From Schloss Nymphenburg - October 31, 2008; Paris - November 1, 2008

Today was just awful. Two bomb scares here at Charles de Gaulle, a canceled flight, a second flight missed because of the second bomb scare.... Blah. And it gets worse than that, but I'm so tired right now that I'm just going to go to sleep. I *should* hopefully be home tomorrow. But I thought, as long as I'm in Paris... (the Eiffel Tower was too far away from my train station and I would have missed the last train to the hotel had I gone - that's fine, it's the thing I'm least interested in here).

I just realized that my train transfer in the middle of the night is a total of 15 minutes. It shouldn't be a problem, but that freaks me out. :( 15 minutes to get my bags off one train, down two gates and on another train. *whimper*

Today was weird. But good. My spirits are lifted and even though I didn't see as much as I would have liked and my food is being messed with (it's pouring and the restaurants around here are packed - so it's room service or McD's because I'm starving), I feel good. Tomorrow is gonna be a looong day, or rather, two days without good sleep. So really, this is likely my last entry from Germany. Weird. Suddenly this post seems so much bigger. Eh, I'll leave a post trip summary for once I'm back. :)

This morning I got up early and took a series of trains into Dachau. It felt weird, planning to do this. The historian in me was in direct conflict with the person. I was curious, but my heart was breaking for all those people. So many people. So many types of people. I didn't realize, until I was there, just how many French were imprisoned. The Holocaust is one of end of history that I actually do believe in revisionist history for. Apologies need to be made. Also, modern day Germans cannot continue to bear the load of blame for what those before them did, many in an effort to protect their own families. I feel the same way about slavery in America. I felt so many emotions today as I rode into town. I kept looking around at all the shops and beauty parlors and got angry. Why didn't they burn this place to the ground and salt the earth?? Didn't people know what went on here? I found out inside that when Dachau was liberated, the Americans marched the citizens of Dachau through to look at the piles of dead bodies and the living arrangements to see just what they had either been ignoring or were honestly unaware of. I think the German citizens (not to be confused with those that did the deeds) have paid their dues. I broke down in the crematorium. All I could think as I passed through was, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to endure this. I'm sorry your suffering was so great." It only rained (on me) today in Dachau. The rest of the time outside was lovely. But the sun was still shining there. It gave the impression that the place is so desolate, it never stops raining. And in a way, I don't think it ever does. It made me think, several times, of the childish idea that rain meant God was crying. I can't imagine that he wasn't. I took very few pictures because I felt like a ghoul even being there, but there were some very powerful images I needed to capture. I've never been in a more wasted and yet populated place. I'm also conflicted on the complaint I overheard from many Americans, that it wasn't kept up well enough. They were referring to weeds and buildings showing wear and tear but how do you maintain something that awful? Again, the historian in me made a donation as I left, but the person in me just wanted to see the years take it. I was proud of the Germans for their remarkably even handed portrayal of the events. They didn't spare anyone and they didn't needlessly blame people who weren't involved.

I also wanted to punch several German high schoolers in the back of the head while I was there. But that's not really here or there...

After that, I ventured back into Munich to see the Englischer Gartens and maybe some nudists. At the very least the Chinese Tower. I greatly underestimated that park. I have to go back tomorrow. No one could tell me which train stop to go to for the good stuff, so based on my subway map, I guessed and chose poorly. I'll be going back tomorrow. It's lovely, I just wanted something a little more than "pretty park" because Wisconsin has a lot of those.

I think that's it. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up Wi-Fi in Charles De Gaulle, but if not, I'll be writing you all from Madison next!!!

