Alles Gute!

Dear friends and family from home… if a guy ever had a reason to be REALLY far away from home on his birthday but still feel the LOVE from everyone at home, it is me. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. For the past few days, getting mail has been rather fun. You are all so thoughtful. I am truly blessed with such friends and family.

You all rock!

Tomorrow, I travel to Kitzingen were I will rendezvous with some of the other Cincinnati ICP students before we travel up to Berlin for the weekend. That’s right… I’m heading up to that other big city in Germany! It should be a great time and a good way to spend an extended weekend here in Germany. Ascension Thursday (Christi Himmelfahrt) is a national holiday in Germany, so nobody works! That will make up for me not getting Monday off for Memorial Day. Ha!

The past week and a half have been rather low-key and consisted of mostly relaxing, reading, running, and random events (yes… I like alliteration). Work on the other hand was a bit more… hectic. One of the department’s main test-stand leaders was out sick all week and another leader was finishing up his internship. That basically left me to look after two test stands throughout the week, and I felt a little pulled down by the weight. If I thought I was a good multi-tasker, this was a great test. Imagine just learning how to run a modal analysis test (for you non engineer types, let’s call it underwater basket weaving) and now you have three different supervisors telling you in German that the deadlines are tomorrow… the end of the week… NOW! Wow. A bit of an overload… BUT, life goes on and no harm done. I didn’t blow anything up, so all is good! This week will be a little less stressful since it is short and my fellow test-stand leader/supervisor is no longer sick.

The week itself was rather nice. The weather has been great for the most part, and I was able to enjoy it a bit on Wednesday as I went out grilling with some friends. I must also mention that Tuesday about made my week, because I discovered that Germans DO eat chili over here! Thank God! But unfortunately they have no idea what oyster crackers are... and they don’t cover their chili with a ton of shredded cheese. I know… a bit disheartening. Through the weekendend, I ran mostly errands and got to know a few of the parishioners in the area a bit better. I really do love how welcoming everyone in this community is.

Skyline... I miss you...

Finally, I’ll add here that my younger brother graduated this weekend. I couldn’t be home for the festivities, which was a downer, but I am very proud of him. Make sure you send him some congratulations if you haven’t already!

So… thanks again for the birthday wishes everyone! And happy Memorial Day and Ascension Thursday!

Peace,

Corey

The 2nd Pilgrimage – Altötting und Marktl

The Week

After a short ten day pause, I’m back with another update. Last weekend was pretty relaxed for me. I enjoyed some running and picked up Robinson Crusoe for a little reading. If there is one thing Germany has been good to me for, it is uninterrupted reading time! In between reading, relaxing, and running, this past week I became acquainted with more of the interns and workers living in my apartment complex.

At work, I’ve been continuing on some new projects. Suddenly there is a back-log of cars to be tested, and we’re running them through pretty quickly. The department supervisor explained that it had to do with the recent holidays- they create “dead” intervals followed by extremely busy ones. This is more of a complex problem when you consider how many holidays and vacation days German workers accrue in a year! In any case, the big event for the work week was the last day for one of our Holland interns. We celebrated by substituting our usual Friday Weisswurst with the mystery German meat, Leberkase (just imagine lots of terrible things backed into a loaf of spicy goodness… yup, we’ll leave it at that).

The Weekend

This past weekend was quite a bit more adventure filled for me. Midweek, I began to plan for what I will call my “2nd Pilgrimage” during my stay over here in Germany. Up until late Friday night, I had planned on making this a daytrip, but at the last minute I decided it would be an overnighter. There was far too much to see and experience to try to cram it into a single day. The destination(s)… Altötting (pilgrimage site of the miraculous Black Madonna and Gnadekapelle) und Marktl (birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI).

Some background information…

Let me begin by giving a short language lesson. In Germany, there are two words to describe a “pilgrimage”. One is “Wallfahrt” and the other is “Pilgerfahrt”. The first describes a single destination pilgrimage. The second describes something quite larger and typically includes multiple pilgrimage destinations. There is no English equivalent that distinguishes the two, but this is a good example of how one language can be more helpful in communicating an idea than the other.

My trip was to be a “Wallfahrt”, and this particular location was not short of companions. I soon came to find that thousands of pilgrims travel to Altötting every year. The numbers have been strong since the middle ages when the first miracles were reported there, and there is no shortage of thankfulness to the Holy Mother from the many Catholics who make the journey. Many bring candles, pictures, crosses, and other gifts to lie at the chapel sight.

