Here are (some) of the bears:
I am still not sure whether or not the upraised hands are symbolic of all the countries of the world uniting in peace and holding up the world, or if they’re confused as to why someone would decorate them as they have.
Wednesday has come and (nearly) gone, and my flight leaves at 10:15am. After leaving the Starbucks where I previously posted, I headed to my NEXT hotel (there was a misunderstanding in the booking and I have to stay in a different hotel tonight). This involved 3 buses and about 3k’s of walking that if I was not such a tremendous idiot would have been avoided. Skip the whining, and its 12:30, with me in the hotel lobby, unable to check in until 2. Cue lunch, and a run back to the Maritim because I left my book there (couldn’t leave a book behind!). I left my stuff in care of the people at the art’otel (a very abstractly decorated, art-nouveau wannabe establishment based on the paintings and sculptures of Andy Warhol) and went in search of a restaurant.
I am immensely fortunate to have been moved, when I think about it. The closest bus stop to the art’otel is for the 109, a bus that takes me directly to Berlin-Tegel Flughafen (Airport) which will be handy in the morning, and it is in a part of Berlin that is less tourist (although it should be). I don’t know if you have heard about the so-called “Buddy Bears” or just all the bears of Berlin; but the street one block away from is lined with them in both directions, representing unity among all countries. It is quite an interesting display, and is a place I probably would have missed if I had stayed in the Maritim. I grabbed my final schnitzel at a supposedly South-western style restaurant, got ahold of my book (seriously I would have been devastated if I had left it; I’m 2/3rds of the way through).
Its 2:30 when I arrive again at the art’otel, and I can check in. I get my stuff, go up the elevator, go in the room…none of the electric stuff works. Lights, outlets, etc. I was baffled. It wasn’t a power outage, the lights worked in the hall. So I go downstairs and I say “Excuse me, I don’t think the electricity is on in my room.” The two receptionists look at each other and start laughing before telling me what was going on. Apparently you have to take your key card and insert it in some nondescript red box that has a keycard slot in order for anything in the hotel room to work. Has anyone else ever heard of that? It was bizarre.
Anyways, I chill for a bit and rest my feet (seriously my heels feel bruised) and by the time I figure out where I’m going next and get up again its 3:30. Most museums close at 5 and a few of them were closed this week for some festival anyway, so I decide to go to the Schloss Charlottenburg. A little history about this place…its the former palace of Queen Charlotte of Prussia, who together with her husband were the first monarchs of Prussia. I knew it was going to be big…I was not expecting the probably half a mile width of this building. It seriously was bafflingly large, and fully adorned with carvings and bas-reliefs. The main tower was a magnificent affair above the center of the palace, housing a massive clock and some rather placid looking gargoyles.
Just being in front of it was awe-inspiring. This whole time, as I approach the front, I was debating on buying a ticket to tour it…it all depended on the price. It was 12 euros, and I nearly turned away. I actually walked back to the front gate, in all honesty. But there was something that just kept pulling me back, and I realized that as long as I found something cheap for dinner, I could fit this in and still have money for breakfast in the morning.
So I start this audio tour (and I would present you with pictures but it was an extra 5 euros to be able to take pictures). I wish I could describe to you everything I saw, the wealth and (sometimes obnoxious) splendor of this grandeur place. One room in particular sticks out (because I was absolutely terrified to walk through it), being the “Porcelain Cabinet” in which over 2700 ceramic pieces were arrayed on the walls and crenelation near the ceiling. Terrified because it would be just my luck to trip, hit a wall, and knock most of them over. I made myself stay in there long enough to absorb it, making myself as small as possible while placing each foot carefully, and got the heck out of dodge. But the rest of this place…I could have spent hours seeing all of the rooms. As it was, my stomach defeated my amazement and I left feeling as if I missed quite a lot. I didn’t even make it to the New Wing (which would have been another 8 euros, though). So now here I sit, eating a sparse meal of yogurt, bread, and fruit, all that I picked up super cheap at the supermarket. Its still better than anything we have in the States though. Tonight I plan on going to the Holocaust Memorial; its outdoors and I wanted to wait until it cooled down before checking it out. I really doubt I will get to post about it before I fly out though, so just go ahead and assume that its poignant. I’m sure it will be.
Tschuss!
I forgot to mention that there was a Lesbian Film Festival happening in Freiburg…
No wonder they weren’t letting men into anything until after 22:00!
