Tiny Heidi

Tilt-shift effect created using Receding Hairline's tutorial. Click on the pic for the best view.

Fantasy Stock Market

Hey! In the Fantasy Blog Stock Market, I'm #14 in the "Heidelberg Industry!" Jaaaaaaa!

We're Moving!

San Diego, here we come! And this is not an April Fool's joke. I wanted to do a longer blog entry for this announcement (and perhaps that will come as we get more details), but suddenly time has become of the essence! Excuse the "For Sale" ads for a bit. If nothing else, it might be pleasant to view all of the goods we had to go out and get as we settled in. Hopefully getting rid of them isn't half the task that buying them was.

Anyone with contacts in San Diego, let me know. We need to know about neighborhoods and I need a job!

Heidelberg Apartment for Rent / Wohnung zu Vermieten

Chew on This

(April 24, 2006)

My dental bill for a teeth cleaning was 12,93€. That's only $15.51.

Things I'll Miss From Germany: Labello

(April 13, 2006)


I don't know if I believe in all that marriage stuff where they say, "When you find the right person you just KNOW." But I do believe it applies to lip balm.

Much like every other adolescent, I noticed a "change" in my body...my lips became chapped and it was time to get yet another product in stick form for yet another part of my body. And what do you know then? I thought chapstick was chapstick so I didn't pay much attention to my choices. What was a generic Kroger brand cherry stick one weekend and a Carmex jar, the next? Take care of your needs, right? Well, it wasn't until a random flirtation with a friend's medicated Blistex that I realized that maybe all lip balms weren't the same. In retrospect I realized that Kroger chapstick wasn't a stretch from using a taper candlestick. It was that waxy. Plus it seemed to have a weird curdling reaction in really cold weather. And the Carmex jar? Despite its being "For-Cold-Sores" I was lucky I came out of that experience without the herp considering how many people's fingers dipped into that jar. I liked the way Blistex made my lips feel. They tingled for minutes after I parted ways with it.

Anyhow, time passed. And even though I settled on an old ChapStick SPF 4 for a while, I still experimented with others here and there in search of my Blistex. Burt's Beeswax came close to fulfilling that void. But oh! the fantasies I'd have about bringing the medicated Blistex to my lips instead of the flavor of the week...Why didn't I just go out and get the Blistex? You know how it is: balms come and go. One turns up in an old coat, another when you're cleaning out the car, and another in your laundry. Or your Avon-selling aunt won't stop gifting Avon chapsticks with mini calendars on them for every damn holiday there ever was. So now, you see, this surplus of lip care doesn't justify going out and getting a new one. These half-used ones need to be finished. They need closure. And I became afraid that I over-idealized my first experience with Blistex.

Several moves later I suppose I dumped all my old chapsticks, though I suspect that I may have stored them away in a squirrelly fashion, to be refound at a later date. All I know is I ended up co-habitating with the owner of a Blistex. And I was happy. Content. A peacefulness in my lip care washed over me. We brought Blistex to Germany and lost it from time to time, but with holidays came more Avon mini calendar sticks to create the surplus problem again. Right about the time when our American friend's recent Labello purchase caught my eye...ipod-ish with its sleek design and curves, and Italian-sounding name, I was curious. But I didn't dare buy it. Again, not a fan of wasting.

But with our impending move to San Diego, I broke down and got one. I cheated, I guess you could say, but the Blistex was always at Ryan's work and I couldn't handling the blandness of the Avon mini calendar stick. If nothing else it just reminded me how long I had gone without lip love. And I'm glad I broke down because aside from the stick design and name, the lip care formula, itself, turns out to be amazing. This is what lip care should feel like. Too many other formulas feel like they're simply smothering your lips with wax and you develop a dependency on them, but this feels like natural moisture and I like that I don't need the tingle thing to feel that. It helps my lips be what they naturally are without the dependency. And while the Avon mini calendar attempts to be a neutral flavor/aroma unisex lip balm product, theirs is just gross and smells like plastic in wax form going on your lips. Labello isn't scent-free, but is a vanilla or aloe-vera scent at best. Nothing dramatic, which I like as well.

