Marlies grew up in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. Her interest in languages and other cultures first brought her to Maine as an exchange student, but her affection for Maine and its people eventually led her to move here permanently. For the last eighteen years, she has lived in Portland, where the proximity of the ocean and the handsome brick buildings remind her of her native city.
Marlies has a degree in teaching English and French from the University of Freiburg and a M.A. in German from Middlebury College; she has taught German at the high school and college level as well as in adult education programs. Her interests include hiking, biking, reading, and traveling – and always learning more languages!