Dear Diary the East: Part II

I started yesterday in sharing a bit from my Word document diary about traveling between 2 very different towns in Germany over Christmas. Here is the next little bit about my time in the East.

Ok, so, woah. I am really in a completely different part of Germany. I mean, I bought chocolate wafers in the Czech Republic today, so yeah, different. We went to a town that maybe starts with an E and I’m sorry but it’s 4am, and I just can’t remember. Seiffen? Does that sound like it could be the German word for plural soap to anyone else? This is the tourist stop for any tourist in the Erzgebirge. Surprisingly, Erzgebirge is not a word that “spell check” thinks is wrong. Huh. Anyway, the town is full of shops that sell the hand-made woodwork that is sold in the Weihnachtsmärkte throughout Germany. The amount of nugat cookies I’m eating from my Lebkuchen box that I got for Christmas is nothing compared to how much hand carved and hand painted wood was in that town. And there were lights in every window, a pretty, octagonal church that inspires the woodworkers, and really I must say it just made me feel Christmasy. While it was absolutely wonderful being in Luckenwalde for Christmas, I wasn't totally 'in the spirit'. But checking out that town, where snow still laid and glowing wood adorned each window, put me in the spirit.

And then we went to Micha’s house and it felt like family. Like really distant relatives. But you know, I have Peter and Traudel. They are as distant a relative as one can have without losing track of someone, and they’re totally awesome.

Tonight I also learned, and this is important incase I ever refer to anyone this way, but “Spitze” means “dude, you’re top notch!” but “spitz” means horny. So, more sex from Germany. Surprise. Which, by the way, reminds me to talk about the fact that German TV makes me uncomfortable even though I come from a society that thinks of itself as open and free. Um, false. Swear words? Sex? Gimme a break. We are so censored, but I guess I don’t necessarily hate that. I also don’t own a TV and haven’t in a long time, so what do I know about censorship on TV.

I think I also have the loosest plans ever in the works that would take me to Prague. Yahoo! Lets goooo!

For future reference, nugat cookies do not get rid of hiccups, no matter how many (all of) from the bag you eat. Shoot. But in other news, I was tested tonight and can in fact name all 50 states, so I’ve got that going for me. Which is nice.

The land of wafers and, as seen behind me, gas stations!