AUF WIEDERSEHEN

Desde que comecei a escrever nesta casa, que o faço desde Darmstadt - Alemanha, cidade e país onde vivi e trabalhei durante o último ano. Mas, como tudo, chegou a hora de colocar um ponto final neste período inesquecível da minha vida. Por tudo o que de bom vivi e de mau superei, vale a pena reproduzir aqui parte de um texto que encontrei lembrando algumas das coisas boas de viver nesta terra, e dizer Auf Wiedersehen!

Schwarzwälderkirschtorte.

Wearing a dirndl without getting laughed at. Spargel season.

Christmas markets.

Deutsche Bahn - it gets a really bad rap, but it gets you pretty much everywhere in Germany. North Sea beaches.

Beer, so cheap, yet so good.

The crazy atmosphere at Fasching and Karneval.

Köln.

New German pop music, it's surprisingly good.

Riesling.

Soccer - even an American can catch soccer fever.

Putting the pedal to the metal on the Autobahn.

Hamburg's Außenalster on a Sunday afternoon in summer.

Castles.

Apfelwein on the Main River.

Going to the opera for the price of a movie.

Lebkuchen.

Bicycle friendliness.

The first sip of a freshly poured Weißbier.

Sorting trash - it may be a pain but it makes sense.

Dresdner Frauenkirche.

Biergarten, the epitome of German dolce vita.

Friendly police. Balconies.

Traditions kept alive.

German honesty - it may hurt sometimes, but at least you know where you're at. Gemütlichkeit.

The chancellor is married for the fourth time and nobody cares.

Free universities.

Trips down the Rhine.

Spätzle.

Getting a rush on a carousel ride at the Oktoberfest.

Thüringer Bratwurst.

Berlin.

Medieval cities.

Jägerschnitzel.

Long German words.

Well-behaved dogs.

Döner.

Public nudity.

Vacation time.

Tatort.

Heidi Klum.

Schrebergärten.

Sunday walks.

Hiking songs.

Lederhosen.

Leberwurst.

Proximity to Austria (and Italy and France and...).

Strawberries. Trinkhalle.

East German Ampelmann.

Glühwein.

Wanderwege.

Maßkrug, the liter-sized beer mug.

Regional diversity.

Outdoor markets.

Advent calendars.

The fact you can idle away several hours over a cup of coffee at a café, and nobody asks you to leave.

Our German family and friends.

-MB-