Here I am now, in terminal 4 of JFK, killing the 6 hours I have in between flights. It's what I like to call the mourning period of a vacation. When you're coming to terms with letting go of everything you loved about your vacation. Accepting that it will be at least another year or two before you can return to some of those things. Wondering how long before some of the memories fade, and which ones you'll reminisce about in twenty or fifty years. Reflecting on some of the experiences that have changed you as a person. Returning to a different culture, a different way of life.
It was another another awesome vacation. Visiting New York was great. So was hanging out with Kevin for a month; experiencing new cities; meeting new people; practicing German; German food, beer, culture; living differently for a few weeks; all the compromises that made both of our personalities more flexible.
I'm certainly reluctant to let it go. But I know I'll be back. Sooner than later. I'm a bit envious that Kev gets to stay there another month. But he earned that. He'll keep the spirit going a while longer.
So that brings me to looking forward to the other end of the next flight. Coming home to San Francisco.
I'm not sad that I'm back. And I'm not excited about it either. I was having an incredible time abroad, but things are incredible here too. Friends, kitty, lifestyle, work. They're always great to come home to. And this time probably more than any time before.
Till next time!
Saturday, July 5
Wednesday, July 2
san francisco coffee company and so on
there's a final post by me coming later (there was, but i don't know how to work this blog thing so well, so now this is the final and the real final post came before) but i wanted to add these thoughts here, not so much about munich as a city, since it's a great place and you all should just go ahead and visit, but about a big theme of our trip; relaxing in the morning with a good (or terrible) espresso and taking it easy until we were ready to hoof it once more.
i'm generally okay with eating or having a drink, beer or coffee, at the slightly larger perhaps more touristy spots while travelling. it's generally a matter of availability and more often than not the places i might otherwise be interested in finding are a bit out of the way. thus far i think we've hit 3 places or so that have really felt comfortable and more to my liking: cafe duddel in köln, schlenkerla in bamberg, and cafe kopfeck in münchen. there have been a few places in freiburg as well and now that i've been through hamburg there's also the Pudel Club. these are at least the most memorable. there are a few cities, though, that i believe deserve further exploration, namely freiburg, ulm and, despite all previous bashing, Basel. sitting in the san francisco coffe company in münchen, i was reminded of the reasons why i like those smaller, out of the way places. here was a novelty chain, playing on american popular coffee culture, so much so that you can't even order a double espresso, it's either a small or a medium (could be worse, i guess. could have been tall or grande or something). it's a chain and the baristas even have a bit of the american barista attitude readily at hand. and for some reason they want to speak english. the design elements are easily mass produced so as to fit into any space and with somewhere near or over ten locations in münchen i guess that makes sense. objectively, the design is not terrible, just a little to stagnant or impersonal maybe for my taste. and above all, the coffee isn't even all that. perhaps the biggest novelty here is that there isn't even a san francisco coffee company in san francisco.
but that's not meant as a diss on anything in particular. we've had some great fun finding the out of the way places and sometimes when you just want an espresso, you go with what you got. so in a Prosht to one of the main themes of our trip, i'll leave you with that.
i'm generally okay with eating or having a drink, beer or coffee, at the slightly larger perhaps more touristy spots while travelling. it's generally a matter of availability and more often than not the places i might otherwise be interested in finding are a bit out of the way. thus far i think we've hit 3 places or so that have really felt comfortable and more to my liking: cafe duddel in köln, schlenkerla in bamberg, and cafe kopfeck in münchen. there have been a few places in freiburg as well and now that i've been through hamburg there's also the Pudel Club. these are at least the most memorable. there are a few cities, though, that i believe deserve further exploration, namely freiburg, ulm and, despite all previous bashing, Basel. sitting in the san francisco coffe company in münchen, i was reminded of the reasons why i like those smaller, out of the way places. here was a novelty chain, playing on american popular coffee culture, so much so that you can't even order a double espresso, it's either a small or a medium (could be worse, i guess. could have been tall or grande or something). it's a chain and the baristas even have a bit of the american barista attitude readily at hand. and for some reason they want to speak english. the design elements are easily mass produced so as to fit into any space and with somewhere near or over ten locations in münchen i guess that makes sense. objectively, the design is not terrible, just a little to stagnant or impersonal maybe for my taste. and above all, the coffee isn't even all that. perhaps the biggest novelty here is that there isn't even a san francisco coffee company in san francisco.
but that's not meant as a diss on anything in particular. we've had some great fun finding the out of the way places and sometimes when you just want an espresso, you go with what you got. so in a Prosht to one of the main themes of our trip, i'll leave you with that.
nachdem wir unsere Reise gemacht hatten...
less of a footnote and more of a full blog post :)
it was a bit strange putting my stuff in a train station luggage storage compartment and then accompanying matt to the airport. germany, for me as a traveller, was always a multiple person adventure, first the World Championships and now the Eupopean Championships. but now i was taking it on with just my backpack, my two feet and my stare-invoking beard. so i'd like to share a few things as a final aufwiedersehen to matt.
things you will not forget to do when traveling with matt, but must remember to do when you're on your own:
brush your teeth.
wash your face.
find a place to sleep that includes a solid floor and hopefully a roof over your head.
eat.
as of now i've actually managed to keep up the good habits matt instilled in me. and until next time, aufwiedersehen.
it was a bit strange putting my stuff in a train station luggage storage compartment and then accompanying matt to the airport. germany, for me as a traveller, was always a multiple person adventure, first the World Championships and now the Eupopean Championships. but now i was taking it on with just my backpack, my two feet and my stare-invoking beard. so i'd like to share a few things as a final aufwiedersehen to matt.
things you will not forget to do when traveling with matt, but must remember to do when you're on your own:
brush your teeth.
wash your face.
find a place to sleep that includes a solid floor and hopefully a roof over your head.
eat.
as of now i've actually managed to keep up the good habits matt instilled in me. and until next time, aufwiedersehen.
Finals in Frankfurt
Back to Frankfurt we traveled. Matt's last night in Germany. The finals of the EM, Germany vs Spain. We headed to our favorite spot in the Sachsenhausen neighborhood. We were there twice on our last trip, and even watched the finals of the WM there. Ironically, we never wrote down either the name or the location of the place. But instinct carried us straight back.
We parked in the beer garden 2 1/2 hours ahead of game time to claim our spot. We enjoyed a local specialty, Handkäse mit Musik (hand cheese with music), some fries, and a few beers. Not too surprisingly, an older gentleman, a true regular at this restaurant, just like two years prior, sat down at his reserved seat right in front of the tv. Nice and nostalgic.
We had also met up with a friend of Kevin's from New York. He was in Germany, like Kev, to study in Kassel. He joined us to watch the finals. I think this was good for Kev. He had one friend representing 3 weeks of vacationing in Germany, and another representing the month of heads-down studying that was quickly approaching. Thus we provided for Kev a merging of the two worlds, and a soft cognitive transition between the two.
