The Holidays (and snow) are Here

So much for the mild temperatures around here.  It snowed yesterday.  And it got cold this week, too.  So cold in fact that we learned a few different ways to express that in German class.  Have your pencils and notebooks ready.  These might come in handy.

Es ist... (It is...)

• sehr kalt (very cold)
• richtig kalt (really cold)
• eis kalt (ice cold)
• schweine kalt (pig cold)
• tierisch kalt (animal cold)
• arsch kalt (ass cold)
  

As for yesterday's snowfall, it wasn't much.  Well, according to my Chicago standards of snowfall it wasn't much.  Still, you wouldn't know that from all the sounds of the kids playing outside.  The ground was barely dusted with snow but that didn't stop two wishful little girls from trying to sled down the small hill next to our parking lot.  With barely any snow on the grass, all they wound up with were a couple of face plants on the slope.  And while walking to and from the grocery store today I watched so many cars driving extremely slow.  When people get this excited over so little snow,  I'm pretty sure I shouldn't expect much (if any) major snow here this winter. 

Monday was my first day back in German lessons after a month's absence.  I was back for one day, then woke up on Tuesday with a terrible sore throat.  I went back to school Tuesday but wound up taking Wednesday off.  Needless to say, that was a rough start back at school.  Today I'm finally feeling like I might be over whatever I had.  Still, that's the third time I've been sick in about four months time.  I'm a little worried about that. 

Now I know why we watched movies in school as a kid.  What a break for the teacher.  This week as my little gift to the kids in my English classes, I decided to show the classic 1966 version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  Though I'm sure they didn't understand about 98% of what was said, they all seemed to enjoy it.  Another bonus to showing a film: sitting back and watching how many kids seem to think that because the lights are out they can pick their nose.

I hope you're done with your Christmas shopping.  We're not.  I think we'll head to the city center Monday in search of the last few items.  That place is packed on a normal weekday.  I can't imagine what that'll be like just a few days shy of the holiday.  Nevertheless, that should give us an excuse for one last trip through some of the Weihnachtsmarkts before they close on the 24th.  We've already gone a couple of times.  It's too bad they can't leave them open for the rest of winter.  It is nice to walk through and see so many people out and about in the cold, having a good time regardless.  Once the markets are gone, those large wide-open squares are going to feel a lot colder. 

Here's some (mostly blurry) photos from our previous trip through some of the various Cologne Weihnachtsmarkts.

From the square in front of the Dom

 

 

Mmmm, Glühwein...

Fresh grilled Champignons (mushrooms)

Yes, there's even a market on board a boat.  While I felt good that the admission price went to UNICEF, I would not recommend visiting this one.  The heat was cranked up so high that it became really uncomfortable.

On to the market in Alter Markt.

The dwarves help you find your way through this one.

In between the Alter Markt and Heumarkt Weihnachtsmarkts

Wish I had a better one of this sign. Need the bathroom? Look for the dwarf with the crossed legs.

 

A jazz combo playing to the passersby

Elvis and Madonna apparently take front seat to Queen Elizabeth, Blair and Sarkozy.

Back near the Dom, on our way home.

Last but not least, here's a little holiday tune for ya... click the small play button below.

Brett Dennen - The Holidays Are Here (and We're Still at War) from http://innerstizzle.vox.com/
http://brettdennen.net/

Karneval

Wow, it has been a heckuva week.  Busy, busy, busy.  And before you know it, we'll be on our way to the States for a couple of weeks.  I can't promise many updates from there but we'll see.

In the meantime today is a big day around here.  If you're here, you already know.  It is 11/11.  Karneval.  For those not in the know, the festivities begin today at 11:11am.  Get it?

So what is Karneval?  I am not too sure to be honest.  I was here once for Karneval two years ago and I can tell you what I saw.  Drunks.  Lots and lots of drunks.  Most in funny costumes which makes it all a little more entertaining.  There was beer bottles all over the place.  More than you could imagine.  And yet, everywhere I looked, people were wheeling around trolleys full of more cases of beer.

So, as far as I can tell, Karneval is pretty much the equivalent of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or (obviously) Carneval in Rio.  Although there's a big blow out today, the main celebration is in spring just like Mardi Gras, and it lasts about as long.  So why today's celebration?  A friend in the States told me his opinion.  According to him it is all very German: today the Germans celebrate that they can now begin to plan for a celebration in the spring.  Today is the beginning of the Karneval season which ends with said spring celebration.  In between today and next spring, serious committees will be planning the festivities.  Although it is roughly the same every year, this is apparently serious business.  Lest you think my friend was doing a little too much stereotyping, I asked my teacher why the celebration in November.  Her answer: because we can now start getting ready for next spring. 

Here's a little more background on the festivities.

And here's a video that tries to explain Karneval as well.  Not sure if that goal was accomplished, but you get a pretty good idea of what it is like around here.  If you're planning on coming over to visit in the spring, plan according to your tolerance for public displays of drunkenness.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an old Halloween costume to dust off...

Viva Colonia.mp3

The Humans are (not quite) Dead

There have been a lot of events around town that I've wanted to attend. Some I wound up skipping. Others (like the Musik Nacht) had details I missed and therefore couldn't attend. I did, however, make it to Robodonien last weekend.

