Köln: Take 2 and 3

Hello everyone! Sorry about the lack of posting lately, but I killed my computer. I broke the hard drive, so I’m currently in the process of navigating the technical terminology of the German language. I think I have just about everything in order, and with a few creative solutions and help from my mom and some friends, it should be up and running by next week (as long as I only broke the hard drive; cross your fingers). P.S. Never in my life did I think I would be hoping that I “only” broke my hard drive. Good times. Oh well…it’s been a unique learning experience separate from everything else that’s going on.

So now that we’ve covered everything you didn’t care about, let’s get down to business: what in the world has Nate been up to for the past two weeks. Holy crap, I have some catching up to do! First of all, my uncle, Uncle Wayne, was in Köln (Cologne, where my European adventure began), and I was able to visit him on Tuesday, February 12^th! That was really awesome. I haven’t seen him for several years. He is here with his friends Rick and Kim, as well as the mentally handicapped man he takes care of, Michael. We got to explore parts of the city together, including a tour of the chocolate factory. I would be lying if I didn’t say it was quite a delectable delight! We took a tour of the factory and had dessert afterwards. No complaints there!

We then continued our bus tour about the city, hitting all of the highlights of Cologne, including the zoo and the Dom (cathedral) again. After the tour, we took a short break to get ready for dinner, and I got to spend some quality time with my uncle. I have to say, it’s probably my fondest memory thus far about being in Germany. How is it that I had to travel halfway around the world to connect with him? Haha! We then had a very delicious meal at a local restaurant, Pfäffgen Kölsch Brauhaus. Authentic German food! Wonderful! Unfortunately, I was only able to stay and visit for one day, but I have already made plans to visit them in London.

The following weekend, Matheus, his cousin Diego, and I traveled again to Cologne for the Kölner Karneval (Cologne Carneval) to celebrate. It was absolutely nuts! There were people everywhere dressed up in colorful or ridiculous or spectacular costumes. We found a square block where people were celebrating; eating stew and drinking beer and enjoying the moment. The stew was delicious and warm (thankfully, because it was freezing outside). As we ate, a band marched by and performed on a stage in the center of the area we were in. Following the marching band, a famous German band performed some of their famous songs for us (I have no idea who it was, sorry!), and people all around were singing these anthems and beloved tunes. It was quite an incredible sight.

After the performance, everyone started to head toward the Dom and the city center, so we followed the crowd. We walked around the central train station and the Dom for a while, looking at all of the costumes and soaking in the ridiculous nature that was the Kölner Karneval. We saw Power Rangers, Dragon Ball Z characters, Barbies, Marios and Luigis (even a Wario), Gorillas and Bananas, Doctors and Nurses, German men dressed up in Lederhosen and German women dressed in Dirndl. We even saw a few German men dressed in Dirndl. Anything and everything you can imagine, we probably saw. If we didn’t see it, I’m willing to bet someone there was dressed like it.

 (I'll post pictures from the carneval as soon as my computer is up and running)

We ended up finding an area near the Dom playing music with people of all ages hanging around dancing and drinking and enjoying the moment. We danced. We sang. We enjoyed the crazy atmosphere and the company around us: people we had never met before, just happy to celebrate carnival together. It was a special event to be a part of.