Walking back through Frankfurt at night after the game, we were reminded what a nice city Frankfurt is at night. They light up everything, but they do it very well. Like the whole city is a set for a play. From the skyscrapers, cathedrals, and bridges to the trees, walking paths, and even construction equipment. It appeared as if they had a lighting designer go after all of it.
Weihenstephan Freibierfest
We were graciously invited by Matthias (from the Schlenkerla Brewery) to join him and some of his friends at this year's Weihenstephan Freibierfest.
Background - once a year, alumni and students of the Weihenstephan Brewing University in Freising (just north of Munich) gather together to have a beer festival on the lawn of the university. Each alumnus donates a keg of beer from the brewery they're currently working at. In exchange, they're given mugs to bring to the beer fest. Beer is free, but they'll only fill this specific mug. Since each attendee only has one mug, you need to guard it like buried treasure; if it breaks or is stolen, your night is over.
A time line of the evening convey the night's events well.
5:00 - Kev and I jump on the train from Munich to Freising
6:12 - bus from Freising train station to Weihenstephan University
6:30 - arrive; we discuss bus/train schedules for the return trip. it's crucial we get back to the Munich train station by 10pm, where we shall meet the guy who's house we're staying at this evening.
6:50 - meet up with Matthias at a nearby restaurant, meet the crew, and get our mugs for the evening
8:00 - stroll back to the university
8:15 - the anticipation climaxes as we fill our mugs with our first beer of the evening
8:20 - Prost!
8:45 - second beer of the evening
9:10 - third beer
9:15 - Kevin and I decide that we can take a faster train back to Munich
and arrive just after 10, giving us 15 more minutes at the beer festival
9:30 - I convince Kevin to let me get one more refill for the road. when i return to the group, kevin also managed a refill
9:45 - having too much fun hanging out with everyone, and the lawn looking quite comfortable, Kev and I vote unanimously to spend the night on the grass instead of going back to Munich
9:45-10:00 - Kev tries his damnedest to contact the guy we're supposed to meet. it's quite the challenge, given that we don't know his phone number or his name...
10:15 - fifth beer
10:xx - camera battery dies
11:00? - sixth beer
later - seventh beer
???? - eigth beer?
2ish/3ish - beer runs out...
little while after - head to restaurant for another half a beer and 3 garlic pizzas
4ish - Matt burns lip on scalding hot pizza. He won't feel it till tomorrow
after 4ish - guys we've been hanging out with offer us the floors of the hotel rooms they're staying at. while less comfortable than the lush grass, they're far warmer. kev and i vote unanimously to accept. head back to hotel.
later - super drunk dude vomits up some pizza/beer mix, a portion of which splashes onto Kevin's shoe. He doesn't remember the event, and won't solve the mystery of the pizza stain on his shoe till tomorrow.
4:30? - crash on carpet. excellent evening.
9:30am-ish - wake up, breath reeking of garlic.
10:00 - whole crew gathers in hotel lobby, we head to a nearby restaurant for a typical bavarian breakfast - wiesswurst and a glass of hefeweizen. (we both order something else**)
11:30 - part company with the crew, quickly purchase a large bottle of water, stroll back through downtown Freising to the train station, and board the train back to Munich.
All in all a magnificent outing. Prost Weihenstephan! Prost Fellas!
**edit: i was still a little dazed or something, i actually ordered a weiß - kev
Background - once a year, alumni and students of the Weihenstephan Brewing University in Freising (just north of Munich) gather together to have a beer festival on the lawn of the university. Each alumnus donates a keg of beer from the brewery they're currently working at. In exchange, they're given mugs to bring to the beer fest. Beer is free, but they'll only fill this specific mug. Since each attendee only has one mug, you need to guard it like buried treasure; if it breaks or is stolen, your night is over.
A time line of the evening convey the night's events well.
5:00 - Kev and I jump on the train from Munich to Freising
6:12 - bus from Freising train station to Weihenstephan University
6:30 - arrive; we discuss bus/train schedules for the return trip. it's crucial we get back to the Munich train station by 10pm, where we shall meet the guy who's house we're staying at this evening.
6:50 - meet up with Matthias at a nearby restaurant, meet the crew, and get our mugs for the evening
8:00 - stroll back to the university
8:15 - the anticipation climaxes as we fill our mugs with our first beer of the evening
8:20 - Prost!
8:45 - second beer of the evening
9:10 - third beer
9:15 - Kevin and I decide that we can take a faster train back to Munich
and arrive just after 10, giving us 15 more minutes at the beer festival
9:30 - I convince Kevin to let me get one more refill for the road. when i return to the group, kevin also managed a refill
9:45 - having too much fun hanging out with everyone, and the lawn looking quite comfortable, Kev and I vote unanimously to spend the night on the grass instead of going back to Munich
9:45-10:00 - Kev tries his damnedest to contact the guy we're supposed to meet. it's quite the challenge, given that we don't know his phone number or his name...
10:15 - fifth beer
10:xx - camera battery dies
11:00? - sixth beer
later - seventh beer
???? - eigth beer?
2ish/3ish - beer runs out...
little while after - head to restaurant for another half a beer and 3 garlic pizzas
4ish - Matt burns lip on scalding hot pizza. He won't feel it till tomorrow
after 4ish - guys we've been hanging out with offer us the floors of the hotel rooms they're staying at. while less comfortable than the lush grass, they're far warmer. kev and i vote unanimously to accept. head back to hotel.
later - super drunk dude vomits up some pizza/beer mix, a portion of which splashes onto Kevin's shoe. He doesn't remember the event, and won't solve the mystery of the pizza stain on his shoe till tomorrow.
4:30? - crash on carpet. excellent evening.
9:30am-ish - wake up, breath reeking of garlic.
10:00 - whole crew gathers in hotel lobby, we head to a nearby restaurant for a typical bavarian breakfast - wiesswurst and a glass of hefeweizen. (we both order something else**)
11:30 - part company with the crew, quickly purchase a large bottle of water, stroll back through downtown Freising to the train station, and board the train back to Munich.
All in all a magnificent outing. Prost Weihenstephan! Prost Fellas!
**edit: i was still a little dazed or something, i actually ordered a weiß - kev
The Felsenau Adventure
The much anticipated (even if by no one else but me) Felsenau Adventure...
One sunny afternoon in Bern, we struck north in order to sample the best local beer, Felsenau, at the brewery itself. We did eventually try the beer, but the journey was not as smooth as we would have hoped.
Some locals told us that on Fridays from 3-6 the Felsenau Brewery serves up fifty-cent glasses of their beer. And you can sit right along the riverfront and drink the city's best beer in the afternoon sun. What they failed to tell us was that at 6:00, they don't serve any more beer at all. At any price.
After a causal lunch in a park in the Altstadt, we walked due north towards the brewery. The way there was simple enough - we just follow a single, main road straight to the brewery. A couple wrong turns later, we were still headed towards the brewery but were a bit behind schedule.
