Sadly, on Tuesday I board a plane and return to the United States. I'm excited to see friends and family, but slightly depressed that I have to leave my adopted home. I want to thank all of you that continued to read my blog. I have received many e-mails of enthusiasm over my writing during these four months, and it has really meant a lot to me.
You have allowed me to fulfill a secret desire of mine, which is to write and actually have people be interested in what I have to say. I have always been a fan of the written word, much more then spoken. Maybe it’s because I am a lot funnier in writing then in real life. I truly envy those that seem to have that perfect delivery.
I find though that writing is a lot more gratifying. It allows you to be more open, and express yourself. Written verse also means something different to all of us. You can read this passage, and add your own emphasis, imagining what it would be like to sit down yourself and say it to another person. Better yet, to compare it to your own life, and inspire you to apply it in some fashion.
Last summer, I started thinking about another semester long study abroad experience. It was in my mind before I applied to Carlson, but became a reality about a year ago. I was fortunate to spend the majority of the 2001 summer in Valencia, Spain, living with an old Spanish widow and speaking Spanish as a first language. I was even more fortunate to spend a semester in London during the spring of 2002. Both experiences were invaluable to my personal development. First, 9/11 was sandwiched in-between both trips, giving me an interesting pre and post foreign perspective of the event. Second, and most importantly, it showed me that there is a world outside of MN.
One thing I struggled with a bit was how I was going to try and sell the idea to those around me. Getting married, having kids, and becoming a home owner are all things I look forward to. Bearing good health, would my life be judged any differently though if I choose not to begin that journey until two years from now, or ten years from now? I don't think so, because in the long run, my life will ultimately be judged by how good of a person, husband, and father I was. At least (as a man) that is how I look at my father's life. Sure he served in the Navy, and became a pretty successful businessman, but in the end, was he a good person, husband, and father? I think so, and that's all I really care about.
All along, I focused on this experience as a continual development of myself. The decision on my part to fulfill a desire in life I know will bring me happiness and make me a better person. I'm lucky to say that in my life so far, I have no regrets. Of course, there are things I've said and done that I wish you could take back, but in the overall picture, it is hard for me to feel any regret. After five years of work, and another 35 ahead of me, I would have regretted not spending these four months in Cologne.
Of course, I should thank the city of Cologne. I appreciate it letting me hang around and learn. Although I've been here for four months, I don't think I could dare say I truly 'lived' in Germany, (or Spain or England for that matter). I believe that to truly live in another country you must go to work everyday, speak their language, and face their same hardships. Istead, I merely studied abroad for four months out of my life. I had a chance to come here and live a happy fantasy life. If I was to say I lived here, I think it would only be to make myself sound more important then I really am. On an elementary level, I like to compare my experience to that of a petting zoo. Not only did I get to see some pretty cool things, I got to open the door and play with them for a while.
In closing, I came across a British fellow during my travels who absolutely loved America. When I asked him why, he simply stated that people believe they can be and accomplish anything they want to, even if they know it may be out of reach. He made me smile because I couldn't agree with him more. I've been amazed at what has come to me simply because I got up and did something. Those that choose not get up and do something will walk in place, and then continue to blame others for the outcome of their life.
In the end, we all share the same fate. It is up to you to determine what you want to make out of your time here. We all have opinions on how to live our lives properly, and I assume that changes over time. I can't say that in my late 20's I know everything because everyone older then me will say that I am in for so much more. At this point in time though, all I can offer to people for advice is to simply 'do something'. Educate yourself, travel, help someone in need. Do what you need to do to diversify yourself to make yourself a more knowledgeable and better person. If you do that, I can only imagine that life will treat you that much better.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Final Tour
My final tour of sights in and around Cologne continued this past week with a few gems I'm happy I stumbled across. On Thursday I visited the NS-Dokumentations-Zentrum, or the EL DE House, the Gestapo headquarters from the early 30's through the end of the war. It has been renovated into a small museum chronicling the city of Cologne during the Nazi era. I had a highly informative audio guide to walk me through the tour, which is nice considering everything was in German.
The first piece of history you come across on the tour is a cardboard box with photographs and writing on it. It was created in the late 70's / early 80's by a citizen of Cologne upset over what he perceived as a lack of justice for the Nazis living in Cologne. He had heard that the EL DE house was once the Gestapo headquarters and that in the basement there still remained the jail cells of former prisoners. On the walls remained small passages written by the various prisoners. The man convinced someone to let him into the basement, where he snapped some photos, pasted them on his cardboard box, and then wore it around town preaching to the patrons. He soon gained more attention, and the rest I guess is history.
Though somewhat small, the museum is highly informative and took a couple hours to walk through. About half of the history is prior knowledge any novice historian is aware of. The other half though focused on the city of Cologne, and how Nazi policies affected the city. I loved the maps and pictures of the old town during the time. Although many streets were recognizable, you could tell that they really changed a few things during the rebuilding process.
One of my favorite parts of the tour was the room dedicated to highlighting the Nazi leaders in Cologne during the period. I was surprised to find out that the top official was just 29 when he first took the post in the early 30's. He survived the war, and only got four years of jail time after. He became a businessman in Cologne, and died of old age in his home which is not too far from my flat. That seemed to be the common theme for all the high ranking officials here in Cologne. After the war, they were hardly prosecuted, and had the chance to live a normal life after a small punishment. This after they contributed to the persecution of so many people, and their actions brought on the destruction of their city.
The last leg of the tour shows pictures of Cologne at the end of the war. I mentioned before that 90% of the city center was destroyed by allied bombing. A picture from 1949 still shows the city in ruins. Before I left, I took a walk through the basement. There were multiple jail cells (pictured) in the in the cold dark tavern, and on the walls the writing of the prisoners that were housed inside. One of the writings was posted towards the end of the war, and documented the hangings that were taking place. Underneath, the prisoner counted his own final days by writing the date. He got about six days in before it stopped.
Impressed with what the EL DE house offered me, I walked over to the famous Cologne cathedral (Dom) to bravely scale the steps and get a true bird’s eye view of the city. I had to mentally prepare myself as I was told the climb was a bit strenuous. There is no lift, only a narrow spiral staircase with two-way traffic.
During the climb my friend and I were behind a heavier set English speaking fellow. He had to stop about half way up to catch his breath and we gladly scooted past him. We crossed paths with him later at the top. He could see that we were trying to take a picture of ourselves, and he kindly offered to snap the photo for us. As he held my camera, his hand was shaking so much I thought he was going to keel over right there. I thought to myself, JC man are you going to make it?