Turns out, others agree. And while I'm happy to see it's available on Amazon, the slightly different label makes me wonder if it's a slightly different formula in the States much like Coca-Cola isn't quite the same in Europe as it is in the States. It's certainly cheaper in Europe...

Happily every after,
Lakello

Related Posts: Hershey's Milk Chocolate Lip Balm

Spring has Sprung!

...according to our hot-water heater, anyway. And our overhead neighbors' washing maschine. The good news is the plumber came (we're good friends now), and we'll no longer have to listen to drops that measure 8.5 on the Richter scale at night.

And did you catch the eclipse yesterday? In case you didn't, 100% of the sun was eclipsed by the clouds in Heidelberg! Just as magnificent as the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that...

Task #1: Schlierbach

Take a picture of you standing in this town, by a welcome sign with the town's name. This town/area was first documented in 1245 with hardly more than 3000 inhabitants. This is the smallest district in Heidelberg.

Whooooo-wee! Not for the faint of heart, this one! (Schlierbach is out past Elizabeth's Arch, on the same road along the Neckar River) It may sound simple, but there are some drivers who are impatient to get out of Heidelberg! We almost got run over turning into that tiny driveway behind me, though I'm thankful for it's convenient location next to the scavenger hunt task. Special thanks to my cousin, Kate, for helping out on this one.

Fasching/Mardi Gras 2006

You didn't realize Heidelberg was a hot spot for Mardi Gras fun, did you? er...a Fasching hot spot...well whatever it is, it's certainly a highlight for sleepy Heidelberg. Aside from the castle fireworks in the summer, fall festival, and Christmas markets, this is one of the few times Heidelberg comes alive for some midday celebration with a big parade and (continued) drinking to last into the wee hours of the night if you can make it.

But let's get this Mardi Gras/Fasching/Carnival (thing straightened out. Germans are, indeed, celebrating Fat Tuesday on this day, however the traditions of it vary from region to region. Wikipedia has plenty to say about it in the Germany section (Heidelberg resembles the "Austria" section the most), and my German class even talked about the carnival traditions of the German "stronghold" cities of Cologne (Köln), Düsseldorf, Aachen, Mainz, Bonn, Eschweiler, and Munich (München). What makes it different is that Fasching/Carnival is a season with various celebrations taking place on:

• November 11, at precisely 11:11am--the official start of the season
  
• January 6--Three Kings Day, or what Christian Americans know as the Epiphany
• the Thursday before Ash Wednesday to Fat Tueday is the height of Fasching/Carnival with celebration every day. This Thursday is specifically known as "The Women's Day" (Altweiber/Wieverfastelovend...and I have no idea why it's called such),
  
• Rose Monday (Rosenmontagszug) is the Monday before Fat Tuesday with another "climax" parade.
• Fat Tuesday closes it down as the biggest and most widespread celebration
• In this "season" many costume balls take place, which resemble something like a German Halloween party
  

With the exception of Three Kings Day and the Vampire Ball, Heidelberg has almost nothing to do with these until Fat Tuesday, which is why it's confusing to keep track of. It lumps the season into a day. That said, it's a fun event for the cold season whether you're alone and checking out the ornate regional costumes or becoming kids again with your friends and diving after candy, yelling Hal-lo, Hi-yo, Hel-lo, or whatever it is everyone else is yelling, and washing it all down with a drink and some dancing.

Related Posts: Vampire Ball, Fasching 2005

Miramar

The challenge of having guests here is keeping it interesting for yourself. Of course they have to see the Heidelberg castle, old bridge, and Hauptstrasse. I wouldn't keep anyone from doing that, but you have to give yourself something to be enthusiastic about as well, which is why I couldn't wait to take my old high school friend, Julie, and her sister, Katherine, to another spa in the area, especially since I just can't seem to get the spouse to go. You know how you can always spot a European male on the beaches in the States because he's wearing a speedo and sipping his can of coke with a straw? Well I don't know what the straw is all about, but many of the pools here require that men wear speedos, interestingly enough, for sanitary reasons. Your other option is to go to a nude place. Nudity or speedos aren't exactly selling points with Ryan, however places do exist where regular old trunks are worn. Miramar, in nearby Weinheim (20 mins.) is one of them.

