-Sun (partly through avoiding my apartment). Anyway, the beast is back!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Back on the Bike

When I moved here, my announcement that I couldn't ride a bike** was met with utter amazement or howls of laughter. Or as one of my companions on the weekend said, "Can you take off your sunglasses? I want to see the shame cross your eyes." Needless to say, quite a few people have told me that to really enjoy Europe (and depending on who they are, life in general), I have to learn how to ride a bike.


So it turns out someone abandoned a bike on the rear balcony of my building for at least the last year and a half and it was decided as a group (excluding myself) that this bike would now be *mine*. Someone pointed out that the bike had a lock on it and a few days later, I saw one of the Italians (who shall remain nameless) going at it with a hacksaw. With this bike newly *liberated* I have been slowly (re-)learning how to ride with help from people at work and the closed road circuit. Due to the inclement weather, I have so far only managed three separate sessions but apparently it's been quite entertaining to watch me learn how to keep my balance, turn, u-turn, lift my hands from the handlebars, brake, and do head-checks. Various people have said I look: 

  • terrified
  • as if I'm doing strange acrobatics (during the hand-lifting exercise)
  • highly entertaining
  • like a giant child (my personal favourite)

But they've all agreed that I'm better than they thought I would be (tumbles were expected!) and now there's a vague plan to make me cycle with others from work to a palace that's not too far away so that I can get used to cycling on a path with people around and put the stuff I've been learning into practice. Hopefully it will be done successfully and I can tick this one off my list of tasks to complete while living here!


**technically this is untrue - I did teach myself when I was 25. But I fell off and never really climbed back on

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Why no blog updates?

I realised last week when I had time to be at home (no German class last week), that I really REALLY hated my housemate and I was living in a state of avoiding going home early or thinking how much I hated her which obliterated most of my other thoughts/moods.


I'm not saying I'm a perfect housemate, in fact, I'm sure I do/did plenty of stuff to annoy her. But if you want to work it out, there's got to be talking and not just the leaving of passive-aggressive notes! Or try being polite when my friends visit. Or not leaving your (washed) laundry in the washing machine overnight. I'd write more but people who know this have told me it frustrates them as well. 


I can't believe I've lived here for only 3-4 months. Feels like an eternity. But in better news, I spent Sunday lying in the Englischer Garten. I wasn't naked, but it sure felt nice. 

Monday, April 04, 2011

Quote of the week

I know it's only Monday but I don't see this one being topped! During our lunchtime conversation, we were talking about things Germans have invented (the highway) and strange words they also invented that have passed into general international use, in particular Schadenfreude. Johanna has apparently never heard of this word and we tried to explain how when someone slips on a banana peel, you laugh. Or when you get splashed by a puddle. Or when someone gets hit by a ball. It's in every culture but only the Germans invented a word for it!

Cue Barbara who then said ....

"Only Germans are honest enough to admit that taking joy in other people's misfortune exists!!!"

Touché. And that, I must applaud.

Spring has Sprung!

Ohmigod, this was the first WEEKEND where the temperature on BOTH DAYS was over 20C!!! There have been a spate of days that have been moderately warm but come weekend, the weather was always terrible so it was a nice change to be able to enjoy the sunshine for once! As proof that Spring has finally arrived, I put forth this photo:


Spring flowers and green leaves at Karolinenplatz!
Daffodils, ranunculus, I think there are some tulips in there...


But to enjoy the sunshine, Juliane and Johanna came over and we enjoyed some wine and food in the sun on the balcony before watching True Blood, and then today I took a jolly walk down to Marienplatz (and saw those flowers) to meet up with ChrisH for krapfens which turned into going to Viktualienmarkt to visit Dana where she's a cupcake baker. We had the

Schwarzwaelder Kirsche (aka, Blackforest Cupcake),

and the Obama Special

And then it was finished with a beer in the Biergarten. I forsee good times to come!

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Movie review - How To Train Your Dragon

The Viking island of Berk is perpetually harried by various dragons who steal the livestock and burn down the dwellings. Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is the hopeless son of the the chief of the vikings (Gerard Butler) - he's small and no good at fighting. He is however, an excellent engineer and manufactures a sort of slingshot which injures a Deadly Nightshade dragon. Hiccup soon discovers that dragons are in fact poorly misunderstood creatures and he tries to stop his village from killing more of these cuties.


I don't really have much to say about HTTYD. It was an excellently animated, inoffensive kiddie movie about how things aren't always as they seem. Actually, I would like to say that one of the notable things about the movie was the lack of in-jokes for adult viewers. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it concentrates entirely on the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless (the dragon), and how he slowly comes to be accepted by the village. 


As is to be expected from animated films nowadays, the visuals are amazing - even though I watched it in 2D, I can imagine watching it in 3D must be awesome. But the real charm in the animation is how it uses it to develop the personalities of the different dragons, particularly Toothless. Whoever decided to use cats eyes as a model to track emotions was a genius! Likewise, the voice acting is well done from all involved. If I had to criticise, I'd say it suffers from a case of the Ratatouilles whereby some characters (the adults) speak with a Scots accent, while other characters (the kids) speak with American accents. Maybe it was a just a ploy at denote different generations but it's weird nonetheless. 


Cute and inoffensively enjoyable.
7/10