Thought you all would find this amusing
that in the city of Berlin one could find a place with free internet. Such has not been the case, however (at least not yet) and so I have much to catch everyone up on since I last posted. Saturday morning found me boarding a train from Freiburg to Stuttgart. Arriving at 11am, I wander around before being flagged down by two of the best people I know, German OR American, Colleen and Patrick Russell. I haven’t seen them in over 2 years, not since they moved from the States, and needless to say I was so excited to spend some time with them in their new home. I must profess some amount of jealousy…we talked around the city center in Stuttgart, snagging lunch in the process, and Stuttgart is a lovely place. A great blend of contemporaneity and modernism with classical architecture, spaced throughout the city. Glass and steel art galleries and 20th century high rises are supplemented with clock/bell towers that still toll to this day.
More on that later. Going out to Gartringen, a Stuttgart suburb/village took about 20 minutes by S-bahn, and we still had much to catch up on. The beautiful Kate Russell picked us up at the train station, and I must say it felt like I was seeing Mom again. They’re just such a loving family. After dropping my stuff off at their home we grabbed a train to Ludwigsberg, the home of a palace and gardens that we planned on visiting.
What we did NOT plan on visiting; in fact, we were not even aware it was happening, was the street festival there. People, music, food, and culture pervaded the streets of what normally would be a normal German town. It was fabulous, and I count myself lucky that we went that day, because thats the sort of thing you have to be a local to know it is happening. After dinner (Winzer steak? It was great but I’m still not sure what it was) we headed to the palace to discover that you had to buy a ticket, and there was an antique car auction going on. Being the age we are, we obviously avoided this and headed to a smaller palace of Ludwig’s, called Schloss Favorite. This smaller estate was closed as well, but a train+sign behind it indicated a “Scloss Morepos” through the trees. A kilometer and a half later through the trees, we come upon a rusty old fence, with no sign of the scloss anywhere. We turned around, to brave the walk back through fearless deer (there were scores of them).
Fast forward a few kilometers, an hour or so, and a train ride; we’re in downtown Stuttgart with the sun dipping below the horizon and the night denizens on this fantastic town poking their noses out of their holes. We wandered around, visited a few places still open, and just enjoyed the night there in the city.
The next day, after an early afternoon goodbye (that is, of course, really just a “see you later”) I boarded my final ICE, a 15:27 ICE to Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
Once again, fast forward, there isn’t much to tell about 6.5 hours on a train. I step into the Berlin night air at 9:50 and catch a bus towards my hotel. Took me a bit, but finding it again was not so hard, and I checked in and after setting a wake-up call for 6:20 (ouch) hit the sack.
Monday really has very little to share. I spent most of it at the X-ray Universe 2011 conference, listening to lectures on X-ray variability in QSOs, and the hard and soft time lags in high redshift radio-quiet quasars. I’ll spare you, because I bet your eyes are glazing over as much as mine were. They provided a fantastic lunch, though, and I went to dinner with my professor. Very relaxing day, overall, and I didn’t have to be back at the conference until 3 on Tuesday. I got up early tuesday morning, catching a bus to the Alexanderplatz; the German equivalent of the Mall of America. This place is absolutely huge. The Galeria Kaufhof (imagine a Target+Kohl’s+Walmart Supercenter, but actually nice) was some 6 or 7 story affair, and that was just one of many superstores. I wandered around here for quite awhile, spending Monday’s budgeted food money on absolutely useless stuff. Except the Ritter Sport. That is NEVER useless.
However, the true beauty of the Alexanderplatz was its location in relation to my hotel. I knew it would be a hike, but worth it. The main road leading from the Alex-platz to my hotel took me down the historical street of Berlin, past museums, the University, and finally, directly under the Brandenburger Tor. I must confess to acting the part of tourist at this point…pictures left and right, mouth slightly agape…I couldn’t help it. It was truly magnificent, all of it. I had to continue on, though, Dan wanted me at the conference by 3.
Fast forward through more lectures on exploratory x-ray monitoring, and nervous grad students with thick accents stuttering their way through presentations. I ended up leaving early, allowing myself a little more time to explore the area I had been in earlier. I had intended to spend some time in a Starbucks there I saw, to type all this then, but it was already closed (at 8?) and so I just walked around, taking more pictures, observed a bike collision, and trying to figure out what to do tomorrow (today).
