slow weekend; only one excursion. friday we woke up way too early and took the bus to frankfurt, germany. overall, i did not care for frankfurt. part of it seemed nice, and i’m sure it would have been really cool during the world cup last summer, but overall it seemed unwelcoming. it was exciting to see skyscrapers as we approached the city from the highway; skyscrapers reminded me of chicago.
the first thing we did was visit an advertising/marketing firm for a tour and presentation. i really enjoyed hearing their approach to their marketing and how they applied these broader ideas to their individual clients. this was a trip especially for the graphic designers in the group, who have suffered through numerous museums which mainly interest the interior designers of the group. my friend karissa got some contact information, and now wants to return for an internship.
however, the visit was a little disappointing. for past groups, they’ve visited a different firm which has the students do a little on-the-spot creative exercise. they told us to be prepared for such a surprise. so when we went to this different firm that only gave us a powerpoint presentation, it was a little disappointing. oh well.
after the firm visit, we had free time in the city. first, we went to a lookout point on top of a tall building, which happened to be a mall. some people went off to shop, but karissa and i decided to visit the contemporary art museum. it was okay, but i had more fun browsing through the shelves of the nearby architecture bookstore. after four hours of killing time, it was time to leave.
karissa and i above frankfurt
dinner was at some remote restaurant in the mountains of baden-baden. we drove for a couple hours, then drove through a huge tunnel (which always reminds me of the perks of being a wallflower), then turned on to a tiny road which led us through the forest. then we got out of the bus and walked down a steep hill to a tiny restaurant tucked away in the darkness. apparently there is some sort of hairy cow, or yak, that lives in the field by the restaurant. so says petra.
enjoyed, or at least consumed, a typical german “appetizer”. as always, a basket of bread awaited us at the table. doreen, our resident german, spread something on her bread then sprinkled it with salt. funny, i didn’t think butter needed salt. after doing the same thing and taking a big bite, we realized the spread was actually meat grease/drippings. what we pour off the bacon pan and let solidify in a pepsi can before disposing of, the germans spread on bread. after a quick heart attack, i was ready for my next course.
i also had some of the best apfelstrudel i’ve ever tasted anywhere. and we’ve had a lot of apfelstrudel.
the rest of the weekend was relaxed. a group of us did archery on saturday. i wasn’t half bad. forget pepper spray, when i get back to chicago, i think i’ll just carry around a bow and arrow for self-defense. or do you think that would make people think that i was the crazy one?
after archery, we played some tennis. sort of. first of all, i have honestly not picked up a racquet since retiring from teaching the summer after graduating. however, i was the only one in the group who had ever played “for real”. their lack of experience made me look comparatively impressive, especially when i gave them professional pointers such as “low to high”. our equipment options were pretty dismal. i actually got to play with an old wooden racquet. i felt like johnny mac, ripping all sorts of killer backhands. then i smashed the racquet into pieces and left in a fit of rage. you know.
i guess that’s pretty much it for now. today i went shopping and finally bought a winter coat. thursday i fly to dublin for the weekend. man oh man, i am looking forward to dublin.
signing out.
-katie
random picture from frankfurt. really, did someone steal the front wheel of some poor child's bicycle? this picture is amusing.
