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Cologne, Germany 4/18/07
It’s another one of those entries where I’m leaving one town and heading to another but I know I have to make some time to write about the great experiences I have had in the last week. I leave in about an hour for Amsterdam and I’m sure I will have plenty to write about there, and even less time devoted to writing it down. So where do I begin today?
I should probably back up and talk about last weekend in Frankfurt first, definitely one of the highlights of the trip and a true example of why I love traveling. Last fall when I was wandering East Asia I arrived into Koh Phangan and random circumstances turned a stranger into another good friend. I was packed in a mini-bus with about a dozen other Backpackers heading to Hat Rin beach from the ferry dock. As we literally bounced down and around dirt roads the driver would stop at various times and point people to which path would lead to their respective bungalows. When he yelled out what sounded similar to “Paliti Lodge”, where my reservation was, I signaled with a “Yep”.
To get out of one of those mini-busses usually requires most of the other people to get out also. As the driver was getting my pack off the top and everyone else was piling back in, one of them turned to me and said. “I don’t have a reservation anywhere. Do you know if your place has vacancies?”
“No I don’t but you’re more than welcome to come check it out.” I replied.
“Yes, I think I will. It’s as good as any place to start.”
The random Backpacker was Manuel, from Germany, and he booked a bungalow two shacks behind mine and just that easily I had a drinking buddy for the next 5 days in Koh Phangan and eventually other spots in Thailand and Cambodia when our paths crossed again. Five months later when I e-mailed him to tell him I would be in Germany he insisted I pass through Frankfurt and stay with him for a weekend.
Manuel and his girlfriend, Diana, live on the North side of Frankfurt. A small apartment like you would expect any young professional couple in their 20’s in a major city to live. We went out for a traditional German dinner on Friday night and I was introduced to Apfelwein, a regional drink that I really liked, especially the sweet kind. Afterwards it was a late night in the Frankfurt bars.
Diana serving breakfast....I thought I was at a B&B!
The big treat came on Saturday. After a tour of Frankfurt’s historical areas, Manuel and I met Chris (McMahon, from the Rome entry) and his fiancé, Heather, at the train station. Heather is in the Army and is stationed outside of Frankfurt. In fact this was her first weekend back after about 6 months in Iraq.
The weather in Germany has been gorgeous. “Springtime in Germany.....” as the Nazis would probably be singing; not a cloud in the sky with temperatures in the mid-70’s. I enjoy it but the locals are going absolutely nuts over it, like most locals do when it’s clear that winter is officially over. Manuel and Diana were no different and thought it would be a great weekend for a barbeque. They invited a few of their friends over along with Chris and Heather. It was the perfect melting of worlds together. A frat buddy from SIU and a backpacking buddy from Thailand. The world continues to shrink at an ever increasing pace….and I love it!
Seven of us filled the small apartment balcony, the beer was iced down in the bathtub, and Diana prepared enough food to feed twice as many people. To all my meat loving BBQ friends you would have been in heaven. The Germans are true carnivores. The food was delicious and I ate steady for a couple hours; one of those occasions where you are full but you still find yourself eating chips and cheese that are on the table in front of you and you don’t know why.
For the most part there wasn’t much difference to growing up in the States. We covered everything from 80’s fads and bad/classic TV shows to school. As you can imagine history class in Germany could be a delicate subject. Manuel said they are basically just taught the facts. What happened and most importantly why it happened. I won’t dive into a history lesson starting at World War One but that’s what we discussed. It was a very interesting discussion and it was pretty easy to see some similarities today in world affairs. The recipe for tyrannical regimes to flourish is a pretty easy one to figure out.
I left Frankfurt on Sunday afternoon and arrived in Cologne a couple hours later, after just deciding to go to Cologne about 24 hours prior. I love having a rail pass, and the flex time to use it. I can’t thank Manuel and Diana enough for my weekend in Frankfurt. They wouldn’t accept any money after keeping me full on food and beer for two days. I hope I get the chance to repay their kindness somewhere down the road.
Cologne has been a relaxing time. I have a good hostel right in the center of town; 2 blocks from the train station which also makes it about 2 blocks from the HUGE cathedral. The Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria, as it's officially named, really is an awesome building. The size is overwhelming but so is the intricacy of the Gothic design and ornaments. I can’t imagine how they build something like it. I paid my 2 euro’s and climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the top. The view at the top was nice but I was more impressed with seeing the weight of the structure at that height. The bells alone were huge.
Front door......side door!
I did some research on line about gyms in the area on the Sunday night I arrived in town. So on Monday as I wandered around checking on prices I saw a lot more of the City. I eventually found the best deal at the one closest to my hostel which was very convenient. It was a great gym too. I bought a pass for the week which was a little expensive but a better deal than the single day passes and looking back I think I got my money’s worth. It even had another Wellness section that I took full advantage of one morning after a late night and lots of Kolsh beer.
On Monday night I made some friends at the hostel café and after a few beers there we headed out on the town. My new Backpacker friends were Chris and Kat from Canada, Eric and Vince from L.A., and Claudia from Berlin. We hit the town pretty late on a Monday night so we had to make our own fun at most of the bars.
Our loud, English speaking, table attracted the attention of one particular, self diagnosed drunk, German at bar number 2. He just came over and sat down with us and said “I like to speak English too.” So he proceeded to do just that, mostly directed at the girls of course. Some things are universal and I respected his intro line, flying solo no less.
The drunken guys name was Phil and he was pretty fun to hang with for awhile. He did provide me with a quote that I will laugh at and probably think of often back in the States. Eric and I were debating getting a kabob on the walk back when Phil broke away from hitting on the girls to say in a thick, slurred, German accent “I would kill for soft taco supreme!” Eric and I almost spit out our beer. Phil then began to reminisce about his year as an exchange student in California and then complain that of all the American franchises in Germany he was very upset that Taco Bell had not made it here yet. It’s a good thing Phil has never sampled Labamba’s. I’m afraid he would never leave the Mid-West.
It’s time to head to the train station now; directly to track 5 and the fantastic first class car of the ICE train, the nicest train I have traveled on in Europe. Maybe I should have shaved today?
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