German Soccer and Munster (6-22 to 6-23):


Germany vs. Greece (6-22):
There was no way that I was going to spend time in Germany and not partake in a viewing a soccer game.  This past Thursday I got to experience first hand what makes soccer the most popular sport in the world.

After dominating the group stage, Germany was to face Greece for a place in the EuroCup 2012 semi-finals.  Not only was the game an opportunity to progress in the tournament, it was a chance to represent ones country on a world stage and, according to some people, symbolically represent the relationship between two countries.  Heralded by some as a symbolic representation of the political turmoil between the two countries, I just thought they were reading too much into the game.

In Essen, there is a large plaza surrounded by bars, cafes, and outdoor eateries; this was where I watched the game.  When I arrived to get a seat almost all of the chairs were already taken in front of TVs that were scattered everywhere in the plaza.  I found a good spot with the help of some new friends, ordered a beer, and, like everybody else, was waiting anxiously for the game to begin.

The atmosphere was similar to American Football, but there was something different, a greater feeling of solidarity.  At that moment, I knew that almost the entire country of Germany was watching the game and cheering on their team to victory.  Even the prime minister of Germany was on her feet cheering on the team.  The feeling of nationalism was ever present and made talking with strangers even easier.  If you were cheering on Germany, you were a friend.  Every substitution was followed by a round of clapping, every attempted goal was a gasp, every goal made against Germany was an agonizing sigh, and every goal made by Germany was cause for great celebration.

Ultimately, Germany won the game 4 - 2 and at the end a round of beer was brought out to everyone that stayed for the entirety of the game.  It was a great experience, one that I hope to enjoy again next Thursday.

Munster (6-23):


Today I visited Munster, a city North of Essen.  It was very fortunate that I went to see the soccer game because one of the people that I was watching with, offered to give me a tour of his favorite city, Munster.  Another new friend, Joe from Minnesota, also wanted to see Munster, which brought the group up to three.

We meet in the morning to catch the train to Munster.  I was happy to be have some traveling companions and was also delighted that one of them could speak German.  As we traveled through the country, we chatted about German and U.S culture differences, differences in political system, and shared many other things about our respective countries.  It was interesting to learn that Germans and Americans share many similar viewpoints, cultural mindsets, and beliefs.  I wonder if that is also a big reason why the two countries have grown so close on the international stage.

On the way to Munster, Martin, our German companion made a short stop in his home town.  His home town was just 20 minutes by train outside of Munster and had a very suburban atmosphere.  The town was very small, almost all residential with small shops nestled in between town homes and ranches.  As Martin exaplained, most young Germans spend time in the city, but move out to the "suburbs" to raise families.  However, unlike the suburbs the homes were squeezed in tightly with "large" houses being the equivalent of a medium sized ranch in the U.S.

A "Large House."  Martin told us this couple raises honeybees.

Typical town homes in the suburbs.

Martin's home was meant for two families.  One family would stay on the top floor and the other on the ground floor.  However, no family had lived in the upper floor for many years, so Martin's family expanded into the upper floor, which made quite a substantial house.  The most intriguing thing about Martin's home and other homes similar to his was the well kept gardens.  Another big reason to move out to the 'burbs' are the gardens.

The impressive garden that Martin's family has in their backyard.  There were so many different kinds of vegetables, unfortunately the potatoes didn't fare well this year. :(

After a short visit into the 'burbs' and meeting Martin's family, we headed into Munster.  The first thing that greeted us was the multitude of bikes.  Not just a couple of bike racks or the equivalent of the amount of bikes on a university campus, but a multitude!

This is a picture taken near the train station.  Imagine this amount of bikes around every bus stop and shopping center, that is the magnitude.

I speculate that the amount of bikes can be attributed to the amount of bike friendly trails (there is a bike trail that runs around the entire city, it used to be the old city walls), the limited car access, the local university, and the lack of a subway system.  As we traveled into the city we past the former location of the city walls, which has been converted into a green park that surrounds the city center.

The green area that surrounds the city.  To the left of the trees is a bike and pedestrian pathway.

