Je ne parle pas français!

Toulouse!

This past weekend I traveled to Toulouse, France, to attend the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat General Assembly meeting. I left EARLY Friday morning (I had to be at the Bonn train station by 4:31 am), and I got back Sunday night. I had a wonderful time, meeting lots of nice and interesting people, and getting to know a city I’ve never visited before in a country I am always hesitant to travel to. Here are some of the highlights and accompanying photos from my excursion.

Despite leaving so early Friday morning, I was still nervous about catching my flight. I flew out of Düsseldorf, which is normally about one hour away from Bonn. However, if you want to take a flight at 6:55 am during the week, you can either leave Bonn at 1:00 am and arrive at the airport at 2:30 am, or you can leave when I did and arrive at the airport with only one hour before your departure. I only had carry-on luggage and strategically printed my boarding passes the day before, so I tried my luck with leaving later.

I had plenty of time to negotiate Düsseldorf. I have flown into and out of this airport several times, and while I was taking Goethe Institute courses in 2010, I took a regional train past the airport every day for one month. The security line took about five minutes, and even if I had been delayed with my train this time, my flight was equally delayed thanks to fog in Munich. The sunrise on the flight made for some pretty window shots.

Airplane shot, in case you couldn't tell!

I had about 20 minutes to catch my connecting flight in Munich, which I achieved while running only slightly longer than I had hoped. In many European airports you have a 50% chance of arriving at a sky bridge. The rest of the time you take a bus to your plane that is located somewhere on the terminal. I had to take a bus from my DUS flight, make it through the labyrinth of the airport, go through the boarding gate, and then take a bus again to my plane. I was one of the last to board. Unfortunately I had a seat on the right side of the plane, so I did not have as good of a view of the Alps as those to my left.

The Alps lie in the distance.

Arriving in Toulouse was a cinch. I caught the airport shuttle bus, which was located right where I left the secured area of the airport, and in a no-nonsense “I don’t actually speak French” sort of way, I bought a ticket and weaved closer to the city center to reach my pre-reserved hotel.

Upon arrival at the Ours Blanc “Wilson” Hotel, I found I couldn’t settle into my room yet, so I took the lunch hour to finish my Nutella® sandwich and walk to all the sites on my tourism list. These photos are from those wanderings.

Near the Capitol Square. Toulouse is known as the Rose City because of all the red bricks.

Map shot!

Front side of the Capitol.

On my way to Saint Sernin Basilica - Europe's largest Romanesque church. Sorry Trier!

Inside the Basilica.

Here is the backside of the church, which includes a Cavaille-Coll Organ. I would have loved to have heard this one!

Exterior of the Basilica.

Along the Garonne River in the center of the city.

Again, along the river.

16th century Pont Neuf over the Garonne.

Toulouse is a university town with over 110,000 students. They were everywhere.

Me and Pont Neuf!

Le cupcakes francaise!

Another church in town.

My official work activities began at 15:30, when I attended a special meeting for the cooperation partners of the “VOICE” program of the ECA-EC, the big EU money maker project the federation received this past summer. That evening members presented some best practices and activities dealing with voices, followed by a children’s choir concert and dinner at the Conservatoire. I gladly embraced my pillow that night; my early start made me feel like I had just taken an international flight from the USA to Europe.

Saturday morning I attended the official business meeting of ECA-EC, as I had just recently been accepted in one of the federation’s member choirs. It was very informative to learn how this organization does business, as well as get hands on information about the previous year’s activities. Everyone had lunch together at an organic restaurant, and then we drifted off to sleep attended workshops on different topics relevant to choral singing and youth activities. During these afternoon activities I could make out the sounds of a protest taking place near our conference meetings.

The most exciting part of the weekend was the announcement of the new board members, appointed for a three-year term. These new VIPs were whisked away while we listened to another children’s choir performance and summaries of all the afternoon workshops. We dined at the same restaurant as earlier on Saturday, followed by a performance by the national youth choir of France. These students could sing! My favorite pieces they performed were “Agnus dei” by Penderecki, because I had sung this piece during college, and “Long Road” by Ériks Esenvalds. Other than the somewhat extravagant and off-putting style of the group’s conductor, it was overall a nice concert at an amazing venue (think Romanesque church filled with stadium seating). That night I hung out with two people I met during the weekend. We all got strawberry mojitos!

