Burg Plesse

On the top of a hill to the north of Göttingen stand two towers of a castle which have been puzzling me for a while.

I took this on one of the first weekends I was here and I was very frustrated because I couldn't find a good, easy way to get up to the castle. Fortunately, after two months, I've discovered some tricks and shortcuts.

From the top, the view is magnificent. This is Eddigehausen just below the hill and Bovenden further out. If the light and my camera were better, you could see the windmills I was stalking a few weeks ago on the far hills. The Leine river runs through the middle of valley and joins up with many small streams.

The main tower of Burg Plesse. This one is the wider and taller. It must have been restored in the 17-1800s and has recently had work done on it. There were lots of plaques and bits of history; the site seems to date back to 1500 BC, and then actual castle to 900-ish AD, but it has changed a lot over the years.

Like most European castles, this one has all the couryards and walks and arches and towers and such. And like most Americans, I was awestruck. I was tempted to explain to a couple who saw me taking pictures that I was from America where we don't have castles...

Inside the tower a spiral staircase runs up to the lookout deck. The stairs were really old and creeky and I was actually afraid they might give out at one point. Thankfully Germans are, mostly, lighter than Americans and, thus, no tragedies.

Charming little castle. I'd live here.

Deppoldshausen

Deppoldshausen is a tiny tiny village on the very top of the hills to the north east of Göttingen. It basically consists of 3-4 houses and a big, fort-like building that holds some more rooms and a barn. The entire place is surrounded by fields and pasture and feels like it could be from the 1500s.

The entire place is very quaint and feels like stepping back in time. I suppose the people here farm the surrounding land and make most of their own food. I didn't see cows, but I can't imagine going down to town every day for milk..

The fort-building is starting to fall apart, but the houses have been recently renovated to incorporate modern conveniences.

The view from the top of the hills across the valleys to the north. It was a really pretty day (Sunday) but the clouds became threatening at times.

Vampire

I just finished Dracula.

The late 1800s must have been pretty depressing for women. Male posturing has probably never reached such heights... I'm mildly disgusted:

"Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man's brains—a brain that a man should have were he much gifted—and a woman's heart." And same paragraph: "We men are determined—nay, are we not pledged?—to destroy this monster; but it is no place for a woman. Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer—..." After a few horrors, by the woman in question: "I shall put a bold face on, and if I do feel weepy, he shall never see it. I suppose it is one of the lessons we poor women have to learn."

I got kind of tired of the weak woman/strong man imagery after a while. If the author had been a woman and it had been a little more absurd (nay! is that possible) I might have taken some passages as sarcastic, but I think it's actually just degrading.

Actually there were several things I didn't like about it. "Treatment" of mental illnesses, Victorian propriety, the English hereditary title system (I think I liked the American guy the most), assumed superiority of technological advancements (mingled with reliance on religion and superstition), the aforementioned female-belittling attitude (the woman later fulfills her societal duties and pops out some babies), the alluded-to male posturing--a major tension point with three men after the same girl, and probably other things. But I'm apparently a picky (and feminist) reader.

Apfelsoße

Let me mention again just how much I really, really, really don't like apples. Or pears.

I bought two very beautiful pears the other day and I've been collecting apples for a week or two. Unfortunately, I really had no idea what to do with them until the other night. The pears I cut and cooked in a pan with butter and ate, mashed on toast, with some quark. Then last night I was tired of seeing apples in my fridge so I made applesauce!

I might mention here that I do like cooked pears and saucy apples. Really, the reasons I don't like them normally (raw) are--in order of importance--thus: 1) (disgusted:)Hand picked fruit tends to be home to critters. There are very, very few things worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm or bug or whatever has made it it's home (of course, barring the discovery of only half a worm, bug, etc). 2) (flustered:) The skin is really annoying and gets in your teeth and won't come out until you get home and floss. 3) (just picky:) The texture of a raw pear and many kinds of apples is something like that of wet cardboard. 4) Fructose:fiber is too unbalanced.

Now that I have made my case against apples and their cousins in their uncut, uncooked form, I will admit that I LOVE applesauce (and most every cooked apple/pear pastry or pie)--provided it is made my way! That means peels left on (trying so hard on #4), marginally chunky, essentially no sugar added (again #4), lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, a splash of vinegar, and whatever else I feel like adding (like caramelized onions).

Yum. Sorry if I offended any apple lovers.

Kapute PlastIk

So I was just thinking to myself that europeans are really smart for using glass for a lot of things Americans would rather have in plastic. Pretty much any juice you buy here comes in a REUSABLE (mehrweg) bottle--even, or perhaps especially things like soda and beer. This is an amazing thing that American companies should pick up right now. The bottles, in theory, cost an extra 0.10 or 0.15 € (das Pfand) and there are receptacles that you return them to in most groceries, Getränkenmärkte (basically beer/wine+water+juice+some liquor store), and places with lots of vending machines--whereupon you recoup your change. I know some states have refunds for return of some types of glass bottles and maybe some plastic, but I don't think there is any state--even golden California--that has such and extensive tax/reward system setup. And while I suppose it's government supported, I think it's actually a company that collects the bottles and such. It's really quite an ingenious process given that it's probably much easier to clean and sterilize old bottles than have new ones cast. Granted, plastic is probably cheaper. Until there is some societally-accepted way (i.e. a way Republicans/Libertarians won't complain about--probably never going to happen (incidentally, shouldn't this be exactly the government's job? to regulate where free-market capitalism can't compensate for hidden costs--i.e. transfered health, environmental, and QOL costs)) to tax companies for the end environmental impact of their products, I don't think such schemes would catch on (wow, that's really hard to understand. good luck!).

Anyway; back to my other point. I was just thinking this when I went to lift my curtain and--POP--one of the little PLASTIC clasps breaks. There is absolutely no reason to make these things out of plastic. In fact there seem to be many reasons to make them of brass or steel or, hell, dried hemp--not the least of which is that they are holding up a moderately heavy object which will be raised and lowered 3 times a day and thus transferring (why on earth does that have two Rs? transfer-ing. why, english?) a good bit of stress to whatever is holding them up.

Come to think of it the most traumatic of my misadventures here have been due to unnecessarily cheap things breaking (also: by bike light died the other day. just fell right off. i think i'm illegal now!). So I guess even in Europe people have to some degree bought in to the American mentality: It's cheap! If it breaks, I'll just get another and throw it away! Who cares about the island of trash in the Pacific?!

I'm saddened.