*Items to Declare (Freiberg, Germany)*

The emphasis on fitness in this area is mind-boggling, but it kind of makes sense if you look at the area and realize how much the Black Forest and associated hills and valleys lend themselves to biking, hiking, and jogging. Perhaps if there were interesting things to see and do, not to mention a little more free time, people would be more prone to exercise in the States.

It might have been all in my mind, but I had some hair when I came here, and I shaved my head yesterday, and I think I got some dirty looks here and there…but I can't be sure about that so please take that with a grain of salt. (Even if I did get dirty looks, I can understand…I’m just saying.)

I have not seen a train, bus, or anything with any kind of schedule not happen at exactly the right time. German efficiency is not a myth and is totally in effect. I mean, these people take their schedules seriously…you know that if I’m thinking someone should calm down and not sweat something, they’re probably a little wound up.

There is a geographic question that has come up in two different conversations I’ve had with two different people and about why southern Germany is predominantly Catholic and why northern Germany is mostly protestant. Of course Martin Luther came from northern Germany and that explains the protestant presence in the north, but I can’t figure out why Protestantism didn’t spread massively throughout the south. There is no large mountain range that splits the two like the Alps or anything, so that kind of take out the physical geography aspect as a reason. The only reasons I can come up with involve proximity to Italy and the Catholic culture there, or even the more Orthodox culture to the southeast. I don’t know, but it makes for great question for a Geography major.

That’s about it, Freiberg has been a lovely place to kind of slow down and catch up on school work and classes…now I’m off to the Swiss Alps for two days and heading to Verona, Italy after that. The miles are starting to ware on, and I’ll be honest, I’m glad to only have a month until I get to see the wife(ish) in Norway. The pictures she sends me mean a lot, but I can’t wait to see the real thing.