When we arrived at the location where the brewery was supposed to be, we saw only a cluster of buildings way down the hill from us. Before venturing all the way down there, we figured we'd better get another opinion. We stopped a pair of younger, hip-looking locals biking by and solicited their knowledge about the brewery's whereabouts. The couple was very friendly and thankfully did in fact know the way.
We arrived at 5:55, walked through a very small crowd of locals - one group of teenagers who seemingly got their money's worth, and a second group of men sitting in the back of a delivery truck - and up to the brewery employees, who informed us that the serving time was over.
With nothing left to do except trudge back up the hill in defeat, we slowly made our way back up the hill disappointed that we so narrowly missed the time window.
At the top, our spirits all but broken, we stood across the street from a small restaurant with a small Felsenau Beer sign out front. The brewery may have shut us out, but we were resolute to taste the beer.
They had a dunkles and a lager; we ordered them both.1 We drank the first in silence. Over the second, we cheered up convincing ourselves that the trip was worthwhile.
After all, we saw a bunch of green roofs and solar panels. We brought up the construction site with the massive tunnel/pipe, bigger than any we'd ever seen, half buried in the ground. And we reminisced about the flock of pirate sheep, or were they sheep pirates?, that we passed along the way.
As we finished off the last of our beers, we decided that an adventure is an adventure, and at least we got off the beaten path. Then promptly headed for the bus stop.
1. The dark, named Bärni, is delicous - interesting flavors, a nice mouthfeel, and a nice malty-hoppy balance. The lager was nothing special.
One sunny afternoon in Bern, we struck north in order to sample the best local beer, Felsenau, at the brewery itself. We did eventually try the beer, but the journey was not as smooth as we would have hoped.
Some locals told us that on Fridays from 3-6 the Felsenau Brewery serves up fifty-cent glasses of their beer. And you can sit right along the riverfront and drink the city's best beer in the afternoon sun. What they failed to tell us was that at 6:00, they don't serve any more beer at all. At any price.
After a causal lunch in a park in the Altstadt, we walked due north towards the brewery. The way there was simple enough - we just follow a single, main road straight to the brewery. A couple wrong turns later, we were still headed towards the brewery but were a bit behind schedule.
When we arrived at the location where the brewery was supposed to be, we saw only a cluster of buildings way down the hill from us. Before venturing all the way down there, we figured we'd better get another opinion. We stopped a pair of younger, hip-looking locals biking by and solicited their knowledge about the brewery's whereabouts. The couple was very friendly and thankfully did in fact know the way.
We arrived at 5:55, walked through a very small crowd of locals - one group of teenagers who seemingly got their money's worth, and a second group of men sitting in the back of a delivery truck - and up to the brewery employees, who informed us that the serving time was over.
With nothing left to do except trudge back up the hill in defeat, we slowly made our way back up the hill disappointed that we so narrowly missed the time window.
At the top, our spirits all but broken, we stood across the street from a small restaurant with a small Felsenau Beer sign out front. The brewery may have shut us out, but we were resolute to taste the beer.
They had a dunkles and a lager; we ordered them both.1 We drank the first in silence. Over the second, we cheered up convincing ourselves that the trip was worthwhile.
After all, we saw a bunch of green roofs and solar panels. We brought up the construction site with the massive tunnel/pipe, bigger than any we'd ever seen, half buried in the ground. And we reminisced about the flock of pirate sheep, or were they sheep pirates?, that we passed along the way.
As we finished off the last of our beers, we decided that an adventure is an adventure, and at least we got off the beaten path. Then promptly headed for the bus stop.
1. The dark, named Bärni, is delicous - interesting flavors, a nice mouthfeel, and a nice malty-hoppy balance. The lager was nothing special.
Ulm pics
We don't have a post dedicated to Ulm. In short, Ulm is great. Here are some pics:
Including this gentleman at the train station:
Bavaria
We followed due precedence by having extreme fluctuation in the tail end of our trip. First, to some personal disappointment, we cut out Salzburg in exchange for Nürnberg. Next, to more disappointment, we had to cut Nürnberg, where we would have met my friend Lisa, as she happened to be traveling through Germany at the same time.
Instead, we had an absolutely superb time at the Weihenstephan Freibierfest, more than making up for both disappointments.1
Munich is always a great city to visit. We had an extraordinarily leisurely attitude about it. Nothing at all planned except for going to a fabulous vegan restaurant (Kopfeck). No sights to see because we saw them last time. No pictures to take because the camera battery died and I didn't seize any chances to recharge it.
The leisurely schedule was helpful on a number of levels, but mostly because Kevin's anxieties about the following week were quickly growing; he had a lot to figure out for the time in between my departure and the start of his studies in one week.
Foremost, he would have to deal with the excruciating sadness of not having me around.2 Then there were some logistics about where he'd go / where he'd sleep for the next week. So we made Coffee Fellows Internet Lounge our home in Munich.3
We met some interesting characters and had some good times.
1. Both Salzburg and Nürnberg will be in our next trip
2. I expect Kevin to add a footnote here to (dis)qualify this claim, so this is merely a preemptive footnote.
3. Including some stories about the toilet-seatless toilet, which we'll save as an in-person story
Instead, we had an absolutely superb time at the Weihenstephan Freibierfest, more than making up for both disappointments.1
Munich is always a great city to visit. We had an extraordinarily leisurely attitude about it. Nothing at all planned except for going to a fabulous vegan restaurant (Kopfeck). No sights to see because we saw them last time. No pictures to take because the camera battery died and I didn't seize any chances to recharge it.
The leisurely schedule was helpful on a number of levels, but mostly because Kevin's anxieties about the following week were quickly growing; he had a lot to figure out for the time in between my departure and the start of his studies in one week.
Foremost, he would have to deal with the excruciating sadness of not having me around.2 Then there were some logistics about where he'd go / where he'd sleep for the next week. So we made Coffee Fellows Internet Lounge our home in Munich.3
We met some interesting characters and had some good times.
1. Both Salzburg and Nürnberg will be in our next trip
2. I expect Kevin to add a footnote here to (dis)qualify this claim, so this is merely a preemptive footnote.
3. Including some stories about the toilet-seatless toilet, which we'll save as an in-person story
Friday, June 27
everyone needs a best friend
it might be just something that i feel, but there seems to be a connection between the bearded types. i especially keep my eye out for older fellas who seem to have been rocking the beard for some time and slightly envy the look that comes from the aged beard. here was this guy on the regional train from würtzburg to bamberg who had a slight forward tilt to his head and a full, though a bit short, white beard. looked like the type who might have already had a few with his buddies (if he had any) at this early point in the afternoon. actually he looked like he needed a buddy to have a beer with. i had the quick thought to invite him out with us to our trip to schlenkerla but the courage never mustered and he ended up getting off the train some time before we made it to bamberg. i imagine him now in his rocking chair on the farm, far off look in his eyes, wondering why that young fella on the train never invited him for a beer.
Thursday, June 26
Beer Post: Schlenkerla
Absolutely splendid!
The best in town. We tried their standard rauchbier, the weizen, and the helles. All fantastic.
