Grey Sky Morning ~ November 5th

I write your name in my breath on the window
Sit and watch as it fades away
The painful memories
Of the tears of yesterday
The sky is cold and gray
Just like it was when we both went our separate ways
And the rain won't wash away
All the dirt of my mistakes
The deafening sound of rain
It's not enough to drown my thoughts to ease the pain
So instead I'll soak it in
While I stare outside again
So I write your name in my breath on the window
Sit and watch as it fades away
The painful memories
Of the tears of yesterday

Ode on an International Package ~ November 3rd

My big package from home arrived today, finally...after a missed drop-off yesterday and a 2 hour wait today. Inside: sweaters, winter coat, skirts, thermos, music, notes from home, and alot of love.
My thanks and apologies to the brilliant John Keats.
For original, see http://www.bartleby.com/101/625.html

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Thou still unarriv’d bride of FedEx,
Thou foster-child of Postage and slow Time,
Strange package, who canst thus express,
A typical tale more disappointing than our rhyme:
What tape-edged legend haunts about thy shape
Of fines or regulations, or of both?
In Customs or the paths of Trucks?
What stamps and papers are these? What labels loth?
What mad waiting? What struggle to enter?
What signatures and payments? What wild anticipation?

“Package Missed” notes are fine, but packages accompanied
Are finer; therefore, ye quiet rings, continue.
Not to the absent listener, but, more endear’d,
Pipe to the doorbell buzzes of all tones:
Dear postman, at the entrance, thou canst not abandon
Thy place, nor ever can this doorstep be empty;
Bold Hopeful, never, never, canst thou leave,
Though impatient near the arrival – yet, do not grieve;
He shall not leave, though thou hast not thy slip,
For ever wilt thou wait, and he be faithful!

Ah, happy, happy hands! That cannot hold
Your burden, nor ever greet the Elevator door;
And, happy bearer, unwearied,
For ever whistling joy for ever new;
More beautiful packages! More beautiful, beautiful packages!
For ever cold and still to be open’d,
For ever dented and for ever worn;
All stuff-ed brown cube sealed
That leaves a heart high-spirited and full,
A flushed brow, and expectant gaze.

Who are these coming to deliver?
To what foreign student, O uniformed priest
Bring’th thou that package bursting at its base,
And all her edges with duck-tape drest?
What little gift from family or friend,
Or love-wrapped with loud paper,
Is sent with its delights, this dreary noon?
And, little package, thy box for evermore
Will reused be; and not a soul, to tell
Where thou art come, can next venture.

O Beloved form! Fair box! With layers
Of paper cardboard and glue overlayed,
With reinforced edges and folded shape;
Thou, solid shape! Does tease us out of patience,
As doth long lectures. Abrupt Deliverer!
When hard tests shall this generation kill,
Thou shalt arrive, in midst of other woe
Than waiting , a friend to foreigners, to whom thou say’st,
“Package is here, here for you, - that is all
Ye have at this time, and all which ye must pay
The high-priced delivery fee for”

~E.

Rainy Days and Mondays ~ November 2nd

"A fine rain was falling, and the landscape was that of autumn. The sky was hung with various shades of gray, and mists hovered about the distant mountains - a melancholy nature. The leaves were falling on all sides like the last illusions of youth under the tears of irremediable grief. A brood of chattering birds were chasing each other through the shrubberies, and playing games among the branches, like a knot of hiding schoolboys. Every landscape is, as it were, a state of the soul, and whoever penetrates into both is astonished to find how much likeness there is in each detail."- Henri Frederic Amiel

Time Hurries On ~ November 1st

Time hurries on,
And the leaves that were green
Turn to brown
And they wither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand ~ S&G

This weekend was a lazy two days of relaxing, going to church, and spending time with friends. Yesterday I went downtown for the big Saturday market, which, since it is autumn, has a fantastic assortment of apples, gourds, squashes, etc etc. and other fruits of the harvest. Fresh honey and homemade juices and preserves graced the ends of many stands – along with such jam combinations as “kiwi-black currant-raspberry,” “pineapple-strawberry-banana,” “blackberry-sour cherry-orange” and many more. They all sounded so good I didn’t linger long, for fear my purse would end up strangely 10 euros lighter than it was before and my bag would miraculously have 5 times the number of jams I was originally planning on buying….I settled instead for some vibrant red-yellow apples, new prunes, and fresh sweet breads.

