Gettin' out of the Country

So for a while the fact that I have yet to leave Germany has been hanging over me. Don't get me wrong, Germany is great! But I still felt the need to get around Europe a little bit while I was here. So of course I jumped at the opportunity for an extended weekend when I learned that classes would not be held on Tuesday the 1st of November due to the observance of All Saints Day in Cologne. This would mean a 4 day weekend if I missed my one German class on Monday the 31st. So the opportunity was there, now to find a destination.

That came up rather organically as well. Several international friends had just gone on a trip to Vienna and Budapest and claimed both cities were amazing. This claim was verified by other sources and a train ticket between the two capitals proved to be astoundingly cheap. I coordinated with the two other American students from the University of Minnesota who were studying in my program and they agreed that a weekend in Vienna and Budapest sounded like a great idea.

The plans were quickly laid, the two of them would be in Munich on Saturday for a soccer game so I would fly down to Vienna that day and stay with yet another University of Minnesota student who was living and studying in Vienna (it really pays to know people). I would then meet up with the other two on Sunday. We would spend that Sunday in Vienna, travel to Budapest Monday, return on Tuesday and then each catch a plane back to Cologne. Fool proof plan!

Well it turned out that there were a few snags in the plan. First my online plane ticket to Vienna was booked for the wrong date. I called the airline to correct the situation but they claimed they had no planes flying out of Cologne on any other day. So I was forced to cancel my ticket (receiving only a partial refund) and rebook with a different airline. By that time the tickets were not cheap either so the amount I payed for transportation alone gave me a headache. The situation was not helped by the airline staff who, it appears, were based somewhere in Eastern Europe, where English was taught to be spoken in a ridiculous accent and  at twice the normal speed. Needless to say I was not thrilled.

After that headache I arrived without any hiccups in Vienna. My comrades traveling to Munich weren't so lucky. They had planned to travel with a German ride-sharing platform called Mitfahrgelegenheit. Unfortunately their ride cancelled at the last minute and neglected to tell them until they called him repeatedly. Thinking fast though they immediately looked for another means of transportation and after exhausting air and rail they rented a car and drove down to Munich.

Meanwhile, I had met up with two other Carlson students who were living and studying in Vienna. I walked with one to the beautiful Schönbrunn Gartens, about a 10 minute walk from the apartment complex in which they lived. The gardens were beautiful, particularly during the Autumn season! They were also massive! As we walked deeper and deeper into their recesses I began to gain an appreciation for just how detailed and large they were. They were also meticulously cared for and all of the paths were perfectly straight. 


We climbed a steep hill to the south of the gardens and looked down over everything. From our vantage point we could see the Schönbrunn Schloss, a massive palace purchased by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II in 1569 and originally used as a royal hunting ground. In 1638 it became the summer residence of the Empress Eleonora Ganzaga. In recent history it was used as a headquarters by the British garrison stationed there after World War II and now serves as Vienna's chief tourist destination. 

The Schönbrunn palace.

After taking in the extraordinary view, we descended the steep hill in front of the palace and approached the monolithic structure. At the base of the hill was a gigantic, intricately carved fountain depicting the sea god Neptune and an assortment of water sprites. We completed our tour of the beautiful grounds and headed back to the apartment to rendezvous with our fellow student. We then boarded the street train for a flea market that was set up every Saturday in a square across town. 

We arrived shortly afterward and stepped out of the underground tram stop to view a huge square filled with stalls and people. We started picking through the tables piled high with assortments of odds and ends. It looked as though some vendors had literally just thrown the contents of their attics into a box, thrown that box on a table and were now attempting to sell everything. Have the fun was searching the piles of junk for interesting artifacts. Some of our more interesting finds were a gas mask, Soviet military surplus, and a German Arbeitsbuch (work book) from around the Nazi era. Throughout our search Nate bought an iPod cord to replace his old one and I found a French Franc and a Brazilian Cruzado, both of which were no longer being minted. 

We ate dinner there at the flea market and then headed back to the apartment were we rested for a short time and then met up with some of Nate and Tom's friends before heading out for a night on the town.

Berlin!

So there's been something of a gap in my blog posts. I keep meaning to write another entry but get intimidated by the fact that I'm so far behind. Then that time gap just keeps increasing and I become stuck in a never-ending cycle that never leads to the publishing of another post. So on this fine Sunday night I need something to do while I procrastinate from homework and decided I should break the cycle.

It is now my second month in Germany and its hard to believe the time has gone by so fast. Classes have started and its kind of nice to be getting back into the school routine even if it does mean a lot less free time. Registering for my classes has been a real pain. The German registration system is basically different for each and every course and then crafting a schedule that includes courses I can hopefully accredit to my major has not been fun at all. But I finally found 5 courses for a total of 16.5 credits that may just work for me. The courses thus far have been interesting though as I am enrolled in a few master's courses it is clear that they will be very challenging this semester.