Overview
It's not hard to tell from the map above, that the place is enormous with a gazillion options between the two main divisions of Badelandschaft (roughly "pool land") and Saunalandschaft ("sauna land"). It's probably best described as an amusement spa and if that sounds like a paradox to you, you know exactly what I mean. If your focus is kids, water, and a tiny bit of relaxation, Badelandschaft is the way to go. This option brings with it Kinderwelt or Kids' World (wave pool, waterslides, water playground), a wellness area where you can get massages involving a variety of oils (and maybe even chocolate? as in smeared on you and not eaten?), and standard rubs for a reasonable price, and a multitude of pools with different temperatures, minerals, and aromas. Kids were present in all of the pools that I saw no matter how mineral-y or aroma-y they were and that's not necessarily a bad thing especially if you're a kid. I tend to find that kids are way more behaved and chill here than in the States. Kids and dogs. Yes I'm comparing kids and dogs. They'll have their kid moments, though, and accidentally splash you or whatever...I'm just saying don't expect utter serenity and quiet.

If lying around and sweating in an assortment of temperatures and aromas amongst other naked people and more up close and personal massages are your speed, Saunalandschaft is your place. Everyone has their own philosophy and "sauna recipe" but the main idea is alternate between hot and cold. Here you'll have a whirlpool (89.6F), aroma sauna (158F), the old windmill with hay sauna, infusion sauna (185F), hunter's sauna overlooking the lake, bio sauna with eucalyptus (131F), citrus sauna, stone oven sauna, warm outdoor pool, cold water dunk, warm foot baths, steam room, rest areas, and all the smoking areas your heart desires.

Pricing
The two areas are priced separately so if you want to go to both, you have to pay for both and the price will vary between 8-18 Euros depending on whether you're a kid or adult, if you're coming for 4 hours or all day, or after 7pm. Massages will always be extra. Apparently they have one or two Freikörperkultur (FKK) or free body culture nights (that means no clothes), but seeing as the Badelandschaft people will run into the Saunalandschaft people on non-FKK nights/days, don't be surprised when nakedness abounds even though you checked the schedule 90 times to be sure. There's no huge division between the two areas and well...they just don't care about nakedness like we do.

My Experience
Sometimes I forget that the experience started off with a woman who greeted us, dressed in a sexy nurse's outfit and sporting 9lbs of make-up in the Wellness Center. At first I actually wondered if there had been some kind of mix-up and if the place actually performed sexual services (chocolate massages!). Funny how the pressure of speaking and understanding a foreign language can make you immediately forget the long glittery eyelashes and the diamond stud embedded in her tooth because you're afraid of looking like an ass. Turns out she was the friendliest, most helpful person around who wound up serving as something like our own personal assistant as she helped us sort through our options, assisted us with our locker troubles, guided us through the routines, pointed out all the areas, AND scheduled our massages just before the last few slots were taken! Sexy Nurse was the best!

Now I should point out that we had to pay for Saunalandschaft before we knew what we were in for. I understood that our massages would be one right after the other so it made sense to take part in Sauna land not only because our Hamam massages were located in Sauna land but because what else were you going to do while you were waiting? And I guess I expected nudity...you know, the changing area kind and some in the saunas because it's cremation temperature and all, but I certainly wasn't prepared for A) the amount of people, including pre-adolescents, and B) the amount of "ugly naked." Harmless, I suppose, but let's just say that people aren't afraid to really sprawl out and sweat. Oh and there's that small American and European cultural difference of circumcision...it being a cultural difference and all, it's...hard not to notice and ponder a bit. I've wondered since if Europeans would have this same culture shock if they were in a nude American spa (should we ever open a place that's okay with revealing more than ankles, that is). Julie and Katherine also reported a number of randy couples around, which deterred any ventures into the warm baths.

Now that I've convinced you to go...

The Hamam massage was wonderful and it's the first thing a person should do in order to break down any insecurity about the nudity because the massage is completely naked and up close and personal. While American sports massages tend to be more of an anatomy lesson because muscles are isolated and worked on, this was more like being bathed with a skin rub. Boobs will be rubbed more as a consequence of being a part of a woman's chest than because they're boobs. If you have any doubts, remind yourself that the guy is wearing a red headband, therefore he is not a sexual being. The butt will be rubbed as well, but not the genitals.

