Arriving in Frankfurt by ICE train. Photo (cc) flckr user K_Gradinger

After finishing my studies, Germany was just a stepping stone for me to do internship and thereafter head to my destination USA for higher studies. At that moment, I was unaware of the fact that soon Germany was going to give me almost everything that I desired. It enriched every spectrum of my life—be it spiritual, physical, or financial. It would be like a fairy tale. Don’t get me wrong, I am not talking about the ecstasy of being successful, but instead of euphoria of enjoying a natural gift called LIFE thoroughly. Perhaps, I would have never been able to understand the balanced importance of life if I had never been to Germany.

The Kölner Dom: Hard to fit in one photo. Photo (c) Resident on Earth

One day last May as we were zipping along the Autobahn at light speed, we decided to make an impromptu stop in Köln (Cologne) to see its impressive and famous cathedral, the Kölner Dom. So we zipped in, saw it, and zipped out.

And impressive it is, to say the least. I craned my head back, looked up at it, and said, “Mein Gott!” It was hard to even fit the whole front facade into one photo. The cathedral is one of the world’s largest churches, and is the largest gothic church in northern Europe. With its enormous twin spires, it boasts the largest facade of any church in the world. Construction on the cathedral began in 1248, and building continued intermittently until its completion in 1880. It seems the cathedral is continually under some kind of renovation/restoration…always.  The Mann says this is the Sagrada Familia of German building projects.

Photo (c) Resident on Earth

One Sunday last June, despite the fact that we were monstrously tired and the weather was rainyish, we trekked all the way out to Gelnhausen for their medieval festival. Of course it was only marginally historical, but still, rather fun.

This is where Germans love to dress up in spectacularly bad costumes and act all medievally by laboring with crude materials and standing around smoky fire pits cooking food that went out of style for a reason. At one food stall they were actually roasting a pig’s head – yes, a pig’s head, and some tourist was eagerly kneeling before the fire with his crude wooden plate outstretched and waiting for the medieval impersonator to carve off some meat.

Photo (c) Resident on Earth

The first time I was in Berlin, I left the city in the hush of the early morning hours. I awoke at the ungodly hour of 4 AM, slipped into a taxi, and sleepily watched the streets in the morning darkness on the way to the airport. Berlin was at the tail end of my first trip to Europe, and I didn’t want to go home. I felt my heart was being pulled out of me as I rode in that dark taxi speeding towards the airport. I had completely fallen in love with Europe.

Photo (c) Resident on Earth

It’s cold in Germany now; I’ve had to dig out the heavy-duty scarves and boots. Riding my bike has become decidedly unpleasant as the cold air blasts my face. This morning it was crunchy outside as the world had frosted over.

So this week was an appropriate time to reminisce about an overnight trip I took to Bamberg in the heat of July. Bamberg is a very special town in the upper Franconia region of Bavaria. It is one of the few cities in Germany that was relatively untouched by the bombing in WWII and because of that, has a beautifully preserved medieval Altstadt (old city) with a cool Rathaus (city hall) straddling an island in the river.

The ice cream colors of Weimar. Photo (c) Resident on Earth

Last August I was anxious for a bit of travel, so I packed my backpack, and got on the train headed for a spontaneous three-day trip through Thuringia. I didn’t really have a solid plan or any hotels lined up. I just wanted to ride the trains and see where I turned up. Thanks to TQE for his tips along the way! I wish I had visited before he bailed on Thuringia and moved to Berlin.

Eisenach

The Rheingold used to be full of Brits like me headed down to Switzerland for a little light skiing. Now they fly Easyjet! (Museum Folkwang)

The end of November 2010 marks an odd personal anniversary for me: It means five years of no flying. That’s right, I last got on an airplane back in November 2005, travelling from Paris to Dortmund and back again. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with news about global warming and the damaging impact of flying, and so decided to stop worrying and do something about it. I’ve been taking the train ever since then.