Jumping back a few weeks before school started I made a little trip to the capital city of Berlin with a few of the other international students. On Sunday the 1st of October I woke up early and met two students from Mexico, one from Brazil, and one from Belgium in the Cologne Hauptbahnhof. Our plan was to rent a car from the Avis office there and drive that to Berlin. I was definitely excited about the prospect of visiting the German capital and about driving on the world-famous Autobahn for a second time, though I was also a little nervous about the latter. Due to the confusing and complicated political system this world perpetrates, only myself and Roberto from Mexico were legally able to drive a car in Germany it was up to both of us to drive for the duration of the 5 hour journey.

Roberto volunteered to take the first shift and I allowed him. He seemed nervous at first but once we got on the Autobahn he relaxed a bit and ended up driving the entire way there, despite my offer to assist. We arrived in Berlin at around 3 pm, quickly checked into our hostel and departed to see the city. Our first stop was a portion of the Berlin Wall that was fairly close to our hostel. We walked for about 15 minutes before coming to a small segment that was all that remained of this portion of the once ultra-divisional wall.

Unsere kleine Mercedez A Klasse

Our group by the Berlin Wall.

After that we walked another half an hour to the Jewish History Museum that all sources said was a must-see. The museum was huge and had a very interesting and unique design. We walked through the twisting exhibits and stopped inside quite and small "reflection rooms" that had been designed by Jewish artists. One such room was covered with a hundred tiny gold disks with faces cut into them. Our favorite site however was a large maze built of pillars of stone that stood in the exact center of the museum. It was outdoors, with the floor slanted downhill. The pillars however were slanted in the other direction and the effect was very strange. Sensations of vertigo overcame you as you walked through the maze and more than once you were forced to reorient yourself.

In the Jewish History Museum garden maze

After two hours we were beginning to grow tired from the long drive this morning and the stagnant museum. We left and took a tram back to our hostel, changing in Alexander Platz were a mini-Oktoberfest was taking place. We kept it in mind as a possible point to return to that evening. We stopped at our hostel and rested and changed clothes before venturing back out to find a club. We stopped by one that had been recommended to me but discovered it did not open for another two hours. So we decided to walk back to the mini-Oktoberfest we had seen earlier. 

This turned out to be a very good decision and we spent the rest of the night there, talking and laughing. At around 2 am I returned to the hostel with Lorraine from Brazil and Roberto from Mexico. The other two boys remained at the Oktoberfest.

The next day we awoke much too early. I showered and dressed quickly, returning to our room to find the two boys who had stayed out later last night (Jeremy and Ricardo) were still asleep. We decided to leave them there and meet them later once they had regained consciousness. Our thought was to walk along the famous road Unter den Linden until it reached the Brandenburg Gate so we took a tram to Alexander Platz and then a bus down Unter den Linden. We got off before we had expected to though in order to see the giant Berliner Dom. It was beautiful and the area around it was really amazing. We lingered for a time in the park just in front of the Dom before continuing on foot. 

The Berliner Dom

The buildings lining Unter den Linden were all gorgeous and we passed so many museums it was unbelievable. Many of the buildings were styled after Roman architecture and one section of the road was guarded by statues of Athena accompanying her favorite Greek heroes. At the end of the road was the Brandenburg Gate. the platz in front of the Gate was packed with people and a huge concert stage had been erected behind it, probably in preparation of the celebration of der Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity) that was the following day. 

After viewing the gate we walked to the main governmental building, the Bundesrat. We wanted to go inside and take a tour but the woman at the information desk kindly told us that you had to make an appointment at least four days in advance and that there was nothing they could do. So we walked back toward the gate and around to the Jewish Memorial. The memorial was huge! It was a maze similar to the one in the Jewish Museum but much larger. It was comprised of 2711 coffin-like stone squares and quite a sight. After wandering through the monument we headed to Postdamer Platz, a trendy and fashionable neighborhood that hosted the massive Sony Center. We ate lunch there and I had my first full German Apple Strudel. Amaaazing!

The Jewish Memorial

Postdamer Platz tram stop

After Postdamer Platz we walked to Checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint in the Berlin Wall were important dignitaries and officials and crossed from east to west and vise versa. The checkpoint was cool to see but consisted only of one guard station. Right across the street stood a McDonalds so the effect was ruined somewhat. As the day light was winding down we took a train back toward the Dom and met the other two travelers in an ancient civilization history museum. The museum was housed some very cool artifacts but was kind of small and tedious (a tone not helped by the fact that all of the artifact labels were in German and thus took three times as long to read). We left right as the museum was closing and headed back to the hostel. 

We rested there for an hour or two and then went out to the Brandenburg Gate again. We sat outside the Bundesrat for a time, talking and enjoying the cool night air. After an hour or two we headed back to the mini-Oktoberfest and sat outside a raucous club resembling a cabana house in the beach chairs that had been placed there. Around 2 am we headed back to the hostel as our daily train ticket was about to expire, ready for a good night's sleep.

The next day was der Tag der Deutschen Einheit. We got up early again and split into two groups. The boys had seen the inside of the Berliner Dom yesterday and Roberto, Lorraine and I wanted to see it. So we headed for the Dom while the guys headed for Checkpoint Charlie, which they had missed yesterday. The inside of the Dom was as beautiful as the outside. We went up to the top for 4 euro and got a great view of the entire city. We then climbed back down and headed back along Unter den Linden. When we reached the Brandenburg Gate a festival much like Oktoberfest was in motion. The road was packed with people and carts of merchandise and food. We walked along the festival for a time before deciding to head back to the hostel and meet the other two.

