I finally had everything ready - my baggage, my passport (which is really the most important thing) and...well, my adventurous spirit. However, my adventures started before even leaving Paris.
I stopped at a Tabac (which is your Parisian newpaper stand, a place to get gum and postcards and they are scattered everywhere on the sidewalks here) to buy a calling card a friend recommended to me. The man said hello to me in English, suspecting I was an outsider (and rightly so with my baggage on my back), but I simply asked him in French. Before I could even finish my question, he responded "Oh, you speak French?"
"Oui."
"Are you Canadian?"
"No, I'm American."
"You're American and you speak French?"
He was impressed...and I was a little flattered, not going to lie. :)
Needless to say, things were really starting to seem wonderful and my day started off on a great language beat. Too bad they don't speak French in Germany. Sigh.
In any case, I husteld myself to the train station in a VERY excited fashion. I couldn't stop smiling on the metro - I think people thought I was a freak in all my happiness. I didn't care though; I was seeking my own adventures, and doing it all on my own - it was great. I had planned my own trip, made all my own arrangements. Now all I had to do was go!
The train ride to Cologne was pretty uneventful. I was sitting next to a French man, so I felt more at ease that there wouldn't be such a language barrier than if I was sitting next to someone who spoke German or Dutch...you know, in case of emergency. When the train started to go, emergency ensued. We were going backwards....backwards I say!! Actually....it was more or less that my seat was facing the other way, but I had a bit of a hard time with that, a little dizzying, a little nauseating, and I was sure glad to step on German soil and see Jon waiting for me almost exactly infront of the door I came out of. Thank goodness.
The first thing Jon and I did was walk around the streets of Cologne for about an hour or less just taking in the scenery, checking out the Dome, and generally catching up and having a good time. After a decent walk, we hopped on the train back to Bonn which was only about 20 minutes away. I was all pumped to try some German beer, but by the time we got to his room, he and I both decided that we were in the mood just to chill and stay in. Perfectly okay with me. He and I made dinner (MMMM) and had some wine. Fine dining if you ask me! (Thanks Jon)
Sunday was fantastic!! Jon and I headed out the door and did a walking tour of Bonn. He pointed out a lot of the historical hotspots and gave some really interesting background that I probably wouldn't be able to repeat for others simply because I don't know history as well as he does, but at the time, it was really interesting! :) I came on a really eventful weekend in Bonn. There was a marathon that cut through the entire city, so instead of being able to take 20 minutes to get somewhere, it ended up taking twice or thrice as long. Oh well; in the end, I saw more of Bonn than perhaps was planned, but I have no problems with that as it's a beautiful city. There is a lot more plantlife in Bonn than in Paris, which made me miss home (in the US) a little bit, but at the same time, I'm so happy here...soo, needless to say, it was a pretty shortlived emotion. :)
Lunch in Bonn was hardcore to say the least. Jon and I stopped at a cafe type place to have pizza, beer, and a baguette. Both were what Jon would describe as "man sized". We had beer and soup which were both good (even the beer...and I'm not normally a beer-drinker) and both took turns saying "This is soooo good." The food was really good. I don't even like swiss cheese, but for some reason, it tasted amazing on that sandwich. Mmmm. Let me take a moment to reminisce.
When the waitress came to collect our cash for the meal, I had a rather embarrassing moment. The waitress directed a question at me in German, and I looked at Jon in that "Help me, I'm ridiculously unprepared for this" kind of look. He translated for me, but the waitress was asking me another question, and all I could do was look from Jon to the waitress again. Finally, between Jon and I we communicated that, yes, I was finished with my meal. Oh man. Foolishness, just foolishness.
After lunch, Jon and I were soo full. So, naturally we got ice cream. :) I had a scoop of mint chocolate and another of chocolate. However, the "man-sized" cone it came in was alittle too much for me to handle, so Jon finished it off for me! You rock, Jon! Now feeling 10 pounds heavier, Jon and I made our way to some benches in a park area and watched people go by. As he and I both really like to people watch, the lazy afternoon was a perfect finish to spend the day before we headed back to dorm building. For dinner, Jon and I met up with some of the other students in his program (or at least other American students) and we had another fantastic meal. I just love the freshness of European food - the market, the freshly cooked vegetables in soup, the fresh salads. Oh man. I'm in heeavvveen. In any case, dinner was a very interesting experience for me because it was the second time a waitress came to the table and I had no idea what she was saying. Throughout dinner, I had been reminding myself of short German phrases like "Yes (ja)" and "No (nein)" but in the waitress' test, I failed miserably:
In English: "Was your meal good?"
Me...: Oui....
Holy crap.
As Jon once said "Everyone in Germany speaks German" and it's true. It was so hard to get used to listening to something and having absolutely no idea what they're saying. When I first got to France, I know my comprehension was low, but not understanding a word? It would be tough getting around without someone who could speak a little bit, especially when under pressure...hahaha.
Sunday night, Jon and I went to bed pretty late just hanging out in his room and having good conversation. I was sad to be leaving the next day, but was also very excited about going to a place where they speak my native language....kinda. (Scotland understands me but I can't seem to understand them)
Overall, I had a wonderful stay in Bonn (thanks Jon!) and was pleased to make it on the plane for Edinburgh (pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg!!!)
Stay tuned for my Scottish adventures later!
Peace!
Molly
P.S. I will be posting pictures when I get back to France. Sorry for the wait, but it'll be easier that way! Thanks for the patience!
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