We had the pleasure of drinking and dining with the owner and brewmasters at the brewery. They're extraordinarily friendly. And the food was excellent as well.
I would have taken more notes on the beer itself, but I was busy keeping up with all the German and taking notes about their brewing process and beer recommendations.
I asked them about one thing you mentioned, Ben - if the only ales in Germany are Weizens and Kölsch. Turns out there is another. It's called Altbier. It's similar to Kölsch, except they use a caramel malt. I forget where it's brewed, but I think they said Düsseldorf.
They also recommended Steve Thomas' Good Beer Guide to Germany.
Prost, Schlenkerla!
The best in town. We tried their standard rauchbier, the weizen, and the helles. All fantastic.
We had the pleasure of drinking and dining with the owner and brewmasters at the brewery. They're extraordinarily friendly. And the food was excellent as well.
I would have taken more notes on the beer itself, but I was busy keeping up with all the German and taking notes about their brewing process and beer recommendations.
I asked them about one thing you mentioned, Ben - if the only ales in Germany are Weizens and Kölsch. Turns out there is another. It's called Altbier. It's similar to Kölsch, except they use a caramel malt. I forget where it's brewed, but I think they said Düsseldorf.
They also recommended Steve Thomas' Good Beer Guide to Germany.
Prost, Schlenkerla!
And Back to Germany
After one final disappointment in Switzerland - we tried to get Switzerland stamps in our passports, but the Swiss police at customs didn't show up to work - Kev and I rejoiced aboard the train as we crossed back into Germany.
To Bamberg.
We settled in quickly in beautiful, beer-centric Bamberg, and had an absolutely superb evening with the owner and head brewers at Schlenkerla Brewery (a little more on that separately).
Per our usual m.o., we tried to sample as many of the local beers as possible, and see as much of the city as possible. What didn't help was that the bike rental shop had, at some point in the last two years, become a flower store. We managed though.
To Bamberg.
We settled in quickly in beautiful, beer-centric Bamberg, and had an absolutely superb evening with the owner and head brewers at Schlenkerla Brewery (a little more on that separately).
Per our usual m.o., we tried to sample as many of the local beers as possible, and see as much of the city as possible. What didn't help was that the bike rental shop had, at some point in the last two years, become a flower store. We managed though.
Die Schweiz
Overall Switzerland was more disappointing than impressive. A shame, because I was really looking forward to it.
Switzerland does have a few things going for it. The Alps, the hills, and the rivers - all gorgeous. And there are plenty of lookout points in each city to take it all in. There are fountains with potable water all over. And the chocolate and cheese are tasty.
But the bottom line, Kevin put it best, is that nothing in Switzerland was worth the money we paid for it. Literally the only thing worth the price was the truffles we got from Sprügli.
Food, beer, experience - everything paled in comparison to Germany. We got pretty anxious to get back.
Switzerland does have a few things going for it. The Alps, the hills, and the rivers - all gorgeous. And there are plenty of lookout points in each city to take it all in. There are fountains with potable water all over. And the chocolate and cheese are tasty.
But the bottom line, Kevin put it best, is that nothing in Switzerland was worth the money we paid for it. Literally the only thing worth the price was the truffles we got from Sprügli.
Food, beer, experience - everything paled in comparison to Germany. We got pretty anxious to get back.
Wednesday, June 25
Upcoming...
Momentarily constrained by 1) no working USB port on this computer 2) our laundry in the dryer and almost done, we only have time for a brief update.
Here's everything we plan on posting about soon:
Bern is a fairly nice city
Zürich gets old real fast
Bamberg is a really nice city
Schlenkerla is our favorite brewery ever (hung out with the owners all evening)
The tasty beers of Bamberg
Kevin's new best friend / future alter ego - some old guy on the train that we didn't actually even meet
Where are the Swiss police when you need them? (...for a passport stamp)
The awesomely spacious quarters we had in Bamberg, that we had to walk through a music store to get to
oh, and the one i'm really excited about: The Felsenau Adventure in Bern
We hope everyone's enjoying the travel stories so far, thanks for all the comments!
Here's everything we plan on posting about soon:
Bern is a fairly nice city
Zürich gets old real fast
Bamberg is a really nice city
Schlenkerla is our favorite brewery ever (hung out with the owners all evening)
The tasty beers of Bamberg
Kevin's new best friend / future alter ego - some old guy on the train that we didn't actually even meet
Where are the Swiss police when you need them? (...for a passport stamp)
The awesomely spacious quarters we had in Bamberg, that we had to walk through a music store to get to
oh, and the one i'm really excited about: The Felsenau Adventure in Bern
We hope everyone's enjoying the travel stories so far, thanks for all the comments!
Itinerary
All right, all right. We'll tell everyone where we are...
[all names, dates, and locations subject to change]
11.6-12.6 - frankfurt
12.6-14.6 - köln
14.6-14.6 - heidelberg
14.6-17.6 - freiburg
17.6-19.6 - basel
19.6-21.6 - bern
21.6-23.6 - zürich
23.6-25.6 - bamberg
25.6-26.6 - ulm
26.6-29.6 - münchen / freising
29.6-30.6 - frankfurt
[names, dates, and locations no longer subject to change, as i've edited this to reflect where we really ended up]
[all names, dates, and locations subject to change]
11.6-12.6 - frankfurt
12.6-14.6 - köln
14.6-14.6 - heidelberg
14.6-17.6 - freiburg
17.6-19.6 - basel
19.6-21.6 - bern
21.6-23.6 - zürich
23.6-25.6 - bamberg
25.6-26.6 - ulm
26.6-29.6 - münchen / freising
29.6-30.6 - frankfurt
[names, dates, and locations no longer subject to change, as i've edited this to reflect where we really ended up]
Saturday, June 21
Lodging
Andy, you're right. A quick post about the lodging is in order. This is especially for you since you stayed at a couple of these places already.
Frankfurt: Motel One
We splurged on a legit hotel. Perfect spot to get our 12 1/2 hours of sleep and start our trip off proper.
They upgraded the lobby since the last time. It's all ultra-modern, chic, and mood-lit.
Köln: Station Hostel
Comfortable and clean, we were in a 5-bed dorm. The other three were Americans too. Two were really nice but didn't know how to be quiet in the morning. The third was coolö he was on a month-long bike trip up the Rhine to Denmark. Kev reverently hooked him up with a bearded-man bike patch.
Freiburg: Black Forest Hostel
An ideal hostel - clean, friendly, and spacious. In a 6-bed dorm, but the first night our four roommates didn't sleep there. Then they left and we never got more roommates.
Basel: HC
Our first time on the trip staying with someone from Hospitality Club. Michael, our host, was great. He had a clean place and gave us our own space in the living room. He spoke German with us and told us some great info on the city. Kev and I cooked up dinner on the last night for us three and his girlfriend (dinner included a dynamite garlic bread that we can't wait to make again.) Only downside - my towel is still hanging out on his balcony where we put it to dry...