From Dachau, Munich, and the Englischer Garten - October 30, 2008

I am in a really bad funk today. I'm feeling a little under the weather and very lonely. I was supposed to at least hear from the Holzingers today to meet up with them but I haven't gotten any sort of response. I was woken up this morning by the maid breezing right past the "Do not disturb" sign on my door at 7:30. It was rainy and gray here and I just don't like Munich. The subway is smelly and the downtown has gone from dirty tourist city to dirty NY wannabe with soooo many label stores that made my per diem weigh a little heavier in my pocket. (I resisted the temptation of Jimmy Choo shoes. I win.) I actually had a hard time finding souvenir shops to buy German things in. There were a bunch, sure, but all of much lower quality than the last time I was there. I got lost just looking at buildings and photographing things, but I stumbled my way back to the glockenspiel twice, once just in time to hear it/see it go off!

Tomorrow morning is Dachau followed by the English Garden. It's supposed to be a little nicer so hopefully I'll shake whatever is settling into my chest and get up early, hit the bakery across the street and hop the U-bahn.

Anywho... here's Munich. I really don't like this city, but as it's THE city of my beloved Bavaria... well, here it is.

From Munich - October 29, 2008

There's not a lot I can say about today. That's not right. There is. But I don't know where to begin. Pour me a glass of wine sometime and we'll talk about nirvana and what it's like to face one of your greatest fears and see one of your life's most lasting dreams through on the same day. We'll talk about great, "mad" kings and the love of a good man who is waiting back at home for you and how real and lasting love can erase years' worth of loneliness and heartache. I can tell you about the pouring rain, the certainty of pneumonia and knowing that there comes a time when everything just falls in line and why Pat Benetar rocks especially as you warm up with a hot chocolate (with a wee bit of whiskey). You can tell me what it is that makes you drop your jaw and believe in God, magic, or both again.

You should know two things though: I crossed that bridge (twice!) and no one will ever take that away from me and the Bavarian people love Ludwig II. The way we love Abraham Lincoln.

From Hohenschwangau - October 28, 2008

Please - feedback on this one. A little bit of my soul is in each of these pictures - water droplets (grrrr) and all. I want to make excuses for a lot of the photographs, but I won't. Not for this one.

I am sans internet. Weird. I remember how I whined and pouted about not having it the last time I was here. It doesn't seem so bad now except that I can't talk to Ben as easily. Or upload the pictures I just took. Or post this. Oh well.

German Pepsi, for the record, is weird. Weirder still? I prefer coke here.

I've made it to the ultimate destination for my trip. I'm glad I came here right away. I'm currently typing this on my balcony at a bed and breakfast in the tiny hamlet of Hohenschwangau (High Swan Region if I remember "gau" correctly...). The air is crisp and the night is clear and I am greatly amused by the sound of the next door neighbor's goats milling around their pasture (I can hear their dozens of copper bells :) ). But I didn't come here for the goats. I came here for the tiny bit of illuminated tower ahead of me in the night, or rather, what's attached to it. Neuschwanstein. THE Castle. I cried a little when I saw it. It's so beautiful in the night, illuminated against the ominous black silhouettes of the Alps. I feel so tiny looking up at them. I feel so tiny looking up at the dual castles each less than a half mile from where I sit. The other castle here is named for the village and is actually far more...foreboding? It looks like a fortress where as Neuschwanstein is what most people think of when they think "castle." It has a more orangey hue to it and is ironically far more inviting at night than Neuschwanstein. It's bold and closer to the ground. The ghostly pale of Neuschwanstein feels as chilly as tonight. It makes me a little sad looking up at it. It's so beautiful, but so cold. It reminds me of Rainbow Springs back home. Just so sad to invest so much into something only to never see it completed. Apparently you can go to the shallow pool Ludwig was found in. It's several meters below that horrifying bridge I'm tackling first thing in the morning. (Pray for me at like... 3am your time.) I'm really, very excited.

