Postings from Germany

Nickolet and Car-Free Sunday

What's a Nickolet and what is a car-free Sunday?  Since I have never heard of a car-free day anywhere in the US of A, I naturally wonder if it happens there.  Does it?

Here in Germany -  Italy too, but I'm not so sure about other places - there are a few recognized days (always a Sunday since it isn't such a grand imposition on the local auto-dependent populace) where cars are banned from the city center.  In Rome it is associated with getting the ozone levels down in the summer and generally making it healthier for people to simply breathe.  Here, it's that and a promotion for more environmentally friendly ways of getting from here to there.  I'm on board!

And  Nickolet ?  Ah, that's a "she" and she's our new "student" from Jacobs University.  We weren't expecting to be host parents this year, but she showed up at the last minute and, well, they asked us and we said yes.

Nickolet is from Zimbabwe, is a first-year student and is only 18.  Good grief, that's young.  We had our first meeting last week, had a get-acquainted dinner one evening and then today a venture into Bremen.  Last week's trip with the University group wasn't so great since it rained and was cold.  (But I have to think it's a bit better than being in Zimbabwe where a young man was sent to a year's hard labor this week for saying that Mugabe was old and wrinkled.  No further comment.) 

Today was better - dry, sunny and lower 70s.  Great, in fact.

We saw the usual sights.  The Windmill ...

... and the Town Musicians.

And we got to see streets with no cars.  It was verrrry weird.  I didn't realize how much cars are a part of the urban landscape and how accustomed I am to them until they weren't there. 

There were lots of exhibits with bikes, alternative transportation, electric cars and everyone could ride the trams and buses for free.   LOTS and LOTS of folks were on the streets walking and biking and skating and enjoying the day. 

We enjoyed it, too.  Nickolet has a hard road ahead.  We'll try to give her a non-institutional meal now and again and fill in the gaps that the far-away family leave.  I think that's a job we can handle.