Joe and I definitely plan to return for two reasons: 1) Good people are good people. 2) We didn’t get to accomplish everything we set out to do in Nürnberg because we were hung-over from enjoying the company of reason #1.
We have an amazing friend in the States who has recently discovered family connections in Nürnberg. The main motivation behind our trip was to visit the world-renowned Christmas Market so we arranged to meet with our friend’s family there on Friday night. The husband speaks great English, however the wife has never had any English education and has a very limited vocabulary…beyond the word “shit” that is.
So, they graciously met us at our hotel and we walked to the market, stopping at some important sights for mini-history lessons from the husband along the way. He has even brought us some tourist brochures for the main sights in town. Good people. Now, it is important to know that older women in Germany usually walk down the street arm in arm. After about 5 sentences in German (the boys have quickly sped ahead by now) she slides her arm though my elbow and we continue to walk down the street as if we have been “old hens” for years. Nürnberg Christmas Market is known for its Lebkuchen (specialty gingerbread) and “Plum People”. While we are walking I ask the wife for the history behind the Plum People. A lot of the story is lost due to lack of my German understanding, but I gathered that mothers used to make toys out of dried plums for their children.
- Glühwein mit Rum
We head to her favorite Glühwein stand, which includes 1 once of Rum! “It’s medicine!” they say. Prost! During the second round of Rum-laced Glühwein Joe tells the story of how we met. Apparently, he was roller-skating in a bikini on South Beach and I was so lucky as to spot and snag him because, naturally, I have such a nice rack. Prost!
We walk to the Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) and spin its ring several times so our wishes will come true. Then, all of a sudden, we are standing in front of an amazing array of Plum People. As I am ogling the selection, the wife hands me a small bag. She has chosen two small Plum People for us, as a gift. For “Viel Glück” (good luck) she says. Good people. Next we walk to the Fußbar (literally: foot cash…a “shit” name according to the wife) for a beer. Well, apparently the glasses of beer come with shots of vodka in this family, and they come by the half-dozen. By the end of the night the wife is giving sex advice (the more the wine, the prettier the baby), has named our un-conceived child (after herself – middle name only, as she is struggling to understand the logic behind the Ts), and determined its Godmother (herself, naturally). She also said she would come take care of the baby because she has experience with scheiße (shit). Prost!
- The Ehrenhalle
With four hours of sleep, Joe and I head to the Document Center and Nazi Party Rally Grounds on Saturday. The information presented in this amazing museum is overwhelming. The way they have organized the exhibit is unique and there are numerous videos that make the events of not-so-long-ago very tangible. I have never been a history buff, but I know that accepting the depth and breath of history is a choice. It is easy at the Rally Grounds to choose not to realize the immensity of what has occurred here, as it looks almost nothing like what it used to. But, if you just stop, take a deep breath, let what you have learned about a place flood your mind, and choose to be “in” history for a moment, you will be amazed. I chose to put my hand on the place where a man brought millions to their feet, and changed history, because only by choice will history not be repeated.
The horrors of Hitler and WWII go without saying. His manipulation skills border on genius, albeit with mal-intent. Joe and I struggled to find a figure in history who has used such power to move the people toward good. It’s unfortunate, but the examples of people who have moved populations toward horror are plenty: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini…
We also visited the location of the Nürnberg Trials, Courtroom 600. This is still a functional courtroom in the German legal system and has retained only bits and pieces of its post-war furnishings. The benches where dozens of NASDP leaders sat and awaited their fate are still present though. What amazed me here is that during the Trials, witnesses and defendants were housed in the same lodgings. I guess the “Witness Protection Plan” was yet to come!
Thank goodness we had time for a quick nap before meeting our new friends again. This time the son, daughter, and daughter’s boyfriend were in tow. Drinks first, of course, then dinner! After dinner we head to another bar for more “medicine”. On the way, I have the mom on one arm, and the daughter on the other. When we arrived, I thought I asked for a Rum and Coke, but what shows up….vodka shots with sugar packets! A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
We are speaking half English, half German at this point, as everyone wants to practice their second language. I am talking with the son and trying to explain, in German, what the word “immersed” means. He is having trouble with the word and wants it spelled. That doesn’t work. I don’t know if it is the teacher in me, the traveler, or just the over-organized personality, but I always have paper and a pen in my bag. So I whip out a pad of sticky notes from my purse and a pen and start writing. I also explain that this is a $5 word in English. He is very intrigued by this catch phrase and asks for a $20 English word. I bust out “supercalafragalisticexpealadocious”. As soon as I say it out loud he shouts “Mary Poppins”! I respond with an excited “Oh, you know!!” Apparently “supercalafragalisticexpealadocious” is exactly the same in German as it is in English. Maybe that is where they learned about combining sugar and “medicine”?!
- Ich bin…
Joe now takes the pad of sticky notes and instructs us all on how to play the game he has just invented. Each of us must write something on a sticky that starts with “Ich bin…” (I am…) and then share out. We must guess who each person is referring to. I write “Ich bin sarkastisch” (I am sarcastic) as a tribute to our dear friend, family member, and cause of this crazy debacle. We all have a great time as the stickies get passed around and eventually soaked in beer and vodka “medicine”.
Seven and a half hours later we are tucking ourselves into bed, warm with plenty of medicine and the healthy joy of laughter. What good fortune to connect with good people.
- ‘Till Death Do Us Part
The next morning, all we could manage in Nürnberg was another walk through the Christmas Market and a visit to the Ehekarussel Brunnen (Marriage Carousel Fountain). This is a very interesting monstrosity of one man’s depiction of another man’s thoughts on marriage. Google it.
Good people are good people. Thanks to one great person, Joe and I will now forever have several more great people in our lives.