Chapter 99 – Mmmmmmmm Chooooocolate

Monday, February 14, 2005, 10:00pm
Wow, if that wasn’t an exercise in communication, I really don’t want to see what is! Mechthild fell asleep before dinner (stupid illnesses) but at least Thomas was there! Her mom’s English is pretty amazing for someone who hasn’t used it in many years, and I fumbled my way through a few sentences in German, or used the few words that I knew where possible, as well as getting a few translations from Thomas, but wow. It’s still so much easier to learn this way (and so much easier to motivate yourself!). It’s too bad that I won’t have time to do an intensive course this summer; I’ll just have to spend more weekends in Germany! Dinner was great though, and they were thrilled to have a reason to call my grandparents (who were equally thrilled to get the phone call!). Anyway, I’m going to look at a little more German and get some sleep. Tomorrow the chocolate museum (mmmmm chocolate) and, weather permitting, a little shopping before my train.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 4:25pm
The morning was great: the chocolate museum was very interesting, and was followed by a last-ditch effort to find a good mp3 player at a good price (which, when I finally did, took forever to buy, leaving lunch a mad rush to get to the train in time). So, here I am, on the train, approaching Mannheim. Still at least 2 stops before Basel (6:47), a 20-minute train to Mulhouse, and (hopefully) a bus to get me home ASAP!

What prompted me to write at this moment, though, was that Nokia ring – that one that seems to be synonymous with a “normal” cell phone ring in the movies and such. It makes me laugh now though, because it’s also a part of a (rather stupid) comedy DVD that Lynn has. That distinctive ring is always followed by a guy screaming into the phone in the most inappropriate and / or annoying places; “HELLO!” followed by an exclamation (equally screamed) of his location, such as “I’M AT A CONCERT!” or “I’M AT THE LIBRARY!” I almost expected that this ring would be followed by that unforgettable “HELLO” and then something to the effect of “I’M IN THE TRAIN…YES…I’M ALMOST THERE. WHAT??? I’M IN THE TRAIN!!! YES!!! I’LL BE THERE SOON!!!” If you’ve seen this thing, you understand. If not, I apologize for this interlude!

Wednesday, February 16, 2005, 6:00pm
The rest of my trip home was uneventful, with the exception of an extraordinary number of people getting off the train at Basel Bad (in Germany), but I’m sure at least a few of them were probably intending to get off at Basel SBB (in Switzerland; where all the connections, including the French station, are found). In Basel I tore across the station, sure that there was probably a train sooner than my own (I arrived in Basel at 18:47, and my train was at 19:17). I was (fortunately) not stopped at the “border” into the French station, and, sure enough, there was a train at 19:00, which I was able to take. Unfortunately it was a local train, though, so we only got in 8 minutes before the other (and probably less than that, since we had to stop between the last stop before Mulhouse and Mulhouse itself to let a train going crazy fast tear by). I tried to locate a bus going the right way (which is particularly difficult since the entire area around the station is under construction for the Tram, and there are 6 possible bus stops). It was 8:30 when I finally got home, and was able to swap stories with my roommate, play with my new mp3 player, and get some sleep.

And that’s where it ends…until next time I have something to say!

Chapter 98 – My teaching career has been longer than I thought!

Monday, February 14, 2005, 8:55am
The train trip across was beautiful (despite the weather) since the IC (the regular train, but not the ICE, the high-speed train) follows the (west) bank of the Rhein pretty much the whole way. The east bank (in full view from the right side of the train) is covered in towns that are only a house or two deep, with a backdrop of mountains, half covered in vineyards. Now and then there is also a castle standing at the top of one of the hills, over a town; it’s really amazing.

At Köln, Thomas, who I had never met, found me about 10 minutes after I arrived since, although he was on the right platform, he was facing the wrong way; the ICE from Frankfurt arrived just 2 minutes after the IC on the other side of the same platform. Anyway, he finally found at the exit of the platform, but even if Mechthild had been there, I don’t think it would have made a difference for me; the last time I saw her, I was 5 years old. She says that my face hasn’t changed. She also told me that she remembers me particularly well because (background; she went to Canada in 1985 to learn English, and stayed with my (Anglo) grandparents; my grandfather and her father had met through work) I had, up at our cottage apparently, shown her my picture books to help her learn English…she said she learned a lot! The way she put it, I actually started teaching when I was 5 (no wonder I’m ready to move on; I’ve been in the business 20 years! ). I thought that that was really cute. What strikes me even more is that, while waiting at Frankfurt station for Jordan, the other day, I had been eyeing the children’s books, thinking that that might be a good way to learn. I guess I’ll have to head to the library in Mulhouse when I get back!