Like most cities in Germany, the old city meets the new in stark contrast, but unlike some German cities any new renovations near the city center must try and fit the old style German architecture.  I also noticed that Saturday in Munster is the busiest day for the city.  Most of the people in the surrounding suburbs head into the main city to shop, socialize, and enjoy the beautiful weather.  This is most evident in the farmer's market.  The main cathedral is central to the city and has a large square adjacent to its walls.  This large open space is where the farmer's market is set up.

The gold lettering of on the new shops is required if you open a store near the city center.  This was done to maintain the old city atmosphere.

A braille map of the city.  Although, our group wondered how you would find this map, since there were no signs or indications that it was in this location.  Anyway, this give you a good picture of the town layout and the square in front of the cathedral.

The crazy farmer's market.  There were a variety of stands selling all sorts of items including: cured meats, raw meat, cheese, eggs, vegetables, flowers, decorative plants, spices, fresh herbs, etc.

After traveling through the farmer's market, we were starving so Martin showed us his favorite local dish, currywurst.  Although we had to walk quite far because the best currywurst is served by an annual carnival.  Currywurst is a dish comprised of a special grilled sausage covered in a red sauce.  The dish seems plain and simple, but the flavor is quite unique.  After having two of these, a side of french fries (pommes), and some water (wasser) to wash it down, I was quite full.

Delicious Currywurst from a carnival stand!  Apparently, the best currywurst.

From the carnival, we walked a half block to the University of Munster.  The main campus is located in an old castle (schloss).  Apparently, castle being a liberal term for a mansion.  However, it was quite an impressive sight, and the grounds were beautifully manicured with campus buildings hidden in between large green spaces.

Welcome to the University of Munster!

After touring the campus grounds we met some of Martin's friends and headed to the city park, which featured a large lake.  It was a schönes wetter (beautiful weather), so we decided to hang out and people watch.  People from all walks of life were enjoying the weather; young families, old couples, groups of friends, and the occasional bachelor or bachelorette party ensemble.  I guess summer is just the best time for weddings.

Schönes wetter heute, nicht wehr?

(Beautiful weather today, isn't it?)

Our group walked around a little more, but decided to head home.  Munster was such a wonderful town, if you ever get the chance to visit or live there I would highly recommend it!

Arrival, Cologne and Essen (6-15 to 6-17):

Arrival 6-15:

                I arrived in Dusseldorf airport at 1000 on June 15.  Although, it was a long flight and quite a bit of a time difference I was surprised to feel very energized and not at all jet-lagged.  It may have been the result of being so excited to be in Germany.  Friday was very uneventful it was mostly just being introduced to the lab, settling into the dorm, and shopping for some things that I forgot to pack.  The dorm room is very spacious and came with the basic furniture.  However, for some reason the room didn’t have lightbulbs or lightsockets for that matter.  In any case, when I went shopping there were not socket adapters so I settled for a very bright LED light, hopefully it will be enough light!  In addition, the internet is not working in the dorm room, so I guess I will have to tough it out and go without internet for the weekend.

Adventures in Cologne 6-16:

                Today I was supposed to meet up with my friend Mackenzie in Cologne, I eventually did so but with great difficulty.  It seems that the internet or phones are very useful for contacting friends!  Although, I hadn’t contacted Mackenzie I knew she would be in Cologne so I thought that I would just buy a train ticket there and figure things out, if all else failed I would just wander around Cologne by myself.  Although there are trains everywhere, most things were in German and on Saturday nothing is open until 0830.  As such I had to wait until 0830 to head where I was going.

                You know how everyone says that people in Germany speaks English.  This is mostly true, but I realized most Germans are uncomfortable with their English speaking abilities and therefore prefer not to speak in English.  Needless to say, this may it very difficult to buy a train ticket, especially since in German Cologne is Kohn.  With a lot of hand gesturing and pointing, I was able to purchase my train ticket, or fahrkarten, to Kohn.  Although it wasn’t my first time on a train in Europe (I traveled by train on a trip to Italy), I am still awestruck at the vast train network and the train stations in Europe.  You can get most anywhere by train, and it is quite comfortable.  Unlike airplanes they don’t pack you into a train like sardines!

