germany is a nice place, part 1

Germany.  What can I say?  I'll let a picture of my wife do the talking:

It was just that great.

Ok, I guess I'll do some talking.  It was a fantastic trip.

(Oh, up there, we're in a cable car riding up to see a monument to German unification, circa 1873).

So, we flew Lufthansa, which was awesome.  Unlimited free beverages!  I tried the beer, and I actually enjoyed it, which is basically unheard of for beers containing less than 10% fruit juice.  And the food was awesome:

Pictured:  Fine German Pepperidge Farm products

Some other highlights from the flight:

The in-flight movie crashed.  Curse you, Windows CE!

The wife always gets the window seat.

But she still let me take a pic.  Catan-land, everybody!  (note:  that's not a real place)

So we touched down in Frankfurt, and I had my first impression of Germany:

BREAD.  SO MUCH BREAD.

This was my first meal over there, courtesy of a little coffee shop in the airport:

From there, we went to catch our train to take us to our first stop, Bochum.  And I had my first encounter with the legendary efficiency of the German train system!  So perfect, so punctual, so--



OK, so our first train was late, which caused us to miss our connecting train, so we almost didn't make it to Bochum.  And Bochum is a town/experience that you cannot afford to miss even one second of!

Just kidding.  When we got to our hostel in Bochum, the receptionist was absolutely shocked that foreigners had come to his sleepy little city.  Apparently, only Germans ever go there, and only for one reason:  Starlight Express!

This is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that has been running non-stop in Bochum for 25 years.

We had no plans to see Starlight Express.  Upon hearing that, the receptionist went into a panic.  He begged us -- begged us -- not to let Bochum be the only city we visited in Germany.  He pleaded with us to tell him that we had plans to go to some other city that actually has things to do (things that don't involve singing, rollerblading robots).  He entreated that we go somewhere like Cologne, ANYWHERE really, as long as it wasn't just Bochum!

We did have plans to see Cologne, so he relaxed.  But this was kind of a weird introduction to the city where we'd be spending the next couple days.  We finished checking in, and found that we were lucky enough to have our own bathroom with a shower, and a TV, and a window if we got too hot!

Yeah, that's something I should mention...our time in Germany corresponded with the hottest weather they've seen in a long while.  It was at least 90 degrees every day, and not much cooler at night.  In fact, I got a really nice tan, which is amazing for a country where everybody acts surprised when the sun bothers to show up.  I have to say, though, for all the things that are wonderful about that country, this next fact is just a deal-breaker, ladies:  they don't believe in air conditioning.  I can't fathom the reasons, but the entire duration of my stay, I only saw one solitary air conditioner!  It was like my worst nightmares come to life.  Germany, get with the times.

After a few minutes standing in my hostel room, I got a funny feeling, like someone was watching me.  I spun around, rapidly searching for the source of my anxiousness; I tore the room apart, and finally found the culprit, hidden slyly in the top drawer of our wardrobe:

How far do I have to run?!

We spent the rest of the day meandering about the city on our own, accidentally ordering the wrong things at eateries.  And then we found our first major cultural difference:

Silly Germans!  If you name your beverages, it makes it that much harder when it comes time to drink them!

We saw some cool stuff just wandering around town, despite the receptionist's protests:

The wife just can't resist putting her feet in stuff.

I have no idea what this is or what it is for.

Then we went to bed!

This is a lot to take in, I know.  That's why I'm going to stretch it out...not quite limited to one post per day of the trip, but not much more than that, either.  That way you're guaranteed to be kept on the edge of your seat!

Oh, the suspense!  Oh, the drama!  Oh happy readers, that you can experience such a vibrant palette of emotions.  You're welcome, dear readers.  Tschüss!