31 August 2003
-
[from an email I sent out today]
Howdy Folks!
Well, greetings from Bonn on the Rhein. I have been able to figure out how to check e-mail from my hotel, though through a slow and pricey dial-up connection, but still, I�m quite content to be able to write and receive email. Sorry also in advance for the group e-mail - again, it costs an arm and a leg to check e-mail...
I made it safel on Friday to Frankfurt, got my 100 Euro German railpass (student discount, woohoo!), and took my IC train to Bonn through Mainz and Koblenz. Since I only know (sort of) northern Germany, the Rhein valley area was amazingly picturesque, even through a haze of jet-lag. Arrived in pouring rain in Bonn ... yes, the heat-wave has broken. Everyone is thrilled, of course, but my suitcases have more summer than fall or winter clothes, so I have been on the cold side. But nevertheless, I rip open my windows in the morning to air out the small hotel room.
Our hotel is in Tannenbusch Mitte, a northern suburb of sorts in Bonn. The taxi driver actually asked me if I could change hotel locations, since it was in �the Harlem of Bonn�... it really is an amazingly diverse neighborhood, which, as I gathered from the taxi driver, made it scary. Ridiculous assumption, but such was his proclamation. I haven�t found it so at all ... the store has neat products from Russia and Turkey, but we are quite isolated and the whole area has sort of east-blok cement buildings and so on. Not pretty, but also just fine. 8 minute train ride to downtown Bonn.
Tomorrow, the Einfuehrungsseminar starts - intro seminar. Turns out everyone else in the fellowship program is sick of each other already, but I�m feeling excited. Then again, the Humboldt Foundation people seem to have forgotten I exist, since I didn�t receive news about WHERE we are to meet on Monday. Luckily, I bumped into some other fellowship holders, and they�ve helped out.
Saturday I walked around Bonn. Small, but quite charming. A basilica from the (?) 1400s (the Muenster), monuments to Beethoven (this is his hometown), a walk along the Rhein. Today I went out with Eden and Leo (the Humboldt colleagues), and mostly sat in cafes. I had my share of German food (potatoes, glorious potatoes!) and a Kohlroulade (stuffed cabbage). We also went to Schloss Clemensruhe, built 1715-1723. I think it is also called Schloss Poppelsberg.
So, things are going well. It is a nice change to be in Germany, and I�m feeling quite at home. No cell-phone set up yet, but, slowly and steadily, that�ll work out as well. So glad I have some great friends in Berlin, Muenchen, and Bielefeld/Freiburg. On the 10th we head to Berlin, but until then, daily adventures - museums, etc. I�ll keep you guys posted!
Rainy and cold weather (but I already mentioned that, right?!)...
That�s it for now. I�ll check e-mail somewhat regularly, and look forward to hearing from you all!
dandlioneyes at 9:04 pm