The view from the top was great (pictured), but I didn't venture too close to the edge. I have a slight phobia of heights so I try not to push my limits. As we descended down the spiral staircase, we caught a glimpse of the huge bells before finally reaching ground. One more tour through the inside of the church, and I said a final goodbye to Cologne's tourist icon.
To cap off my final tour, I visited the town of Bruhl which is just one train stop away from Cologne (between Cologne and Bonn). I was told that there is a chateau there so I figured I would give it a look. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. The chateau (pictured) instantly reminded me of a miniature Versailles, complete with front gate and gardens. As I walked around the side of the chateau, there looked to be a wedding reception going on. It was complete with men in suits and women in gigantic hats. I thought it would be the perfect place to get married.
I didn't go inside the chateau as it didn't look like it housed any tours. I did walk around the grounds though, and enjoyed the peace and quite, along with the finely trimmed trees, rows of flowers, and small streams with ducks, fish, and turtles. I took a short walk through the small city center of Bruhl, and then hopped a train back to Cologne happy with my find.
Afterwards, I sat at an outdoor cafe in Cologne and had some lunch and a beer. I relaxed and reflected on the places I had visited and came to grips with the fact that my travels were over for right now. I've been fortunate to see so many people, places, and things over the past four months. It's a bit sad, but gratifying at the same time.
I return to the US soon, but I have one last post left in me, so please stayed tuned!
The first piece of history you come across on the tour is a cardboard box with photographs and writing on it. It was created in the late 70's / early 80's by a citizen of Cologne upset over what he perceived as a lack of justice for the Nazis living in Cologne. He had heard that the EL DE house was once the Gestapo headquarters and that in the basement there still remained the jail cells of former prisoners. On the walls remained small passages written by the various prisoners. The man convinced someone to let him into the basement, where he snapped some photos, pasted them on his cardboard box, and then wore it around town preaching to the patrons. He soon gained more attention, and the rest I guess is history.
Though somewhat small, the museum is highly informative and took a couple hours to walk through. About half of the history is prior knowledge any novice historian is aware of. The other half though focused on the city of Cologne, and how Nazi policies affected the city. I loved the maps and pictures of the old town during the time. Although many streets were recognizable, you could tell that they really changed a few things during the rebuilding process.
One of my favorite parts of the tour was the room dedicated to highlighting the Nazi leaders in Cologne during the period. I was surprised to find out that the top official was just 29 when he first took the post in the early 30's. He survived the war, and only got four years of jail time after. He became a businessman in Cologne, and died of old age in his home which is not too far from my flat. That seemed to be the common theme for all the high ranking officials here in Cologne. After the war, they were hardly prosecuted, and had the chance to live a normal life after a small punishment. This after they contributed to the persecution of so many people, and their actions brought on the destruction of their city.
The last leg of the tour shows pictures of Cologne at the end of the war. I mentioned before that 90% of the city center was destroyed by allied bombing. A picture from 1949 still shows the city in ruins. Before I left, I took a walk through the basement. There were multiple jail cells (pictured) in the in the cold dark tavern, and on the walls the writing of the prisoners that were housed inside. One of the writings was posted towards the end of the war, and documented the hangings that were taking place. Underneath, the prisoner counted his own final days by writing the date. He got about six days in before it stopped.Impressed with what the EL DE house offered me, I walked over to the famous Cologne cathedral (Dom) to bravely scale the steps and get a true bird’s eye view of the city. I had to mentally prepare myself as I was told the climb was a bit strenuous. There is no lift, only a narrow spiral staircase with two-way traffic.
During the climb my friend and I were behind a heavier set English speaking fellow. He had to stop about half way up to catch his breath and we gladly scooted past him. We crossed paths with him later at the top. He could see that we were trying to take a picture of ourselves, and he kindly offered to snap the photo for us. As he held my camera, his hand was shaking so much I thought he was going to keel over right there. I thought to myself, JC man are you going to make it?
The view from the top was great (pictured), but I didn't venture too close to the edge. I have a slight phobia of heights so I try not to push my limits. As we descended down the spiral staircase, we caught a glimpse of the huge bells before finally reaching ground. One more tour through the inside of the church, and I said a final goodbye to Cologne's tourist icon.
To cap off my final tour, I visited the town of Bruhl which is just one train stop away from Cologne (between Cologne and Bonn). I was told that there is a chateau there so I figured I would give it a look. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. The chateau (pictured) instantly reminded me of a miniature Versailles, complete with front gate and gardens. As I walked around the side of the chateau, there looked to be a wedding reception going on. It was complete with men in suits and women in gigantic hats. I thought it would be the perfect place to get married.I didn't go inside the chateau as it didn't look like it housed any tours. I did walk around the grounds though, and enjoyed the peace and quite, along with the finely trimmed trees, rows of flowers, and small streams with ducks, fish, and turtles. I took a short walk through the small city center of Bruhl, and then hopped a train back to Cologne happy with my find.
Afterwards, I sat at an outdoor cafe in Cologne and had some lunch and a beer. I relaxed and reflected on the places I had visited and came to grips with the fact that my travels were over for right now. I've been fortunate to see so many people, places, and things over the past four months. It's a bit sad, but gratifying at the same time.
I return to the US soon, but I have one last post left in me, so please stayed tuned!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Goats, Beethoven, Chocolate, and Cologne
Before I return to the states, I've made it a point to visit my favorite places, and those which I have yet to see in and around Cologne. This past weekend, I visited my favorite spot for the third time, the wild park in Stadtwald Park next to my flat. It's a nature park/petting zoo complete with deer, goats, strange looking birds, and hundreds of screaming and crying children. For 0.50 Euro cents, you can purchase a box of feed from the vending machines in the park and hand feed the animals. Who could pass that up?!
I guess the one downside of the park is that it has no wash station. Therefore, once a sheep licks all the feed out of your hand in one swoop, you have nothing left but a gross looking film on your hand. Speaking of sheep, I found them to be my least favorite animal to feed. The goats are a little cuter, and a little less rude and disgusting.
In an attempt to get away from the hoards of screaming and crying children, I walked down a path not used by many of the patrons. I came upon a group of goats, and with one little jiggle of my box of feed, a few headed my way. After feeding them some food, a few of their friends decided to join the party. Eventually, I was surrounded by the entire herd. If you notice in the pic, I couldn't get the feed out of the box fast enough, and I had goats literally jumping on me. I quickly closed up the box, and headed towards the less aggressive deer.
Growing up in MN, I am accustomed to seeing deer in northern MN, and even out the office window. I've never got this close to them before though, and it is amazing how comfortable they were. The highlight was watching a two year old break free and make a bee-line out into the field. Needless to say, the deer got a little scared and hauled tail further out into the field. After listening to child after child cry and scream, watching various animals "go to the bathroom", and being disgusted with the thought of my hand being attached to my body, I left the park content with my visit.
