Border-Hopping to France for... Sushi...

Sushi was pretty much the driving force for me to go to Strasbourg. That and the giant CATHEDRAL.

BAM. CATHEDRAL.

Aside from that, French sort of freaks me out, so...

- Black Forest

Message from Deep in the Black Forest

Some of you think I live in Karlsruhe because I'm here all the goddamn time, but I actually live in a small town deep in the Black Forest. It has its own charm. Observe:

Town hall.

That arrow is where my apartment is.

So I've been in Germany for about 6 months now, and my experiences here could be summed up in three words:

Opposite of what I'm used to. I grew up around big cities and lived in capitals for most of my adult life. Villages and small towns are still a mystery to me. I miss the anonymity of big cities (especially when the people who recognize you on the streets are your students or their parents), though I would take small-town life over...

Heartbreak that spurred a spontaneous (but epic) journey through Scandinavia and Western Europe. I have seen more places in Germany in the past 6 months than US cities in the 23 (...I guess 16 if you subtract all the time I wasn't in the state) years I've lived in California. I was in a slump for months, but the thing about not being tied down to anything makes me more likely to flee to random places. Which is unfortunate at times, because often I find myself in situations that make me think...

lolwut. The randomness factor of my life has reached an all-time high. In the non-depressed, non-dramatic way, nothing makes sense to me now. Everything is baffling. I could walk past a farm and witness a UFO abduct a cow, and it wouldn't bother me. This is where my life is at.

- Karlsruhe

Epic Coffee Journey throughout Baden-Württemberg

So I was sitting at home today with a raging fever and thought it would be the perfect time to do something random. In my delirium I bought a Baden-Württemberg ticket, which means I could hop on any train within the state for a day. Realizing I had no idea what to do with it, I called up everyone I knew in the state. This took me all the way to Mannheim, where I met up with an acquaintance for coffee at 1 PM. Then I stopped by Heidelberg to have coffee with a buddy of mine I hadn't seen in 4 years.

And yet some things never change.

Then a friend of mine in Karlsruhe called and said she had a little time. So off to Karlsruhe I went and downed even more coffee. It was the first sunny day in ages. I was feverish and overcaffeinated, but I was gonna enjoy the sun, damn it.

I enjoyed that sun.

Another acquaintance of mine texted me and said he had time, so I found myself hastily catching a train to Stuttgart.


After that, a buddy in Freiburg asked what I was up to. It was late, so of course I hopped on a train to Freiburg for a quick coffee. I didn't even leave the train station, which was good because I barely caught the last train back to Gengenbach.

...plus I was too tired to move.

All in all the day took me across 290 miles, 10 cups of coffee, and 5 lovely people willing to keep me caffeinated. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans.

- Black Forest