Escaping to NRW

Over the extremely long weekend, I tagged along with  natives Claudius and Daniel on a trip to the  lovely state of Nord-Rhein Westfalen.  Daniel and Claudius are landscape architecture students who I met outside of the Engelsburg last month as I was standing outside of the club's entrance and attempting to finish some wine in a tetra-pak that I had somehow acquired on the Straßenbahn and assumed responsibility for. We got to talking, and they said they were planning an American road trip in two years, and I mentioned that I was from America (unnecessary compliments were duly payed to my command of the German language) and I invited them to my house in California which I will hopefully have in two years...

Claudius on the bank of the Rhein

We started hanging out after that, and they said I could come with on a road trip in Daniel's VW Bus if I was interested in going back to Cologne, and, professional tag-along that I am, I accepted.

On the trip we stayed in Cologne (well, nearby) and with friends of Daniel in Aachen. I sort of went with the flow. Everything was fine with me. I was happy to see NRW once more, in what may well be the last time ever. I was extremely happy to leave Erfurt, where I have been feeling cloistered and redundant.

Art piece at Cologne's Museum Ludwig

We went to a modern art museum in Cologne, and went to the Theater and toured the Dom in Aachen. Feeling mildly experimental, I smoked catnip with Claudius, who proved a great expert on American music of the 60s and 70s. During the long car ride, I introduced them to Gang Gang Dance.

That's a band.

With Daniel's friends, I remembered what it's like in large group of fast-talking Germans. Even after 9 months in Germany, I find it hard to keep up. I felt like I was drowning in German.

Train station coffee

I saw my former host mom, Ellen, perhaps for the last time before I leave Europe. We didn't have a whole lot of time together, although there was apparently enough time for her to whip together a soup and a vegetarian Auflauf (!).

Ellen, I and Nina

Tagging along on the trip made me feel homesick for Germany already, knowing I was making memories which I will look back on wistfully whilst pining away in some climate-controlled office in America.