Like Final Destination, except for vacations
This weekend was doomed from the start. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be here, I'm still having fun. It's just been a bit of a convoluted journey to get here.
I'm working on Plan, um, I think D, or E or something. Berlin went like clockwork. My plan was to go for Berlin for Labor Day weekend, then Oktoberfest, and the weekend in between was open. I tried a bunch of scenarios. I thought of going to Madrid, but my friend from Madrid was to be in Stutgart for a few months for work. I thought maybe there was this party weekend I knew of in Sitges, and I hadn't been to Barcelona yet. The party actually got cancelled, although I hadn't seriously considered it, given the distance from here. So maybe I'll do a little circle around Germany. A couple days with friends in Cologne, meet up with my Madrid friend in Stuttgart.
Like I said, doomed from the start. A few days before I left Germany, I get a message from my Madrid friend. His contract has been suddenly cut short, and he won't be able to be in Stuttgart. Well, I didn't konw anyone else in Stuttgart, but I did in Cologne. So I decided just to extend my time in Cologne. Luckily, I had changeable train tickets, and could easily reschedule them.
It gets worse. So my friend in Cologne said he had friends coming in on the weekend. I figure I'd figure something out (I'm rather resourceful that way), probably just stay in a hotel. I love Cologne, it's definitely one of my favorite cities in Germany (after Munich). Well, he calls me the day before I'm to leave to Cologne. His aunt died, and he needs to go to the funeral. At this point, and unlike my train tickets, my plane tickets to Cologne were not changeable or refundable. So I end up going and finding a hotel, as that was like plan D-2 if I couldn't stay with Patrick on the weekend anyways (the same hotel I stayed at last year actually, and it's cheaper than it was when I stayed here last, oh and they completely remodeled the rooms too, I remember they were working on that last time I was here), and just extending it earlier from just the weekend to the whole stay. Oh, and I negotiated it all in German. (Just had to say that.) :-)
I'm swearing to god, I feel like those kids on Final Destination, where somehow they escape death, and death goes after them to complete their fate. Not that that's going to happen to me, but like I said, I think this is like Plan E or something. I certainly hope we're done with the chasing now!
Anyways, I'm now here, I managed to go to Cox and grab a Kölsch or 6. It was weird. Being back there, still chatting with Dax the Bartender (although he's not fond of my German, that I'm not his type... I'm like 10 years too young and 50 pounds too light.... so I'm told!), being at the place where it all began. Although this time it's a hell of lot nicer weather. I think I just might wear shorts tomorrow. In case you didn't know, that's "Shorts" in German. :-)
So hopefully the rest of the time will go much better now. I was saying to a San Franciscaner in Berlin after his coat was stolen out of a coat check, there's always one unpleasantness on every trip. Nothing ever goes 100% right. And the unexpected little things that go right most always seem to balanace out the those that don't. And besides, I got a first class train ticket waiting for me on Monday to go to Munich. It was originally going to split up between Cologne to Stuttgart and Stuttgart to Munich, but it'll work. And did I mention, it's first class? :-)
Blogdatum: Mittwoch, 06.09.2006
I'm working on Plan, um, I think D, or E or something. Berlin went like clockwork. My plan was to go for Berlin for Labor Day weekend, then Oktoberfest, and the weekend in between was open. I tried a bunch of scenarios. I thought of going to Madrid, but my friend from Madrid was to be in Stutgart for a few months for work. I thought maybe there was this party weekend I knew of in Sitges, and I hadn't been to Barcelona yet. The party actually got cancelled, although I hadn't seriously considered it, given the distance from here. So maybe I'll do a little circle around Germany. A couple days with friends in Cologne, meet up with my Madrid friend in Stuttgart.
Like I said, doomed from the start. A few days before I left Germany, I get a message from my Madrid friend. His contract has been suddenly cut short, and he won't be able to be in Stuttgart. Well, I didn't konw anyone else in Stuttgart, but I did in Cologne. So I decided just to extend my time in Cologne. Luckily, I had changeable train tickets, and could easily reschedule them.
It gets worse. So my friend in Cologne said he had friends coming in on the weekend. I figure I'd figure something out (I'm rather resourceful that way), probably just stay in a hotel. I love Cologne, it's definitely one of my favorite cities in Germany (after Munich). Well, he calls me the day before I'm to leave to Cologne. His aunt died, and he needs to go to the funeral. At this point, and unlike my train tickets, my plane tickets to Cologne were not changeable or refundable. So I end up going and finding a hotel, as that was like plan D-2 if I couldn't stay with Patrick on the weekend anyways (the same hotel I stayed at last year actually, and it's cheaper than it was when I stayed here last, oh and they completely remodeled the rooms too, I remember they were working on that last time I was here), and just extending it earlier from just the weekend to the whole stay. Oh, and I negotiated it all in German. (Just had to say that.) :-)
I'm swearing to god, I feel like those kids on Final Destination, where somehow they escape death, and death goes after them to complete their fate. Not that that's going to happen to me, but like I said, I think this is like Plan E or something. I certainly hope we're done with the chasing now!
Anyways, I'm now here, I managed to go to Cox and grab a Kölsch or 6. It was weird. Being back there, still chatting with Dax the Bartender (although he's not fond of my German, that I'm not his type... I'm like 10 years too young and 50 pounds too light.... so I'm told!), being at the place where it all began. Although this time it's a hell of lot nicer weather. I think I just might wear shorts tomorrow. In case you didn't know, that's "Shorts" in German. :-)
So hopefully the rest of the time will go much better now. I was saying to a San Franciscaner in Berlin after his coat was stolen out of a coat check, there's always one unpleasantness on every trip. Nothing ever goes 100% right. And the unexpected little things that go right most always seem to balanace out the those that don't. And besides, I got a first class train ticket waiting for me on Monday to go to Munich. It was originally going to split up between Cologne to Stuttgart and Stuttgart to Munich, but it'll work. And did I mention, it's first class? :-)
Blogdatum: Mittwoch, 06.09.2006
posted by Joe Carlin at 9:08 PM
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