Sunday included another workshop in the style of voice instructor vs. conductor. The session was led by a very spirited American woman from California. Most of the weekend’s proceedings were held in English, even though there were probably only five to seven native English speakers out of about 100 who attended. Talk about feeling a little bad for everyone else that my language overtook the majority!

Before catching my bus to the airport, I attended the first pieces of a baroque concert that featured period instruments and dancers. It was interesting to say the least, even if I had to leave early.

Outside my hotel - it was located in a great part of the city, even if that meant I heard people yelling outside my window at the bar down below.

My hotel was on Wilson Place, named for President Woodrow Wilson. I must have forgotten that President Wilson's first name is Thomas, as this sign seemed odd. I don't think you would name something after this prez in the USA without including "Woodrow."

Actual view of Wilson Place.

Doggy pooping place!

The most shocking and startling part of my entire trip was that I was NEVER asked to show any form of identification. I did not show my passport or my residence permit at the airports when going through security, and I didn’t need to show anything at my hotel. I know for a fact that travelers have flown using someone else’s pre-printed boarding pass, with success. Just because the barcode on your ticket is valid, doesn’t mean you are actually the person listed on the ticket! This method is a lot easier than paying name change fees.

Hello, Alps! Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other next month and in January!

Now I have another week ahead of me, which will probably not include a Thanksgiving celebration. L

I do, however, have a surprise for all of you readers! I will share more details on the 20^th of November!

Bis dann!

New Experiences in Germany

This past week has included several German firsts for even a seasoned German traveler like myself! On Thursday evening I watched a small town’s St. Martin’s Day celebration. On this holiday, children march through their towns, carrying home-made lanterns. Traditionally, the children would sing special St. Martin’s Day songs, and some parades still end with a large bonfire and a visit by St. Martin on his trusty steed. St. Martin then tells a story about sharing his coat with someone. (I think this is the story; my “Martinszug” didn’t actually share, so I am approximating.) Kids then go from door to door a la Halloween trick-or-treating style. For more info, visit Wikipedia! To my relief, children no longer carry real candles in their lanterns. I soon saw why as I watched one girl swing her lantern stick repeatedly into the bushes…

My more exciting first experience was attending a live soccer game! I have stayed close with one of my former German host families since meeting them in 2006. Now when I fly through Frankfurt I always stop by and say hello! They are amazing! The dad and daughter have been huge Mainz Bundesliga fans for years, and they recently got season tickets. I was the lucky plus one for the game on Friday.

I took the train to Wiesbaden on Friday, had a great German meal, again inspired by St. Martin (ham, sauerkraut with pineapple and mashed potatoes)! Then my host dad and I headed to the stadium in Mainz. It was fantastic! We had to walk through the brisk air to reach the stadium, which was illuminated in red, for the team’s color. We had enough time to walk around the stadium, get the first mug of Glühwein, and take in the crowds.

Here are several interesting things about the German soccer stadium experience:

1.   There is a beer garden right next to the stadium.

2.  Season ticket holders have SIM-chip cards that get you into the stadium and can carry a balance for use at concession stands.

3.  Germans are civilized concessioneers. Food and drink at the stadium cost about the same as they would cost elsewhere. No $10 beers or $6 brats here!

4.  Fans from the opposing team arrive at the stadium by bus, they enter the stadium through an underground tunnel, and they sit together in a fenced in area of the stadium.

5.  The German soccer season runs from September to July. There is no final tournament or championship at the end of the season. The top team is determined purely by points added up from their wins and ties during the season.

 6.  You know almost exactly how long a soccer game will last. Two periods of 45 minutes with nearly continuous play. There is a 15-minute intermission. Usually you have a few extra minutes at the end of the game to make up for time taken away because of penalties or injuries. If the game ends in a tie, then there is no extra play. And that is fine! And I can mentally prepare for how long I expect to be outside, cheering in the cold!

