I just booked my flight half-way home. By which I mean that I booked a flight from Frankfurt to Singapore, and it only cost me 500 Euro. Thankyou, Qantas. I'm going to meet Mum (and hopefully Jill, if she can get the time off of work) in Singapore for a few days of sightseeing and relaxing. I'm ecstatic about it all. So, I'm now counting down until March 18th. Ok, not really counting down, because time here is flying by and I'm constantly amazed at how long I've been here. But my final exam is on March 12th, and I've left a few days leeway (ok, I left a week - it pays to be paranoid!) in case of Oral exams and the stresses of packing up one's entire life (again). I plan on selling my furniture, if I can, and shipping my things home (ok, books and clothes) by freight. Things that don't suit the take-home category get donated to Steffi or Charity. Or anyone else who wants them, really.
I know it's still a bit early to be thinking about that kind of stuff but it really does affect my purchases here. Things need to either be in the "so cheap it doesn't matter" category (like bakeware and bedding) or "worth carrying half way across the world" (like books, which I'm banned from purchasing, because I have so many already). Clothes will definitely be subjected to a wardrobe cull, which is ok because lots of them are getting worn out anyway, but I also have more than enough replacement tshirts to get me through. (Oh, and can I put in a good word for certain underwear items made by Berlei and owned by nearly every woman I know? Seriously, that line lasts foreeeever.)
So, back onto life at present. I've been a bit sick this week, with sore throat, cough, crazy-high temperatures and a general lack of energy. I also had two days where my skin was sensitive and hurting, which always makes me feel a bit sour, but thankfully that's over. I should be better in a couple of days. It's definitely my own fault for not getting enough sleep lately - sometimes I forget to prioritise. But that's ok. So, I last wrote... hm, ages ago. So, I'll write about last week. The German class was nondescript and outside of that I didn't really do anything interesting. On the weekend, however, I went first to the Dom Markt, where I found curly kale (win! It's now appearing pre-shredded in massive bags, which is awesome) and bought incredible amounts of fruit. I've been eating a lot of fruit this week.
Saturday I also took the train to Muenster, and rented a bike. Matt met me at the station, and we cycled along the Aasee back to his & Tash's house. They'd baked lemon cupcakes (ohh delicious!) and I'd baked pumpkin scones and brought vegemite, so lunch was a treat. That afternoon, we all headed out to the Herbst Send (Autumn Fair)... I was wishing I'd worn my lined boots, because my feet were freezing. The weather didn't seem to dampen the kids' enthusiasm, and the bear & I had a great time on the dodgem cars (especially chasing after Matt and the monkey, in order to run into them!)... what can I say, I'm a bad influence on other people's children. I bought a sprinkle-covered toffee apple, which got eaten a couple of days later (I couldn't deal with that much sugar in one sitting), stole more than my fair share of the popcorn, and puchased a disgustingly artificial fairy floss that was nothing but disappointment. I still ate it, though, because I hate wasting food. Especially when I've paid for it. I also went on a Matterhorn-type ride, which was good fun, and got to laugh at Matt and Tash being all cute about the engraved bread boards for the kids. Seriously, cute overload. :)
So, it was nice to get back to the warm house and have a cup of tea! Dinner that night was stir-fry, cooked up by a team effort, and Matt discovered that the secret to good eggs is a sprinkle of vege stock... MSG, pure umami deliciousness. After the kids went to bed, we got to do adult things like sit around drinking wine, which is definitely up there on my list of "favourite ways to spend time". Their upstairs neighbours came around for a few drinks, which meant that the conversation switched entirely to German. I was mighty pleased that I was able to keep up with what was going on, and enjoyed listening, though at some point I got tired and probably didn't say much. All of a sudden it was 1am, and I realised that I'd been up since 6am, and that my eyes were trying to close. I slept like a coma, until the kids decided that it was time to get out of bed. I enjoyed the proximity of my mattress to the TV, and watched German cartoons with the bear without having to even get out of bed. Win.
We went down to the swimming pool (awesome Sunday routine, I approve entirely) and I got to swim some laps and enjoy being in a sub-tropical climate for a while. The pool in Muenster is nicer (and yet cheaper?!) than the pool here. No wolf whistles from the bear this time, but he did make a really loud comment about how hairy some man's "boobs" were (his choice of words! to be fair, the guy was pretty porky) and I had to try to keep a straight face, and remind him that it's not nice to comment on other people's bodies, even if they do have incredibly hairy boobs! ;)
After the pool, Matt dutifully took the kids home (Tash has clearly done a good job of the husband-training there) and she and I went for another look around the Herbst Send. I bought some sugared cashews, which were every bit as delicious and crunchy as the name implies, and some roasted chestnuts. We headed back to Fitz-house for seedy bread rolls (the best kind!) for lunch. Delicious! I could live on fresh bread, I really could. I went home in the afternoon and caught up on some sleep that night.
So, onto this week. German class every morning. Met with Manfred on Monday night, and got my job options decided. I filled out some paperwork, which I brought back on Tuesday, only to discover that I had a lot more paperwork to fill out, too. I'll have to do that this weekend. I was feeling a bit miserable all week, but am in pretty good spirits now that I'm feeling a bit better. Tuesday night I went over all the stuff that I'd gathered for Wednesday's class, and did a fair chunk of photocopying. Hopefully people actually read it so that we can have a bit more discussion next week. But the response was good, from both Manfred and the students, though I did catch myself talking a little too fast sometimes. It wasn't perfect by any means, but the last speaker of the presentation before me was absolutely dismal, which made me look pretty good by comparison. So I'm feeling better about next week. I'm going to use this weekend to write a couple of weeks worth of stuff, so that I don't have to stress about it this time. Plus now I know that the room has a LCD projector, so it's Powerpoint all the way.
Yesterday I went to bed ridiculously early, simply because I didn't have any energy. However, I didn't manage to get to sleep at all - I was just vaguing out and daydreaming, which is nice enough, except that I probably could have used the extra sleep. Steffi heard me coughing up a storm at about 11am and knocked on my door to offer me cups of tea and not-quite Vicks vapour rub. I took her up on the latter. The smell of Vicks (the brand here is Wick! hahaha!) makes me think of Poppa, because when I was a kid, he always used to have the Vicks nearby. Somehow I don't remember him smelling like that in his last few years... either he stopped using it so much, or I just grew used to the smell over the years. Either way, it helped me to breathe a little better, which is always nice.
This morning I got up early (can't screw up my routine, it's finally starting to feel normal again!) and went to the markets. Didn't buy any fruit (oranges were a bit expensive and I'm kinda sick of apples and pears after last week, haha!) except quinces, which I've simmered into soft cubes. Still undecided about what I'll make. The Quittenmus was awesome, but I feel like something with a bit more texture. Maybe quince and cinnamon muffins. Or I could just buy some natural yoghurt. Yum. Anyway, I stocked up on kale, brussels sprouts and potatoes (rare buy for me! I want to make mash, though) and a few other veg for the week. I've made a green soup (green veg) for lunch so I might eat that with some more onion baguette... which was breakfast. Tash generously donated to me half a jar of homemade harissa from a friend of theirs, because she wasn't sure if they'd use it up fast enough. I ate it slathered on bread, discovering that the best way to handle the heat was to eat it quickly, so that you only had to endure the burning sensation when you finished eating. Seriously, it was so good. I'm going to have to beg for the recipe. I could live on it.
I've rambled enough for now. Time to organise some eats, and maybe finally post a box of goodies to Kari. I finally posted Jesse's birthday present to him yesterday, so it should only be a few days late...
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Second Batch of Hamburgers... ;)
On my last day in Hamburg, I bid farewell to the shoes that I've loved for the last 4 years. You can sort of see the holes in the soles here. 
Happiness is a cup of Earl Grey and a good book, but it's also pretty cool when someone gives you a free pastry.
Hanging out with the locals. This guy was kinda cool.
Hm, looks oddly familiar. Australian, almost. ;)
Dear Daum Freres, please make me a vase like this.
This photo does the glass no justice whatsoever. Emile Galle > my photos.
Japanese print with lotus.
This is the only photo of me that you get. I couldn't decide which amazing Meissen photo to display, so I chose the worst one. So many photos of porcelain and bone china... sigh.
Someone please buy me a historic piano-like instrument, thanks.
I hung out with this guy whilst waiting for the Museum for Kunst und Gewerbe (Museum for Art and Craft) to open. Photos above come from this museum.
Outer door at said Museum, but not one to enter or exit by. Pity. First Installment of Hamburg Photos.
Happiness is Earl Grey and Truman Capote.
Ok, really I just took the photo of shoe-chocolates to send to my mother, but I'm sure that other people can enjoy the ridiculousness too.
This is the old tunnel under the river in Hamburg. So Awesome. Creepy and cool.
This is the lift used to get cars up and down from street level. Oh, the technology!
These are the statistics.
View of the Rathaus and lakes from St Nickolai Kirche.
Ruins of St Nikolai Kirche, destroyed by a bomb in WWII.
Door at Nikolaikirche. Love the wrought iron work!
This chandelier (inside the Rathaus) makes me think suspiciously of the Phantom of the Opera...
Justice stands outside a private government chamber. Oh, the irony!
Wooden door in the "Orphan's Room" in the Rathaus.
Ceiling in the Rathaus. They really were trying their best to make it into a palace.
Government chamber in the Rathaus.
Main stairwell in the Hamburg Kunsthalle.
This was just a shop display I walked past. How cute!
Gloomy skies over Hamburg's river shipping yard.
Pipe organ inside Michaelskirche.
Pure happiness on a train ride.Move down from your town to avenues near water.
I'm hanging out in my kitchen again, which seems to be the theme of this weekend. Both housemates have been away, which I've really enjoyed. Not to say that it's unpleasant with them here, not by any means. But I do like having the place to myself for a while. I'm expecting it to end any moment now...
So, I suppose I should update what's been happening. Really, I'm already tired and want to go to bed, except that it's only 7pm and I haven't finished either of the things that I said that I would. The first of those is homework, and the second is to finish a plan of both an introduction to Australian culture and the first week's session, but I'll get onto that in a moment. Needless to say, the German homework is considerably easier than my other options. Which explains why I'm backing up my computer instead of doing it, of course...