We got back around 2 pm and loaded up the car. I said I would drive home since Roberto had driven on the way here and we took off. We hit traffic about an hour outside the city, which greatly lengthened our return journey. Around 8 pm Roberto said he would take over again and drove the remainder of the way home. When we got back to Cologne we were all tired and worn but flushed from the glow of a successful weekend.

Oktoberfest Round 2!

The next morning (Saturday the 25th of September) we awoke around noon. We had planned to get up at 8 am to visit the tents again but our bodies had disagreed with us and the alarms that blared throughout the morning were effectively ignored. When we finally did struggle out of bed we dressed and readied ourselves quickly before eating a brunch of Doener at a local shop and boarding the train back to Munich and the Oktoberfest. When we got there the streets were even more crowded than they were last night. We decided to take a walk around the entirety of the festival to get a feel for exactly how large it was. Just walking through the crowd was a laborious task. We had to struggle to keep our little six-person group together was we waded through the surging crowd.

We walked for a few hours around the carnival-like portion of the festival, looking at all the rides and attractions offered. After a time we decided to go back to the tents and see if it was possible to enter one. On the way we met one of James' high school friends who was studying in Vienna and walked around to the back of the beer tents in an attempt to get in. The lines were just as long as they were last night and much slower. After a time we managed to get into one of the tents (the Hipodrome) but each and every table was either taken or reserved. After circulating the tent we decided to try our luck at the other tents.

The crowded and colorful Hipdrome tent.

Outside on the street we walked past a multitude of people whom it seemed Oktoberfest had thoroughly beaten. Dozens of people were passed out on a grassy hill behind the tents and dozens more were slumped over fences or against trees. Some were in even more amusing positions.

The main entrance to Oktoberfest.

These guys had a little too much fun.

We continued walking around the festival for what seemed like a long time before we finally reached the conclusion that we weren't getting into any tents today. On Saturday it seemed each table in each tent was previously reserved and we were out of luck. We werent' too discouraged however. Some of our companions had seen a beer garden just outside Oktoberfest and we were sure we could just as easily entertain ourselves there.

We were right. The beer garden was alive and thriving. We first seated ourselves next to German political science students who were anxious to talk about political struggles in both the US and Germany. I enjoyed the conversation but soon moved to another table were two brothers and their respective daughters were enjoying each other's company over a few steins. We talked to them for a while and it turns out they owned a company in Cologne and offered to give us a tour of their facilities some time. We thanked them and marveled over the ability of the daughters to drink so openly with their fathers.

By midnight the beer garden was closing down and we had lost several members of our party. Figuring they had gone back to the hostel the remainder of us met some French students who had driven up from Cologne for the festival. We soon parted from them however and took a late-night, walking tour of Munich. It was a very nice night and there were plenty of sights to see even in the darkness. Finally we made it back to the Hauptbahnhof and boarded our train around 4 am. By the time we finally collapsed into our beds it was 6 am.

I woke an hour and a half after that, showered, dressed, and rode the train back to Munich with two members of our party. One had to catch a flight and the other was meeting a friend in the city. I said goodbye to them and went off on my own to explore. My first stop was Marienplatz, essentially the town square. I walked around the area, looking at the historic buildings and the huge churches. I found one that allowed you to climb to an observation deck for 1 euro and went up to the top. The view was stunning. You could essentially see the whole of Munich from that vantage point. It was quite impressive.

Me in front of the Neuesrathaus (new city hall).

A view of Marienplatz from the top of the church.

Cathedral of St. Mary

After a fun afternoon of site seeing I met up with the boys again and traveled to the Dachau concentration camp which was a 25 minute train ride away. The site had the exact opposite effect that Oktoberfest had. Everyone was silent and sober as we walked around the large, mostly open grounds. Only one prisoner barracks remained but the gas chambers and crematorium were also intact. We spent the better part of two hours at the camp before finally heading back to Munich.

The gate to the camp. "Arbeit Macht Frei"
Translation: Work makes one free.

The memorial sculpture at Dachau.

By the time we made it back to Munich it was nearly time to catch our 7:30 train back to Cologne. We stopped very briefly at the Englischergarten (English Gardens) for dinner. The gardens were very peaceful and it was a fine day to enjoy them. The food was also excellent and I regretted that we didnt' have more time to stay and enjoy the scene. After our food and beer were consumed we took the street car back to the central train station and boarded our train bound for home. All-in-all, I would call it a great weekend.

Oktoberfest!

So I know I haven't written for a while and I think its high time for an update! These past two weeks have been jammed full of awesome goings-on. I was fortunate enough to be able to experience two extremely important German events; the Oktoberfest in Munich and the Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity) in Berlin.

I was actually very lucky to be able to take part in the Oktoberfest. The other Americans studying at the University of Cologne had booked a hostel in the nearby city of Augsburg months in advance. However, one of their roommates had dropped and they asked me if I wanted to accompany them to Munich. Of course I said yes! I purchased my ticket the next day and packed the day after! On Friday the 23rd of September I woke at 5 am, and hurriedly readied myself. By 6:30 am I was on a tram bound for the Hauptbahnhof to catch a train to Munich that left at 7:15. I arrived on the platform ten minutes before the train arrived, boarded, and settled in for the 4 hour journey.