Following the game, we headed home and enjoyed a late evening of chatting, red wine, and crackers with Sprundelkäse – a local specialty made of butter, cream cheese, and herbs. Unfortunately, Saturday was rainy and unwelcoming. I still managed to make out some of the magnificent castles that line the Rhine River between Bingen (as in Hildegard von) and Koblenz on my way home.

Sunday night I saw my first film at a Bonn cinema: Skyfall. It was good, even if I wasn't completely convinced that I knew everything that was going on, thanks to the German language dubbing. Thankfully B also saw the film on Sunday, so I could compare notes with him afterwards. I also told him about the make-up of the group I went to the movie with, in the style of a joke. “A German, Indian, Romanian and American walk into a cinema…” I haven’t come up with the second part of the joke yet.

I hope you enjoy the photos from the game!

My host dad and I before the game.

I got to borrow my host sister's jersey for the game. I was worried that I would stand out if I wasn't wearing red.

The Mainz Arena. It is located in the middle of a field, very close to a university and situated in a "fresh air" zone. Hence, the stadium couldn't block the flow of air in this area, and to compensate for the shortness of the stadium, the playing field is located 10 meters below ground level.

Inside it looked a lot like any stadium in the USA.

A picture of the stands before the start off the game. Behind the fans standing to the right of the photo, you can see the fenced in area of the Nurembourg team, the "Gegner," dressed in black.

The Mainz team logo on a napkin on the ground.

German concessions, with my selection on the top right side of the sign.

Now the stadium is beginning to fill as players start warming up.

At the start of the game all the Mainz fans sing club songs and sway back and forth holding their team's scarf above their heads. This is a view of the standing room only part of the stadium. Here most of the songs and cheers were led by energetic fans.

Opening action.

Mainz flag holder.

Playing action on the field.

Most Bundesliga games take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Friday games are the Monday Night Football exceptions to the rule. Thanks to night play, all of the soccer players cast five-point shadows under the stadium lights.

Your proof! I really was there!

We won, 2 - 1! Afterward the players who scored goals jumped up into the standing room section and sang with the fans. Then they went from side to side, bowing and thanking the fans. You can see here a few of the players who either exchanged or gave away their jerseys to the other team members.

Happy Halloween!

Greetings from a country that doesn't really celebrate Halloween!

Despite the absence of the flagrant commercialization of all things hallowed, I attempted to collect some images of Bonn and its environs, to show you all how my day was! Enjoy the photos and commentary, and have a spooktakular night!

Today I went to Koblenz. Since it was so clear, I noticed that Koblenz must be in the main flight path for Frankfurt, as evidenced by all of these flight lines!

More of the Koblenz sky.

Here is a photo from the train on my way back to Bonn. I get to follow along the Rhine on these days, usually getting wrapped up in some sort of podcast.

Another photo from above-mentioned train ride.

Here is a blurry, southern view of some of the castles near Bonn.

Bonn Center, so close to where I live!

Leaves at the bus stop.

With most of the leaves gone, I got a good distance shot of the Catholic church near my apartment.

One example of how some people in Bonn are celebrating Halloween! I think this is more because we have a regional holiday tomorrow: No work or school!!!

Pumpkins, etc. at the market.

Here is a flower stand with a few of the Rathaus in Bonn.

Even at 4 pm the vendors are turning on their lights to show off their products. I can't wait until these stands are filled with Christmas things!

Did you know that Pizza Hut is in Germany too? Kids eat free!

More flight lines and clouds, this time in Bonn.

Autumn wreaths and a dog!

I saw no Halloween decorations, only Christmas decorations!

Bonn University

Table decor at Mai Mai Thai Restaurant near the Uni.

I caught the German and EU flags "posing" for me on this windy day.

"Smoker's Guest-house: Only 18 and older allowed. Passive smoke causes the same illnesses as active smoking" That's right, kids, be sure to only be exposed to second-hand smoke whenever you walk around outside in the city!

Lots of crows swarmed my apartment!

Sunset view from my kitchen. Goodnight!