While in Northern Germany with my Annie on an exchange, I took her to Bremen. I wanted to see just was there to consider taking students on a quick trip on an afternoon, but as the trip began to wind down toward a conclusion, they chose to have more money for souvenirs. It really didn't bother me, because I gave up trying to convince teenagers about seeing things they would never see again and putting up with their being angry at my forcing them to do something they wouldn't appreciate until at least a decade after our return home. It just wasn't worth it to me anymore, but the trip was a fantastic afternoon to be with my Annie. The main train station was one of those traditional ones with the large hall and an open entrance where the train would enter. The yellow phone booths are now a rare sight in Germany. During my last visit, some "rocket scientist" decided he would paint them a color so that they would blend in with the environment. I could never find them after that, and everyone else must have had a similar experience, because they began to be a rare thing to find in Germany, just like they are here now.
One thing interesting about Germany cities is the art you find there. And Bremen was no exception. The fountain was interesting, but the surrounding parts of the city here were not the best things we found that day. Bremen is a beautiful city.Ann and I find open air markets fun. First, you have fresh fruit and vegetables which include a number of things occasionally that we never see here: things from parts of Europe and other exotic places that would be too expensive for American vendors to carry, especially in the West.
And I am sure that most of my Annie's fascination comes from the fact that she grew up in a home where her dad was a grocer. Stan was also, as I remember, a very good produce man in earlier experiences in the business. And he would have loved being with us seeing how they marketed things at markets like this. This stand is one I found interesting. I always bought cherries when I could find them. One rule was not picking up any of the fruit. I remember Ann's dad telling me how frustrating it was to throw away produce bruised by the hands of people squeezing their way to a selection. In Germany, you tell the vendor how much you want, and they wrap it in a folded piece of paper for you. There is also usually a place where you can wash the fruit in the area near the market, although this is not always the case.
I remember Ann taking these pictures of the market. It still makes me smile for the reason I already mentioned, but I also admire the quality of the pictures. I do the same thing when it comes to taking pictures of farms.
Bremen is a beautiful city, worth spending time there. The sights there are incredible, the people are friendly, the atmosphere is pleasing. There are also opportunities to see a Broadway type play in Bremen. Unlike America where New York seems to be the center for that aspect of cultural life, different plays appear in a number of cities from Hamburg and Bremen in the North to Stuttgart in the South. And there are other venues as well, and that does not consider typical concerts and plays you find in any European city. It is no wonder that movie theaters I occasionally visited with students were empty. There are much better things to do with time and money. But then again, for those who prefer souvenirs, you might not want to see so many fascinating things.
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