Crossing

In anticipation of the Frankfurt Book Fair in October where New Zealand is the guest of honor, a blog has been started. An Aotearoa Affair will be highlighting the work of Kiwi and German writers and artists. There will be features as well as weekly highlights and a monthly blog carnival. The first theme for the carnival is Crossings. I thought I would list some of the definitions I've found for "crossing" with some photographs from Germany. I hope you like them.

    crossing:

1. the place where one thing crosses another

the crossing of tree branches

When most peope think of Germany, they think of evergreens. However, we have our share of deciduous trees and sometimes the branches cross one another as in this photo. There are other crossing as well--cows crossing the road, roads crossing other roads, paths crossing in the woods. Of course, there is also the crossing of legs, arms, fingers.

2. a place, often shown by markings, lights, or poles, where a street, railway, etc. may be crossed

train crossing

One of the things I love about Europe (and specifically Germany) is the abundance of public transportation. Travelling by train, whether it be for vacations or the daily commute to work, is not uncommon. In fact, my teenage daughter takes the train to school every morning. Even better are the walking/bicycle paths that connect to just about everywhere. I love the fact that I don't need to share the road with cars and trucks and during warmer months I can save gas money by running errands, shopping or visiting friends by bicycle. It is not unheard of  for my family to pedal 17 km in summer just to eat gelati and then ride back home again. An excellent Italian gelateria with flavors like lemon-basil, lavender-blueberry, cinnamon, and chocolate-chili makes it worth the trip.  

3. the intersection of the nave and transept in a church

church, Munich

Whenever I visit large cities (or even small towns for that matter) I like to visit one of the local churches. Besides being beautiful, they are rich in history. The one above (St. Michael's Church), is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps and was built by William V, the Duke of Bavaria. Ignoring the protests of citizens, he had 87 houses torn down in order to build it and the adjoining college. This was done in 2 stages over a period of  14 years. I'd go into more of the history, but I know that when it comes to Munich most of my American friends are more interested in hearing about Octoberfest.   

4. the act or instance of travelling across something, especially the sea

boat, Lübeck

The scene above shows just one aspect of Lübeck. It is the largest German port on the Baltic Sea, but Lübeck has so much more to offer visitors. Much of the town has kept a medievel look with old buildings and narrow roads. Because of  the Brick Gothic architechtural heritage, Lübeck is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. And quaint it is, with several old churches and an old part of town which is an island enclosed by the Trave river. And believe it or not, Lübeck is also known for its marzipan industry.
 
5. the act or process of cross-breeding

Uhhh...I think we'll just skip that one.

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To  see some crossings from my local area, CLICK HERE.