No, sadly, the computer really does need backing up. Aside from the fact that there's some music and movies that are new and needing to be saved, I've been having some troubles with my computer since the virus. First it was running slowly... so I ran two full scans (one with Malawarebytes, the other with Avast) and they each found another virus. Sigh. So, those are now gone, which has made the computer run considerably faster. However, I'm also having serious problems with it suddenly freezing. What happens is that the screen is fixed (usually completely black) but I'm able to move the cursor, just unable to move or select anything. It's incredibly frustrating, and I just have to reset my computer every time. It's mostly happening when I close it - so, when it's resuming from the 'sleep' function. It never even makes it to the password screen. It's running, and I can hear it thinking, but nothing's happening. Grrr.
I'll also lament the loss of the two-finger scrolling option, which is most definitely enabled, but also unwilling to work post-virus. How did people ever survive before? I either have to click on the page and use the arrows (faster option) or use the page scrollbar (too excruciating to bother with). It definitely takes me a lot more time to read my blog roll right now. I'm hating it.
So, my backup is about a quarter of the way through. This is going to take a looong time. It might be another late one tonight, which is a little frustrating, because I've been unable to get up at my old wake-up hour lately. Something to do with a freezing cold flat and pure darkness outside will do that to me... so this weekend, it hasn't been earlier than 8am. I'm not doing well with this getting-into-rhythm thing for class. And I feel like I've just wanted to sleep so much more, lately. I've been sleeping for 9-10 hours a night before I feel like I can get up. I think today's max was about 8 degrees, and it never really became bright. I want out.
I guess I should start from the beginning of my week. Monday was the first German class - we had Frau Scheid, in a group of 22 people (thankfully only about 15 present), with all of the GII group there in the same group. Except that those who failed, of course - and I wasn't surprised about any of them. Thankfully Mona, from Iran, made it through. I was a bit worried because I know that she only ever finished A1 (not A2, so she missed out on a lot of grammar) but she clearly worked really hard to get through. (Compared to Caner, who simply dropped out when he realised it was beyond him, but got cocky and said it was a class for idiots. At least we idiots had the guts to stick with it.) I can admire Mona's work ethic, anyway, despite never needing to work hard on anything in my life. No wonder I'm so lazy.
Anyway, there were a bunch of new people in the class. I didn't really get to know them, because on Tuesday, the first thing we were told was that our groups were splitting up. Two B2-C1 classes (my group's level) were being divided into three, of about sixteen students each. They must have had a lot of people who needed to come up a group, after the first session! Anyway, the old GII group plus a handful of others got moved into the P building, which is much better, albeit further from the pub, which is where we spend the morning break. So we have a bunch of new people, now, including a very loud Georgian ex-Au-Pair-Madchen. And our new teacher, Frau Lammers, was absolutely fantastic. Usually a teacher for Oberstufe (C1), she spoke much more clearly than Monday's teacher and just excuded 'caring'. She's with us Mondays and Tuesdays, and Frau Bartsch (from last term) is with us the other three days, so I think it'll be a good semester. I'm feeling optimistic about it, which is a definite U-turn from how I felt last term. And really, last term did, in fact, suck. Sorry to be so moronic about it, but it's true. So hopefully this one will be better. Less grammar and more vocab. Win.
Anyway, we already had a discussion on class about family-types (Single parent, traditional, both-parents-working, etc) which made me realise just how traditional the upbringing of some of these students is. And how lucky I am to come from a country that, generally speaking, gives me my rights. If I were gay, sure, I'd be barred from marrying or adoption, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff (tax cuts? visitation rights? artificial insemination? who knows!) but I'm not, so really I have it easy. The couple charged under archaic anti-abortion laws were found not guilty, which gives me some hope that women's free choice is protected, or at least possible. I did, however, get into an argument with a right-wing-fundamentalist-Christian about abortion, which proved to me that I really shouldn't let religious crazies get added to my facebook 'friends' lists. Especially not when they were a teenage mother, and clearly have enough money from parents to live overseas (plus 2-yo kid) in Germany for an exchange. Ughhh, I hate when people don't see how privileged they are. Anyway, it was a pointless argument, so I got bored and ignored it. No point in being directed to the "facts" on any more Christian teen websites, hahahaha!
So, what else has been happening? Um, I stumbled into a job. Well, really, it was handed to me on a silver platter, courtesy of Matt and Manfred. I finally got an email back from Manfred asking if I wanted to come have a chat about the course, if I was still interested in taking on a cultural component. I was actually resigned to never hearing from him again, so I was quite pleased. And a bit nervous. And a bit excited, if I'm being completely honest. I didn't want to tell anyone for fear of fucking up my chances, and I'm still a bit cautious, because I don't sign the contract until Tuesday. I don't know details yet - how many hours per week, or rates of pay. It won't be much, but it's better than nothing, and should provide a good challenge for me. So, I'll be tutoring some linguistics students in Australian culture, so that they can have some context for the linguistics that they're learning from Manfred. Pretty cool - I only wish I had longer to prepare. I don't want to do a half-arsed job about it, really. My main concern is sucking at it. My next concern is also sucking at it.
So, my conversation with Manfred actually ended up being quite long (and the poor man probably just wanted to go home to his dinner! thankfully he's much too polite to tell me to sod off, haha) and it was really exciting. I have a lot of ideas about things I want to share. I know I'm all "to hell with nationalism!" and what-have-you, but I'm still more than happy to share the things that made me who I am, in the wider sense. We are a product of our upbringing. Sure, I'm a product of my parents (which clearly explains why I'm fantastic, hahaha!) but I'm also a product of growing up in an incredibly relaxed society. My language is a product of that. So I'm hoping to be able to link the culture and the linguistics with Australia's isolation, history and cultural heritage. Fingers crossed.
I think the main problem to me at this point is that I don't have the clearest outline of what I'm doing, exactly. There's a possibility that I could be tutoring a separate session, my own class, which would admittedly be much easier. Sure, it'd be longer and a lot more work, but I could get in a bit more culture and history. Otherwise I'll be confined to a portion in Manfred's seminars, which are one two-hour timeslot per week, which leaves me with absolutely no idea as to how much to prepare. I'm also not entirely sure as to whether I can set reading tasks if I'm operating out of that kind of system, simply because I'm sure that the students will be getting sufficient work from Manfred, and I know that the context-scenario is nothing but a clever after-thought.
I have too many ideas and not enough time to focus them. Still, I have several pages of notes, a head full of incredibly funny words (thanks to friends on Fb!) and a lot of helpful links to websites. Manfred gave me a couple of articles that could be student reading, so I need to re-read and make an analysis of those. They're both good articles and have a very Australian journalistic style. I've also got some good short stories, and I'm definitely going to have to find some relevant video clips. So I have ideas by the squillion. I think it'll be easier to structure it all after I meet with Manfred on Tuesday afternoon, so that I know exactly how much time I'll have, and how much I can make demands on his lazy students. ;)
What I also need to do, in the meantime, is brush up on my Australian history... because, admittedly, it's been a decade since I studied any of that. No one tell Manfred that I didn't actually take a single course in Australian history whilst at Flinders, ok? Probably also don't want to tell him that I'm still a semester away from finishing a BA. At least he already knows that I haven't taken a tute group before. Funny, that's the thing that I find the least daunting. I can only hope they have a sense of humour, else a lot of this culture is going to be totally lost on them... or, at least, any potantial endearments that I might have as a tutor will be completely lost.
So, that's the lowdown. I've spent most of this weekend on my laptop. I stocked up at the markets on Saturday, and my new jacket did, in fact, keep me dry. I found pears related to my favourite Comice pears at the Wayville Farmers' Markets... they're a cross between Comice and Conference, and yet I can't remember what they're called. Also bought the world's largest and smallest apples - separate species. And quinces. And delicata squash, and many other veg... except no cucumber, because the price had tripled after the first frost of the season. Sigh. I'm already not into Autumn, except that sometimes when I go running, all the crushed leaves underfoot smell really good. Other than that, it can go to hell.
I've been living on a new drink, in an attempt to drink less caffeine. (I've also been buying tea at uni, which is marginally better than their terrible coffee, and leaves me with less caffeine-shakes afterwards. Seriously, how do you get so much caffeine into coffee with so little flavour?) I mix water, soymilk, and a touch of sugar or agave syrup in a pot, and add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. I could definitely drink it with just straight soymilk, but unfortunately that would go against my health-regime, and I definitely wouldn't be able to drink so much. Being able to warm the kitchen sporadically by turning on the hot plates to heat it up is one of its charms. Sure, I could just use the microwave, but I figure that being an environmental vandal through my stove, and wearing a few extra jumpers, is better than caving in and turning on the heating. Steffi said that she plans on holding out for a few more weeks, and that last year she managed until November... I'm going to try that, too. I miss my electric blanket, though!
I'm going to do my German homework... soon.
So, I suppose I should update what's been happening. Really, I'm already tired and want to go to bed, except that it's only 7pm and I haven't finished either of the things that I said that I would. The first of those is homework, and the second is to finish a plan of both an introduction to Australian culture and the first week's session, but I'll get onto that in a moment. Needless to say, the German homework is considerably easier than my other options. Which explains why I'm backing up my computer instead of doing it, of course...
No, sadly, the computer really does need backing up. Aside from the fact that there's some music and movies that are new and needing to be saved, I've been having some troubles with my computer since the virus. First it was running slowly... so I ran two full scans (one with Malawarebytes, the other with Avast) and they each found another virus. Sigh. So, those are now gone, which has made the computer run considerably faster. However, I'm also having serious problems with it suddenly freezing. What happens is that the screen is fixed (usually completely black) but I'm able to move the cursor, just unable to move or select anything. It's incredibly frustrating, and I just have to reset my computer every time. It's mostly happening when I close it - so, when it's resuming from the 'sleep' function. It never even makes it to the password screen. It's running, and I can hear it thinking, but nothing's happening. Grrr.
I'll also lament the loss of the two-finger scrolling option, which is most definitely enabled, but also unwilling to work post-virus. How did people ever survive before? I either have to click on the page and use the arrows (faster option) or use the page scrollbar (too excruciating to bother with). It definitely takes me a lot more time to read my blog roll right now. I'm hating it.
So, my backup is about a quarter of the way through. This is going to take a looong time. It might be another late one tonight, which is a little frustrating, because I've been unable to get up at my old wake-up hour lately. Something to do with a freezing cold flat and pure darkness outside will do that to me... so this weekend, it hasn't been earlier than 8am. I'm not doing well with this getting-into-rhythm thing for class. And I feel like I've just wanted to sleep so much more, lately. I've been sleeping for 9-10 hours a night before I feel like I can get up. I think today's max was about 8 degrees, and it never really became bright. I want out.
