Ok, well again I have a few days to catch up, as I've slacked off again. Apparently my last post was Wednesday! So here goes...
Thursday and Friday weren't particularly memorable, just classes, and I think hanging out at the Seepark Friday night. But Saturday we went to Baden Baden, which was cool. It was relatively small and fairly touristy, but cute. We went for a wander around when we first got there, walking up and down hills (much to my dismay) and just generally having a look. Sadly you had to pay to see the ruins of the original Roman baths that were there, so didn't bother doing that, but like with most small German towns around here, there was lots of old, picturesque buildings.
Probably the best part of Baden Baden though was the spa. We went in the early afternoon when it was quite warm, so were quite looking forward to getting in some water. It was a really big place, with 2 outdoor and 3 indoor pools, saunas (one nude and one not) and an area with tanning lights. Of course, being a spa the pools were varying temperatures. But despite the warmth of the day even the hot pools were still good.
Then on the way home, we had to change trains in Offenburg, so decided to stop for an hour and have a look around. Weren't there for long, but it seemed quite nice. After the hour went back to get the 6pm train, only to find out it was cancelled and we'd have to wait another half hour. So we sat down on the stairs and watched all the drunk fans from a nearby football match and the police obviously here to control them as we waited. Finally the train came, so we crammed on with heaps of other people on their way home from the match. Then halfway through the trip, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, and after sitting confusedly on the still train for about 15 mins, we were all told to get off as there had been an accident further along the line and they didn't know how long until the train would be able to run again so it was heading back to Offenburg. Apparently a common form of suicide around here is people throwing themselves in front of trains as they speed through the countryside.
So there we were, standing in the middle of nowhere with about 200 other people, with no idea what was happening or how long we'd be waiting. It was interesting to see the different reactions - of course the still drunk football fans on the whole seemed to be pretty relaxed about it. Barbara, who is English, started making very sarcastic statements, Jenna started getting really annoyed, and Rebecca just sat down on the side of the road in acceptance. I found it a little inconvenient but also rather amusing - especially after the second train came and even more people were added. I bet that tiny train station had never had so many people at it before! I don't think everyone could have stood on the platform at the same time. Also the little shop at the station would have done great business, as it was still so hot that half the people from the train were crowding it for cold drinks and ice-cream. Of course the other amusing reaction was the group of Asian tourists, who decided to get a group photo in front of the second train as it sat there on the tracks.
So anyway, a few people started to trickle off, as they called friends or a taxi to come and pick them up. Then thankfully a bus came - sadly we didn't make it on that one, as there were way too many people in front of us. That was when Jenna became most amusing, plotting out the best plan to make it onto the next bus that came. A friendly German guy also told us that there was a train coming the other way that would take us to the German-French border, and from there we could get a train back to Freiburg, but luckily another bus came before that train did, so we made it onto that one and were transported to the town of Emmendingen, where we were able to take a train that was especially diverted to Freiburg for us. Altogether quite an adventure though!
Also the adventure didn't even end for Jenna when we got home - hadn't realised that a large chunk of the tram tracks had been closed for the weekend for track work, so her tram was no longer running. Luckily an old German couple took pity on her and let her share their taxi back to the street where she lived. Altogether though it rather undid the relaxing 2 hours we'd spent at the spa earlier that day!
So after our eventful Saturday, we took Sunday pretty easy - had a sleep in, then headed to the pool for the majority of the afternoon. It was definitely a day for the pool - I think around 38 degrees, and blazing! And here I thought I'd moved away from stinking hot summers, at least briefly. Surprisingly not sunburnt though, which is a definite plus!
Then today, Rebecca and I had official permission to skip class, as we went on an excursion to Strasbourg for our Deutschland und Europa seminar. It was pretty cool, I wish we'd had more time to spend in Strasbourg! Though I have to say, before I go anywhere in France again, I HAVE to brush up on at least a few basic phrases in French. I unsuccessfully tried to buy fruit at a supermarket - apparently you have to weigh it and print the labels yourself, which for some reason I couldn't do, so I ended up sneaking out without buying it. I also got a little lost at one point, when I was wandering about on my own in the free time, and was worrying about how I would ask someone for directions. Thankfully managed to find my own way back in the end though!
Anyway, we started the day with a tour of the old part of Strasbourg, which was really cool. We had a (very attractive!) French guy as our guide, who admitted at the start that his German wasn't that great. It was really good - I think grammatically he made a few mistakes, but his vocab was still really good. And it was great for me cos I was able to understand everything he said, as he spoke a lot more clearly and slowly than native speakers do. But the tour was really great - he is studying architecture at uni, so he was able to tell us all about the variety of architecture and history for the places we saw. I now know the difference between Gothic and Roman cathedrals. And the parts we saw were so old! From around the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
After the tour we then had a short break for lunch and some wandering of our own. Rebecca was pretty keen to shop, so we both headed off on our own - me to find some lunch, as by then I was pretty hungry! Wasted a bit of time being lost, which was made even worse by the fact that it was so hot - again in the high 30s. But got there in the end, and even had a brief look in a few shops.
Then after the break we went for a tour of the European Parliament, which was really cool. Of course it was empty as you can't tour the building while they're in session. But we got to walk through, and see the fifty million flags everywhere, and the rooms where they hold debates, with the headsets at each desk and rooms for interpreters lining the walls. Also saw the big room where they all sit when parliament is in session - had seen it on tv, but it was even bigger and more impressive in person! Also had a view of the European Council and European Court of Justice buildings across the water from one part of Parliament. Altogether pretty cool :) Especially the glass statue of the football/soccer ball in the entrance - the Europeans sure love their soccer!
So now got to go and do my homework to make up for missing class today. Only 4 days left! Hard to believe its almost over, when it feels like it only just started! Have only got 7 days left in Freiburg :( But then off to the main adventure of Dundee! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment