Berlin

One-Sentence Summary: During my 48-hour trip to Berlin, my favorite sights were the Reichstag and Schloss Charlottenburg.

Last weekend, I visited Berlin, the capital and most populous city of Germany. My friend Marie was an amazing tour guide and host for me. I saw so much in the short time I was there. I didn’t realize the city was so big. The Hamburg public transportation system seems small compared to Berlin. The map was a little confusing since I wasn’t familiar with it, but Marie helped me learn the way by Sunday, especially since we used the U- and S-bahn for everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything…

I arrived on Friday evening after a 4-hour bus ride. The double-decker bus took an hour longer than expected due to the rain. I heard it rained in Hamburg over the weekend, but once I arrived in Berlin, the rain pretty much stopped. I was pretty glad about that. On Friday evening, Marie and I went to the Berlin Rathaus, Potsdamer Platz, and Alexander Platz. At Potsdamer Platz, I even got to see part of the Berlin Wall!

At Alexander Platz, there seemed to be some sort of international fair going on. There were different booths set up and it was very fun to view some of the different handiworks that were being sold. This clock in Alexander Platz tells the current hour in different places around the world. Every hour the clock rotates to be updated to the current hour in major cities in that time zone. Calculating from the LA time, you can tell what time we stopped by Alexander Platz.


We started out early for the Reichstag on Saturday morning, trying to beat the crowd that gathers for the free tour of the German parliament building. The building opens at 8 AM; we arrived around 8:45 and still had to wait in line for 40 minutes. However, I think it was definitely worth it. The new dome is the only part that is open for viewing, but the Reichstag experience is so much more than just a building. The dome is made out of glass and you can walk the spiral up to the top of the dome. There is a free audio tour in various languages that you can pick up at the base of the dome. I believe the individual audio speaker is magnetically (?) triggered to start speaking at certain points along the spiral ascent. In addition to learning about the history of the building and dome, I also saw the important landmarks around Berlin that were highlighted by the audio tour. It was a great beginning to my time in Berlin because it was like I was seeing a panoramic view of the city and I was able to see what sites I wanted to see later that day.

Other famous sites I saw were Brandenburger Tor, Berliner Dom, and Gendarmenmarkt. Brandenburger Tor is an old city gate that is an icon for Berlin.




Berliner Dom is officially known as “Oberpfarr und Domkirche” which translates to “Supreme Parish and Cathedral Church.” I can definitely see why people would want to call it “supreme.” It is beautiful church. Since I had so much fun climbing “die kuppel,” or “the dome,” of the Reichstag, I decided to also climb to the dome of the Berliner Dom as well. I wasn’t able to go to the very top, but I went as far as was allowed and it was another great view of the city. However, the climb was not as much fun since it was all stairs and not a smooth incline like at the Reichstag. My quads definitely got a work out that afternoon. Gendarmenmarkt is a Berlin square that faces the Konzerthaus. To the left and right are the Deutsche Dom and Franzosische Dom. The French cathedral was built first, but both were destroyed in World War II. The cathedrals were rebuilt and look very similar to each other today. Of course, I climbed as high as I could in the Deutsche Dom, and was able to look across the Gendarmenmarkt to the Franzosische Dom.

On Sunday, the weather was beautiful. Although Marie and I considered going to the famous Pergamon Museum, we thought it would be a waste to spend the day inside. Instead, we visited Schloss Charlottenburg. This was a really good decision since the schloss was one of my favorite sites all weekend. Now that I’ve seen Schloss Charlottenburg, I have decided that I want to live in a schloss when I grow up. What is a schloss? A palace, of course! Look how beautiful it is! I also want my schloss to have gardens and a fountain in the backyard like at Charlottenburg. If anyone knows where I can find a place like this, please let me know! I’ll be sure to invite you to my house-warming party. =D













There were many other sites that we saw, such as two different Saint Nikolai kirches, Spandau Citadel, Olympiastadion, St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, and Bebelplatz. It was a full weekend. I especially enjoyed catching up with Marie. Before I knew it though, I was back on the bus for Hamburg. Fortunately, I missed all the rainy Hamburg weather during the weekend and made it back in time for wonderful sunny days this past week. That’s part of the reason that this post is being made a week late. I hope I don’t make it a habit to post so late.