I guess I should start from the beginning of my week. Monday was the first German class - we had Frau Scheid, in a group of 22 people (thankfully only about 15 present), with all of the GII group there in the same group. Except that those who failed, of course - and I wasn't surprised about any of them. Thankfully Mona, from Iran, made it through. I was a bit worried because I know that she only ever finished A1 (not A2, so she missed out on a lot of grammar) but she clearly worked really hard to get through. (Compared to Caner, who simply dropped out when he realised it was beyond him, but got cocky and said it was a class for idiots. At least we idiots had the guts to stick with it.) I can admire Mona's work ethic, anyway, despite never needing to work hard on anything in my life. No wonder I'm so lazy.
Anyway, there were a bunch of new people in the class. I didn't really get to know them, because on Tuesday, the first thing we were told was that our groups were splitting up. Two B2-C1 classes (my group's level) were being divided into three, of about sixteen students each. They must have had a lot of people who needed to come up a group, after the first session! Anyway, the old GII group plus a handful of others got moved into the P building, which is much better, albeit further from the pub, which is where we spend the morning break. So we have a bunch of new people, now, including a very loud Georgian ex-Au-Pair-Madchen. And our new teacher, Frau Lammers, was absolutely fantastic. Usually a teacher for Oberstufe (C1), she spoke much more clearly than Monday's teacher and just excuded 'caring'. She's with us Mondays and Tuesdays, and Frau Bartsch (from last term) is with us the other three days, so I think it'll be a good semester. I'm feeling optimistic about it, which is a definite U-turn from how I felt last term. And really, last term did, in fact, suck. Sorry to be so moronic about it, but it's true. So hopefully this one will be better. Less grammar and more vocab. Win.
Anyway, we already had a discussion on class about family-types (Single parent, traditional, both-parents-working, etc) which made me realise just how traditional the upbringing of some of these students is. And how lucky I am to come from a country that, generally speaking, gives me my rights. If I were gay, sure, I'd be barred from marrying or adoption, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff (tax cuts? visitation rights? artificial insemination? who knows!) but I'm not, so really I have it easy. The couple charged under archaic anti-abortion laws were found not guilty, which gives me some hope that women's free choice is protected, or at least possible. I did, however, get into an argument with a right-wing-fundamentalist-Christian about abortion, which proved to me that I really shouldn't let religious crazies get added to my facebook 'friends' lists. Especially not when they were a teenage mother, and clearly have enough money from parents to live overseas (plus 2-yo kid) in Germany for an exchange. Ughhh, I hate when people don't see how privileged they are. Anyway, it was a pointless argument, so I got bored and ignored it. No point in being directed to the "facts" on any more Christian teen websites, hahahaha!
So, what else has been happening? Um, I stumbled into a job. Well, really, it was handed to me on a silver platter, courtesy of Matt and Manfred. I finally got an email back from Manfred asking if I wanted to come have a chat about the course, if I was still interested in taking on a cultural component. I was actually resigned to never hearing from him again, so I was quite pleased. And a bit nervous. And a bit excited, if I'm being completely honest. I didn't want to tell anyone for fear of fucking up my chances, and I'm still a bit cautious, because I don't sign the contract until Tuesday. I don't know details yet - how many hours per week, or rates of pay. It won't be much, but it's better than nothing, and should provide a good challenge for me. So, I'll be tutoring some linguistics students in Australian culture, so that they can have some context for the linguistics that they're learning from Manfred. Pretty cool - I only wish I had longer to prepare. I don't want to do a half-arsed job about it, really. My main concern is sucking at it. My next concern is also sucking at it.
So, my conversation with Manfred actually ended up being quite long (and the poor man probably just wanted to go home to his dinner! thankfully he's much too polite to tell me to sod off, haha) and it was really exciting. I have a lot of ideas about things I want to share. I know I'm all "to hell with nationalism!" and what-have-you, but I'm still more than happy to share the things that made me who I am, in the wider sense. We are a product of our upbringing. Sure, I'm a product of my parents (which clearly explains why I'm fantastic, hahaha!) but I'm also a product of growing up in an incredibly relaxed society. My language is a product of that. So I'm hoping to be able to link the culture and the linguistics with Australia's isolation, history and cultural heritage. Fingers crossed.
I think the main problem to me at this point is that I don't have the clearest outline of what I'm doing, exactly. There's a possibility that I could be tutoring a separate session, my own class, which would admittedly be much easier. Sure, it'd be longer and a lot more work, but I could get in a bit more culture and history. Otherwise I'll be confined to a portion in Manfred's seminars, which are one two-hour timeslot per week, which leaves me with absolutely no idea as to how much to prepare. I'm also not entirely sure as to whether I can set reading tasks if I'm operating out of that kind of system, simply because I'm sure that the students will be getting sufficient work from Manfred, and I know that the context-scenario is nothing but a clever after-thought.
I have too many ideas and not enough time to focus them. Still, I have several pages of notes, a head full of incredibly funny words (thanks to friends on Fb!) and a lot of helpful links to websites. Manfred gave me a couple of articles that could be student reading, so I need to re-read and make an analysis of those. They're both good articles and have a very Australian journalistic style. I've also got some good short stories, and I'm definitely going to have to find some relevant video clips. So I have ideas by the squillion. I think it'll be easier to structure it all after I meet with Manfred on Tuesday afternoon, so that I know exactly how much time I'll have, and how much I can make demands on his lazy students. ;)
What I also need to do, in the meantime, is brush up on my Australian history... because, admittedly, it's been a decade since I studied any of that. No one tell Manfred that I didn't actually take a single course in Australian history whilst at Flinders, ok? Probably also don't want to tell him that I'm still a semester away from finishing a BA. At least he already knows that I haven't taken a tute group before. Funny, that's the thing that I find the least daunting. I can only hope they have a sense of humour, else a lot of this culture is going to be totally lost on them... or, at least, any potantial endearments that I might have as a tutor will be completely lost.
So, that's the lowdown. I've spent most of this weekend on my laptop. I stocked up at the markets on Saturday, and my new jacket did, in fact, keep me dry. I found pears related to my favourite Comice pears at the Wayville Farmers' Markets... they're a cross between Comice and Conference, and yet I can't remember what they're called. Also bought the world's largest and smallest apples - separate species. And quinces. And delicata squash, and many other veg... except no cucumber, because the price had tripled after the first frost of the season. Sigh. I'm already not into Autumn, except that sometimes when I go running, all the crushed leaves underfoot smell really good. Other than that, it can go to hell.
I've been living on a new drink, in an attempt to drink less caffeine. (I've also been buying tea at uni, which is marginally better than their terrible coffee, and leaves me with less caffeine-shakes afterwards. Seriously, how do you get so much caffeine into coffee with so little flavour?) I mix water, soymilk, and a touch of sugar or agave syrup in a pot, and add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. I could definitely drink it with just straight soymilk, but unfortunately that would go against my health-regime, and I definitely wouldn't be able to drink so much. Being able to warm the kitchen sporadically by turning on the hot plates to heat it up is one of its charms. Sure, I could just use the microwave, but I figure that being an environmental vandal through my stove, and wearing a few extra jumpers, is better than caving in and turning on the heating. Steffi said that she plans on holding out for a few more weeks, and that last year she managed until November... I'm going to try that, too. I miss my electric blanket, though!
I'm going to do my German homework... soon.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Still you carry me home, little dove.
So. I'm back in Paderborn, keeping warm under the covers, and not too long ago I got to put into practice the keeping-warm tradition that I started at Leader Street. That is, when you've gotten cold from sitting down for too long, get off of your backside, and go for a jog. Today I just felt energetic (because I'd been on trains and hadn't really done any walking or anything) so I did two laps of my usual circuit. It has nothing on Matt lapping the Aasee twice, but I did manage to keep my legs moving at a (very, very) slow jog for 40 minutes, which is twice what I normally can manage. Then I walked it out for about twenty minutes. I'd like to thank Arcade Fire for providing the background music. I'll get to the ipod in a moment... I'll explain yesterday first, so that my explanations will actually make sense.
So, yesterday was Saturday. Steffi had told me that the only Primark in Germany was situated in Bremen, and the memory of shoes for 2 pounds was enough to get me on a tram out to their small idea of a shopping mall. German capitalism, with your miniscule malls and fixed-price books, you're about forty years behind most other Western nations. The mall had two Starbucks', ugh. I had to go to Alex (another chain) for a cup of tea. What is it with waitresses and cashiers always being completely surprised when all I want it a drink? Sorry that I don't want to stuff my face with cake like everyone else, jeeeeez. Haha. Ok, so I went to Primark, getting there about 15 minutes after the 10am opening time. And boy, was it chaos.
Shoppers were frantically running around, grabbing everything that they could get their hands on, pulling clothes off of racks and trying on jackets in front of the in-store mirrors to avoid the epic changeroom queue. It was like a flock of hungry seagulls descending on a single hot chip. You'd think that they were starving parents rushing to find food for their children, the way they adopted a grab-and-run attitude to shopping. All of the clothes and accessories were stuffed gracelessly into the giant net bags that were provided in lieu of shopping baskets. I had my ipod on, drowning out everything that was going on around me, as I slowly perused the offerings (sans giant net basket). After a while, I had a couple of things in my hands, but I wasn't feeling too good about it. I knew that they were poor-quality clothes, probably made by children in some Asian sweatshop. And yet, I still queued up for a changeroom (it took the first 8 tracks of No Fun At All's album No Straight Angles before I got to the front of the line) and I still bought a couple of things.
So, that puts me back on track for being a shit person. Probably negates the awesomely good-looking, hand-made, good-quality vegan-leather jacket that I mail-ordered from Vegetarian Shoes (a UK company) that arrived while I was away. Afterwards I felt totally drained, and over shopping. I ate some greasy noodles in the food court, mixed with an awful lot of siracha to add some flavour, and then had my cup of tea away from the crowds. The way everyone was treating those clothes was so devoid of respect. If something only costs ten euro, it gets thrown in a net bag the way that I throw an apple core in the bin. They didn't care about the clothes now, and I felt like they wouldn't care about the clothes at home, either. After all, they were dirt cheap, and easily replaceable. A good deal of the shoppers were teenage girls. What is this teaching us?!