In the evening, a young couple from church, Markus and Miriam Liebe, invited me to go to dinner and the movies with them, which was 1. good practice for my German and 2. fun! They picked me up first, then we met up with two other friends downtown at the restaurant Alexandres before going to the movie theater. You are assigned a seat in the movies, which is kindof different than I’m used to, but I guess it makes sense. I also bought a big bag of sweet kettlecorn popcorn (typical German movie popcorn) and it was really good J So was the movie.

Today was church as usual, this time with communion since it is the first of the month. Then I worked on my Lebenslauf (German resume) with Melanie, took a nap, and decided to go for a walk around campus before dinner. It’s getting cold enough that you need a jacket all the time (which I forget. Probably why I have a cold again). The sun was getting low, but there was still plenty of light for me to take pictures. So now, dear curious reader, you can finally see what my campus looks like!

~E.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/FallInReutlingenHochschule#

PreHalloween Fun ~ October 29th

I guess it took my coming to Germany to learn how to carve a pumpkin. Yup. That's right. In all my nineteen years, I have never carved a pumpkin. There's always a first time!

Melanie Dark, the Valpo intern for the International Office here, invited four of us over to her apartment for pumpkin: our director and her daughter, me, and Sarah Wetzel, also from Valpo, and studying for the year at Tuebingen University. My pumpkin is fat and big enough that its already getting squishy now and I should probably throw it out. That's probably because it's near the heater. Oops. But it looked cool for the first couple nights. One side has a classic Jack-O'-Lantern smile, and the other side has moons and stars.

After our professor/director left, we had spaghetti dinner, which another student, Milka, joined us for. It was a great evening, just sitting around the dinner table, us four girls, talking about classes, cultures, languages, study abroad, and a whole assortment of subjects.

~E.

Two Week Break - Italy

By the second week of break, I was getting a little tired of travelling, but we still had Florence and Rome left to go. The first day in Florence, we met three other students: MinYoung and David from Univerisity Notre Dame, who were studying for the semester in London, and Billy, from D.C., who was taking the semester off from school to backpack through Europe. We had all gone on the free city walking tour that our hostel sponsored and when the tour had ended, we had the option of going back to the hostel or going to lunch at one of the places our guide recommended. We were all pretty hungry and cold, and I'm not sure we actually found the restaurant the guide told us about, but in anycase, we ended up all having lunch together. We hung out together for the rest of the time after that, seeing Michelangelo's David statue, shopping in the markets, watching the sunset over Florence, eating alot of gelato, and enjoying Italian pizza.

Rome was overwhelming in its size, the rain we had, the number of motorcycles, the amount of marble used...and so many churches and ancient ruins! We travelled down on Wendesday to Rome with MinYoung and David and spent the first day with them at the Collosseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. The next day we visited St. Peters Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel. It was very exciting, being able to see all these wonderful things that I had only read about in books. It was history and art, come alive.

~E.

Florence Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/1920102009Florence#
Rome Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/21To23102009Rome#

Two Week Break - Hamburg

As a break between travels, I took a train from Stockholm down to Hamburg to visit our family friends, the Albrods, for a couple of days. I had visited them earlier in the semester, too, but it was nice to see them again. My excuse was I had to gather more research for my German State project, but really, I love just hanging out with them and practicing my German, which they are patient enough to listen to. I spent the Friday exploring downtown Hamburg, visiting two museums and four churches and walking from one end of the city and back several times. Besides Reutlingen, where I now live, Hamburg is the city where, when I arrive, I just go *sigh* ahh...home. :-)

~E.

Hamburg Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/Hamburg#

Two Week Break - Ireland & Sweden

For the first part of our two week break, Hilary, Jon Larson, and I headed off to Ireland and Sweden. We took a flight into Dublin and stayed there only one night and a day. That seems like a really short time for one city and it is. But we still saw all the sights around the city: Trinity College, the Guiness Storehouse, St. Patrick's Cathedral, etc. It was really expensive to stay in downtown Dublin, so I was really happy when we took a train west over to Killarney. Our hostel in Killarney was nice and homey - and cost 10 euros less per night. Killarney is a very tourist-y town. Right behind the main church is the entrance into Killarney State Park, which is where we hiked around on Sunday. It rained most of the day, but that didn't stop us. We took the trail around the lake and over to Ross Castle, a renovated tower castle from the days of the Irish chieftans. It was really cool. For dinner we had some warm (expensive) Irish home cooking and sampled local brews.