And so here I am. There is sure to be stuff I missed, but if I typed every detail I would miss my flight tomorrow morning, so I tried to hit the high points. Today should be memorable enough; I will visit the German museum of history first.
Tschuss!
I have been forced back to Starbucks by what some people call the winds of change and chance (although I just call them storm clouds). I have quite an interesting story to relay…I had hardly been walking for half an hour (this time towards the western part of the city) when I stumbled on the Universitat, and the consequently, the University gardens. Walking through them, I come across a dried up pool and the manmade falls right about it that would have made quite a beautiful water fixture. They had been dried for some time.
While going across to that park bench I happened to look up into the rocks. I spotted the top of a small green bottle, and thinking it was trash, did the 3-year old’s equivalent of rock-climbing to retrieve it and throw it away. However, I discover that this empty beer bottle is actually capped and contains an envelope inside of it.
I’ll be honest, “Nazi Treasure” were the first words that came to mind. I sat down on the park bench and tried to slide the envelope out of the top, not even caring that I was getting the remnants of some sort of lager on my fingers. It wouldn’t slide out, though, so after some surreptitious glancing around I broke the top off and retrieved the letter. Here is the letter, and I will translate in a second.
The sky was just started to threaten rain by now, as well, so I had two reasons to head back to the Starbucks…shelter and Google’s translate. So now you have as much of the story as I do. I wonder if the 5 means this is the 5th letter. Why is the fish so sad and confused? My translation is broken up because Google doesn’t recognize a couple of words. What I can gather is:
“already guessed my bottle nuteten as mailings! here the common moroete pacman, it also applies to the graffiti-art learning as a redbridge”
Uh…haha. Maybe its supposed to say something about going to the Red Bridge to find some sort of graffiti about Pacman that has further instructions? But what is “moroete” and “nuteten”? I am tempted to ask someone here to translate for me.
Well not much I can do about it until the rain stops anyway. Still holding out for that Nazi treasure…thats a LOT of Schnitzel.
My Denglish is getting pretty good. Thats what most people speak here when trying to talk to non-German speakers. It consists of loud, slow speaking in English with an extremely thick accent, and interspersed with words in German when they don’t know the English word. In other words, the same way you would talk to a three year old. Sans accent.
I apologize if I come home and say “Hallo” or “Tschuss” to you. No one says anything in greeting but those things. One guy tried to say “take care” to me, it took me a few minutes to realize he what he was saying instead of “trachea” which I honestly thought he said to me. It may not have been the best pastry but I don’t need it removed from my lungs!
The schnitzel mentioned in the title has become my new food-based passion. There are so many kinds of schnitzel (which essentially is a flat slice of pork, usually fried) to try, and they’re usually a sight cheaper than the other entrees. I had a fantastic putenschnitzel in the bahnhof; a creamy mushroom sauce over penne pasta and lightly breaded schnitzel. Also, house salads (salate) are usually served with a sweeter ranch back home, and topped with corn. Its delicious.
Enough about food; I could go for days.
Yesterday was my first foray in France (Three cheers for alliteration). Sadly, it seems it will be my last, at least for this trip. I visited the city of Strasbourg, situated on the Franco-German border, about 3 hours from my current location in Freiburg. Once again, the train ride truly set the mood for the day. It was clear and sunny, not too hot if you stayed in the shade. The route I took from Switzerland through France is without compare. The train followed a line of mountains to the west as we headed in a north-westerly direction towards Strasbourg. The mountains were more rolling than the Alps, quite similar to the Appalachians, actually. Once again, every imaginable shade of green radiated in the sunlight, and the small villages and towns at the foot of these mountains (which there was probably at least 1 or 2 every few kilometers) looked like someone had planted seeds of civilization from the same tree. All of these seeds grew into a small town where all the buildings were red slate roofed and a tan/cream stucco. Every one was towered over by a church spire, and you could almost hear the bells ringing out the end of the workday back before clocks were invented. Overlooking many of these towns were castles, or towers, placed on an accessible mountain peak, and the large trade roads up to these strongholds were visible, even from the train. I couldn’t help but wonder what stories these towns hold. How many stories of raiders approaching, the bells tolling, and people streaming up that mountain road to the safety of the castle while the militia armed themselves to ward off the attack. I honestly expected to see something like this happen…these towns seem to have not changed for the past few centuries.