About halfway through a Canadian sat down beside me and started talking excitedly about Oktoberfest. It was clear that he was not exactly in the best condition to be going. He had lost most of his luggage at the last stop and had no idea where the person he was staying with lived and lacked contact information for her. He also seemed woefully unprepared for all that Oktoberfest encompassed so I did my best to fill him in on what exactly would go down.

We arrived at the Hauptbahnhof in Munich at about 11:30 am. I grabbed my small, over-the-shoulder bag that held all I would hopefully need for the weekend and took a little walk around the city, acquainting myself with the area around the Haupbahnhof. I then returned to the station, had lunch at a Burger King, and sat down to wait for Chris and James to arrive. It turned out that their train was two hours late so I sat for about three hours before it finally pulled in. I greeted them cheerfully and we set off to meet the three others who would be sharing the hostel with us. We meet the first very fortunately a few train stations away. We met the other two American students at the airport with surprisingly little trouble then hopped back on the train to the Hauptbahnhof were another train waited to take us to our hostel in Augsburg.

After checking into our hostel and depositing our luggage we boarded the train once again to go back to the Oktoberfest celebration. Within an hour we had entered Theresienwiese, the massive park where festival takes place. Hundreds of people were crammed into the wide streets and massive Bierzelten (beer tents) had been erected along the dirt road. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly cheerful and our sense were assaulted by a barrage of sights, sounds, and smells. After walking along the streets for a time, taking pictures and marveling at the enormity of it all, we decided to try and enter a tent. We scoped out a few before landing on one of the most popular, the Hofbrauhaus tent.

The Theresienwiese Strassenbahn stop.

We shouldered our way into the crowd waiting outside and stood in the cool night air for what must have been 20 minutes. Occasionally the bouncers at the entrance would raise a line of rope and allow 2 or 3 people to enter the tent. At around the 20 minute mark (we were prepared to wait an hour at least) the bouncers raised the entire rope and the crowd surged forward excitedly, each struggling to be the first to enter the tent. Inside our small group reformed and Chris excitedly exclaimed that they had been offered a table. We walked a few feet into the massive beer tent and forced our way onto a crowded bench near the entrance. No one was sitting and everyone was standing on the benches of the table so we shouldered our way into the mass of humanity bestriding the table.

The noise in the hall was immense. On a raised stage a band was playing a mix of older American music and traditional German melodies. Everyone in the tent was shouting and yelling and singing along. As our first round arrive we quickly made friends with our neighbors. One was a gigantic. loud Australian who enjoyed smashing his beer stein into those of the people he was toasting. It was clear he had consumed quite a lot of the golden brown liquid. On our other side was a quiet and serious German who held a doctorate in history. His name was Ollie and he was soon the most interesting man at the table. Soon the Australian man was replaced by a group of younger Germans with whom I chatted for a time.

The Oktoberfest grounds.

Der Bierzelt des Hofbrauhaus

James, Ryan, and I inside the beer tent.

After about two hours of merry-making inside the tent we were ushered from the table as the beer tent was closing. The tents at Oktoberfest surprisingly closed around 11 pm. This was probably due to some safety concerns but it was still disappointing to have to leave so soon. On the other hand, the beer in the tent was super-strong and most of us had about reached our limited. We walked outside into the crowd and were promptly separated by the swarm of people leaving the fair grounds. There was nothing that I could do except force my way back to the train stop and catch a ride back to the Hauptbahnhof. I found the train departing for Augsburg at its platform when I arrived, hoping against hope that the others would find the train as well.

As I was about to board I received a call from James who showed up with one of our other friends at the platform. Relieved that at least some of us had survived I boarded with them. I sat down once aboard as James and our friend went in search of a bathroom when a miracle occurred. First one of our other companions, than another, and then the final one walked aboard the train and past my seat. Despite all odds and some slightly altered states, we had all made it aboard the same train. I was very relieved and spent an surprisingly enjoyable ride back to Augsburg were we collapsed into our bunks.

IAA Part 2!

So a little known fact about me: I like cars. A lot. In fact, one of my career goals is to work with BMW, Volkswagen, or Mercedes after school. My Google News feed is always full of corporate news from each of the above companies and anything generally related to the automotive industry. Currently the background of my computer is the BMW i8 electric sports car concept. So, knowing all this, you can maybe begin to imagine how exciting this fair was for me!

It all passed by in a blur. We spent 2 hours along in the Mercedes pavilion, looking at all of their vehicles and fancy, eye-catching displays. After that we wandered outside to the Volkswagen pavilion. Their display was much smaller than that of Mercedes, though it was equally intense. Lights flashed, music thumped and several attractive women danced on tables set around the new Beetles on display. Volkswagen also shared its pavilion with such companies as Seat, Porsche, Bently, and Lamborghini. Time flew as we looked at all of the different displays. The Porsches and Lamborghinis were particularly impressive. I had never been able to sit in such an expensive car. Until today! Most of them cost well over 300,000 euros with the Lamborghinis approaching 1 million. My eyes were being pulled in every direction by the sights and sounds of the pavilion. Somehow I managed to remain not only sane but professional.

