Saturday, Gommar and I traveled to Bremen. I had seen a little bit of the city on my way to Osnabrück at the beginning of the semester, but certainly not everything (the photos in this post are from both trips). I was very glad to go back and finish my experience, especially with a traveling buddy!
After crossing the former city moat on our way to the city center, we walked down Sögestrasse, a pedestrians-only shopping avenue. Our first stop was the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). Built in 1229, the church and its courtyard have long been home to daily flower markets. Inside, the sanctuary is a combination of old and new. The pulpit dates from 1709, and features symbolic carvings of the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and the the six Christian virtues. The windows, though, were designed by Alfred Manessier between 1964 and 1979, and depict Biblical accounts using medieval color symbolism. We also visited the underground St. Veit Chapel, constructed in the mid-12th Century. While we were there, a small string ensemble was rehearsing for concert later that weekend. So cool!
Right next door is the Bremen Rathaus. Originally built in 1409, the Town Hall was given a new Weser Renaissance-style facade in the 17th Century. Along the west wall stands a statue of the Bremen Stadtmusiker (Musicians of Bremen): a rooster, cat, dog, and donkey from the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Legend says, that if you make a wish while holding on to the donkey's front legs, then rub its nose, your wish will come true.
In the center of the Bremen Marktplatz, certainly among the most-impressive places I've visited, stands a statue of the knight Roland. Roland is a symbol of Bremen's independence (the city, like Hamburg and Berlin, is also a state), and has guarded his home since 1404.
Rising above the Marktplatz in the east is the St.-Petri Dom (St. Peter's Cathedral). Construction began on this beautiful building in 1042. The St.-Petri Dom is the home of the Bleikeller (Lead Cellar), where several open caskets (dating as far back as 1450) are on display. The bodies inside were preserved by the cellar's extremely dry air, and include both former common laborers and foreign nobility. The chamber is called the Lead Cellar because the lead used to cover the Cathedral roof was stored and worked there from the 16th to the 18th Century.
Across the market square is the entrance to Böttcherstrasse, a narrow passageway to the harbor. Once home to merchants and traders, the alley is now filled with art museums and shops (thanks to Ludwig Roselius, a coffee merchant who invented decaffeinated coffee in 1907. Passers-by are greeted by hourly concerts from a porcelain carillon, augmented by a display of famous sea-farers.
Gommar and I walked along the Schlachte Embankment, a strip of cafes and other shops along the old harbor. We then entered the Schnoor District. Home to fisherman since the late Middle Ages, the Schoor's narrow winding alleys are now lined with craft stores and restaurants.
Our next stop was the Propsteikirche St. Johann (below). Built in the late 1300s on the foundation of a monastery, the church (like many in Europe) required multiple renovations following fires or other destruction. We then returned to Marktplatz so Gommar could try a Döner. She found the Turkish-German sandwich quite tasty, as I do. We then walked west, past the Stadtwaage, the ornately-decorated home of the city weights-and-measures office from 1587.
A stroll through the fall-colored park where the city wall used to stand brought us to the last windmill in the Old Town. This windmill, built in 1898, is now home to a restaurant-cafe.
Gommar and I wandered through the city for a while longer, until we came to the Kulturkirche St. Stephani (St. Stephanie's Culture Church). A joint project of all the Bremen churches, the Kulturkirche is home to many art exhibits and concerts throughout the year.
As we searched for an ice cream shop, Gommar was surprised to see the visiting soccer fans riding in exclusive, police-escorted buses on their way to the stadium. It seems over-the-top, but that's how seriously Germans are about their clubs. We did find an ice cream parlor, and the Spaghetti-Eis made for a delicious afternoon break.
To complete our Bremen experience, Gommar and I visited the Beck's Brewery. Our tour, in English, showed us videos on the history of the Beck's brand and the brewing process, demonstrated former methods/equipment for brewing and bottling Beck's beer, and the Haake-Beck mash room. In the brewery's oldest building (the only one to remain through World War II), Haake-Beck beer is brewed in the original copper vats, which have been retrofitted with modern stainless-steel interiors and machinery. Unfortunately, the Beck's area of the brewery was under construction and off-limits to tours.
For a time, Beck's beer was exclusively an exported product, and not available domestically in Germany. Haake-Beck was the locally-available brew (and is still the only beer served in the Werder Bremen soccer arena). When Beck's entered the German domestic market, it was extremely successful, with help from a very progressive advertising campaign.
Beck's is known for its trademark green bottles; almost all other beer bottles are brown, and wine is commonly bottled in green glass. When the company was first founded, Beck's got green bottles from the winery down the street, and the difference is now iconic. Beck's also helped pioneer innovations to make exporting beer possible: brewing methods to improve the beer's shelf life, and the now ubiquitous crown bottle cap. Beer bottles used to be sealed with a cork wrapped in foil. This method was not suitable for an exported beer, because the bottles were not sealed well enough to withstand an overseas journey. The crown cap maintains its seal much longer, so the beer is much fresher when it arrives in a foreign land. Each cap must be made with an odd number of tines to be used effectively; if they were made with an even number, they would mesh together and jam modern automated bottling machines.
Beck's beer is brewed from only the finest ingredients, in close adherence to the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law) of 1516. The Law stated that only water, barley, and hops could be used to brew beer (yeast was not mentioned because its effects were still unknown). Though the law has been superseded, Beck's remains commited to quality. Their water comes via a direct pipeline from a pure underground reservoir, to which Beck's has exclusive usage rights. The hops come from the prime Bavarian growing regions. On the tour, we were able to touch and smell barley and hops, just like in almost every beer commercial every produced.
Though samples were naturally included in the end of our tour, Gommar only tried Beck's alcohol-free brew. She had committed to waiting until her 21st birthday (only two days after the tour) to drink, and held firmly to that commitment. What a great role model she is for her family and friends! We conversed a little bit with the other members of our tour over the drinks: a group from Norway, as well as a New York business woman visiting her son who had powerful stories from 9/11.
Our route to the train station took us back through Marktplatz, beautifully illuminated against the night sky. Dinner was another German class dish, weißwurst (white sausage) and pretzels, at Mälzer, a brewery and restaurant in Lüneburg.
Gommar came to church with me on Sunday morning, an All Saints' Day service mal anders (a little different) than the normal, with guitar-led hymns and even parts in English. A tomato-mozzarella sandwich from the Lüneburg train station along the way to the Hamburg airport concluded Gommar's whirlwind tour of my part of Germany. I saw her through check-in, and then she departed for the long trip back to Finland.
I was so blessed to have Gommar as company this past weekend! It was really refreshing to spend time with someone whose Christian faith shines through everything she does, and who picks me up just by being there. I enjoyed reminiscing about Camp Luther memories (we sent a postcard back as though we were campers) while going on new adventures. I hope she had as much fun experiencing Germany as I did showing it to her!
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