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.

a day of heights.

tuesday was a day of reaching new heights, literally. we took a train down to a new part of town i hadn't seen before, close to the zoo, where we caught the seilbahn, which is a cableway that takes you across the rhine river in boxes...i don't even know the name in english, but they used to have them at disneyland (spanning the park) and also running the length of the santa cruz boardwalk.

the view from above was absolutely impressive, and we could see the whole city, many of the bridges and the gorgeous sight of rheinpark, which runs along the riverfront on the other side of town (which johannes refers to as the "uncivilized" side). the most hilarious part of all is that the seilbahn goes over the claudius therme (a spa/bath of sorts) with a section that is freikörperkultur (or fkk, aka nudists) so if you look down below during your descent into the park, your eyes will be met with the sight of many many naked old exhibitionists.

once on the other side, we ventured through the park, which is full of flowers, plants and trees, and a fantastic view across to the other side (which is supposedly the best part of this side of köln!). along the waterfront there is also a small lot of sand, and for the sum of four euros, one is able to lay in loungers, listen to techno-y music and tan! there is even a disco ball overhead. wtf. so euro!

our walk along the riverfront eventually led to a bridge that all the trains (national and regional) pass over on the way to the main city center station. lining the bridge are padlocks with names of lovers etched into them. interesting trend - like the nodern-day carving of initials into a tree. there's also quite a bit of graffiti, which is pretty standard fare in the city. each side of the bridge is also flanked with four regal statues of some kaiser of sorts on his horse.

we made our way back to kölner dom, and began our ascent to the top, a whole winding, exhausting 532 steps, which takes you 97,25 meters into the sky, which is quite high. but luckily, the view is worthwhile, albeit shielded by a chain-link fence. johannes remarked how cool it is to see things from an aerial view and realize how much empty and open space there really is below - something you don't notice when you're walking among it.

after checking out the view, we made our way down and back to johannes' house for lunch, after which i took a nap and he headed to the university for a lecture on anesthesia, followed by a run (although that was cut short by the surprise onslaught of rain). so we had dinner and then spent the rest of the evening completing the music exchange!

so i've been busy...

...too busy experiencing german life to email or post blogs, and for that, i apologize. it just leaves me with a lot of catching up to do.

so friday... we first began the day by going to an electronics store to get a converter, as the one i had is compatible in some parts of europe, but not germany. along the way, we were caught in a downpour of sorts, so we waited it out under the bridge until it had let up a bit. we also looked in a few record stores and kept walking until we ended up heading down to st. peter's cathedral and going inside. i realize the citizens of köln are probably or possibly not all that interested in seeing it for it is certainly, by now, rather commonplace to them, but i was overwhelmed and amazed to be in a place with such history and beauty. construction of the cathedral began in 1248, and wasn't completed for hundreds of years, and is constantly undergoing renovation and such. most recent was the addition of a new stained glass window, which features colourful pixels throughout.

and don't get me started on the organ, which is absolutely astounding! i only wish i could hear it played. but perhaps the highlight of the whole thing is the bones (or what's left of the bones) of the three kings (you know, the ones of orient) which are housed in gold shrine-like "boxes" in the cathedral (clearly, my descriptive prowess fails me). i had no idea, but i guess that's sort of the motivating factor for people to visit. so awesome! we also happened upon a crazy person talking to himself and johannes wanted to make fun of him, but i was a bit upset because i won't tolerate others talking bad about my teammates!!

next, we saw some museums housed around the cathedral, then walked along the marina and river front, all the way to the schokoladen museum! according to johannes, it is a bit boring, so we just went inside and looked at all the various types of chocolate available. we continued our walk until we reached a train stop, of which one direction would take us to the suburbs and the other, which would take us back to our resting place.

we got back and had some time to wind down, so we had dinner and then began the pillaging of my hard drive over a couple beers. before too long, it was time to head

down to another venue, stereo wonderland, (across the street from the one the previous night) to see darren hayman from hefner. the bar was small and intimate, but quite nice, and it was my first time seeing darren or hearing any of his music really, but i loved it. he's quite a natural entertainer (and i'm glad he spoke english otherwise i would have missed a large part of the concert experience, i fear).

after the show ended, we walked back and wound down the day watching "serenity" which is an altogether interesting and peculiar movie. then off to bed to prepare for our next day.