Inside Outside USA

for those having trouble leaving comments on the blog, i changed the options to anonymous, so everyone should be able to post without signing up for an account. but let me know if it still doesn't let you- i'm using a system of guess and check, as the browser is in german.

Tübingen was a wonderful trip. Saturday we went to Stiftskirche, a church that was built in the 15th century and still houses the tombs of nobility from within the area. It has a tower attached that gives you a breathtaking view of the picturesque city. Then we went on to the town castle, which also serves as the archaelogy and anthropology branch of the university. Our last day was composed of a trip to a petting zoo (where steph and i learned the german words for turtle, donkey, goat, parrot, etc) and a public pool. At the pool, i felt rather prudish in my swimsuit as the germans were letting it all hang out...and the things that weren't hanging out were tightly packed in spandex. One can imagine. It was only about 75°, but it was the first semi-warm weekend all summer, so everyone was packed into the pool. In Texas, we'd throw on a light jacket and shiver in the shadows, but the germans were ready for their summer to begin.

that night we took a walk downtown, stopped at a nice cafe where i had an eis-milch (which is glorified chocolate milk), and headed down to the neckar river. There we sat on a wall that had been there for probably eight hundred years and just enjoyed the beautiful night. it was very picturesque with the lights reflecting in the water, and i breathed in a sigh of relief. It finally occured to me that my hellish semester full of incompetent boobs and hectic schedule was over- my priorities had changed to sightseeing, catching trains, and finding good food at a reasonable price. It was a wonderful feeling.

I was talking to a friend of our host family's at the pub, and he was asking me about my trip. I told him about SERVAS, and how i was staying with host families. "Oh, i thought you had..." he searched for the words, "a rich father." i laughed and said no, that i was paying for the trip out of my savings, and without servas, i wouldn't be able to have taken this trip. It really makes me appreciate the generous hosts who open their homes and lives to us, and let us experience the way they live. i definitely want to become a host after this. these people are well traveled, cultured, intelligent, and extremely interesting- to be able to do something like this really is a blessing, and i hope i can repay them one day by showing them around Austin.

Anyhow, we took a long string of trains from Tübingen to Berlin, totaling around 7 hours. The Eurrail is an excellent way to travel, but of course is nerve-wracking when you're jumping from train to train. i discovered a sandwich shop chain that i love, as well as the fact that i hate bottled coca-cola here. it varies from region to region, and here it tastes very similar to diet coke.

after a while of looking at the german countryside and being bombarded with german outbursts and announcements, i decided to listen to the Beach Boys for a while. I love germany and am far from sick of it, but i get tired of constantly being out of the loop and guessing what they have to say. and what better way to recharge then listening to "surfin' safari"- or soften a heavily made up german woman's stink-eye with "wouldn't it be nice." Mainly i looked out the window and reveled in the beauty of traveling by train. if you've ever experienced a feeling of stagnation or that you're stuck in a rut, it's completely obliterated by traveling at 110 miles per hour past trees, fields, and buildings.

We're staying with a very artistic family right now in Berlin. The apartment is comprised of so many different colors that you're put in a good mood as soon as you enter. So far we've seen the remnants of the Berlin Wall, the former American Checkpoint, the Jewish Museum (which has some of the most interesting architecture i've ever seen), and the famous Berlin zoo (oooh! Eis Bären!!). Later on we plan to check out some clubs that are recommended in the guidebook, and just enjoy the Berlin nightlife. And i swear, tons of pictures soon.