Bikin' Pt. II

The week after getting back from my long ride to the border of the Netherlands was just another run-of-the-mill week. In my European Integration class we talked about the relationship between Germany and Israel, with plans to talk about TTIP the week afterward. In my Focus on Scotland course we talked about the multi-culturalism of the state, as well as their parliamentary procedures. In my Transatlantic Relations course we talked about the rise of ISIS, policy regarding the nuclear framework with Iran, and the Middle East in general. All very interesting presentations with a lot of reading on subjects I didn't know much about before arriving to Germany, but I feel now, after having met so many people from all walks of life, that my understanding of these subjects is coming more naturally than forced. It will be interesting to see how I do in a conversation with someone at the local coffeeshop when I get home.

The one highlight of the week came on Wednesday night when I attended the USA vs. Germany soccer game in Cologne. A student from Missouri, who sits next to me in one of my classes, is a huge soccer fan, and she used to travel around the US following both the US and German teams no matter where they were in the country. Somehow I stumbled into a conversation with her about a month ago about the soccer match and wanting to go, and she told me she had an extra ticket for sale. I bought it off of her before class ended.

Counting down the days towards the game sped up the weekend before, and I was extremely excited to see my first live match. Not a bad first game to see! If you followed the World Cup this past summer, then you know that Germany won it all (Die Weltmeister) and the US didn't have a bad run either, shattering the world's expectations by making it out of the group stage my beating Ghana, tying Portugal, and narrowly losing to Germany. Also, the US head coach was a former German player who was on the country's last World Cup winning team in 1990 and who got a few half-German half-American players to make the jump to the US team.

Megan and I took the packed train from Bonn to Cologne, sandwiched in like sardines and surrounded by people who were sporting German jerseys and painted faces with the national colors. Megan and I happened to stand right next to some Americans from Texas A&M, and we talked back and the forth the whole way to Cologne. They had just arrived into Germany 3 weeks prior and were happy to meet some people from the South (Megan is from Missouri....we'll let it pass this one time) who they could relate to when it came to talking to strangers (something we've all been deprived of here in Germany). But, they were definitely the obnoxious American fans we'd be seeing on the big screen later who didn't know much about the sport.

The game was great. Germany got the first goal of the match in the 12th minute, but the US team stayed strong and kept good form. The 40,000 person stadium erupted with chants of "Deutschland, Deutschland, Deutschland," and cheers. Megan was ecstatic, as she was rooting for Germany the whole time. I was happy just to see a good game, but I brought my vuvuzela that I bought in Cape Town and blew really loud for Germany nonetheless. Then right before half-time, the US scored. The teams weren't taking the game too seriously after that, as this was just a 'friendly' match with no real consequences, just practice for your benchwarmers, but the US still looked strong. Germany's best players who played in the World Cup were already on vacation, although the German who scored the winning goal in the final against Argentina, Mario Goetze, did play the first half. Likewise, the Americans were benching most of their playmakers so as to make room for the new guys. In the end, the US beat Germany 2-1 and we sent that 40,000 person stadium packing for the subways. Good game!

Flag show during Germany's national athem

Fan divided: USA shirt and lederhosen

The weekend after the soccer match I went for what would probably be the last big bike rides before going home. Planned was a day trip on Saturday with a friend from Belgium, then on Sunday a day trip with Elodie. The bike trip with Arne was planned a month in advance, because we were going to be riding to Belgium and the Netherlands where they meet with Germany, called the Dreilandespunkt. We set off around 12 and headed out for the 100 km expedition, passing small farms, going through horse trails in the woods, up and down hills, and through villages and town squares. We got off to a slow start with bad orienting skills, but got right back on track after a quick check.

