Frankfurt am Main

Themes: Germany 2010

It’s rapidly becoming apparent to me that the rest of the world regards Australians as a pretty uncouth lot. I did my little bit to polish the brand by starting the morning with a thunderous bowel evacuation in the ensuite of my 8 person (mixed) dorm at the Frankfurt Hostel. I think I picked up a little gastro somewhere along the way (probably Britain, nothing is beneath them). It turns out that ensuites are something of a mixed blessing…
Usually Australians can console themselves with the knowledge that at least we’re not American. Unfortunately, the lone American in our dorm is a philosophy student currently studying in Florence, extremely well mannered, quiet, and fluent in German. Absolutely no cover for me.

I spent the morning exploring the old city of Frankfurt, it’s an area called the Römer (presumably the Romans had something to do with it – if I could read the information boards I would know). You can check out my flicker album if you’re into pictures (scroll to the bottom). My highlight was the Paulskirche, which hasn’t been a Kirche since the end of WW2, and which isn’t particularly old. It’s just a beautiful building. If I ever had to look for inspiration for a modern church design, I would begin with the Paulskirche in Frankfurt.

After the Römer I took the pedestrian bridge over the river Main. On the other bank they’d shut off the street and given it over to a huge market – it felt a bit like Paddy’s market in China town (but with Turkish people). It had the coolest collection of junk I have ever seen. Heaps of stalls selling bicycle parts, lots of old Soviet weirdness, My favourite was a stall selling little busts of Lenin and icons of Jesus. One place was selling car tyres. Who buys car tyres at a street market?

Every block or so was a stall selling wurst (sausages). They set up a giant circular grill (3 metres diameter) that is suspended by chains from a central pivot. Underneath are hot coals. When you place your order, the sausagemeisters spin the wheel of wurst and grab yours as it goes by. I watched the crowds for a while trying to work out how to order something. After a while some Spaniards, whose german was only slightly better than mine, came along and had a crack at wurst-purchasing. Their success inspired me with confidence, so I tried the same routine and ended up with a Bratwurst. Tasty.

After a bit more wandering and buying a kebab in the Turkish quarter (Germany has the largest Turkish population outside Turkey and most of the Turks in Frankfurt go shopping on a street one block from the Hostel) I said auf wiedersehen to Frankfurt. I now have a German Rail Pass that entitles me to ride the rails as far as I like for 5 (non-consecutive) days. It will get me through all the rest of my journey.

As soon as I arrived in Heidelberg it began to rain. I made the extremely foolish decision to walk to the Hostel (2.4kms away). I think I was just too freaked out at the thought of trying to negotiate a bus. I was totally soak by the time I got to the Hostel and my pack had nearly succeeded in folding my shoulders into my pelvis. When I collapsed in the foyer I was so totally destroyed that I couldn’t even pronounce ‘Sorry’, the one German word with which I’m becoming intimately acquainted. So, today I’ve managed to convince the Germans that I am both uncouth and retarded. The girl at reception was sympathetic, she even gave me a towel to dry my face and hair before she checked me in.

On the positive side, there are bears living next door. The Hostel is right alongside the Zoo and the Bear enclosure opens out onto the street (presumably to give you a taste of the further delights inside if you pay your entrance fee). So as I’m stumbling through the rain, I look up and sight an actual german bear (who also looked unimpressed by the rain). There is also a bird that I can hear from the window in my dorm and which keeps calling out stuff in german. Yes, there are birds who know more german than me. I hope the bears eat it.

[The Flickr album works best if you turn on the titles and descriptions. You need to go into full screen and then click 'options'.]

Up!

