Sooo tired...
The past week has been rather stressful, starting with having to rearrange my entire college plan of studies due to not being able to take French this year, and culminating in yet more computer troubles- at this point, Microsoft Word still isn't working, but at least I can open applications now and (thank you Lord) get online. I know it's pathetic, but without the Internet, I almost feel depressed. You're completely cut off from home without it, since calling the US with a European cell phone is hardly a cost effective option.
But, the last week also included a fantastic trip to Amsterdam :-).
I went with my Greek friend Manto, who I met in German class here. The day started off with me having a stomach ache, and Manto not waking up until one hour before the train was supposed to come (and it takes her about a half hour to get to the station), but we both made it there on time, and got into the right train. Due to some confusion with Deutsche Bahn, we ended up with the train connection that requires you to transfer three times and that puts you in the older trains, some of which have rather curious (read: unpleasant) smells. Our first transfer was in the little border town of Moenchengladbach (say that ten times fast. Actually, just saying it once was hard enough for me), from there we travelled to Venlo, Netherlands, then to Eindhoven, and THEN finally, to Amsterdam. We started at 8 am and arrived shortly before 1 pm. Not exactly the shortest distance between two points, but hey, we made it. Colin (friend from college) and Bennie (Dutch friend from Polish summer program) met us right at the platform, and Bennie even carried our suitcase for us up to Colin's apartment. Manto and I were rather grateful for that. Bennie had to go record a show for the radio shortly after picking us up, so we spent the time before he had to leave in a small cafe near Colin's place (second hot chocolate of the day). Colin, Manto, and I then took the most unpleasant tram ride of my life- you get thrown around without warning from time to time, perhaps the driver had stopped by a coffee shop on his way to work?) to get to the Albert Cuypmarkt, a very nice open air market, to buy a few groceries. Unfortunately, it was raining, but we didn't melt. We then grabbed dinner at a Chinese place- I have to say that Chinese in the US is really a lot better, and then met up with Bennie again at the Van Gogh museum. The museum is a bit pricey (10 euros, no student discount, and 4 more if you want the audio guide- Colin, Manto and I shared the audio guide), but worth it, and they have a great selection of posters to choose from. Unfortunately, mine is too wide for my door here, so I'm going to have to figure out something to do with it. Maybe I'll take the risk and just tape it to my wall. There was also a bizarre contemporary music concert going on in the foyer of the museum, that didn't really fit with the mood of Sunflowers, but oh well. After the museum, we went to the grocery stores (I was delighted to see that some grocery stores in the Netherlands are open till 10 pm), then met up with some classmates at Rembrandtplein (disgustingly touristy, avoid this spot if you go to Amsterdam), and immediately followed Bennie to a hidden cafe near the university. We went to bed a bit late, but because of that, were tired enough to fall asleep quickly on the hard, cold floor.
We got up the next morning at 9, and slowly but surely showered and ate breakfast, and were out the door two hours later. We needed the extra rest though. We decided to go on a bike ride, so Colin walked his over to Central Station where Manto and I rented two hand brakers (I refuse to revert to pedal brakes), and dealt with one of the most aggravating clerks ever. He kept joking around, saying one thing, then saying he was kidding, so I didn't know when to trust him. I can't imagine what a German would have thought of him. I was a bit wobbly at first on the bike, but I worked things out in the end. I was always behind though, which was rather frustrating, and a bit embarassing, but I enjoyed the bike ride over all. We rode out into the countryside (Colin got us lost twice on the way there), flat green fields separated by small irrigation canals rather than fences (after all, what silly sheep is going to go swimming?) and home to sheep and cows of all sorts, as well as a species of black aquatic bird that (no joke) sounds like a squeaky toy. Colin suggested I go and squeeze it and see what happened. It was nice to see a different side of the Netherlands than just Amsterdam, even though we got rained on. We made it back to Centraal Station to meet Bennie at 2:30, and then let him lead us on a little walking tour of Amsterdam. We went to Dam Square to see the Royal Palace, wandered through a few back streets, and then went to the Jordaan neighborhood, the former working class quarters, now fairly solidly middle class. If you go to Amsterdam, you do of course have to hit the big sights like the Van Gogh museum, but also just take some time to wander around the streets. Amsterdam is one of the uniformly most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It's not chic like Paris, but nearly ever street is photogenic in its own way. The ambiance sort of reminds me of the North End of Boston. There are dozens of picturesque tree-lined canals with quaint foot bridges arching over. It's a large city, but it doesn't feel like it, and unlike in Bruges, it is very possible to ditch the tourists, and quickly. It feels like it would be a nice city to live in, as well as to visit.