Next on the list was a visit to the neighboring town of Bonn to get a look at the house Beethoven was born in. Bonn is a quaint and beautiful town. It was the seat of the West German govt during the DDR and Berlin Wall days. It too has a large university, and contains playful Baroque style architecture. This was my third trip to Bonn, but the first was on a Sunday, before I knew that Europe closes on Sundays, and the last two were to evening festivals just outside the city. So, I feel it was my first REAL visit to the city.
Since I visited Vienna and am a complete expert on classical music now (me being facetious) I thought a visit to Beethoven's birthplace (pictured) would be cool to see. It truly was a nicely preserved place, completely full of old letters, busts, and his pianos, violins, and funky looking instruments he used to compose his music. I looked at the things, and thought to myself, how in the hell did he produce such great music on those instruments. They looked so primitive. Actually I guess you could say they were. At the end of the tour is a plaster mask of Beethoven shortly after his death. It was gross.
Walking through the house, and reading about his life, it sounds like Beethoven was actually well taken care of and nurtured. With all of these mythical figures, you expect them to have these highly interesting and twisted lives, but his seemed pretty normal. I was amazed to find out that he was actually extremely hard on hearing. There was a case in the museum which housed all of his hearing aids. Again, how do you compose such great music basically deaf? When he died, I read that they opened up his head to see if they could figure out what caused him to loose his hearing. Can't you just accept the fact that he was deaf and move on? I can picture his ghost sitting in the corner and saying, "Hey guys, it's a little late for that. Can you please put my head back together?"
Next stop was a return visit to the chocolate museum in Cologne. What a fantastic idea, a shrine to my secret lover chocolate. The museum starts off with a history of the cocoa bean, chronicling its cultivation and use. Various rooms show how it was discovered, how to grow it, what tools were/are used to pick it, and how it was transported around the world.
Half-way through the museum is when my heart was truly taken over though. There in all its shiny glory were the modern machines used to make chocolate. You could hear the beans rattle around here, and see the liquid chocolate pour out there! Then perfectly shaped bars and truffles come out over there, and gold wrappers secure them here! Oh I was in heaven. It was a scene right out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
At the end of the room was a large shiny fountain of chocolaty goodness (pictured). A woman dipped wafers into it and handed them to visitors. I pushed three kids out of the way in order to get my hands on it. To cap it off, there is a huge gift shop by the entrance were you can buy a chocolate anything. Chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, chocolate soccer balls, chocolate beer! Oh boy, give the person that invented that a raise! I filled a bag with $11 worth of chocolate and ate it all as soon as I left.
Next on the list was a visit to the House #4711 (sign pictured). It's better known as the birthplace of Eau de Cologne. It was a concoction developed in the late 18th century meant to enhance the senses and attract the ladies. Basically, I think it was developed to be more of a deodorant then anything. I couldn't pass it up though, and the current fragrance store on the site has a mini museum on the second floor providing the history of the fragrance and displaying the original packaging and bottles it was sold in. Although I didn't buy a bottle, I'm sure the ladies love it.
I guess the one downside of the park is that it has no wash station. Therefore, once a sheep licks all the feed out of your hand in one swoop, you have nothing left but a gross looking film on your hand. Speaking of sheep, I found them to be my least favorite animal to feed. The goats are a little cuter, and a little less rude and disgusting.
In an attempt to get away from the hoards of screaming and crying children, I walked down a path not used by many of the patrons. I came upon a group of goats, and with one little jiggle of my box of feed, a few headed my way. After feeding them some food, a few of their friends decided to join the party. Eventually, I was surrounded by the entire herd. If you notice in the pic, I couldn't get the feed out of the box fast enough, and I had goats literally jumping on me. I quickly closed up the box, and headed towards the less aggressive deer.Growing up in MN, I am accustomed to seeing deer in northern MN, and even out the office window. I've never got this close to them before though, and it is amazing how comfortable they were. The highlight was watching a two year old break free and make a bee-line out into the field. Needless to say, the deer got a little scared and hauled tail further out into the field. After listening to child after child cry and scream, watching various animals "go to the bathroom", and being disgusted with the thought of my hand being attached to my body, I left the park content with my visit.
Next on the list was a visit to the neighboring town of Bonn to get a look at the house Beethoven was born in. Bonn is a quaint and beautiful town. It was the seat of the West German govt during the DDR and Berlin Wall days. It too has a large university, and contains playful Baroque style architecture. This was my third trip to Bonn, but the first was on a Sunday, before I knew that Europe closes on Sundays, and the last two were to evening festivals just outside the city. So, I feel it was my first REAL visit to the city.
Since I visited Vienna and am a complete expert on classical music now (me being facetious) I thought a visit to Beethoven's birthplace (pictured) would be cool to see. It truly was a nicely preserved place, completely full of old letters, busts, and his pianos, violins, and funky looking instruments he used to compose his music. I looked at the things, and thought to myself, how in the hell did he produce such great music on those instruments. They looked so primitive. Actually I guess you could say they were. At the end of the tour is a plaster mask of Beethoven shortly after his death. It was gross.Walking through the house, and reading about his life, it sounds like Beethoven was actually well taken care of and nurtured. With all of these mythical figures, you expect them to have these highly interesting and twisted lives, but his seemed pretty normal. I was amazed to find out that he was actually extremely hard on hearing. There was a case in the museum which housed all of his hearing aids. Again, how do you compose such great music basically deaf? When he died, I read that they opened up his head to see if they could figure out what caused him to loose his hearing. Can't you just accept the fact that he was deaf and move on? I can picture his ghost sitting in the corner and saying, "Hey guys, it's a little late for that. Can you please put my head back together?"
Next stop was a return visit to the chocolate museum in Cologne. What a fantastic idea, a shrine to my secret lover chocolate. The museum starts off with a history of the cocoa bean, chronicling its cultivation and use. Various rooms show how it was discovered, how to grow it, what tools were/are used to pick it, and how it was transported around the world.
Half-way through the museum is when my heart was truly taken over though. There in all its shiny glory were the modern machines used to make chocolate. You could hear the beans rattle around here, and see the liquid chocolate pour out there! Then perfectly shaped bars and truffles come out over there, and gold wrappers secure them here! Oh I was in heaven. It was a scene right out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
At the end of the room was a large shiny fountain of chocolaty goodness (pictured). A woman dipped wafers into it and handed them to visitors. I pushed three kids out of the way in order to get my hands on it. To cap it off, there is a huge gift shop by the entrance were you can buy a chocolate anything. Chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, chocolate soccer balls, chocolate beer! Oh boy, give the person that invented that a raise! I filled a bag with $11 worth of chocolate and ate it all as soon as I left.
