last full day in germany.

my last complete day in germany was relatively low-key, but it turned out to be exactly perfect. after enjoying breakfast together, i got around to some reading and journaling while johannes took care of some stuff of his own. we reconvened for lunch, after which i had tentative plans to check out neighboring düsseldorf. however, johannes decided to join me for the afternoon, and instead of venturing to the rival city, we headed out to a part of köln that we hadn't yet explored.

first off, we made yet another trip to the post office so i could mail my remaining postcards (the ones i'd picked up in holland), and then continued on. the weather was gorgeous and it was super nice to just be able to leisurely walk around and talk, and not have to deal with the mess of trains and people in a hurry. johannes took me to yet another park - this one being the one where he most often goes on his runs. we ventured through and continued down more quiet streets until we reached a war memorial in the southern part of the city, which was near to the rhine.

the memorial was atop an old fort, which appears to have been taken over by teenagers in the area and serves as a hangout, a la the stomping grounds of rufio and the lost boys. for awhile we just sat and looked around, enjoying the clear blue sky and amazing temperature. then we walked a short distance to a local cafe for afternoon coffee and cake (which is one of johannes' favourite things to do) as well as people-watching (which is one of my favourite things to do).

when we finished, we continued our walk through a bizarre area of town with a whole (unexplained) system of overhead pipes. while talking, we somehow got onto the topic of video games. johannes shared his favourite adventure games with me, and once we found ourselves back at his place, he showed me videos of some of them. highlights include the freelance police and one that a friend of his created for school. but before we arrived, we happened upon the most appropriate building: johanneshaus! well...not really all that appropriate, as further research reveals that it's kind of like a halfway house. but hell, i thought it was kind of cool, at least for a photo op.

once back, the next item on the agenda was making a mixtape. seeing as how it was via a mixtape forum of sorts that the two of us initially met some six years ago, it made sense that we make a mixtape together. after throwing thematic ideas around, johannes eventually dug up a tape cover and declared that we were going to choose songs that the artwork made us think of. after a couple of false starts and a few hours, we had our tape. so the two of us did a "test run" together while johannes prepared a delicious dinner for us, which we enjoyed alongside a bottle of bogle.

for my last night, the agenda was left open for whatever i wanted to do, but the idea of wine and a movie - in this case, "grindhouse: planet terror" - sounded better than a night on the town, so that's just what we did. all in all, a near-perfect day, tainted only by the fact that the trip was almost over.