Again, sorry about
these posts being a little bit out of order things have been a little bit
hectic for us. As you know Emily has been traveling the south of Germany!
However we started our trip together.
We started out in Cologne,
together, and for Carnival! Emily surprised me with this trip and I thank her for
there. We were just chatting online and she told me her couch surfing request
for Cologne had been accepted. I thought nothing of it and then she told me
that it was for two. I was beyond excited. Cologne during Carnival would be awesome,
however it wasn’t what I expected. Cologne during Carnival is C.R.A.Z.Y!
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| Emily in front of the Dom |
Once we arrived we just
saw how crazy it could be. Everyone was dressed up, drunk, and just having a
good ole time. I knew about the costumes and the drinking, I mean it is a
festival in Germany. I just didn’t know the extent. For me it is Halloween +
St. Paddy’s day, but with drinking in the streets and everything closed. One of
my friends told me it sounds like St. Paddy’s in New York City. We decided to
chill around the Dom and the Hauptbahnhof because we were just seeing so many
costumes and there was a small parade going on. We saw some people dressed as
witches, snails, flowers, and some other things during this parade. One thing I
was wondering was how they weren’t freezing since it was cold. I really wished
I brought my warmer jacket.
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| Just chillin' in the streets. |
After the parade Emily
and I went in search of our host. She didn’t live in the city center and that
was nice since we got to see another part of the city. She also had one of the
best views ever! The skyline was beautiful at night. Once thing about our host
that made her one of the best ever is that she was super open. From the moment
we walked through her door she was warm and welcoming. We even got to meet some
of her friends. She took us out to some bars that night so we could see some of
the partying at night. She said that Sundays weren’t good days to see the
nightlife of Carnival since it is dead, but it was still busy! Everywhere
people were still dressed up, and extremely drunk, and the party was still in
full swing. We went out with our host and her friend. They got all dressed up
and it was fun. Debby, the host, was a hula dancer and her friend, Pia, was a
white snail. I think I know what I am going as for Halloween next year. And no
the snail was still super cute!
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| How can they not be cold? |
We didn’t get in until
3, which is still early, but all of us were tired. Emily and I woke up at 8 am
and made Debby some tea since her throat was sore the night before and she
still took us out. She was shocked when she woke up and we had the tea ready.
However, once awake we all had to leave the apartment to get a good spot at the
big parade. This parade lasts up to 6 hours, so I am told. I know that when
Emily and I left to warm up and get some stuff it had been going on for 3
hours! 3 hours and it wasn’t even halfway done. Now unlike the States the
people in the parade chuck the candy and hand out flowers. I was hit several
times and it wasn’t a like chuck, it was a high speed missile aimed for the
crowd. All the candy Emily and I got we gave the kid next to us. He was
thankful, well as thankful as a kid getting even more candy can be. At the
parade they gave out flowers, but you had to give the guy handing them out a
kiss. Emily got a flower on accident and I didn’t get one. Again I don’t know
how half those people handled standing there in the cold. I was freezing!
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| We saw the Mask/Shrek in a train station on our way to Cologne. |
After the parade, more
like when Emily and I decided to leave, we went and got some stuff to make
dinner and dessert for Debby. She wasn’t expecting anything from us since couch
surfing is a volunteer thing, but we made vegetable soup and blueberry cake. She
was shocked that we just cooked for her since we had already bought some wine. Sadly
I was in bed early that night, 7:30pm. I was just so wiped out. So much going
on and little sleep just takes its toll.
We left on Tuesday on
our separate way. Emily went to Frankfurt and I went home to get ready for Amsterdam,
again. Emily already posted about Frankfurt and I will post about Amsterdam in
the next few days.
Post about Amsterdam up soon,
Ash
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