Next on the list was a visit to the House #4711 (sign pictured). It's better known as the birthplace of Eau de Cologne. It was a concoction developed in the late 18th century meant to enhance the senses and attract the ladies. Basically, I think it was developed to be more of a deodorant then anything. I couldn't pass it up though, and the current fragrance store on the site has a mini museum on the second floor providing the history of the fragrance and displaying the original packaging and bottles it was sold in. Although I didn't buy a bottle, I'm sure the ladies love it. Saturday, July 19, 2008
Vienna
Exams successfully came to a close on Wednesday, and I finally have a life I can live outside of my flat. In order to celebrate, and feed my travel addiction, I booked a flight to Vienna. As a way of saving some cash, I booked a 6:50 a.m. departure flight on Thursday, and the 8:40 p.m. return flight on Friday. It's like traveling on steroids.
I didn't set myself up too well for Thursday though as a group of friends and I stayed out on Wednesday night until 2. It was the last chance for me to say good-bye to some, so I didn't want to miss that. We chatted the night away with one of our Swedish friends, who was hard to say good-bye to. The negative result was that I had to wake up two hours later, pack, shower, and take the train to the airport for my flight.
I got into Vienna around 8 a.m., and wandered aimlessly through the city until I finally found my hostel. It started to rain, and I was glad I remembered to pack my umbrella. I wasn't happy though that I forgot to pack my deodorant and a complete change of clothes (I’ll let you guess what I forgot) for the next day. I guess that is what I get for trying to pack with one eye open.
Even though the umbrella kept my head and upper body nice and dry, it didn't prevent my legs and feet from becoming soaked. After about 30 minutes, the insides of my shoes were completely saturated. With every step I could feel the water squish between my toes, and I knew I had about 8 hours left of that feeling.
I didn't really know where to start, but a couple of my friends here in Cologne just said to walk through the city center. That is where all the sites are apparently. So, I took their advice, and that is where I headed. My instant impression of Vienna is that it is a very classy city. Mozart, Beethoven and the rest of the famous musicians bleed from the walls and streets. There are a million cafes, and you can see people drinking either wine or coffee at any given moment.
The architecture is similar to Munich, but a little less playful. Huge Baroque buildings cover the city center, and the immense Hofburg Palace is the centerpiece. I was told before I saw it that it was similar to Versailles, but once I visited it, I thought it was nothing like it. Sure, they are both big palaces, but Versailles is located outside of the city, and is more of a place to go relax and get away from the noise. The different parts of the palace were converted into various museums, none of which really lit my fire. So, I just enjoyed the view from the outside. It did have a couple nice gardens though, one of which had a lovely memorial to Mozart (pictured).
After touring the palace grounds, I walked a block over to get a view of Parliament and then another block over to get a view of Rathaus. I couldn't get a good idea of what the Rathaus actually was, so I had to look it up on Wikipedia when I returned to Cologne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathaus%2C_Vienna. No offense to the govt of Vienna, but when you look at the building, you would think that it seats a much more important body. Rathaus Park is located right across from it though, and that was pretty cool. Rose bushes dominate every corner of the park, and of course, what park in Vienna wouldn't be complete without a memorial to Mozart. Since it was really rainy on Thursday, I returned to it on the somewhat sunny Friday to get a good shot (pictured). A day of rain, and some sun really made the roses blossom!
From Rathaus, I made my way to the Stephansdom, which is an old church smack in the middle of town. It serves as the cultural center of Vienna, complete with all the tourist trap horse and carriage rides, and men dressed up like Mozart wanting to tell you something. I didn't stay there long, as there were a ton of tourists just hanging out.
When I was on the train from the airport to the city center, I noticed this massive cemetery (turns out it is called Zentralfriedhof) along the way. Not thinking anything of it, I quickly found out from my trusty travel book that it holds the graves of a number of famous composers and former patrons of Vienna. Looking to get out of the city center for a while, I jumped on a tram and made the trek out there.
My first impressions were that it was humongous! Apparently it holds over 2.5 million souls. That's a lot of people! The graves are also extremely elaborate, with huge gravestones scattered throughout the grounds. The land had an eerie feeling to it. The grass and trees grew over, under, and around the graves, really giving the place a neat feeling. In fact, I started walking down one of the many paths carved here and there (pictured), and had to turn around really quickly as I started to get a bit freaked out. Especially since I was the only person around.
There is one really interesting part of the cemetery though. The graves of Beethoven (pictured), Brahm, Schubert, and Strauss form a semi-circle around a memorial to Mozart. Apparently Mozart is in an unmarked grave in another cemetery somewhere in Vienna. I haven't seen the movie Amadeus in a while (whether that is historically accurate or not is debatable) but what does it say when you are the cities patron saint and they can't find your grave? Well, a quick review of Wikipedia clued me in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart#Final_illness_and_death. Seems it was normal practice at the time.
After a while hanging out in this eerie yet fantastic historical treasure, I took a tram back to the city center. After some food, I searched for a cafe to have a hot chocolate and warm up. Ironically, the only one I could find near me was a Starbuck's. So, I visited a Starbuck's for the first time in Europe. If you think the prices are high in the US, you should visit one abroad. A little over $6 for a small hot chocolate. Yikes! My body was worn out from all the walking, dreary weather, and lack of sleep, so I headed back to the hostel, and ultimately hit the sack at 9 p.m. and proceeded to sleep for 12 hours.
The weather was a little nicer the next day, and again I just wandered around town with no agenda in mind. I thought that since Vienna seems to be so classy and cultural that I would join in and see how it feels. I read that people like Freud used to sit in Viennese cafes, sipping coffee and politicking. Well, not sure if Freud ever sipped on a warm glass of hot chocolate, but I did, and it was good. I some funky bread with butter, sea salt, and some type of seed on it. Not sure what it was, but it was tasty nonetheless.
From there, I walked to the other side of town, and caught a tram and then a bus to outside of the city. I read that wine taverns, or heurigen as they are called in Vienna, are a fun place to visit. I like wine, so I thought why not? As I approached a recommended place, I was a little unsure whether I was in the right place. I came to find out that these are basically family run businesses literally outside of the home.
The street it was located on your basic suburban (European suburban) street, where normal people live. Unsure what to do, I simply tried opening the front door. It was locked. Ok, I guess I'll walk through the gate on the side of the house. As I passed through the gate, an old man was sitting there alone smoking a cigarette and drinking something out of a glass. He looked like a lone sole waiting outside of the O.K. Corall. Kind of like the calm before the storm. A bit intimidated, our brief conversation went like this.
