The European Way

This week, we decided to divert from our usual gym workout, collapse in bed, talk about going outside, make dinner, and lie in bed some more routine and try something German: The Kino. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 came to theaters in Düsseldorf and since Steph watches all Pirates movies in theaters, we decided to try it. We nervously stood in line, trying to catch what other people were saying so we could mimic their German. Once we got to the front, I asked for two adult tickets and then the woman, foolishly believing I spoke German, started rambling on about something in very fast Deutsch. I shamefully asked her to repeat in English which she kindly obliged to. Turns out, in German Kinos, your tickets are numbered and so you can't just sit wherever you want and she just wanted to know if the back was okay for us. I guess Germans believe that the strain-your-neck-just-to-see-part-of-the-screen seats at the front are prime. As we began to leave her counter, she asked, in my mind a most condescending tone "You do know the movie is in German right?" I almost through a fit but politely told her we knew. Another thing about this assigned seating is that you must sit right next to another person which can be kind of awkward and annoying. I got to sit next to a teenage girl and her boyfriend. She occasionally liked to check her cell phone which was distracting but she didn't hog the armrest. Steph was a little luckier and got to sit next to the four hot German boys. The one sitting next to Steph checked his cell phone more regularly but, unfortunately, didn't have anything new. Steph would also like to point out that her seat-mate had arm to arm contact with her on the armrest for an extended period of time. The movie was good. For the most part, we were able to figure out what was going on but not why. It got really exhausting for both of us to keep translating every word. There was also a lot of action so that kept us into it. The movie was in 3D as well and so I felt like a loser, sitting there with my glasses and the 3D ones on my face. Ah, the wonders of contacts.
Another thing we have started doing is a nightly sauna and steam room. We weren't sure at first what to wear and so we opted not going at all. Steph started really craving it and so we finally decided we would go and wear our towels. Now, we have run into a lot of cultural differences here in Germany such as the opinion of McDonalds (not a fast food chain but a quick food restaurant), lack of Bulk Foods, fashion sense etc. but this was the biggest difference we have had to face. The first time we went, we walked in in our towels and it was just the two of us and so it was fine. The second time, there were naked ladies everywhere. In our gym, there is a room, adjacent to the change rooms and the shower room (no stalls, just open showers), with open space filled with lawn chairs and wicker lounge chairs with the sauna and steam on one end. The naked women were everywhere with all shapes and sizes, just chilling. We opted to wear our towels and we were the odd ones out. We could almost feel the judgment. One teenage girl went naked and then covered up when we were there and then stopped when we left. This got us thinking that they were probably thinking we were prudes or judging them. We felt bad but we wanted to go again. Tonight, we decided we would go again but this time, we would try it the German way: au naturel. There were quite a few women there and so Steph and I grinned and bared. It was awkward at first but there was no judgment the other women. It was a little weird but it feels better without the hot towel. One young woman decided to wear a towel and Steph and I found ourselves judging her. I guess this is just normal for Europeans and we North Americans are more self-conscious. It was a different experience for sure but it was nice to not feel judged by anyone as opposed to being judged for wearing a towel.

Today, we decided to take a trip to Bonn. It was a fairly cheap ticket, only 15 euros for both of us to go down by train. If you ever get a chance to go to Germany, go to Bonn. It is like a typical German town but with more of a modern twist. It is very pretty and cute. We went to see Beethoven's birth house which isn't as exciting as it sounds. We also went to a shop called Hussel Confiserie which is a big chocolate and candy shop. They have different chocolate models of soccer balls, animals and, oddly enough, sausage. Kind of sick, I think. They have three sections of "help-yourself-bulk" chocolates. One section is fancy truffles, one is chocolate-covered fruit and then the last is mini chocolate balls some of which were filled with rum, much to my and Steph's disgust. Then we found a cute little loose-tea shop. Steph bought a Japanese green tea, which smells amazing. They sold a bunch of their own euro-each individual ice teas. They had all sorts of flavours, which was kind of neat and very delicious. We walked around a little more through the shops and found our way to the Zoological University of Bonn's Botanical Gardens. Not as nice as I imagined but still pretty. One old German lady was staring at me for taking pictures in the public garden so that was a little awkward but other than that, it was a very enjoyable walk. We also read about this Irish pub called The Fiddlers on the internet that we opted to try. It was a couple hours too early for dinner when we arrived and so it was us and two German men drinking beer. We decided to try some drinks and so we asked about the some of the vodka cocktails (because we are way to into the girlie drinks) and discovered that they didn't actually have any of the flavoured vodka drinks. Steph went the rum and coke route and I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried an Irish Snake Bite which is cider and Heineken and, I think, a swirl of Raspberry syrup on top. I received half a litre of the stuff which was good for the first bit but the beer really came out towards the end. I ended up chugging the stuff but it was my first full beer and so I am proud...sort of. The food was really good as well. I went the American route and had a burger with fries and Steph tried the potato with chicken curry...very good. It was a lovely day until we reached the Bonn Hbf and had to wait an extra 15 minutes on top of our normal 30 minutes because the train before us was half an hour late. We decided to relax with another sauna treatment before heading back to bed and crashing for the night.