Ten minutes before the massage you're required to lie in the Hamam, itself: a room full of heated marble. The massage tables (heated marble slabs as well) are located behind screens in the Hamam. The massage started off with my masseuse gently and quietly leading me to sit on the side of the slab. He turned his back to me for a second and before I knew it he had thrown a large bowl full of hot water on me. He did it so abruptly that I thought it was a joke...like you walk through a door and a bucket of water falls down on you ha ha. Then in the sweetest and cutest accent he asks, Iz eet too hot?

Then he laid me down and poured this hot water all over me several times for a good rinse. Then comes the soap scrub. I liked this because it felt like an exfoliation, but at the same time I felt like a little kid. Someone was washing me as though I wasn't capable of doing it myself, but I got over it as soon as the bubble bags came. This may have been the best part because you can feel each tiny bubble sliding down your body. After about ten bubble bags, the actual massage starts, which still seems like an extension of the bathing with all those bubbles around but this takes up the majority of the 30 minutes spent on the table, capped off with a final hot rinse. All this for 20 Euros! After stranger's rubbed your entire body down, you might be able to imagine that the rest of sauna land seems harmless.

More to come on Miramar...I just wanted to get the general overwhelming overview of it out there first...plus I need to see if I can get some guest blog contributions from Julie and Katherine!

Related Posts: Bathing at Baden Baden

Task #4: Heidelberg Castle Gardens

"During his reign, Friedrich V (1613-1623) demanded that this place be turned into the eighth wonder of the world. Go there and have someone take your picture in this area. Wear blue."

So I've been a let down about including myself in a lot of these pictures, however if it's proof you want that I was there, I'll let this photo of my goofball guests, Katherine and Julie, serve as that. Otherwise Freddy V was looking to turn the gardens of the Heidelberg Schloss into that eighth wonder of the world, but as you might be able to tell from the picture, dreary, cold winters weren't exactly nurturing the sculpted vegetation that once covered this vast expanse of land around the castle. Well that and all the wars. And the fires...I mean, he had a good idea going (think France's Loire valley) and I'm all about rehabbing and environmental improvement, but eighth wonder of the world is hard to imagine here despite some nice strolling areas, a fountain, and fantastic views. Just seems a little like some city in Delaware entering itself as a candidate city for the 2016 Olympic Games. I'm sure there's a charming city...somewhere...in Delaware...but it's hard to forsee any real global pull in their power. Then again, Delaware never had a king.

Not that this should be avoided when visiting Heidelberg--the Castle, afterall, is Heidelberg's main attraction, complete with the Guiness Book of World Records' largest wine barrel! Not to be missed! The common sense approach is simply that the gardens are clearly more enjoyable when paired with warmer weather visiting.

Related posts: Task #13, Task #14

Helpful Heidelberg Area Links

Moving to Heidelberg? We're moving out by May 2006. Check out some of the items we're selling before someone else gets them. Most things are under a year and a half old and largely discounted. Also check out our Apartment for Rent / Wohnung zu Vermieten.

Maps
As far as I'm concerned, this is the best map of Heidelberg and its neighborhoods out there. You can search addresses and main points of interest including not only tourist sites, but hospitals etc. I was lucky enough to get a print version from a real estate agent, but other good maps including bike paths are available for a couple Euros at the Tourist Information booth outside the train station/Hauptbahnhof. Maporama does fine, but it's geared more toward driving directions so you won't get the visuals pointed out to you as much, which I find is more important in Europe since you're rarely dealing with a grid system in the cities.


Living in Heidelberg Stuff, but Visiting Too
The Official City of Heidelberg Web Site Where to find everything from the piles of papers every expat or foreigner needs to smoke-free restaurants (though, I'm telling you now that the smoke-free aren't the good ones. Another section under the heading "Restaurants with Non-smoking Areas" has a few).
Heidelberg Convention and Visitors Bureau
MVV Life Electricity, gas, water dealings along with the street train schedules.
Heidelberg Neighborhoods
Heidelberg Weather Germany's weather channel.
Deutsche Post Germany's Post Office.