Altötting (or “Old Ötting”) was founded a LONG time ago, but records show it was here “officially” in 748 AD. It was the court of Bavarian dukes, and around the time of its founding a bishop from Salzburg created an octagonal chapel in the center of the village. Here is where the first Christian Bavarian Duke was supposedly baptized and also where the Black Madonna figure was first brought. In 1489, a miracle occurred where the mother of a drowned child prayed to the Madonna and saw her son come back to life. Since this time, pilgrims have traveled from across the globe to see the figure of Mary and Child. Of these pilgrims, recent ones have been Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. I would go into more history, but there is simply far too much to explain here. I encourage the reader to conduct a little research him/herself.

The Trip

At 6:00 AM I left my apartment on bike and caught a train from the main station heading for Altötting. The great thing about German train travel is that you can easily bring your bike! I brought mine on-board, and arrived in Altötting at around 9:00 AM. I first went to the Rathaus where I found all my maps and other information, and then biked just outside of the town center to find lodging for the night. I was really winging this because I had no reservations, but I felt comfortable walking up to one of the Gasthäuser and finding a room for the night. Forget hotels or hostels… in Germany, you can find a tavern with bedrooms in the upper floor. These include showers, fresh towels, and a full breakfast. I got a giant skeleton key for my room and the woman who ran the house told me I could pay in the morning before I left. As typical of many things in Germany, the payment plan was honor based. I felt in very good company.

Bike Rack on Train

Rathaus

The "Guest House" and Room

Sights from the Chapel Square

After setting up camp, I visited the Gnadekapelle where the Madonna resides. I prayed to her in the small (really small) chapel and was surrounded by pictures of miracles she had performed and the hearts of past Bavarian dukes and kings. Altötting is known as the “Heart of Bavaria” for multiple reasons. It is sort of the center point between Passau, Munich, and Salzburg and these past kings have shown their devotion to Mary and the “Heart of Bavaria” by literally giving their hearts (yes the real ones) to the chapel in silver urns. They line the outer walls. Mass was celebrated at 10:00 AM with most standing because there were so many people in the chapel.

The Gnadekapelle

Above - Various Gifts and Pictures from Pilgrims

After mass, I went back to the Rathaus for a city tour. It was all in German, but I was with a group of four, so it was easy to keep up with the commentary. The old couple I toured with were very sweet and the older lady was sure to check in every once in a while to make sure I understood everything. It is amazing how much English Germans know! We visited the Gnadekapelle, St. Magdalene, the collegiate parish church, St. Konrad, two Capuchin Franciscan monasteries, and St. Anne Basilica. All of these churches are within meters of each other and easily remain busy with the large number of pilgrims that come through the town center every day. The day was absolutely gorgeous and the town was wonderful. If ever I were to describe a beautiful small German village, I would use Altötting as an example. Multiple Gasthäuser, cafes, and shops surrounded the chapel square. On either end of the square was a monastery and on every side was a church. The Rathause and museum made up another portion of the perimeter and trees lined the inner circle around the chapel. I would later find out, the square is even more beautiful at night! The entire town reminded me of a German town model my German class made in high school.

Statue and Collegiate Parish Church

St. Magdalene Church

Window within St. Magdalene

Brother Konrad Fountain and Holy Water

Chapel of St. Konrad in Monastery

St. Anne Basilica

The tour lasted a couple hours. The older lady I described earlier was very careful to see every detail of each stop we made. I didn’t mind though; I got a lot more for my money that way… and the company was good. After it was over and we said our goodbyes, I crabbed a quick lunch before taking my bike to city number two. The Inn is a river that runs through this southeast portion of Bavaria, and it connects the cities of Altötting and Marktl. As within cities, bike paths are prominent in the countryside as well. I took an hour to ride the 15 km bike path along the Inn to visit Marktl that afternoon. The weather could not have been better for a ride! Along the way, I rode past a Badsee (swimming hole) where many people were laying in the grass and swimming. Aside from seeing the old men in Speedos, I enjoyed the entire ride thoroughly! The river was calm and cotton wood trees that lined the bike path were shedding their puffs of snow.

The Inn River

In Marktl (probably the smallest village I’ve been in yet), I visited the birth house of Pope Benedict XVI and St. Oswald, the church in which he was baptized. Aside from a few shops, there was very little in Marktl. It reminded me of a smaller St. Henry in Germany. After checking out the town and talking with a few locals, I headed back to Altötting around 5 PM.