Everything continues to be well in Hamburg. Research in the lab is getting a little busier. Please pray that I would be very productive and use my time well. Also, one of the lab members is not feeling well, so I would really appreciate prayer for her. She was not able to come into work all week, so I hope she feels better over the weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

24

One-Sentence Summary: 24 exciting hours of Karis’ life in Germany!

Sunday, 5 July 2009
1100
What a beautiful day! Since church doesn’t start until 12:30, I have time to sleep in until 10 AM on Sundays and get a little brunch before heading to church. It’s a quiet, pleasant morning. I’ve packed a change of clothes for playing basketball with some of the other young adults in the afternoon. I’m excited to be out on the courts again.

1200
I’m off to church. Do I have my Bible, notebook, and basketball clothes? Check, check, and check! It’s just a 7 minute walk to the U-bahn, a 15 min ride to church, then a 7 min walk to the sanctuary. I should be there right on time.

1230
IBC begins!

1400
Potluck on every first and third Sundays?! Look at all this yummy international food. I think I’ll take some of this rice, and stew, and casserole. Mmm I love church potlucks. What’s even better is the great conversations I can have with the people at my table. There are so many people to meet, and they’re all very friendly. The young adults are still planning to play basketball after we’ve had some time to digest our food… the only problem is that we don’t have a ball. I guess it’ll be an adventure to find one.

1500
It’s hot outside, around the high 20s (°C of course, which is equivalent to low 80s °F). We’ve tried looking for a basketball at the church office and a friend’s apartment. I think it’s time to call it quits and just hang out at an eis café. Eis cream sounds so good right now.

1600
Potluck then eis cream! This is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It looks like a group of young adults are on the move. Did I hear correctly? We want to walk through the Altona forest? To the water? Well count me in. It sounds like a scenic walk and I’m sure it’ll be fun to get to talk to people along the way.

1700
Now I’m starting to feel the heat. We’ve been walking for about 30 minutes now and we’re still not there yet. I must admit that the scenery is beautiful but trees start looking the same after awhile. It’s a beautiful park if I were dressed to enjoy it. I’m still in my long pants and knit top that I wore to church. I wish I could change into my spare basketball clothes. At least this park is beautiful. I enjoy walking through it and seeing yet another side of Hamburg.

1800
We made it! And I must say it was worth it. The group didn’t tell me we were going to a beach. I would have brought my towel and flip-flops. I didn’t even know I lived within a train and bus ride to the beach. It’s not exactly like Southern California beaches, but I’ll take anything with sand, water, and waves. It’s so much fun to be at the beach during the summer.
I feel much cooler since I’ve finally changed into shorts and t-shirt. I even get to go into the water. I’ll just go in so far that the water is at my knees. Wave! Okay well now I’m wet. I don’t mind though. The cold water definitely feels good in this warm weather. What a great summer Sunday! I guess it’s time to head back home now.

1900
I’m on my way home for a quiet evening in my roo-*Ring ring*
“Hello”
“Hi Karis. Would you be interested in watching a heart transplant surgery this evening?”
“Yes! I would love to!”
“Okay. It looks like a heart just became available, so we’ll be doing the transplant in a couple hours. I’ll give you a call when the operating time gets closer.”
“Great, thanks!”

2000
I’m eagerly waiting for my phone to ring. Please ring, please ring. I’m so excited and have so many questions! How is the recipient? What happened to the donor? When is my phone going to ring??

2100
I think it might be more than a couple hours. I’ll take a shower and Skype with my family. That should pass some time.

2200
More waiting. It’s getting late. I don’t know when the surgeon is going to call me back. Maybe I should sleep and wake up when the surgeon calls back? Oh but I can’t sleep. I’m too excited about this surgery. I guess this is what they mean when they say “on-call.” I’ll just stay awake until I get a phone call. I hope everything is okay.