Arne and some farmland with gray skies

Double checking the bearings

On these long bike rides, I often like to stop in the villages, find a grocery store, and stock up on some fruit and snacks while exploring the village a bit. Our first stop was in a village called Erfstaft, where we got some chocolate milk and pastries from the bakery. Then we headed on our way towards Noervenich and Dueren before taking a fast pace towards Aachen and the border. At one point we were riding right on the shoulder of the highway with cars zipping by ("Let's take the first turn we see!!") but other than that the ride was peaceful but not pretty on the eyes. These villages seemed much more run-down than the villages I had seen in the past, and plus, there was just a lot of farmland around and it smelled like cow manure about 40% of the time. Still a good ride. When we got into Aachen we took an early dinner break since it was already 6:30 pm.

Two thumbs up and he hasn't even tried it yet--whatta chump

After Aachen it was easy to find Belgium and the Netherlands--just look up to the hill. After 7 hours on the bikes the last thing we wanted to do was ride uphill for the next 20 minutes, but pumped with the excitement of achieving our goal we sped through it. Arne was home in Belgium! When we got to the top he got to speak some Dutch with other bikers, asking where the photo-ops were.

Twister, European edition: One hand in the Netherlands, a foot in Germany, and a foot in Belgium

Arne atop the tallest point in all the Netherlands (not a very elevated country)

The other ride during the weekend to cap off a great few weeks of riding was with Elodie, a friend from Paris, where we'd be starting in our former end point of Koblenz and riding south along the Rhine river to Mainz. It's here where the greatest density of castles anywhere in the world is (at least that's what I've heard from others in Bonn) and while riding, it's hard to think otherwise. It's also one of the prettiest parts of Germany where the river flows through the valley along small villages with riverfront bakeries, cafes, and restaurants. It's also here where the Rhineland's famous wine comes from. Through each bend in the river we saw the valley open up with large vineyards draping over the hillsides.

Castle on the other side of the river in Bingen, Germany

At the end of one hour of riding, I think we saw 5 or 6 castles atop hills overlooking the river, and by the end of the day saw maybe 10? I lost count after a while. The histories of each remain a mystery to me, but I will say it was the nicest bike ride I think I've yet taken in Germany. Between the scenery, the weather, the villages we rode through, to me it just epitomized the myth of "small-town Germany" that we might each think about. The Germans were also much nicer here than anywhere I had yet been; Elodie and I would go up and ask strangers for directions and they would respond so nicely. At one point, a German told *me* "Hello," a first in nearly 11 months of being here.

Profile of Marksburg Castle

Castle near St. Goar, Germany

Ye old German village

Elodie, say "Fromage!"

We were on our way to Mainz, our end point for the day, where'd we take a train back to Bonn after finishing up the 95 km ride, but 25 km outside of it Elodie and I got in a little bike accident. Everyone was okay, but then I checked my bike and saw that my back tire was totally bent out of shape and wouldn't even rotate. We walked it into town, but because it was Sunday, everything was closed, putting us out of business for the day. We took a long break at a cafe drinking our Hefeweisen beer and talking about how great the day had been for a ride before heading for the train station. We saw all the great parts of the river before heading home, so we were definitely happy with our accomplishments. Another great ride!

Bikin'

Probably one of my favorite activities here in Germany has just been riding my bike. I dedicated a few posts earlier during my time abroad to my adventures on the bike, and now is no different. The weather is absolutely perfect for being outside and procrastinating on every piece of homework assignment and reading, so hey, thanks awesome weather. The days we've been having here are the rare days back home; these crisp, low-humidity days of sunshine and warmth, without the sweat, happen maybe two or three days a year in transition from Fall to Winter, but now I'm having the benefit of week-long stretches of uninterrupted sunshine (Note: some days it does get completely cloudy and gray where the sky has no depth. It shocks me back into winter mode and I don't leave my room except for class). I try to take every opportunity like it's my last to go bike riding.

This past weekend I took a new route in my attempt to ride as much of the Rhein river as possible before leaving Bonn. In the past I've been to Duesseldorf and Koblenz, both day-long rides totaling about 6 hours on the bike (I camped out in Koblenz in my tent because I couldn't make it back in time before the sun setting and took a train back from Duesseldorf). I woke up, scrambled some eggs, had a glass of multi-vitamin juice and some toast with Nutella, and packed my bag with some water and two sandwiches in preparation for the ride. I set off by train for Duesseldorf's train station, which would mark my beginning point and head northward along the river route. Initially I was planning only to ride to Duisberg, 30 km north and then back. but while riding the sky opened up, everything warmed up, and I felt like conquering the world, so I just kept going.

