They pronounce W's like V's.

We originally wanted to drive to Paris 2 weekends ago. Why? For no apparent reason, we just thought it would be a good idea to make use of what's left of Summer. J's never been there, which explains why i casually brought it up that we should check out Paris. He calculated that it would take about 5 hours to drive there.

But then decided against it.

In the last minute J tells me we're heading to the Harz mountains. Which ended up being the better option as Paris celebrated their National day on the 14th and had we of gone, not only would that had meant prices would be sky high but the traffic would be horrendous.

Having no idea where Harz is, i immediately googled the place. I like to have an idea what to expect and what to pack. It's in the East of Germany and is in a totally different state. One that i have never stepped foot in. So i'm thinking we're going to be stuck in some forest and walking nature trails all day, as that is what the pictures show.

I like walking. But i'm not sooOooo much into nature trails and getting lost in a forest.

Never mind, at least it's a holiday, i tell myself. After all, if it means a quick escape from the city than maybe it'll put us in a better frame of mind before we have dive into packing and successfully finding a new home.

Oh gawd, why won't people move out already!?

16-22 July
So we decide to drive up to his parents place in Walsrode [pronounced: Vals-row-duh] and which happens to be on the way to our final destination. It ends up taking us a tedious 4 and half hours to get there. We made a brief stop in Bielefeld, one of the cities near the town J will be working in. A city we had considered moving to but decided against it for many reasons. We only drove through to the city centre but from first impressions, we were not impressed.


Eventually we arrived in Walsrode and made our way to his grandmother's apartment, which is minutes away from his parents' place for dinner. Our last visit was last year in November, 8 months later and from the looks of it nothing had changed. Maybe a few additional photos on her mantel piece but everything had it's own place. Everything was neatly organised and had its designated spot. I'm guessing just as how a grandmother's place would be.


Oma [the word for Grandmother in German and Dutch] doesn't speak any English, so our conversations are limited, where only a few words are exchanged on my side. J continues to be my translator. However, my ability to pick out words from sentences enables me to have a rough idea of what's being said and i accompany them with nods and smiles. Still nerve wrecking as hell but i manage to get through it without much stress.


We later meet up with J's elder brother and his girlfriend for a few beers and shots of tequila. Only to get back home hours later completely exhausted from the day and remembering we promised to meet up with his grandmother in the late morning.


After running a few errands, we make our away to Wernigerode in Harz only in the late afternoon. The drive would take us about an hour and a half. We arrive when it's dark and get lost a few times as his navigation device has difficulty picking up the exact point of the service apartment.

After a few calls to J's godfather, we finally find the place. A service apartment nicely tucked away and it's no wonder the navi can't find it. After dropping our bags and downing the complimentary baby bottle of sparkling wine on the dining table, we take a short stroll through the city centre. And even though it's dark we're surprised to see what the city centre has to offer.


I'm going to try my best and write Wernigerode how i think it sounds when you say it: Ver-neeg-ge-row-duh.

I know. It's confusing!

The following are photos taken through the city centre, only walking distance from our front door. Houses dating back to the 1700's and side streets lined with cobble stones was like walking back in time perhaps into a fairy tale. The town is truly beautiful. Not only was it full of character but was packed with tourists.


Wernigerode's Townhall. First built in 1584 and possibly the oldest standing building there.

We were there!

Some of the houses used to be stables, where you could walk through to the back to see the renovated results. One would never have guessed that the houses would extend that far especially from the outside.


Many of the houses were no higher than 3 stories. And look they even had a Subway!


This particular building was built in 1875 and although renovated a number of times, it still manage to capture it's original look with its' intricately carved wood. It was nice to walk down the streets and discover a house even older than the one before.


We also managed to see a Trabant parked on the side road, an automobile produced in the East of Germany and apparently the core structure is made out of cardboard! "It could take years (usual waiting time 15 years) for a Trabant to be delivered from the time it was ordered, people who finally got one were very careful with it and usually became skillful in maintaining and repairing it. The lifespan of an average Trabant was 28 years [source].


Wernigerode is famous for its' castle and can actually be seen from the town centre.


We were going to try and walk up the hill but the weather was shit and so we jumped on the "train" on wheels instead. I can't remember how much we payed but it brought us there and back to the city centre.


Because we're cheap arses and didn't feel like paying for the entry fee to go inside the castle, we stood outside and took photos of the surrounding areas and the castle grounds. After all, seeing old furniture and the way the King of Kings lived is of no interest to me. If anything i could just buy the catalog.

But the castle and the view weren't the only attraction...


Everyone seemed to stop in their tracks when they saw these 2 very white Germans dressed like Harajuku girls posing in their matching neon pink polka dresses. I just had to sneak a quick photo of them, they just looked too cute.

Wernigerode also surprisingly has a few casinos. I'm guessing there really isn't all that much to do once the shops close.


J's godfather, J and i still smiling because we hadn't lost any money
.
.
.
yet.


We managed to get a free pass into the casino which entitles the bearer an alcoholic drink. I wasn't able to take photos inside but before heading up the stairs to the actual entrance, i did mange to take a very blurry shot of them in front of the slot machines. So after playing a few rounds of computerized roulette and the slots machine, we realised Lady Luck was not on our side.

Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.


Then the next day we made a point to check out a cave thousands of years old. The temperature outside was in its' late 20 degrees and dropped to a nippy 8 degrees celcius inside the cave.


The main office and the entry to the caves.


We weren't allowed to take photos but i did manage to bust out my camera once and awhile without the tour guide looking. And hence the reason the lighting is really bad.

We were told not too far away from the cave was a dam which overlooks a huge lake. The Rappbode dam is the biggest dam in Harz and the highest in Germany.


We crossed to the other side of the bridge and let's just say it was a wee bit windy...


But i must say, the photos turned out better than expected.



4 nights and 5 days later we were surprised how fast time flew. But by the end of it, all we wanted to do was sleep in our own bed and not have to sit in the car anymore.