2330
*Ring –* “Hello”
“Hi Karis. The transplant surgery is a go. I’ll be making the opening incision in about 60 to 90 minutes. You should come to the hospital in about an hour.”
“Got it. I’ll see you in an hour then.”

Monday, 6 July 2009
0030
I’ve made it to the hospital. I’ve never been here at night. It’s really quiet and a little scary in the dark. Good thing I’m in the hospital where all the lights in the hallway are very much on and bright. I bet this keeps all the doctors awake during the night.
My scrub-in nurse is so helpful. She showed me where I can take off all my clothes and put on the fashionable green scrubs. We’re not allowed to wear any of our regular clothes in the operating room (or “OP” as the Germans call it). Even the rubber shoes are green. Now I’m going to meet up with the surgeon before he starts operating.

0130
The opening incision! We had to wait about 40 minutes more because our heart donor team had to wait for the lung donor team to arrive. I didn’t realize before how much coordination is needed with transplant surgeries. The organ donor teams from different hospitals all need to be present and working together so that all the organs can be used. In addition, the recipient surgical team has to be coordinated with the donor surgical team to make sure the recipient isn’t prepared too soon or too late. It’s all about the timing with these transplant surgeries.

0230
The expert surgical team is ready for the donor heart. We expect the donor team to arrive any minute now. There haven’t been any complications with preparing the heart to go on bypass. The heart does not look so healthy since this patient has been on the transplant list for a couple months. A few weeks ago, he had been told that a heart had become available for him. Unfortunately, the donor team found some problems with the donor heart and so he was very disappointed. However, this time the surgery is going very smoothly.
The donor team has arrived with a healthy heart. It is not beating, but I can’t wait to see it giving life to our patient.

0330
The old heart has been removed and the new heart is in. The surgical team is working hard to suture all the arteries and veins. The patient is still on bypass so the bypass team is also busy. The anesthesia team is constantly monitoring the patient’s status.

0430
The heart is beating! It is so exciting to watch the first beats of this heart in a new body. It will still be some time before the patient is fully removed from the bypass machine, but the heart looks much healthier compared to the old one.

0530
The heart contractions are regular and coordinated. The bypass team has done a great job and is finished for this surgery. The surgeons are able to breathe a little bit while the anesthesia team works hard to replace bags of nutrients going to the patient. Fortunately, the patient receives all of his own blood back. Much of the blood that was lost in the surgery is filtered almost instantly and given back to the patient. We’re almost done!

0630
Now I’m starting to feel the fatigue. I don’t know how these surgeons do it. They’ve worked a full day and are on their 5th hour of surgery. I’m tired and I’m not even doing the surgery. I am impressed and thankful that they give up so much of their time and energy to save lives. When the surgeon told me that the whole team had to be on call that evening, I told him that I think the patient is very thankful that they are losing hours of sleep for him.

0800
The last suture is complete. The surgery went without major complications and this man should be very healthy now that he has a new heart. Even though I’ll never be able to meet or talk with the patient, I hope he makes the most of this donor heart.

0830
I’m just in time for my lab meeting. My boss is a little surprised I showed up since she knew that I spent the night watching the transplant surgery. She’s telling me to go home right away. I just need to do a few things in the lab before I go…

0930
No eating or drinking in the lab. Exit the building if you hear the fire alarm. Don’t put flammable chemicals near the heater. Got it. Safety training done!

1030
I’m on my way home. It has been a full 24 hours and I’m exhausted. Everything I did was worth the lost hours of sleep though. I had a great time attending church, going to the beach, and watching a heart transplant surgery! I hope the summer gets even better from here.
In the coming days, I will be praying (and I invite you to join me in praying) for a quick recovery for the heart recipient, comfort in a grieving time for the donor family, and much-needed rest for my physical body.

1100
Sleep!

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Hamburg Bus Tour and Harbor Cruise

One-Sentence Summary: On the bus tour and harbor cruise, I got great views of the city landmarks and waterways.

