Still Knitting

Greg took this photo of me today modeling my current WIP--I'm hiding the unfinished second sleeve. This project was started last year sometime, and I am now determined to finish it. I won't allow myself to even look at yarn (there's a lot of gorgeous wool here in Germany) until I've finished this sweater!

The yarn, called Sierra Quartro, is made by Cascade Yarns and is a worsted weight, cotton and wool blend. The pattern is from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits.

Greg's Visit and Really Nice Art

Greg is here for a two week visit, and it's been wonderful! We have been seeing a few sights together, in our leisurely way. The photo above was taken at the art museum called the "Neue Pinakothek." This museum has many gorgeous paintings like this one by Lovis Corinth, a member of the Expressionist movement "Der blaue Reiter." Here's a link to more pictures we took, including a van Gogh "Sunflower":

http://picasaweb.google.com/juliewinter6/NeuePinakothek?authkey=Gv1sRgCOalqMTFtc78Uw&feat=directlink

The White Rose

When I taught German, I liked to tell students about the German resistance to the Nazi regime. One resistance group, called "The White Rose," consisted of a small circle of friends organized around the sibling pair Hans and Sophie Scholl. The members wrote flyers urging the German people to rebel against the Nazi agenda, and they distributed the flyers throughout Munich and even in other parts of Germany. They were eventually caught by the Gestapo and executed--by guillotine. There's a German movie about this group called The White Rose that's very well done and easy to find at video stores or in libraries.

The photo above shows the main building of the university here in Munich that now has the address "Geschwister Scholl Platz" in honor of Hans and Sophie Scholl. The building is shown in the movie, and there's a memorable scene where Sophie Scholl throws thousands of the illegal flyers over the balcony inside the building, just before being apprehended. Today I stood in that spot and then took the picture below. It's remarkable to be able to see such a place where history was made.

Home Improvement

One of the problems in trying to live like a student at my age is that my body just won't go along with it. I was desperate for a decent desk chair with a bit of back support--below you see what I found for 19 Euros at Ikea. I even assembled it myself! (Ikea makes it idiot proof.)



The main room is looking a bit more cozy, thanks to Ikea.



I haven't purchased anything for the kitchen, but you can see that it's getting some use.

Bad Toelz

This past Easter Monday I was invited to spend the day in nearby Bad Toelz. This picture shows the view from the hotel I visited with the Alps in the distance. Here's a link to more pictures of the day:

http://picasaweb.google.com/juliewinter6/April09BadToelz?authkey=Gv1sRgCKaPz6DYwaPKPg#

Frohe Ostern!

I've never really been sure what Easter is all about for the non-religious. When the kids were little I loved decorating and hiding the eggs and filling Easter baskets with candy and fluffy yellow marshmellow chicks. But what does all that mean? Is it a celebration of spring at least?

Here in Germany, as at home, it's a chance to market and sell a lot of stuff we don't need. The add on the window of this bakery encourages people to buy chocolate bunnies, or other little treats, as gifts for friends. It says doing so will maintain the friendship.

In the U.S., you could make your friends "smeeps" to show them how much you care: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/04/how-to-make-smeeps-smores-plus-peeps-easter-candy.html

They don't sell peeps here, so I'll just have to imagine how good these are. Happy Easter!

A Few Sights in Munich

Now that most of the administrative matters have been taken care of, it's time to get to know Munich! Today I went on an interesting walking tour called the "Third Reich Tour."

This is the inside of the "Hofbraeuhaus" where the meetings of the German Workers' Party took place and where Hitler got his start. It's a beer hall and restaurant still in use today.

The tour started at the Marienplatz, in front of this building called the new city hall. You can see the figurines that are part of the Glockenspiel way up high on the building.

This is the old city hall. It looks newer than the new city hall above because it was completely destroyed in World War II and had to be rebuilt.

There's a lot to discover here!