Birthday filler

It's been a long day! I'll fill you in on it while I'm on the train to Dresden tomorrow. Until then, check earlier, photo-less posts for some pics that I took today of those places/things. (I'm so bad at taking photos that I have to catch up. My mother would be so ashamed!)

Köln

Today was super busy! I took the train to Köln and saw some of the sights.

It just keeps going...

Sight #1 (and hard to miss coming out of the Hauptbahnhof) was the Kölner Dom, a cathedral of epic proportions. I took the not-quite-a-tour up (and up and up and up) the stairs to some extremely high vantage point that was even above the bells. I can't remember how many steps -- there was a listing when you go in -- but it felt like nine or ten million. (Okay, fine, it was probably only in the thousands...) 90-something meters, though. Yeah.

Of course, I decided to take photos of myself in front of the Dom after I made that trek. They kind of look like I just climbed a human-made mountain. Go figure!

Random pillars of, well, pillars

Next to the Dom, and something I'd visit if it weren't Monday (museums here are closed Mondays) is the Römisch-Germanische Museum (Roman-German Museum). It chronicles the Roman settlements that were in the area long before, say, the Dom was built. There were some large carved stones, usw., on exhibit outside, so I took some photos regardless.

Otters! <3

Something that was open on Monday, though, was the Köln Zoo. It's celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. I do believe that makes it the oldest zoo I've visited. It also had the most active bunch of animals I've ever seen. Maybe it's because it wasn't hot (or even warm) out or maybe it was the feeding schedules, but they were generally all out and about, doing their animal-ey things. The elephant exhibit is absolutely huge and amazing, with indoor and outdoor areas. I took the time to watch the penguin and otter feedings, too, which were both a lot of fun. (There are videos of both, which can be shown upon request when the requestor sees me.)

I spent some time wandering around Köln's shopping district (also right next to the Hauptbahnhof) and, had my camera battery not died by this time, would be regaling you with photos reminiscent of Tokyo meets Europe. German and foreign stores were all mixed together in buildings with huge signs, all next to one another. I checked out the Lego Store (it's the same as the others I've seen, no surprise) and the Game Stop (following a friend's suggestion to get games in German for language practice...nothing good for under €20,00, though), along with a few stores not found in the US.

Hopped the train back to U.'s, and now it's time to sleep!

Political Rally (and Protest)

Ad for the event

D. has been teaching me about German politics. (As well as the educational system and etc.) This morning, we went to a political rally for the FDP (Freie Demokratische Parte, Free Democratic Party). The Vizekanzler (Vice Chancellor) Guido Westerwelle spoke, as well as another party official. Topics included schools and children, the economy, and relationships with foreign lands. (What he said about these things, I'm not so sure...) A local band of teenagers also played jazz before and after the event.

Outside was the inevitable protest. They chanted and played whistles during the speeches inside. The big issue for them, I believe, was the discussions over prolonging the life of Germany's nuclear power plants. (I have no idea what this is in German, so I'm not sure whether it was addressed in any of the speeches.) According to D., Westerwelle is highly unpopular right now and this issue might well be why.

While not the most politically active of people, I did notice some differences between German and American political rallies. Mainly, they're much more chill. z.B., the speakers moved through the crowd, security at a watchful distance, and then were seated in the crowd. In the US, that would be a crazy, bold move, and the security guards would be pooping themselves.

Billboard and (big) flags

I kinda wish I'd taken one of the nifty FDP flags/pinwheels with me, though. Oh well.

Lazy Saturday

I stayed in today, working on plans for the rest of my stay. It's an ongoing process...yeesh...

I also took a lovely nap.

And I read. Working on "Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen," the first HP book auf Deutsch. After the Haus der Geschichte and the movie that U. and I watched last night (in German, with German subtitles), I'm understanding a lot more in this book than the few pages I read on the way here. Still not everything, of course, but yea!

Bad Neuenahr

One of the gates to the Altstadt

Today, I went to Bad Neuenahr with U., who had an appointment there. It's a cute little town with a walled-in Altstadt (old city). I wandered around for a bit and took in the sights. At least in the morning, it appeared that the people there all knew each other. (All small towns are much the same, I suppose, even when they're surrounded by a really old wall.) I grabbed coffee in a little Bäckerei and watched people come in and out for a while. It started raining while I was there, so I was pretty happy that I'd ordered the food to eat inside.

Complete with mannequins in appropriate dress!

My next stop was the Roman Villa that had been excavated near the town. It's now open for visitors, with walkways to keep them from wearing down the stones (see right). It was a neat little place and I got a few photos for my students, should I ever teach Archaeology again. (Strata and excavation tools, oh my!)

Hefe......