I stepped off the train in Strasbourg, greeted back the sound of people talking through their noses instead of spitting everywhere (French vs. German). I actually bought a map, and headed off in the direction of the old town.
This is extremely oxymoronic, but Strasbourg has a stately, contemporary antiquity to it that makes it extremely attractive. The old buildings are all restored, sections of the old wall still stand, and statues and carvings are almost as common as people. Yet through all this the trams run smoothly, business is bustling, and Mercedes and BMWs do their best to make you a splatter on the street. There were actually a few tourist attractions I wished to visit but I got distracted by the myriad of cafes, shops, and cathedrals. If I ever go back the art-nouveau Egyptian gallery is calling my name. I spent a long time wandering these streets, snapping pictures, snapping pictures for people, and snapping open my little neck-wallet for pay for coffee or a pretzel. I found myself a bit north of the Old City, wandering through these beautifully kept gardens, between palace-like structures that housed various embassies and government officials. I regret to say that I was so struck by this city that I largely forgot to take pictures. I, in true tourist fashions, just walked around with my mouth open and my eyes everywhere but where I was going. Much to the annoyance of the scooterists attempting to pass me. I happened upon the Notre Dame der Strasbourg (I say happened like it was accidental, but its hard to miss this cathedral) and spent a long time sitting inside its majesty, trying to figure out whether or not the ceiling was painted (it was too high to tell). A surprisingly accurate astrological clock off the side of the sanctuary showed exact date, year, moon phase, and a few other things I didn’t get to examine before being herded onwards. Just beyond that was the Pilier Des Anges (Pillar of Angels) that was just that. One massive pillar, with angels crawling along its entirety, soared up to the ceiling, seemingly representing the connection between God and man.
Then someone tried to sell me a bauble inside the church and I lost the wonder.
These isn’t too much else to say. Its hard to put such a vibe, such a feeling, into words. This gem of a city has been one of my trip highlights. Feel asleep on the train back (of course) and missed my connection train in Offenburg (naturally) and therefore didn’t get back to Freiburg until 9pm (to be expected), just in time to meet up with a few Americans in the hostel and head to the hilltop restaurant for schnitzel (schnitzel was expected, dinner with minnesotians, not so much).
Tschuss!
So I’ve had a few bumps in my overall plan before, but yesterday afternoon the plans for the rest of my trip were completely obliterated. I had intended to stay in Freiburg last night, go to Basel and Zurich today and stay there tonight, then head to Paris for two nights before going to Stuttgart and beyond. An hour into hostel research turns up exactly 0 beds available in (get this) Basel, Zurich, Reims, Strasbourg, Metz, Dijon, or Paris. I kid you not, there is nowhere to stay. Not for under 50 euros a night, at least.
I’m getting kind of stressed at this point…I’m not staying with the Russells in Stuttgart until Saturday, and it was Tuesday. Thats a lot of bahnhof benches and cold nights. Well then I have the bright idea of checking out the OTHER hostel in Freiburg and seeing if it was nicer/cheaper than the one I am currently at. I had seen a sign near my present location, so I started walking that way (time check: 5:10pm). I am not exaggerating a MINUTE when I tell you I got fed up and turned around at 6:45. I have no idea how far I walked, or how much further it was on the path. I just knew that I was not going to get there, and there was no way I was going to carry luggage out there.
Long story short, I got 3 more nights at the Black Forest Hostel. 5 nights total sleeping with one sheet (no pillow) with 20 other people. Its not bad, though, I feel comfortable leaving my stuff in the lockers, and I sleep well so as long as I have enough energy to explore the cities I’m fine with it. Its also 14 euros a night, so that helps.
My plans don’t really change too much after that. I will just be taking day trips to France and Switzerland from Freiburg, because they’re all within 3 hours by train.
Ok thats all the preliminary, catching you up on my living conditions, stuff. You want to hear about Switzerland. The famed land of chocolate, the Alps, and banks. I headed to Basel at 9am for a connection train to Zurich, where I arrived at 11:30. (Now before I continue I want to tell you, just as everyone told me, how downright expensive Switzerland was. I believed them, just not enough). I had no set plan, just to wander the city for the afternoon, checking out the lake and the shops/chocolateries before heading back to Freiburg for a late dinner. I figured that way I could save money by only buying lunch in Zurich. I start off down bahnhofstrausse, which is known for its shopping…this street was literally lined with every designer store you can imagine. Within one block of each other, I saw a Louis Vitton, a Dulce & Gabbana, a Burberry, a Hugo Boss, and a Rolex store; all at least 2 or 3 stories tall, and packed. I didn’t even bother going in.