Stockholm, Sweden, was one of my favorite ever places to visit. It was absolutely gorgeous while we were there. Blue skies, clear of clouds, and the trees had just bloomed into their beautiful fall clothing - reds and yellows and oranges. It was really cold, but that just meant we took frequent breaks for hot chocolate or coffee, ha. In the three days we were there, Hilary and I : took a boat tour around the city, walked over its numerous bridges, strolled along the water, antique-shopped in old town, visited the VASA ship museum, got lost in the north side trying to find a restaurant, and spent an evening in the Nordic Museum learning about Swedish history. It was fantastic! I would definitely go there again. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/Stockholm#

~E.

Dresden ~ October 1st to 3rd

For only two and a half days in Dresden, Jon Larson and I packed alot in! We arrived in the city late on Thursday evening and walked from the train station to Old Town where our hostel was located. We hadn't had dinner yet, so we wandered around until we found a Tex-Mex restaurant (go figure!). We shared some really awesome french fries and tried a local beer, sat there and chilled......and then we went to bed. The next day we walked all through the old town and new town (across the river). We found out later we had pretty much done the walking tour that the Rick Steves book recommends - 3 times! It rained alot, so we spent most of the day in the Zwinger palace's four art galleries: Old Masters, Armory, Sculptures, and the Porcelain Collection. Entrance to all of them was only 7.50 for a student pass, which is pretty good. I liked the Armory and the Old Masters the best, especially since I got to see a few Vermeer paintings(he's one of my favorite painters). We tried to go to the opera in the evening, but they were totally sold out, it being the premier night for La Traviata. Kindof disappointing, since apparently it was the only thing going on at all in the city that evening, other than a really weird looking play. So the evening was "exciting" - we just sat and read books and then slept. The last day we went to the VW Transparent Factory. Its this big glass building factory that produces luxury cars, with one shift a day...pretty to look at, but kindof a waste of money because of that. Then we had a long train home.......

http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/2102009DresdenDowntown#
there's more Dresden albums after this one too, so make sure you check the rest out!

~E.

"No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books." E.B.Browning

I spent Sunday afternoon in Tubingen, exploring the town and relaxing in the park before meeting a Valpo friend who is studying at the university there. Every once in a while, you just need time just to yourself....for me, that means reading, writing letters, journaling, sketching, and walking in nature. I hope you enjoy the pictures from my day
(http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/Tubingen#)

~E.

Kloster Andechs am Ammersee ~ September 26th

Sometimes there can be a bit too much of a good thing. Like hiking. I am not used to hiking this much two days in a row. But it is what we did, 1.) to save money but also 2.) because it was the only way to get to Kloster Andechs ~ a monastery that was a frequent pilgrimage destination in ages past and is known for its extremely strong beer. The only reconciling ~ and utterly wonderful, I might add ~ part to the entirely-up-hill terrain was the amazing trees along the very quiet forest trail and the view down into the city and the lake Ammersee. When we finally reached the cloister, we crowded around with other tourists to listen to a real Bavarian band play as a pair of newlyweds left the church under a shower of rose petals....a definitely unplanned surprise experience for us!! After resting our legs, we found the Biergarten nearby and tasted some of the monastery's excellent brew before heading back downtown by bus.

Since we had time to spare before our train came in, we decided to use the opportunity to go to the docks down at the Ammersee and *of course* get some gelato...and for me, buy 6 more postcards.....I think the postal system is going to get a nice look at my address this year, ha. It's a joke with my roommate and anyone else who knows about it in the group: Erin always buys more postcards than she can keep track of and postcard writing is always on the evening agenda for trips. I basically take my pen and letter-writing materials wherever I go now.....So! The lake was a pleasant change in scenery after all the mountains of yesterday and yielded plenty of wonderful pictures for my photo album. I have my personal favorites, but I hope you enjoy all the rest of them!!

~E.

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Pictures for this post: http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/KlosterAndechsAmAmmersee#

"Koenigsschlossen Neuschwanstein + Hohenschwangau + Fussen = (Hiking x 10) + (Fantastic Views x 20) " ~ September 25th

The title pretty accurately sums up today's adventure, if you actually manage to decifer the ridiculously long math equation I fabricated for it. Suffice to say, it involved *alot* of walking, but the reward was a breath-taking glimpse into the region's natural beauty and a view into two dream-castles.