Entering Marktl

The Pope's Birth-house

Pillar in Town Square

St. Oswald

Pope Benedict XVI's Baptismal Font

The Inn

The highlight of my trip was probably Saturday evening. It began at 7 PM with a service known as “Maiandacht” which is a devotional to the Blessed Mother. The women’s chorus was incredible and the prayers were beautiful. Maybe it is just me, but I think the German songs devoted to Mary are the most beautiful I have ever heard of any Marian songs. It was very moving. After the service, I followed the crowd to Abendmesse at St. Anne where we ended the night with a candle-light procession from the Basilica to the town square. In the twilight, hundreds of us with candles circled the Gnadekapelle as we sang Marian songs and said prayers. Loudspeakers around the square ensured that we could all hear. Surrounding the square, all of the buildings had soft glowing Christmas-like lights on. We walked together for about 30 minutes before gathering in the center for some more songs and praying. At its conclusion, the priest thanked all of us for being a part of the ceremony. He welcomed travelers from all over as Pilgrims and commented on the great peace of being together as one community to pray even thought we came from all over. It was a very unifying experience and was comparable to my Rome trip… only this was much smaller and cozier. I suppose that is typical for most anything in southern Germany.

Candle Light Procession

I slept sound that night and woke up early for mass at St. Magdalene. Following this, I ate breakfast at the inn and checked out. Before leaving the city, however, I made it a point to see some of the many small shops and a few of the museums. At the Neue Schatzkammer Wallfahrtmusem, I saw a golden horse and an ebony crucifix among other treasures that had found their way to the village through the years. I then visited the Panorama and Machanische Krippe before leaving town.

Treasures from Wallfahrtmuseum

The Panorama was another highlight of the trip. It was a giant 360 degree painting of the death of Christ at Golgotha. From the center point, the viewer is standing on a hill west of Jerusalem. In front of you, you can see the entire ancient city and temple with Christ’s crucifixion occurring nearby. The most incredible part was feeling so close to the scene.

The Panorama

My final stop was the Machanische Krippe, which was a mechanical model of the Nativity scene and surrounding Israel. The figures were all linked by mechanical arms and levers under the base of the attraction so that they moved when it was turned on. It was by far worth the 1 Euro admission. At 2:00 PM, I hopped a train back to Munich.

The weekend flew by at an incredible pace, and I saw and experienced a lot. These words hardly do the trip justice, but it was a wonderful journey into Catholic Bavaria. I will no doubt return if a future opportunity presents itself… especially around Christmas. I saw pictures of the town during this time of season, and it looked even more picturesque. With a Christmas Market and lights all around, it was a perfect winter scene. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see if I get to experience the real thing…

The weekend was a great blessing and I thank God for allowing me to meet new people and see the faith of the Church in yet another light.

The Machanische Krippe

Ups and Downs

I left you all on Saturday after a fair trip into the outskirts of Munich. Since then, I have realized a study abroad trip can have just as many high points as low ones… even if all the low ones need to hit at the exact same time.

The adventure started on Friday really. I received a letter in the post saying I had received a package. I was of course excited. Who doesn’t like getting mysterious brown boxes in the mail!? It was 4:15 pm. I opened the letter and read the details. It said that since it was an international package, I had to pick it up at the Zollamt (customs office). The office closes daily at 5pm. Okay. I ran upstairs, pulled up google maps, and found it. It was about 17 km out of town! I could make that in 30 minutes on a bike pedaling hard… okay… we’re going…

I pedaled fast. Apparently not fast enough. There was a rather...um…“hefty”… gentleman who glided right past me as if I were on a leisurely ride. In reality, I was sweating through my shirt. Wow… I am out of shape! I digress… So I kept riding north of Munich and ultimately got lost. 5pm came and went. No package. At least I got in my exercise!

…

I already updated everyone on Saturday, so we’ll skip back to Sunday. On Sunday, the internet was down at my place, so after dinner I rode out to Starbucks (15 minute bike ride). I rode out there because it was necessary to call mom on Mother’s Day. When I called, I found out my uncle was not doing so well. He had been diagnosed with cancer a while back, and we knew his time was soon coming. I thank God for allowing me to make that phone call, because I did get to say a few last words to him that afternoon.

This is my blog and it is just as much my trip record as it is your way of keeping tabs on me while I’m abroad. I cannot skip over details though, so I’ll share some less “surface level” thoughts.

I have and know many friends and family who have fought cancer. I know many who have w

on. I know many who have lost. I know many who are still fighting. To those who have been affected by it, I will say that you are among some of the most brave and resilient of men and women. I admire your courage and your strength. I admire the courage and strength of your families. I was away in Germany during two big events I regularly participate in… Relay for Life (in Cincinnati) and Hopefest (in St. Henry). Both are events where we walk to remember lost loved ones and walk to fight for those still living. I charged some friends with walking for me… and I did some walking of my own. For all those who prayed for my uncle this weekend… thank you. It means more than I could describe.

