(eau de) Cologne

I was halfway through this post when I realized the website was completely in German, but I managed to change it back to English and all is right with the world. Sorta of.

Global Warming seems to be the excuse of the day when it comes to this crazy weather that's hit Northern Europe. Nearly 27 people have died to do accidents caused by the high winds here, and you can drive along the roads and see trees knocked over and signs gone astray. Mrs. W's neighbors had some roof damage and in town a piece of debris hit a window of a Roman artifact museum which then shattered and fell onto an ancient Roman mosaic. I don't think it broken though and people were quick to protect it and fix the glass wall that was shattered.

But other than the weather things couldn't be better. Mr. and Mrs. W, whom I like very much, took me into town yesterday and gave me a grand tour. There's a famous cathedral here-- the Koln Dom-- which is massive. It's so awe-inspiring and gothic that even my grandmother would fear for her soul (and that's saying something). But it's far too big, cold, dark and impersonal to be considered (by me, at least) a place to feel closer to God. Other churches in town are much better suited for that, as I saw later on the tour.

Koln has it's town dialect here which is very interesting. Knowing very little German already it's hard to pinpoint, but I can tell that words are spoken much different here than I heard in Frankfurt. I'm going to start brushing up on my language skills while here, and I'm told the girl I'm rooming with is in fact German, which will help even more.

The town is holds about 1 million people and even though it is big it has a very small-town feel. There's more shops than I thought there would be and many of them I can't wait to get into (two H+Ms!). The hostel I'm staying at really is right around the corner from the school I'll be working at, which is fantastic. I start tomorrow and will be sticking with Mrs. W and her English classes most of the day. The 11th grade is talking about media and film analysis (gender issues, representations of people, etc) while the 5th and 6th grade is beginner's English (vocab, grammar, you know the drill).

Had my first German dinner at a restaurant (pub?) and tried the local beer. Kolsch beer is absolutely delicious-- light with a nice sweet after taste. It's definitely going to be a favorite of mine. Mr. W-- who is American-- commented that I was in the right mindset of a traveler by jumping into German cuisine. And considering I got blood sausage (which is a mixture of blood and meat parts) with mashed potatoes mixed with applesauce I'd say he's right. I loved the food though and will definitely get the dish again.

The best thing about Cologne right now though are the Carnival celebrations. It's like Mardi Gras, but a lot cooler and more entertaining. During this time of year people dress up in the craziest outfits on the weekends leading up to the 5-day celebration. I've seen pirates, angels, dalmations, and 17th century french soliders walking around in the evening. There were many in the restaurant and Mrs. and Mr. W explained to me that there are nearly 300 Carnival clubs in Cologne, each with many members. Each club has their own uniform to set them apart from each other, and they take much pride in the whole thing. This upcoming Thursday is the start of the celebration, with parades and the whole city dressed up like Halloween. You can tell that people really take pride in it, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out these next two weeks.