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.