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Baden-Baden

Viv and I woke up in the bed of Bastian Bob the next morning at 7am. For those of you doing the math, that's about 3 hours of sleep.

The plan originally was for Viv and I to catch a train to Frieburg to go hiking in the Black Forest, but Bastian Bob recommended Baden-Baden because it was closer (seriously, this excessive alliteration writes itself).  Bob walked us to our train, bid us goodbye, and then biked off. Viv and I hopped our train and set course for Baden-Baden.

We arrived in Baden-Baden around 10am. It was then we realized that we had no idea where exactly in Baden-Baden to hike. We determined the best course of action would be to find a tourist information booth in the city. We took a bus to Leopoldplatz only to find the information booth closed because it was some weird German holiday.

The town itself looked deserted. Luckily, I was able to just grab a map from behind the counter and I figured we could just navigate the city that way. (Remember kids, I don't have a German data plan, so we can't just look this stuff up on our phones. Paper maps it is.)

We backtracked to the train station and found some lockers to store our extra stuff. Just when it felt like we'd finally be able to get our day going, we realized the bus to the trailhead wouldn't be coming for another 45 minutes. Rather than wait, we decided to hike to our hike.

It was slightly rainy and a little cold, but that didn't dampen our spirits. Viv got our her uke and we sang as we walked down the streets of Baden-Baden. Just when it felt like we'd never find the trailhead and that our trip was a bit of a waste, we FINALLY found what looked like woods.

Some folks leaving the trail gave us directions and we headed into the Black Forest towards a Schloss or castle.  Again the woods reminded me of western PA and I'm still not exactly sure while they call it the "Black Forest."

As Viv and I were hiking further up and up into the woods, I heard an odd sound that was similar to rushing water. I couldn't quite place it, but it was getting louder.

"Viv, do you hear that? It almost sounds like....  bees?"

It was a hushing sound that the closer we got sounded more and more like buzzing. We couldn't figure out where it was coming from until we looked way high up into the trees and saw this:

A vicious swarm of thousands of bees. They had a nest about 60 feet up in the trees and something must've made them super angry. It reminded me of the Tracker Jacker scene in the Hunger Games. We admired the creepy scene for only a few minutes because should these bees decide to attack, we'd surely be dead.

After about an hour or two of hiking, we reached the old castle. We walked through the ruins and had lunch overlooking the city. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Around 3 we headed down from the mountain. Along the way, we saw some top-roping climbers. If you go to Baden-Baden, bring your climbing shoes!

Viv and I made it back down to the village in about 45 minutes. By that time we were exhausted from hiking and our lack of sleep so took a nap on a lawn near Leopoldplatz. 

A bus ride, train ride, bus ride, train ride, car ride, Chinese food, train ride, and cab ride later and we were back in Trier around midnight (See how efficient European travel is!) Now it's time to get as much rest as possible on Friday because on Saturday I'm headed to Kaiserslautern for my very first German ultimate frisbee tournament! Can't wait!

Heidelberg & Bastian Bob

During my stay at Gaffenberg I met a lovely fellow by the name of Bastian Bob Boger. We share a love of Amanda Palmer, which is a pretty good basis for friendship. Anyway, Bob was kind enough to invite Vivien and I to visit him in Heidelberg.

A few train tickets later, Viv and I were on our way. We were greeted at the Heidelberg haptbahnhof (main train station) by Bastian Bob and his buddy Martin from Gaffenberg. (German pronunciation: Mah-tin so I'm going to spell it that way from here on out.)

We dropped our bags off at Mahtin's place and walked across a bridge to a park along the river.

 

Mahtin's friends were there hanging out in the park. Bastian Bob bought some beer and brought it back for all of us. Fun Fact: In Germany you can drink in public!  So we spent the afternoon hanging out, talking, drinking beer, and tossing the disc. Viv took out her uke and we played some tunes.

