Burn or Build Bridges

This day I went on this little adventure courtesy of The Goethe Institut. We travelled to Aschaffenburg, Germany and we went to one of the castles. We were at the Schloss Johannisburg Pompejanum. There is the (Schloss) which translates to castle. Then there is the Park Schönbusch. This photo I took outside the castle on the Park side. Throughout this sight-seeing adventure we were being informed of the history behind this wonderful castle.  This castle until 1803 was the second residence for Mainz. This is the center of Aschaffenburg the Shore of Mainz. I also learned some interesting history behind the Swedish attacking Germans. My instructors informed me it was either dishonorable or they simply did not start a war during the winter. When the Swedish army arrived they thought the castle of Aschaffenburg was so beautiful, they did not destroy it. I started laughing when I heard them say this. I thought it was interesting how in times of war certain monuments or treasure acquired by the winner of a war could still be cherished and prized. I made many friends at the dinner table after we left this castle. They were all from Greece and of course that was an interesting treat. Speaking over the cultural differences between Germany, Greece, and the USA. Keep in mind that during this entire trip everyone was speaking German. The instructors refuse to speak English and many of them do not speak English. That is the thing I love about being in this Country. You can’t run away from the language. If you refuse to speak the language of a country, then you simply will not eat or even enjoy yourself for that matter. Since I am a linguist, I suppose I have grown to love languages so I will never refuse to speak to the language of the country I am currently residing. That would very counterintuitive indeed. There are just many things I enjoy about American and German culture alike. I believe you must be appreciative of the differences between your own culture and another. If  everyone did the same things, would not life be really boring? We would not have much to talk about now would we? I am always learning new things and that is the most important thing. Always look for new things to learn, new avenues to walk, new ideas to ponder, because life is too short to be complacent. Go build your bridges 😉 Stay tuned !!!