There also truly were banks everywhere. Lots of UBS and Credit Suisse, as well as a few others I recognized. By this time I was pretty grumpy, I’ll be honest. I napped on the train and had just woken up, it was very dreary, threatening rain, and my apfelstreusen fruhstucke (Apple Streudel-breakfast) was wearing thin. I figured if I could get away from the touristy part I could find a more authentic cafe, hopefully a little cheaper. I picked a street and started walking through alleys, checking restaurant and cafe menus along the way. Remember what I was saying about it being expensive? How about 143-euro-steak expensive? I couldn’t find a restaurant with anything under 40 euros. Salads were pushing 20, even. If you don’t know conversion rates…143 euros is 205 dollars. I am skipping ahead a little, but I did eventually find a cafe with a decent beef tortellini for 20 euros. Still ridiculous but the least of all evils.
Back to my wanderings.
I did have the supreme luck of choosing the right back alleyways…I turn a corner and see what looks like an open square ahead of me. As I approach it, however, I realize that I’ve found the true meat, the real beauty, of Zurich.
You see that large square like area on the first bridge in the picture? Thats what I walked out onto. Both of those churches dominated the skyline, the water was see-through and covered in swans, and people flooded both sides of the river, dodging trams and bicycles. It was seriously incredible.
However, despite all its beauty, Zurich felt dead. There was no culture, no vibe to it. Everyone there made a point to demonstrate how rich they were, and they didn’t care how snobby it made them. I went into a church (right of the river, 3/4ths the way up) and whereas the churches here in Germany automatically instill sanctity and stately grace, this church had about the holiness of a strip club. From the second I walked in, they were attempting to sell me postcards and posters, distracting me from what little they actually allow any one to see inside the church itself. It was very disappointing to me. All the churches I have been here in Germany foster peace, and are calming, this was not the case in this church. I quickly left, already battling whether or not I wanted to stay in Zurich or go back to Freiburg. It started raining, and my decision was made. After an hour of a half in Switzerland, I left.
I know Switzerland has its redeeming qualities. If I had the chance I would go to Schaufhausen and see the immense falls there, or hike/bike among the Alps, or take a cable car up to Gruyeres and stay at the Chalet there on top of a mountain housed inside an old castle. But I do not enjoy the cities there. You can have your Hugo Boss, Switz. I’ll take Germany.
Heading to France tomorrow! Nancy and then Strasbourg. I hate that I can’t visit Paris but I wouldn’t have enough time to really experience it anyway, so maybe its for the best.
Auf Weidersehen!
Also, your German trivia for the day: Did you know that when you say Danke schon to someone to thank them, you are really saying “Beautiful thanks”? Its the most formal of the German “thank you” phrases. Dank-thanks. Danke-thank you. Vielen Dank- Thank you very much. Danke schon-beautiful thanks.
Thought that was interesting
Freiburg may not be the biggest tourist destination in Germany but I will definitely come away with the most memories from here. Every bit of it is beautiful, it is bustling but not too crowded, and everyone I have encountered has been friendly, or at least just smiled at me if they didn’t speak English (except for the sassy waitress at Starbucks). However, I wanted to share a few things I’ve been noticing. Some you may know about, some may be new. Either way, I’m definitely been getting some culture.
A few things I’m sure don’t come as a surprise:
1. Europeans are hip. Even the older people have a stately elegance to their clothing. Young people look like they just jumped out of some magazine, and even the homeless men sleeping in the hauptbahnhof have scarves and clean boots.
2. There are more bikes than oxygen molecules here. I kid you not, they are everywhere, and they’re vicious. Get out of the way.
3. Every car is small. Even their delivery vans are stunted in size. All the cars are nice, too. I see as many Audis, BMWs, and Benz’ as I do Fords or Kias.
4. Afore-mentioned cars go just about anywhere. They’ll drive up the sidewalk to get to a parking spot. This includes small gardens and streetside planters.
5. Beer truly is cheaper than water. I paid 3 euros for a small bottle of nicht-minerall wasser, and most of the beers on the menu there were way under 3.
But there are a few things which you may not know, as I surely did not:
1. They LOVE carbonation. Beer, of course, but they love soft drinks here, and if you ask for water they give you carbonated mineral water (terrible). Even a lot of the juice is carbonated.