We took the bus from Fussen up to the little tourist town at the foot of Schloss Hohenschwangau, our first castle for the day. The tours were overpriced, but unfortunately it was the only way you could see the inside of the castles, which we were *not* going to miss. The interiors of both Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein are beautiful works of Romantic medieval-inspired art. From Hohenschwangau, we hiked to Neuschwanstein first for another tour there and then over to the Marienbrueke, which gives you a view of the both castles from high atop a wood&iron foot bridge. We decided not to try to find the lake that was supposed to be nearby, and instead saved the 3,90 euros for a bus trip and took the 5 km trail up and down the mountains back to Fussen......discovering in the process a lake with swans, a clear mountain stream, and a picture-perfect landscape of moss, rocks, and early fall foliage. Breathtaking is an understatement. I was in almost constant awe of my surroundings and eventually gave up putting away my camera, with all the photos I kept making. There were also quite a few flower and leaf souveniers from the hike tucked away along the way.....

~E.

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Pictures for this post: http://picasaweb.google.com/Smilegirlerin/Neuschwanstein#

"I'm sittin' in the railway station, Got a ticket for my destination..." Fussen ~ September 24th

The advantage of taking trains everywhere on trips is that you get to see the landscape around you as it changes....and in this case, it was an amazing landscape indeed. The ride from Stuttgart to Fussen took all afternoon, but I forgot the length and boring-ness of it all, when we started to move into the farmlands of south-east Germany. The hills made me think of the Berkshires but the grass! the grass was so much greener than anything I have ever seen. The fields epitomize the idea of fertile soil. Even this late in the month, the grass is as emerald green as the the best-watered lawn you would find in summer season. And the green flows from mile to mile across the hills. And there are cows. Lots of cows. All over. But hey, if I was a cow, I'd guess want to live and graze in that part of Germany too!

We arrived in Fussen late in the evening, and since we hadn't booked a room in advance, our first item of adgenda was to find a place for the night. So......that turned into interesting experience. As we quickly found out, Fussen is a huge tourist town so it was virtually impossible to find a hotel with room for three people that costs less than 100 euros a night. We hotel-hopped from about an hour or so before one nice receptionist told us about an information center nearby where we could look up & call places. After about 4 calls, we headed off excitedly in the direction of a guesthouse that had one empty room. We forgot to remember the name of it and didn't have a map, which meant we basically went off of memory as far as location went. We walked around in circles, then went back to the information board, then walked some more up and down the same street before we found the guesthouse, 10 minutes before the owner was going to close up for the night. It was fantastic, because 1.) they had three beds 2.) it cost less than 30 euros per night per person 3.) the beds were comfy 4.) the towels looked and smelled clean, which is important after hostel experiences in that regard 5.) they had an awesome free breakfast.

Basically, we were very happy as we went off to search for dinner around town (yes, we were eating dinner at 9 pm!) We three all had local specialties for our dinner and beer selection before wandering the city, in search of a gelato place. We discover new flavors in every city we visit, and this place was no exception. Jon Larson and I both got the rum flavor and wow - it tastes sooo amazing with the mocha flavor. Yum "Mehr Eis, bitte" more ice cream please....I never tire of gelato :-) A great way to end a day.

~E.

A Cape of White Over the Morning ~ September 23rd

"Fog's rollin' in off the East River bank
Like a shroud it covers Bleeker Street
Fills the alleys where men sleep
Hides the shepherd from the sheep..."



I first thought of this song today, when I saw the fog this morning. It will take a while to get used to the fog here in Reutlingen. I woke up very early, even though class didn't start until 11 am, so I could practice the piano with the new music I had bought yesterday: Bach's Inventions. But it was strange waking up to the darkness, and then peering out my window, and only seeing faint circles of light, glowing out from the fog like cat's eyes, and the my now-familar hills shrouded in white......I walked over in the cool morning air to the building with the piano, and sat down for a hour and half of practice. I had the whole large room to myself, with its large ceiling-to-floor windows that I love so much. On one side, you have a glimpse of the town below, through the trees, and on the other, you have the path that leads into the center of the campus. It feels as if I have an audience of nature to surround my playing, and I have this feeling of quiet peacefulness when I am there, all alone but filled to the brim with the enjoyment of music. It is wonderful to find something so familar here like music for company.



"...I head a church bell softly chime
In a melody sustainin'
It's a long road to Caanan
On Bleeker Street
Bleeker Street" (S&G)



~E.

"Slow down, you move too fast..." ~ September 22nd

Slow down, you move too fast.

You got to make the morning last.

Just kicking down the cobble stones.

