What a Weekend!

1 cent, Salt, Bread: A German Welcome to Your New Home

I should probably be getting back to finishing my current work project—a deadline is looming tomorrow—but instead I need a few minutes to decompress. My first load of laundry is in the dryer (I need what’s in it tonight), the second (of three) load is in the washer, and I am tired from climbing up and down the stairs. I’ve climbed down and up three times—and I am feeling too lazy to use the elevator. I have at least two more trips down, just for laundry purposes.

Meanwhile the party was a great success!

I really only spazzed out once, and that was before the party officially started when I realized that the avocados that I’d purchased earlier in the week (REWE sale at 0,29€/each) had not yet ripened and it was going to be impossible to have homemade guacamole. Instead I whipped out the mixing bowl, some flour, a pack of yeast, and some olive oil and made pizza dough. I had the necessary other ingredients for my favorite pizza—a bottle of pesto sauce, a package of feta cheese, a jar of olives, and a red onion. Olives chopped, onion chopped, cheese shredded, and I was ready to go.

Cathy was awesome—she showed up early, met a couple of my friends and colleagues, and brought hausgemacht spring rolls. Unfortunately she had to leave early—but I later fried up the spring rolls and it’s safe to say that they were the first thing to vanish. I need to learn how to make them—I think I could have them for dinner every night and die happy.

The second dish to vanish was the plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies—one of my guests is allergic to one of the milk proteins, so instead of using butter, I used margarine, and three bars of 70% cocoa chocolate bars—which I had chopped up. The cookies were excellent and I was quite pleased with the outcome.

My brownies, on the other hand, were a little bit hard—I think I probably left them in them in the oven for an extra minute, and then because I was a bit tired and lazy, I didn’t remove them from the pan immediately. Big mistake—The edge pieces had to be chipped out at the end.

Beyond that my guests brought lots of nice things—a fruit dish, a pineapple, a bookmark, a book, a plant, an Easter Bunny cake pan (from my colleagues, and apparently I am obliged to use it soon, bringing the results to the office), and an adorable stuffed cat which is now hanging out in the rafters, which is where a living cat would be hanging out, if I cohabitated with one. (And if I omitted something from this list, please accept my apologies–I am trying to take complete inventory but I imagine something has escaped my attention.)

Cynical Post coming on Bauhaus at 90.

The guests who came the greatest distance were the Regensbloggers, Cliff and Sarah. It was really excellent and amazing to have them come and stay with me in my new apartment. They’d never been to Weimar before, so after a lazy Saturday, I gave the whirlwind Weimar tour: Goetheplatz, Goethe Kaufhaus, Goethe Café, Weimar Office, Gestapo HQ, the grocery store, Marktplatz (Thüringen Bratwurst consumed), Goethe’s House from a distance, Schiller’s House, and my favorite pretty building in Weimar, before returning to my apartment—Sarah had to leave on Saturday while Cliff stayed behind.

A note on the grocery store: Weimar’s high-end fancy grocery store went out of business Saturday evening. I discovered it was going out of business Friday during my brief foray downtown—everything in the store was 70% off—so after picking up a few things on Friday, I wanted to return Saturday to pick up more—Sarah and Cliff were gracious enough to go shopping with me, and help hold my items while I waited in the longest queue I have ever seen in Weimar—about ten people long. Although I am thrilled at the savings, I have to confess, I’d rather have the grocery store.

The great thing about my time wandering through Weimar with Sarah and Cliff is that it made me realize how much I like Weimar.

Weimar is, despite my occasional sarcasm, a really nice place to live. Unlike American cities with a similar population base, this city is walkable, has a functional public transportation system, and varied architecture consisting of (at least in the city center) charming buildings that are pleasant to look at.

After Sarah left, Cliff and I headed over to Erfurt to meet-up with Cathy.

Bratwurst, Music, and the Dom!

Cathy had just finished work and we met at Domplatz where, like pretty much every weekend, there was a festival going on—this one was the Rostkultur—which succinctly could be described as a bratwurst fest. Cathy had one, Cliff had his third for the day, and I, well, I had eaten one in Weimar followed by a Döner, so I wasn’t actually interested in eating anything else. There was a band playing covers of vaguely appropriate music and officials wearing caps with a bratwurst on top—I would love to have one of these caps to call my own.

Cliff and I then enjoyed a fabulous tour of Erfurt, from Cathy’s eyes—into and out of the Dom, stopping in a café during a downpour, then off to see the Kramerbrücke, and a few other excellent sites. Erfurt really is a nice city—and I love the fact that its public spaces are used and vibrant, even into the evening. I’ll let the others describe our day more fully—as right now this blog post is rapidly reaching the excessively long stage.

I also think I am about ready to tackle work—although according to my timer, in about 15 minutes I need to visit the basement in order to start the last load of laundry.