Brocken

Inspired by the sudden onset of winter, this weekend Kate, Christian, and I made the requisite pilgrimage to the highest point in northern Germany, the Brocken. Northern Germany is pretty flat; the highest point is just over 1000 meters high.

The forecast had promised heavy fog and 60 km/hr winds on top of a temperature of -17 degrees C, but instead we were greeted by sunny and calm conditions and a parade of happy excursionists.

To get to the Brocken, we took a regional train from Hannover to Bad Harzberg, and then bus number 280 to Torfhaus. From there it's a five mile walk up to the top, through some beautiful, wintery forest. We took an alternate route down the mountain, ending up in the village of Ilsenburg‎.

Here are a few more pictures on flickr, or facebook if you prefer.

Some outdoors stores in Hannover:
* Bluesky
* Sachen für Unterwegs
* Camping Schrader
* InterSport

root canal part II

Over Christmas in the U.S. I had a root canal done on my #2 molar. The root canal procedure was painless, the process a technological marvel, and the endodontist a master. Also, the bill was more than $1200.

After the root canal, the endodontist puts in a temporary filling, made of some kind of paste. I was directed to go to a dentist about a week later to get the tooth "restored", via a crown.

I finally got around to getting this done (about a month later)--the long delay because I had to find a dentist here in Germany and felt a bit apprehensive choosing one at random. Nobody had any strong recommendations for (or against) any dentist, so I went with an indirect recommendation from one of my friends, who said his girlfriend's dentist was near my house and that his g.f. seemed to like this dentist. This office turned out to be just 1 block from my house, and the dentist's name is Dr. Jutta Fricke!

None of the support staff in the office speak English--fortunately I can speak enough German to make an appointment over the phone--but the dentist does. She was quite confident and efficient, and 45 minutes later I had an amalgam filling in the tooth, and a referral to come back in 6 months for a check-up, to see if perhaps a crown is needed after all.

Total bill for the procedure (without insurance): only € 62.33!

I am a bit worried, though, because both my U.S. dentist and the endodontist said I should get a gold crown. There is a worrying graph showing a big fracture risk for molars with root canals and simple fillings. But perhaps I am just predisposed to some worry due to some comments the American endodontist made about German dental work. It is hard to know what to think when the prevailing professional wisdom in two countries is contradictory.