How much can 25 Aggies do in 3 weeks? A whole lot apparently! 9 cities in 3 short weeks to be exact. Which sounds very hectic, sometimes it is, but the weeks have flown by. I find myself not wanting to count the days we have left till this adventure is over and we have to go back to reality.
This past week we headed over to Cologne and koblenz! We have past through cologne a few times but never went into the city. Unfortunately the weather was a bit cold and rainy. However the cathedral and beautiful city still managed to amaze me. It's breathtaking to walk into the cathedral and see all the details and work that was put into building it. We learned all about the hard work and the 600 plus years to took to complete it. During our tour I felt like I was in a movie exploring the secret doors in the walls and roof. Lucky I'm not scared of heights because we were definitely high up!
The first artifact I saw in the museum was the original floor from a wealthy party room. It's almost unbelievable that it's still preserved and intact. There where so many unique artifacts in the museum, it's hard to just write about one. I found an ancient flask that contained what looks like a hardened rock. It was labeled "kugelflasche mit salbruckstanden und verschluss aus wachs". When translated it reads "Ball bottle with salbruck stand and closure made of wax". This stood out to me because you can still physically see a chemical mixture they made from ancient times. Almost all the of other glassware in the museum were empty. The bottle still has the original cork inside it so it must have been mixed for a certain purpose. It did not explain what was once being made but it definitely caught my eye.
The city of koblenz was a sight to see with the Rhine going through it! Our tour guide for the opera house was so full of energy and knowledge. My only experience with theater was high school painting sets so I never realized how much work goes into a production. Also there are so many people that help run a show like sound producers, make up artists and craftsmen. My favorite part was the costume room! They had every outfit and shoes organized for men and women and the certain performances. They had everything from purple alien costumes to a disco ball dress. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any performers practicing. The gondola ride over the Rhine was short but sweet! The view over the river and into the hills was great. The architecture of the castle was very different from other sites we've seen. Its unique location makes it even more special. Before that day I had no idea us Americans had a hand in helping them in the war. It's even twin cities with Austin!
Now to tell about my weekend trip! To start off the weekend almost every student went to Henning's concert on Friday. I am glad to say I can check "seeing a German rock band" off my bucket list! It was awesome to be there supporting him, even waltz came with us. Although I couldn't understand most of the words, the music and atmosphere was great. We couldn't stay the whole time but it was neat seeing that side of German culture. Anne-Marie and I decided to take it easy and do a day trip to cologne again on Saturday. I can't even describe how nice it was not set an alarm for the morning. We had no worries about trains, planes or timing. Whenever we reached cologne I was surprised how different it was from earlier in the week. The city came alive! There were street performers, music and groups of people on every corner. After checking out some food places, we decided to try some California Mexican food. It was nice to eat something so familiar and yummy! With all the street activities we were occupied for hours going from store to store. At the end of the night we grabbed a beer and sat on a hill by the Rhine and watched the sunset. With the sounds of the rushing Rhine and jazz music playing down the street, it was the perfect end to the day.
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