2. You have to be careful about asking for coffee. If you just ask for coffee you usually end up served a cappuccino. Most places you have to ask for a dip-brew or something along those lines, and they’re usually surprised when you do so.
3. There are 4 types of shops I see more than anything else, and by far. The first is an Apotheke, which is like a CVS minus everything useful. Apothekes carry purely medicine. I saw some fingernails in one once. If you want anything useful (such as toiletries that I had to replace) you have to find a Drogerie, and they’re much more sparse. On any given street there are most like 5 or 6 Apothekes. The second most popular store is the glasses store. These are EVERYWHERE. Whether its sunglasses or bifocals, there are thousands to choose from. There are also inordinate numbers of antique stores, especially in the historical districts. And finally, cell phone stores. T-mobile, mostly, but I see Verizon, O2, and some others quite often as well.
And finally, a few things about today that make it memorable:
I went to a street deli for lunch. I ordered a Chicken Toscana, and sat down outside. Also, let me preface this by saying none of the employees knew English. So she brings me my food…in the form of a Curry-Turkey Sandwich. Now this isn’t just curry and turkey. This is curry, turkey, a mango-chutney spread, some kind of hot tomato, and a whole bunch of other stuff designed to make people NOT order this sandwich. Well I take it back inside and attempt to tell them that they gave me the wrong sandwich. They start talking to each other, pretty much ignoring me, although gesturing at my plate and the board on the wall every once in awhile. The lady behind me finally goes “You have no idea what they are saying, do you?” I told her no and she translated…essentially they were out of bread for the Chicken Toscana and so didn’t know what to do. Something along those lines. Finally the girl behind the counter goes “You want Ham & Cheese?”
Turned out to be the best H&C I will probably EVER have, but it was still just a very odd experience. This is the cafe, and where I was sitting outside of it
From there, dessert and coffee. So I started walking, keeping an eye out for other cafes or konditerei. I stumble on a little place called Alstadt Cafe, with some magnificent looking Blackberry Pie in the window, so of course I can’t help but go in. Once again, no English. Luckily a waitress arrived soon after I did that spoke very good English, and was able to tell me that in order for me to get pie, I needed to sit down haha. So…another picture, of my pie and kaffee.
Also, they let their mental handicapped citizens here have alcohol. Just thought you should know. If you drink a beer while operating a motorized wheelchair is it considered drinking and driving? If a tree falls in a forest…
Also, don’t worry. I found a drogerie and restocked my toiletries (Colgate in German is…wait for it…Colgate). It was glorious to clean up, to wash my hair, to brush my teeth. I hear Europeans don’t practice hygiene like Americans and I have no idea how they manage it.
I also visited the Freiburg arboretum today. Maybe I just missed the main part of it, but it was really just trails, with placards every 100m or so naming various Japanese trees. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty, but just not as spectacular as I was expecting. There is apparently a university run botanical garden somewhere just north of the city, but I couldn’t find it earlier. I might attempt again after I recharge a bit.
I’m back in Starbucks, by the way. I have to figure out what I’m doing tomorrow and the day after. I have just determined that I will be omitting Paris from my travel plans (my Eurail pass doesn’t cover a train to Paris and its like 80 Euros to make a reservation) so I will instead be going to either Nancy, France (Or Fancy, Pants), or Reims. Or Strasbourg. Honestly it depends on where I can find a hostel, and for what price. So I’ll get down to figuring out where I’m going to sleep for the next couple of nights, and let you get on with your business as well.
Guten tag!
Well thats as close an interpretation of “Freiburg” as anyone has. Its been over 48 hours since I’ve last had internet, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting around! I’ve covered the entirety of Germany, from East to West, and even spilled over some into Austria. But I will back up. Don’t want to get ahead of myself.
So internet has been scarcer than I originally expected! I’ve learned to keep my eye out for Starbucks in cities because they always have free internet. I was in Nuremberg last time I posted anything, and I guess in the spirit of travel I should tell you what has happened in the past 48 hours or so.