Bern: HC
This time not so lucky. Our host was indifferent towards us at best. Kevin and I slept crammed underneath a foosball table inhaling all the cigarette smoke drifting in from the kitchen.
The second night there he didn't come back home, so at least we didn't have to worry about waking him up in the morning. In fact, oddly, it seemed as though none of his other three roommates came home that night either...
However, we did have to coordinate using the bathroom with three other HC guests that were staying there. These three makeup-laden ladies combined for a bladder-pinching hour and a half choke hold on the bathroom.
We did not look back after leaving that place.
(Additional note, it shared an interesting quirk with John's Cozy Backpacker Hostel of yesteryear - there was a mandate that we take our shoes off outside the door, while the inside was as dirty as can be anyway.)
Zürich: City Backpacker Hotel Biber
Very lame hostel. Right above the loudest street in the city. The kitchen didn't have any sharp knives, so we got creative with forks. The rooms were terribly hot. Place wasn't all that clean.
Bamberg: Gasthaus Neumann
We made it to 32 Luitpold Str., the address of this guesthouse. The sign for the place was plastered on the side of the building wall. But the inside held a musical instrument shop. Walking up and down the street 8 times didn't shed any light on this mystery, so we headed around the corner and to our surprise found the real entrance. A nice old gentleman greeted us, then took us inside to check us in. He walked us through and to the counter of the music store for the keys/paperwork (Kevin giving me a huge, furtive grin as we went).
Up to our private, 2-bed room, we opened the door to an enormous suite. Oh, what a nice change of pace. We got some good sleep there.
Ulm: Brickstone Hostel
In a 4-bed dorm with two guys who looked like they dropped anchor and planned on living there for a while. The owner was exceedingly nice, and she was also very polite about our German mistakes. Place was cozy and comfortable.
After checking in Kev and I went to dinner, and then to a beer garden in the park to watch the Germany game. While Kev waited in line for our second round of beers, he saw the hostel owner there. We walked back to the hostel with her afterwards, and while we tired out and went to bed, she hung out in the kitchen with two friends and a much older couple. We had no idea we were staying at such a happening place...
München, night 1: Easy Palace Hotel
In actuality a hostel, this place was trying its damnedest to look like a hotel. The resemblance stopped at the carpet on the huge staircase though - this place didn't have any shower facilities, was dirty, lacked any security, and overall was just lousy. We checked out promptly the next morning, even though we were staying longer in München. And good thing we did (credit Kev's forward thinking)
Freising: some hotel room carpet
Kev and I were planning on spending the night on the lush grass of Weihenstephan, but instead we ended up on the hotel room floors of some friends we met that night (see beer fest post)
München, night 2: HC
Our host was quite the character. We could go on and on about him, but I'll put it briefly. On one hand, he was extremely immature, inappropriate, and shady; on the other hand, he was very welcoming, accomodating, and (giving him the benefit of the doubt here) well-intentioned. As a bonus, through him we met some travelers from North Carolina and a very cool couple from Freising. Worked out nicely.
Frankfurt: Frankfurt Hostel
Chosen, like last trip, because it's really close to the train station. I think we spoke more German than some of the employees. Just gonna sum this place up as "functional".
Frankfurt: Motel One
We splurged on a legit hotel. Perfect spot to get our 12 1/2 hours of sleep and start our trip off proper.
They upgraded the lobby since the last time. It's all ultra-modern, chic, and mood-lit.
Köln: Station Hostel
Comfortable and clean, we were in a 5-bed dorm. The other three were Americans too. Two were really nice but didn't know how to be quiet in the morning. The third was coolö he was on a month-long bike trip up the Rhine to Denmark. Kev reverently hooked him up with a bearded-man bike patch.
Freiburg: Black Forest Hostel
An ideal hostel - clean, friendly, and spacious. In a 6-bed dorm, but the first night our four roommates didn't sleep there. Then they left and we never got more roommates.
Basel: HC
Our first time on the trip staying with someone from Hospitality Club. Michael, our host, was great. He had a clean place and gave us our own space in the living room. He spoke German with us and told us some great info on the city. Kev and I cooked up dinner on the last night for us three and his girlfriend (dinner included a dynamite garlic bread that we can't wait to make again.) Only downside - my towel is still hanging out on his balcony where we put it to dry...
Bern: HC
This time not so lucky. Our host was indifferent towards us at best. Kevin and I slept crammed underneath a foosball table inhaling all the cigarette smoke drifting in from the kitchen.
The second night there he didn't come back home, so at least we didn't have to worry about waking him up in the morning. In fact, oddly, it seemed as though none of his other three roommates came home that night either...
However, we did have to coordinate using the bathroom with three other HC guests that were staying there. These three makeup-laden ladies combined for a bladder-pinching hour and a half choke hold on the bathroom.
We did not look back after leaving that place.
(Additional note, it shared an interesting quirk with John's Cozy Backpacker Hostel of yesteryear - there was a mandate that we take our shoes off outside the door, while the inside was as dirty as can be anyway.)
Zürich: City Backpacker Hotel Biber
Very lame hostel. Right above the loudest street in the city. The kitchen didn't have any sharp knives, so we got creative with forks. The rooms were terribly hot. Place wasn't all that clean.
Bamberg: Gasthaus Neumann
We made it to 32 Luitpold Str., the address of this guesthouse. The sign for the place was plastered on the side of the building wall. But the inside held a musical instrument shop. Walking up and down the street 8 times didn't shed any light on this mystery, so we headed around the corner and to our surprise found the real entrance. A nice old gentleman greeted us, then took us inside to check us in. He walked us through and to the counter of the music store for the keys/paperwork (Kevin giving me a huge, furtive grin as we went).
Up to our private, 2-bed room, we opened the door to an enormous suite. Oh, what a nice change of pace. We got some good sleep there.
Ulm: Brickstone Hostel
In a 4-bed dorm with two guys who looked like they dropped anchor and planned on living there for a while. The owner was exceedingly nice, and she was also very polite about our German mistakes. Place was cozy and comfortable.
After checking in Kev and I went to dinner, and then to a beer garden in the park to watch the Germany game. While Kev waited in line for our second round of beers, he saw the hostel owner there. We walked back to the hostel with her afterwards, and while we tired out and went to bed, she hung out in the kitchen with two friends and a much older couple. We had no idea we were staying at such a happening place...
München, night 1: Easy Palace Hotel
In actuality a hostel, this place was trying its damnedest to look like a hotel. The resemblance stopped at the carpet on the huge staircase though - this place didn't have any shower facilities, was dirty, lacked any security, and overall was just lousy. We checked out promptly the next morning, even though we were staying longer in München. And good thing we did (credit Kev's forward thinking)
Freising: some hotel room carpet
Kev and I were planning on spending the night on the lush grass of Weihenstephan, but instead we ended up on the hotel room floors of some friends we met that night (see beer fest post)
München, night 2: HC
Our host was quite the character. We could go on and on about him, but I'll put it briefly. On one hand, he was extremely immature, inappropriate, and shady; on the other hand, he was very welcoming, accomodating, and (giving him the benefit of the doubt here) well-intentioned. As a bonus, through him we met some travelers from North Carolina and a very cool couple from Freising. Worked out nicely.