                 The region of Germany I am in is Norse West Falland.  Although it isn’t as picturesque there is still a quiet beauty to the area.  I was able to witness it firsthand via the train to Cologne. 

To give a very brief history, this region of Germany is located in the Ruhr valley.  Due to the vast coal fields and iron deposits it became a hotbed of industrial factories during the industrial revolution.  This continued throughout the 20^th Century and was of vital importance for the Third Reich war machine during WWII.  Although, nowadays due to a more environmentally friendly mindset and the low costs of importing steel most of the industrial factories have closed their doors.  Nature and construction have now moved in and apart some old smokestacks and some abandoned steel yards, the landscape is mostly lush green foliage and quaint apartments. 

As I entered Cologne, the first major landmark that I noticed was the Dom or the cathedral.  It flying buttresses and dark color, make it a very distinct and foreboding artifact of the Cologne cityscape.  The train station is located in the city center and a stone’s throw away from the Dom.  As I alluded to earlier, the Dom is quite an impressive bit of architecture.  Modeled after the French gothic style, the flying buttresses, intricate statue carvings, and cavernous inside, the Dom is a must see for any city tourist.

The view of the Dom as I was entering the Cologne train station.

This was the view right outside the train station, and this wasn’t even the large part of the Dom.

The large part of the Dom!

Every surface of the Dom was covered in ornate statues of saints, martyrs, and other figurines.  It is real impressive to think that all of this was done by hand without modern-day equipment.  To me it is a testament to the will of mankind and what thousands of workers can achieve.

                After being awestruck by the Dom, I decided to wander the city a bit and see the town and its other historic landmarks (there are quite a few).

                The modern city of Cologne has a very rich past.  Although I don’t know its origins, it was a major Roman city, a bustling medieval city, and an almost non-existent city during WWII.  As a Roman city is had great importance due to its position on the Rhine River, a position that would make it of vital importance throughout the centuries.  Although most of the Roman city is gone, you can still see remnants of the settlement walls, a Jewish bathhouse/governor’s palace and predominant Roman figures, such as a statue of Romulus and Remus suckling at a wolf’s teat.  Artifacts of the medieval city are more apparent and include the Dom, of course, many churches and cathedrals, uncovered blacksmith shops, and some of the cobblestone streets.  The signs of WWII are very few, except if you include the fact that much of the city is relatively new.  You can buy postcards of WWII-Cologne.  It is quite tragic, except for the Dom and the cathedrals, all of Cologne’s buildings were reduced to rubble and its bridge a smoldering wreck of steel.  Although most of the damage was due to allied bombing, the destruction of the bridge was a way to slow the allied progress across the Rhine River.  You may wonder why the cathedrals and the churches were not bombed.  As bombers flew across Europe reducing every major city to rubble, they needed landmarks to navigate to their destination, as such, many of the large cathedrals and churches were left relatively untouched.

 The remnant of the North Wall that encompassed the Roman settlement

Remnants of the gate tower protecting the medieval city of Cologne.

This church, one of many, is one of the few churches to have a clock on it.  I liked it because I had yet to set my watch to German time.

An artifact of the Roman Empire.

The very new buildings.  German culture is very into consumerism, at every city center lies a very bustling, crowded shopping district regardless of the day or the time.  Essen is the same way.

After wandering the city for the majority of the day, I entered an internet café to send Mackenzie a message and then used a payphone to call her.  It is amazing that when I was growing up, payphones were fairly common, but in the span of 20 years payphones have been phased out and people have forgotten how to use them (I am actually referring to myself, one of the payphones ate my money and didn’t give me anything back even after I hung up).

It was great to see a familiar face, especially in another country miles away from home.  She introduced me to all of her university friends, which were from a variety of places including Spain, France, and the Czech Republic.  I think that great thing about Europe is the variety of languages you can encounter in one place, this was especially apparent when I was able to practice my Spanish in the middle of Germany!  After some brief confusion, Mackenzie, her Spanish friends, and I walked a bridge spanning the Rhine and walked around the shop area of Cologne.  I think my favorite part was having coffee with a good friend and new friends, while being able to soak in the German culture that was all around our little group.