The Rathaus (Townhall)
This weekend I had another amazing tourist excursion. Two medical students were visiting our lab, so six of us explored the city during the day. We rode a double-decker Hamburger Stadtrundfahrten bus that stopped at various points in the city. The total ride was about 2 hours and showcased the best sites in Hamburg. We drove down Monckebergstrasse, which used to be the city of the city. It is still a very popular street with classy shops lining both sides of the street. The actual road is closed off to public traffic; only taxis and buses are allowed to drive down the street that is filled with pedestrians. We also drove down the Reeperbahn, which is not as scary when you’re on the top deck of a double-decker bus but during the tour I heard more scary stories about the area so I’ll continue to stay away.

An area that was reconstructed to look like Hamburg back in the day.

The bus tour was perfect because I got to see the outer areas of Hamburg without having to walk there. Hamburg is a pretty big city, too spread out that I don’t think my legs would survive walking the whole distance. Hamburg is a mix between old and new. There are very old parts of Hamburg, including an area that was reconstructed after The Great Fire to look like traditional Hamburg. Even the streets are cobblestone. Then there are dozens of construction sites for the new Hafencity (Harbor City), a city project involving many millions of euros. The apartments, schools, and business buildings will be located very close to the water and the center of the city, and thus, very expensive. Do I hear early birthday gift? =D I got to see where Hamburg has had its Fischmarkt every Sunday since 1703. During the summer, it starts at 5 AM and includes more than just fish, I hear. Since IBC doesn’t start until 12:30, I have plenty of time to visit the Fischmarkt one of these Sundays. Stay tuned for a Fischmarkt post in the future.


Hafencity under construction.

The harbor on the Elbe River.

The permanent theater for Der Konig Der Lowen (The Lion King). You can only reach it by ferry.

Two of many bridges in Hamburg

After the bus tour, we went on a harbor cruise of the Elbe River. It was a beautiful day to be on the water because it was sunny with some clouds, not too hot when the breeze blows your hair. Hamburg is a nice city to live and work in because there are so many waterfront properties. Many office buildings are right on the water with a beautiful view. I don’t know how good that would be for me because I would get distracted whenever I look out the window. Still, I wouldn’t say no to such a view. I’ve heard that Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined. Yay for Hamburg!

It was a full day and I’m so thankful that I have fun labmates. We’re able to get work done in the lab but also share laughs and spend time together on the weekends. Please pray that our experiments would be successful this week. Everyone loves successful experiments, especially me! Thanks for reading!

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Another Park?!

One-Sentence Summary: I have found an encouraging group of young adults from IBC with whom I can hang out.

Blogs are surprisingly hard for me to keep updated. I’ve had a very exciting week but haven’t taken the time to write it in the blog. Then the longer I wait, the more I don’t want to blog because I know I’ll just have that much more to write about. So now I’m finally sitting down to document this past week. I might break this up into different posts since I couldn’t possibly have a one-sentence summary for the whole week.

On Tuesday evening, I attended the Young Adult Group at International Baptist Church (IBC). I was delighted to meet more people around my age and see some familiar faces. Many of the young adults keep telling me that IBC is a good church for me to attend because they’re accustomed to the quick turnover of young adults. Many of the families of the church are regularly attending members, but Hamburg has many young adults coming in and out for schooling and companies that IBC is able to welcome young adults regardless of how long they are staying. I have appreciated this aspect of IBC because I can learn more about Hamburg as well as listen to people talk about their life experiences in different countries. Already, I have had a few engaging conversations about ethnicity, nationality, race, and culture. And of course, you probably know how much I enjoy discussing those issues. I expect and look forward to continuing to have substantial conversations throughout the summer.

Again on Thursday evening, I joined an Eppendorff home group. We met at a friend’s house who lives very close by. We studied the last book of Titus to follow what the pastor was preaching on Sunday. We had a yummy dinner together, and then dove right into the text. The group was significantly smaller this week because families are on holiday. A few times now I have gotten confused by this term “holiday.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Americans use the term to describe a particular day/event that we have off from work, such as Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to name a few. When we take time off of work for ourselves, we would consider that a “vacation.” Europeans use holiday to mean time off of work, so many people have been asking me if I’m on holiday and I say no. Usually someone who knows I’m American will rephrase the question and ask if I’m on summer vacation, and I respond yes. It’s a very subtle difference but one that I have to keep in mind when faced with the question of whether I’m on “holiday.”

