So before my
life gets too ahead of itself, I need to dedicate a little bit of space to
Germany, one of the loveliest places I’ve ever visited. Rather than boring you with a chronological
account of my adventure, I will instead bore you with some of my favorite
moments, what prompted them, and what their downfalls were. Special thanks to Elizabeth Ruhl for holding
my hand through all of them, either physically or spiritually... and for being
a fabulous host to a lady exhausted, physically and spiritually, by her first
year in the Peace Corps.
FAVORITE VACATION
MOMENTS
1. Realizing
I was lost in a magical forest: One day, Elizabeth was kind enough to let me
borrow her bike and explore her town, Erlangen.
I studied maps for about an hour and left the house thinking I had a
good handle on the area. I was lost
within two blocks. But I decided to just
keep on riding! At one point, I rode my
bike onto a soccer field only to be chased off by a man in a truck. When I asked him why I couldn’t be on the
field, he looked at me and then said, “Because this is Germany.” But being lost in a city isn’t nearly as fun
as being lost in a magical forest, which happened after following what appeared
to be “well-marked trails.” They
weren’t. I ended up getting out with the
help of a jolly old gentleman who then invited me to coffee and donuts. He told
me he wanted to learn about Senegal.
Halfway into my donut, however, he had made one too many cryptic
comments about marrying me, so I left.
And made it back to Elizabeth’s apartment! All who wander are not lost.
2. Making
myself lunch: It sounds so simple, but one of my first days in Germany, I went
to the supermarket, bought a boatload of berries, asparagus, and cherry
tomatoes, and proceeded to make myself a feast and cover it with feta cheese. I then read The Hunger Games and listened to
Neon Indian, the kind of music that seldom sounds right in Senegal. And it was lovely.
3. Dancing
on a table at Frulingsfest: Frulingsfest was everything I wanted it to be and
more. The festival itself was a
glorified county fair, which as many people know, means I loved the shit out of
it. Gross carnival rides decorated with
inappropriate old-timey paintings, operated by creepy men, meant to make you
throw up as you breathe in the smells of fried food (or in Germany’s case,
sausage).... it doesn’t get any better.
And the beer tent we hung out in was even better. It was full of German people embracing their
heritage, despite it only being noon, drinking pints of beer and singing along
to a live band. I spent the day making
new friends and stuffing my face with chicken.
Before the day was over, I had thrusted my pint in the air numerous
times to songs that I did not understand and danced on tables in my Senegalese
dirndl. I also rode a rollercoaster
twice and did not vomit. I am a winner.
4. The view
from the top of Bamberg’s hill: One day, Sean and I decided to visit quaint,
quaint Bamberg. The jewel of Bamberg is
a giant church nestled atop a hill, and we set out to see it. As we walked through Bamburg, we slowly but
steadily worked our way up, becoming (as is typical for me) lost in the
process. But we were rewarded with one
of the prettiest views I’ve seen in Germany and one of the most beautiful
churches I’ve seen in Europe. As a Notre
Dame gal, I like to consider myself a connosseiur of churches. This one was fabulous. The day ended with us eating fat kebabs at a
fountain, getting directions from a friendly vacationing Indian man, and me
getting mild pneumonia. Germany!
5. Making it
to the club in Berlin: After a public shaming because we used old student IDs
to purchase movie tickets, Elizabeth and I tried to go clubbing. We failed numerous times: trains stopped
running, bus routes ended early, and even the random man to whom I offered a
half-empty beer on the street seemed pissed off. But after just deciding to stalk people who
looked kind of cool, we found the cool Berlin scene. And so we danced and danced and danced, which
as anyone knows, is usually all I need for a good night. When we stumbled out of that club at 6:30am,
the sun was rising, so we had a graffiti photo shoot, ate chwarmas, and
immediately started reminscing about the night’s already epic-ness. I finally felt like a club kid, minus the
MDMA. This photo is not when I was drunkenly eating a chwarma, but it was taken in Berlin. AT THE WALL!
6. Being
trapped in a nudist field: One day in Munich, I decided to picnic in the city’s
famed English Gardens. I forgot that the
English Gardens are famed for their nudist meadows. I remembered when I found a nice area to set
my blanket down in... and realized everyone in the near vicinity was
naked. Without trying to cause a scene,
I gathered up my things and steadily headed toward the nearest escape, toward
people in clothes. But my stride was
interrupted by a giant stream separated the nudists from the non-nudists. So then I had to walk about 1km on the shore
of the stream, where all of the naked people were, without trying to let them
see how badly I wanted to escape. A few
of them flaunted their bodies at me.
They were all over the age of 50.
I eventually made it out, but unfortunately, I will always have the
images of those human forms. Forever.
Sorry, no nudie pics from this incident. I was walking away too briskly.
7. Lunch
with Linda: Another day in Germany, I made the controversial decision to go on
a Third Reich Tour. I worried that this
tour would be full of Nazi enthusiasts, but I wanted to go for the historical
aspect. When I showed up to the tour, I found myself surrounded by surly
college students... and one brassy 63 year old woman named Linda! Linda become my best friend for those 3
hours. She had endless knowledge about
Germany. Her father had left Germany in
1926 and then returned to fight the Germans as a US Soldier in WWII. She was on vacation visiting her East Germany
cousins. We went out to lunch together
and she gave me inspirational advice about being a successful woman, such as,
quit your corporate job if you don’t like it and open a Hallmark store! No, but Linda was the shit. And we had a traditional German lunch
together... I hit all of the big Bavarian dishes.
8. Napping
in Lisbon: Lisbon was amazing. I love Portugal just as I love Spain –
passionately, colorfully. My love for
Germany is just as strong, but different.
But Portugal made me feel alive, especially the view from the Lisbon
Castle and the lovely seafood and red wine.
With a little time before my layover I ended, I wandered around some
hilly areas of Lisbon, eventually settling on a non-dangerous ledge and falling
asleep. As I slept, a group of
Portugeuse people spontaneously broke out into folk songs a few feet away. I know travel is seldom authentic, but this
felt real.
9. Arriving
at the Dakar Terminal in the Lisbon Airport:
And so then I got to the airport and rolled up to the Dakar
Terminal. A language I recognized,
people I recognized, greetings I knew how to do. My trip was over and I was headed back to one
of my homes, and I felt ready.
So there you
have it... my vacation in nine moments.
I recommend that everyone go to Germany!
It’s a fun, non-fussy place, and the only words you need to know are
“fleisch,” “bier,” and “gannow.” Then
you’re set.
No, but
really, thanks to everyone who helped me have a wonderful vacation there! I’m sure I’ll be back someday. But in the meantime... SENEGAL!
And speaking
of that, everyone should help make my region’s girls’ camp happen! I think I met my goal for my scholarships,
but you can still help ou that same group of girls here. This is the last project I’ll need funding
for, and you can donate here:
I love reading about your adventures.
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