Riding the train down from Essen today was pretty wonderful, even if I got off to a rough start. I don't know if it was setting off on my own, or not having taken a foreign train before or what, but I was a nervous wreck. I was so afraid I'd end up in the wrong place or do something stupid. I did, but it was okay. I was in the wrong seat for a couple hours of the trip and my bag was waaaaaay too big for train travel. I'll either have to pray that the night train back to Dusseldorf is quieter and I won't have to heft my bag over my head again (more unwieldy than heavy, to be fair) or I'll have to ship board games back. Anyhow, I digress. (This is what you get when I have time and energy to write. Shannonspeak.) There is so much more of Germany I want to see now after seeing so much of it blurred past my window. There were some unsavory looking places, of course (you will have to drag me kicking and screaming to Koeln unless that's where the Milka factory is), but most of it was just beautiful. The rain created a mist around the foothills and Germany (further south) is in peak fall color so it was really remarkable. No pictures, sorry. 300 kmph trains aren't camera friendly. Steve and Ev? So many places to shoot you both. I even saw a burned out WWII era building on a hill near Frankfurt with hundreds of acres of fields and woods surrounding it. *drool* We went through the Black Forest a little bit and I am just so in love with Germany and train travel. I'm sad my next long train ride through Germany will be in the middle of the night.

My room here is hilariously tiny (see forthcoming pictures) which is fine for just me for just one night. What's freaking me out (besides the long spiral staircase I had to heft my bags up) is the bed situation. I have two twin beds. But they're pushed up next to each other like some 50s sitcom joke. And they have wood boxsprings, so there's wood running down the middle. So weird.

Because it's a bed and breakfast and I have nothing stupid to occupy my time with, I set out into the darkening city for food. I found a lovely little cafe that, like every other building in Bavaria, looks like a chalet and like every other building in Hohenschwangau, featured a woman in a dirndl. It was the first restaurant I came across and what was the first thing on the menu? KNODELN. MMMMMMMMMM. I have been waiting seven years for good knodeln again and I got it. With really tender roast pork. I took a picture. People probably thought I was nuts but I don't care. I was eating by myself (which I really hate doing - nothing feels lonelier to me) and was surrounded by stupid tourists. I was going to strike up conversation with some obviously American women a table over, but once I heard how unpleasant they were being (complaining about everything in Germany), I just kept up the German and talked to the waitress whenever she came by.

Okay, I'm running out of things to type and I actually have work to do, translating instructions for a really neat game I bought that only comes in German. I'm hoping if I translate it and get coworkers to like it, we can look at picking it up.

Up tomorrow at the crack of dawn to take pictures of the village and of the castles from the village and then on the first bus up to that bridge. *shudder* But I've conquered my fear of escalators on this trip and flying so let's tackle heights, no? (German subway escalators are terrifying. They go both ways. It just depends which end gets activated first. And they're everywhere. I got over my escalator thing.)

Tschus!

From Trip to and Arrival at Hohenschwangau - October 27, 2008

I can't believe tonight is my last night here (til next year! (I hope)). It's gone so very quickly. Even with all those looong looong days at the con. ;)

Bob, Danny and I are spending our last waking hours here playing "Luggage Tetris" trying to fit all the board games in our suitcases. I just had a nice end of trip discussion with them too. :) I'm very excited for all that this trip has meant for our company. I am so excited for what I feel I can contribute now, too.

I needed another six days or so for this trip but eh. I still saw and played a TON of boardgames. Probably literally. Some CCG and mini games too, but wow. Board games. Today I wished I had bought more, but looking at my crammed suitcase.... I'll buy them online. Or, you know, at work.

I will almost certainly be unable to post tomorrow night so don't fret for me, Argentina, if you don't see something. Tomorrow I take an early train to Munich and another to Fussen after that and then taxi to Hohenschwangau just to get up early on Tuesday morning and hike around Neuschwanstein. EEEEE! Then train to Munich to meet up with the Holzingers. YAY! Then I should have internet with which to post a zillion and one pictures of that beautiful castle. YAY!!!