Courtesy of Google Translator:

ROBODONIEN invites artists from across Europe to transform the art and Kulturfreistaat Odonien into a multimedia, interactive science-fiction setting. The installations and kinetic objects on the weekend of the 18th to 20th presents spectacular shows, and offers visitors a wealth of unusal and thrilling impressions and ideas.

Odonien, from what I can tell, is the studio or workspace of an artist named Odo Rumph. (Apologies if I don't have my facts right.) The facility is an open workshop for artists of all types. It is located in a former Deutsche Bahn repair yard. Odonien has symbolically been declared a free state in order to keep outside influences away and to foster creative ideas. (Here's another site which provides much more information if you run it through the Translator.)

My only regret was that I didn't go at night. Judging by all the photos and videos I've seen online, it was a pretty cool scene after dark. Daytime wasn't bad either, but it was definitely more of a "family" day. If you've clicked on any of those sites above, you've probably seen much better photos of the place than the ones I took. If you're lazy, here's some of my photos.

Fireballs were constantly being shot off.

I can't say that I always felt safe there.

Then again, I think that was part of the fun.

 

 

 

The Barbie-Que. Barbie dolls submitted to open flames and cleavers.

By far the coolest piece was built by Bastiaan Maris. Again from the translator: "His interest in music, equipment, sound and powerful chemical based processes have led to an ongoing research in chemo-Acoustic Phenomena and the development of sound installations and musical instrument on these principles." I'm not entirely sure what that means either, but it was cool. The photos and video I took don't do any justice. The sound created from the blasts of air and fire was pretty intense.  Needless to say, I kept my distance.

Finally, for you musicians out there, beware. I've seen the future of music and it doesn't include you.

Here's a video I cut together from the event.



And of course, I couldn't let any of this go without adding a binary solo.  

September happenings

A couple events coming up next weekend worthy of mentioning (I hope):

First off is Robodonien, a weekend long Robotic Art exhibition. Yeah, I'm not too sure what that means either, but it looks interesting.

The Kölner Musik Nacht is next Saturday evening. Its an all night music fest spread out in various locations all over the city. Lots of experimental music, jazz and classical choices. Here's the timetable.

I'd like to get to the Stadtgarten tonight to see "We Were Promised Jetpacks," but I'm not too sure it is going to happen. If you clicked on that link, make sure you disable the annoying auto-start video at the bottom of the webpage so it doesn't interfere with the music player!)

I realize Lala doesn't work here in Europe (yet), but for those back in the States, here's an appropriate one to enjoy. Summer seemed to end abruptly this week. Summer weather one day, cold and blustery the next. Leaves are starting to pile up here. I broke out a sweater for the first time last night. Looks like we're heading for winter...

Roll Up Your Sleeves - We Were...

VHS oder Beta

Today marks the end of my first week in the Volkshochschule (commonly referred to as VHS). I signed up for a one month intensive summer course. Before moving I took several months of private one-on-one German lessons. I didn't quite reach level A2 before leaving and was a little apprehensive about where I might be placed. I certainly didn't want to start over again, but was worried that being placed in the second level of an intensive course might go too fast for me. We were told to arrive at the school about a half hour prior to the start of the first class so that they could determine where to place me. I should have realized what I was in for when the "test" consisted of being asked in German "Where are you from?" I confidently answered correctly and they put me into level 2.

It is certainly a much different experience than my one-on-one lessons. To say it is frustrating is an understatement. We are moving incredibly slowly. Our book consists of four chapters. I thought it was safe to assume we'd get through one each week. So far we are on page six. That's about one third of the way through the first chapter. The class consists of fourteen other students from all different backgrounds; French, Russian, Korean, Turkish, Spanish, Mexican, Lebanese. With so many different backgrounds, it is no wonder we're moving so slowly. We've all gotten to this point with different teachers and different materials. I get frustrated when others get hung up on what seems really basic issues. But then a few minutes later we'll hit on something I've never come across and we all slow down for my sake. I'm sure I'm not the only one frustrated in that classroom.

Quite possibly the scariest part of the classroom experience is that I have to come to terms with my age. I could easily be the oldest student in the class. There might be a couple others in their 30s but I could be wrong. There is a brother and sister team in the class that I'm sure is half my age! But for the most part, it seems to be college age students spending their summer learning the language for school or work.

Regardless of the pace of the class, I walk out of there completely exhausted. I forgot what it is like to use my brain for four hours straight. I came home the other day and slept for two hours and still fell asleep by 11. Let's hope this isn't another sign of me showing my age.

Needless to say, I haven't gotten out and about as much as I would have liked to so far. But I think we're going to try to correct that this weekend. She has to work late tonight, but we're going to hit the local pub once she's home. Tomorrow night is the big night. All over the city and subway are ads for Kölner Lichter (enjoy the awkward translation!). It is a gigantic fireworks show synchronized to music. Apparently this event has gotten so big, they've moved it a little further north of the city center because of the huge crush of people it brings in. The weather however doesn't look too promising. I don't mind the cold but I hope there's no more rain.

What else is there to do around here? I've got a little widget running some headlines from The Local on the right side of this page. It contains German news written in English. They also post listings of local events and movies weekly. By no means do these look comprehensive, but it is a start. Here's one to file away if you live here or are planning on visiting. If anyone else has better local event listings in English, please let me know!

So, in the spirit of Kölner Lichter and VHS, enjoy this one before you head out for your own weekend debauchery:

Night On Fire - VHS or Beta