We also stopped for some very tasty French fries (or Flemish fries, as they're called in Amsterdam) before saying good-bye to Bennie for the day. I tried dipping them in mayonnaise, but it's just not my thing, so I stuck to good old ketchup. Boring, and American, but there you go. We then went grocery shopping, dropped the goods off at Colin's, and then headed out for the night.
That night, we detoured through the Red Light district on our way to dinner, and I have to say I thought I'd be more bothered by it. But if you didn't actually read the neon signs (which actually would probably have been the better idea), you wouldn't have noticed anything different from any other street in Amsterdam- there's a canal down the middle, with the same bridges connecting both sides. And the women there look fairly normal. If anything, I mostly just felt sorry for them. Advice to absolutely heed though- WATCH your wallet, if a fight starts, hold onto it even tighter, it's probably planned as a distraction, and DON'T take pictures if you don't want your camera confiscated (or stolen).
We then went to dinner at a Thai restaurant- the food was ok, though the waitress got frustrated with the fact that Manto and I didn't speak Dutch- luckily Colin was able to intervene and tranlsate. We were all tired, and I was feeling a bit ill from the pain the bike ride had inflicted on my poor weak muscles, so we all split up to go home. Colin, Manto and I bought desserts on the way home, and then stayed up for a couple hours discussing religion.
The next morning, we pushed off getting up by a half hour from our original overly ambitious goal of 7:30, and stumbled out of bed (or floor) around 8. We managed to shave 40 min. off the previous day's getting ready time, and made it to the Anne Frank around 9:30, in time to beat the major crowds. Either get up early to see this one, or go late- the lines are seriously massive, and the rooms are small, and you'll have to wait just to read the little information plaques everywhere. It's a very good museum, and it certainly brings the impact of WWII that much closer to you personally. It's sobering to think that out of 130,000 Jews in Amsterdam, only 30,000 survived the war. The rooms are much tinier than I'd pictured while reading the diary. It leaves an impact on you. There's also an interesting exhibit at the end on basic rights, giving examples of current debates on freedom of speech, religion, etc. Do you have the right to say something, even if it will offend someone else? Does a religion have the right to exclude others based on their sexual orientation? It gives you a lot to think about.
We then headed over to the Amstelkring museum, or Our Lord in the Attic, a hidden museum from a time when Catholics were persecuted in the Netherlands. The Catholic mass was technically outlawed, but tolerated as long as it took place discreetly. Everyone knew that the "hidden" church was there, but no one could be particularly bothered to do anything about it. Amsterdam has been traditionally open-minded about religion- after all, Catholic and Jewish money is just as good as Protestant, and really, there are just so many more important things to do if you think about it. The museum didn't open till 1 on sundays, so we grabbed lunch in the meantime, and then headed over. It's interesting, and I'd recommend stopping in, especially if you're Catholic. Afterwards, we met up with Bennie again to take a canal boat ride around the city, also something I'd recommend. It didn't even rain, which made me very happy. Overall, the weather in Amsterdam was pretty good that weekend. After the boat ride, we didn't have much time left before our 5:28 train, so we sat in a cafe for awhile, then went back to Colin's so I could pack, and then Bennie helped us with our suitcase yet again on the way to the station. The trains going back to Germany were much better than the ones coming over, and we made the connections without any problem, arriving back in Cologne at 9:35. It was a really great trip, esp. since we had two private tour guides to show us around- we didn't have to waste time trying to figure out where to go, and we saw a lot of places we might otherwise not have, had we not had Bennie and Colin. I took lots of pictures as usual, but you'll have to wait till Colin visits me this weekend to see them- I was smart and left my camera here, so I had to borrow his for the weekend. I enjoy taking pictures more than he does though, so it worked out well, all in all.
