Bonn is located in a part of Germany known as North Rhine Westphalia (similar to an American state like Texas). This region is known as the land with five seasons - spring, summer, fall, winter, and Karneval. Karneval officially starts on November 11 at 11:11, but the real celebrations occur during the last weekend of the season just before Lent begins. That was this past weekend, and so we Americans were able to experience the biggest celebration in the Rhineland at its height. Thursday was Women's Karneval. The frauen takeover the city and run the celebrations. We marched in the parade that morning, throwing candy and wearing wigs and costumes with the locals. It was fun seeing everyone in costume celebrating and having a good time. After the parade, I took a nap to recover from the early morning and spent the rest of the day on schoolwork and the gym.
Friday morning, Madyson, Ana, and I took a bus to Heidelberg. This small town, located an hour south of Frankfurt, escaped bombing during World War 2, and therefore feels much older than most German cities. We visited the botanical gardens and then hiked to the castle overlooking the town before enjoying dinner and pastries in the old town center. Our AirBnB host was a Macedonian woman, and I enjoyed talking with her and getting her perspective on Germany, Eastern Europe, and America; although she made Madyson and Ana feel uncomfortable. Maybe its a Macedonian thing. When I first spoke to her, I used a German phrase, to which she responded, "Are you aware that I am not German?" This made me laugh, and I had to honestly tell her I had not realized her accent was different than a normal German one. The next morning, we visited an anatomy museum filled with plastinated human bodies. I thought this was one of the coolest things I had seen while traveling. The models and exhibits focused on health and happiness and displayed all the major body systems. I was especially fascinated by the embryological portion, in which babies were displayed in various stages of development. I thought it helped shine a light on the miracle of light by making a vague scientific concept into a hard reality.
Shortly after lunch, we took another bus to Frankfurt. There, Ana and I visited the botanical gardens (it was a theme on this trip) and one of the skyscrapers overlooking the city. Technically, we finessed our way to the top of the tower. Instead of paying the tourist rate, we asked to visit the rooftop bar, borrowed a menu while enjoying the view, and then left before anyone noticed us. I returned to our hostel to finish some homework while the girls went to a concert, but not long after they arrived they texted me saying they had got me an extra ticket. I made my way by train in that direction, and was making good time when my phone suddenly died at 15%! Now I was alone in Frankfurt, no phone, no cash, and a suspended debit card (Wells Fargo had some bad timing), so I just starting walking around the general area the concert should have been. After a frustrating twenty minutes of not seeing the venue and no one being able to help me, I was about to give up and go back to the hostel, when suddenly I heard music. I followed the sound down a side alley, and there in the dark was the tiniest venue I had ever seen. It was the place, but now I had to figure out how to get in without a ticket (the ticket I was going to use was on my now dead phone). I explained my situation to the bouncer, and he was having little sympathy. He let me use his phone to logon to my account and pull up my ticket, but before I could he asked me how much it cost. I guessed, and I assume I was correct because he let me in. Unfortunately, all my delays caused me to miss most of the concert, and I only heard the last couple of songs. But it was an adventure in Frankfurt!
We spent the night in our hostel, and the next morning traveled to the city of Mainz by train. Mainz also celebrates Karneval, so after attending Mass in an ancient German cathedral (Ana is catholic), we enjoyed the celebrations. By the end of the day we were exhausted and glad to return to Bonn. But our weekend was not over yet.
Rose Monday is the biggest day of celebration for Karneval, and the biggest party is in Cologne. Early that morning, a group of us students made our way to Cologne in costume to enjoy the parade and celebrations. I have never been to Mardi Gras, but that is the best parallel I can give for what we saw. Everyone was in costume, drinking, celebrating, throwing candy, and having a good time. The party went on for hours, and by the time we headed home we were very exhausted. The first thing I did was take a five hour nap.
While the weekend was one of the most exhausting of the semester, it was also one of the most fun. Traveling and Karneval kept me busy, but I had a great time and absolutely loved it.