Learning German Resources
Volkshochschule
Internationales Studienzentrum
German as a Foreign Language Philology
Studying at Ruprecht-Karls Universitat Heidelberg
Deutsche Welle


Cinemas
Cinemaxx & Cineplex -Mannheim- Click on "Programm" and then "English Movie" to see what mainstream American movie is playing at either of the theaters. Usually one or two English movies per week with a short running time. Tickets vary in price depending on how long the movie is and where you sit (front is cheaper than the back--5-8 Euros), so there is, in turn, assigned seating as is the case with all theaters. English movies *usually* play at Cinemaxx, though they've also occasionally been known to play at Cineplex. If you make a mistake on which theater is playing what, it's okay because they're not terribly far from one another (a fast-paced 5 minute walk). Just don't be late.

Karlstorkino -Heidelberg- Click on "Kinoprogramm" for a schedule of various international and independent films, which will err more on the artsy, cerebral side of films. While most of them might appear anything but English-friendly, the acronym "OmU" at the end of the titles indicate "Original mit Untertiteln" or "Original with subtitles." Now these subtitles could be German, they could be French, or they could be English. From time to time you'll come across either an English film or foreign films subtitled in English. You'll have to click on the film titles to find out if it's "englisches Original" or "mit englischen Untertiteln" in the section under the film name (in orange).

Kinopolis -Viernheim- Seemingly rare that English movies are played in the original version, and if they are, they're usually the same ones playing at Cinemaxx and Cineplex. They're also a tad unreliable. We went here to see a scheduled movie only to find out that they simply decided they weren't going to show it that night. Okaaaay. Otherwise Kinopolis is an alternative to look at if Cinemaxx or Cineplex aren't going to work out for you.

Schloss Kinos, Kamera, Harmonie Lux, Kamera, and Gloria/Gloriette -Heidelberg- These are Heidelberg's babies, some of which take part in the annual Mannheim/Heidelberg International Film Festival in November. Again, mostly films in German (we're in Germany, people!), but occasionally has a film in its original English version which will be pointed out (click on programm again and select your kino if unsure). For the longest time I thought they were all strictly anti-original version because I'd never see a schedule showing any original versions, but you have to be patient and a little more earnest in your schedule-checking effort than I was.


Spas, Pools, Saunas
Miramar Weinheim (blog post)
Kur-Royal Bad Homburg
Friedrichsbad Baden Baden (blog post)
Caracalla Baden Baden
Thermalschwimmbad Heidelberg (blog post/picture)
Hallenbad-Köpfel Heidelberg
Freizeit-Bad Tiergartenstraße Heidelberg
Hallenbad-Hasenleiser Heidelberg
Darmstädter-H-C Heidelberg

Categories: Links

Heidelberg

Posts Fantasy Stock Market Chew on This Labello Spring has Sprung Fasching/Mardi Gras 2006 Miramar Alte Aula Media Monday! Live at Karlstorbahnhof Death Cab for Cutie Concert Separated at Birth New Year's Eve...The Aftermath New Year's Day Shortest Day of the Year Flat Sean Of Bauhaus and Bobs Mannheim Heidelberg International Film Festival City Hall Marriages The Vögel and the Bienen Euphemism Generator Birthdays and Ramadan Garmisch-Partenkirchen & Neuschwanstein Spring is in the Air! Every Culture has Their "Asshole" Group Reverse Culture Shock Onward Young German Student Cheers! German Elections Footsy? Floozy? Celebrating One Year in Deutschland Cloud Machine Cancer as a Foreign Language How NOT to do Business Stalker Update (Heidelberg Thermalbad/pool) Is This Thing on? R.I.P., Favorite Restaurant... Vandalizing, Anyone? Chainsaws in the 'burbs Photoshop Madness (Weinheim) ani difranco and andrew bird in frankfurt Square 1, Day 1, Deutsche 1 Diagnosing Clogged Pipes I say Mardi Gras, you say Fasching... Heidelberg's Vampire Ball Staring Contest Drinking Tips from Europe Bathing in Baden Baden