A couple parting thoughts before I leave you with pictures. This part of my trip has been wonderfully cinematic thanks to my iPod. I've been stuck in a Wes Anderson film. Like when I sauntered out of a subway car with dozens of gamers flooding out around me, The Envy Corps' "Rhinemaidens" started playing (you tube the song) and when I happily came bounding down the subway stairs after landing a good deal, "Almost Like Being in Love" by Frank Sinatra. Thanks iPod! And then, I heard a German take on one of my favorite... ideas? phrases? ideologies? today. "History always happens twice. The first time is a tragedy, the second is a farce." Food for thought.

From Essen - Oct. 26, 2008

See you folks in Munich!

The title of this entry, "Pull My Finger," and "Hey! That's My Foot!" are all fictitious boardgames my bosses and I have come up with this weekend. I want to play them all. And I've been playing a lot of board games. I'm amazed at just how many bad board games are out there and how many of those I've played. Don't get me wrong, I've played some awesome games, but I've played some real losers too. A lot of them this evening.

I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day of the show. It feels like it's taken forever and yet I can't believe it's over. It's so big and even though I worked my tush off, I feel like I need another three days to see everything.

I was in meetings almost all day so no pictures, but there were dozens of larpers there and wow. What a bunch of freaks. (Non-gamer readers - LARP is Live Action Role Playing. That's the D&D the 1980s warned you about. Dressing up with elf ears and talking with a funny accent. "Casting spells." Weirdos.) I couldn't help but gape at the furry (I'm not explaining that one) dressed as a fox swordsman. *shudder*

I also can't believe I'll be home a week from right now. But that means I'll get to see Ben, and I won't lie, he is the one reason I'm coming back. Germany is awesome. Five story bookstores.

Good night!

I'm just so exhausted and we're only done with two days of this con. So much to do and see and the only break I took from the event today was spent wandering downtown taking pictures. My camera was awfully noisy today (in the image sense) but I think there are some winners.

Sorry... I just don't have it in me to write more. There's so much to tell about today. I was cursing most of your names earlier because of your time zone. I was so happy about how things were going (I'm still very happy about it) I wanted to call and tell someone, but it was 5am in Wisconsin. :( I found a five story bookstore. It's beautiful. The show is awesome. I have so many awesome things to show people and sell people and play with people, I can't wait.

But right now, I'm going to take a lap around the lobby to stay awake for the industry party we're going to this evening. All the Americans at the show are gathering. Should be fun. I wish I didn't feel like this though... *yawn*

These pictures should be loaded by 2pm your time. Hopefully this will sate Ev's need for pics and desire to see something more different from Wisconsin... :)

From Essen - Oct. 24, 2008

Dead tired. Another night late in the bar playing board games.

Essen itself is amazing. The con, that is. So big. And everyone is here. EVERYONE. We've run into so many manufacturers and company friends here, it's remarkable. And they've been so helpful.

I've played a bunch of games and bought almost as many without playing them, just to get a feel for them. I'm excited to bring them home. Everything is so cheap here (board game wise)!!!

I discovered a jackpot of Essen tonight in finally finding the pedestrian zone and a lot of old buildings and statues. I know I promised pictures tonight, but it's 2:30 and I've got to be at breakfast in five hours, at the hall in six.

Pray for good weather for me next week! It's supposed to be rainy while I'm at my castle. I want sunshine while I cross that scary bridge!

Hi!

I didn't get to go to Amsterdam as was originally suspected today and in fact, today was kinda crummy just because I sat around so much waiting in case I was needed and I ended up sitting around my hotel room for six hours when I could have been....anywhere else. But, I can't let myself forget that I am here for work and that means being ready for my bosses if they need me.

Once we assembled, we went to the exhibit hall to bum around. We learned a new game which is really great and already in the US - Domination check it out! - and brought it back with us to play after dinner for three hours (it's 1:50 am here) which was a lot of fun. Kind of made up for the uneventful morning.

Sorry there isn't more to say today. I'm awfully tired and we have to get up early for the opening of the con tomorrow. No time for pictures - extra tomorrow!

Good night!

