My Favorite Finds in Marburg

St. Michael's Chapel

Marburg, like all cities, has its planned routes, its "must-sees", its monuments that put it in the guidebook, if not on the map. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tower, the Landgraves Castle, and the fairy tale trail through the old city are all fantastic adventures that take less then a day to complete. But after four months studying there, I was bound to find some hidden treasures:

1. St. Michael's Chapel - This chapel and graveyard was consecrated in 1270. I found it exploring the staircase near a döner shop at the Ketzerbach intersection, and later returned with Deb. Although we didn't go inside the chapel, the graveyard is enough to be amazed at: centuries old tombstones are sunk into the ground or attached to the side of the chapel, the edges withered and the faint epigraphs are the only reminders that these slabs might have labeled a grave. If you continue the upwards climb, you'll discover two routes - one leads to a winding neighborhood with a fantastic view of the castle, the other to Wehrda, Marbach, or the Emil Adolf von Behring Mausoleum.

A piece from the Shinto collection

2. Emil Adolf von Behring Museum - Behring (1854-1917) is accredited with discovered the diphtheria antitoxin and researching immunities. The Museum is located in Marburg's chemistry lecture hall, and I only stumbled upon the museum because my Arabic final took place there in the great lecture hall. I didn't get too much time to look around, but it even briefly skimming the notes, artifacts, and images from this collection was fascinating.

3. Marburg's religious collection - This gem can be found in the old city, on the way to the castle. There's a high wall with seven large hats - the seven dwarfs - and a building with slanted windows. Here, you'll find a vast array of artifacts - sometimes authentic, sometimes not - from world religions. Each floor houses two or three different practices, as well as seminar rooms, as the building functions as a religious studies center. If the museum isn't open, you can ask the desk on the 3rd floor, and they will happily open the entire exhibit. And if you don't know any German, the items are described in English as well. Hinduism and Buddhism definitely dominate, but there's a lot to be said for Christianity, Shintoism, Judaism, Islam, and other pagan beliefs.

The Marburg flea market.

And as a bonus, you should definitely visit the flea market. When I went to scour the finds, it was located in Waggonhalle. It's about a 20 minute walk from the train station, and like the one in Berlin, you can find just about anything there! It's many thanks to my tandem partner that I even decided to go.

Which reminds me, the one must-do when studying abroad: find a tandem partner! In Marburg, you can be matched with someone in the language center, and you can even get credit for doing it. It's a great way to meet new people, practice your German, learn more about your native language, and learn more about your host city!

3 Favorites from Berlin

So, last week I wrote a short blurb about my time in Berlin - and even now, I believe it's impossible to give you my full impression of the city. There are many things I wish I could have done there, but I've decided to let you in on my favorite things in Berlin until I recover from jet lag!

1. The Flea Market (Flohmarkt) - specifically, the one on 17th June Street! This sprawling line of venders offering antiques, knickknacks and other finds cuts through Berlin's Tiergarten, a vast park connecting the Moabit and Charlottenberg districts. You can find clothes, some Bavarian costumes, old photographs, small appliances, swords, Russian nesting dolls, and pretty much anything you desire. And for a great price.

2. Kreuzberg - Just all of it. It's my favorite setting - Mexican food, Arabic food, Turkish, Greek, whatever you're in the mood for, it's there. My particularly favorite store was a small indie comic book shop, with humor merchandise, t-shirts, journals and other various things. In fact, speaking of things, we stumbled upon The Museum of Things - which unfortunately, we decided not to investigate due to fatigue. In this picture, we see a Gay Pride parade.

3. The Subway - Yes, I really, really love public transit. And Berlin's system seemed quaint and reminiscent of the 70s and 80s. Despite an encounter with a belligerent drunk woman, whom I briefly discussed in my article about Berlin, traveling via subway was really enjoyable!

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to visit museums or castles while I was there - primarily because of money and time restraints. But the three listed are small, amazing things that I enjoyed during my time in Berlin - far more than the touristic sites.

You can go to the Brandenburg tour, Checkpoint Charlie and the East Side Gallery, but it's the small, everyday places - the subway, restaurants, and so on - where you will really feel Berlin, not just see it.