I woke up early in Nuremberg, checked out of my hostel (by the way, the drunk Austrians were actually drunk Frenchmen…but they came in drunk again at 3 so I guess it doesn’t really matter their nationality, just their blood alcohol level), and hopped on the earliest train to Munich so I could start making my way to Berchtesgaden. Problem was…I disregarded the day of the week, and it being Sonntag (Sunday) threw all of the train schedules off. There were NO trains to Berchtesgaden, and the lady at the help desk suggested taking a train to SALZBURG and then taking a bus to Berchtesgaden. For those of you who don’t know…Salzburg is in Osterreich. Austria. And while they are neighboring countries, that’s still quite a train trip. So I said alright, I’ll just take a little longer to get there. Well the train arrives in Salzburg (+4 hours), and I discover that because its Sunday, there are no buses to Berchtesgaden either.
So at this point I’m starting to panic, because I have no idea how to get to Berchtesgaden, and no idea where to stay if I couldn’t make it there. Thankfully, I found a tourist info desk and she goes, “Oh just take the train to Freilassing and then connect directly to Berchtesgaden!” I wish I had known that in Munich. I backtrack, get on the train to Berchtesgaden, and sit back to enjoy the trip. The approach to the Alps is breathtaking. All the way to Austria I had been seeing them out of the south window of the train, but seeing green fields run straight up to the feet of the steepest mountains I have ever seen is enough to make anyone look like the Genie from Aladdin.
I won’t detail anymore about the train ride, I can’t do the mountains justice, either with words or pictures. The pictures will have to do.
10 minutes outside of Berchtesgaden, it starts raining. When I arrive in the Hbf (main train station), its pouring. I wait for a lull in the rain and start walking in the direction I THINK the Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) is. I had figured out its location earlier, and estimated it at about a kilometer outside of town. Of course, I was wrong…it was about 3km, and uphill. In the pouring rain, and about 50 degrees outside.
Its safe to say I was miserable right then. However, I get up to the top of the hill where the hostel was right as the clouds broke and the Sun came out. In that instant I forgot about being wet, cold, exhausted, and everything in between. The scenery floored me. I may or may not have stopped walking in the middle of the road and just stared. The sheer might and glory of these mountains…if you do ONE thing before you die, you absolutely MUST see the Alps. Pictures cannot capture their majesty anymore than a word can capture an emotion such as love or hate.
Fast forward a few gaping moments to when I find the hostel…the receptionist is gone until 7pm. Its 2. I honestly don’t even remember what I did for 5 hours but fast forward again to me checking in and eating the first filling, hot dinner I’ve had since I arrived. I walked back down to the city center and headed toward the historical district. I’ll be honest…I was looking for a Starbucks haha (free internet!). I did not find one, but what I found was so much better. I came up the backside of a hill, cresting the ridge that overlooked the most beautiful graveyard I’ve ever seen, backed up to the southern wall of a small church that framed the King and Queen (can’t remember their names, but they were the predominant mountains of the area) perfectly. I was stunned, and I spent a good half hour in that graveyard, slowly walking around and reading gravestones, or sitting on a bench and enjoying the cool mountain air. Another note…Asheville air may feel pure, but compared to the air there we might as well live in Los Angeles. Regretfully, it was getting dark so I headed back to the hostel. All three of my roommates knew English, even if it wasn’t very good, so we were able to communicate a bit about our age, where we were from, etc. The two who are my age are ironically studying engineering in Germany, and the third was a 40 some year old Chinaman who had business in Germany. More to come on the Chinaman, wait for it.
Anyways, first good night’s sleep I’ve had since I got to Germany. I was out when I hit the pillow, up with the Sun. Had breakfast (brotchen and kaffee, of course), bid my roommates goodbye, and walked to the train station (by this time I’ve gone over 10 miles back and forth), and got on the train for Freilassing, with my sights on Freiburg im Brisgau, clear across the country. I figured it would be about…7hours by train. Not too bad, especially with beautiful countryside. Things started going south (figuratively) when I missed the connection train to Munich while parked in Traunstein. Now, if Germany has “boonies,” they call it Traunstein. I’m not even sure they had electricity here. And the next train to Munich was in two hours. By this time I’m getting real good at waiting around, so I sat down and twiddled until it came. Ok I said I would come back to the Chinaman…I got on the same train, same CAR even, that he was on headed back to Munich, even though I left a good hour and half earlier than he did. Guys, his accent was so thick it sounded like he was saying “peep-her” when he said “people.” So then I get to Munich, 2 hours behind schedule, to find that the train to go to Mannheim, and then to Freiburg, is delayed another hour and forty minutes. Tack on 4 hours to my total delay. Found a Starbucks, hit up facebook, and killed some more time in Munich Hauptbahnhof. However, I decided while I was waiting around that I would brush my teeth, since I’d really just been drinking coffee since I got up.
