Back to School

 Now that we have had fall vacation, we've had time to catch our breath. Here are some pictures from the kids' school start back in August. Nora was very happy to start second grade, as she has the same class teacher and classmates as last year. Unlike the U.S., kids stay with the same classmates and teacher for the four years of elementary school. This works out great if you like your teacher and classmates (Nora does), but it is a bit tricky if you don't.

 Oliver's school start was very different, as he moved from elementary school to the Gymnasium, which lasts for eight years and prepares you for University studies. You are probably thinking that it is a little early for ten year-olds to be thinking about the University, and I agree, but this is how things are done. He has 29 classmates and two homeroom teachers, and the class has different teachers for the nine different subjects that are covered. In other words, it functions pretty much like our junior high school. It was an adjustment just acquiring all the folders and books and figuring out how to organize them.

 About a week after school started, Grandma Joan flew from California for a visit, just in time to celebrate Nora's seventh birthday. We so much enjoyed her visit. She saw Göttingen, Hannover, and then she and Mike spent three days together in Berlin. They missed the outbreak of head lice at our house, but that is another story...

 Joan helped us put on Nora's seventh birthday party. We did a home party, keeping the kids busy with a treasure hunt, water carrying game, soccer goal shooting, three-legged races, and crafts. It was a fun way to reconnect with friends after summer vacation.

Three-legged race

 After the party, we still had a few days to enjoy Göttingen with Joan, who is walking quite well after some hip surgery this past December. She is a real trooper.

 The day after Joan left, the kids' schools jointly organized a circus week with a local, family-run circus. They helped set up the tents, chose roles, and learned acts. It was a nice break from the rather challenging academics. Oliver's class also undertook a week-long class trip to the nearby Harz Mountains. Rather courageous teachers managed to keep all 120 ten year-olds from hurting themselves (there are five fifth-grade classes).

Nora's Gymnastics Circus Act

We always knew that Oliver (with big drum) was a bit of a clown...

 

 

 

 

 

Cologne and Amsterdam

Katherine had to give a talk at a Nabis conference in Amsterdam in October, and the kids had a two week school break. So we turned it into a family trip, first stopping in Cologne for two days.

The highlight in Cologne of course is its amazing cathedral, started in 1248 and finished only in 1880. Despite massive bombardment in World War II, which otherwise leveled the old city, the cathedral still stood. The train station is built right next to it.

After a visit to the zoo, we took a gondola ride across the Rhine, with an amazing view of the cityscape.

Very Narrow House

The next stop was Amsterdam, where we stayed in a nice family-run hotel near the major museums. We saw the Rijksmuseum's greatest hits and the Van Gogh Museum right off the bat. We also took a low key boat tour of the canals.

Seven Bridges of Amsterdam

Along the way, Nora continually sang the first line of Jacques Brel's "Dans le Port d'Amsterdam" (click for video--not necessarily family friendly, but hey, it's about sailors at port...). We rented bikes and braved the crazy Dutch bikers. Nora got the front half of a tandem bike, which involved optional pedaling and dinging the bell at pedestrians and other bikers. Nora and Mike went to the Hollandsche Manege, an old classic riding school right in the middle of a developed district.

Meanwhile, Katherine and Oliver took a self-guided bike and walking tour of the picturesque Jordaan district (no ladies in windows to be seen).

While Katherine was at her conference, the rest of us visited the impressive National Maritime Museum, which included a complete replica of a 1748 East Indiaman.

Afterwards we toured some newly developed areas with interesting modern architecture (plus a few older items).

Switzerland Summer 2011

Typical Swiss Family

 Woefully late, we are posting just a few pictures from our trip to Switzerland in July-August 2011.

Typical Swiss Family with Typical Swiss Pet

We spent some time in Zurich visiting Katherine's aunt Moni and her cousins Yvonne and Fabian and their young children.

Ava

Katherine's Cousin Fabian

Kath's Cousin Yvonne and Son Aris (+ one on the way), Zurich

Nora and Aris

 After a few days in Wil with her  aunt and uncle Burgi and Walter and her grandmother we headed off to the family hut (despite the rain and fog).

Churfirsten

Huesli, Alt Sankt Johann

Ruedi had already been in Switzerland for almost a month, three weeks of which was spent biking with a riding pal from Iowa. Cecile arrived around the time we did. We took several small walks until the weather cleared. On the first good day, Oliver and Ruedi climbed the Schiebenstoll.

