A study of standardized testing results from nearly 7 million students over from 2005 until 2007 confirms two things: girls are just as good at math as boys, and standardized tests have some value. Hopefully the most immediate consequence of this will be a better gender balance in my lectures.
The last weekend of June I took a break from the heat in Munich and took a trip to Scandanavia. My first destination was Malmö in the south of Sweden, and the country’s third largest city. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time there, but it was nice just to go. My last name is Sutherland, in my case coming from the Swedish Söderlund or south land. Part of my family originates in the south of Sweden.
Malmö was a very green city with a beautiful town hall and a moated fortress-castle. The city was also full of morbid statues.
Copenhagen however is where I spent the majority of my time. The north is expennnnsive so most of my time was spent sightseeing garden’s and different parts of the city.
One of the more unique parts of Copenhagen is Christiania, a squatter commune of alternate-livers, unfortunately preferring not to be photographed. The Freetown Christiania is located in an old army barracks near the harbor. The city is full of some 850 permanant residents, a whole lot of wannabes, and even more tourists. Many of the residents are artisans, selling their crafts or performing music. There were several venues for art and music within the city, mostly along the main drag ‘Pusher Street’. This street gets its name from the previously open sale of Cannabis product, despite its illegality. Since 2004 police occaisionally patrol the area, and during the patrols it is no longer sold openly. As a whole, this anomaly is unlike any other community in a major western city.
There were two things in Copenhagen I did pay for. First was the Rosenborg Slot. Originally built as a summer home for Christian IV, today it houses the Danish Crown Jewels and has a walking tour of the rooms. Christian IV was the superhuman harddrinking warrior king of Denmark from 1596 to 1648 and has a lot of interesting anecdotes. In one of his battles, he caught flak from an explosion in his head. After the battle, it was removed, and he had it made into earrings for a mistress.
Finally I spent money on the view of the city from its town hall. This was a pretty long hike but the inside of the building was gorgeous.
The way to and from Copenhagen I took the night train. This was some 14 hours of uncomfortableness in both directions but the time went pretty quick. On the way there I shared my cabin with a German with some real unusual questions. We ended up talking for a lot of the trip. One example: what we use for building materials in the states. The way back my wagon had to be replaced in Hamburg because the speakers weren’t working… that was miserable. I got back to Munich at about 9:30 in the morning, ready for a full day at work.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is Germany’s medieval fantasy town. Catering today mostly to tourists, the city has a pretty interesting history. I spent this past weekend exploring that during a quick two day trip.
This colorful history begins around 1200. Rothenburg was one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire at this time and one of the few free imperial cities of the empire, governing itself but ruled by the empreror directly. During the 30 years war Rothenburg, although completely walled and fortified, suffered heavily.
It was occupied several times during the war, most notably by Count Tilly, and afterward suffered plague. These events cost the city most of its wealth and destroyed most of the economy in the surrounding area. Rothenburg’s wonderfully preserved modern state is largely to thank for this, as the city was no longer able to grow.
During the Second World War Rothenburg was bombed destroying much of the newer portions of the city and about 45% of the wall. A final bombardment and attack was avoided, sparing the rest of the historic town.
I did some site seeing in the city and as usual a lot of walking. Highlights were climbing the Rathaus, seeing the carving in St. Jakobs Kirche, and a sweet walk through the Tauber river valley. We found a real relaxed beer garden down by the river basically run off someone’s porch and situated in their backyard. I could see spending a lot of time there!
The Night Watchman of Rothenburg tour was one that was unfortunately a better idea to skip. I’d heard great reviews, but on weekends at least Rothenburg is swamped with tourists. The town receives about 2.5 million visitors annually and there may have but upwards of 100 people attending his walking tour. The city was gorgeous and fun to visit regardless. A nice escape to some hills and something a little greener than Munich.
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