Frankfurt: Frankfurt Hostel
Chosen, like last trip, because it's really close to the train station. I think we spoke more German than some of the employees. Just gonna sum this place up as "functional".
Beer Post: Ganter
The most widely available beer in Freiburg, we ran into Ganter in some fashion everywhere we went. All the bars and restaurants served some variety, we happened upon the Ausschank (restaurant owned by the brewery) by the Münster (great Spätzle), and we saw the top of the brewery rising up while walking on the forest hills.
So, during our time in Freiburg, we tried everything Ganter had to offer: the helles, dunkles, and kristall hefeweizens, the pils, and the urtrunk.
Ganter boils down to this: they absolutely mastered their helles hefeweizen. Everything else tastes like a distracted, muted, and inferior version of the helles.
So let's talk about the helles. Potent, fresh, and full of taste. The fruit flavors it exhibits are a perfect complement to the flavors of the wheat and yeast base. The flavors thus amplify each other on the palate, giving the beer its potency. The taste lingers a while alongside a heavy mouthfeel. Overall a very enjoyable beer.
Well done, Ganter. Prost.
So, during our time in Freiburg, we tried everything Ganter had to offer: the helles, dunkles, and kristall hefeweizens, the pils, and the urtrunk.
Ganter boils down to this: they absolutely mastered their helles hefeweizen. Everything else tastes like a distracted, muted, and inferior version of the helles.
So let's talk about the helles. Potent, fresh, and full of taste. The fruit flavors it exhibits are a perfect complement to the flavors of the wheat and yeast base. The flavors thus amplify each other on the palate, giving the beer its potency. The taste lingers a while alongside a heavy mouthfeel. Overall a very enjoyable beer.
Well done, Ganter. Prost.
Basel: Not the Switzerland I was hoping for
This post could otherwise be titled:
Everything here sucks
Waste of time
Everything looks the same
I miss German beer
Everything costs way too much
I didn't even need my camera
Switzerland's Dortmund
Pure suckage
Basel's great - if you're looking for discount shoes or overpriced Döners
Hey, how'd they get everything to suck so much?
Every trip has at least one: something that sucks so bad that it makes everything else on your trip seem ten times better.
Last time around it was a tie between Dortmund and the Coffee Museum in Leipzig. This time around it's everything about Basel.
At least we had a great host at the place we stayed. He has one of the same cookbooks as I and went to lengths to talk with us in high German.
Nie Wiedersehen Basel!
(yields a few decent pics at least: )
Everything here sucks
Waste of time
Everything looks the same
I miss German beer
Everything costs way too much
I didn't even need my camera
Switzerland's Dortmund
Pure suckage
Basel's great - if you're looking for discount shoes or overpriced Döners
Hey, how'd they get everything to suck so much?
Every trip has at least one: something that sucks so bad that it makes everything else on your trip seem ten times better.
Last time around it was a tie between Dortmund and the Coffee Museum in Leipzig. This time around it's everything about Basel.
At least we had a great host at the place we stayed. He has one of the same cookbooks as I and went to lengths to talk with us in high German.
Nie Wiedersehen Basel!
(yields a few decent pics at least: )
virtual fun space
this post will find us in zurich at a pretty crappy internet place and arcade called virtual fun space which is virtually no fun at all (yes hello and welcome to our special friends, our really special friends)... but zurich is good so far. quickly from me and then matt has a book he wrote that i guess he'd like to share.
freiburg is topping out the list of beatiful cities with a lot to offer and to keep one interested. to start, the city is surrounded on most sides by the southern part of the black forest and the resulting types who frequent the city are evident. mostly outdoors types and plenty of cyclists. the old city mixes well with anything more modern and there's a bit of a quiet outer borough feel to it but it's just a bit more compact. the main element of the place though is water, and you can hear water running or gurgling anywhere you are, as there is literally water running under your feet in these old itty-bitty creek type things that matt knows the name of. i couldn't ever figure out where they came from, but there they were. and those combined with two beautiful rivers flowing through the city, one of which i gathered was used to generate electricity but i could have misread the sign. anyway, i've come to the conclusion that it'd be a great city to be a bike mechanic... and drink great local beer.
then basel. what a crap shoot. the most redeeming quality was our hospitality club host and his girlfriend. it was good to hang out with them after our long walking tour of the city. other vague pluses: preference to the cyclist and pedestrian... and that's about it. all the beer was corporate owned, carlsberg or otherwise. even local beers didn't have much to offer. their novelty lay in the fact that they weren't carlsberg. Unser Bier and Ueli Bier were the two local offerings and only really had good logos. and then there's the expensive factor. no idea how to describe the ridiculousness of the cost here... one thing to chalk up on the list of successes though, a cafe owner actually mistook us for germans based on our speaking. and with our hospitality club hosts we only spoke german... bern on the other hand
freiburg is topping out the list of beatiful cities with a lot to offer and to keep one interested. to start, the city is surrounded on most sides by the southern part of the black forest and the resulting types who frequent the city are evident. mostly outdoors types and plenty of cyclists. the old city mixes well with anything more modern and there's a bit of a quiet outer borough feel to it but it's just a bit more compact. the main element of the place though is water, and you can hear water running or gurgling anywhere you are, as there is literally water running under your feet in these old itty-bitty creek type things that matt knows the name of. i couldn't ever figure out where they came from, but there they were. and those combined with two beautiful rivers flowing through the city, one of which i gathered was used to generate electricity but i could have misread the sign. anyway, i've come to the conclusion that it'd be a great city to be a bike mechanic... and drink great local beer.
then basel. what a crap shoot. the most redeeming quality was our hospitality club host and his girlfriend. it was good to hang out with them after our long walking tour of the city. other vague pluses: preference to the cyclist and pedestrian... and that's about it. all the beer was corporate owned, carlsberg or otherwise. even local beers didn't have much to offer. their novelty lay in the fact that they weren't carlsberg. Unser Bier and Ueli Bier were the two local offerings and only really had good logos. and then there's the expensive factor. no idea how to describe the ridiculousness of the cost here... one thing to chalk up on the list of successes though, a cafe owner actually mistook us for germans based on our speaking. and with our hospitality club hosts we only spoke german... bern on the other hand
Tuesday, June 17
Speedy Gonzalez
Wow.
Last night was way too good to pass up posting about. What started as simply finding a place to watch the Germany game ended up as an equally confusing as it was entertaining evening.
We started out by biking down the street to a pub with a great beer selection. After passing up that place because it was way too smoky and another place across the street, we walked down the block to an outdoor-seating bar. There was one open table left in the back, but the woman at the table in front relentlessly insisted that there was plenty of room at her table. Kevin jumped in and acquiesced because 1) it was easier to accept in German than to politely decline, and 2) I ended up sitting by her, not him.
