Saturday, July 2, 2011

Cold and wet in Leipzig

I thought a lot about my father today.
I went back to Augustusplatz, walking to the tram stop, waiting for the tram and hopping on it like a native this morning. I walked around there for hours, buying a couple pairs of socks (I forgot to bring any socks), an umbrella (rained lightly all day), looking at the weinstube where Goethe spent his time, the statues of Faust and the Devil. If you rub his shoe, they say you will have good luck. Faust's that is. And his show is bright and shiny. And yes, I gave it a surreptitious rub. I spent the day just soaking it all in. Later on I got a curry and then went to an organ concert in Nikolaikirche. Bach in that magnificent church. Wow.
It amazes me that this is now MY city.
Dad arranged for me to take German lessons from a lady in the neighborhood when I was in 5th grade. We worked from a 3rd/4th grade reading book. I'm not sure how much I actually learned of grammar and such, but enough interest stuck to have me taking loads of German in college. Because of all that German, Dad also bought me some sort of commemorative plate that had a picture of Rumpelstilchen. For some reason, all these years I thought it was Rapunzel, but when I pulled it out of the closet a few weeks back to show the niece, it was a short little man spinning gold from straw. Wrong story, right idea. I think my Dad would be very proud of both my storytelling and this move.

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