Surprise! I left my toiletries bag in Berchtesgaden. A good 4 hours the OTHER direction. At this point I wanted to scream. I have no toothbrush, no toothpaste, no deodorant, nothing. Not even any soap. After a good few minutes of acute frustration, I realized the only thing to do was get over it, and just get the essentials in Freiburg. I just moved on. Grabbed the train to Mannheim, waited a few minutes, grabbed the connection to Freiburg. So…I’m finally here, but the directions I have to my hostel make no sense in respect to where I was. I just started walking. Picked a direction and headed that way. After an hour of asking directions in broken German (Wo ist der Black Forest Hostel, bitte?) I find the street, find the hostel, and check in for two nights.
Now, where the Jugendherberge in Berchtesgaden was clean, family friendly, private, and altogether a great place to sleep, the Black Forest Hostel is slightly dirty, full of very strange patrons, and only contains rooms with either 10 or 21 beds. 21 was cheapest, but they were full, so I got a bed in the 10 bed room (sans bedding, of course) and got a locker to use (because you can’t leave anything in your room, they’re always open) There are 2 showers and 4 bathrooms for 3 total floors of beds. But honestly, I like it. It is exactly what I think of when I think of a hostel, whereas Berchtesgaden seemed more like a bread and breakfast. Everyone seems friendly enough, even if no one really trusts one another, and even if it doesn’t initially look the cleanest, the water is clear, the bathrooms don’t smell, and the beds are stain-free. I guess it could be worse.
I locked my stuff up and went on a walk for food before it got too dark. I love German food, usually, but I really just wanted something normal, something I had heard of, so I stopped at an Italian café and had some amazing Spaghetti Bolognese while watching the Sun set behind the Eastern gate of the Old City of Freiburg. Absolutely beautiful, even if it did take me 5 minutes to figure out how to tell my waiter that I wanted my check. So that’s a quick update on the past couple of days. I’m sure I left something out but that’s most of the major stuff.
I still can’t believe I left my toiletries in Berchtesgaden.
Quick Update (since I can’t post this yet anyway until I find internet): Met some other English speakers here in the hostel. I realized that, even though I was speaking English, I’ve been around pure Germans so much that I had a slight German accent. Gotta get rid of that before I get home. Two of them were from Wales, and here for a music festival (Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabien, Incubus, couple others). We chatted for awhile before they went out for a cigarette. Then met an Australian from Perth who, upon learning that I was from North Carolina, asks where in NC (which I was surprised at, most people ask where NC is in relation to NYC), and when I said Asheville, he says “No way. I spent a summer as a camp counselor in Brevard.” Cue Disney music…honestly that is a bit creepy. We talked briefly about maybe walking about Freiburg tomorrow together. The company would actually really be appreciated, if only for a day. Also, German guy playing “Smoke on the Water” and “7 Nation Army” on an out of tune guitar in the hostel living room. Guess some things are the same no matter which side of the Atlantic you are on.
EVEN BETTER. They’re singing Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” in German accents. “Ich, hurt myzelf todeh…to zee if Ich steel feehl…” Beautiful.
Night.
Does one say that one is lost when they are trying to be that way? I realized I had seen none of eastern Nuremberg so I just took off walking from the Kaiserburg, and ended up in the middle of what looked like apartments, a couple minutes from the Universitat. However, that landed me outside of St. Egidien Nuremberg.
How can one say you are lost when you so obviously are found? It took me nearly an hour to get back to St. Lorenz, a church from where I knew how to get to the market, how to get to my hostel, and how to get to the Hauptbahnhof. But it was an hour well spent, wandering through streets and little back alleys alongside the rivers of Nuremberg
Could I ask for better?
The cashier at my latest coffee shop asked me what I wanted in English, but for fun I ordered in German, and responded in German when he asked for here or to go. Then he asked me a question in rapid German, I don’t even know the context of it, so I looked at him and said “Traurig, ich weiss nicht Deutsch sprechen” (“Sorry, I don’t speak German”) and the look on his face was priceless. I then thanked him for the coffee (“Vielen Dank!”), and walked off. Fun with languages.
Its dinner time, and I think I’ll stick with bratwurst.
