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!