Kell's Big German Scavenger Hunt Task #1: Schlierbach Task #3: Wieblingen Task #4: Heidelberg Castle Gardens Tasks 5 & 6: Madonnas & Jesuit Church Task #7: Mannheim Water Tower Task #9: Find Spargel Part 2 of the spargel Task #10: Bowling Task #11: Luisen Park Tasks 13 & 14 of Marcy's Scavenger Hunt (continued from previous) Task #15 Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church) Task #16: Nearby Park Task #17 Bunsen Statue Task #18 Elizabeth's Arch Task #19 Philosophenweg Task #20: Green Sauce (Grüner Soße) Task #22: Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art Task #23: The Frankfurt Dom Task #24: Student Residence Hall Task #25: Studentenkarzer (Prison) Task #26: That Funky Monkey Task #27: Nazi Ampitheater Task #28 The Plaques Task #29: The Heidelberg Zoo Photos of Heidelberg Helpful Heidelberg Area Links (under construction) Moving Sale (we're leaving by May 2006 and need to get rid of items that aren't compatible in the USA) Apartment for Rent / Wohnung zu Vermieten

Alte Aula

Man! This is one hard place to get into! On my third trip back to Alte Aula, I finally made it in--barely. Now remember, folks, I'll reiterate that being a part of the university, Alte Aula follows university holidays and breaks (which are a plenty), is always closed on Mondays, and now I've come to find out that it closes during a certain window of time on the days it *is* open so they can Pledge the place for 9 hours. And I can only vaguely tell you that the beginning of that cleaning time was on a Thursday afternoon around 1pm-ish. The staff ever so graciously let me visit for a generous 15 seconds in what was once the Student Auditorium (now Old Auditorium). As you can imagine, it was here that students came to listen to debates, with a not-so-visible podium in the front, and one at the back where the photo was taken in what we would consider the choir loft...next time Ryan and I have a "debate," I'll place him on one side of the room and I'll climb up a ladder on the other side of the room and see how communication works itself out.

Opening Times (follow the hours of the Student Prison and University Museum)
Related post: Task #25: Studentenkarzer (Prison)

Media Monday! Live at Karlstorbahnhof

I put in my two cents; now you can put in yours of Death Cab for Cutie's performance at Heidelberg's Karlstorbahnhof on February 15, 2006, since Sebastian Boschert has conveniently made it available. I haven't listened to it yet so I have no idea how the quality is, but I'm going to give it another go.

Death Cab for Cutie Concert

Even though we set ourselves up behind the soundboard, which meant we had a clear view most of the time (get yer photos!) and were in the supposedly best spot for sound, I come away from Death Cab for Cutie's February 15th concert with the feeling of eeh (shrug of the shoulders). It was okay. Despite Ben Gibbard's spot-on voice every song was loud and energetic from the beginning as though they had overheard us say that it should be a mellow concert, took insult, and vowed to show us that they were anything but. Quite a departure from their usual song formulas of tinkling, gentle beginnings which swell into a mesmerizing full sound no matter how many times they repeat the same line! "Different Names for the Same Thing" (playing this week on their project site, Directions) is a great example of this. But the loud jamming from the start of every song made them more...more...more emo than I had anticipated. And emo is fine. It's simply that shock of expecting to see one thing and getting another. We all get that with movies when we go to a slapstick comedy in a drama kind of mood. Emo was reinforced not only by the thick, dark-framed bespectacled crowd and their leather cuff bracelets, but a hint of mainstream was in there as well. One girl in my group struck up conversation with a British girl, asking her if she knew DCFC from The Postal Service, but she drew a blank look. No, she said, I only know them from watching The OC. D'oh! I could have taken it if she had said she knew if from Six Feet Under.

No matter. Karlstorbahnhof is the place to go for your dosage of independent movies and smaller acts. The Saal is a very small, intimate place for concerts, but they do something crazy by putting up rafters for people to stand on so they can actually see.

Update: Setlist and live audio of this concert now available!

Other concert reviews: Ani Difranco & Andrew Bird and Wilco.

Task #10: Bowling

Go bowling with Ryan, whether he likes it or not. :) Take a picture of him holding a bowling ball (he'd better be smiling).