Usually the route is well marked, and I tip my hat to whoever's idea it was to mark the trail so generously with signs (you really can't get lost even if you tried), but because of some new construction the signs were out and I was riding in circles for about 10 minutes before I happened upon another biker, aged about 60 with a walrus mustache and thick framed glasses pedaling his possessions, in the same situation. We teamed up and rode to our stopping point, making conversation along the way. He had a thick accent (either from southern Germany or learned German as a foreign language...couldn't make it out) so all I got from him in our ride together was that he had already ridden 450 km along the river heading towards Amsterdam, staying in hotels and eating at restaurants along the way. What a life! I told him I'd do the same exact thing he was doing if I had the money to, but for now I had to stick to day trips and homemade peanut butter and jellies. We parted ways in Duisberg and I headed to find a grocery store to stock up on some calories (which ended up being chocolate milk and a huge streussel treat from the bakery) before heading out again.

I often ride while listening to new music, but for this ride I felt the moment was just better spent taking in the landscapes, little German villages, fields of vegetables and flowers, and diving into my own thoughts. It was a really reflective bike ride spent appreciating everything these past 10 months have brought me and all that I'll miss when I have to give it up.

After hours of riding, another stop at a grocery store to buy water, lots of chance interactions with fellow bikers and townspeople enjoying the weekend, I made it to Emmerich, the town I didn't think I'd make it to when I set off for the day. I was really proud and started hoopin' and hollerin' along the path with my fists raised that I had ridden 120 km in a day, and not to mention, crossed the border from Germany into the Netherlands! I boarded a train in the tiny town (luckily the last train of the night, with only 5 minutes to spare before it left) and in 3 hours was back in my dorm room, showered up, and chowing down on all of my leftovers in the fridge trying to replenish calories. I'm setting my sights now in the other direction on the Rhein: south. My next goal is to start in Koblenz and ride to Mainz, about 95 km away, but in so doing will see about a dozen castles along the Rhein in what is supposedly the highest density of castles anywhere in the world. I can't wait. Not sure what other adventures lie ahead with the bike, but I look forward to whatever they may be!

Some ruins. No idea their significance though

When in doubt, find the river and ride downstream

Cover your nose: the cloud factory smells like industry

Riding under windmills makes you feel small, but they make for cool shadows

Mission accomplished

Visit from Mariel and Sarah

I recently hosted two of my friends, Mariel and Sarah, for about a week near the end of May. We all went to high school together, knew of each other then but didn't hang out in the same circle of friends, but have been close friends since starting college. Out of the friends who have visited me in Bonn, Mariel and Sarah were the first two not coming from Europe. Samson, Miranda, Samir, and Laine were all coming from England and France as they were also spending time abroad during the spring semester. Mariel and Sarah were taking a 4 week vacation to Europe and visiting Samson, me, and Samir along the way. This marked the first real visit to Europe for both of them--how exciting.

It was great to see them after the 10 months of me being abroad. Picking them up from the bus stop made it feel like no time had passed, and because we had all been staying in touch with each other since I left, we knew just where to pick up with conversation. They were visibly exhausted though, having spent 10 hours on an overnight bus from London and having had a bustling itinerary in England that didn't include a lot of sleep.