Around 6, Bastian Bob had to bike to class, so he left. Viv and I decided to do some exploring and at the suggestion of Mahtin, we walked up a road called Philosopher's Way. It got its name for being the walking path of many German philosophers and poets.

At the top of the Way is a beautiful view of the entire city. Fun Fact: Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that wasn't bombed by the US in WWII. This is because an American general had visited Heidelberg and deemed it too beautiful to bomb. Good choice.  Look at it:

 

Viv and I walked down a path called Snake's Way, which wound itself down to the bridge into the city.

There were many locks on the bridge. I guess people who get married engrave their names on locks and attach them to things. I don't know that I'd ever want my love eternally linked to Heidelberg but Viv got a cool picture of it.

 Vivien and I then had the choice of whether to get food or see a castle. Despite my generally monstrous appetite, I really wanted to see a castle. So, we hiked up a hill to Heidelberg's castle that overlooks the city.  Glad we did:

By that time we were starving, so Viv and I picked a Thai food place back near Mahtin's to eat. The food was pretty underwhelming, (I guess Germany isn't known for its Thai food), but it was nice to get a meal with tofu. After abendessen, we grabbed our bags and took a bus to Bastian Bob's. Bastian Bob met us at the bus stop on his bike and took us back to his place. 

Inside we were introduced to a marvelous melange of new faces. Bob's roommate (I forget her name, so for alliteration's sake, let's call her "Betty").  Betty was hanging out with some of her French friends. Then Betty's boyfriend, Ahmed and his friend Bashir arrived. Ahmed and Bashir were from the Ivory Coast of Africa and they made me feel like an ignorant American when I didn't know exactly where in Africa that is. (Tell me where Iowa is! I know Californians who can't do that. Cough! Shenzi!) I felt even more like an ignorant American when I discovered that I was the only one there who didn't speak multiple languages. Ahmed and Bashir speak French, English, and German. The French girls speak French, German, and some English. Bastian Bob and Vic speak English and German. And I.... well, I speak English and took some French like 10 years ago, where I spent most of class drawing. 

The good news is that despite the mixture of languages flying about, we found we all had one in common...

Bastian Bob is a bassist in a band, so he has a ton of musical instruments. He brought out his bass guitar, an acoustic guitar, a melodica, and some kazoos. Viv got out her uke. Betty brought out an African drum. Ahmed grabbed the drum, Viv grabbed a guitar, I picked up the bass, and one of the French girls grabbed the melodica. And yes, it was a noisy cacophony to start. But soon, we settled into some simple Bob Marely and the jam session was on. The folks who weren't playing instruments just sang along and it was magical. We really hit our groove with "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men. And let me take this moment to say that the girl on the melodica was incredible. Apparently, she is a pianist and she could play almost anything by ear. She was awesome. My claim to fame is knowing the entire bass part to "Otherside" while Viv played the chords. Give Viv the chords to any song and she can play it. Then Bastian Bob jumped in on the bassline to "Billie Jean" while I attempted to sing it. Our night culminated with "Hey Ho" by the Lumineers, with everyone shouting out the "heys" and "hos." Our finale was "Hey Ya" by Outkast with Bashir contributing his wonderful "whoop whoop!" in the chorus. 

We played late into the night until the jam session ended at 3:30am.  It was one of the most fun nights I ever had and we didn't even leave the apartment! It's particularly special to see how music can bring together so many different languages and cultures.   I'm so glad I got to experience that.

 

Culture Shock: Gaffenberg (Part II)

Disclaimer: My observations/experiences at Gaffenberg are not necessarily a representative of Germany or Germans as a whole. That place is crazy. 

I wake up disoriented and have no idea where I am. Then it comes back to me. I'm in Germany, in a cabin, in the woods, at Gaffenberg, the summer camp for German youths. Around me, about 15 other German counselors are groggily pulling themselves out of bed. Vivien is already awake next to me and informs me it's 8am. Ugh. It feels like nowhere near enough sleep. Viv cheerfully informs me that she stayed up until 4am partying and dancing.  It was so much fun that 16 people didn't go to bed at all! Wow.