Phew, that's an entry and a half. I'll try to do at least one a week, just to comment on German culture and Cologne in general. Take care all, and please comment comment comment!
But, the last week also included a fantastic trip to Amsterdam :-).
I went with my Greek friend Manto, who I met in German class here. The day started off with me having a stomach ache, and Manto not waking up until one hour before the train was supposed to come (and it takes her about a half hour to get to the station), but we both made it there on time, and got into the right train. Due to some confusion with Deutsche Bahn, we ended up with the train connection that requires you to transfer three times and that puts you in the older trains, some of which have rather curious (read: unpleasant) smells. Our first transfer was in the little border town of Moenchengladbach (say that ten times fast. Actually, just saying it once was hard enough for me), from there we travelled to Venlo, Netherlands, then to Eindhoven, and THEN finally, to Amsterdam. We started at 8 am and arrived shortly before 1 pm. Not exactly the shortest distance between two points, but hey, we made it. Colin (friend from college) and Bennie (Dutch friend from Polish summer program) met us right at the platform, and Bennie even carried our suitcase for us up to Colin's apartment. Manto and I were rather grateful for that. Bennie had to go record a show for the radio shortly after picking us up, so we spent the time before he had to leave in a small cafe near Colin's place (second hot chocolate of the day). Colin, Manto, and I then took the most unpleasant tram ride of my life- you get thrown around without warning from time to time, perhaps the driver had stopped by a coffee shop on his way to work?) to get to the Albert Cuypmarkt, a very nice open air market, to buy a few groceries. Unfortunately, it was raining, but we didn't melt. We then grabbed dinner at a Chinese place- I have to say that Chinese in the US is really a lot better, and then met up with Bennie again at the Van Gogh museum. The museum is a bit pricey (10 euros, no student discount, and 4 more if you want the audio guide- Colin, Manto and I shared the audio guide), but worth it, and they have a great selection of posters to choose from. Unfortunately, mine is too wide for my door here, so I'm going to have to figure out something to do with it. Maybe I'll take the risk and just tape it to my wall. There was also a bizarre contemporary music concert going on in the foyer of the museum, that didn't really fit with the mood of Sunflowers, but oh well. After the museum, we went to the grocery stores (I was delighted to see that some grocery stores in the Netherlands are open till 10 pm), then met up with some classmates at Rembrandtplein (disgustingly touristy, avoid this spot if you go to Amsterdam), and immediately followed Bennie to a hidden cafe near the university. We went to bed a bit late, but because of that, were tired enough to fall asleep quickly on the hard, cold floor.
We got up the next morning at 9, and slowly but surely showered and ate breakfast, and were out the door two hours later. We needed the extra rest though. We decided to go on a bike ride, so Colin walked his over to Central Station where Manto and I rented two hand brakers (I refuse to revert to pedal brakes), and dealt with one of the most aggravating clerks ever. He kept joking around, saying one thing, then saying he was kidding, so I didn't know when to trust him. I can't imagine what a German would have thought of him. I was a bit wobbly at first on the bike, but I worked things out in the end. I was always behind though, which was rather frustrating, and a bit embarassing, but I enjoyed the bike ride over all. We rode out into the countryside (Colin got us lost twice on the way there), flat green fields separated by small irrigation canals rather than fences (after all, what silly sheep is going to go swimming?) and home to sheep and cows of all sorts, as well as a species of black aquatic bird that (no joke) sounds like a squeaky toy. Colin suggested I go and squeeze it and see what happened. It was nice to see a different side of the Netherlands than just Amsterdam, even though we got rained on. We made it back to Centraal Station to meet Bennie at 2:30, and then let him lead us on a little walking tour of Amsterdam. We went to Dam Square to see the Royal Palace, wandered through a few back streets, and then went to the Jordaan neighborhood, the former working class quarters, now fairly solidly middle class. If you go to Amsterdam, you do of course have to hit the big sights like the Van Gogh museum, but also just take some time to wander around the streets. Amsterdam is one of the uniformly most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It's not chic like Paris, but nearly ever street is photogenic in its own way. The ambiance sort of reminds me of the North End of Boston. There are dozens of picturesque tree-lined canals with quaint foot bridges arching over. It's a large city, but it doesn't feel like it, and unlike in Bruges, it is very possible to ditch the tourists, and quickly. It feels like it would be a nice city to live in, as well as to visit.