So, I ended up buying a red knitted beret and a beanie, a casual dress (to wear over tshirts - it's quite thick and warm) and a jogging jacket, which is mesh inside and some sort of plasticky (polyester?) outside. That's what I used today to go jogging... so much easier that putting my keys and my ipod inside my sports bra. You didn't want to read that, sorry. But it was nice not having a sweaty ipod and keyring when I got home!
Anyway, I caught a tram back to the city (didn't pay for any more trams after the trip out there) and wandered through a few shops and things. Sat in a little arcade and had another cup of Earl Grey - I was really thirsty, but I figured that if I was paying for a drink, then I may as well be drinking something enjoyable. Can't say much for the quality of black tea in the country, really. Hamburg and its soymilk coffees was a revelation, and now I'm back to feeling cheated. So, I went into Galeria Kaufhof, and lo and behold! Oasis had a section there. So I tried on many items on the sale rack, discovering to my obscene joy that yes, I am still a size 38 (and fuck you, H&M and other shitty stores for trying to tell me otherwise) and that their clothes actually looked nice on me. Y'know, because they're designed for young women, not for teenage girls with the figures of teenage boys. I had to stop myself from being greedy, and bought a nice top (black knit with cream lace across the shoulders) and black slim-fit business pants. I did buy a 40 in those, because they were designed to be pretty tight, and I don't like having pants with higher waists digging into my tummy when I'm sitting. I know that I won't be working anytime soon, but I really love business-wear. I mix it with my casual stuff, for the record, lest you think I'm getting all corporate on you.
So, I went back to the hostel, and put down my bags. I then walked out to the Rewe that I had visited the day before, to stock up on a few items for old times' sake. They were completely out of the TVP crumbs (think bolognese, but with TVP instead of mince) - which means that lots of people were buying it. I bought two bags of the TVP chunks and some spelt semolina. I love semolina and I love spelt, so I hope it's good. Oh, and some more of those vegeburgers, because they weren't too bad. Good convenience food, and because they don't need refrigeration, they last forever. One for the pantry, for emergencies. So, back to the hostel, where I chilled out and used the internet. I cooked vegeburgers and salad (ok, two yellow tomatoes and a cucumber, with heaps of salt and pepper) for dinner, and had lots of pumpkinseed bread. Not bad, not bad at all.
Today I got up at 6am, checked my internets (it's especially fast at that time of morning, particularly when you're in a hostel!) and had a shower. Had the "small, free breakfast" offered by the hostel - toast and jam - and an apple. Found that the tea had been topped up, and there were now 3 herbal varieties and one normal black tea, so not as dire as previously thought. I lazed about, repacked my bags (now using my green shopping bag as well) and caught my train at 10:44am. I had three minutes in Muenster to transfer trains (my IC ran late) and then finally back to Paderborn. It wasn't a bad journey, in all. Back here I unpacked, ate lots of toast and vegemite for lunch (no food in fridge) and lazed about on the internet. Read the rest of my roller-derby book, and it was awesome. Went for a run, whilst thawing out pasta sauce that I had in the freezer. Ate that on top of steamed delicata squash, which I like more than any other squash I've had here. It was incredibly sweet, and I think I'll be eating a lot more of it. I drank a litre of water post-run. Not bad. I also had a shower, because I needed it.
So, adventures over. Back to uni tomorrow, ughhhh. I'd better get ready for bed, because I'm already tired.
So, yesterday was Saturday. Steffi had told me that the only Primark in Germany was situated in Bremen, and the memory of shoes for 2 pounds was enough to get me on a tram out to their small idea of a shopping mall. German capitalism, with your miniscule malls and fixed-price books, you're about forty years behind most other Western nations. The mall had two Starbucks', ugh. I had to go to Alex (another chain) for a cup of tea. What is it with waitresses and cashiers always being completely surprised when all I want it a drink? Sorry that I don't want to stuff my face with cake like everyone else, jeeeeez. Haha. Ok, so I went to Primark, getting there about 15 minutes after the 10am opening time. And boy, was it chaos.
Shoppers were frantically running around, grabbing everything that they could get their hands on, pulling clothes off of racks and trying on jackets in front of the in-store mirrors to avoid the epic changeroom queue. It was like a flock of hungry seagulls descending on a single hot chip. You'd think that they were starving parents rushing to find food for their children, the way they adopted a grab-and-run attitude to shopping. All of the clothes and accessories were stuffed gracelessly into the giant net bags that were provided in lieu of shopping baskets. I had my ipod on, drowning out everything that was going on around me, as I slowly perused the offerings (sans giant net basket). After a while, I had a couple of things in my hands, but I wasn't feeling too good about it. I knew that they were poor-quality clothes, probably made by children in some Asian sweatshop. And yet, I still queued up for a changeroom (it took the first 8 tracks of No Fun At All's album No Straight Angles before I got to the front of the line) and I still bought a couple of things.
So, that puts me back on track for being a shit person. Probably negates the awesomely good-looking, hand-made, good-quality vegan-leather jacket that I mail-ordered from Vegetarian Shoes (a UK company) that arrived while I was away. Afterwards I felt totally drained, and over shopping. I ate some greasy noodles in the food court, mixed with an awful lot of siracha to add some flavour, and then had my cup of tea away from the crowds. The way everyone was treating those clothes was so devoid of respect. If something only costs ten euro, it gets thrown in a net bag the way that I throw an apple core in the bin. They didn't care about the clothes now, and I felt like they wouldn't care about the clothes at home, either. After all, they were dirt cheap, and easily replaceable. A good deal of the shoppers were teenage girls. What is this teaching us?!
So, I ended up buying a red knitted beret and a beanie, a casual dress (to wear over tshirts - it's quite thick and warm) and a jogging jacket, which is mesh inside and some sort of plasticky (polyester?) outside. That's what I used today to go jogging... so much easier that putting my keys and my ipod inside my sports bra. You didn't want to read that, sorry. But it was nice not having a sweaty ipod and keyring when I got home!
Anyway, I caught a tram back to the city (didn't pay for any more trams after the trip out there) and wandered through a few shops and things. Sat in a little arcade and had another cup of Earl Grey - I was really thirsty, but I figured that if I was paying for a drink, then I may as well be drinking something enjoyable. Can't say much for the quality of black tea in the country, really. Hamburg and its soymilk coffees was a revelation, and now I'm back to feeling cheated. So, I went into Galeria Kaufhof, and lo and behold! Oasis had a section there. So I tried on many items on the sale rack, discovering to my obscene joy that yes, I am still a size 38 (and fuck you, H&M and other shitty stores for trying to tell me otherwise) and that their clothes actually looked nice on me. Y'know, because they're designed for young women, not for teenage girls with the figures of teenage boys. I had to stop myself from being greedy, and bought a nice top (black knit with cream lace across the shoulders) and black slim-fit business pants. I did buy a 40 in those, because they were designed to be pretty tight, and I don't like having pants with higher waists digging into my tummy when I'm sitting. I know that I won't be working anytime soon, but I really love business-wear. I mix it with my casual stuff, for the record, lest you think I'm getting all corporate on you.
So, I went back to the hostel, and put down my bags. I then walked out to the Rewe that I had visited the day before, to stock up on a few items for old times' sake. They were completely out of the TVP crumbs (think bolognese, but with TVP instead of mince) - which means that lots of people were buying it. I bought two bags of the TVP chunks and some spelt semolina. I love semolina and I love spelt, so I hope it's good. Oh, and some more of those vegeburgers, because they weren't too bad. Good convenience food, and because they don't need refrigeration, they last forever. One for the pantry, for emergencies. So, back to the hostel, where I chilled out and used the internet. I cooked vegeburgers and salad (ok, two yellow tomatoes and a cucumber, with heaps of salt and pepper) for dinner, and had lots of pumpkinseed bread. Not bad, not bad at all.
Today I got up at 6am, checked my internets (it's especially fast at that time of morning, particularly when you're in a hostel!) and had a shower. Had the "small, free breakfast" offered by the hostel - toast and jam - and an apple. Found that the tea had been topped up, and there were now 3 herbal varieties and one normal black tea, so not as dire as previously thought. I lazed about, repacked my bags (now using my green shopping bag as well) and caught my train at 10:44am. I had three minutes in Muenster to transfer trains (my IC ran late) and then finally back to Paderborn. It wasn't a bad journey, in all. Back here I unpacked, ate lots of toast and vegemite for lunch (no food in fridge) and lazed about on the internet. Read the rest of my roller-derby book, and it was awesome. Went for a run, whilst thawing out pasta sauce that I had in the freezer. Ate that on top of steamed delicata squash, which I like more than any other squash I've had here. It was incredibly sweet, and I think I'll be eating a lot more of it. I drank a litre of water post-run. Not bad. I also had a shower, because I needed it.
So, adventures over. Back to uni tomorrow, ughhhh. I'd better get ready for bed, because I'm already tired.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Still catching up...
So, I didn't get around to writing anything this morning, so here's an account of what I've been doing. Because you all care so much, ha! I don't care if I'm filling up your feed, I need to remember these things somehow. :)
So, yesterday morning I went into the city. Got a coffee and Olive Bread from Kamps (yeah, I know it's a huge chain and I'm against huge chains, but that olive bread is phenomenal...) and wandered around a bit before taking the train the rest of the way in to town. Went to suss out where the show was, and then back to Balthasar (ok, another chain, but they have soy milk!!!) for an awesome coffee. God, I'm going to miss having someone else make me a nice (always overly-foamy) coffee with vanilla-flavoured soy. I'll never buy vanilla-flavoured soy milk myself, partly because it tastes funny on oats and I'd never use it in savoury dishes, but also because I go for the unsweetened variety. It doesn't taste quite as good as the ones with added sugar, but I like to add a touch of maple syrup to my oats anyway, and tea/coffee is strictly unsweetened. But it's been a nice luxury.
So, I went for a wander around St Pauli and Reeperbahn, but didn't end up with one of the cool skull and crossbones St Pauli hoodies that everyone was wearing. Couldn't find any good ones, actually, just cheap rip-offs. Got a coffee and sweet bun from Backfactory (what is it with me and these fucking chains right now?!) but it was absolutely decrepit. Soggy bread! I'm going to boycott Backfactory. They give me nothing but disappointment... except for the phenomenal panini rolls, but hey, I can live without. Or I can just buy bake-at-home panini from the supermarket.