This lady's accent was so thick that I had between 0 and 1% idea what she was talking about most of the time. She was kind of an older lady; her drink of choice was the Speedy Gonzalez (non-alcoholic) and the only thing I understood from her was that at one point she started talking about her bowel movements and how she really needed to use the bathroom (though she never actuallz got up and used the bathroom...)
So a meager 1-0 win by Germany, and we biked through all the honking horns and German flag waving in the streets to another bar/restaurant area near the university quarter.
We sat down for some potatoes and garlic dipping sauce and some hefeweizens. Some football songs were blaring throughout the bar, and we thought we found the perfect post-game celebration bar.
Then, slowly, as the last fry was eaten and we ordered our second round of beers, we noticed that the music had slowly turned to Eurotrash pop, and the crowd had grown more and more male. And we realized that we were sitting at a corner table in literally the gayest bar in Freiburg. For every cute girl that we had once hoped looked our way, there soon stood two middle-aged and just a bit too overweight dudes that were in fact looking our way.
So, we picked up the pace on our beers; but not too fast, since everyone was up on the tables and enjoying the Deutschland win in grand style. The atmosphere was truly great, and we couldn't stop laughing when the *entire bar* was singing along to some American country song about coming home to West Virginia (no, seriously, even Kevin was singing along. It was truly a Twilight Zone moment...)
So once the last cute girl left the place (seriously, we did hold out), we took off and biked for the hostel. (and this includes an Evel Knevil maneuvre by Kevin, that left me dodging between cars, a stampede of bikers, and a group of cops to try and keep up.)
Fitting last night in Deutschland for a week. Ah, schön.
Nach Schweiz!
Last night was way too good to pass up posting about. What started as simply finding a place to watch the Germany game ended up as an equally confusing as it was entertaining evening.
We started out by biking down the street to a pub with a great beer selection. After passing up that place because it was way too smoky and another place across the street, we walked down the block to an outdoor-seating bar. There was one open table left in the back, but the woman at the table in front relentlessly insisted that there was plenty of room at her table. Kevin jumped in and acquiesced because 1) it was easier to accept in German than to politely decline, and 2) I ended up sitting by her, not him.
This lady's accent was so thick that I had between 0 and 1% idea what she was talking about most of the time. She was kind of an older lady; her drink of choice was the Speedy Gonzalez (non-alcoholic) and the only thing I understood from her was that at one point she started talking about her bowel movements and how she really needed to use the bathroom (though she never actuallz got up and used the bathroom...)
So a meager 1-0 win by Germany, and we biked through all the honking horns and German flag waving in the streets to another bar/restaurant area near the university quarter.
We sat down for some potatoes and garlic dipping sauce and some hefeweizens. Some football songs were blaring throughout the bar, and we thought we found the perfect post-game celebration bar.
Then, slowly, as the last fry was eaten and we ordered our second round of beers, we noticed that the music had slowly turned to Eurotrash pop, and the crowd had grown more and more male. And we realized that we were sitting at a corner table in literally the gayest bar in Freiburg. For every cute girl that we had once hoped looked our way, there soon stood two middle-aged and just a bit too overweight dudes that were in fact looking our way.
So, we picked up the pace on our beers; but not too fast, since everyone was up on the tables and enjoying the Deutschland win in grand style. The atmosphere was truly great, and we couldn't stop laughing when the *entire bar* was singing along to some American country song about coming home to West Virginia (no, seriously, even Kevin was singing along. It was truly a Twilight Zone moment...)
So once the last cute girl left the place (seriously, we did hold out), we took off and biked for the hostel. (and this includes an Evel Knevil maneuvre by Kevin, that left me dodging between cars, a stampede of bikers, and a group of cops to try and keep up.)
Fitting last night in Deutschland for a week. Ah, schön.
Nach Schweiz!
Monday, June 16
Sunday, June 15
Mr. Kipplings Makes Exceedingly Good Cakes
Walk around Sachsehnausen, Frankfurt for a little bit while trying to find some big bertha statue of an apparently butch looking lady (it's a fountain really) who spits out water at unsuspecting passers-by and you might stumble upon this gem of a scrawl on the back of a small building down a tiny alley. Taking it literally i'd suppose it'd be a good idea to find this Mr. Kipplings and ask him for some cakes. But we were in search of what ended up being a very disappointing fountain that didn't spit anything. As for the other disappointments, we've so far tried to find two restaurants from the lonley planet guide that don't exist anymore and found our best construction sight ever... the reportedly beautiful bridge that one is suppose to start a little tour of the Altstadt of Heidelberg from but we couldn't tell, it was under construction and covered in scaffolding. I suppose it's a side-effect of having such old structures around that the Kölner Dom, the Schloß in Heidelberg and this bridge among plenty of other famous touristy sights have all been under construction. I would like to add one thing to Matt's take on Heidelberg, the cyclist has the right of way no doubt about it. The bike lanes are as wide if not wider than the sidewalk and the plethora of bike parking leaves little be desired, as the picture of the main train station shows, and that's only a little part of it.
Beer Post - Feierling
Our first night in Freiburg, we happened upon Feierling brewery and pub. Feierling Brewery brews a beer named Inselhopf. You'll have never heard of this because it's unavailable anywhere except for the brewery itself. To balance this inconvenience, they do offer kegs and these really cool 2L bottles that look like giant chemistry beakers.
We took seats at the bar and spent a while tasting the light and the dark versions (that's all they have). The beer is fully organic, which is always impressive, and tastes like they want to capitalize on that fact. It has very earthy flavors, Kevin insists a wheatgrass taste. Both the light and dark are very clean, light, and smooth. The light has some freshness of the hops peeking through.
Both are made with untergärig yeast, meaning at the bottom of the mash. Ben, help me out here, that's a lager, right?
Prost!
We took seats at the bar and spent a while tasting the light and the dark versions (that's all they have). The beer is fully organic, which is always impressive, and tastes like they want to capitalize on that fact. It has very earthy flavors, Kevin insists a wheatgrass taste. Both the light and dark are very clean, light, and smooth. The light has some freshness of the hops peeking through.
Both are made with untergärig yeast, meaning at the bottom of the mash. Ben, help me out here, that's a lager, right?
Prost!
Heidelberg
Between Köln and Freiburg, we stopped for the afternoon in Heidelberg.
Heidelberg is nice, but I wouldn't bother going back. Sudpfanne (restaurant) is superb, and we got a great taste of some local dishes - Spätzle and Maultaschen (incl. pic for you, Ben).
Beer Post: Kölsch
Our first German beer mission, and this was on obvious one - a sampling of the various Kölsch beers. Kölsch is Köln's local (city-specific) beer variety. There are around 7 easily accessible brands, and our aim was to taste them all. In that we left the whole task for one night, we didn't quite reach completion.
We don't know much about Kölsch categorically, other than it's Köln-specific and is generally a lighter (in flavor and color) beer. Kölsch is always served in a tall, thin 0.2L glass. Every pub and restaurant in Köln serves Kölsch. And they serve exactlz one brand. So everyone has signs out front declaring this allegience, usually bigger than the signage for the pub itself.
