The air tastes different in Berlin.
It’s also different in Weimar, another city which we paid a visit.
When we got to Weimar, the first thing we realized was that it wasn’t Berlin. Weimar had an authentic, old fashioned feel to it, it was a city that seemed to me as if it knew what its place was in the world and wanted to keep it that way.
I was talking to my mom the other day about an interesting herb called Ginkgo Biloba so when one of the first buildings I saw was das GinkgoHaus (the Ginkgo Museum) in a town square it was quite the coincidence. The famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe apparently first planted the Ginkgo trees around Weimar, as he was a fan of their effects on increasing focus and concentration. We learned about Goethe there and visited plenty of museums regarding him and Schiller, another famous writer. We even saw a monument of them. Here is a quote I like by Goethe,
“Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words.”
Pretty inspiring.
Classic men
I also got a taste of more authentic German cuisine, in the form of wurst, lots of wurst. My German got put to the test in Weimar when I realized the waiters did not speak English, contrary to the majority of waiters in Berlin. Weimar reminded me a lot of Philadephia in the US for its old-timey feeling with horse drawn carriages, classic architecture, and abundance of elderly folk. I wasn’t expecting beautiful scenery when we got to Weimar, but Weimar had other plans for us. One day we found ourselves in a giant field, complete with a flowing stream, lots of windy paths, and even a cave!
A real treasure of a spot
I have fond memories of Weimar, I feel that it was the first real taste I got of Germany outside of Berlin. I feel more educated and cultured about spending a weekend there, and whenever I see some Ginkgo Biloba I’m always going to think of Weimar.