On April 3rd, 2013, I set out for Bonn, a large city boasting an amazing university in Nordrhein-Westfallen, and most importantly, my friend Flo. I left Tübingen around 6pm on that fateful Wednesday night, printed temporary bahncard in hand, and fear bouncing throughout my body, unable to rest in a single location, should my fidgeting shake it loose. I had planned for a lot to go wrong on this four hour journey. First, I assumed that I somehow had not mastered the German printers with their A4 paper size and mysterious system of inserting cards, pressing buttons at random, and hoping the document came out properly.
Thankfully, on my way to Stuttgart, my ticket and provisional bahncard scanned without a problem and I found myself even seated in the proper class and location. The regional trains (generally detonated with an RE) lack any sort of reservation system. So I knew I just had to sit in the 2nd class cabins. Even standing in the first class section could get me a large fine. I would not loiter there, despite the temptation presented by spacious seats with ample leg room.
At Stuttgart, the heart palpitations began. Where was track 11? How do I get there? Unable to summon a beast which would guide me, and with my compass forgotten at home, I set forth towards the helpful sign that pointed left, stating the location of tracks 3 through 11. Stuttgart, I have determined, was set up to my liking. All the trains come in and dock. The only way to the other stations is to go towards the main building and turn left or right. There is none of this funny business of going underground, walking around confused as to whether or not 2a and 2b are on the same side when your ticket only states station 2. It is simple.
I boarded my train again and felt my heart beat quickly. Round two of ticket checks was upon me. And again I had survived. A few hours later, I had arrived at Bonn. Some evil menace tried to trick me by planting a stop with Bonn in parentheses a stop before the main Bonn train station, but I overcame this trickery and remained seated, my exhaustion winning against such forces. Upon exiting, I looked about for a giant among men. Far away, in a leather jacket, hat, and glasses, I found Flo. I thought of running, but remembered I was wearing my backpack. Besides the pain it inflicts when twenty pounds of clothes rocks back and forth whilst you’re attempting to propel your body forward, one also looks silly when running with a backpack on, as if you are a turtle that has decided to walk on two legs instead of four.
Upon reaching Flo, I met Oli, a friend of Flo’s who also studies at Bonn. We got pizza, which was delicious, and headed to Flo’s apartment where we spent the night discussing my time in Germany and the next day’s adventures. We went to sleep and awoke seven hours later, exhausted and excited. I had brötchen for the first time, which reminded me of a Bertucci’s roll, but better. Crunchy outside with a soft center. I smothered mine in nutoka, a nutella like substance, and even tried this weird sausage/wurst like spread. I think it would have tasted better heated, but I don’t think that is traditionally how one eats that spread.
We wandered through Bonn and I saw the University, which is essentially a cool palace/castle. We then meandered around the Rhein. Flo pointed out the mountains where Snow White supposedly lived. I then began plotting an adventure which would lead us to her house, but then realized time did not allow such a feat, at least not then. We went to a museum on German history and the American Way in Bonn. It was interesting to compared East and West German culture and how America impacted it. It expanded upon what I learned in my Germany Today course about how West Germany felt initially isolated when the wall went up, but then how it almost inverted with the East Germans feeling trapped, sealed off from the West.
The next day we went to a cool park where I encountered massive ducks, feisty squirrels, and deer. After a long walk we returned to the center of Bonn and walked around more. We ate at a local steakhouse and I ate the first red meat since I’ve been in Germany.
On my last full day, I went to Köln. I planned on going back, so to me, it was worth it to spend more time in Bonn then Köln. Köln is MASSIVE compared to Bonn. The Bonn church, which I saw both my first and second day (once at night and once in the morning) is a third of the size of the Kölner Dom. I recommend doing a walk through the Cathedral, the treasure room, and the tower. Though the tower is very tall and you have to walk up an extremely narrow spiral staircase that makes you both dizzy and tired, it is worth it once your reach the top. The view is spectacular. You get an idea of the size of the cathedral as well as the size of Köln. If you are short on time, you can skip the treasure room. It is fascinating seeing what the old priests wore and the bejeweled cups and artifacts from as early as the twelfth century.
After the Kölner Dom, we went to the Schokoladen Museum. It is relatively close and worth it. When I went, Lindt Chocolate was showcased. You get a piece of chocolate as part of your admission ticket and then you enter the museum. It is mostly the history of chocolate, including where it originates from and how it is manufactured. You can watch people make chocolate and even custom make your own Lindt Chocolate. There’s even small greenhouses modeling the climate of the forests where cocoa beans are grown.
The tour took roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Afterwards, we got Flammkuchen. Flammkuchen is like thin crust pizza, but without any tomato sauce. Traditional or “Classic” Flammkuchen generally has cheese, a sour cream sauce baked into the crush, bacon, and onions on it. There are a few variations, but they are not nearly as popular as the classic option.
We went home and talked about different German music. I realized most of what I was introduced to in the US was fairly dated compared to what is popular in Germany. I also learned how popular US music is in Germany, which is only emphasized by my inability to find many radio stations here that don’t play a lot of English songs, which are often even written by German bands. The next day, I returned to Tübingen, having no issues with the trains at all. It was an amazing experience and I’m very fortunate to have friend who could and would show me around their city/home.
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