Ack! Okay, where to begin...

Today has been rainy but fruitful. I cannot overemphasize just how ugly Essen is. Really. It's an industrial town, and while I can't fault it for that, I am having a hard time finding architecture to photograph. *shrug* That being said...

After attending to work this afternoon (Spiel is HUGE! see the pictures! well... mostly the ones I haven't taken yet because they aren't done setting up), the boss men wanted to sleep and I was completely reenergized by my hour long nap in the morning and ready to explore the city. I took the best shower in the world, talked to my sweetie, and was then emboldened to explore that creepy subway. (I fully expect a stern talk from Dad later.) I took the subway back to the exhibit hall and the ginormous garden next to it and spent a rapidly darkening afternoon taking pictures of the beautiful park and all the neat statues that are scattered throughout it. It was nice to stretch my legs and I felt perfectly safe. I forgot how aspects of German culture appeal to the misanthrope in me - I tried to smile at other walkers and greet them as is the uncomfortable custom in Madison, but I was ignored. Hooray! Sadly, the lighting was dreary and not picture friendly but I know where to go now for some really great shots and they're all within walking distance of the con. I'm not sure how much more there is to say about this excursion except that I was remarkably comfortable wandering off on my own. It's a good feeling. I don't even necessarily feel that way in Madison.

I realized, while riding the U-Bahn back to the hotel, that I might have given you the wrong impression of the subway system as a whole here. It's actually lovely and remarkable and I wish we had it in my hometown. It's very clean and there isn't an overwhelming number of "shady types" on it that I feel I need to worry about. Lots of students (University town) and business people. And it's fast. Crazy fast. I shudder to think about how long it would have taken me to get to that garden by foot with traffic and everything. The U-Bahn takes 5 minutes. Probably less. It's just my one darn stop that's just so creepy. Also, kinda neat point, each stop looks different. Some with high ceilings, others with mosaic walls. All very neat. Except for the one right outside my door. :)

Another quick note that I have to comment on: German hotel rooms. I've never stayed in one before so I cannot say as to whether or not this is par for the course, but there are a couple funny things that I've noticed in my couple hours here and I can't wait to see what else I find. I have three phones. Three. One on the desk I'm typing at, one next to the bed, and one next to the toilet. There was no Bible in the night stand or any drawer. No Gideons here, I suppose. Kind of wanted to see a German Bible. The beds are very short. They're almost me-sized. I didn't think the German people were, as a rule, short.

But if you'll excuse me, there's a wee bottle of complementary Riesling (YAY!) waiting for me on the desk and I'm quite chilled from my dash through the rain. Also, hopefully my bosses are up and about and we can go eat. Otherwise, I'll have to clean myself up a bit and go down to the shnazzy hotel restaurant (the one of the two I feel like I can afford).

Enjoy the pictures! Also, please forgive the quality of many of them. I don't know if I'm jittery or what but I blurred a lot of shots and didn't realize it until I loaded them onto the computer.

From Essen - Oct. 21, 2008

I made it!  We landed this morning (midnight WI time) at 7am, about 30 minutes early.  I just checked into my hotel and finally got to take a shower (YAY!) and am about to go out into Essen to take pictures of the city.  It's rainy, and Essen is far uglier than I anticipated so there won't be too many pictures of architecture.  The gardens, however, are beautiful, so I've already taken lots of pictures of flowers.  The two prettiest gardens in the city are happily right next door to the hotel and to the convention center.  YAY!

I'm a little terrified of the subway here though.  And just the station outside our hotel.  The others are fine, but ours bugs me.  It's creepy.  The howling of the wind through the tunnels just makes me cold inside.  I don't think I'll ever go there without Bob or Danny.  

Okay!  Time to explore the city!  I'll post pictures tonight.  I will have to ration internet time here as it is not free in the hotel and I won't have too many opportunities this week to seek wi-fi elsewhere.  But pictures!  Soon!  I promise!