I talked to Marhs a long while ago, discussing what it's like to be jobless and in a foreign country. Most of the conversation revolved around the difficulty and lows of feeling like I have no purpose. How I desperately needed an object and a goal even if it was as simple and short-term as throwing a bowling ball down a lane to knock down some pins...perhaps, unsurprisingly, a similar conversation I had with Ryan. He promised we'd go bowling, but you know how it is: after a long day of work you just want to crash on the couch. Meanwhile the chinchilla in me would be bouncing off the walls, ready to go. Other times Ryan would feign disinterest in sports as an excuse. Hrrumph. Needless to say I finally got him to go, reasoning that bowling is like a baseball game: you don't go for the sport! You go to drink beer, eat deluxe nachos, and laugh. After this night, I believe I've cured him of his disinterest in bowling, at least.

Next we'll try the German version of bowling: Kegelbahn.

Task #23: The Frankfurt Dom

"Visit the place the locals in Frankfurt call 'The Dom.' Find out what elections were held there and take a photo of yourself there, holding a paper that answers that question."

You might think Dom means dome, but it doesn't. Do you see any dome on this place? I didn't think so. Beware, English-speakers, Dom is one of many "false friends" in German. It comes from the old German, D'om, or der Om, meaning a place where you could go inside and meditate on Om, even if it's a Catholic or Protestant place of worship. Just kidding. It doesn't mean that at all. It means cathedral. And it's the only major surviving historical building in Frankfurt. Thank god. I mean, there certainly aren't enough Gothic cathedrals to see in Europe...

As you can see the Dom is undergoing a little facelift (through 2008). If I was smart, I'd get stock in the restoration companies that take care of Europe's monuments. Seeing as I've never viewed a scaffold-free cathedral, it's safe to say these companies are *always* employed and doing well. Nonetheless, it was under this spire that the Holy Roman Empire's electors chose emperors and it subsequently served as the coronation ceremonies site between 1562 and 1792.

It's a construction-y area at the moment, but if you're going to hit the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art, you may as well swing by since it's only a block away.

Task #22: Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art

"Ask around Frankfurt and find the 'Slice of Cake,' the local nickname for a place called this because of its daring architectural design. Get a photo of you in front of it, and find out who designed it. While you're there, you might as well go in and tour it too."

It would have been nice if the person at the front desk had told us the Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK) was only open for another hour *before* we bought our full price tickets (around 6 Euro each), but then we might not have seen the coolest interior of a museum that I've ever seen. Viennese architect, Hans Hallein, can be thanked for that. Sure the exterior is triangular and resembles a "slice of cake," but the interior is a large complex of lines that play with perspective, numerous balconies, small compartments, enormous spaces, bridges, levels, and passages. There isn't a lot of art here (but there *was* a piece by Cincinnati's own Jim Dine), but anything more than the 200+ pieces we saw would take away from the experience of this minimalist funhouse. It's a worthwhile experience even if you arrive in the last hour.

Task #20: Green Sauce (Grüner Soße)

Try this famous dish in Frankfurt

In this task, Marhs included a plate full of a peculiar green sauce, hard-boiled egg, and sliced potato. My guess is that Marhs was trying to be a bit naughty by making me try something that has a nasty appearance. Lucky for me, Frankfurt's grüner Soße, which is really more of a regional side specialty wasn't bad. It came with some beef and potatoes and I assumed that I was supposed to put it on my beef, but I also put it on my potatoes to be sure that I wasn't missing out on some magical combination of food. Green sauce is pretty much herbed sour cream or a tamer version of the sour and a stronger version of the herb. So really I guess it's more of Frankfurt's regional condiment specialty. Try it, I suppose, but if we're going to talk German condiments, I'd recommend the curry Soße which you'll find on their curry wurst and fries at Fests. My understanding is that Heinz (of ketchup fame) now makes a curry "ketchup" in the states, which you can find in grocery stores. Try it out on your wursts for something different.

Task #25: Studentenkarzer (Prison)

Find the place where this picture was taken and take a photo of yourself somewhere else in its grounds.

If you scroll all the way down the page (from the link listed above), there's a picture of "The Royal Throne" of the University of Heidelberg's Student Prison. And for that matter, check the website out a little further because this person has many pictures from quite a few historical cities in Germany--including actual pictures from the DDR in the 60's.

