We are staying with Gerhard and Ursula in Hannover (Gerhard is a cousin of Noralynn's). Gerhard could have a second career as a tour guide: all that is missing is the colorful umbrella. But all of us overlooked something, though: Monday is "Ruhetag" (at least through much of the former DDR), and so many sights could only be admired from the outside.
In Halberstadt we did visit the Liebfraukirche and the cathedral. Also being "performed" in the Burchardi Church was John Cage's "As Slow As Possible" The performance is scheduled to last 639 years. The church was closed (Ruhetag), but we were able to hear the performance rumbling through the doors.
If an American were to close their eyes and imagine a "typical" German
city, they would not be surprised if they opened them and saw
Quedlinburg: half-timbered houses, red tile roofs, a Ratskeller.
Quedlinburg
(like Halberstadt) was part of the former DDR, and much time and effort
(Euros) are being used to restore the original look and feel.
Many memories we'll take back home can't be recorded in pictures:
- the tolling of church bells
- the sounds of a pipe organ
- the company of friends and family
- the taste of good beer, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and bratkartoffeln
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