If I am needed for emergencies or in Ben's case, the emergency need to say something ridiculously sweet, I can be reached at my normal number preceded by 011.  So necessary. 

Oh goodness... I take off in a little over 12 hours and I'm really nervous/terribly excited.  I'm not sure if I want to sleep the night through or not sleep at all.  We'll see.

Tschüs!

So I'm just useless at work today... all thoughts are bent on Germany (surprise?)  and I'm going over the hike that I'll be taking around Neuschwanstein my first days on my own.  It's supposed to be fairly grueling and I want to be prepared.  I can't stop looking at pictures from the Marienbrücke (St. Mary's bridge), knowing that is *the* place I need to go to to take pictures of the castle.  But then I look at pictures of the bridge itself and I realize that the hike is not going to be the crippling thing in this trip - crossing that blasted bridge is.  

In case you've never been hiking with me, I adore hiking, but I can get pretty severe vertigo on cliffs.  Not always, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed.  I'll do whatever's necessary for a good shot (within safety allowances), but it can be trying.  So I find that I must cross this bridge, no matter what, for photography and personal pride.  And I'm very very glad that no one will be with me (that I know) to see me whimpering and clinging to the railing as I take pictures.  

Hi Journal!

Well, after months of assuming that I wasn't actually going to Germany and weeks of thinking, "Ugh, it's soo far away," suddenly I'm one week out for departing for Essen to go to the world's largest board gaming convention, which is pretty freaking cool.  I'm traveling with the owner/President of our company and our general manager - two men I very much respect and am looking forward to seeing this con with.  (Non-gaming friends and family: "con" is short for "convention" and will almost always be what I use!  Sorry for any confusion!)  After a week of "work" (I'm acting as a sort of emergency translator for my bosses in case things go wrong - though we know most everyone will be speaking better English than we do), I'll be setting off on my own for six days in Southern Germany (specifically Bavaria and more specifically Munich) to visit with the host family I lived with seven years ago and do some backpacking around castles.  I don't have nearly enough time, but the fact that I'm getting to go is absolutely absurd so you won't hear much complaining from me.  

The title of this journal means "German Adventure" (DeutschesAbenteuer wouldn't fit) and I hope that's exactly what it is.  I haven't gotten much opportunity (read: time and money) to travel by myself so I'm really looking forward to this.  It's weird how things work, though.  When I learned I was going eight months ago, I looked forward to a chance to get to know myself.  I still embrace that opportunity, but I've learned so much about myself in the past four months that it will be an entirely different road to hoe.  I hope this journal won't get too introspective (I know how much fun that can be for others to read, so I'm taking a paper journal for that) but everyone reading this journal should know my state of mind.  

I'll have internet connections almost everywhere I go, so I hope to post daily, if only to let people know I'm alive.  The companion site to this is a Picasa account I set up just for this trip.  I love photography and I hope to do the best telling of my trip in pictures.  I'll update here to let you know I've updated there, but be sure to check out http://picasaweb.google.com/deutschesadventure (get it!? they complement each other!) for hopefully awesome pictures of an awesome trip.  I don't plan on having anything scandalous in either journal - my parents will be reading this! - but I'll give fair warning if there is.

Current itinerary:
10/20 - Depart for Dusseldorf, Germany
10/21 - Arrive, train to Essen
10/21-23 - Adjusting, seeing the sights
10/24-26 - Essen Spiele! (arbeit, arbeit, arbeit)
10/27 - Leave my bosses, train south to Hohenschwangau/Neuschwanstein Castle!!!!
10/28 - NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE!  some other random castle in town, too
10/29 - some time with the Holzinger Familie and then bus to Dachau (so sad)
10/30 - Nymphenburg Palace in Munich (much more family friendly than it might sound)
10/31 - Englischer Garten in Munich (much less family friendly (in places) than it might sound), train north to Dusseldorf
11/1 - Fly back to the States, to my family, friends, and most of all, my dear Ben