Back to the task at hand, however. Information I read at the prison reads:

The Karzer (student's dungeon)

"It served from 1712 to 1914 as a prison for students, over whom the university administration had legal sovereignty. Violations of public order could be punished by the judicial authorities of the town. Usual violations were disturbing the night-time peace by drunkenness, misbehavour, chasing the citizens' pigs and their squeaking piglets through the alleys, extinguishing street lamps. These were minor "crimes" punished with up to two weeks in prison. When the "Amtmann" (policeman) was teased, insulted, or resistance was offered against him it often went to four weeks (the "Amtmann" represented the State) in the course of the 18th century and up to 1914, when the prison was closed because of World War One. It impaired the honour of a student not to have been imprisoned at least once during his time of study in Heidelberg. There was no water in the prison flat, it had to be fetched from the well in the courtyard. There also was no kitchen. For the first two days the delinquents were "starved" on bread and water. Later on they were allowed to have meals sent from the outside, from restaurants, landladies or friends. Alcohol was not prohibited. They could visit each other in their "cells," receive visits from outside and even follow lectures. There was a door to university. There were five cells with hard iron beds and straw mattresses, two tables in each room and a few stools. Many prisoners engraved their names in wood. To kill hours they played cards and decorated walls and ceilings of their rooms and the staircase with the silhouettes of their fellow prisoners, the coats of arms of their fraternities, the date of their imprisonment and funny verses. In those days nearly all students were members of a fraternity. There was a big variety of fraternities, wearing different "colours" (uniforms, special hats, and ribbons across the chest). Many of them were hostile against each other and fighting duels. Unauthorized duels were sentenced with imprisonment. The black colour of the ceiling's paintings is candle soot. For the walls students used soot from their small iron stoves now protected with varnish. Other colours were brought in from outside. Some students left their photos embedded in the doors of their rooms. Cells were "baptized" with names like Sanssouci (after the Prussian palace in Potsdam), Grand Hotel, Palais Royal. The bathroom was named Royal Throne."

At least on January 13, 2006, 2,50 Euro will get you a Kombiticket to not only the Studentenkarzer, but Alte Aula, and the University Museum as well. Don't expect a three-hour visit to the student prison. Don't even necessarily expect an hour visit--the prison is essentially a 3 room flat with the stairs leading up to it serving as part of the spectacle. And since it's part of the university, the prison, university museum, and Alte Aula are on the university's schedule of holidays in addition to being closed every Monday. Nevertheless, I *do* think it is visit-worthy. Even if your German is a little shakey, it's easy to get caught up in this early form of graffiti covering every inch of the walls and ceilings. Sure German knowledge helps, but if you've ever been a student (and maybe, in particular, of a university), these "trouble-makers'" art just might charm you into an hour long visit. Pictures of the entire prison (including the obligatory shot with myself in the prison) can be found in my flickr stream.

Seeing as your visit will probably be shorter than most museum visits, you'll probably also resign yourself to seeing whatever the heck Alte Aula and the University Museum are about. I'm going to save Alte Aula for another post (updated!) because it was closed for some special event going on that night, but the University Museum can be skipped if you don't speak German because it's pretty much a bunch of texts and pictures of faculty and buildings on the walls. For those with some German ability, it's still a museum with a bunch of photocopies on the wall (and again, it's small), but there's an interesting section on the university during World Wars I and II. Imagine seeing a flyer on your campus for the guest speaker and former student, Dr. Goebbels...weird.

Ultimately I'll reiterate that the Studentenkarzer, Alte Aula, and the University Museum are worth a visit even if you fly through them. It's a good low-stress, not-so-crowded, cheap, and stimulating alternative to the redundancy of castles and cathedrals, which leaves you feeling as you've seen a lot and something unique.

University Museum info: http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/univ/museen/index.html#I (German)
http://www.cvb-heidelberg.de/e553/e856/e859/index_eng.html (English)

Student Prison: http://www.fpi.uni-hd.de/galerie/hd_uebung/AnnaHuth/Karzer/Seiten/intro.html (German) otherwise opening times and ticket prices are the same as the University Museum's

University Collections/Museums: http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/university/museums/index.html (English/German)