When I returned from work on Friday evening, I did not have any plans. I went to the train station to buy a monthly pass because I figure public transportation is much more time-effective than walking. On my way back, an IBC friend called to invite me to hang out. Needless to say, I was very excited to be invited to a spontaneous gathering. I even invited my neighbor who lives across the hall from me. I met him only this past week. He is German and speaks some English. We’re able to communicate but I agreed to help him with English if he helps with German. I think I may have the better end of the deal since his English is better than my German. Even though he did not know anybody and did not know that we were a church group, I think he had fun and I hope God will spark something within him.

The Alster

Since it was a warm Friday evening, we got some eis cream before walking to a park. Sorry no eis cream pictures, but I had gummy bear flavor. Yum! We walked to a park that I had never been to before and I’m not sure what the name of the park is, but it was located on the beautiful Alster (a tributary of the Elbe River). We passed a Frisbee, played a few cards games, and just talked late into the night. Germans really know how to spend their Friday evenings at the park because we seemed to be the only group without mini lawn torches for lighting. At midnight, I heard some people cheering (for someone else’s birthday), but I wished my group (from everywhere but America) a Happy July 4th! My English friend was not amused but a South African was also present to back me up.

Playing Frisbee in the park.

I hope everyone back home had a safe July 4th weekend. I am feeling more and more comfortable here, especially now that I am hanging out with IBC friends. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. Look at how quickly God works! Please pray that my cells will grow quickly in the lab. Unfortunately I had to throw away a flask of cells due to contamination, and it was a little painful for me. I really hope my other cells do not get contaminated as well. It’s hard for me to believe that it’s already July. Please send your summer updates to me as well!

Sunset at 10 PM

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

I-bahn! U-bahn! We all bahn for U-bahn!

One-Sentence Summary: On Sunday, I met new friends when I attended International Baptist Church for the first time and, later in the evening, I went to a small water show with haus mates.

Saturday was an exciting day, indeed, with seeing all the sites of Hamburg, but nothing can beat the Lord’s Day, Sunday! This Sunday, I visited International Baptist Church-Hamburg (IBC), an English-speaking church in the city. However, I decided to give my legs a rest after their hard work on Saturday and I took German public transportation for the first time. It was exciting but a little intimidating at the same time. I generally like public transportation because it is convenient and good for the environment, but I’m always nervous the first time I use it. I am afraid I will go the wrong way and end up in the middle of nowhere, waiting 30 min for the next train. Fortunately, that did not happen, and I made it to my destination in good time using the Untergrundbahn (U-bahn, “Underground").

When I got off the U-bahn, I was a little turned around. Of course, I didn’t have a map with me, but I thought I had remembered which direction the church was. So I set off on my course for IBC. After 150 m, I realized that the street names did not sound familiar. I headed back to the U-bahn station, and took a different direction. About 250 m later, I decided this wasn’t right either. I returned to the U-bahn station and chose a third direction. I was so relieved to find out that this was the right way to church. I would have been pretty upset with myself if I had gone through all four directions before finding the church. So much for honing my keen sense of direction.

As I approached the church, I was relieved to see other young adults walking through the doors. The woman greeting and passing out the bulletins warmly welcomed me (in English!) and asked where I was from. I responded, “America.” Then the next expected question, “And your parents?” “China” “Great! I thought maybe you were Filipina like me. Anyway, welcome!” And she gave me a big hug. This hug set the tone for the rest of a warm and friendly service. I was really blessed to experience songs of worship with such a multiracial group. When they say International Baptist Church, they truly mean International. I saw so many different ethnic and cultural groups in a congregation of about 200 or so people. Later I learned that about 40 nations are represented in the church. The congregation spanned all ages as well. I didn’t realize how much I missed singing praise songs that I knew until I was actually singing. At that point, I was just belting it out. “It” being music to God’s ears, of course. Being in the service reminded me of InterVarsity on a larger-scale and got me very excited Urbana 2009, which will be on an even larger scale.