We eat breakfast and thank God there's cereal. It was hard enough finding tap water the night before. Everyone in Germany seems to drink exclusively carbonated water or beer. Regular water was not even an option. I had to empty a glass bottle of sparkling water and fill it up in the bathroom. My glass bottle full of tap water feels like a treasure or at least as important as a bottle in a Zelda game. (Viv will appreciate that reference)

After breakfast we continue the mafia game from the night before. Today's version splits us up into small groups of 5 and each group has to complete different problem solving tasks and games.  The first game puts us in the room of a fake crime scene. We have to ask a costumed elder "yes" or "no" questions to figure out how she was "murdered." I quickly realize that I am a liability to my group because I can't understand a thing in German. I'm useless unless someone translates for me and "ain't no body got time for that."

The games continue this way, me feeling useless, until we get to an outdoor game involving nerf guns and shooting. THIS I can understand and it was a lot of fun. I was able to survive the longest of anyone on my team in the mafia shootout, but ultimately died in battle.

Despite the fun of the nerf game, by this point in the day I wasn't in the best of spirits. It was now cold and raining. Hard. The Germans didn't seem to care as they continued the mafia games in the pouring rain. All I could think is, "Seriously, everyone's okay with this!?"I was also very frustrated by the language barrier. Everyone was having fun and I wanted to be a part of it. Most of the Germans could speak at least some English. They all could understand me when I was talking to Vivien. And they could choose to engage me in English if they really wanted, but they didn't want to slow down their games. It seemed so unfair that I couldn't communicate with all of these new people in their language. I felt like each person was a treasure chest of awesome that I couldn't unlock. Language is keeping me from knowing these people, their humor, their personalities. And this is just Germany. It bummed me out further to think about how many people in the world I'd never be able to get to know intimately just because of the language barrier.  

After the game it's time to clean up the mess from night before. I feel like Silent Bob or the latter half of Penn and Teller when figuring out my tasks. I'm communicating through gestures and exaggerated facial expressions. The animator in me is thinking, "cool, I get to work on my pantomime acting," but it's way more fun in theory.  I might as well be Wall-e while I'm picking up trash in the rain.

Finally, it's time for a hot lunch and the menu is the perfect thing to cure a cold, wet, grumpy, and hungry Megan: Spaetzle und Linsen. Translation: egg noodles and lentils. I'm told this dish is special to the southwestern region of Germany and it's delicious. The spaetzle noodles are thick and hearty. And the lentils, well, you all know how much I love lentils.  This was very much needed because even in my short time in Germany, I've already had to modify my diet significantly. First, the Germans eat bread with EVERYTHING. I, on the other hand, haven't bought bread in like a year. Also the Germans eat lots of cheese and milk, whereas I drink almond milk and had been trying to cut out cheese from my diet. (what an LA food snob) So yeah, my body has to adjust to the local cuisine. But this meal is perfect and I voraciously consume more lentils in one sitting than I ever have in my life.

 Now that I have a full stomach, it's time for Gaffenberg "speed dating!" Wait, what? Speed dating? Luckily, it isn't exactly American speed dating. This activity isn't about romantic potential, but about getting to know the new Gaffenbergers. (Don't worry, Shenz)

We sit across a table from another person and get 2 minutes to get to know each other. It was perfect for me because it forced the Germans to interact with me in English. Finally! Speed dating taught me that maybe the reason the Germans were reluctant to speak to me in English was not because they didn't want to, but because they were insecure about their competency. Almost everyone prefaced the conversation with, "sorry, my English isn't that good." Although, I had to disagree because they all seemed to understand me easily and had no trouble making small talk.

