Schönes Wochenende

What a beautiful weekend it was, indeed!  I took the train to Osnabrück, and stayed with the Hauschild family there.  Many thanks to Bernd, Renate, Hannah, Steffi, Carola, and Benedikt for welcoming me into their home!  The Hauschilds are friends of my high school German teacher, Pastor Bernie Huesmann.

Frau Hauschild picked me up at Osnabrück's main train station on Friday afternoon, and we drove back to their house.  Herr Hauschild is a pastor in the SELK, and the family's apartment is in the same building as the sanctuary.  The first floor is the Hauschild's private residence, the second is the sanctuary, and the third is apartments for rent.  I had a room to myself on the third floor.  Frau Hauschild, Hannah, and I walked through the city center and did some shopping, which gave me a nice first look at the town.

Dinner (and every meal) was delicious: a spread of cold-cut meat, cheese, rolls, and fresh fruit.  I loved being a part of the family interaction around the dinner table, which I don't get to see in Lüneburg.  After the meal, we played "6 Nimmt," a very entertaining card game, and were joined by Steffi's boyfriend, Oliver.  I spent the remainder of the evening (and some of the morning, too) with Hannah and her friends.  It was cool to hang out with them, and I was able to communicate with them in German.  Kim had been looking forward to practicing her English with me, but was more than willing to help me with my German instead.

Saturday morning, after a breakfast of fresh bread, assorted marmalades (quince, raspberry, and black currant), fresh fruit, and Nutella cereal (!), Frau Hauschild and I took a guided tour of Osnabrück.  I was glad to have her along to clarify/explain what I didn't understand, but I was surprised at how much of the tour (completely in German) I was able to follow.  Osnabrück is proud of its Altstadt (old city) and the many Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered houses) there.  I was reminded a little bit of Lüneburg, but each city is certainly unique.  Our tour began at the Rathaus (city hall), which played an important role in the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.  Standing next to the Rathaus was the Stadtwaage.  Built in 1531, it was severely damaged (as was 80% of the city) during World War II, and rebuilt to its original appearance.  Across the square was St. Marien, a beautiful Gothic cathedral (unfortunately closed during our tour).

We then walked through the Altstadt to the Heger Tor, a large gate in the former city wall built as a memorial to the soldiers from Osnabrück who fought in the Battle of Waterloo.  Our next stop was Dom St. Peter (St. Peter's Cathedral), a basilica dating from the 1200s.  As beautiful inside as it is outside, the Dom boasts the largest triumphal cross in Niedersachsen (8 m tall by 5 m wide), and a gorgeous organ.

I spent some more time downtown with Steffi and Oliver, got some ice cream, and then returned to the house to play Wikinger Schach (Viking Chess) in the garden.  The "chess" in the name comes from the king in the middle, but the game is a little like bocce ball played with pieces of wood.  I don't quite know how to describe it, other than Benedikt, Carola, Frau Hauschild, and I had a lot of fun.  After that, we played Ligretto (a card game a little like multi-player Speed), as well as the version played with dice (würfel).  For dinner, Frau Hauschild made Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake), which was served with new wine. Sehr lecker (very delicious).  I even got to take some leftovers back to Lüneburg with me!  Carolla and I finished the evening by watching Bedtime Stories, in German of course.

The church service Sunday morning was very small, but I understood even more this time, and got even more out of the sermon.  We ate "brunch" (yes, its a German word, too) with Oliver and Steffi, and Frau Hauschild and I played a couple Mozart piano duets.  The whole Hauschild family is musical, and Frau Hauschild especially loves singing in choir.  My sight-reading isn't all that good, but we made it through the pieces, smiling the whole time.  Frau Hauschild, Carola, Benedikt, and I then rode our bicycles to the KME plant.  KME is a company specializing in copper, copper products, and copper alloys.  They opened their plant to the public, so we walked around and saw their CNC mills in operation, as well as smelting, pressing, rolling, you name it.  I enjoyed seeing familiar equipment and engineering plans/drawings, but operating in German.

We took the long way home, as Frau Hauschild showed me the town moat, St. Katharinen (St. Katherine's church), and the Schloss (castle).  Built in the late 1600s, the Schloss is now home to the University of Osnabrück.  Back at the Hauschild's, we relaxed for a while in the garden with ice cream.  Frau Hauschild walked me to the train station, where we said our goodbyes.

This was such a wonderful way to spend a weekend!  I was so blessed to experience German family life, laugh around the dinner table, see the city on a bicycle, and play games.  I'm so grateful to the Hauschilds for letting me get a glimpse of their life, and for welcoming me so warmly.  After speaking only German for the entire weekend, I also feel that my conversational skills improved greatly.  The Hauschilds were wonderfully patient with my German, and were very helpful with vocabulary and phrases.  All together, it was a beautiful weekend!