I guess I haven't written a thing here in weeks! It's been been a bit of a whirlwind of late. I recently completed course requirements for a master's degree and that took up all my time through the beginning of May. Then I went to Germany for a week and now here I am back in the grind. It's annoying how things don't really change much unless we make them so. For instance, going on vacation or quitting a job. Going back to school or claiming bankruptcy. In every instance, it's something we initiate ourselves. Rarely does life seem to initiate change of it's own accord. Right now, I need a change.
My week in Europe was fantastic! I saw four cities with time to spare. I stayed mostly in Koln with friends but ventured out to Bonn, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt as well as some smaller medieval cities. We also toured the wine growing region near Bonn and went hiking in the countryside.
My biggest surprise about the culture over there was the oddest thing. Their automobile industry. They have all these wonderful small cars I've never heard of and that are great on gas. These aren't hybrids, they're just good fuel efficient vehicles. They have cars that are so small they can park between two other cars. I also had the opportunity to drive on the autobahn at 200 mph. HA! That was a riot but there were some people going faster than I was. Also, my friends have this car with a GPS system that actually tells you how to get to places. I could use one of those here.
The city of Koln (Cologne) reminded me a lot of Boston. It's built on the foundations of a medieval city with some of the old city walls still standing. It's very walkable and the streets are quite narrow. Lots of cobblestone streets and lots of charm. It's a very cultural city with many museums and galleries. Plenty of nightlife though jazz venues are a bit hard to find. Another curious aspect are the public baths, which are like spas essentially except for the fact that everyone is nude. You would think it would be very strange to see your friend naked for the first time but my friend, Heather, and I went to the baths and it was very natural. I guess because everyone else was nude too.
Koln and all of Germany still have the independent coffee houses that we've largely lost in the US due to the corporate domination of places like Starbucks. Starbucks were there but only a few and not well attended. Frankly, the coffee experience at the independents is more interesting because of the diverse clientele and the quality of product that is pretty decent all around. Also, the prices were generally much cheaper than at Starbucks.
I saw an incredible outsider art exhibit at the Kunst de Palast in Dusseldorf. I had seen similar shows in Chicago but this one was unique because all of the artists represented were Europeans and many were ones I'd never heard of before. I also saw a cool exhibit on Buddhas from all over East Asia and a museum totally dedicated to chocolate. Yes, there's a chocolate museum in Koln! It's a little like being in Willy Wonka though not so quirky. No Umpa Loompas or anything but you see the whole chocolate making process from the cocoa bean to the finished product. And, of course, there are samples along the way. At the end is a fantastic shop with chocolate from all over the world.
I took a short cruise along the Rhine one afternoon and saw a lot of river cruise boats where you can actually cruise to different cities and countries while staying on the boats. You know, like ocean cruising but on the river and smaller boats. I might have to try that.
My flights both ways were fun and I flew on Air India. Fun airline that serves great, exotic food. Although, on my return the plane was commandeered by the Prime Minister and my flight got delayed a day. This worked out just fine because the airline put us all up in a 4 star hotel outside of Frankfurt, fed us, gave us drinks, and I got to see Frankfurt which otherwise wouldn't have been on the itenerary. We also got our own 747 the next day which meant about 2-3 seats for every passenger.
Returning was a little wierd. I left Frankfurt around 10am and got into Chicago about 11am. That was a long day! I'm still tired and in desperate need of a change. I think I'm going to put in my notice today and join a temp firm.
Come back for pictures in a few days!!