Once that was done, I finally find some time where I can duck out from the group activities and take a much needed nap. The nap helps tremendously. The lentils made me full. And the speed dating helped me to get to know some the Germans. The sun is even out now. I am in MUCH better spirits and ready to participate.

I find Vivien and her friend Lucas playing guitar during free time after dinner. They're totally rocking out and sounding great. Music is pretty much the basis of my and Viv's friendship, so I was eager to join the band. Viv gets me a box to play some percussion and I decide it's finally time to try some German beer. Even though I had sworn off alcohol after my Edinboro experience, I tell myself it's in the name of music. Here we go!

Vivien and Lucas rock the house. They have an audience that's loving it.  It's super fun for me too because we play mostly English/American songs. I beat the hell out of my box and had a blast. Music is the universal language.

After our little concert, it's time for Gaffenberg's "Open Mic Night" in front of the whole camp. Now, so far my weekend had consisted of watching all of these Germans behave all wild and crazy. I wasn't going to let them have all of the fun. I felt I owed it to them to offer myself up my dignity to them and act like a fool too. I penned a short rap (probably because I can't sing) about my time in Gaffenberg with some German scattered in. Vivien introduced me to a guy that would beat box for me and then she came up with a cool guitar riff to play in the background. Yeah, I was doing this.


Everyone packs into the hall for Open Mic Night. There's music, there's sketch comedy, there's singing, there's skits. Viv and her friend do an acoustic rendition of "Get Low." And then it's my turn to take the stage. Backed by a little liquid courage and hopes that anything rapped in English will sound cool, I head up there. I'm looking at over 100 Germans in front of me and I tell myself if I get 60 seconds to feel like Macklemore, this is it, so own it. Viv laid down the beat, the other dude is beat-boxing, and I spit it as well as a nerdy white girl can. The Germans go crazy for it. I think they just appreciated that I had the courage to do it. I was proud of myself for doing it too. It was my way of letting the Gaffenbergers know that I appreciated their fun and games.

At the end of Open Mic Night, we all hangout. I get to know some more of the Germans. I meet guy by the name of Bastian Bob. He's a math major in Heidelberg and after bonding over a love of Amanda Palmer, he invites me to visit him during my trip. Score! (And yes, that will be a future post)

Back in the stage area, a dance party erupts. The real Macklemore is playing on the speakers and everyone is going nuts. It's already 2am and I don't care. I wanna dance. And I must say, I LOVE the way the Germans dance to club rap. In the US, dancing at clubs is all about looking sexy and dry-humping. I don't think I'm particularly good at either of those things. In Germany, it's more about jumping around and flailing wildly. THAT I can do. And I do that until about 3:30am.

Vivien wakes me up at 8:30 to go hiking in the Gaffenberg woods. Again, I can't complain about being sleep deprived when Viv informs me that she stayed up all night dancing. (Seriously, these kids are crazy!) I don't care to go into great detail of what the woods like because these pictures probably say it better:

 It's beautiful. So after a short morning session at Gaffenberg, it's time to pack it up and head home to Trier. I've now been in Germany for 4 days and here's what I've learned so far:

- Germany is GREEN. It totally looks like Pennsylvania woods, just with different types of plants.
-Germans love BREAD. They eat it with everything.
-Deli meat and cheese at every meal.
-Smoking is as common as drinking.17 year old girls are rolling cigarettes like it's nothing.
-When Germans speak in English, they do it with a British accent. Makes sense I suppose.
-American culture is everywhere: Clothing, music, and even My Little Pony action figures at Burger King!
-Germans don't sleep.

I, on the other hand, DO sleep. And now that I'm back in Trier after a crazy weekend at Gaffenberg, I'm going to go do that. Guten Nicht!

 






  

Culture Shock: Gaffenberg

Disclaimer: This entire post needs an asterisk saying that my observations/experiences at Gaffenberg are not necessarily a representative of Germany or Germans as a whole. That place is crazy. With that in mind, so begins one of the more "interesting" weekends of my life...