Themes: Germany 2010

I’m off to Germany. Currently I’m somewhere over the Pillaga scrub in Western NSW in the tail of a 747. My immediate travel companions are two very friendly Dutch people who’ve never met each other before and are interested in everything I can tell them about central Australia. Now the discussion is being continued in Dutch, a language i’m yet to master, so I’m just sitting it out.
…
We’re flying over central Australia – right over a huge flood that stretches for 100′s of kilometres. I’ve never seen anything like it. We heard about the flood on the radio a few weeks ago but it is incredible to witness. The country is very green, I’m sure it’s usually desert. From the air you can see the lines of sand dunes and craters, the ancient inland seabed is running over with water again. I’d love to travel this part of the country in a 4WD. I think my Dutch friends would probably come.
…
I have this weird reaction to people speaking a language that I don’t understand in my presence. I come over with this embarrassed feelng. Like they’re doing something a little shameful. Could this be a problem in Germany? I’m not sure if I can handle feeling embarrassed on a national scale. Actually, that’s not quite true I feel a whole nation of embarrasment for the English. There are about 10 of them on this plane dressed as women and harassing the flight attendants. I’m not kidding. They’re flying to Bankok dressed in drag. It was quite funny when one of the attendants started giving them advice about their choice of heels.
…
I sprechen no deutsche. I’ve been trying to learn phrases from my Lonely Planet phrasebook. It feels like an elaborate game when you’re learning a language and nobody around you is speaking it. It’s going to be rather more serious in a few hours.
…
Quite a few hours…
I’ve now been sitting in the same seat in this little metal cigar for 21 hrs. I had a one hour break in Bankok. I’ve still got 2hrs to go before we reach Heathrow. We’re over the Ukraine and racing the sun. I’ve been watching it rise slowly now for hours. This whole trip is taking place over one extended night. I departed Sydney at 6pm and I arrive London at 6am.

I lost my Dutch friends in Bankok. The girl actually gave me a hug goodbye. We felt like old friends parting for the weekend rather than strangers whose paths are probably perpendicular. Maybe we’ll pass by each other again but we don’t know so we pretend. Only God knows where our feet will fall.

Human finitude is sweetness and sadness. I found a friend and lost a friend all in one 24 hour night.

William Perkins

Themes: History, preaching

I’m currently up to my eyeballs in reading for the Reformed Greats intensive unit at College. I was doing some research on William Perkins when I came across this little gem describing Perkins’ preaching:

“He used to apply the terrors of the law so directly to the consciences of his hearers, that their hearts would often sink under their convictions; and he used to pronounce the word “damn” with so peculiar an emphasis, that it left a doleful echo in their ears a long time after.”

After reading his description of God damning infants, it’s not hard to understand why his preaching left such an impression. But lest you think that Perkins was a man consumed by visions of hellfire without a consciousness of God’s comfort in Christ, it’s worth knowing that he was renowned for his pastoral work. He began his ministry preaching to prisoners in Cambridge goal, without pay, simply because he cared for them. He famously led a young condemned man to the comfort of faith by kneeling beside him and crying with him to ‘”show what the grace of God can do to strengthen thee.”

Q&A: God, Science, and Sanity (1)

Themes: Apologetics

So, I was on the ABC TV show Q&A last night. You can download the podcast here (copy the link into iTunes or whatever).

I’ve been chatting about the experience with various people over the past few days and thought I might try to set out a couple of reflections here. But first, some background…

How I got there…
A lady from my Bible Study at St Tom’s sent an email to the pastor of our congregation noting that the Q&A was hosting Richard Dawkins on Monday night as part of his tour through Australia (he gave a sell-out presentation at the Opera House on the weekend). She suggested that a few people should see if they could get tickets to be part of the studio audience. I thought that sounded like fun, so I filled out the form here. On Friday I received an email from one of the producers of the programme telling me that I’d been selected to be part of the studio audience. The subject line of the email was: Tony Jones wants your Questions!
I felt a warm surge of love for the ABC and for all cardigan wearing, beret toting, goatee stroking members of the pinko-commie liberal media mafia. These are my people, Tony needs me!

Carol the Producer (a satisfyingly Marxist job description) told me I had until 1pm Monday to submit a question for consideration. If the question was selected, then I would have the opportunity to ask the question myself, Live On National TV!
Woot!

How I got to ask a question…

Questions…

Themes: Apologetics

Call for submissions.
By some weird act of providence I’ve been invited to join the Q&A audience on Monday night. One of the panelists is Professor Richard Dawkins of whom you may have heard
I’ve also been invited to submit a question for Tony (aka The Thinking Women’s Crumpet according to Emma) to ask. I need to submit the question by midday Monday. So, I’m opening it up for suggestions. What should I ask? I’ll shout a coffee for the best suggestion…