Typical Swiss-American  Grandparents (with pet cow)

Schibenstoll (2234 m)--Oliver Climbed with Ruedi

The next day, we climbed the Säntis (which Ruedi and promised Oliver he could do once he was 10). Nora and Cecil joined us by cable tram.

Säntis (2502 m)

Lisigrat (narrow ridge passage to Säntis)

Oliver on the Lisigrat

We celebrated the 1st of August with Nana and Katherine's aunt and uncle Margrit and Sepp. The day before was a Alpengottesdienst--an outoor ecumenical service complete with alphorn players and one the the best yodel clubs in the valley.

Alphorn Players

Cow-Bell Players

Jodel Club Säntisgruess (click for audio of similar group)

The four of us took off for three days on our own to Zermatt (home of the Matterhorn).

Granaries, Zermatt

It was a beautiful 7 hour trip by bus and train (with many changes). Zermatt is a totally different world from Alt Sankt Johann, packed with international tourists and hikers. But if you walk uphill for about an hour, the crowds thin out substantially. We stayed in a hiker's hostel, with a large group kitchen. There were several groups of English and French who had hiked for a 7 days from Chamonix (Mount Blanc), staying at huts along the way. (Advice: try to secure you spot in the communal kitchen before the group of 15 French hikers start preparing their three-course meal). The first full day we took a gondola up to Schwarzsee, and then hiked the rest of the way to the Hornli Hütte, at the base of the Matterhorn. From here, the hard-core climbers begin their ascent to the peak (after spending the night at the hut; they need to start at 4 in the morning in order to make it back while there is still light).

Matterhorn

Alps

Oliver in the way to the Hornli Hütte

Nora on the way to the Hornli Hütte, Matterhorn in background

At the Hornli Hütte, Base of the Matterhorn (3,260 m)

The next day we walked up to the Riffelalp, and then took the Gornegrat train the rest of the way. The views were unfortunately limited by the clouds (normally one can see many 4000 meter peaks). Caught in a brief freezing rain, we took the train back down, returning happy but exhausted to our hostel.

Gornegrat (3900 m)

The next day, we returned by rail to Wil for one last day with the family, and then the following day we came back to Göttingen.

The end of the school year

There are about three weeks left in the school year, but things are definitely winding down. Oliver has gone from having two tests a week to no tests and units on bike safety that involve riding around ping pong tables on the school playground. At leat he is finally learning how to read the German traffic signs that have remained a bit of a puzzle to us since we arrived! Nora's work load has been much more manageable all year, thank goodness. The German school system is very good, but also very demanding of individual students and their parents, especially beginning in third grade. Basically if you have dedicated and well-educated parents who know the system, you will more or less succeed. Most families here have one parent home everyday afterschool to help their child navigate through and manage the school work, and we have all learned the German math curriculum, backwards and forwards. The good news is that Oliver did really, really well. He earned super grades and a strong recommendation to attend "Gymnasium," which is the college-preparatory school option here. Next year he will attend a very good school that caters to students from 5th-12 grade. It seems early to be making these kinds of decisions, but he is looking forward to the new school year. We will be able to stay through mid-January before heading back to Middletown.

Other than school, the kids have been enjoying their extra-curricular activities. Nora has been taking weekly group violin lessons, and has learned how to play all four strings and the first two fingers! She really enjoys it, and Katherine has fun practicing with her, well, at least most of the time. Her group will give an end-of-the-year concert on Friday.












Oliver's soccer team really came together this spring, and they are now in first place in their league with only one game remaining. Oliver scored his first goal in a "point game" last week, and has grown into a strong individual and team player. He has a wonderful coach from Afghanistan, and nice teammates.

Mike gave a talk to a history colloquium this past week, and will give a shorter version of his paper at a conference on the Jewish Enlightenment in Frankfurt in a few weeks. Here is a picture of the spiffy dad on the eve of father's day.

Katherine has been scaring up images for an article that will be published next year, and is deep into another  one. She is enjoying the concentrated time to research and write without interruption. The other development is that she started running again after a ten year break! It is amazing what a good pair of running shoes will make. On July 6th (the last day of school) she, Oliver, and Nora will all participate in a run held downtown, the Altstadtlauf. She and Oliver will run a 5 km course, and Nora has signed up for the 1800 meter run, and as of today has some serious running shoes that should help her along.

Otherwise, life here is calm and enjoyable. We like hearing the birds in the forest at night, and lead a rather simple existence.