I had two options for my first weekend in Germany: 

1. Stay in Trier and explore on my own 

OR

2. Accompany Vivien to Heilbronn to camp Gaffenberg.

Even though I was severely jet-lagged from all of my traveling and could've used the weekend to regroup, I couldn't pass up a new experience. To Heilbronn!

Friday at noon Viv and I hopped into the bright orange car of Fabian, Viv's classmate and childhood friend. Fabian has shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes, and he speaks enough English to communicate with me. (this is common with most Germans.)

We drove about 2.5 hours on the autobahn through the German countryside. I was surprised by how much Germany looks like western Pennsylvania with its green rolling hills, farms, and small towns. I could've easily been on the rural part of route 28 or I-79. 

We arrived at Vivien's mom's house around 3pm. I was greeted by Viv's mom, her brother Luca, and the offer of bread and Nutella. I was instantly young Luca's hero when he found out I work for South Park. 

Viv and I then got ready for Gaffenberg, although no amount of preparation could've really prepared me for the culture shock I was about to experience. First, Gaffenberg is a summer camp for German children and Vivien is a camp counselor there. When Viv was in the US, she always raved about how much fun and how crazy this camp is. I imagined it was a lot of theatre and music. So when Vivien informed me that the theme this weekend was "gangsters" and that we were expected to dress up, I wasn't that surprised.

We put on our best LA-style gangster attire, which for me just meant a bandana, since I left all of my thug clothes in LA. I took out a sharpie and tattooed a full sleeve on my arm and hoped that would suffice. 

Viv's mom drove us the rest of the way to Gaffenberg up Heilbronn's winding hills. We came to a stop atop a hill surrounded by trees and woods and the craziness began the second I stepped out of the van.

Viv and I were immediately greeted by a crowd of Italian mobsters kissing us on the cheeks saying, "Ciao Bella! Ciao Bella!" (Ooops. I guess "gangster" meant Italian gangster not LA thugs, although there were many variations on the theme.) I was surrounded by 100 Germans dressed as Italians, speaking both Italian and German. Talk about confusing. 

Shortly after our arrival, everyone raced into the dinner hall. It immediately reminded me of Hogwarts. Each long table had a banner over it to notate which Italian "family" we belong. The tables were lined with baskets of food. Everyone was talking excitedly and I couldn't understand a thing. Across from me sat a guy in drag speaking in an exaggerated, high-pitched "girly" voice. What is this place?

Dinner begins with a short announcement from the leaders, followed by a German song. Then "GO!" Everyone digs in and it's a feeding frenzy. It's like that scene from "Hook" when all of the Lost Boys dig in to the food and Robin Williams just sits there flabbergasted like "where are your manners!?" Is this place Neverland and am I the "adult?" From that moment on, I decide to adopt the attitude "just go with it."

Dinner ends and we head back outside where a fake funeral is being staged. The leaders are dressed up as an Italian mafia family that is mourning the death of their murdered father. Or at least that's what I gather. It's all in German. 

We are then separated into our "families" to try and uncover clues to figure out who murdered the father. I can't understand any of it, so I am no help. All I can do is marvel at the Gaffenbergers' willingness to suspend reality play make believe. But is is really so hard to believe? I spend my leisure time chasing around a flying plastic disc.

The mafia game concludes with each "family" giving a presentation to explain who they think the murderer is. But this isn't a courtroom explanation. The presentations were acting, songs, and games. I judged the effectiveness of each presentation by whether or not I could understand it without words. 

Once each family has their say, we are led to a room that looks like a dark funeral home. The leaders conclude the service for the father and suddenly loud music starts playing, the tables turn into a bar, and a dance party erupts. It's 1am at this point and the Germans are just STARTING to party. I'm so exhausted and jet-lagged that I just make a beeline for my bed in a cabin while the German mafia rages. Welcome to Gaffenberg!