Nick: Hello, English?
Strange Guy: No - Italiano.
Nick: Hmmm.
Strange Guy: Francais?
Nick: No.
Nick: Espanol?
Strange Guy: No, Italiano
Nick: Heurigen? (Pointing my finger at the ground)
Strange Guy: Huh?!
Nick: Heurigen?
Strange Guy: Yeah (pointing his finger further around to the back yard).
So between us we knew five languages, yet couldn't find one that matched. Luckily for me, a nice older lady greeted me towards the end of my conversation with the strange guy, and guided me around the bushes to the 12 picnic tables spread throughout the back yard. I got there just after it had opened, so there wasn't anyone around. Although the picture doesn't really do it justice, it was a quiet and beautiful spot and a brilliant idea on my part. I drank a couple glasses of red wine, while the old lady (who also didn't know English) did some gardening and her cat prowled around mischievously.
I sat there calmly, looking into the surrounding hills, and soaking up the quiet. As I left, I returned my glass inside, where there was an old guy standing with a cane who looked like he was on the verge of tears. I set the glass down, and quickly said Tchuss (good-bye) to the old lady before the scene with the guy with the cane turned awkward. Near the gate exit were a couple of other fairly old ladies who just stared at me. I began to think that they don't see many people like me (a young male who can't speak their language) in a given day.
As I walked down the street to the bus stop, I just thought to myself....weird but cool. That pattern developed often over my brief visit, and I guess you could say it sums up my stop in Vienna. I will say though that it is one of the cities I have visited abroad where I thought I could live. It had that calm, classy, and sophisticated feel to it that appeals to me.
I didn't set myself up too well for Thursday though as a group of friends and I stayed out on Wednesday night until 2. It was the last chance for me to say good-bye to some, so I didn't want to miss that. We chatted the night away with one of our Swedish friends, who was hard to say good-bye to. The negative result was that I had to wake up two hours later, pack, shower, and take the train to the airport for my flight.
I got into Vienna around 8 a.m., and wandered aimlessly through the city until I finally found my hostel. It started to rain, and I was glad I remembered to pack my umbrella. I wasn't happy though that I forgot to pack my deodorant and a complete change of clothes (I’ll let you guess what I forgot) for the next day. I guess that is what I get for trying to pack with one eye open.
Even though the umbrella kept my head and upper body nice and dry, it didn't prevent my legs and feet from becoming soaked. After about 30 minutes, the insides of my shoes were completely saturated. With every step I could feel the water squish between my toes, and I knew I had about 8 hours left of that feeling.
I didn't really know where to start, but a couple of my friends here in Cologne just said to walk through the city center. That is where all the sites are apparently. So, I took their advice, and that is where I headed. My instant impression of Vienna is that it is a very classy city. Mozart, Beethoven and the rest of the famous musicians bleed from the walls and streets. There are a million cafes, and you can see people drinking either wine or coffee at any given moment.
The architecture is similar to Munich, but a little less playful. Huge Baroque buildings cover the city center, and the immense Hofburg Palace is the centerpiece. I was told before I saw it that it was similar to Versailles, but once I visited it, I thought it was nothing like it. Sure, they are both big palaces, but Versailles is located outside of the city, and is more of a place to go relax and get away from the noise. The different parts of the palace were converted into various museums, none of which really lit my fire. So, I just enjoyed the view from the outside. It did have a couple nice gardens though, one of which had a lovely memorial to Mozart (pictured).
After touring the palace grounds, I walked a block over to get a view of Parliament and then another block over to get a view of Rathaus. I couldn't get a good idea of what the Rathaus actually was, so I had to look it up on Wikipedia when I returned to Cologne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathaus%2C_Vienna. No offense to the govt of Vienna, but when you look at the building, you would think that it seats a much more important body. Rathaus Park is located right across from it though, and that was pretty cool. Rose bushes dominate every corner of the park, and of course, what park in Vienna wouldn't be complete without a memorial to Mozart. Since it was really rainy on Thursday, I returned to it on the somewhat sunny Friday to get a good shot (pictured). A day of rain, and some sun really made the roses blossom!From Rathaus, I made my way to the Stephansdom, which is an old church smack in the middle of town. It serves as the cultural center of Vienna, complete with all the tourist trap horse and carriage rides, and men dressed up like Mozart wanting to tell you something. I didn't stay there long, as there were a ton of tourists just hanging out.
When I was on the train from the airport to the city center, I noticed this massive cemetery (turns out it is called Zentralfriedhof) along the way. Not thinking anything of it, I quickly found out from my trusty travel book that it holds the graves of a number of famous composers and former patrons of Vienna. Looking to get out of the city center for a while, I jumped on a tram and made the trek out there.
My first impressions were that it was humongous! Apparently it holds over 2.5 million souls. That's a lot of people! The graves are also extremely elaborate, with huge gravestones scattered throughout the grounds. The land had an eerie feeling to it. The grass and trees grew over, under, and around the graves, really giving the place a neat feeling. In fact, I started walking down one of the many paths carved here and there (pictured), and had to turn around really quickly as I started to get a bit freaked out. Especially since I was the only person around.
There is one really interesting part of the cemetery though. The graves of Beethoven (pictured), Brahm, Schubert, and Strauss form a semi-circle around a memorial to Mozart. Apparently Mozart is in an unmarked grave in another cemetery somewhere in Vienna. I haven't seen the movie Amadeus in a while (whether that is historically accurate or not is debatable) but what does it say when you are the cities patron saint and they can't find your grave? Well, a quick review of Wikipedia clued me in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart#Final_illness_and_death. Seems it was normal practice at the time.After a while hanging out in this eerie yet fantastic historical treasure, I took a tram back to the city center. After some food, I searched for a cafe to have a hot chocolate and warm up. Ironically, the only one I could find near me was a Starbuck's. So, I visited a Starbuck's for the first time in Europe. If you think the prices are high in the US, you should visit one abroad. A little over $6 for a small hot chocolate. Yikes! My body was worn out from all the walking, dreary weather, and lack of sleep, so I headed back to the hostel, and ultimately hit the sack at 9 p.m. and proceeded to sleep for 12 hours.
The weather was a little nicer the next day, and again I just wandered around town with no agenda in mind. I thought that since Vienna seems to be so classy and cultural that I would join in and see how it feels. I read that people like Freud used to sit in Viennese cafes, sipping coffee and politicking. Well, not sure if Freud ever sipped on a warm glass of hot chocolate, but I did, and it was good. I some funky bread with butter, sea salt, and some type of seed on it. Not sure what it was, but it was tasty nonetheless.