So here we have it:
We don't know much about Kölsch categorically, other than it's Köln-specific and is generally a lighter (in flavor and color) beer. Kölsch is always served in a tall, thin 0.2L glass. Every pub and restaurant in Köln serves Kölsch. And they serve exactlz one brand. So everyone has signs out front declaring this allegience, usually bigger than the signage for the pub itself.
So here we have it:
- Gilden - one of our two favorites. A complex and very well-crafted beer. Full-bodied with a lot of flavor and a nice, thick mouthfeel. The flavors all burst sharply at first, and the beer finishes smooth.
- Sion - the other favorite. This too is full-bodied with a lot of flavor, yet is citrusy and rather crisp. We tried Sion at their brewhouse; a proper one where, in traditional style, they all wore blue shirts and were somewhat curt.
- Früh - in the next tier. A bit blander, but light, citrusy, fruity. Definitely the hoppiest of them all, lending to a bitter, sour taste.
- Dom - like Früh, rather good but relatively medium quality. Dom is a large beer; dense, malty, and nutty with a thick mouthfeel
- Gaffel - pathetic. The budweiser of Kölsch, this tasted watered-down and like a bunch of amateurs brewed it.
- Sünner - //TODO
- Reissdorf - //TODO
Prost Köln!
Köln
I'll say this every time - what a phenomenal city. The Dom is unreal, truly incredible; the city is full of architectural gems; the people are great; and there's some cool quirkiness abound.
Victories we chalked up:
Victories we chalked up:
- Our lengthiest conversation with a waitress at one restaurant
- Getting used to my new camera
- Finally recovering from the 5-day stomach illness I had (what? me with stomach problems? rare...)
And learnings thus far:
- While on the train, hold the toilet seat up
Pictures:
Frankfurt
Frankfurt proved again to be a great warm-up city. It fits perfectly the description of "pretty nice."
Kevin mentioned our exceedingly better start than last time. Above is us *not* stuck at the airport for hours. We also didn't immediatly get lost. Then we didn't get all upset at each other. I recommend this approach.
We *did* however, manage to wander into the construction zone on the far side of town; so we haven't lost our internal compass for that.
Friday, June 13
happy döner makes you schöner
andy, this one's for you...
we're in köln now for a day or two and this will be our first post from germany. everything so far has been excellent. the plane ride completely according to plan, the plane food not too unsettling and the arrival in frankfurt much smoother than the last time. as the pictures will soon show, there was no sleeping on the side of the pick up lane outside the arrivals area, no wondering when someone was going to come pick us up, no stuttering in german (well, that's not entirely true) asking where we might find this completely hidden hotel in the back of büro stadt where there don't seem to be any actual people working even though it was midday and we were surrounded by absolutey nothing but offices...
we got to the main train station, dropped our bags in the lockers and headed out into frankfurt on a much cooler day than the one we left in nyc. it felt good to be surrounded by the language we've both been practicing for whatever length of time but as the opposite was hoped i was just a bit frustrated to find that once again, i felt totally out of my league trying to understand anything. funny enough i knew most if not all of the words, just couldn't figure out how the damn hell they went together to form intelligent sentences. anyway, the frustration didn't last long and i think we're both at least pretty comfortable hearing the language, however much we might not understand. we've also had some good practice sessions with some very understanding locals which have helped to build the confidence, especially today in köln at this total hippie restaurant that had a great open-faced vegan sandwich called a 'duddel'. quite tasty vegetables in a bit of an oil and spiced-rosemary dressing with great service to boot. the best recommendation yet, matt and i were looking totally lost standing on some corner sort of near the university quarter arguing over the map when a nice lady around our age decided to ask us if we needed help. after a bit of stumbling and confusion over whether we wanted her to continue in english or german we ended up getting some directions, in german, to a vegetarian friendly 'hippie house' down the street, under the elevated train tracks, take a right at the first street where there's some (couldn't really understand here) stuff on the corner and somewhere down that street we should find something. perfect. vague directions, super food, friendly service, great atmosphere, and most definitely a 'hippie house'. called 'cafe duddel'. go there. lots of bikes around, too... when we get to a computer that we can plug the camera into you'll see. until then...
we're in köln now for a day or two and this will be our first post from germany. everything so far has been excellent. the plane ride completely according to plan, the plane food not too unsettling and the arrival in frankfurt much smoother than the last time. as the pictures will soon show, there was no sleeping on the side of the pick up lane outside the arrivals area, no wondering when someone was going to come pick us up, no stuttering in german (well, that's not entirely true) asking where we might find this completely hidden hotel in the back of büro stadt where there don't seem to be any actual people working even though it was midday and we were surrounded by absolutey nothing but offices...
we got to the main train station, dropped our bags in the lockers and headed out into frankfurt on a much cooler day than the one we left in nyc. it felt good to be surrounded by the language we've both been practicing for whatever length of time but as the opposite was hoped i was just a bit frustrated to find that once again, i felt totally out of my league trying to understand anything. funny enough i knew most if not all of the words, just couldn't figure out how the damn hell they went together to form intelligent sentences. anyway, the frustration didn't last long and i think we're both at least pretty comfortable hearing the language, however much we might not understand. we've also had some good practice sessions with some very understanding locals which have helped to build the confidence, especially today in köln at this total hippie restaurant that had a great open-faced vegan sandwich called a 'duddel'. quite tasty vegetables in a bit of an oil and spiced-rosemary dressing with great service to boot. the best recommendation yet, matt and i were looking totally lost standing on some corner sort of near the university quarter arguing over the map when a nice lady around our age decided to ask us if we needed help. after a bit of stumbling and confusion over whether we wanted her to continue in english or german we ended up getting some directions, in german, to a vegetarian friendly 'hippie house' down the street, under the elevated train tracks, take a right at the first street where there's some (couldn't really understand here) stuff on the corner and somewhere down that street we should find something. perfect. vague directions, super food, friendly service, great atmosphere, and most definitely a 'hippie house'. called 'cafe duddel'. go there. lots of bikes around, too... when we get to a computer that we can plug the camera into you'll see. until then...
Tuesday, June 10
Auf Wiedersehen USA!
Our much anticipated travels begin! Kevin and I head off to Germany in a few hours. Our Return to Germany that we've been looking forward to since our last trip two years ago (see the last blog: http://deutscheblogophon.blogspot.com/).
Also, I suppose an introduction is in order, which is why we put our shining faces above. For those of you who don't know Matt, this is Matt. For those of you who don't know Kevin, this is Kevin. For those of you who don't know either of us, you're on your own figuring out who is who. A hint - Kevin looks like the homeless guy and Matt looks like he's been lost in the woods for a couple years.
Off we go! Matt and I are leaving this beloved city for a mammoth test of our recently osmosized German language skills. Here's to hoping that sleeping with German text books under the pillow really works. These and other absolutely astounding tales and experiences will be shared with much aplomb. Until next time...
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