I did buy a new pair of sneakers - Puma Hi-tops, white with purple trim. They were 45 Euro from a sports shop that had heaps of samples - I think they cost about 90 Euro usually. I also bought a Puma jacket, which is polyester (waterproof?) and ultra-lightweight but incredibly warm. It's like wearing three hoodies all at once, but without feeling like the Michelin Man. And it has zips on the pockets (yes!) so I can stop freaking out about my ipod on the rare occasion that I go jogging. Have to get back into that in Pb. I need to look awesome when I get back to Adelaide in 6 months, as a giant f-you to all the people who forgot about me. hahaha.
Anyway, the shoes are giving me a few blisters while I try to wear them in (with my orthotics - this is what I get for trying to do the right thing!) so I wear them with the orthotics until my blisters hurt too much, and then just remove the inserts for comparitive comfort. I wore my green tigers for the second half of today, and it was something of a relief. I hate wearing in new shoes. So, back to whatever I was talking about. Oh yeah, yesterday.
I can't actually remember what else I ate. I know that I did suss out the giant shopping centre by the Rathaus, and the nice girl with tattoos who made my cup of tea (and probably laughed at my accent, like the girls at Balthasar did, though that did get us into a very nice conversation about cities) gave me a free apple pastry. Mmm. I like getting free things with tea and coffee! I think I was stuffed full of sugar and decided just to have a sandwich for dinner, with the rest of my bread and the capsicum bruschetta spread. Probably ate some fruit too. Anyway, I went back to the hostel to put down my purchases and relax for a while.
Went to the show - the opening act, who I can't remember the name of, was incredibly boring experimental-noise-type-wank. Get off your loop pedal and play some real music. Anyway, rant aside, Red Sparowes were phenomenal. Honestly, so good: dynamic and rocking and really catchy for an instrumental band. Afterwards, I bought their latest CD, and I also bought a hoodie. I really liked the design and they had it in girls' size (though I got the last one, which was a large apparently - god help the fat girls if a Large fits me nicely!)... this is what happens when you have a girl in the band: you finally get decent merch. Tshirts and hoodies and nice designs and things that aren't designed for small boys, and in fact, even fit womens' bodies rather nicely. I was thrilled. The TopMan XS Mens hoodie that I've been wearing forever got retired (in a plastic bag at the bus stop, so someone can pick it up if they want it) with my shoes in Hamburg. Goodbye, red and black Onitsuka hi-tops... you were the best sneakers I ever owned. And probably the oldest.
Anyway, after the show I had that slightly-awkward I-don't-know-what-to-say chat with the bassist (Greg) and one of the guitarists (Emma). They were both really nice. I walked back to the train station for the S3 back to the hostel. My feet were killing me, and my shoes were making funny squeaky noises that I drowned out with my ipod. If I can't hear it, then no one else can either, dammit. I got back about one. Got up this morning about seven, then got ready and packed all my stuff up again. Paid for the hostel and caught the bus to the bahnhof. Had a coffee and a bun for breakfast, had some trashed and probably homeless guy sit next to me while I tried to have my food in peace. I generally ignored him, but it made me uneasy to have him babbling away to me. I tried the "I don't speak German" thing but he just babbled in half-English after that. Ugh. Get a fucking hint, drunk asshole. He said some nice things about my hair and made slightly creepy comments when I left, and I got to make an alarmed face at the woman who was watching the scene.
Waited for the train, then got on the train. For some reason it arrived at the station half an hour before it left, which was a pretty long layover. Anyway, it departed on time and arrived in Bremen on time. I wandered around trying to find the hostel, which was incredibly badly signposted. I think the problem was that number 50 is across from about number 17 on the other side of the street, and the streets can be badly signed. Also, the building number was about 5cms high, and recessed so that I walked straight past it. And it's the only building on that side of the street (it's really long) so I had no point of comparison. Either way, I found it about half an hour later, with aching feet. Got an internet password and discovered that the art museum here is closed until Spring in 2011. Good one, Bremen. Got into my green tigers and walked into town. Checked out the Dom, which I didn't get to do on the awful Eurobiz trip here. Checked out the crypt under it, which had 8 preserved bodies. Blackened, papery skin and eyeless sockets and modesty cloths. I enjoyed it thoroughly. :)
I went to a museum (I think it was the Kunstsammeln) on Boettcherstrasse (Anglicised spelling of a German name, it looks so wrong) and that was okayish. Only three Euro, so whatever. No photos allowed and I had to carry my bag - not allowed to have your handbag on your shoulder. It's a rule I've only ever encountered in German museums. Wandered around, checked out the zig-zag of a lake / moat / whatever. Got a cup of tea for 80c. Walked through the nice green bit along the lake-thing and eventually wandered way out of town to find a vegetarian restaurant... it wasn't open. I'd even checked the opening times beforehand. Devoed. Oh, and I did go to Rewe on the way, to get some fruit and bread and salad stuff. Also found some vegan burgers (unrefrigerated!) so bought those, so I'll be having burgers for dinner tomorrow! They also had a fantastic selection of vegan stuff and TVP, so I'm tempted to go back tomorrow and get some, just for old times' sake.
So, I walked to the sister-restaurant of the place that I wanted to go to, which wasn't too far away. The restaurant was light and airy, and the little teacups and the plates they used were fantastic. But the food was lacking. I got the day's special, because it looked good. Sadly, it was only average. Oh, it came with soup: sauerkraut soup, which I didn't like, but I was starved so I ate it anyway. I don't like sauerkraut. Give me cabbage in each and every form except for sauerkraut!
Anyway, my main was a dish with hokkien noodles, 'vegetables' (heaps of onion, some leek, and a couple of bits of carrot and bean sprouts) in a peanut sauce, with 4 mock-chicken nuggets on top. I guess it only cost 6.50, so whatever. The peanut sauce was good, but the noodles were overcooked and had broken into short lengths, which made them hard to eat. They weren't soggy, but they didn't have that satisfying chew that a good hokkien noodle should. I had a Sencha (green) tea with rosebuds, which was tea leaves and roses in a cup of boiling water, and was utterly delicious. Not bitter in the slightest. The rosebuds floated and the tea leaves sank, for the record. Because you need to know that. It came in a lovely giant tumbler, white and ceramic, with bamboo wrapped around the base for heat-insulation. I should have taken a photo - it was a marvel of minimalist design.
I caught the tram back into the city (didn't pay) and wandered through the town back to the hostel. Climbed the 4 flights of stairs, again, and ate some bread in the kitchen. Oh yeah, I was still hungry after my meal. So I had a few slices of my pumpkin seed loaf (addicted to pumpkin seeds since that pretzel) and a cup of rosehip tea. When the hostel says free tea and coffee, they mean instant coffee and rosehip tea. I'll take what I can get... but I won't be drinking the coffee. So, I've pretty much seen everything I wanted to in Bremen. The street that I walked down to get to the restaurant was actually really awesome, so I could potentially go back there tomorrow to suss it out. Or I could go to Primark... hehehe. It's the only one in Germany, so I feel a bit obliged. ;)
I'm exhausted from my lack of sleep. I think tonight will be an early one.
PS. 49 page views in the space of an hour recently... and most of them from Russia. WTF?!
So, yesterday morning I went into the city. Got a coffee and Olive Bread from Kamps (yeah, I know it's a huge chain and I'm against huge chains, but that olive bread is phenomenal...) and wandered around a bit before taking the train the rest of the way in to town. Went to suss out where the show was, and then back to Balthasar (ok, another chain, but they have soy milk!!!) for an awesome coffee. God, I'm going to miss having someone else make me a nice (always overly-foamy) coffee with vanilla-flavoured soy. I'll never buy vanilla-flavoured soy milk myself, partly because it tastes funny on oats and I'd never use it in savoury dishes, but also because I go for the unsweetened variety. It doesn't taste quite as good as the ones with added sugar, but I like to add a touch of maple syrup to my oats anyway, and tea/coffee is strictly unsweetened. But it's been a nice luxury.
So, I went for a wander around St Pauli and Reeperbahn, but didn't end up with one of the cool skull and crossbones St Pauli hoodies that everyone was wearing. Couldn't find any good ones, actually, just cheap rip-offs. Got a coffee and sweet bun from Backfactory (what is it with me and these fucking chains right now?!) but it was absolutely decrepit. Soggy bread! I'm going to boycott Backfactory. They give me nothing but disappointment... except for the phenomenal panini rolls, but hey, I can live without. Or I can just buy bake-at-home panini from the supermarket.
I did buy a new pair of sneakers - Puma Hi-tops, white with purple trim. They were 45 Euro from a sports shop that had heaps of samples - I think they cost about 90 Euro usually. I also bought a Puma jacket, which is polyester (waterproof?) and ultra-lightweight but incredibly warm. It's like wearing three hoodies all at once, but without feeling like the Michelin Man. And it has zips on the pockets (yes!) so I can stop freaking out about my ipod on the rare occasion that I go jogging. Have to get back into that in Pb. I need to look awesome when I get back to Adelaide in 6 months, as a giant f-you to all the people who forgot about me. hahaha.
Anyway, the shoes are giving me a few blisters while I try to wear them in (with my orthotics - this is what I get for trying to do the right thing!) so I wear them with the orthotics until my blisters hurt too much, and then just remove the inserts for comparitive comfort. I wore my green tigers for the second half of today, and it was something of a relief. I hate wearing in new shoes. So, back to whatever I was talking about. Oh yeah, yesterday.
I can't actually remember what else I ate. I know that I did suss out the giant shopping centre by the Rathaus, and the nice girl with tattoos who made my cup of tea (and probably laughed at my accent, like the girls at Balthasar did, though that did get us into a very nice conversation about cities) gave me a free apple pastry. Mmm. I like getting free things with tea and coffee! I think I was stuffed full of sugar and decided just to have a sandwich for dinner, with the rest of my bread and the capsicum bruschetta spread. Probably ate some fruit too. Anyway, I went back to the hostel to put down my purchases and relax for a while.
Went to the show - the opening act, who I can't remember the name of, was incredibly boring experimental-noise-type-wank. Get off your loop pedal and play some real music. Anyway, rant aside, Red Sparowes were phenomenal. Honestly, so good: dynamic and rocking and really catchy for an instrumental band. Afterwards, I bought their latest CD, and I also bought a hoodie. I really liked the design and they had it in girls' size (though I got the last one, which was a large apparently - god help the fat girls if a Large fits me nicely!)... this is what happens when you have a girl in the band: you finally get decent merch. Tshirts and hoodies and nice designs and things that aren't designed for small boys, and in fact, even fit womens' bodies rather nicely. I was thrilled. The TopMan XS Mens hoodie that I've been wearing forever got retired (in a plastic bag at the bus stop, so someone can pick it up if they want it) with my shoes in Hamburg. Goodbye, red and black Onitsuka hi-tops... you were the best sneakers I ever owned. And probably the oldest.