We soon lost track of how long we had been in the pavilion. I'll let the pictures do some of the talking.

Lamborghini

Another Lamborghini

Me with Volkswagen's new up! electric car.

Volkswagen's electric car up!. 

After leaving the Volkswagen pavilion we bought lunch from a German grill. We both purchased Rostbrotwurst and started walking to find a place to sit. We were intercepted however by a salesman for the German equivalent of Triple A. He quickly engaged meine Parternin Julia about her driving preferences. He left me alone after I told him in German that I was from the United States. He continued talking to Julia in rapid German while I struggled to follow the conversation. From what I could tell used every trick in the book, giving examples of how expensive repairs on a damaged vehicle could be and how his company could save Julia that money. I could tell Julia was not interested though she continued to answer questions. Finally I decided she was just too polite and pointed out (in English) that we needed to get moving. This finally stopped the salesman and we hurried away, with Julia muttering in exasperation to me.

The rest of the day was spent wandering. We of course visited the BMW pavilion, which was located on the fair end of the fair. It was a long walk but worth it. BMW and its subsidiaries had a pavilion all to themselves. The two-floored room was covered in modern white and displayed a good portion of BMW's line up. What immediately caught my eye however was a pair of cars sitting on the second floor. These were the new electric car concepts I had read tons of information on. The one on the left was the i8 electric sports car. I had seen plenty of pictures of it but in person it was almost ridiculously sexy. I must have stood for a good 10 minutes. Unfortunately (as with all concept cars), no one was allowed to touch or sit in it so I contented myself with pictures. I also snapped some of the i3 electric city car which was on the right hand side of the second floor platform.

After that we spent the rest of the day looking at the Weltpremiere (World Premier) of the new Mini Coupe and all the other vehicles BMW offered.

BMW 1 Class

BMW i3 electric street car concept

BMW i8 electric sports car concept

Another view of the BMW i8 electric sports car concept. 

Me with the i8!

Around 4:30 we left the pavilion and made the long trek back to the front of the exhibition center. We were both tired and sore and more than ready to return to our hostel for some rest. We stopped first at the Mercedes Trucks exhibit. It turned out the Julia and done an internship with that department of the Daimler company and knew a co-worker who was stationed at the fair. He allowed us upstairs to Mercedes' private cafe for a cup of free coffee and cake! He also told us to return tomorrow around lunch time for a free meal! We thanked him and drank our coffee. It was the prefect way to end the day.

After that we walked back to our hostel and unwound the rest of the night. I sat in the common area (see previous entry) and typed, then played a German game which translates to "Don't get angry", which was exactly like the game Sorry. Around midnight all of the boys headed to bed, knowing full well that tomorrow would be just as crazy.

The next day we awoke and ate another amazing breakfast in the common area. This morning it was packed full of people. There was a lot of table space but chairs were soon in very short supply. Our group was unable to eat together for the most part and finished at separate times. I sat later and drank a coffee with Mael, Dominik and Philipp, three of the German students. We chatted in German while we watched the busy street below.

Soon after that we were once again on our way to the fair. Julia and I walked alone and planned our strategy. We still did have to write an article for the DAAD and wanted to get a little more info. We decided to write about the Volkswagen up! and the BMW Mini and compare the two vehicles. We stopped by each BMW's and Volkswagen's pavilions (with a quick stop by the Mercedes cafe for a free meal of lasagna). At Volkswagen's station we made an amazing discovery. You could test drive essentially an Volkswagen vehicle right there at the fair! We both excitedly signed up, Julia for a small Volkswagen Polo sports car, and me for a Golf Cabriolet convertible sports car.

Julia was called to her vehicle first and I sat and waited in a small lounge that had been set up for that purpose. Finally my name was called and I was taken to a beautiful black convertible. I stowed my bags in the back seat, was given a short intro by my co-pilot and we took off. We drove quickly through the converted streets of the IAA and then into the main Frankfurt city. My co-pilot (I think her name was Yvonne) asked if I wanted to go on the Autobahn for a short time. Who was I to say no to that! I was a little anxious however as I had never driven in a foreign country at all, let alone on the German Autobahn, which was notorious as one of the last few road ways with no posted speed limits. I didn't let my nervousness show however and acted just like I was merging onto the interstate in the US.

The little Volkswagen I was driving certainly had an engine. I accelerated it up to 130 km/h (a little over 80 miles) and drove around a lumbering truck. We drove for about 10 kilometers before exiting and returning to the fair. I was thrilled with the experience and went back inside very cheerfully to greet Julia. After that mind-numbing experience we walked around the pavilions yet again but soon decided to go back to our hostel. We were to meet our chaperons for dinner at 7 and thought a few hours to ourselves would be welcome.

At 7 we headed down the stairs of our hostel with the rest of the group and started walking to the restaurant. The chaperons assured us it was not far and we walked along happily behind them, chatting. It soon became apparent however that they had no idea where they were going. One of the German students, Philipp, pulled out his iPhone and quickly located the restaurant. Instead of directing the group however, he walked behind the chaperons with the phone, watching to see if they would find their way. We watched with amusement as they struggled. Finally we arrived at our destination.