I went back to meet U. after her meeting and we spent more time in the Altstadt, including a very interesting lunch. We couldn't decide where to go, so we followed a pack of nuns into a building of some pedigree (I can't remember the century). I learned a few days ago that "Hefe" is short for "Hefeweißen." So, I ordered a "Hefe" to drink with my lunch. The waitress brought back a schnapps that was also called "Hefe." U. was just as confused as me until I figured that part out, but she also thought I'd ordered a beer. I could have sent it back in exchange for the beer, but the communication issue was likely my mistake, so I decided to drink the schnapps instead. I ended up getting a water, as well. The food was good, though. I'll just have to try again on the beer!

Finally, we went to the Haribo outlet store. I stocked up on candy for people back home (and, perhaps, for me). Got a few of my presents taken care of, too. I plan to grab some chocolate on my way out of the country, completing the food that will come from this trip. (I did, after all, promise S. that I'd bring her chocolate!)

Kein Foto

Entrance

I spent the day (seriously, something like six hours) in the Haus der Geschichte, a museum that covers the history of Germany as a land and as a divided land. I decided that I would attempt to go completely into German mode, trying to keep from thinking in English and, if someone spoke to me, responding in German. This resulted in a few random English words being thrown into German sentences, when I didn't know the actual word. It was pretty amusing, denke ich.

The museum was quite interesting, full of information (of which I got the gist, if not necessarily the details) and artifacts. The old video reels, popular films, and documentaries were useful for my listening skills, as were the occasional snippets of conversation I heard while walking by.

"Wir Gegen Uns"

The current special exhibit is on the inter-Germany sports rivalry from the days of division. Though I'm not generally into sport, I found it interesting to read about the lengths to which both sides went in their attempt to better the other. It is titled "Wir Gegen Uns" (We Against Us), which is interesting from an anthropological standpoint. Not only is it referencing the current (and past) unity of Germany, it's emphasizing that. The presumption here -- and a smart one to include, from the standpoint of the reunified state -- is that, despite fifty years of separation, the Germans always remained, at heart, one people. (This is, of course, not to say that they didn't. I'm more interested in the way it is being portrayed by a [national] museum in a reunified state.)

This is, however, a rare day of no photos. No one was taking photos inside the museum, not even the other Americans I heard, so I'm assuming that it wasn't cool to do so. (Not that there were signs either way...perhaps it was printed on the maps?) You'll just have to use your imaginations, I'm afraid. (A., imagine many Polizei helmets from the beginning of the century. M., I now understand your fondness for propaganda posters.) In other news, something about the Trabi on exhibit in the museum smelled very strongly. Huh.

I went to dinner with U. and finally learned how to ask for the check. Yes! I do okay when ordering, but get anxious when it comes time to pay at a sit-down place and invariably screw up. So...one must simply wave at the waitperson and then say that. No more sitting for half an hour waiting for someone to come back! Hooray!

Finally, today I decided that my contribution to the Anthropology Seminar Room will be a "Wir Sind Ein Volk" poster/button/somesuch, from the days leading up to Reunification (z.B. this). It seems appropriate.

Bad Godesberg

From the window

Today, I went to the tower at Bad Godesberg. (At left is the view from U.'s window -- not far at all!) This, I must say, was an adventure. The original directions weren't all that great, so I turned to Google. With those written down, I was off to see the tower! ...okay, that's not true. First, I was off to coffee.

I wandered around Bad Godesberg's downtown for a bit, finally settling on a Konditorei (pastry shop) with some yummy-looking inhabitants. Since I don't know what the pastries here are, I took some time to translate what I could of the ingredient lists posted under the name. Finally, I ordered something that turned out quite yum, with cinnamon and cocoa powder. It was big enough to last me through the morning and afternoon, even. Toll.

Cosy reading spot

My next stop was at a park. I sat for a while by some oddly hydrophobic ducks (they were probably out of the water because it was near lunchtime) and reviewed my vocabulary from Deutschklasse. Eventually, the other people went away and the ducks wandered back into the water.

Mock-up of what once was

After I found the stairs up the hill (thanks to D. for giving me directions, because Google Maps would've taken me quite a while to get right), there were the remains of the fortress. It now houses a restaurant and hotel, interestingly enough. I climbed the tower, a perfect complement to climbing to the tower, and was rewarded with a super neat, panoramic view. Also, a lot of wind. As I was going down, some young teens were coming up. The €1 coin that I left next to the sign downstairs for my admission was suspiciously missing. Hmm.....

My next stop was the old cemetery nearby. (I didn't take pictures, as I don't know whether it is culturally allowed.) It contained some beautiful old plots, with those I saw starting in the late 1800s. There were a number of male death dates around World War II, but surprisingly few in the era of World War I. Some of the inscriptions were translations of things one would see on tombs in the US, such as "the best father" and bible verses. Gorgeous family monuments.

There's something big over there!

Finally, I wandered down to the river to work a bit and watch the world drift by. Also, to have my first real German bier while doing so! I will definitely need to do a river tour one of these days. At the moment, though, I'm too tired to research them. Bis morgen!