Looking for fun and feelin' groovy! ~ S&G

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Today was a perfect example of the suprisingly warm days an Indian Summer brings...even in Germany. The fog cleared off of the horizon a bit and the weather was pleasant enough to wear short sleeves. :-)

Tuesdays are market days downtown here in Reutlingen and I absolutely love them. There are so many vendors with fruit, vegetables, flowers, bread, meat, cheese, tea, herbs....the list could go on! I have two stands I always visit: the old-man-and-his-flowers and the couple-who-sells-olives-and-cheese-and-everything-wonderful-in-real-wooden-barrels. Yup. Today the old man's flowers were 2 bunches for 3 euros....so of course I paid the 3 euros! The old man just smiled and laughly spoke to me in thick Schwabisch German as I tried to decide which two bouquets I wanted. Ha, but they all were so beautiful. I settled on one with burgundies and creams, and another with yellows and blues and purples, and he wrapped them in twine and newspapers gave me a friendly "tschuss! schonen Tag" goodbye, as I headed over to my other favorite vendor with the striped awning. This couple has two long rows of half-barrels filled with olives&cheese, tomato&cheese, artichoke hearts&cheese&olives....etc etc...and everything is made with olive oil and a deliciously unidentifiable and unreciprocatable combination of herbs. It tastes so good as a side dish to some dense "brotchen" (rolls) with their hearty wheat and seeds...which is exactly what I had for lunch today! before heading off to class again.

Class itself this afternoon was an hour of comparing our experiences in Berlin and wherever else we went this past weekend. It was really nice to hear people's perspectives and get some insight/advice on places that I plan on going to sometime. But the highlight of the afternoon was when class got out! and four of the guys (+ Hilary) played frisbee on the lawn outside the building...I contentedly sat and read my book, enjoying my spot in the grass and watching the bugs happily look for clover. This last remnant of summer is almost the best part, because it comes by surprise and you appreciate the spontaneous day of warmth more, in my opinion. And appreciate it I did. Simple relaxation and pleasure in God's own creation. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon, for sure.

~E.

"because You Are" ~ September 21st

I awoke to the darkness and watched as the early morning sunrise revealed the hills in their misty veils. Fall is coming; the air is crisper and the sun doesn't shine as thickly. The view from my window has been gradually changing, as the trees show new golden fingertips. I was overwhelmed by the thought of our amazing God, who is ever the same yet always new. I could not help but want to lift my hands in praise, for all He is to me and how he has blessed me. Even in this land, far away from all I know, Jesus is still here for me, my best and closest Friend. ~E.

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Oh my eyes have seen your light,

And my heart has seen your way.

I'm astounded by your might,

And your will I will obey

'cause You Are

The same time One and Three.

And You Are

Omniscient Being

And You Are

Redeemer of the Day

And You Are

The Everlasting Way

I Stand upon your truth

In the glory of your day

Right here I'll stay with you

I your love I will remain

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song courtesy of my multi-musical friend J : -)

"Clear sky is turning stormy" ~ September 20th

If you feel teardrops
Falling like rain on the rooftops
If you wonder what you're listening to
This is me missing you
If you feel lonely
Clear sky is turning stormy
Lightning strikes and all you see is blue
This is me missing you
If you feel heartbreak
Distant thunder like an earthquake
If you wonder why the earth moves
This is me missing you
If you touch empty
Reach in the darkness and don't find me
Then you'll know just what I'm going through
This is me missing you

picture courtesy of Jon Larson, song by James House

"Through All These Cities and Towns" ~ Berlin I

Life's like a road that you travel on

When there's one day here and the next day gone

Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand

Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside ev'ry darkened door

Where blues won't haunt you anymore

Where brave are free and lovers soar...

There's not much time left today.

Life is a highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you're going my way

I wanna drive it all night long

Through all these cities and all these towns

It's in my blood and it's all around.......

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Hardly four days since Hilary and I got back from our first weekend trip, and we are back on the road, headed with our group towards Berlin with everything I need for 10days packed into my small black backpack and purse. A 6-hr train ride north....with a steady pattern of read, write, sleep, eat, read again.... anything to pass the time. We got to Berlin and settled into our pension hotel with just enough time for Jon, Ryan, and I to change clothes and head off to the Berliner Opera. The adrenaline from the excitement of being in BERLIN and seeing Mozart's Der Zauberfloete and the opera house!!!!....well, it gave me enough energy for the rest of the night. The opera was fantastic; I am so glad we didn't miss it due to schedule problems!!! We met some great people too, while we were waiting in line for rush tickets, and ended up going out for pizza together with them before the opera started. Wow. The opera. We got second row seats, so the singers were right in front and it was as if the whole show was only for us. The whole time, I couldn't stop smiling with enjoyment....what a way to begin the week!!!! It bodes well for the days that will follow......

