Karneval!

Duisburg is a city that I could give or take... give. I went there Wednesday with a my Art Class on a field trip to a sculpture museum. Driving into Duisburg, is the same as driving into Milwaukee. There's nothing special going on. Homeless people in Duisburg have a funny way of saying hallo, "Fuck you guys, and your moms too. I'm not Joking!" 

The Museum itself was a 1960 disaster. I don't know what it is about the 60's/70's, but they had some of the ugliest/unpractical architecture...

Now that the I'm done with the boring stuff, here's Karneval.

Karneval is probably one of the coolest things I have ever been too. Köln has the best Karneval in Germany to be followed by Düsseldorf. I am not 100% sure, but I believe Berlin and Hamburg do not celebrate Karneval. Karneval is a 4 day event, Thursday through Monday. I have already forgotten the names of each day, but they aren't important. 

Thursday is the ladies day. The girls go around and draw on guys faces, and everyone goes out drinking.

Friday is something, I don't remember, but it involved drinking.

Saturday... Drinking. I arrived in Düsseldorf on Saturday, but Rotex wouldn't let us go into the city.

Sunday is when the real partying starts. We started off the day with go-kart racing. I have always been a good go-kart racer, and I had the best lap time, from what I saw. Then we went into the altstadt for 5 hour free time. 

If anyone has been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, then they will know what I am about to explain. Karneval, unlike Mardi Gras, is all ages and starts around 11 in the morning. It was funny seeing parents pull a wagon with their alcohol and kids in the back. There were also a ton of drunk old people (60+) waddling through the altstadt with the younger crowd. Everyone having a good time. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a couple streets, from what I have seen. Karneval in Düsseldorf is the whole altstadt (a few square blocks), and every street is packed. It's like a combo Mardi Gras and a rave. One of the best parts was when it started to lightly hail and everyone was dancing in the street. Rotary wouldn't let us stay out after 6 because I am sure it only got crazier then. 

After the hail was done, I was able to get this picture of the Rhein and important tower, that every German city seems to have in Düsseldorf. This was the only photo I took with my camera.

Monday is the day everyone dresses up. You look stupid if you aren't. The whole weekend is a costume weekend, but most people do it on Monday. Düsseldorf had a parade at 12:30, but most of us went back to the Altstadt because once you have seen one parade, you have seen them all. I did see a few floats from the parade and got an unwrapped muffin thrown at me from a float. 

The U.S. needs to start celebrating Karneval because it is one of those things, that you will never forget. 

I Drank Something Delicious

I am not sure what it was, all my Host-Grandpa said it that is was red christmas berry. I am thinking cranberry, but it could of been pomegranate. It was bitter and way to hot, but once you added the rum, it became one of the best none-beer drinks I have had. Best beer tho, goes to Kölsch. It is only brewed in Köln, so you must make a special trip there to get it.

Köln was a cool city. I am not sure if I liked better than Berlin or not. October is the month to see it in because all the trees make the city look a lot better. Köln is known for its churches. They have nearly as many churches as people in the city. The main church that everyone can recognize by the infamous photo of it with the Rhine and train bridge in the foreground. The walk up was a total of 1.066 steps. 533 up and 533 down. I was surprisingly easy. It was a spiral stair case maybe 2 1/2 feet wide, and it carried up and down traffic. Ever try passing some one and the narrow end of a spiral staircase? Its a lot of fun. That wasn't the worse part, to get to the top, you must climb up a cone shaped roof piece. To get up this cone, you must walk up a cheap, metal scaffolding staircase. That was the worse part for me. You were at the top and this staircase isn't attached to the walls and it wobbles to I felt like I was going to fall over. I recommend going in the morning when foot traffic is light. The old city was converted into a pedestrian  zone with an endless shopping center. That was cool except for all the people. Köln is Germany's San Francisco, according to Daniel, but I saw more gay people in Berlin. I was also only in the old city, and I was all over Berlin.

I finely played a full game of Monopoly for once. This week Albert and I have been playing every board game in the house. Is it weird that I enjoyed watching Albert go into debt to afford a stay at the Berliner Strasse Hotel. I found that the trick to winning is to buy the foreclosed properties from Albert and flip them. I need to go spend 150 years in Prison with Bernie Madoff. I was on a winning streak until yesterday when he beat me at some medieval build a city game.

I got spend Halloween, what that's tomorrow Hunter, in Germany's biggest club (Index). It was also the biggest Halloween party in Europe, so that is pretty cool to be able to say. This club was huge. I remember that the one part we were in, I think it was called Tender, had at least four levels and nine bars. Index was pretty much all stairs, and home to the worlds largest Ice bar. I didn't see it, because I wasn't dressed appropriately for it. My flannel would not have been warm enough.

I need to learn to drive manuel because right now I am the equivalent to an old man. That doesn't matter because all old men here have Mercedes so I'll be an old man with my Mercedes.