From there, I walked to the other side of town, and caught a tram and then a bus to outside of the city. I read that wine taverns, or heurigen as they are called in Vienna, are a fun place to visit. I like wine, so I thought why not? As I approached a recommended place, I was a little unsure whether I was in the right place. I came to find out that these are basically family run businesses literally outside of the home.
The street it was located on your basic suburban (European suburban) street, where normal people live. Unsure what to do, I simply tried opening the front door. It was locked. Ok, I guess I'll walk through the gate on the side of the house. As I passed through the gate, an old man was sitting there alone smoking a cigarette and drinking something out of a glass. He looked like a lone sole waiting outside of the O.K. Corall. Kind of like the calm before the storm. A bit intimidated, our brief conversation went like this.
Nick: Hello, English?
Strange Guy: No - Italiano.
Nick: Hmmm.
Strange Guy: Francais?
Nick: No.
Nick: Espanol?
Strange Guy: No, Italiano
Nick: Heurigen? (Pointing my finger at the ground)
Strange Guy: Huh?!
Nick: Heurigen?
Strange Guy: Yeah (pointing his finger further around to the back yard).
So between us we knew five languages, yet couldn't find one that matched. Luckily for me, a nice older lady greeted me towards the end of my conversation with the strange guy, and guided me around the bushes to the 12 picnic tables spread throughout the back yard. I got there just after it had opened, so there wasn't anyone around. Although the picture doesn't really do it justice, it was a quiet and beautiful spot and a brilliant idea on my part. I drank a couple glasses of red wine, while the old lady (who also didn't know English) did some gardening and her cat prowled around mischievously.I sat there calmly, looking into the surrounding hills, and soaking up the quiet. As I left, I returned my glass inside, where there was an old guy standing with a cane who looked like he was on the verge of tears. I set the glass down, and quickly said Tchuss (good-bye) to the old lady before the scene with the guy with the cane turned awkward. Near the gate exit were a couple of other fairly old ladies who just stared at me. I began to think that they don't see many people like me (a young male who can't speak their language) in a given day.
As I walked down the street to the bus stop, I just thought to myself....weird but cool. That pattern developed often over my brief visit, and I guess you could say it sums up my stop in Vienna. I will say though that it is one of the cities I have visited abroad where I thought I could live. It had that calm, classy, and sophisticated feel to it that appeals to me.
Monday, July 14, 2008
It's The (Final) Countdown
Well it's finally here, it's finals weeks in Cologne. Well for me anyways. I realize that my last few posts have been kind of a snooze. I promise all remaining posts will be a lot sexier. It's a basic reflection of my life these past few weeks. More work then play. I have some good adventures left before I return though so stay tuned.
Since I don’t have much to offer in terms of adventure and awkward cultural encounters, I'll break down for you what I have to learn for my Exams.
First up is my Economic Expansion in the 19th Century final, which happens in about t-minus 4 hours. Half of the course focused on Economic expansion in the Germany during the century, and the other half focused on economic expansion in the countries of Britain, Belgium, France, Austro-Hungarian, and Russia. The format of the exam will be two essay questions, one hour, 100% of your grade for the term. A little stressful when you say it like that, but all of us feel like we have a good grip on the course content.
Basically, economic expansion can be analyzed throughout the continent by looking at the macro level developments in agriculture, labor, capital, technology, trade, and institutions. All of which developed in certain ways which complimented each other, and allowed the continent to take off (some countries more then others).
Second up on the schedule is tomorrow's Governance and Policy-Making in the Multilevel-System of the EU final. Again, one essay question, one hour, 100% of your grade. Sounds scary, but again I feel pretty good about it. The course focused on the evolution of the European state taking into account various treaties, and the development of the state from territorial, to nation, to constitutional, to industrial, to welfare, and finally European. It will also focus on how the Lisbon Treaty stands to affect the structure of the European Union if it ever gets ratified. Within that we analyzed the make-up of institutional architecture, which accounts for the European Council, European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU, European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank.
Finally, on Wednesday I have my two retail courses, which have been the courses I've enjoyed the most. They will be my most challenging finals based on the breadth and depth of the material covered. My Retail Marketing final is up first at 8:30 in the morning. In a nutshell, here are the high level topics to be covered:
- The Nature of Retail Marketing
- Consumer Behavior
- Channels and Formats
- Merchandising & Category Mgmt
- Pricing
- Promotion/Communication
- Store Brands and Private Label
- Services
Later on in the afternoon, I have my Strategic Mgmt in Retail final, my last final. Again, here is a high level overview of what will be covered:
- The Role of Retailing
- Assessing the Retail Space
- Theoretical Frameworks
- Retail Strategy and Panning
- Segmenting / Targeting / Positioning (STP)
- Retail Branding
- Location Planning
- Finance / Controlling
As you can see, I've had my hands full. I feel pretty good though, and am highly looking forward to Wed afternoon. Plans are already in the works for a few beers and BBQ in what will hopefully be sunny Wednesday!
Since I don’t have much to offer in terms of adventure and awkward cultural encounters, I'll break down for you what I have to learn for my Exams.
First up is my Economic Expansion in the 19th Century final, which happens in about t-minus 4 hours. Half of the course focused on Economic expansion in the Germany during the century, and the other half focused on economic expansion in the countries of Britain, Belgium, France, Austro-Hungarian, and Russia. The format of the exam will be two essay questions, one hour, 100% of your grade for the term. A little stressful when you say it like that, but all of us feel like we have a good grip on the course content.
Basically, economic expansion can be analyzed throughout the continent by looking at the macro level developments in agriculture, labor, capital, technology, trade, and institutions. All of which developed in certain ways which complimented each other, and allowed the continent to take off (some countries more then others).
Second up on the schedule is tomorrow's Governance and Policy-Making in the Multilevel-System of the EU final. Again, one essay question, one hour, 100% of your grade. Sounds scary, but again I feel pretty good about it. The course focused on the evolution of the European state taking into account various treaties, and the development of the state from territorial, to nation, to constitutional, to industrial, to welfare, and finally European. It will also focus on how the Lisbon Treaty stands to affect the structure of the European Union if it ever gets ratified. Within that we analyzed the make-up of institutional architecture, which accounts for the European Council, European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU, European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank.