IMG_4166 Caption: Mackenzie and I after crossing the Rhine, proof that we meet in Germany miles away from the U.S.  In the background you can see the Dom.

                After coffee, we were wandering around town and chanced upon a group of Mackenzie’s German friends.  They were on the hunt to sample the specialty of Cologne, Kolsch.  Kolsch is light beer that ferments barley with a particular strain of yeast that grows on the surface of the liquid surface.  This gives Kolsch a high alcohol content without making the beer particularly turbid or difficult to filter.  In total, we tried Kolsch at four different pubs, each with their own style.  Some Kolsch had citrus tones, while others had stronger earthy tones.

Enjoying Kolsch!  Proscht! (The German equivalent of cheers.)

The Kolsch bunny!  (Complements of Mackenzie J)

                The beer was excellent and the dinner afterwards was a great complement to Kolsch.  Traditionally German and to the region, I ordered an entrée that was a pork stew over potato dumplings.  Yum!  So after a great day, with great company I headed back to Essen.

Delicious dinner washed down with some Kolsch.

Wandering around Essen (6-17):

                The last entry was fairly long so I will keep this one relatively short.  I got a late start to the day, due to the late arrival of my train into Essen.  Today I walked around the center of Essen.  Even at noon the place seemed like a ghost town.  The center of the city is basically a walking mall.  Store after store of clothes, furniture, and small cafes line the pedestrian pathways that are big enough for cars, except that cars are not permitted in these shopping areas.  However, most shops are closed on Sunday and so the city center was very empty.  Although, it was a nice respite from the throngs of people that I am used to when wandering around a city center.  It allowed me to soak in the surroundings and prevent a sense overload.

 Empty Essen shopping city center on a Sunday.

The square at the center of the city called Kennedy Platz.

New Orleans Conference NAMS 2012

6-10-12:


After arriving on late on Sunday at the New Orleans airport, a post-doc, Qian, and I took a cab to the hotel we were staying at.  Although it was dark, I could feel the atmosphere of the Big Easy.  With the window open it was possible to feel the cool humid air.  After we checked into the hotel there Qian and I headed to a grocery store to get some supplies.  The first thing I noticed about the city streets was the French style architecture nestled between dilapidated buildings and modern high rises.  Given New Orleans varied history this did not surprise me, but it was great to actually see it in person.  Another very interesting thing about the city was in certain streets the sidewalks were lit by gas burning lamps.

Although this was at night you get a slight sense of the varying architecture of the area, which alludes to the various cultures that have touched the city and influenced its buildings, people, and traditions.

This is a very blurry picture of one of the gas burning lamps that illuminated the sidewalk.

6-11-12:

The next day the conference started with a highlight speaker whose background was in industrial use of membranes.  His one main highlight to the scientists in the room was to not only explore and push the boundaries of science, but also to consider the industrial needs and the scale-up problems.  For example, as a scientist the bench scale creation of membranes may involve a very complex solvent, however this may not be feasible at an industrial scale.  Therefore, he suggested looking other solvents in your work that may be more compatible industrial scale-up production.  I thought this talk had a very good point because many times scientists get so caught up in ideas, they sometimes fail to consider whether their project is applicable or feasible.After the talk, I had to prepare for my talk.  As the first time speaking at a conference I was very nervous.  In the end, the talk turned out alright, but it was a little short and thus allotted a large amount of time for questions.  The questions were mostly about industrial applications, which I didn’t really investigate.  I don’t know how everybody else felt, but felt terrible because I couldn’t answer any of these questions.  The next talk I resolve to definitely make this a large focus of my investigation!Next, I attend a whole slew of talks that ranged from increasing efficiencies of membranes in reverse osmosis membranes to functionalizing membranes to impart certain properties.  Needless to say, by the time lunch rolled around I was almost dead.  However, my spirits were lifted with lunch.  I was invited to an event “Lunch with Legends” where students have lunch with professors from other universities and industrial representatives.  The lunch was a typical spread of Cajun food.  I tried crawfish etouffee, seafood gumbo, and grits and bits.  All of them were delicious, but the best part of the meal was bread pudding!  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera so I couldn’t document the awesome dishes!The afternoon was had some interesting talks, but after the third afternoon talk I was ready to explore the city.  So Qian and I went to explore Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.  Similar to the night before, it was interesting seeing the entire blend of the different architecture and to a certain extent the culture.  When I first saw Bourbon Street, it was smaller than I expected.  The street was very narrow and it was very devoted to adult entertainments: bars, gambling, and strip clubs, mostly strip clubs.  I didn’t feel very comfortable there so I took a picture exhibiting as evidence that I was there and then moved on to other parts of the French Quarter.