Anyway, after the show I had that slightly-awkward I-don't-know-what-to-say chat with the bassist (Greg) and one of the guitarists (Emma). They were both really nice. I walked back to the train station for the S3 back to the hostel. My feet were killing me, and my shoes were making funny squeaky noises that I drowned out with my ipod. If I can't hear it, then no one else can either, dammit. I got back about one. Got up this morning about seven, then got ready and packed all my stuff up again. Paid for the hostel and caught the bus to the bahnhof. Had a coffee and a bun for breakfast, had some trashed and probably homeless guy sit next to me while I tried to have my food in peace. I generally ignored him, but it made me uneasy to have him babbling away to me. I tried the "I don't speak German" thing but he just babbled in half-English after that. Ugh. Get a fucking hint, drunk asshole. He said some nice things about my hair and made slightly creepy comments when I left, and I got to make an alarmed face at the woman who was watching the scene.
Waited for the train, then got on the train. For some reason it arrived at the station half an hour before it left, which was a pretty long layover. Anyway, it departed on time and arrived in Bremen on time. I wandered around trying to find the hostel, which was incredibly badly signposted. I think the problem was that number 50 is across from about number 17 on the other side of the street, and the streets can be badly signed. Also, the building number was about 5cms high, and recessed so that I walked straight past it. And it's the only building on that side of the street (it's really long) so I had no point of comparison. Either way, I found it about half an hour later, with aching feet. Got an internet password and discovered that the art museum here is closed until Spring in 2011. Good one, Bremen. Got into my green tigers and walked into town. Checked out the Dom, which I didn't get to do on the awful Eurobiz trip here. Checked out the crypt under it, which had 8 preserved bodies. Blackened, papery skin and eyeless sockets and modesty cloths. I enjoyed it thoroughly. :)
I went to a museum (I think it was the Kunstsammeln) on Boettcherstrasse (Anglicised spelling of a German name, it looks so wrong) and that was okayish. Only three Euro, so whatever. No photos allowed and I had to carry my bag - not allowed to have your handbag on your shoulder. It's a rule I've only ever encountered in German museums. Wandered around, checked out the zig-zag of a lake / moat / whatever. Got a cup of tea for 80c. Walked through the nice green bit along the lake-thing and eventually wandered way out of town to find a vegetarian restaurant... it wasn't open. I'd even checked the opening times beforehand. Devoed. Oh, and I did go to Rewe on the way, to get some fruit and bread and salad stuff. Also found some vegan burgers (unrefrigerated!) so bought those, so I'll be having burgers for dinner tomorrow! They also had a fantastic selection of vegan stuff and TVP, so I'm tempted to go back tomorrow and get some, just for old times' sake.
So, I walked to the sister-restaurant of the place that I wanted to go to, which wasn't too far away. The restaurant was light and airy, and the little teacups and the plates they used were fantastic. But the food was lacking. I got the day's special, because it looked good. Sadly, it was only average. Oh, it came with soup: sauerkraut soup, which I didn't like, but I was starved so I ate it anyway. I don't like sauerkraut. Give me cabbage in each and every form except for sauerkraut!
Anyway, my main was a dish with hokkien noodles, 'vegetables' (heaps of onion, some leek, and a couple of bits of carrot and bean sprouts) in a peanut sauce, with 4 mock-chicken nuggets on top. I guess it only cost 6.50, so whatever. The peanut sauce was good, but the noodles were overcooked and had broken into short lengths, which made them hard to eat. They weren't soggy, but they didn't have that satisfying chew that a good hokkien noodle should. I had a Sencha (green) tea with rosebuds, which was tea leaves and roses in a cup of boiling water, and was utterly delicious. Not bitter in the slightest. The rosebuds floated and the tea leaves sank, for the record. Because you need to know that. It came in a lovely giant tumbler, white and ceramic, with bamboo wrapped around the base for heat-insulation. I should have taken a photo - it was a marvel of minimalist design.
I caught the tram back into the city (didn't pay) and wandered through the town back to the hostel. Climbed the 4 flights of stairs, again, and ate some bread in the kitchen. Oh yeah, I was still hungry after my meal. So I had a few slices of my pumpkin seed loaf (addicted to pumpkin seeds since that pretzel) and a cup of rosehip tea. When the hostel says free tea and coffee, they mean instant coffee and rosehip tea. I'll take what I can get... but I won't be drinking the coffee. So, I've pretty much seen everything I wanted to in Bremen. The street that I walked down to get to the restaurant was actually really awesome, so I could potentially go back there tomorrow to suss it out. Or I could go to Primark... hehehe. It's the only one in Germany, so I feel a bit obliged. ;)
I'm exhausted from my lack of sleep. I think tonight will be an early one.
PS. 49 page views in the space of an hour recently... and most of them from Russia. WTF?!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Finally getting around to yesterday.
So, yesterday. I slept in for a while, which was pretty awesome, but I'm going to be stuffed when I have to go to German class at 8:30am on Monday... ugh. I don't want to think about that just yet. I had my bean-salad-ish item for breakfast, plus some bread, and then caught the bus to the U-bahn station, and the train into the city. I had a coffee, and wandered around for a bit, waiting for the museum I wanted to see to open (at 11am). It was the Museum of Kunst & Gewerbe, and it had lots of very cool stuff to see. Design stuff and art and all kinds of craftwork. The new sections were phenomenal, but some sections were closer for renovation. Which was a bit terrifying when I tried to catch a lift to a higher floor, and discovered myself in the midst of renovations. (And then discovered that the stairs were blocked at the bottom, and had to go all the way back up to take the lift from the top floor.)
After that, I wandered through the city a little. I stopped and had a coffee at Balzac, which is a major chain (pretty sure it's American?) but they had soymilk! Pretty sure I got vanilla soymilk in my coffee again. Very sweet, but tasty. I sat and read some more of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is my go-to book for coffee-time. When my feet were feeling a little better, I got up and kept walking. I went to American Apparel, which was depressing because everything in there was terrible, and then to Urban Outfitters, which had a few cute things but they were generally way too expensive, or would have looked awful on me. Dear Fashion Designers, please stop designing everything for pre-pubescent teens, and think about those of us who simply don't have a waist. Haha, anyway, I did buy one top (almost dress-length, or it would be on someone shorter or skankier) which is grey. Very nice.
So, I went to Season again for lunch/dinner (about 4:30pm) and got all-you-can-eat and another delicious coffee (with the delicious free Tartufo, which I discovered cost 85c individually... free with coffee, win!). That filled me up enough that I didn't need to seek out any more food, which was awesome and convenient. Anyway, I came back to the hostel after that, hung out for an hour or so. Oh, wait, I went to Rewe on the way back, to get some fruit to munch on for breakfast (accomplished). I caught a bus back into the city to be at the show exactly at 8, which was the opening time on the ticket. Of course, the first band had already started... at 7:30. Thankfully it was The Ocean, who really sucked. :)
Then Cancer Bats, who were completely awesome. It was the kind of punk/hc that I actually like - catchy and kinda dancey and always fun. So I didn't feel so jealous that everyone in Adelaide got to see them a few weeks ago. And Jesse, being Jesse, opened for them. Typical, haha. Anyway, The Dillinger Escape Plan played next. They were good, solid, but I found it a bit pretentious. The whole light show thing was completely overdone, and while it was good to watch (except for massive sections with strobe and floodlights in our eyes, ughhh) it just didn't strike a chord with me. But they ended on 43% Burnt, which was the only song I really wanted to see, so that was good. Encores seem to be the order of the day, here. It's expected that a crowd will call for them, and the crowds do. The sound guys don't even put the music back on until after the encore, so really, they're the ones who facilitate the whole thing.
So, afterwards I walked to the Bahnhof and bought a cup of tea (but received a cup of coffee, as I realised a few minutes later when it was cool enough for me to take a sip). Caught the bus back here a little after 11pm, and was back by midnight. Snacked on fruit and went to sleep. This morning I was supposed to get up earlier to get back into the routine, but I just kept turning my alarm off because I was sleepy. I ended up getting up just after 8am, which I suppose is okay, really, because I'll probably have a late night tonight. Red Sparowes playing - I'd better suss out today exactly where the venue is. Might do that this morning. It's grey and drizzly out, but should clear to just cloudy. I hope so. I could use a coffee... might have to arrange that one, as soon as I've tried to make my hair presentable. It's a long shot.
After that, I wandered through the city a little. I stopped and had a coffee at Balzac, which is a major chain (pretty sure it's American?) but they had soymilk! Pretty sure I got vanilla soymilk in my coffee again. Very sweet, but tasty. I sat and read some more of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is my go-to book for coffee-time. When my feet were feeling a little better, I got up and kept walking. I went to American Apparel, which was depressing because everything in there was terrible, and then to Urban Outfitters, which had a few cute things but they were generally way too expensive, or would have looked awful on me. Dear Fashion Designers, please stop designing everything for pre-pubescent teens, and think about those of us who simply don't have a waist. Haha, anyway, I did buy one top (almost dress-length, or it would be on someone shorter or skankier) which is grey. Very nice.
So, I went to Season again for lunch/dinner (about 4:30pm) and got all-you-can-eat and another delicious coffee (with the delicious free Tartufo, which I discovered cost 85c individually... free with coffee, win!). That filled me up enough that I didn't need to seek out any more food, which was awesome and convenient. Anyway, I came back to the hostel after that, hung out for an hour or so. Oh, wait, I went to Rewe on the way back, to get some fruit to munch on for breakfast (accomplished). I caught a bus back into the city to be at the show exactly at 8, which was the opening time on the ticket. Of course, the first band had already started... at 7:30. Thankfully it was The Ocean, who really sucked. :)
Then Cancer Bats, who were completely awesome. It was the kind of punk/hc that I actually like - catchy and kinda dancey and always fun. So I didn't feel so jealous that everyone in Adelaide got to see them a few weeks ago. And Jesse, being Jesse, opened for them. Typical, haha. Anyway, The Dillinger Escape Plan played next. They were good, solid, but I found it a bit pretentious. The whole light show thing was completely overdone, and while it was good to watch (except for massive sections with strobe and floodlights in our eyes, ughhh) it just didn't strike a chord with me. But they ended on 43% Burnt, which was the only song I really wanted to see, so that was good. Encores seem to be the order of the day, here. It's expected that a crowd will call for them, and the crowds do. The sound guys don't even put the music back on until after the encore, so really, they're the ones who facilitate the whole thing.