We also stopped for some very tasty French fries (or Flemish fries, as they're called in Amsterdam) before saying good-bye to Bennie for the day. I tried dipping them in mayonnaise, but it's just not my thing, so I stuck to good old ketchup. Boring, and American, but there you go. We then went grocery shopping, dropped the goods off at Colin's, and then headed out for the night.
That night, we detoured through the Red Light district on our way to dinner, and I have to say I thought I'd be more bothered by it. But if you didn't actually read the neon signs (which actually would probably have been the better idea), you wouldn't have noticed anything different from any other street in Amsterdam- there's a canal down the middle, with the same bridges connecting both sides. And the women there look fairly normal. If anything, I mostly just felt sorry for them. Advice to absolutely heed though- WATCH your wallet, if a fight starts, hold onto it even tighter, it's probably planned as a distraction, and DON'T take pictures if you don't want your camera confiscated (or stolen).
We then went to dinner at a Thai restaurant- the food was ok, though the waitress got frustrated with the fact that Manto and I didn't speak Dutch- luckily Colin was able to intervene and tranlsate. We were all tired, and I was feeling a bit ill from the pain the bike ride had inflicted on my poor weak muscles, so we all split up to go home. Colin, Manto and I bought desserts on the way home, and then stayed up for a couple hours discussing religion.
The next morning, we pushed off getting up by a half hour from our original overly ambitious goal of 7:30, and stumbled out of bed (or floor) around 8. We managed to shave 40 min. off the previous day's getting ready time, and made it to the Anne Frank around 9:30, in time to beat the major crowds. Either get up early to see this one, or go late- the lines are seriously massive, and the rooms are small, and you'll have to wait just to read the little information plaques everywhere. It's a very good museum, and it certainly brings the impact of WWII that much closer to you personally. It's sobering to think that out of 130,000 Jews in Amsterdam, only 30,000 survived the war. The rooms are much tinier than I'd pictured while reading the diary. It leaves an impact on you. There's also an interesting exhibit at the end on basic rights, giving examples of current debates on freedom of speech, religion, etc. Do you have the right to say something, even if it will offend someone else? Does a religion have the right to exclude others based on their sexual orientation? It gives you a lot to think about.
We then headed over to the Amstelkring museum, or Our Lord in the Attic, a hidden museum from a time when Catholics were persecuted in the Netherlands. The Catholic mass was technically outlawed, but tolerated as long as it took place discreetly. Everyone knew that the "hidden" church was there, but no one could be particularly bothered to do anything about it. Amsterdam has been traditionally open-minded about religion- after all, Catholic and Jewish money is just as good as Protestant, and really, there are just so many more important things to do if you think about it. The museum didn't open till 1 on sundays, so we grabbed lunch in the meantime, and then headed over. It's interesting, and I'd recommend stopping in, especially if you're Catholic. Afterwards, we met up with Bennie again to take a canal boat ride around the city, also something I'd recommend. It didn't even rain, which made me very happy. Overall, the weather in Amsterdam was pretty good that weekend. After the boat ride, we didn't have much time left before our 5:28 train, so we sat in a cafe for awhile, then went back to Colin's so I could pack, and then Bennie helped us with our suitcase yet again on the way to the station. The trains going back to Germany were much better than the ones coming over, and we made the connections without any problem, arriving back in Cologne at 9:35. It was a really great trip, esp. since we had two private tour guides to show us around- we didn't have to waste time trying to figure out where to go, and we saw a lot of places we might otherwise not have, had we not had Bennie and Colin. I took lots of pictures as usual, but you'll have to wait till Colin visits me this weekend to see them- I was smart and left my camera here, so I had to borrow his for the weekend. I enjoy taking pictures more than he does though, so it worked out well, all in all.
Phew, that's an entry and a half. I'll try to do at least one a week, just to comment on German culture and Cologne in general. Take care all, and please comment comment comment!