~E.

Week of Classes: What We Do vs. What We Actually Learn

I. EUROPEAN ECONOMICS: Eating more gelato is a great way to stimulate the local economy and support family businesses. Suits me.



II. GERMAN LIFE & CULURE: HoHum. Learning how to use the train schedule....ummm. Yeah. We've already travelled on the train and know how to do that. Learning how to book a hostel.......that would be MUCH more helpful.



III. DEUTSCH 204: "Dies ist Professor Boffins Haus. Es ist am Morgen. Professor Boffin und seine Frau fruehstuecken..." oh wait....its lunch time....and we are at the Brixners for food, followed by a "strenous" linguistic exercise, translating a German poem. Herr Brixner: "No No!! You must make the 's' more pronounced! say 'der SCHloss in SCHTuttgarT' ...Again! Again!"



IV. ART: Hard at work here in art class. We have a very challenging adgenda, including charades. *stuffy British voice* "And here, you see a 21st century photograph, reenacting of the infamous The Rape of the Sabine Women. The use of men here instead of the statue's original three women is representative of the evolution of gender roles among today's youth. Please note the anguished expression on the lower male's face, which can be viewed as a cry against the tyranny of social bondange, whether that is from prejudice or...."

~E.
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images courtesy of Jon Larson

Our First Weekend Trip: Mainz, the Rhein, & Koblenz ~ September 4th

Basically, we are two insane travellers, to be getting up at 4 am for a 5 am train.....But it was all worth it. We arrived in Mainz around 7 am, just in time for their famously huge farmer's market to be opening up. The air was cool and you could feel the moistness that told you rain was on the way....we wandered through the streets as laughing schoolchildren rushed past with their backpacks, satchels, or shoulderbags and lunch boxes. The market was larger than the one in Reutlingen, but so much was the same. If I closed my eyes too, I could imagine myself back home, on a Saturday morning, downtown at the farmer's market in West Lafayette with Mom and Dad, and it made me homesick a bit to see the familar sight of fruit and cheese and vegetables......only to be brought back to reality when I heard the babble of German coming from the old woman with the crowded rows of flower bouquets, as she laughed with the farmer in the stall across the way. Then the brief moment of homesickness passed, after we bought our food and arrived at the ferry dock. With the beautiful Rhein stretching out in front of us, I got excited for all sights we were going to see on the cruise we were waiting in line for. All the castles!!! One after another!!! You could imagine looking out window of one and being able to catch a glimpse of the next one with hardly a strain upon the eyes. Amazing. They were all in different styles, reflective of the era in which they were built or rennovated. We also passed the infamous Lorelei - a cliff rising 120 meters above the narrowest part of the Rhein and named for one of the beautiful Rhein Maidens, who supposedly lurred sailors to their deaths with their hypnotic song. While on the boat, it finally started raining and we were very thankful we had brought long sleeves and jackets. We ended up wearing almost every shirt we had packed, so as to stay warm, and the whole wetness and cold put a damper on our enthusiasm for sightseeing when we got off the boat at Koblenz. We quickly found a museum to stop into and spent the afternoon there, away from the stormy weather, and then caught the train to Köln earlier than originally planned. This time checking into our hostel, we cared less about our feet and backs and more about getting a hot shower and dry clothes.

The Hostel Experience: such a variety. Where Stuttgart's Alex 30 was clean, quiet, and well -kept, the Köln Station Hostel for Backpackers was crowded, a bit load, and hectic in the morning. The sheets were so highly starched that we wondered if the starch was an attempt to mask poor quality or something else we didn't want to know about and we really weren't sure how the shower lights were supposed to work and where the heck the other three sleepers in the room were....It ended up being three guys: one of which was randomly from Atlanta Georga; the random guy who arrived at 3 in the morning and tried to make the first one wake up and stop snoring; and finally, the third one, who was gone all night but showed up in the morning, tried to flirt with me or Hilary when the other was in the bathroom, asked if we wanted to go to the pub with him the next night, and was amazed we weren't Swiss, since, of course, we had to be, because I had a Swiss Army backpack.....yeeeeeah. We decided we were very glad the hostel was full for the next night and we had had to find a hotel instead. Yup. Next time we're going to pay the 3 Euros extra per person for a private room with two beds. It's totally worth it.

~E.