After the service, I attended the open members meeting and learned how other churches take care of business matters. I think it was good for me to see, especially since I didn’t have anything to compare PVBC’s Congregational Meetings to before this. Similar to PVBC, the young adult group went out to grab some food afterwards. I enjoyed talking with and hearing stories from fellow Christians with backgrounds from Ghana, Namibia, and UK to name a few. It was so much fun and I look forward to getting to know the group even better as the summer progresses.

Later in the evening, some of my haus mates and I went to Planten un Blomen for a water works show. Right before the sun sets on summer evenings, there is a water show in one of the pools in the park, similar to the Bellagio water show but much smaller and with colorful lights. This Sunday evening, they played music from two Russian composers, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. Instead of trying to describe the show, I’ll try to let you experience through the wonders of technology. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!




So as you can tell, this weekend was very exciting for me. I explored an historical city, met a friendly group of people, and watched a beautiful water show. Please pray that I would be productive in the lab this week and form good relationships with people at church. I really appreciate your prayers thus far. God has definitely answered them in ways I did not expect.

At IBC, the church just finished up a series through Titus that was titled, “Transformers.” I enjoyed reading the following passage:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3:4-8

The City of Hamburg!

One Sentence Summary: I explored the inner city of Hamburg, including 7 churches, 2 houses, and 1 park.

Wow, there are so many exciting things that have happened in the past few days that I’m not sure where to begin. I might save some text/pictures for a later post, but I’ll write about a few things while they’re still fresh in my mind.

Yesterday I went to the inner city of Hamburg to explore and see all the tourist sites. I set off from my room at 9 AM equipped with my camera filled with a 2 GB card, a good pair of walking shoes, and a desire for an adventure. I returned at 6:30 PM with a filled memory card, probably 10 miles added to my shoe mileage, and a good feeling of contentment. The day was full; at times, frustrating; and at the end, tiring; but I’m thankful for safety and a rainless day when I could do everything I wanted.

The day was full with the final count being: 7 Kirches (churches), 2 Hauses, and 1 (big) park. Even though walking was tiring and took a long time, it gave me the opportunity to be flexible in my adventure. I did a little bit of research on the city of Hamburg, but only enough to know that St. Micaheliskirche is the most famous church and I should stay way from the Reeperbahn at night. When I arrived in the city, I found a strategy that worked pretty well: look for anything that stands above the buildings and walk towards it. If you find anything interesting along the way, take a detour to explore. This plan worked out pretty well for me, since at the end of the day, I did most of the major sites in Hamburg. Signs like these helped out a lot too because then I knew what the major sites were around the city.

The first church I saw was St. Johannis, which is actually in Eppendorf. Sorry I don’t have a great picture, but I will return to this church for more pictures since it is very close.







Next was St. Petri. I think this might have been my favorite church for its high arching ceiling and beautiful lighting at the front of the room. I spent some time in the chapel room and found this beautiful illustrated Bible. It looked ancient, but I liked some of the pictures.






Then I went to the Rathaus, which is Hamburg’s beautiful town hall. This is the fountain that is in back of the Rathaus.



St. Jacobi was a church only about 500 m from St. Petri. They were very similar in structure, as you can see from the stained glass behind the candle. This is one of my more “artistic” shots.


Then I stopped by the Chilehaus, which is a group of buildings built in an older German architectural style. I’m not exactly sure what the historical significance of it is, but I know it is on some of the tourist lists of things to do. I can probably do some more reading on historical sites of Hamburg in the future.


St. Katharinen was not as well lit as the other churches. I’m not sure if that’s usual because I saw that they were doing some renovation on the outside of the steeple. When I entered, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the organ playing. I believe the organist was practicing, but it sounded beautifully. I enjoyed sitting on the pew and just listening to the organ playing in this beautiful old church.

St. Nikolai is a memorial for the victims of war and persecution. It was built on the site of a former 14th century church that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1842. The new building was built from 1845-1874, but was destroyed, like much of Hamburg, in World War 2 leaving the tower and outer walls. The ruin has been maintained as a monument against war. I liked seeing that the statue on the left has its title and caption in 8 different languages around the pedestal.