The beginning of Bourbon Street, I was not very impressed.

Proof I was on Bourbon Street.  This was enough for me!I enjoyed the other parts of the French Quarter a lot more than the Bourbon Street.  

The buildings were squeezed in side by side with run down apartments that had seen better days next to colorfully painted stores and restaurants.  There were historical markers everywhere and oftentimes I found myself imagining the variety of people that had walked through these streets in times past.

The varying types of building in the French Quarter.  Everywhere you look there is contrast in one way or another.

This cannon was left here in tribute to the French patriots who revolted in 1768 against the transfer of Louisiana to Spain.  Their revolt was on the principle of national self-determination, which became one of the ideas for the American Revolution.

This street was supposedly where Andrew Jackson discussed with pirates the plans to defend New Orleans from a British Invasion.  The resulting battle for New Orleans resulted in unnecessary loss of life of countless British soldiers as the battle occurred after a truce was signed between the British and the fledgling United States government.  This battle was also significant to Andrew Jackson, who successfully employed a series of trenches in the defense, a tactic that would see widespread use nearly a century later in World War I.

This is in Andrew Jackson park in front of one of the oldest churches in the French Quarter.  The statue is a tribute to Andrew Jackson.

The beautiful Mississippi River as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico!

This is a picture of the wonderful jambalaya that I had at Coop’s Place a local dive bar near the French Market that came highly recommended by the locals.  I agree with the locals, best jambalaya ever!

After eating a great lunch/dinner, Qian and I headed back to conference where we viewed the poster gallery trying to get some ideas and went to bed.

6-12-12:                

Today, I was still recovering from information overload and decided to take the morning off to continue exploring the French Quarter.  I also didn’t find any of the conference talks very interesting.  Anyway, I met up with an old acquaintance from CU and her, her friend, and I went exploring the French Quarter and the boardwalk.  We walked along the Mississippi River for a while and saw an original steamboat.  Then we took a turn into the French Quarter and went back to Coop’s Place.  I ordered a taster platter, which had fried chicken, beans and rice, etoufee, jambalaya, and gumbo.  All of it was so delicious that I was sad when I finished the plate.

A legitimate steamboat!  At the top of the boat was a man that used the steam to play an organ type instrument.After the delicious meal we walked back to the conference via Royal Street.  This street runs parallel to Bourbon Street but was a more pleasant walk.

 

The afternoon concluded with more talks and rounded out with a delicious conference banquet.  I didn’t have as much coffee at the banquet that I usually do so after networking I headed to bed

.6-13-12 to 6-14-12:               

The last day of the conference was pretty uneventful and long.  I had to stay until 1700 because the person I was traveling with had the last talk of the conference.  Once that was finished we rushed to the airport to catch our flight.  The flight was delayed due to some engine trouble and we were afraid we weren’t going to make our connecting flight.  However, this turned out not to be a problem because the next flight was delayed from 1900 to 2300.  This caused us to arrive back into Fayetteville at 0300 the next day.                The less than ideal situation was made worse by the fact that I had to catch a flight to Germany that day.  Unfortunately that was also a connecting flight and the backlog of the flights from the previous day had caused delays the next day.  Thus, my flight was delayed and I was informed that I wouldn’t make my connection in Atlanta.  Frantically, I booked an earlier flight and made it into Atlanta with time to spare.  Unfortunately, my flight from Atlanta to Germany was delayed as well and due to engine trouble left two hours late.                

You can imagine that with so many delays I was exhausted by the time I boarded the plane and went right to sleep.  This turned out to be advantageous because I had no jet lag when I arrived in Germany.