Finally, on Wednesday I have my two retail courses, which have been the courses I've enjoyed the most. They will be my most challenging finals based on the breadth and depth of the material covered. My Retail Marketing final is up first at 8:30 in the morning. In a nutshell, here are the high level topics to be covered:
- The Nature of Retail Marketing
- Consumer Behavior
- Channels and Formats
- Merchandising & Category Mgmt
- Pricing
- Promotion/Communication
- Store Brands and Private Label
- Services
Later on in the afternoon, I have my Strategic Mgmt in Retail final, my last final. Again, here is a high level overview of what will be covered:
- The Role of Retailing
- Assessing the Retail Space
- Theoretical Frameworks
- Retail Strategy and Panning
- Segmenting / Targeting / Positioning (STP)
- Retail Branding
- Location Planning
- Finance / Controlling
As you can see, I've had my hands full. I feel pretty good though, and am highly looking forward to Wed afternoon. Plans are already in the works for a few beers and BBQ in what will hopefully be sunny Wednesday!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
EU Overload
The beginning of the end got underway this week with our final presentations for my Political System of the EU class. I have spent the past few weeks compiling information, and writing the paper that is to accompany the presentation. After working on it for so long, I am a bit tired of reading and talking about EU humanitarian aid efforts.
Our presentation seminar consisted of two full days of non stop presentations on anything and everything to do with EU policy. Our professor is a visiting professor from Paris, so she travels to Cologne to teach the course. She's a nice lady, but pretty much your stereotypical Parisian. Kind of hard to read, rather nonemotional, and monotone. Fittingly, our seminar took place at the Institut Francais Cologne. During the first day of the seminar, we were treated to a little presentation on what the institute does. Unfortunately for me, the presentation on French culture was provided in German. It was basically a no win situation for me. I politely paid attention to the presenter even though I couldn't understand anything he was saying.
Here's the line-up of all the topics we discussed:
- The Role of the European Parliament
- Europe as an Empire
- The European Neighborhood Policy
- Turkey's Place in the EU
- EU / Russian Relations
- The EU and Iran
- MERCOSUR and the EU
- The EU and Anti-Terror
- The EU as a Humanitarian Player
- The EU and the Environment
- The EU and Energy
- The United Nations and the EU
As you can see, we covered a breadth of topics, and I actually learned quite a bit about the EU. What I thought was a disappointing class turned fairly informational in its last days. I felt a little pressure to deliver a good presentation since only two of us were not from the Union. Even though I put a lot of preparation into my presentation, I'll admit that I did have an advantage over the others as only two of us were native speaking English people.
The format was to present for 30-40 minutes, and then the professor would basically pick it apart and tell you where the gaps were. We are supposed to then include her recommendations in our final paper. Knowing that the format would be this way, I strategically selected a somewhat neutral topic in the EU as a humanitarian player.
There were a few brave souls though that wanted to tackle such issues as Russia, Turkey, and Iran. During the presentation, I could see the professor writing feverishly, almost with excitement to critique and pick apart their presentations. 30-40 minutes of presenting was followed by 20 minutes of her telling us what we did wrong. The nice part was that it was the same for everyone, so you didn't feel too bad when she provided her feedback. Luckily for me, my topic was the one topic she had the least amount of background experience in, so the arrows weren't as sharp. Although there was one moment where I got cold called on. She asked if I knew what year the Monroe doctrine was finalized. Huh? I just smiled and said I didn't know. If you are curious, it was signed in 1823, basically saying Europe wasn't allowed to colonize or mess with the affairs of independent nations throughout the Americas.
In total, both days were a success, and I was impressed with the job everyone did. We were a bit glazed over by the end, and even though the professor offered VERY direct feedback, it was all with good intentions. The only thing to do now is finish up the paper, which will have to wait until finals are over.
Speaking of finals, I have successfully wrapped up all classes, and now only have to prepare for exams. As I mentioned before, the entire semester comes down to the final exams in most classes, which is the case for me. I have four exams in three days, two from the same professor. He gave a final about a month ago, and 25% of the class failed it. I'm not joking. That is a true fact. Needless to say, to make my trip worth while, I will be studying day and night until next Wed is over. Wish me luck!
Our presentation seminar consisted of two full days of non stop presentations on anything and everything to do with EU policy. Our professor is a visiting professor from Paris, so she travels to Cologne to teach the course. She's a nice lady, but pretty much your stereotypical Parisian. Kind of hard to read, rather nonemotional, and monotone. Fittingly, our seminar took place at the Institut Francais Cologne. During the first day of the seminar, we were treated to a little presentation on what the institute does. Unfortunately for me, the presentation on French culture was provided in German. It was basically a no win situation for me. I politely paid attention to the presenter even though I couldn't understand anything he was saying.
Here's the line-up of all the topics we discussed:
- The Role of the European Parliament
- Europe as an Empire
- The European Neighborhood Policy
- Turkey's Place in the EU
- EU / Russian Relations
- The EU and Iran
- MERCOSUR and the EU
- The EU and Anti-Terror
- The EU as a Humanitarian Player
- The EU and the Environment
- The EU and Energy
- The United Nations and the EU
As you can see, we covered a breadth of topics, and I actually learned quite a bit about the EU. What I thought was a disappointing class turned fairly informational in its last days. I felt a little pressure to deliver a good presentation since only two of us were not from the Union. Even though I put a lot of preparation into my presentation, I'll admit that I did have an advantage over the others as only two of us were native speaking English people.
The format was to present for 30-40 minutes, and then the professor would basically pick it apart and tell you where the gaps were. We are supposed to then include her recommendations in our final paper. Knowing that the format would be this way, I strategically selected a somewhat neutral topic in the EU as a humanitarian player.
There were a few brave souls though that wanted to tackle such issues as Russia, Turkey, and Iran. During the presentation, I could see the professor writing feverishly, almost with excitement to critique and pick apart their presentations. 30-40 minutes of presenting was followed by 20 minutes of her telling us what we did wrong. The nice part was that it was the same for everyone, so you didn't feel too bad when she provided her feedback. Luckily for me, my topic was the one topic she had the least amount of background experience in, so the arrows weren't as sharp. Although there was one moment where I got cold called on. She asked if I knew what year the Monroe doctrine was finalized. Huh? I just smiled and said I didn't know. If you are curious, it was signed in 1823, basically saying Europe wasn't allowed to colonize or mess with the affairs of independent nations throughout the Americas.
In total, both days were a success, and I was impressed with the job everyone did. We were a bit glazed over by the end, and even though the professor offered VERY direct feedback, it was all with good intentions. The only thing to do now is finish up the paper, which will have to wait until finals are over.
Speaking of finals, I have successfully wrapped up all classes, and now only have to prepare for exams. As I mentioned before, the entire semester comes down to the final exams in most classes, which is the case for me. I have four exams in three days, two from the same professor. He gave a final about a month ago, and 25% of the class failed it. I'm not joking. That is a true fact. Needless to say, to make my trip worth while, I will be studying day and night until next Wed is over. Wish me luck!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Study Break
Not much new to report in Cologne. I have spent the better part of two weeks now sitting in my flat preparing for the end of the semester. It's hard to believe that I return to MN in a mere three weeks. Personally, it feels like I just arrived yesterday. It has been about 14 weeks now though, and time seems to just fly by. I am excited to experience the MN summer. The day I left MN, we received eight inches of snow, so the day I return should be a lot better.