St. Michaelis took me awhile to find, considering it is supposed to be Hamburg’s most famous church. I was so determined to find it though, and was really disappointed to find out that it is under renovation. Here is the little part that was open to viewing. The rest of the church was blocked off with scaffolding. I guess this means I’ll have to visit Hamburg again when the church is open.

My next stop was the Reeperbahn. I was not planning on going to this street because it is known as the red light district in Hamburg, but it is also a tourist attraction. I was a little nervous, but I figured it was broad daylight and I would try to stay with large groups of people. When I got there, I saw that they were having a Harley Davidson showcase. That would explain the many motorcycles I had been seeing and hearing all around the city that day. Needless to say, I didn’t like the Reeperbahn or the showcase, so I got out of there as soon as I could. I still snapped a picture for proof that I was there and experienced all of Hamburg that I should have.

The last church was St. Ansgar. This was the smallest church and the sanctuary wasn’t fully open to visitors. I did go in as far as I could though and this was what the sanctuary looked like. It is very well lit but not as well known.

My favorite place for the day was Planten un Blomen. I thought the parks near my room were nice, but this park blew me away. It’s right on the edge of the inner city of Hamburg. A Hamburg fun fact: There was a moat surrounding the city before, but then it was destroyed. In an effort to conserve some of the water that remained, the city formed parks with water running through. So if you look at a map of Hamburg, you’ll notice that the green areas of the map kind of form a ring around the city. Planten un Blomen is beautiful. It’s like a large botanical garden that includes a rose garden, a Japanese tea garden, and a musikpavilion for performances. I hope that I can have a future post dedicated solely to Planten un Blomen.

At times, the day was frustrating, especially because I did not have a map. I found myself walking in large circles sometimes, but I got a lot of exercise and saw sites that I would not have been able to see if I was just following a map. In the end, I kind of enjoyed traveling without a map. I don’t know if I’ll make it a regular habit, but when I have the time and energy, I can take the risk.

At the end of the day, I was very tired. I just came back to my room and lay on my bed for a few minutes because my feet were so sore. I had basically been on my feet for 8 hours, only sitting when I reached a church or found a scenic outlook bench. But it was a good-tired feeling and I’m glad I got to see so much of the city of Hamburg. I hope you are inspired to come visit me after you see all these pictures. I would love to share the city with you.

As you know, I’ve made it safely back after my adventure. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for sufficient rest this week and budding friendships. I hope to have another post up shortly.


In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Walk in the Park

One-Sentence Summary: I like spending time in the beautiful parks around Eppendorf.

The weather in Eppendorf has been beautiful this past week. I’m told that it’s not always like this and I’m bringing some of the California sunshine with me. I’m happy to bring it for the enjoyment of others and myself! This weekend, it looks like we’re going to have some clouds and a bit of rain though. Summertime in Hamburg includes quickly changing weather. On one day, it can go from being overcast in the morning, to blue skies in the afternoon, then heavy rain the next moment, which turns into clear blue skies again after ten minutes. Note to self: Always carry an umbrella.

On one of the nice days this week, I walked around Eppendorf a bit. I came upon two parks, one being Kellinghusens Park, a relaxing area that I know I’ll be spending more time in this summer:


I even found an old basketball hoop there. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a basketball to play with, but I was still excited to see it:


Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost


Picking flowers!


A strawberry stand (in two senses)!


What a cute little cottage! I don’t think anyone actually lives here, but I’m not sure what it’s for:


On my way home, I took a picture of the church:

If you are still wondering from my last post, the numbers in the picture are indeed the hymn numbers and verses that we sang. I think it's such a clever way to announce the hymns.


Everyone in the lab has been very friendly. This past week, we celebrated a lab member’s birthday, and even though I was here less than a week, I already felt a part of the “lab family.” One of the lab members and I are doing daily German-English lessons. It’s very fun but also very hard. Yesterday’s lesson was counting: eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun zehn. I’m still trying to meet people with whom I can explore the city and go on escapades, so you can be praying for that. Hopefully I’ll be able to post pictures from adventures in the near future.


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13