Because I'm writing this two weeks after-the-fact, I can't recount exactly everything that we did (I need to get back to writing these posts in a timely manner...), but a few things stand out to me still.  Mariel made it clear to me a few weeks prior to visiting that they didn't want to get the "tourist treatment" while in Bonn, and I completely understood. Most of my joys from traveling just come from walking around the cities, doing normal everday things like grocery shopping or taking a tram, and people watching. Mariel and Sarah were no different, but I did owe it to them to show them the Koelner Dom (see one of my first posts about visiting the cathedral), one of Germany's, and the world's, best cathedrals. A brief 10 minute visit was enough and afterwards we headed home from Cologne to Bonn. Taking the train back was also a good lesson in normal everyday life; because they don't always check tickets on the trains you can run the risk of not buying a ticket and getting home for free. I had much success with friends in the past not buying tickets, so with Mariel and Sarah it was no different--except the result. Within 5 minutes of boarding the train we had a controller come by asking for tickets. I pulled my 'confused tourist' spiel, always packed in the holster for times like this, and luckily to my surprise we weren't given the fine by the controller, just the opportunity to buy our tickets on the train. Catastrophe averted.

Later that day, after dropping bags in my dorm room, we jumped on a subway and headed towards the nearby castle for a few hours of hiking. We were also meeting up with my old host brother Jannik, who I hadn't seen since October and had just gotten back from 2 months in Cuba. We hiked to Drachenfels, the old ruins at the top of the hill, and passed the Drachenburg castle along the way. The weather was nice and crisp during the hike which made eating ice cream at the base of the hill a great reward.

The rest of the time in Bonn remains a blur; I introduced Mariel and Sarah to my friends here, took a few nice long bike rides with them, sat out on the parade grounds with sketchbooks and snacks just talking and drawing, and mostly just relaxing. The time spent with Mariel and Sarah was great. Just catching up on little things from back home (like how the friend group back home dwindled to include Mariel, her boyfriend Colin, Sarah, and her boyfriend/my roommate Aaron since everyone else is in Europe) and explaining things from being abroad was special. It really gave me some perspective as to what I've gone through these past 10 months and how, well, foreign, it still is to many people back home. Mariel has never lived in a city that's not her hometown, and up until my year in Germany neither had I. In July Mariel is going to Australia to begin her semester abroad and we are all going back home to the US, so unfortunately our week together in Bonn will be our only time of intersection over the course of 16 months.

The rest of Mariel and Sarah's travels have gone well. They arrived in to Bonn after having spent time in Dublin with a friend of a friend, Nottingham with Samson and his friends, and London as tourists waiting for a bus out to Germany. They spent time in Cologne and Bonn and got a small sense of German life. We traveled to Amsterdam on our last two days together and camped out in a park. After we parted ways in Amsterdam they traveled to Paris, then went to rural France to live on an organic farm for a few days for free (work on the farm for food and housing + meet cool people also interested in farming), and are wrapping up there European vacation in Italy visiting Samir. Truly an eclectic vacation with samplings of a few cultures, a few friends, lots of laughs and headaches, and many memories. Glad to have been a part of it!

Over the course of a year abroad you go through a few pivotal moments that make you reevaluate the whole situation. For different people these experiences are different things, and I've had many many many of them since arriving here in August. Hosting Mariel and Sarah and reconnecting with two of my best friends from home was the latest in the sense that it showed me what I have to look forward to when I get home, and just how short I have to wait. The majority of the time abroad has been phrased "I've been here _____ months," but more recently, as my calendar has only one page left to turn and the phrase goes from months to weeks, it also changes into "I only have _____ weeks left." Scary change. It helps me remember, as sometimes I am prone to forget, that this experience has an expiration date, that I can only speak face-to-face with my friends here for a few more weeks, that some experiences, sights, and opportunities are running out of time. I'm enjoying my time here and know that when I'm back home I'll be missing it, but I also feel ready to go home, see friends and family again, get the ball rolling for my last year of university, and feel the comfort of old friend groups, restaurants, and sights. It's a divide that often has me swinging like a pendulum a few times a day. It's a weird feeling.

But on a lighter note, I'll end the post with a few pictures I took from Mariel and Sarah's visit.

Prost! Sampling German beer with Sarah (left) and Mariel (right)

Once enough beer has been consumed, döner makes the perfect dinner

Our camping place in Amsterdam. Blue skies, green trees, good company, what else do ya need?