Guten Morgen, Germany!

It's 8 am when I land in Dusseldorf. Sounds like a good night's sleep, right? Not exactly since 8am in Dusseldorf is 2am in New York and 11pm in LA.

I'm groggy, but so pumped to be in Germany that I fight through the fatigue and make my way off the plane, out of the airport, and buy my train ticket to Trier at the Dusseldorf train station. My ticket has one transfer at Cologne (as we Americans spell it) or Köln (as the Germans spell it). 

I make my way onto the train and prepare for short 20 min train ride to Cologne. The train ticket-taker-guy comes by shortly after we get going. He politely informs me that I am sitting in Klasse 1 with a Klasse 2 ticket. Huh? In my sleep deprived state, I must've missed all of the "1's" and "2's" that label the trains in Germany and accidentally sat in 1st class. I apologize to the attendant and grab my bags to move. He informs me that moving isn't going to work and I have to pay a 40 Euro fine. What!? That's like $60 USD for a 20 minute train ride! I tried to reason with him. I tried to explain I just flew all night and this is my first ever time in Germany and he's making a horrible impression. I tried to shed a tear. No luck. I paid the fine. 

Note to travelers in Germany: Don't accidentally sit in 1st Klasse. 

Cologne:

"Here in Cologne, I know I said it wrong. I walked you to the train and back across alone." is the Ben Folds lyric to the Ben Folds song "Cologne." It's a terribly sad song about a breakup and although it has nothing to do with my current state of life, it was enough to make me want to check out the city in passing. Cologne Tourism Board, you owe Ben Folds.    

I got off the train and threw my extra bags in the train station lockers, an easy and convenient solution for travelers. I strolled through the tiny streets, checked out a big church, bought a breakfast sandwich, had a coffee. Cute little town. 

Once I had a full stomach and a much fuller understanding of an obscure song lyric, I picked up my bags and hopped the train to Trier.

The ride from Köln to Trier wis about 2.5 hours. Never heard of Trier, Germany, you say? Well, neither had I and I doubt I'd ever have a reason to go there if it weren't for my friend Vivien who lives there. 

I met my German friend Vivien last summer through DK and ultimate frisbee. She was visiting her American father in Los Angeles. We bonded over a love of ultimate, video games, and playing music. Needless to say, between our love of frisbee, games, and music, we have a lot in common. Now a year later, I'm visiting her in Germany!

The train ride is relaxing. The scenery is green and I feel like I'm in the middle of rural Pennsylvania. I arrive in Trier in the early afternoon and Viv meets me at the train station. It's great to see my friend and I'm excited for my Germany adventures to begin.

More to come.

Love, 

Bacon 

Brooklyn: Bacon Leaves the US

My sister Kristen left Robin's Brooklyn apartment earlier than I can remember. She has a meeting in Manhattan at some company called Google, I think? What can I say, Kris is kinda awesome. Runs in the family.

Robin and I have the morning to spend together so we do our usual "Megan and Robin Brooklyn crap." This consists of getting vegetarian food and walking around until one of us has to be somewhere. We get awesome Vietnamese tofu sandwiches at Hanco's in Park Slope. We then make a trip to Brooklyn industries where, per usual, Robin finds the perfect purse and Megan leaves bitter and empty-handed.

By this time, Robin has to go to work and I have a plane to catch. This goodbye is special though because Robin is leaving New York to move back to Pittsburgh in the summer. This is likely our last Brooklyn rendevous for a while.

Since 2005 I've made a habit of coming to New York to visit Robin and enjoy my 2nd favorite city. But change happens and I'm sure we'll have many fun, vegetarian food-filled adventures back in my 3rd favorite city, Pittsburgh. 

Okay, so this whole leaving the country thing.... Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Take the R subway train to Atlantic, LIRR to Jamacia, Airtran to JFK, get through security, get on a plane. You know what that means: Ativan time! See ya in Germany!

-Bacon