Anyway, Mechthild was at home getting tea and cake ready, and feeling a little under the weather (there’s a major cold going around; probably the same one that had Katharina at her parents’ an extra day, and had knocked Lynn and Liz flat in Mulhouse a few days early). I’m hoping that it doesn’t get me! So, Thomas took me on a brief detour to see a bit of the city, before heading to the house just outside the city in a town called Brauweiler.

The cake was delicious, and next was a walk to the main point of interest in Brauweiler: a former monastery (including the church at which Mechthild and Thomas were married). It was an interesting (but cold!) visit as, like so many old things, the history of the abbey is varied; in the 20th century it served as a sort of concentration camp, an alcohol rehab centre, and now as an office for the government organization responsible for the preservation of historical buildings / sites. This was followed by dinner (delicious!) then photos of their wedding and of their trip to Canada last year, and it was soon time to call it a night.

Monday, February 14, 2005, 6:20pm
Today I played tourist, but it was perfect (because when it wasn’t just grey, it was rainy and greyer). Thomas accompanied me on a bus tour of the city, delivered in both German and English. It was really, really interesting! Plus, when the lady said a particularly thing in English first, and German second, it was great for my learning. I won’t go into all that we saw, but a particularly interesting aspect was a stop at a museum which had a model of Cologne in the 16th century, where we were able to sort of put everything we had just seen (and their locations) into perspective. What made it even cooler was the fact that museums are closed Mondays, and it was opened just for us!

After the tour, it was lunch at a typical Brauhaus (brew house; bar and grill really) where I had a very good wiener schnitzel. Then Mechthild joined us, and Thomas went to work for the afternoon. We went into the cathedral, but were early for the guided tour. We debated not going on it, since the pamphlet was very detailed, but Mechthild thought it would still be good. It was! Our guide had some very interesting things to say, and weaved throughout his talk the reasons that the “Dark Ages” is an unfair name for that period, using architecture and stories about the cathedral to show how enlightened people were. It was really interesting!

We had planned to do some shopping, and I had though about going up one of the cathedral’s towers, but the rain made both less desirable. Time passed quickly though, and we did hit one store (a home and electronics store that has great stuff and significantly better prices than in France) where I bought some baking pans (really cheap, and, according to Mechthild, really good!) and checked out prices for an mp3 player (I’ve been trying to find a good one that isn’t enormously overpriced for ages). Now it’s almost dinner time, and we will be eating with Mechthild’s parents.

Chapter 97 – An Irish pub…German style

Saturday, February 12, 2005, 7:30pm (cont’d)
We got on our way into Frankfurt around 1:30. First we hit the shopping strip (the Zeil), then went to the Römer (one of the few – or maybe the only? – part of Frankfurt not destroyed in the war, as well as the preserved ruins of a building that was). Next we were up along the Main River (pronounced “mine”), and as evening fell we headed back to the Zeil (pronounced “tzile”) to do some grocery shopping. I was amazed to find Reese (twice in two days!!!) alongside “American” marshmallows, beef jerky, and more. I stocked up on the (slightly less over-priced) peanut butter cups, and grabbed a package of jerky, and of marshmallows. I couldn’t resist – now we just need more wood for the fireplace so that we can roast them (and those that my sister gave me for Christmas – thanks Becky!). [ps. We have since done so, and mmmmmmmmmm they were good. Nico also said, though, that they weren't all that different from French ones after all, so I've bought some more French ones to test that theory one of these days.]

We’re now [as I wrote this] at Jordan and Iva’s, making some pizza, with plans to meet up with Katharine and Dirk (her man), and hopefully some of their friends, at 10. It’s been a rainy day, but a good day!

Sunday, February 13, 2005, 2:50am
A good night too! We met Katharina and Dirk at an Irish pub (which appeared to contain not a single German, besides them and three friends of theirs who joined us later). The bar was right in front of the main train station (so easy to find) and giant. There was a dance floor, a 3-table pool room, and at least 2 or 3 separate bar rooms, including one which was packed with people doing karaoke. There were also screens in all the rooms (and speakers) so that everyone could sing along. All in English, in fact, at least one of the bartenders apparently didn’t even speak German! Dirk and his friends were really nice, so hopefully Jordan and Iva will be able to make a little more of their time here knowing at least a couple more people. I’m off to sleep now; Köln in the morning!

Sunday, February 13, 2005, 11:50am
On the (rail) road again…I opted for the non-high-speed train for this Frankfurt-Köln trip to save a little money (I figured 2 1/4 hours instead of 1 1/2 was really no big deal when the difference was about 20 euros). Just as I sat down and started to spread out my German notes on the pull-down trays in front of my seat and the empty seat beside me (another reason that an extra hour on the train couldn’t hurt), a man sitting in a 4-seat area (with a table in between) got up and offered my his place, so that I would have more space. I thought that was really nice! On a different note, the weather’s a little better; still pretty grey, but it’s not raining, and the sun is trying to break through. Well…work time.