My uncle was a great man, and I am blessed to have known him better in the past couple of years. For a while, I didn’t know him very well at all (he lived rather far away). Due to some family related events, he was reconnected with us back in Ohio and he made a few trips over to visit in recent years. I was able to crack jokes and converse with a relative I would have otherwise never known well. I believe strongly that God brought him back into our lives for a reason. Though he has moved onto a much better place, I am glad to have some memories with him, and I look forward to telling him about my Germany trip some day in the future.

Being away from home during this time has been hard, but it continues to teach me just how blessed we are each time we are physically present with family and friends. I love my family. I love my friends. End of story.

…

After talking with the family at Starbucks, I left to find my bike with a flat tire. It must have seen a shard of glass. Those are rather common here. That meant I was walking. I carried my bike 10 minutes to the nearest gas station. Of course the air pump was broken, so I carried my bike to the next gas station where the pump worked. I filled the tire, and was fortunate to have it last right up until I got back to 61 Motorstrasse. Once there, I reached into my pocket for my keys… I found only a key fob with a broken link. My keys had fallen off somewhere along the flat-tire excursion. I was locked out of a room (without my cell phone) and up until now, I hadn’t had a roommate. What was I going to do?? Before conceding to sleep on the street, I followed a fellow resident into the building and prayed that my roommate had come. He had. Thank you Lord! He let me into the room and we exchanged introductions. He probably thought I was a crazy person with the expression I had on my face. That was not how I had envisioned our first meeting! He’s cool though. More on that later…

That night I borrowed my roommate’s keys, bus pass, and a flashlight to head back out and look for my key. Replacements cost around $150. I searched for two solid hours and found nothing. Again… at least I got my exercise.

…

I guess bad things do really come in threes. The good news is that the rest of the week has been more hopeful. I got a new key Monday morning. I fixed my tire that night. On Wednesday I made another attempt at getting that package and was successful! My family rocks. I always appreciate a random singing card. And finally, work went well this week too… so in the end, I can only say “thanks”.

…

I couldn't leave a “hole” in my German experience records, so that’s the latest. Again, I am very thankful for my good fortune in spite of the sometimes seemly “bad” fortune. To those at home, thank you for always being there and being so supportive.

God Bless,

Corey

Kloster Andechs und der Ammersee

The first week of May in Munich proved to be even more beautiful than those initial weeks in April. On Monday, temperatures hovered around 50 degrees, but each day brought a little more warmth. Today was a bright and sunny 72 degrees. Perfect weather!

So… updates…

Work:

This is officially week five at BMW, and I am learning far more about engineering than I ever expected to at this point in a foreign co-op. I have been working on a Mini Cooper for the past few weeks… running tests, changing variables, and viewing the results. I was initially given a lot of help, but over the course of the past couple weeks, I have gained a better understanding of the software and test procedures. On Monday, I was asked to compile my results into a presentation so that they could be shown to other design divisions. I worked on this until Tuesday when I found out the presentation would be used at a video conference. Later on Tuesday, I found out that I was giving the presentation! The pressure was suddenly on. I wrapped it up on Wednesday and that afternoon, I went with my department head and another intern to the video conference. We were the only Munich folk, but there were large groups from Oxford, England and another location in Italy at the conference. We were first on the agenda. Without too much fussing or official introduction, I was given a gentle tap by my supervisor to start. I talked for 10 minutes, gave our design recommendations, and held my breath. There were a few questions, but it went relatively smoothly. That was my first video conference AND my first official engineering presentation since being at UC! And it happened in Germany!

Random Discoveries and/or Revelations:

I love “Kaffee und Kuchen.” If there is one thing America needs more of, it is a short afternoon break where everyone drinks coffee and eats amazing cake!

Germans always seem to think practically. This was an interesting find this week. A puke-sink at a biergarten… complete with handlebars…

Having time to read a novel is incredible.

The English language needs to have words for “Gemütlichkeit”, “Quatsch”, and “Mahlzeit”. Don’t bother trying to translate them either… there isn’t a good way to do so. The first has to do with the cozy, together, and well-feeling atmosphere of being with friends and family. The second word is just funny and it great to say when you’ve lost all ambition and care for something. The third is hysterical to me. It is the greeting and farewell to any person between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. My daily conversation with the lunch lady… ME: “Mahlzeit!” HER: “Mahlzeit!”

I miss Jeeps, Dr. Pepper, chili, and fried chicken.

