Dom, Dom Dom Dom...

As I wrote last time, we had a bit of time to explore Köln before or after our stint in the Altenberg big house, depending on when our trains got into or left the city. So my plan was obviously to take a look at the cathedral with trusty travel companion Christine. You know--the cathedral that took four hundred years to build; the cathedral that the Allies didn't bomb because it was one of the best aerial landmarks in Europe; the cathedral that the Germans refer to simply as "der Dom" (dome) because it needs no further explanation. Luckily, when you walk out of the Hauptbahnhof, there it towers--the Kölner Dom:

It's too big to fit in one picture.

We took a look inside--massive--and then clearly decided to go to the top.

Breather at the bells.

Earplugs required.

Almost there...

509 steps later.

The top.

When we finally made it back to the solid, cemented ground, we found some more interesting sites in the area.

The dog was cuter than the whales--and real.

How much of their income is spent on gold paint?

Rolex--no fakes here.

I'm ready. Put me in, coach.

Later, Köln.

Getting Arrested

I wasn't even here for a week before I got detained under suspicion of signing a questionable contract. Actually, all 110 or so Fulbrighters in Germany got rounded up in Köln and sent to a village in the middle of nowhere. There we found a large monastery that was to be our home for a few full days of intense orientation activities. I believe, though, that it is kind of an isolated mecca that serves as religious center, nursing home, and internment site for young Americans. Upon arrival, we learned some of the most important house rules: the gates offering any chance of connection to the outside world close at 9:45p.m. and there is no alcohol allowed on the premises. They're really more like guidelines, right?

Follow the wheelchairs!



We got these cool skelton keys.

Not bad for a temporary cell.

My "classroom."

A painting of the first warden?

We got fifteen-minute breaks here and there, so I got to explore the "village" a bit. This consisted of a hotel, an old brewery, a few houses in the distance, and this enormous cathedral that, because of our confinement, we didn't even realize was connected to the monastery.

And I found a friend from home!

Luckily, on our last night (which happened to be my birthday) they let us out early (meaning about 8:30) for some fun with our peers (within the gates, of course). The good things about prison, I guess, are that you get to meet a lot of people and judge the rest. I'm seriously concerned about how the United States is being represented abroad. The first step of the application process should be a video interview--BAM!--you're down to twenty. Anyway, a few shots of the night:

We were twins almost every day (it's a superior Denison wavelength, Clint, unheard by normal humans)

We enjoyed some guitar--thanks Nick.

Part of the Ohio contingent--there are eleven of us here. Represent!

And so ended our detainment. We had some time to poke around Köln while we waited for trains to our various placements. Those pictures will be coming soon.

Move-in Day

My German colleagues had been very kind in scouting out a place for me to live and it was my first destination upon arriving in Tauber (I learned, to my great relief, that they shorten the name for casual use). I now live on a mountain top in a building with Olympic-hopeful fencers. (The German Olympic training center for fencing is in this little town and the apartment building is owned by the center to house the team, plus me). Here is what I was faced with:

My new address

So prestigous

The neighborhood

My patio

Welcome home

Way nicer than the brownstones

Breakfast nook/dining corner

Bedroom, bathroom

I could totally start a German version of The Hills

Die Berge, Mondays, 10:00, when The Hills should be on

When I needed a break from unpacking, I took a walk around the neighborhood. My backyard turns out to be a mountaintop nature preserve with a bunch of trails.

To the summit!

Very convenient for late-night confessions

There's Tauber

Not a bad view