A group of us managed to take a study break Saturday night. We went to Bonn for an outdoor music festival. Before we arrived, I was excited to catch the action. What better way to spend a nice Saturday night then hanging out outside listening to music. Despite the sunny weather all day though, an annoying drizzle managed to fall most of the time we were there.
Still, we toughed it out, and checked what the festival had to offer. There were five stages, each playing a different type of music. The alternative stage had a sparse unlively crowd, pretty much the antithesis of what you would expect. Next was the main stage where Ben Folds was actually playing. I don't really know his music personally, but I know he is popular in the states. The stage after that had the heavy rock complete with head bangers and body surfers (pictured).
Beyond that was the hip hop stage which was a sight to see. It's always funny to see how a particular part of American culture is absorbed and expressed by another culture. I've never heard someone rap in German before, and it sounded a bit weird. From there we made our way to the last stage where a DJ was playing techno. There were people gyrating in interesting ways, and I think your presence required you to be in an altered state if you know what I mean. We quickly left that scene, and headed towards the main stage, where our German friends wanted to check out a popular German band that was playing.
Needless to say, the festival turned out to be a little bit of a dud. In an attempt to beat the crowd to the trains, we left 30 minutes before the last act finished. Our intentions were good, but unfortunately for us, a lot of other people decided to leave as well. First, we had to wait in line forever to catch the first train. Then, once we got on the first train, there were so many people aboard we were packed liked sardines. Let's just say that the majority of the crowd that attended the festival weren't the cleanliest people. The guy I was forced to lean up against had long greasy hair with a shaggy beard. This of course complimented the all black attire and combat boots. The smell that radiated from his body was nothing to write home about either. I guess that was better then being pinned up next to the guy and girl with matching purple mohawks.
After 20 minutes of cuddling up next to Charles Manson, we had to wait 30 minutes at the Bonn main station for the next train to Cologne. Of course once that arrived, there were a ton of people, and we repeated the sardine act we performed earlier. Luckily for me though, I didn't get stuck next to any grease balls on this trip. I did have to stand though, and my legs were a bit wobbly by the time I got home.
In the end, what typically is a 20 minute train ride from Bonn to Cologne ended up taking two hours. I felt so gross from the trip home that I had to take a shower before I could go to bed. I was a little bummed the night didn't turn out the way we thought it would, but I guess it was nice to have an excuse to get away from the books for the evening.
This week marks the final week of preparation before exams. I do have one class that ends this week with a two-day marathon seminar. Each student is expected to present their topic of choice on EU policy for 30-40 minutes and then discussion. I'm slated to be one of the last presentations on the final day so I'm sure I'll be presenting to a lot of glazed over faces itching to get out of there. It should be interesting to see what people come up with. I'm a little nervous considering I'm one of the few in the class that doesn't live in the Union, and thus has little knowledge of how the Union runs. I think it will go well regardless.
Although I'm not looking forward to my departure, I am really looking forward to returning home and watching a Twins game. Over halfway through the season, and I have yet to catch a game. From what I've read, they are doing really well too. I'm also looking forward to sitting in the backyard BBQ'ing, and relaxing. Although summer in Europe is wonderful, there is something to be said for MN summer as well.
A group of us managed to take a study break Saturday night. We went to Bonn for an outdoor music festival. Before we arrived, I was excited to catch the action. What better way to spend a nice Saturday night then hanging out outside listening to music. Despite the sunny weather all day though, an annoying drizzle managed to fall most of the time we were there.
Still, we toughed it out, and checked what the festival had to offer. There were five stages, each playing a different type of music. The alternative stage had a sparse unlively crowd, pretty much the antithesis of what you would expect. Next was the main stage where Ben Folds was actually playing. I don't really know his music personally, but I know he is popular in the states. The stage after that had the heavy rock complete with head bangers and body surfers (pictured).Beyond that was the hip hop stage which was a sight to see. It's always funny to see how a particular part of American culture is absorbed and expressed by another culture. I've never heard someone rap in German before, and it sounded a bit weird. From there we made our way to the last stage where a DJ was playing techno. There were people gyrating in interesting ways, and I think your presence required you to be in an altered state if you know what I mean. We quickly left that scene, and headed towards the main stage, where our German friends wanted to check out a popular German band that was playing.
Needless to say, the festival turned out to be a little bit of a dud. In an attempt to beat the crowd to the trains, we left 30 minutes before the last act finished. Our intentions were good, but unfortunately for us, a lot of other people decided to leave as well. First, we had to wait in line forever to catch the first train. Then, once we got on the first train, there were so many people aboard we were packed liked sardines. Let's just say that the majority of the crowd that attended the festival weren't the cleanliest people. The guy I was forced to lean up against had long greasy hair with a shaggy beard. This of course complimented the all black attire and combat boots. The smell that radiated from his body was nothing to write home about either. I guess that was better then being pinned up next to the guy and girl with matching purple mohawks.
After 20 minutes of cuddling up next to Charles Manson, we had to wait 30 minutes at the Bonn main station for the next train to Cologne. Of course once that arrived, there were a ton of people, and we repeated the sardine act we performed earlier. Luckily for me though, I didn't get stuck next to any grease balls on this trip. I did have to stand though, and my legs were a bit wobbly by the time I got home.
In the end, what typically is a 20 minute train ride from Bonn to Cologne ended up taking two hours. I felt so gross from the trip home that I had to take a shower before I could go to bed. I was a little bummed the night didn't turn out the way we thought it would, but I guess it was nice to have an excuse to get away from the books for the evening.
This week marks the final week of preparation before exams. I do have one class that ends this week with a two-day marathon seminar. Each student is expected to present their topic of choice on EU policy for 30-40 minutes and then discussion. I'm slated to be one of the last presentations on the final day so I'm sure I'll be presenting to a lot of glazed over faces itching to get out of there. It should be interesting to see what people come up with. I'm a little nervous considering I'm one of the few in the class that doesn't live in the Union, and thus has little knowledge of how the Union runs. I think it will go well regardless.
Although I'm not looking forward to my departure, I am really looking forward to returning home and watching a Twins game. Over halfway through the season, and I have yet to catch a game. From what I've read, they are doing really well too. I'm also looking forward to sitting in the backyard BBQ'ing, and relaxing. Although summer in Europe is wonderful, there is something to be said for MN summer as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)