Memoirs of a CPUNERD

This leg of the trip represented my first solo experience in Europe. The people around were helpful, but it was quite nice to get back to friends, especially those who could translate. I made my all the way from Venezia to Milano, then Zürich, Konstanz, Stuttgart, München, back to Stuttgart, the Berlin, and finally Köln.

On the way, I met up with Matthias, Frederick, Simon, Meli, Sarah, Emma, and Meike. I also got to make the acquaintance of some nice strangers in Zürich and München.

Welcome to the land of chocolate, watches, and legal financial rape        Don’t let anyone tell you that London is the most expensive city in the world. It isn’t true. For just a glimpse of the cost of things in Zürich, keep reading. I got into the train station and needed to use the restroom. I saw that it cost 1 Fr (keep in mind that 1 Fr was approximately $1). I thought to myself “I’m here for one day and night, 60 Fr should do.” I get to the ATM, and my first scare was that one could only withdraw in increments of 50 Fr. I decided to get 50 Fr and just try and make do. So I then go to a kiosk and try to break the 50 Fr bill. I picked up a candy bar, thinking this couldn’t be that bad. 2.40Fr! WTF?! They were all that expensive. In fact, I picked up the cheapest one. This was only the start… 50 Fr wasn’t enough to cover a candy bar, map, two public transit rides, dinner, and a pastry for breakfast. On the other hand, it was more than enough to buy some of the best freaking chocolate in existence. Go Frey!

At least they have that going for them        If you ever train from Italy to Zürich, you’ll probably go through Milano, and that means you get to go through the Alps. A friend once told me that in comparison to Europe, the Americas are much more extraordinary. He must have forgot to exclude Switzerland from that sentence. I have never seen scenery like the Alps before, and I don’t know if I ever will (Himalayas anyone?).

I spell heart attack R ö S T I        Seriously, have you ever heard of this stuff? It is probably the most American dish I encountered outside of England. It’s just potatoes, bacon, eggs, and enough cheese to stuff a hollowed-out human heart. It tasted great, but man was it heavy.

The Great Lakes        Zürich and Konstanz are close in more respects than just their Geographical locations. The lakes people! Lake Zürich was beautiful, and the lake at Konstanz was easily one of the best things about the city. I was just told about this, but the statue of the woman at Konstanz is supposedly that of a famous prostitute and two church officials, no kidding.

They go hand-in-hand        I found something quite amusing walking through Konstanz. After getting a wonderful view of the inside of the church, I walked back outside and sat down on the steps to let my eyes readjust to sunlight. What do I see across the square, but tons of people enjoying a liter of beer. It brought a smile to my face.

A new definition for “towel dry”        At the hostel in Zürich, I found something quite interesting. I didn’t have a fitting sheet cove (the kind that has elastic on the corners), but I did have a blanket, pillow, plain sheet set, and towel. In the morning, I get up to take a shower, and I take my towel and unfold it. What do you know? It’s also the fitting sheet. I don’t know if this was done on purpose, or if it wasn’t supposed to be a towel, but I used it anyway. And yes, it worked great.

I am tourist, here me roar        All though Europe, but especially in Germany, it was really easy to notice that I had the look of a typical tourist. I really want to believe that it was something more than just the shorts, but I couldn’t tell.  At least I tried to get some of the language correct.

A hooker, a pope, and a cardinal walk into a bar        Which one says ow? Well, if you’re talking about the statue of Imperia on the Konstanz harbor, my guess is not her.

This is supposed to be Germany, not Florida!        Seriously, what the hell? Matthias, Frederick, and I were walking back to their place from a nice, sunny day in Stuttgart. All of a sudden, mother nature is like BAM! I’m gonna monsoon on your parade, bitches! Maybe Germany isn’t so great after all…

Hail the conquering hero        Poor Matthias and Frederick. They just weren’t having a good run of luck. Gunther and Steph beat them at beer pong on their table (their first loss). Of course, I had to give it a go. I convinced Inna, one of their two other roommates to join up with me. We beat them. No, we pulverised them! (Sorry guys, just telling the story). Of course, they came back and beat me and Andreas, but I had already retired at that point so it didn’t count.

Objects in map are further apart than they appear        So, umm, yeah. If you ever take a look at the München map online, make sure you look at the scale. I tried to walk from the train station to the city center. WAAAAAAAAAY further than I thought. I eventually broke down, bought an U-bahn (pronounced oooo-bon) ticket, and explored the city in comfort.

Nachster Halt        While we’re on the subject of the Deutschebahn, can I just say how soothing it is to hear the female voice on the ICEs? Nachster halt, Stuttgart Hauptbanhopf. Nachster halt, Berlin Hauptbanhopf. Ahhh, so refreshing.

Never question potency        Seriously, after having an incredibly large meal at the Hofbräuhaus, I proceeded to drink a liter of the original, or, as I ordered it “Ein grosse beer, vitter!” It took an hour to clear my head before I felt comfortable heading back to the hotel.

Speaking of the Hofbräuhaus        If you haven’t heard of it, it’s the oldest beer house in Germany. It was destroyed during WWII, but rebuilt later. It is now owned and operated by the German government. Starting at 1900, the festival hall opens upstairs. It is basically the same thing you would see in their Oktoberfest tent. Lots of good food, beer a plenty, tables full of foreigners, and Bavarian instruments, singing, and dancing.

I went alone to the place, and so I was seated with the other small groups (one to six people). I sat next to a nice German man who had been living in the U.S. for quite some time. After a few minutes of talking to him, he looks at me and says “You know, you’re English is quite exceptional.” I of course laughed and explained that I was from the U.S. He asked me where from and I told  him I was living and working near San Francisco (way more people know that than Sacramento). He then proceeded to tell me that his wife worked in Silicon Valley, he was a food scientist, he graduated from Cal Poly, and had actually done research at UC Davis. Small world!

BMW, makers of the hand… job?        Yes, I actually saw this book inside the BMW museum. Don’t ask me why. The rest of the museum, was pretty cool. I don’t think it was worth the €12, but it was still a cool thing to see.

 

Oh no, not another Wedding!        Emma, Sarah, and I met up in Berlin. We had dinner at this great Italian pizza place near Sarah’s flat. During that time, Emma told us about how creepy her hostel’s area was. It was in a place called Wedding. I got to see it first hand when we went back there to get her stuff and get her the hell out of there. Even at night, there were a bunch of creepy Turkish guys loitering. I think they gave Emma less looks as she was with company, but still.

Stairway to Heaven        While climbing the five-hundred and nine steps to the top of the church in Köln, I couldn’t help but think of the song. Also, I thought of the church of Istar as described in Time of the Twins. Poor Meike had to keep up with me. She also neglected to inform me that she had just been horseback riding and was thus quite sore and tired. Sorry Meike!

Places of Interest:

• Zürich: Coop (grocery store that sells chocolate), the lake, St. Peter Kirche, Grossmünster, Fraumünster.
• Konstanz: The lake, the church, the city area (preserved from medeival and other historic periods).
• Stuttgart: TV Tower, City Center, Wine Festival
• München: Schloss Nymphenburg, Frauenkirche, Hofbräuhaus, Triumphal Arch, Englischer Gartens, BMW Welt, Olympic Par, City Center
• Berlin: Brandenburger Tor, Schloss Charlottenburg, Museum Isle, Potsdamer Platz, Pieces of the old wall, Unten der Linden, Berliner Dom
• Köln: Kirche, River, Shopping District

This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 11:59 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.