Ammersee und Kloster

Today was exceptionally beautiful and I had decided yesterday that today would be an outdoor day. On recommendation by a co-worker, Micah and I took the S-Bahn out to a place south of Munich called Herrsching. This is a small little town on the edge of placid lake called the Ammersee. We arrived at around 10 am and took some roads through town towards the wooded edge. Here there was a 4 km woodland trail that led to a monastery on the other side of a valley. This was a Andechs Abbey (in German, it is called “Kloster Andechs”). This is a Benedictine monastery with history dating back to the middle ages. Through this period and later, it was a popular place of pilgrimage for many travelers. Today, it is still a popular visit. Small houses, rolling fields, distant views of the Alps… the picture is hard to describe, but it was very enjoyable and peaceful. Better yet, the monastery is well known for their brewery! The monks made a lot of money for the abbey through this brew house, and today the brew is very popular. Until now, I had held the Paulaner Dunkel in high esteem. Well… watch out, because the Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel is in close running. Those monks know how to make a tasty beer!

After exploring the monastery grounds, we took a separate trail back to Herrsching where we grabbed some Gelato and walked out on a pier over the lake. Wow. The water was smooth as glass. There must have been 100 sail boats out on the lake too! The light breeze that was out pushed the boats along gently. Along the coast, a line of biergartens and cafes served families, friends, and couples as the afternoon hours slowly passed. I’m game for this sort of relaxing any day. I reminded me of some good times boating with friends I know back home.

After the hike, a meal, and a short tour of Herrsching, we traveled back to Munich. Back in my apartment (still roommate-less) I am now updating this Blog and will probably do for a nice walk later. I hope everyone else is seeing great weather back home!

Schönen Frühling!

A Wind-Down Week

After a rather intense Easter weekend, I decided that this was going to be a very chill and non-busy week/weekend. Wednesday was supposed to be the day my new roommate showed up. I have nothing to report, however. He is currently MIA… even now on Sunday. I suppose we’ll see what this week brings. I did however have a new experience on Wednesday. I went to the German Friseur (barber/hair-dresser) for the first time. I have a hard time explaining how I want my hair cut in English. I all but gave up trying in German! In the end there were no disasters… I still have hair! Disappointing was that there was no warm-lather straight blade shaving of the neck as I normally get in Clifton. Those are the simple things that make all the difference sometimes.

The rest of the week consisted of finishing up my first big assignment at work. I am happy to report that I am finally getting the hang of some of the software we’ve been using! Outside of working at work, I also discovered a new favorite dessert on Friday! It is called Quark-Maracuja-Lasagne! Literally that translates to curd, passion fruit lasagna. Wow, was it good! I had a large helping and covered it with chocolate sauce. Who knew lasagna could taste any better than in its traditional form!

This weekend was comprised of lots of reading and relaxing. I did get to go on another 30 minute run and I saw another new church as well. On Saturday I went to mass at St. Joseph’s. It was nestled in a quite section of town just outside of the Innenstadt. The church was beautiful (the recurring theme here in Europe). This one was especially neat because they really placed a focus on St. Joseph. Each wall contained several portraits of St. Joseph throughout his known life. You could see images of him meeting the angle, guiding Mary to Bethlehem, trying to find room at the inn, leading the Holy Family to Egypt… and many others. It was cool to see my namesake is such vibrant images.

After mass, I found a neat little English bookstore across the way. Apparently, it is the largest used English bookstore in the city! The owner came from the states and met a German. He decided to stay in Germany and open this bookstore. It seems like interesting shops such as this are everywhere in Munich.

Into the afternoon, I was actually more on the hunt for some lamps for the apartment. My goal was to remove the prison-like feel I have had in my apartment since moving in… something about white walls and florescent lights… Since I’m purchasing on the cheap, I wanted to find another Flohmarkt. I had heard that there was one every Saturday in Olympia park’s parking lot, so I headed there. Wow… I hit the mother-load! It was the largest flea-market I have seen since Trader’s World outside of Cincinnati! Many families and individuals had booths lined up and down the parking lot with small concession stands in between. I browsed for a couple of hours, looking at all the treasures. You could buy anything from beer steins to singing fish (yes, they have that darn fish here too!). I found my two lamps for a reasonable 10 Euros after doing some expert negotiating (I’m probably exaggerating…).

That brings me up to speed. It’s raining outside now and I’m perfectly content with watching it out the window. It hasn’t rained too often since I’ve been here, so it is kind of peaceful.

Happy 1^st of May! …oh, and I about forgot to mention... I received my first paycheck on Friday! Hurrah for reversed cash flows! After all this spending, it’s good to see some income!