The beginning: Köln

Well, so I think I might just catch this here blog up by posting all the emails I sent over this last month, documenting our adventures. Looking back, some of them are extremely long and excruciatingly detailed; and though I know a lot of this probably won't be interesting to anyone but me and Shauna, I still didn't have the heart to cut anything out, since I may just look back at it all in five years and be glad of all the little details. So... I did promise it would be droning! Here's to excruciating detail! :D

Monday, September 4, 2006

Hey everybody!!! Grüsse aus dem schönen Köln! Shauna got wireless up & working in our room (she's a magician! Or a thief: we're stealing it from the fancy hotel across the street), and so I am taking Fritz on his maiden voyage. This is awesome, to just plug in our little five-pound computer and be able to sit at the tiny desk next to an open window, listen to the rustling leaves outside, and connect to the outside world. Thank you for fixing him, Michael!

Oh, but this hostel is really cute. I'm used to hostel stays consisting of not much more than a saggy army cot in a room filled with snoring strangers, in a sparse, old building with surly desk clerks and one working toilet. But this one is a small, brick structure on the outside, and the lobby is cozy with a low wood-beamed ceiling and bright breakfast nook; and the rooms are highly reminiscent of a comfy dorm room. Shauna and I got a private room with two twin beds and even its own sink & mirror! We have a view of the Rhine right out our window, with bicyclists and joggers along the promenade, as well as any number of little outdoor cafes and restaurants with umbrellas outside promising -- oh boy! -- Paulaner. 5 Euro buys breakfast, with cereal, yogurt, coffee & juice, cold cuts & cheese, and, of course, Brötchen with Nutella. :)

Ooh, so, we've been here just two days, and already we've had lots of adventures! We sat next to the strangest young man on the plane, who unwittingly provided hours of entertainment, while I certainly amused the other passengers by having to get up and pee literally every 20 minutes. Plus I was really thirsty all the time. And had these strange pains in my abdomen. So, excited to see the city, we thought the best way to do so would be to get a bladder infection and take the scenic way to a hospital! (Jeez, Shauna & Amy both have kidney infections in Hawaii, I get a bladder infection as soon as I step off the plane to Germany -- it's the sisterhood of the traveling UTI!) But the whole thing actually wasn't bad at all: we were giddily tired, and so feeling quite intrepid; and Köln is not only gorgeous and easy to navigate, it's filled to the brim with the nicest people! Seriously, every single person we've met has been friendly, jokey, and extremely helpful. We just kinda followed the signs with red crosses on them, walked in some door and said, "uh, ich denke, ich brauche einen Urologen," and within fifteen minutes I was merrily offering a cup of pee to the young male nurse. ("Prost!" I said as I handed it to him. "Gross!!" yelled Shauna from the waiting area. Ha ha!) But man, when they say "German efficiency," they mean it! I was so impressed with the clinic -- everything was clearly marked and accessible, clean and modern, and I wasn't kept waiting at all; the staff was concerned, thorough, and yet had an easygoing manner that made me immediately comfortable. We were in and out of there, antibiotic in hand, in an hour and a half!

But anyway, so later, we set about getting settled in and finding some food and keeping ourselves awake until bedtime. Yesterday (Sunday, September 3) was super-spiffy. Köln is just wonderful. We walked out the door with a camera, umbrellas, and zero plan, and found ourselves at the top of the Dom, greeted by a spectacular view. We hadn't been at the top long before the deafening ringing of humongous bells drifted up from below. It was incredible! We heard them start, and bolted for the staircase to see if we could find them. With every step lower, the sound got louder and more sonorous, and pretty soon the very stones of the narrow passage were ringing with the deeper tones, while the higher, brassier ones pinged off the walls around us. We emerged into the bellfry, where these huuuuge things were swinging mightily and we had to yell in each other's ears to be heard over the melodious din. And then when we got back down below, there was a service going on, and our punished ears got to enjoy echoing organ music and a choir in the lofty, stained-glass-adorned nave. I love cathedrals!!!

We also visited the Schokoladenmuseum and got to watch chocolate being made (with samples aplenty, of course!), after which everybody was set loose in the place's devilish chocolate shop. I mean, this place was evil! There were shelves and shelves filled with anything from jars of fudge sauce intriguingly labeled "Körperschokolade" (“body chocolate -- replete with paintbrush!); to bars of dark chocolate flavored with cinnamon, mango, and chili powder; to Asbach brandy-filled truffles. We did end up buying a couple of things... ;o)

The day was wrapped up with Shauna coming to the rescue with the hostel's computer. It was cool! She's like the technology expert in those heist movies, who jumps in and is all smart and wizardly while a group of anxious onlookers stands around, watching her flying fingers. The computer is downstairs in the bar, and so there was this dim, goldish lighting, and she was spouting off all this technical terminology while the owners wrung their hands and made appreciative noises. The young bartender was watching her the whole time, and afterward he called her over and gave her a free rum and coke (with waaay too much rum!) and seemed really interested in starting up a conversation. But Shauna, oblivious as ever, pounded down the drink in four impressive gulps, thanked him, and tottered off to our room. I was so proud! She was awesome!

But you do meet some cool people, staying in a hostel. We learned some French from a Moroccan and a Parisien at breakfast, and last night a guy came by and knocked on our door 'cause he was rounding up people to go to a club. We were way too jetlagged to go, but what a neat little culture! Just young people hanging out and looking for a good time.

Okay, this email is getting pretty mammoth. But there's just been so much happening this weekend! I'm so excited to be here -- and Shauna and I are not only having a blast, she also pointed out that Germany just doesn't feel like a "foreign country." We had both rather expected it to, but we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is one; we both just feel so at home. In fact, the language barrier (which should have been the biggest hurdle) is turning out to be hardly anything at all. We've even had no less than three people act surprised that we're not German! Cool! I guess it is rather reassuring to realize that you can comfortably discuss medical stuff with a doctor, and have no problems understanding or being understood. Whew!

Well, I've gotta get in the shower and get our stuff packed for checking out. We'll set up pictures soon here -- we've taken a ton! Hope everybody's been having a great weekend back in the States, and we can't wait to see you -- either at Christmas, or right here in Deutschland! :o)