the class schedule was messed up because of london. we had class on friday, which sort of confused my understanding of the week. friday was also my roommate’s 21st birthday, so i made her a cake to celebrate. i think she appreciated it, but i couldn’t tell how she was feeling otherwise. i don’t think i would like spending my birthday away from my friends and family. especially my 21st, which is such a big deal in the states. here, since there is no age restriction on drinking, number vingt-et-un becomes quite blasé.
friday night we went to a concert. i would like to first point out that under no circumstances would i ever go see this band if i were in the states. i was more interested in seeing what it is like to go to a concert abroad. but, since this band is not really my scene, i would sort of be comparing apples to oranges. second, i was not impressed with their music. do i look like an asymmetrical haircut emo chick to you? didn’t think so.
now i feel like there’s an unnecessary buildup to the name of the band, which i did not intend to do. we saw “panic! at the disco”. which is a pretty silly name for a band, if you ask me. pale faced boys in supertight pants wearing more makeup than i have owned my entire life. that’s not entirely true, but you get the picture. the music wasn’t too excruciating, just your typical emo-punk with a cello and xylophone thrown into the mix. their lyrics were rather nauseating, but luckily the sound system was pretty sub-par, and i was not subjected to the whine fest. “the only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage” was one of their songs. ugh, that’s some pretty deep stuff, but only if you forget that they took it directly from chuck palihnuik.
the crowd was actually just what you would expect for this type of show. average age: probably 17. youngest was probably 13, with a handful of obvious parents there to chaperone. and a few out of place looking thirty-somethings. emo haircuts, boldly printed shirts, lots of eyeliner. i had no idea the fad had spread across the atlantic. i spent a solid chunk of the show wondering what it must be like for your favorite band to not speak your language. sure, french student especially might understand a healthy bit of english, but there are crucial parts of the experience that i’m sure are lost in the translation. then again, music can cross barriers. i’m sure the teens at this show wanted to have the babies of emo-frontman mc panic as much as the fourteen year olds in america. sidenote: it is possible that this was the first concert i’ve attended where there was an actual bra thrown onstage. it’s also possible that i am not normally very observant of such activities. nevertheless, a bra was thrown onstage. honestly, who does that? what is this, a poison concert?
after the show, we headed back to the chateau. actually, first we talked to one of the roadies, who seemed surprised to see americans in the crowd. strasbourg isn’t exactly a well-known city. we chatted for a moment, got the lowdown on touring europe-style. this guy was not a fan. he also hopped onstage to grab a drumstick for my roommate and one other girl. guess we get preferential treatment because they understood what we were asking.
anywho, we made it back to the chateau on the last bus, then went to bed. i can make a lot of fun about the music, but the girls i went with really enjoyed the show. that’s sort of their scene, though. and i guess i did have fun.
saturday morning we woke up early for more excursions. first up, struthof concentration camp. not quite a cheery way to start your morning. when i was in austria, we visited the maulthausen concentration camp. maybe i forgot what it felt like to stand in such a place, or maybe a few year’s age has given me a deeper understanding of humanity. but saturday, i felt emotionally blown away. the whole camp is carved into the side of a mountain. it was physically challenging to walk up the steep, stone paved hill; incomprehensible to think of how one would manage even the trip from barracks to other parts of the camp, being so malnourished. barbed wire fences enclose the site, with guard towers every few hundred feet or so. at the top of the hill, a memorial to the thousands that perished at this site, as well as to the efforts of the french resistance movement. moving down the hill, the gallows stand out starkly; a lone noose against the vastness of the sky. most of the buildings have been taken down. only an outline of stone, marking the footprint of each of the barracks. the emptiness creates an eerie, sobering atmosphere.
at the bottom of the hill, two buildings still remain. one was the “prison”, where the most violent or dangerous prisoners were kept for disciplinary reasons, or simply as a holding point before execution. the other building was the crematorium. i have a picture of the exact same piece of machinery from my visit to malthausen. outside the crematorium, a deep pit sinks into the ground, with a stone cross rising from the top. this was where the remains of the dead were disposed. standing at the top of that pit, looking into the grave of thousands of innocent people, my eyes filled with tears. how could so many live be taken by such a madman? what sort of evil can be harbored in humanity?
before the nazis invaded france, this area was a very popular ski resort. at one point, as we were arriving, i though to myself how beautiful this location is. magnificent vista, fall colors, tiny town with half-timbered houses in the valley. then, of course, the gallows come into view.
after our time at the camp, we all got back onto the bus for the ride to our next excursion. after an hour or so, we arrived at the haute koenigsburg castle. i am not one who is easily impressed by castles. i think they’re cool, and all, but i have always somehow been disappointed when finally at the doorstep (exception: the alhambra in granada). not so at this place. this thing was freaking sweet. imagine a giant, red sandstone medieval castle, built right on the top of the highest mountain in the area. looking outwards from the top of le grand bastion, you saw fields of grapes (we were still in alsatian wine country), their leaves changed into bright yellows and oranges. tiny villages dotted the landscape. in the distance, the black forest of germany. beyond that, on a clear day, you could see the swiss alps rising above with their jagged peaks. we took a tour through the castle, seeing all sorts of cool stuff. sorry i don’t have any pictures, but my camera battery died after the concentration camp.
when we got back, the bus driver dropped us off in town. on tuesday, we’re hosting a halloween party, so we worked on getting costumes. i have a vague idea of what i’m going to be, but i’ll wait for pictures from the evening to fully explain myself.
suday we went on at hike to mt. ste. odelie. there’s a monastary at the top of a hill, and we’re hiking there. after a bus ride, of course. anywho, we weren't supposed to know what exactly it is, so we are “inspired”. now we have a corresponding assignment for french culture and civilization. it was a really gorgeous location, and i took tons of pictures. i think for my project i'll do some creative writing. short story, or something. if it's good, i'll post it here with some pictures. but i still have to write it.
well then, that’s the weekend's recap. tomorrow evening is our halloween party, so i've been helping with the food preparation. yeah, cookies!
goodnight.
-katie