So, afterwards I walked to the Bahnhof and bought a cup of tea (but received a cup of coffee, as I realised a few minutes later when it was cool enough for me to take a sip). Caught the bus back here a little after 11pm, and was back by midnight. Snacked on fruit and went to sleep. This morning I was supposed to get up earlier to get back into the routine, but I just kept turning my alarm off because I was sleepy. I ended up getting up just after 8am, which I suppose is okay, really, because I'll probably have a late night tonight. Red Sparowes playing - I'd better suss out today exactly where the venue is. Might do that this morning. It's grey and drizzly out, but should clear to just cloudy. I hope so. I could use a coffee... might have to arrange that one, as soon as I've tried to make my hair presentable. It's a long shot.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Enjoying Hamburg...
Ok, I'd like to add Hamburg as the second entry in my list of "Cities in Germany where I think I'd quite like to live." Berlin is the first, of course, and Cologne is the third. Notice something? Oh yeah, big cities, descending in terms of size. I think I'm making my preferences clear here. But there's lot of punk kids on the streets, which makes me feel safe. If I see a group of kids listening to hip-hop or dance music or something, and being loud and arrogant, then I'm immediately on guard. From experience, I know that they're likely to be the ones to pick a fight... especially against my friends, who generally seem to be (sometimes-ex) punk/hardcore kids. But if I see a group of crusty kids doing the same thing, it doesn't phase me. Strange, how these things work. So seeing kids like that in a city makes me feel immediately at home: something I can probably refer to as the "Prague-effect" - because that's definitely what made me love Prague within hours of being there. Sometimes places just feel more relaxed. Here is like that.
So, I've got 15 minutes before I go to catch the train into the city. It's a longer walk than the bus, but so much faster. So I'll have a quick recount of yesterday: I got up about 7am ish, and didn't bother eating breakfast. I think that had something to do with the massive Thai dinner. I went into the city, sussing out the train line for the first time (it gets an 'A+') and heading straight to the Kunsthalle (Art Museum). It was pretty big and definitely interesting, so I spent two hours there. I like wandering around in art museums, I just find it relaxing. Plus it had some awesome post-impressionist stuff, and a room with Monet and Degas and a Van Gogh that I'd never seen before, so that made me like it all the more. I went to Season for lunch, which is a vegetarian buffet place. It's light and airy and has cute decor, and all the vegan dishes are clearly labelled. Slim pickings for dessert, but there were a few warm dishes and heaps of salads. I stuffed myself on the all-you-can-eat option, simply because then I could get soup too. I did go back for seconds, you'll be pleased to know. And I had a coffee with soymilk! Oh, the joys. Pretty sure they used vanilla soymilk. It was tasty, but really sweet. And the little chocolate (also vegan) that came with it was to die for... I brought home today's wrapper (I'll get to that later) so I can track them down. Tartufo, you will be mine.
After lunch I went on a tour of the Rathaus, which only cost me 2 Euro and was actually really interesting. The building was really interesting and some of the design features were pretty cool. The guide repeated things a bit much, but he was entertaining, and was clearly trying to keep us all involved, so he gets points for that. A few mis-interpretations (he once called paintings "buildings" by accident - the German word for picture is "bild") made things a bit amusing at times, but no one said anything, and I was quietly entertained. Definitely more than worth my 2 Euro. I've seen bathrooms that cost that much! (Certainly never used one, though.)
I went to the St Nikolai Kirche (church) as well, to see the view from the tower and the remnants of the building. The church was destroyed in WW2 and the tower is now accessed by a lift for a phenomenal view of the city. It was a bit hazy and foggy while I was up there, and I was glad that I had my coat. I also went to the underground exhibition, which had a lot of photos of the destroyed city, plus photos of London and Warsaw after bombing raids. Also worth my 2 Euro 70 cents. Afterwards I went to the Harbour, had a look around, and walked through the very old (and cute) tunnel under the Elbe. There were elevators with wooden doors for the cars, and a passage under the river wide enough for a single lane, and two pedestrian paths. Very slow for anyone waiting to cross, I'd imagine, but incredibly quaint. The air smelled musty and damp, and it was cold and crisp. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Finally, I went to the Deicherhallen - actually no, I only went to one. The other was closed. I saw a photography exhibition, which was good, but really it was just great to see the interior of the building. It had a really phenomenal inner shape, courtesy of an interesting roof design. I could have bought a squillion books from the shop there, but decided I didn't want to lug them all back to Paderborn via Bremen. Fair enough, really. Also I'd then have to post them back to Australia, which will already be the death of my budget for an entire month. Too many books that I want to keep! Heh. Anyway, afterwards I went for a walk around the shopping district, bought Breakfast at Tiffany's (yeah, been meaning to read that forever, and it was small and light!) and sat down to have a cup of tea and read. Very relaxing. I'm definitely being a better tourist here than I've been in any other city (ok, Melbourne and Brisbane might be exceptions to the rule there). It's good to have long enough to not cram everything in, and to just chill out. I'm liking it.
I came back here via Rewe, where I bought some stuff for dinner - salady items, actually. Plus a half-load of pumpkin seed bread, and some bruschetta-spread. Yum, good dinner. I ate leftovers (tomatoes, kidney beans and the spread, which was made of capsicum) mixed together for breakfast this morning. It was like baked beans, but tastier, and more salad-ish. But I have to get going now, so hopefully I'll remember to recount today's activities when I get home. I'm also hoping that the Dillinger Escape Plan are good...
So, I've got 15 minutes before I go to catch the train into the city. It's a longer walk than the bus, but so much faster. So I'll have a quick recount of yesterday: I got up about 7am ish, and didn't bother eating breakfast. I think that had something to do with the massive Thai dinner. I went into the city, sussing out the train line for the first time (it gets an 'A+') and heading straight to the Kunsthalle (Art Museum). It was pretty big and definitely interesting, so I spent two hours there. I like wandering around in art museums, I just find it relaxing. Plus it had some awesome post-impressionist stuff, and a room with Monet and Degas and a Van Gogh that I'd never seen before, so that made me like it all the more. I went to Season for lunch, which is a vegetarian buffet place. It's light and airy and has cute decor, and all the vegan dishes are clearly labelled. Slim pickings for dessert, but there were a few warm dishes and heaps of salads. I stuffed myself on the all-you-can-eat option, simply because then I could get soup too. I did go back for seconds, you'll be pleased to know. And I had a coffee with soymilk! Oh, the joys. Pretty sure they used vanilla soymilk. It was tasty, but really sweet. And the little chocolate (also vegan) that came with it was to die for... I brought home today's wrapper (I'll get to that later) so I can track them down. Tartufo, you will be mine.
After lunch I went on a tour of the Rathaus, which only cost me 2 Euro and was actually really interesting. The building was really interesting and some of the design features were pretty cool. The guide repeated things a bit much, but he was entertaining, and was clearly trying to keep us all involved, so he gets points for that. A few mis-interpretations (he once called paintings "buildings" by accident - the German word for picture is "bild") made things a bit amusing at times, but no one said anything, and I was quietly entertained. Definitely more than worth my 2 Euro. I've seen bathrooms that cost that much! (Certainly never used one, though.)
I went to the St Nikolai Kirche (church) as well, to see the view from the tower and the remnants of the building. The church was destroyed in WW2 and the tower is now accessed by a lift for a phenomenal view of the city. It was a bit hazy and foggy while I was up there, and I was glad that I had my coat. I also went to the underground exhibition, which had a lot of photos of the destroyed city, plus photos of London and Warsaw after bombing raids. Also worth my 2 Euro 70 cents. Afterwards I went to the Harbour, had a look around, and walked through the very old (and cute) tunnel under the Elbe. There were elevators with wooden doors for the cars, and a passage under the river wide enough for a single lane, and two pedestrian paths. Very slow for anyone waiting to cross, I'd imagine, but incredibly quaint. The air smelled musty and damp, and it was cold and crisp. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Finally, I went to the Deicherhallen - actually no, I only went to one. The other was closed. I saw a photography exhibition, which was good, but really it was just great to see the interior of the building. It had a really phenomenal inner shape, courtesy of an interesting roof design. I could have bought a squillion books from the shop there, but decided I didn't want to lug them all back to Paderborn via Bremen. Fair enough, really. Also I'd then have to post them back to Australia, which will already be the death of my budget for an entire month. Too many books that I want to keep! Heh. Anyway, afterwards I went for a walk around the shopping district, bought Breakfast at Tiffany's (yeah, been meaning to read that forever, and it was small and light!) and sat down to have a cup of tea and read. Very relaxing. I'm definitely being a better tourist here than I've been in any other city (ok, Melbourne and Brisbane might be exceptions to the rule there). It's good to have long enough to not cram everything in, and to just chill out. I'm liking it.
I came back here via Rewe, where I bought some stuff for dinner - salady items, actually. Plus a half-load of pumpkin seed bread, and some bruschetta-spread. Yum, good dinner. I ate leftovers (tomatoes, kidney beans and the spread, which was made of capsicum) mixed together for breakfast this morning. It was like baked beans, but tastier, and more salad-ish. But I have to get going now, so hopefully I'll remember to recount today's activities when I get home. I'm also hoping that the Dillinger Escape Plan are good...
Monday, October 4, 2010
When I walk, I run...
It's appropriate that I quoted Polar Bear Club's song Chasing Hamburg for this title, seeing as that's where I am. I've just got it in my head now because I had to reply to Matt's facebook message with another video post (I'm a fan of video-conversation) and of course I had to find a video... which was hard, and gave me a choice of two, and he's not singing terribly well in either. Such is life. I do confess that without that song, my interest in Hamburg probably wouldn't have been stirred enough to get me here. I'm glad that it was - seems pretty cool here.
So, this morning I got up early. Train at 9:15am to Hannover, then an ICE to Hamburg. I got one of those deluxe shiny-new ones, which I totally loved. I sat alone in a "quiet area" - which, of course, ruled. Ate an amazing pretzel covered in pumpkin seeds, bought from some organic/health food shop in Hannover Hbf, and drank the standard overpriced on-train coffee. It was a really pleasant journey, actually, and I probably could have stayed on the train for a lot longer if I'd needed to. But I got off at Hamburg Hbf (the train finished at Hamburg-Altona, so there wasn't exactly any point in staying on, hahaha) and dealt with an only-just-helpful lady at the tourist office. I got a map and my travel pass (gives me discount to museums etc, too) for four days. Almost wish I hadn't bought it, because no one has checked it, and you don't need to scan it to get into the subway system. Oh well.
