Adventures in Deutschland / Duscheland
Over the weekend I went on my very first trip ever to Germany. My friend Wendi who I used to work with in Texas was there on her maternity leave with her German husband and half German baby, so I flew down for a visit. Here's what we did and saw...
Kölner Dom, aka the Cologne Cathedral
The Dom is the most distinctive (and most touristy) site in Köln. It kinda reminded me of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. My favorite part of the Dom was how Wendi's husband and friend were deadset on convincing us that on Sunday mornings, they clear all the pews out of the cathedral, open the huge doors, and allow people to drive in for "car church".
Praetorium, aka the Roman/Romanian Underground
Next we visited a very unassuming place called the Praetorium. It looked like we were just going to some office building, but when we snuck down some stairs we found ourselves in a basement full of Roman ruins. This place was quite confusing, because all the dates on the placards noted the date they were found, not the date they were built. Oh, and all the placards were only in German. And also, our tour guide kept calling the "Romans" the "Romanians". Despite the confusion, we were fortunate enough to be there on one of the days when the sewage canal was open, score!
Schokoladen Museum, aka the Chocolate Museum
This lady was not happy about having to wait around for these chocolates to get pooped out so she could box them up, all while having dozens of tourists stare at her. The Chocolate Museum wasn't quite like the Wonka Chocolate Factory, but it was pretty neat to see all the chocolate equipment and then eat the chocolate. There were chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate Santas, chocolate popes, chocolate donkeys, and chocolate elephants.
Pub Crawl, aka Many Tiny Beers
Drinking in Germany is serious business. We went to an awesome old traditional bar called Päffgen, where I was quickly oriented to the German way of drinking. First of all, by even entering the bar it is implying consent that you want a beer, I don't think we ever even ordered. They bring beer in tiny little glasses, and then mark on a coaster with a black crayon with the number of beers they gave you. Then once there is less than an inch of beer left in your glass, they bring you more. WITHOUT ASKING. REPEATEDLY. And that Kölsch beer is very very very easy to drink.
The other great part of Päffgen was the mystery painting on the wall. It was ridiculously dark, so it was impossible to see what the subject was. It's Juan Valdez and a donkey! It's a flying wheelchair! It's a runaway barrel from Donkey Kong!
German House Party, aka
On Saturday night, we were invited to a friend's house outside of Köln for dinner and drinks. Notable quotable quotes from the evening:
Dusche, aka Douche
Prior to moving to Europe, the word "douche" was one of the most frequently used words in my day-to-day speech. When I moved here, I got worried that people wouldn't know its literal or figurative meaning, and I really didn't want to find myself in the situation where I had to define "douche." So I had pretty much purged it from my vocabulary.
Until last weekend.
You see, the German word for "shower" is "dusche". And when Wendi arrived from their transatlantic trip and was tired, her father-in-law suggested: "Why don't you take a dusche and have a nap?" Hahaha! That story awakened all my douche synapses and got me saying it again.
Add that to the fact that Wendi and her husband use the word "douche" even more than I ever did. Wendi's husband often goes around absentmindedly singing the Elton John "That's Why They Call It the Blues" song as: "And that's why they call you...the douche."
It's safe to say that "douche" is firmly back in my vocabulary...and I plan to expand its usage to include "shower".
Kölner Dom, aka the Cologne Cathedral
The Dom is the most distinctive (and most touristy) site in Köln. It kinda reminded me of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. My favorite part of the Dom was how Wendi's husband and friend were deadset on convincing us that on Sunday mornings, they clear all the pews out of the cathedral, open the huge doors, and allow people to drive in for "car church".
Praetorium, aka the Roman/Romanian Underground
Next we visited a very unassuming place called the Praetorium. It looked like we were just going to some office building, but when we snuck down some stairs we found ourselves in a basement full of Roman ruins. This place was quite confusing, because all the dates on the placards noted the date they were found, not the date they were built. Oh, and all the placards were only in German. And also, our tour guide kept calling the "Romans" the "Romanians". Despite the confusion, we were fortunate enough to be there on one of the days when the sewage canal was open, score!
Schokoladen Museum, aka the Chocolate Museum
This lady was not happy about having to wait around for these chocolates to get pooped out so she could box them up, all while having dozens of tourists stare at her. The Chocolate Museum wasn't quite like the Wonka Chocolate Factory, but it was pretty neat to see all the chocolate equipment and then eat the chocolate. There were chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate Santas, chocolate popes, chocolate donkeys, and chocolate elephants.
Pub Crawl, aka Many Tiny Beers
Drinking in Germany is serious business. We went to an awesome old traditional bar called Päffgen, where I was quickly oriented to the German way of drinking. First of all, by even entering the bar it is implying consent that you want a beer, I don't think we ever even ordered. They bring beer in tiny little glasses, and then mark on a coaster with a black crayon with the number of beers they gave you. Then once there is less than an inch of beer left in your glass, they bring you more. WITHOUT ASKING. REPEATEDLY. And that Kölsch beer is very very very easy to drink.
The other great part of Päffgen was the mystery painting on the wall. It was ridiculously dark, so it was impossible to see what the subject was. It's Juan Valdez and a donkey! It's a flying wheelchair! It's a runaway barrel from Donkey Kong!
German House Party, aka
On Saturday night, we were invited to a friend's house outside of Köln for dinner and drinks. Notable quotable quotes from the evening:
- "You have a URINAL in your HOUSE?"
- "Are you lying to me? Is 'urinal' really 'pissoir' in German?"
- "When you watched the Smurfs when you were little, you supported Hitler.""
- "Do you have the word 'spray sausage' in English?"
- "Is everyone happy with the music or do you want to hear Robbie Williams?"
Dusche, aka Douche
Prior to moving to Europe, the word "douche" was one of the most frequently used words in my day-to-day speech. When I moved here, I got worried that people wouldn't know its literal or figurative meaning, and I really didn't want to find myself in the situation where I had to define "douche." So I had pretty much purged it from my vocabulary.
Until last weekend.
You see, the German word for "shower" is "dusche". And when Wendi arrived from their transatlantic trip and was tired, her father-in-law suggested: "Why don't you take a dusche and have a nap?" Hahaha! That story awakened all my douche synapses and got me saying it again.
Add that to the fact that Wendi and her husband use the word "douche" even more than I ever did. Wendi's husband often goes around absentmindedly singing the Elton John "That's Why They Call It the Blues" song as: "And that's why they call you...the douche."
It's safe to say that "douche" is firmly back in my vocabulary...and I plan to expand its usage to include "shower".
Leave a comment