Germany Trip 2009: Part 2
Now that I am here for another week and a half, I decided to take a vacation during my vacation. Part 1 of my German trip was jam packed (read the posting and you will know why). Therefore, for the second part I wanted to take it slow and enjoy my time. So on Friday, May 29, 2009 Dominik and I rested.
For Saturday, May 30, 2009 and Sunday, May 31, 2009 Dominik and his beau needed some time alone. I had monopolized Dominik for over a week, it was about time for Lars to see him again -- don't you think so? Yeah, me too. So I went to a spa/hostel for the weekend in Köln. I got on a regional train to Köln and used the U-Bahn to get to the place. It was the most fun I have had in months. The place is amazing. Let me tell you about it. Get this: two ,,Finnische Sauna" (dry saunas), one ,,Dampfsauna" (steam room), one ,,Sanarium" (solarium: large room with hugh skylight for suntanning), one caldarium (basically a large hot-tub), and a tepidarium (stone room with radiant heating from the stone benches/walls), deck, and a restaurant/bar (with good prices I may add). The place had an awsome concept -- you check in, shower, change, and then walk around and relax, chill, sweat, swim, tan, eat, and drink. Then, when you are tired you find an open room, lock the door, and sleep. Once you get up, you do it all over -- relaxing more and more each time.
The check in fee for the weekend was around 20 euro and then you pay your bill for food and drinks when you leave. I had five sodas, two drinks, currywurst, a huge cob salad with grilled chicken, strawberry cheesecake, some apples, and cheese plater. From my calculations before I checked out, I figured my bill was going to be around 30 euros. I woke up around noon complexity relaxed. No, that word does not cut it -- I woke up complexity tranquil on Monday, June 1, 2009. Sure enough, my calculations for the food/drink bill was correct. When I checked out it was 28 euro. But, the check out guy then said ,,Ein Moment" and a lot of German words. Then, the price displayed on the register changed from 28 to 12 euro. I looked back at the guy and he just smiled at me. I didn't question it, I payed the 12 euro and left -- a nice ending to a spa weekend.
I jumped on the U-Bahn and headed back to the main train station of Köln. When I got back I decided I would go explore the city a bit -- see the cathedral, so on. On the way out of the train station I ran into Olaf (one of my study abroad coordinators). It was such an amazing coincidence. He said he was on the way to an outdoor bar area on the other side of the Rhine and I was invited. I went with and relaxed, had a few drinks, and talked to Olaf for the rest of the afternoon. It was such a nice sunny and lazy afternoon -- almost a continuant of the spa. At 4pm I went back to Köln main train station and headed to Bonn. I met up with Dominik and Lars at the park next to the dorms I stayed at on my study abroad. We went for a nice walk around the park and ate ,,Eis". We took photos of each other and just hung out. When it got late, Lars went to the train station and Dominik and I went to his place for bed.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2009 and Wednesday, June 3, 2009 Dominik and I rested and hung around the apartment. When we felt like it we would head into downtown to grocery shop. We grilled each night and watched movies. I made him watch The Producers movie. Until recently the play, The Producers, was banned in Germany (the movie still is). After we watched it, Dominik said the ,,Hakenkreuz" (swastika) imagery is illegal in Germany, except in museums (in the German theater they replace the swastika with silhouetted pretzels -- creative). Also, interestingly, Will Ferrell's character actually says a lot of German words (mainly German profanity). Oh, Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop is loosely based on a traditional old Bavarian folk dance -- LOL.
After relaxing for so long, on Thursday, June 4, 2009 we decided to get an adrenaline rush. We went to Phantasialand -- a theme park in Brühl, Germany. The park's landscaping and scenery is fantastic. The areas, such as the asian area, has authentic planting from the depicted area. Dominik said that the landscaping of the park has won many awards. The park is not very large, nowhere near American theme parks I have been to (Disneyland, Disney World, Bush Gardens, Six Flags, so on), but the style of Phantasialand has a lot of attention and detail.
For some reason Phantasialand has a strange connection to Michael Jackson -- yeah, my reaction exactly. Dominik said that Michael Jackson visits the park a lot. In fact, he even purchased some of the original rides (i.e. two-story carousel) and had a replacement built in the park (using the originals in his Peter Pan world). Also, he was upset Phantasialand did not have a "run away train" ride. So he had one commissioned called "Colorado Adventure" aka "The Michael Jackson." I think Dominik said Michael owns a 1/3 of it still. It was a good ride, much like the run away train ride in Disneyland -- one of my favorites. Being around the Colorado fake stone facade made me miss Utah -- of all things to make me think of home, lol. At 6pm the park closed and Dominik and I jumped on a long distance train back to Bonn.
On Friday, June 5, 2009 we got up around noon and went shopping for the things people requested me to get: chocolate, beer, and Haribo (the best 3 of Germany?). Dominik took me to the Haribo outlet store in Bad Godesberg. It is a bulk store where you fill bags and pay 3.50 per 1000 kilograms. I got 4000 kilograms of Haribo for people. Later that night we went back to his apartment and grilled -- yes, again. We hung out talking until bed. Somehow the topic of how a law is created in America came up (I think we were talking about marriage law). I tried to explain, then remembered the School House Rock "How a Bill Becomes a Law." I found it on YouTube.com and showed Dominik -- worked perfectly, explained it much clearer then I could.
For Saturday, June 6, 2009 , Dominik and I have plans to go bowling and dinner with the gang (Dominik's Sister, Brother in Law, and others) -- a kinda' farewell thing.
Sunday, June 7, 2009, is a relax/pack everything before I fly day. I really hope I can fit everything back into my luggage.
I fly to Texas Monday, June 8, 2009. I am really glad I extended my trip. I did not feel ready to leave over a week ago -- I still had things I needed to do. Also, it gave Dominik and I a chance to get a bit closer. There are some things you just don't talk about over the phone. Come to find out we have more in common then we knew -- or wanted to know. I cannot think him enough for letting me come and take over his life for three weeks. I hope he knows how grateful I am. Oh, and to Lars for letting me monopolize Dominik's time -- thanks Lars.
Now that my trip is over, I need to figure out what to do with my life. I need to find a job. I really am thinking about moving to the West coast. I have lived on the East coast for 10 years and the Gulf coast for almost 10 years, I think it is time to live on the West coast for around 10 years. Then who knows, maybe Europe for 10 years, then the moon for 10? -- LOL.