Ein kurzer Aufenthalt in Deutschland
A mere two hour train ride away from Brussels, we met up with Lars in Western Germany and spent the weekend catching up before our flight to London. For those of you who don’t know, Lars is our friend who just so happens to be a German movie star. He has been in a bunch of movies and is currently on a show called Unter Uns which is probably the equivalent of Days of Our Lives, but during prime time (people recognize him on the street). Though we had been to Germany many times, it is always nice to go back someplace where you feel comfortable and have favorite shops and restaurants. We made sure to stop at Katie’s favorite shoe store (Kämpgen – where she gets boots every winter), some of our favorite Christmas ornament stores, and of course the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral).
It’s quite a hike up to the top (more than 500 steps) up a very tightly wound spire. The spiral staircase carries people both up and down so you are constantly dodging bodies as you traverse the narrow and worn stairs. Once reaching the top, however, the view is worth it. It’s a breathtaking view over a city that (except for this cathedral) has been almost completely rebuilt since WWII.
Once we climbed down we sat by the river and enjoyed the weather. …It was at this time that we realized there were about a million bachelor and bachelorette parties going on in Cologne. The brides/grooms were of all ages and levels of rowdiness, but a somewhat common ground for everyone seemed to be the Bier Bike. For those of you who have spent summers at the Jersey Shore growing up, perhaps you remember something called a Surrey. It’s basically a multi-person bike (that looks and drives like a car) that is powered by the collective effort of several people. Take the image of a Surrey, elongate it, and add kegs and kegs of beer and ta-da! You have the Bier Bike. I think it’s a pretty great idea but of course it involves drinking in public, which for some reason the US doesn’t allow (I don’t think a “Bier Bike with Brown Paper Bags” has the same effect). In any case, it was a pretty entertaining way to pass the time until dinner.
After eating at a few great restaurants (sushi one night and Thai the next) we caught the fireworks celebrating Dusseldorf’s “Japanese Day”.
Late Sunday night, after a long game of Monopoly (in German, of course), just hours before our Monday morning flight and even less time before Lars was required to be at work, Lars realized that he hadn’t reviewed his lines at all! He had 10 scenes the next day and was completely unprepared. Like any actor would want, we launched a photoshoot to capture his true feelings at this precise moment:
And it was that image of Lars that we left behind as we packed our bags and left for the airport. London was only a short flight away and there was plenty to see and do as we continued our trek around the world. Off to London Town!
June 20th, 2009 at 18:49
Come and ride in my car.