The restaurant was a small, dimly lit place with a scattering of customers. We sat down and were greeted by a not-so-friendly waiter. I was pretty sure he was gay (a German later confirmed this suspicion) though I didn't voice it out loud since my gay-dar was absolutely useless in Europe. He took our orders without a hint of friendliness and we chatted and waited for our food. It was traditional German fare and it was pretty good. After dinner we headed back to the hostel and sat in the common area until well past midnight. I went to bed first out of the boys because I wasn't feeling well. My body had finally revolted against all the abuse I was putting it through.

The next morning I woke, said farewell to all the other Tandem Reporters and headed back to the IAA alone. I was supposed to meet a group of international students from Hungary who were driving up from Cologne for the day. I finally found them near the Skoda exhibit and we walked around the fair until it was time for me to catch my train home. I went to the station on foot and had McDonalds for the first time in Europe! It was essentially the same except for two differences, no free refills and absolutely no ketchup on anything unless you asked for it and agreed to pay a little extra.

I ate then boarded my train, sleeping through most of the ride. When I arrived at the Cologne Haupbahnhof I departed through the streets. I immediately became lost. I wandered for what must have been half an hour, stopping in a hotel once for a much needed bathroom break, before finally finding Neumarkt. From there I walked the half mile to the tram stop, lugging my heavy bag. It was a relief to finally throw the bag on the floor of the tram and sit in the chair until the train pulled into my station at the end of the line.

IAA Day 1!

This blogging business is hard work. I struggle each week just to keep up with what's been going on and this particular week I anticipate a lot to happen. I am typing this in a Youth Hostel in Frankfurt, Germany. The hostel is located in the middle of the Red Light district of the city (literally there is a sex/strip club next door). It is taking all of my concentration to construct each sentence because directly behind me in a corner of the hostel common area is a large group of South African men, all white, speaking loudly with British accents, and they are hilarious! Occasionally a particular comment will permeate the entire common area. Its usually something along the lines of "Can I fondle you?" or "I'm a sexual pedophile." But let's back up a little bit.

On Wednesday the 14th of September I got up early and arrived at the Cologne Messa/Deutz train station at 11:00 am. I was to board an ICE train (high speed rail) for Frankfurt at 11:44. During the summer I had applied and been accepted to a program put on by the DAAD (the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) called Tandem Reporters. This program paired international students with a German student and sent them to report on various events occurring throughout the country. This particular event was the Internationale Auto Austellung (IAA) or the International Automotive Exhibition. A few days previously we had received an email from the program coordinator, informing us that we would get a personal tour of the Austellung facility that would be attended my none other than the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. I liked the chancellor and had in fact written an essay about her for a scholarship. Needless to say I was so excited my internal organs were in danger of rupturing.

Me on the empty train platform

My train finally arrived and I boarded it, stowed my luggage and took my seat next to a British fellow who, after a quick introduction, said nothing to me for the remainder of the journey. I was okay with this and occupied myself with looking out the window of the speeding train and watching the German countryside flash by. After about an hour the train pulled into the Frankfurt Haupbahnhof (main train station), and I walked to the back of my car and exited into the noisy, bustling, and crowded station. It was at this point that I realized that I had only the vaguest of ideas where my hostel was. I walked out of the main city entrance of the station and started down a street. I soon realized it was the wrong one and returned to the station.

I cursed myself for not bringing a map or any of the documents that had detailed where we would be staying. Admittedly we had been told very little about the details of the trip but we had been given a city map that showed the hostel. After talking to a customer service representative (in German), and being given the wrong directions I found two police officers. I asked them (again in German) where to find the hostel. They pointed out the main entrance and told me to walk 50 meters and turn right. I did this and immediately found the hostel. It was within sight of the central train station. A few years ago I would have kicked myself for being so clueless. But, as it was, I shrugged it off and went inside.

The Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof

My ICE train

The main lobby of the hostel was on the 3rd floor (weird) and when I walked inside there were a smattering of guests entertaining themselves in front of the bar/reception desk. I approached the girl behind the desk and she addressed me in English. In short order we found my group reservation and my room. I took a key (for a 5 euro deposit) and went to my room, which was just around the corner from the reception/common area. I placed my key in front of a blinking green scanner and stepped into a slim room with three pairs of bunk beds against the walls. There were no other people in the room but a set of bags were laid against one of the bunks.

I set my things against another wall just as two tall boys entered the room. One looked very German and the other looked as though he came from somewhere in Western Europe. They greeted me and I quickly learned they were both German, though one had a French parent. They introduced themselves as Dominic and Meil. After Meil stowed his things we went back to the common area and held a conversation in German. I was both surprised and delighted at my ability to understand most of what they were saying. Moments later an Asian boy approached us and asked if we were here with the DAAD. We said yes and he introduced himself as David from Indonesia.

After more chatting the rest of the reporters entered the room. We had the one boy from Indonesia, two girls from Russia, one boy from Israel, and me. It was quickly determined that David was the only one who didn't speak a word of German and I was the youngest. This was a fact I was getting used to as many German and other international students had taken years off of school or were pursuing a masters degree. 

