American x 2

So last Friday my German life crossed paths with Melinda as she makes her way around Germany and Austria studying opera. It was definitely nice having some one around my age who spoke English to do things with. Friday evening we just relaxed and watched the first game of the World Cup, Germany v. Costa Rica. Then things got a bit crazier when we left at 5am Saturday morning to catch the train to Amsterdam. Our train ride was plagued by delays, but eventually we made it there. I really didn’t know what to expect in Amsterdam, since I didn’t know much about the city other than its policy on drug use. I’m still not quite sure how to describe it. It’s not exactly beautiful, just unique and kind of chaotic. We started out in the Heineken brewery, where you get three ‘free’ beers along the tour.



Then we had to go check into the hostel. Amsterdam was also crowded because of the World Cup, so basically we had booked the only reasonably priced place we could find. It turned out our hostel was on a ship, and involved taking a ferry just to get to it. Seriously, the ship in the middle was my hostel. And the smaller boat attached to the side of it was the ‘breakfast boat’.



The hostel was definitely one of the more memorable parts of the trip. The next day we just walked around the town and then saw the Van Gogh museum and hung out in a park. We also went to another art museum, but it was mostly under construction. By the end of the second day we had had enough of Amsterdam, and were glad to make the journey back to Hamburg.

So having some one around got me to do things I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. We went to the Hamburg Fan Fest for the World Cup and watched Brazil v. Croatia on a giant screen with gobs of other people. I got a hair cut by a stylist that couldn’t speak any English.



I admit it’s not exactly what I wanted, but I was pleased considering the difficulty of communication. Plus, like 50% of the women my age have this hair cut here, so it’s kind of what I expected anyway.

We finished of the week with a trip to the Opera to see ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and then to finally see the Reeperbahn. The Reeperbahn is the red light/club district in Hamburg. We didn’t really go anywhere since we’re not very good at partying, but I did learn how to recognize Hamburg prostitutes. In Berlin they always where really high shoes and corsets, but in Hamburg it’s fanny packs. I guess that where they keep the money.

So now Melinda has continued on to Dresden, and I’m still in Hamburg trying to figure out what to do with my life.

And just because...



I want to spread the asparagus/safe sex message.

American Blitzkrieg Hits Paris

So last week I partied in Paris. Ok, well, mostly I was in art museums, but it was still pretty sweet. I took the bus for 13 hours Sunday night to arrive in Paris Monday morning. Some how, without really realizing it, I had booked a German tour. Of course I knew it was German, I just didn’t know there would be things to do as a group. Not that I couldn’t do what I wanted, there were just options of things I could do with the group if I wanted to pay for them. So the first option was a bus tour around Paris, so everyone could see where everything was. Being with a German group, and my German abilities not so good yet I managed to get separated from the group at our first stop to look around at the Sacré-Cœur. So then I freaked out for awhile and then sat in an internet café emailing people about how stupid Paris is, and then I got some coffee. I did manage to make it to the meet point for the hotel check in. I had opted to stay with three other people in the hotel in the hopes I could meet some other cool young people to hang out with. So when the trip leader announced who would be in a room together, it was me and three 50-something Asian sisters. (Remember these women, because they come into the story later.) Although they were nice people, neither I nor they were excited about the prospect of staying in a room together. Thankfully, some one who had booked a room to themselves hadn’t shown up, so to make everyone happy they gave me that room to myself. Then I headed out into the much prettier part of Paris. I waited 2 hours to get into the Musée d’ Orangerie. Apparently it had been closed for 4 years until just a few days before I got there, so everyone in Paris wanted to come see Monet’s water lily paintings.



Then I ate at a place called ‘Quick Hamburger Restaurant’ and joined others from the group for a tour of Montmarte. It’s one of the prettiest areas of Paris, where many artists used to live. Plus we drank red wine from a box, and I saw a man pee in the street (although it wouldn’t be the last time).

The next day I went to Notre Dame. It has some pretty awesome gargoyles



Then I walked over to Place St-Michael to have lunch where I met a woman from Illinois who had been to Paris many times, so she could give me Paris travel tips. Plus, she was just cool because even though she may have had an inelegant appearance, she could speak perfect French and seemed to know Paris as well as a Parisian. I suppose its always good to have one’s stereotypes challenged.

After lunch I went to the Musée d’ Orsay, where again, I waited 2 hours to get in. This time, it was because a Pissaro and Cezanne Exhibit was ending soon so everyone in Paris wanted to get in before I was gone. Unfortunately because of all the waiting I didn’t have time to see the exhibit, but I did see such masterpieces like this Manet painting of a piece of asparagus.



After the museum closed I headed further down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. As I was hanging around looking dorky trying to take a picture of myself in front of the Eiffel Tower, I looked over and guess who was there… it was the three Asian women that would have been my roommates. With the energy of people 30 years younger, they hopped the fence onto the forbidden grassy area, and then obviously not recognizing me at all, one of them came up to me and said “Do… you… speak English? Photo?” The way they posed you really couldn’t even see the Eiffel Tower in the picture. Crazy people. So I took their picture and went on my way. I could never quite figure out if they ever realized who I was, but whatever. A bit later walking around by the tower, I managed to get asked out for coffee by a French man… I don’t think that really fit into my schedule though.

That evening I did a boat tour. The idea sounded calming and romantic, but really it was a really big boat with a load speaker announcing the sites in about 6 different languages and a bunch of Asian tourists jumping up trying to take pictures of everything. The word chaotic comes to mind. The best part of it though was seeing the sunset over the Seine. Back at the hotel I met up with two guys from the tour group, and they invited me to venture out to find a cool bar/disco. We eventually found a place, and broke it down with some French people.

The next day I was greeted by my cell phone beeping at 7:30 in the morning to let me know its battery was dead. So I was up and ready to conquer a new day. First I found the Rodin museum, and then headed over to the Louvre. I didn’t find the Holy Grail, but apparently the French think something important might happen at the Louvre.



So on four hours of sleep I dragged myself around the museum. I didn’t see the whole thing, but I saw all the important stuff, including the Mona Lisa of course. They don’t allow photos of her though. The weird thing was that people would stop me and ask me for directions. The Louvre is a confusing place, and maybe I look like I know what I’m doing? I was stopped several times throughout my trip by lost people, even once by some girls asking me something about the Metro in French. So after the Louvre I was total kaputt. I saw an old man in one of the rooms of French sculpture trying to nap on the bench using his jacket as a pillow on the marble wall. The Louvre has the power to suck the life out of anyone I think. So, after some tasty French food, I just went back to the hotel.

My last day in Paris was pretty freakin’ sweet, because I went to the Pompidou Centre.



Their regular collection was under construction, but they still delivered by having 5 different exhibitions to see. The best and largest exhibition was on movement and film in art. Sweet.



There was another one where you got to where little felt slippers over your shoes. I like anything with felt slippers.



Since I still had day time left I went to the Père-Lachaise cemetery on the East side of the city. There I paid homage to Jim Morrison, Modigliani, and Oscar Wilde. I don’t totally understand why, but Oscar Wilde’s grave is covered with lipstick kiss prints. With my remaining hours in Paris I dined at a place by the Arc d’ Triomphe, and then rushed back to the hotel to catch the bus back to Hamburg. Although I had a negative first impression of the city, overall I really liked it. Maybe when I have my big well-paying job I can go back someday.