mychai's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This past weekend, sans pictures... Hey, all! It was a very nice weekend, thanks for asking. My German "dad" came and picked me up in his silver Smart Car convertible. I know it looks small and squat on the outside, but it is a very magical car that opens up to a scene from the Castle Anthrax from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on the inside. It isn't a car intended for long road trips, but that doesn't mean it isn't comfy in there. Plus, heated seats, man! Mr. Wiggly was nice and warm the whole trip, which is a thankful thing because it was very cold this weekend over here in Germany. It was in the upper-20s Monday morning. Brr! Our first stop was in Mainz, home of Gutenberg. He was one of those people who single-handedly changed the face of the world and altered history forever. He invented the first printer, effectively putting the scripter out of business and making written knowledge affordable to the Everyman. There was a Gutenberg museum, but I'm not a huge fan of museums so didn't go in. But there is a little gift store beside the museum which � as in most cases � probably held neater things than the museum. They had the world's smallest printed and bound book for sale. It was half the size of your average postage stamp, and contained some excerpt from the Bible. And it was actually professionally bound, too, there at the museum. It costs something along the lines of 50�. I'd end up losing it and then be out 50�. After the museum, we went walking along the river and my "Dad" told me a very nutshell history of the area, what with Romans and Prussians and all. All the while, he was leading me all around and pointing out interesting buildings. We got to the middle of a marktplatz, and he pointed out something that looked like a very narrow railroad track that ran straight across the platz and was level with the ground. It was the 50th parallel. How neat! Who needs GPS receivers? We then went for a ride up the Rhein and saw a bunch of touristy towns. There were Japanese and Dutch everywhere, along with typical tourist crap for sale. I bought a Coke and some dehydrated kiwifruit. How's that for being a tourist? The Rhein valley is world-renown for having the largest concentration of old castles and other various ruins. The road we were on matched the Rhein curve-for-curve, and every time you would turn a corner, there would be three or four castles on either side of the river. In the olden days, the river was a major passageway for trade and strategery. So, castles were inhabited by noble folks, religious folks, and folks who were skilled at sinking enemy ships with cannons. We got into Koblenz � where my "Dad" lives � a little late in the evening. Too late in the evening for the Mrs. to cook. So, we walked down a very steep hill � some would call it a cliff � and through a section of old town and went to an Italian restaurant. It was owned and operated by actual Italians, so I had a pretty authentic meal. I got pork tenderloins in a creamy mushroom sauce with browned potatoes. I also had a salad with all kinds of interesting things in it, some French-onion soup, and two glasses of wine. It was a long day of touring, and the wine made me very tired. We scaled the cliff and got back home at around 9:00. The sun was still above the horizon, but I was dog tired. On Sunday, we got up and went to a castle about twenty minutes out of Koblenz called Marksburg. We got a guided tour, but my "Dad" gave me his own tour. He pointed out all kinds of neat defensive and practical features about the castle. One neat thing was the "loo". It was a little wooden structure that stood out from the side of the castle, attached to the dining area. The noble man would excuse himself from the dinner table, walk into the room, sit down, and do his thing. All the while he wouldn't shut the door because it was considered high class to have a bathroom and it was elegant to show off your niceties. Plus, he needed to hear the conversation going on at dinner because you can never be too careful with people you think are your friends. Too much trust will lead to a knife in the back. After the castle, we went back into Koblenz to a nice Sunday lunch of spargel (German white asparagus), slices of different types of ham (prosciutto, umm� etc.) to wrap the spargel in, boiled potatoes, and a salad. Very German, and very good. After lunch, we came back to Sembach. It was a four-hour trip back, and I nodded off once or twice. My mind was exhausted from learning so much, and my body was exhausted from being a tourist and a guest at someone's home. So, that was my weekend. I have a four-day weekend this coming up weekend, and I don't quite know what I will be doing. I am thinking of going back and spending more time along the Rhein. Several of the castles have been turned into hostels, and I am thinking it would be quite fun to spend the night in a castle. Maybe they'll let me shit out the window. You know� for authenticity's sake. I am putting together an idea for another "Day in the life of�" photo project. I have to ask around to see who/ what I can photograph and who/what I would be sent to jail for if I photographed. If things go well, I may do it this week. I dunno. Don't hold your breath. 12:11 p.m. - Tues., May 25, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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