There were also two women who represented the DAAD present. They gathered us around a table and began a presentation on who exactly to write an article. The presentation took FOREVER as the women would present first in German and then again in English. Before long I was wondering why they didn't just communicate everything in English. This would become a point of exasperation all week as they would later report vital information in German and then not bother to repeat it in English. I could usually get the meaning of what they were saying but was certain I had missed a few details and I would constantly think of how confused poor David was.

After what seemed like ages the women took us on a tour of the city. I had seen the massive skyscrapers from the train and would soon see them up close. Frankfurt was a huge banking town with basically every major bank in German headquartered there. I had also heard from several Germans that the city wasn't exactly exciting or pretty. I however, thoroughly disagreed. It reminded me a bit of Minneapolis. The downtown area was clean and many of the skyscrapers very modern with interesting and beautiful architecture and sculptures. Scattered in with the modern buildings were also older houses and government buildings.

Our first stop was the top of the Main Tower, the only skyscraper in the city that offered guests a stunning view from 200 meters. The view was indeed beautiful! From this vantage point I could more clearly see the mix of modern and old-fashioned buildings. I could also see that the western part of the city dead-ended suddenly with a row of trees, and that unlike Minneapolis the skyscrapers were far more spread out. After lingering at the top of Main Tower for a time we saw the little church were the first German Parliament had convened and the Rhine. Our tour guides left us on the river and we ate Döner in the grass there before walking to a Supermarkt, purchasing some beers and then returning the river to casually drink them and watch the sun set over the eastern bank.

After a time we returned to the hostel and fell asleep.

Frankfurt skyline

Me with the Commerzbank tower in the background

The next morning I awoke first and remained in my bed, staring at the stark white sheets of the bunk above me. After a few minutes the alarm of one of the German students (Philip) went off and he struggled out of his perch on the top bunk and went into the room that contained the small shower that was shared between the six male Tandem Reporters. I remained where I was for a few more minutes before rising as well and beginning to dress. I put on my black dress pants and a somewhat wrinkled white shirt. By the time I was done maneuvering around in the crowded room, everyone else had awoken and begun their daily routine.

I left the room before everyone and headed into the common area for the promised free breakfast. The little room was packed with people, either sitting at tables or shuffling around a large buffet lined with food. I slipped through the line and sat with one of the Russian girls named Maria. We ate in relative silence. I enjoyed the meal. The spread included bread, rolls, tomatoes, salami, ham, three different kinds of cheeses, cereal, milk, apple and orange juice, tea, and coffee. I ate my fill before heading back to the room and tying a tie around my neck and hiding my wrinkled white shirt beneath a suit coat.

The boys all left together and met the girls and our chaperons outside the hostel, where we walked about 5 blocks to the exhibition grounds, located dead in the middle of the city. We entered the front doors and we told to wait for our chaperons while they secured our press badges. We stood at the base of a double set of escalators and watched throngs of people hustle through the security gates into the fair. The main entrance hall of the facility was huge and white and modern. I amused myself with looking around the room and watching the people walking through it.

We waited for what seemed like forever before the two women returned. They didn't bring good news. Apparently we were denied our press badges, which meant the DAAD had to buy our tickets and that we would be unable to gain access to the press room and its resources. But the real blow was that we couldn't join Angela Merkel's tour. Disappointment fell heavily on our little group. This disappointment turned to frustration as the chaperons had us wait some more while they searched (largely in vain) for the "cloakroom". I was beginning to think that instead of just choosing not to share details with us the DAAD representatives actually didn't know them themselves. Finally the pair returned and we entered the fair.

We were immediately split up from each other in a massive throng of people. I managed to stick with my Tandem Partnerin, Julia, as we made our way down a long hallway to where the exhibits were located. Julia was a 4th year bachelor student studying business. She had a very strong interest in cars and had interned for Daimler (the company most noted for producing Mercedes-Benz). She was quite at first and clearly self-conscious about her English skills. I just continued talking however and perhaps it was my rather clumsy attempts at conversation in German that convinced her to become more vocal over the course of the day.

Our first stop was the exhibit room for Mercedes-Benz. The room was massive and it damned near caused me to faint with excitement as we caught our first full glimpse of it. It was huge first of all, two floors packed full of some of the most expensive cars in Europe. A bright blue glow covered the whole room and epic music blasted from speakers set into the ceiling 20 meters above us added to the overwhelming excitement of the room. Hundreds of people milled about and, taking a deep breath, my Partnerin and I started through the exhibit.

The new addition to the Mercedes C Class. I may have been drooling
while taking this photo.

Yep. There was definitely some drool on this car.

We spent almost two hours in the giant room, walking around, looking at the classy new additions to the C class, the family-oriented B Class and the brand new concepts for the A Class. I was particularly interested in the new electric and hybrid motors Mercedes had on display. Their latest 6 cylinder model used powerful pumps to push air into the combustion chamber. The more oxygen in the chamber, the more the fuel could burn and thus produce more energy to propel the car. I was impressed with the level of commitment the company seemed to have for producing environmentally friendly cars. More than once I lost Julia in the crowd because I was busy listening to a presenter or staring at an engine or graphic.

