Willkommen in Lübeck

Greetings from Lübeck, Germany from Stretch and Slim, aka Jim and Sara. Thanks for visiting this dusty old blog again! I hope to keep it updated on a more regular basis now. 

Short recap of the trip: aside from a one-hour delay in Newark due to an equipment malfunction, it was a very smooth and uneventful trip. We had a 3-hour layover in Paris, then flew with Air France to Hamburg. 

Needless to say, we were overjoyed to see Deutschland again! The view of the Elbe River as we approached Hamburg was gorgeous, as were the glowing fields of rape, which are in full flower right now. Imagine a yellow that is brighter than sunflowers; that is the color of rape. On a cloudy day, it really does look like a field of sunshine.

We took the local train from the airport to the train station in Hamburg, and then the regional train from Hamburg to Lübeck, a trip of about 40 minutes. One of the stops was Bad Oldesloe, which is one of the places that scholars imagine Buxtehude might have been born. It is not known with certainty where or when he was born, not even the year.

We were met at the train station by our hostess Margret, whose sister owns the house we are renting. Margret very kindly drove us to our little Ganghaus, i.e. a house located in a courtyard which is only accessible on foot. Back when these houses were built (I'm guessing this one dates from the 17^th century, but I need to verify that), they were inhabited by the lower tradespeople.

The house is very charming, comfortable and a bit crooked! One of the windowsills in the living room looks to be at about a 5 degree angle. I'm sliding around on the uneven parquet floor in my socks. We're enjoying the rusticity of exposed beams, bricks and stonework. To access our bed, which is located in an attic loft, one climbs a ladder, rather like being on a ship. 

On clear nights we can see the stars through the skylights. Last night at around 11 PM, the Big Dipper was right overhead.

The evening we arrived we ate dinner at Lübeck's one and only vegetarian restaurant, the charmingly named 'Cafe Affenbrot' (Monkey bread!) Our excuse was that it was a holiday (May Day), and all the stores were closed. But in keeping with our vow to live like graduate students, it'll be simple dinners at home for the most part. Last night: Heinz beans in tomato sauce with brown rice and a salad! I'm perfectly happy to leave meal planning and elaborate cooking behind for awhile. As long as certain vital nutrients are consumed (don't ask), and I eat at least one green thing each day, I'm good. Jim doesn't care one iota either way. Ah, to have an iron-clad digestive tract... ;-)

Monday marks the beginning of the project about a certain influential person from Germany's musical history. Well, not really the beginning. I'm about 50 pages in already. They'll probably all end up on the cutting room floor eventually, but it feels better than starting from scratch. Anyway, by Monday the jet-lag should be utterly vanquished, and I'll head to the library after breakfast. Research in the morning; writing in two shifts in the afternoon and evening. That's the plan, at least.   

Tomorrow: Why I Love Lübeck (with pictures!)