I caught the bus to the hostel, which is a fair way out of the city centre (though it's much faster on the train). However, my room is really nice and spotlessly clean, plus there's extras like free Wifi in all rooms, and cable tv. The tv is on at the moment, to some badly dubbed detective show, more because I'm listening to the people who tell me I need to hear more German. I'm exhausted though, so I don't think it'll stay on for long. Anyway, I saw the Michel church, a bit of the red light district (was too early to see hookers flaunting their wares, thankfully - did see a few walking about with their groceries, etc). After my Amsterdam experience of seeing one of the girls I was with having a boob grabbed by a (female) prostitute, I'm not keen to go strolling alone. The area around St Pauli is pretty cool, though, and definitely warrants another (daytime) glance.
Took a stroll through the gardens in the middle of the city, and searched for a few vegetarian restaurants that I'd looked up online. The first was no longer in existence, or certainly not on the street that it was listed as being on, and the second was a buffet-type place that was already closed. Might go back there for lunch some other time. I went into a nearby Thai restaurant and had awesome vege stir-fry and rice for dinner. The stir-fry even had asparagus in it! The meal would have been reasonably priced, too, had I not seen the sticky rice and mango in the desserts section... I won't tell you how much it cost, but the nice wait staff did tell me that they had their mangoes flown in from Vietnam. They were the long ones that we refer to as Fillippino mangoes, and rest assured, it was the absolute best mango I've eaten in this entire hemisphere. Seriously, phenomenal. And the sticky rice was divine... even though there was no coconut milk with it. Ahhh, so full. I was starvingly hungry by the time I got back here, and ate too fast.
The room was really cold (turned the heating up but it had no effect whatsoever, I think it must be otherwise controlled) so I had a shower to warm up and now I'm hanging out under the quilt. Time to catch up on my blogs and catch up on some sleep... I'll work on being a better tourist tomorrow. Though I think I've done pretty well by talking to people in German (even though I get replies in English all the time), ordering real food for dinner (as opposed to something from a supermarket, which leaves me dissastisfied, or street food, which makes me a fatty and upsets me stomach) and even slowing down to stroll, instead of racing around in my usual style. I guess that's the joy of coming to a city without any real goal - it's a much more relaxing way to tour.
Anyway, enough rambling. Reading and then bed. So tired.
So, this morning I got up early. Train at 9:15am to Hannover, then an ICE to Hamburg. I got one of those deluxe shiny-new ones, which I totally loved. I sat alone in a "quiet area" - which, of course, ruled. Ate an amazing pretzel covered in pumpkin seeds, bought from some organic/health food shop in Hannover Hbf, and drank the standard overpriced on-train coffee. It was a really pleasant journey, actually, and I probably could have stayed on the train for a lot longer if I'd needed to. But I got off at Hamburg Hbf (the train finished at Hamburg-Altona, so there wasn't exactly any point in staying on, hahaha) and dealt with an only-just-helpful lady at the tourist office. I got a map and my travel pass (gives me discount to museums etc, too) for four days. Almost wish I hadn't bought it, because no one has checked it, and you don't need to scan it to get into the subway system. Oh well.
I caught the bus to the hostel, which is a fair way out of the city centre (though it's much faster on the train). However, my room is really nice and spotlessly clean, plus there's extras like free Wifi in all rooms, and cable tv. The tv is on at the moment, to some badly dubbed detective show, more because I'm listening to the people who tell me I need to hear more German. I'm exhausted though, so I don't think it'll stay on for long. Anyway, I saw the Michel church, a bit of the red light district (was too early to see hookers flaunting their wares, thankfully - did see a few walking about with their groceries, etc). After my Amsterdam experience of seeing one of the girls I was with having a boob grabbed by a (female) prostitute, I'm not keen to go strolling alone. The area around St Pauli is pretty cool, though, and definitely warrants another (daytime) glance.
Took a stroll through the gardens in the middle of the city, and searched for a few vegetarian restaurants that I'd looked up online. The first was no longer in existence, or certainly not on the street that it was listed as being on, and the second was a buffet-type place that was already closed. Might go back there for lunch some other time. I went into a nearby Thai restaurant and had awesome vege stir-fry and rice for dinner. The stir-fry even had asparagus in it! The meal would have been reasonably priced, too, had I not seen the sticky rice and mango in the desserts section... I won't tell you how much it cost, but the nice wait staff did tell me that they had their mangoes flown in from Vietnam. They were the long ones that we refer to as Fillippino mangoes, and rest assured, it was the absolute best mango I've eaten in this entire hemisphere. Seriously, phenomenal. And the sticky rice was divine... even though there was no coconut milk with it. Ahhh, so full. I was starvingly hungry by the time I got back here, and ate too fast.
The room was really cold (turned the heating up but it had no effect whatsoever, I think it must be otherwise controlled) so I had a shower to warm up and now I'm hanging out under the quilt. Time to catch up on my blogs and catch up on some sleep... I'll work on being a better tourist tomorrow. Though I think I've done pretty well by talking to people in German (even though I get replies in English all the time), ordering real food for dinner (as opposed to something from a supermarket, which leaves me dissastisfied, or street food, which makes me a fatty and upsets me stomach) and even slowing down to stroll, instead of racing around in my usual style. I guess that's the joy of coming to a city without any real goal - it's a much more relaxing way to tour.
Anyway, enough rambling. Reading and then bed. So tired.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Just so you know I'm completely nuts...
I went on a walk the other day. I took a plastic bag and a tiny pair of scissors.
I cut wild flowers (ahem, weeds) from an abandoned lot near Paderborn Nord.
I arranged them nicely and tied the bunch together with a ribbon. I put the bunch in a tiny red cream jug.
I'm officially one step closer to becoming a crazy cat lady.
I cut wild flowers (ahem, weeds) from an abandoned lot near Paderborn Nord.
I arranged them nicely and tied the bunch together with a ribbon. I put the bunch in a tiny red cream jug.
I'm officially one step closer to becoming a crazy cat lady.I'm off to see the Wizard...
Actually, no Wizards. I'm off to see Hamburg, as of tomorrow morning. Basically I'm just going to wander around, enjoy a city that actually has an art museum *gasp!* and eat at *gasp* vegetarian restaurants. And to think I used to slam them so badly back in Adelaide... I admit, my favourite restaurants are decidedly non-veg, but I'm finally seeing that vegetarian places have their purpose. They're totally awesome for people who suck at the local language and just want to eat something that doesn't have pork all over it. The dairy will be another matter entirely, but thankfully the word "vegan" is International. The problem is finding anyone who understands what it really means... hahaha.
So, 4 nights in Hamburg and then 2 nights in Bremen. I'm seeing Red Sparowes and the Dillinger Escape Plan on separate nights in Hamburg. I've seen Dillinger twice and they're nothing amazing, but I just miss going to shows. Red Sparowes I haven't seen, but it used to have the guy who Julie Christmas went out with as a member. He's since gone, for the record, but I think he still deserves some credit for spawning among the most destroying albums heard... that is, Sleep and Dream, by Julie Christmas' old band, Battle of Mice. Apparently all the lyrics are about him. If I were him, I'd still be having nightmares, and it came out years ago. She's about the most fucked up lyricist I've ever heard, so it'll probably be calming that she's not in this band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDYfX5D_O_w
That's a link to my favourite Battle of Mice song. Hold out for the screaming, she's got an awesome voice. It's not as cute and sweet as the first part makes you think!
Anyway, I haven't been doing anything interesting lately, so I don't really have anything to write. Just been lazing about, reading a lot (mostly on the internet, sorry!) and saving my money for my travels. There is a Primark in Bremen, after all... haha, nah, definitely don't need more clothes. I did go for a jog a couple of times this week, so maybe there's still hope that I'll fit into the old ones. I'm wondering whether to take my running shoes with me... I guess it could be an interesting way to see a city? I'm not sure if I'd actually use them. I guess there's only one way to find out...
I'll also be taking my laptop, so I won't be writing out journals by hand this time. Which is a little bit sad, because I think it's really nice to have it all written out by hand in cute hardcover notebooks... but as I discovered with Poland, as much as I wanted to keep everyone updated with what I did, I just didn't ever get around to typing it all up. We won't even mention how slack I was with photos. Oh well. Hopefully I'll be a better blogger, reformed and enthusiastic... or you might just get some more incredibly long-winded rambles. We'll see. ;)
So, 4 nights in Hamburg and then 2 nights in Bremen. I'm seeing Red Sparowes and the Dillinger Escape Plan on separate nights in Hamburg. I've seen Dillinger twice and they're nothing amazing, but I just miss going to shows. Red Sparowes I haven't seen, but it used to have the guy who Julie Christmas went out with as a member. He's since gone, for the record, but I think he still deserves some credit for spawning among the most destroying albums heard... that is, Sleep and Dream, by Julie Christmas' old band, Battle of Mice. Apparently all the lyrics are about him. If I were him, I'd still be having nightmares, and it came out years ago. She's about the most fucked up lyricist I've ever heard, so it'll probably be calming that she's not in this band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDYfX5D_O_w
That's a link to my favourite Battle of Mice song. Hold out for the screaming, she's got an awesome voice. It's not as cute and sweet as the first part makes you think!
Anyway, I haven't been doing anything interesting lately, so I don't really have anything to write. Just been lazing about, reading a lot (mostly on the internet, sorry!) and saving my money for my travels. There is a Primark in Bremen, after all... haha, nah, definitely don't need more clothes. I did go for a jog a couple of times this week, so maybe there's still hope that I'll fit into the old ones. I'm wondering whether to take my running shoes with me... I guess it could be an interesting way to see a city? I'm not sure if I'd actually use them. I guess there's only one way to find out...
I'll also be taking my laptop, so I won't be writing out journals by hand this time. Which is a little bit sad, because I think it's really nice to have it all written out by hand in cute hardcover notebooks... but as I discovered with Poland, as much as I wanted to keep everyone updated with what I did, I just didn't ever get around to typing it all up. We won't even mention how slack I was with photos. Oh well. Hopefully I'll be a better blogger, reformed and enthusiastic... or you might just get some more incredibly long-winded rambles. We'll see. ;)
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