Well this blog post is getting really long and I am a bit tired from the day's excitement. Its about midnight here and tomorrow promises to come much too soon. Hopefully I'll find time to document the rest of my first day at the IAA as well as my second. So . . . 

To be continued . . . 

Bonn

The next day I woke up around 9 and hastily readied myself for the day. The night before hadn't been that taxing but I stayed up late even though I knew full well I would be up early the next day. Rosa, the president of the international student club on campus, had promised us only 75 spots on the tour and I was bound and determined to get one. The club had planned an excursion to the city of Bonn, which was located about half an hour south of Cologne.

I was excited to visit the city mainly because of the history it had. Bonn had been the old German capital after the second World War mainly because the Chancellor at the time had lived in Cologne and wanted to keep the capital city close to home. Currently it still maintained several important United Nations facilities and hosted the prominent persons of the German government on a regular basis. It was said that a plane left from Cologne to Berlin every 50 minutes. Bonn was also the local headquarters of several huge telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile. Several other large companies were also headquartered there which made Bonn and interesting study in business because despite its relatively small size it was an important city.

I arrived in front of the international club a little early and chatted with a few girls from France and China as well as a guy from Italy. Finally a large group formed outside and I excitedly caught up with many of the friends I had made over the past few weeks. We took off from the main southern tram station in Cologne. The train ride took the promised half an hour and I spent most of it examining the German country side. This was the first time I had been out of the city proper and many parts of Germany reminded me of the rolling countryside of Iowa or Minnesota. Of course the farmhouses and villages off in the distance were entirely different but apart from that everything was very similar.

We arrived in the Bonn Hauptbahnhof and walked a few meters to a square. It had started to rain and my Converses were instantly soaked with water. I huddled under an umbrella with Becki from Hungary who was kind enough to share the space underneath, provided I held the umbrella since I was the taller of us. The group decided to split up to grab some lunch before continuing to the museum of German history where we were to have a tour. A vast majority of the group hurried for the shelter of a nearby Burger King but my group decided to avoid the crowd and headed to a Subway that was just down the street.

We ate our lunch (nearly indistinguishable from an American Subway) and then rejoined the group outside in the rain. By that point Chris and James (the Americans) had found the group. They had stayed near Bonn the night before. We caught up with them and headed underground to the tram station, where a tram would take us directly to the museum. About 4 stops later we stepped off at another underground stop and entered the museum where the first exhibit was saw was an old and expensive looking BMW car with German flags flying from its front bumper. Several students snapped quick pictures of the vehicle before we were ordered to put our cameras away and follow the German students upstairs.

The museum was huge!! After storing our coats and bags we were taken around the 5 stories of the museum by an English-speaking tour guide from Poland. He spoke with a very thick accent but I could easily understand all that he said (a job made more simple by the fact that he wore a microphone that was sent directly to earpieces we each wore). Unfortunately no pictures were allowed in the museum so there is not photographic evidence of its epicness! You're just going to have to take my word for it. It was like walking directly through German history. The museum was neatly arranged by time period, with artifacts detailing every important event from the end of World War II to the present. Mind = blown!

After the tour we assembled on the main level and hashed out a plan. There was a fair in town for the weekend just outside the city and the German students wanted to check it out. The group split about in half, with one half returning to Cologne on an incoming train and the other half hopping on a bus and heading to the fair. My small group and I joined the fair-goers. When the bus pulled up at the front gates it was quiet a sight. Gigantic booths and rides had been erected on a gravel street which was jammed with people walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder.

The crowded fair streets

Filip with a candy apple. Happiest guy I've ever seen.

Bahahaha!

Our group walked down the main street of the fair, looking at all of the booths and the interesting people both managing them and visiting them. We stopped about 30 meters down the street at a currywurst stand and were not disappointed with our purchase. I hadn't eaten since the Subway (a long time in when it comes to Gage and food) and the wurst was delicious! We continued down the street, chatting while our eyes flicked every which way. We made a complete circuit of the main street and headed down a side one, following James and Chris. The two of them had visited the fair last night and knew largely were everything was.

They led us to a massive beer hall that brought up instant flashbacks to the Summerfest I had experienced in southern Brazil two winters ago. The hall was huge with beer and pretzel stands lining the walls and balconies wringing the entire structure. I bought a beer from a stand with Jeremy from Belgium and we drank slowly with the rest of the group at a standing table at one end of the hall, listening to a German band preform both classic German drinking songs and American and English songs from the 70s and 80s. After the beers had disappeared we returned to the busy street.

Yes Mom, that's a beer

Roberto, Alexia, and Merina chowing down on German fare.

We walked around for another half hour or so. James, Merina and I stopped at a stand for German crepes on the way out of the fair. In total I spent about 8 and a half euros on food. I think it was worth it though. We ended our day in Bonn with a long bus ride back to the central train station and then another half hour ride on a regional train back to Cologne. By the time I arrived home my feet were achy and soaking and I was hungry (once again) and tired. When I got home I collapsed into my comfortable desk chair and relaxed.