Today was an extremely long day. It started earlyish, which means we're finally getting our bearings with this whole being on time and awake thing. I showered, we breakfasted, and said our goodbyes to Marcus and Pilar, who were awake. I talked to Pilar a little bit about the running of the bulls, which she was watching in the kitchen when I came in. It was a strange globalized moment for me to talk to someone who grew up watching bull fighting about the ethical ramifications of using animals that way. She was against the bull fighting but not necessarily against the running of the bulls because she says at least the bulls have a fair chance. That's true enough, I suppose. Personally, I don't believe there should be a running either since it really stresses out the animal for no particular reason aside from our entertainment but it takes all sorts, I suppose.
We packed our backpacks and said our goodbyes. It was definitely bittersweet considering how much fun we had in Amsterdam and how much we saw but it's nice to move on at the same time. The backpacks were much heavier than I remember them being. It's a good way to guard against over-packing, I suppose.
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| The backpacks and water |
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| Last selfie in Holland |
Next, we boarded a train and two more for a full five hours of trainriding until we finally reached Oldenburg, which the locals pronounce oddly, more like oi-den-broik. It's a pretty little town. Some highlights of the train ride: German flags everywhere, a full bag of mini stroop waffels, Spanish tourists ghetto blasting their horrible music, endless games of Gin, an overgrown, green train platform, the sound of rain mixed with the smell of coffee, and a friendly German man who helped us get to our platform just in time. We were supposed to have at least twenty minutes at the station between trains but there was some kind of engine maintenance on the train that took exactly twenty minutes, then the conductor made up the time using some kind of magic, making us almost--but not quite--late. Things work out.
We walked through Oldenburg on our way to the apartment, which is almost on the other end of town from the train station. It was nice to see the town and the shopping mall. There are still enormous bike lanes but there aren't as many bicyclists, which makes crossing bike lanes much easier.
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| Someone's very sad bike |
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| The first love locks I've seen in Europe, which is surprising |
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| Yep, that's a sex statue on the bridge |
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| Shock at the sex statue |
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| These pretty flowers I've been seeing everywhere |
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| Seriously, flags everywhere |
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| Cigarette vending machine |
We finally got to the house, which is in a really nice district. After we rang the doorbell, a girl came and showed us to our room, which is a mattress on the floor blocked off by a curtain. There are James Fennimor Cooper books in German, dirty wine glasses, a giant pile of sleeping bags, and an enormous dream catcher. I immediately freaked out and fell asleep because I was so nervous and didn't want to be here at all. I haven't had a freak out this big in a while, definitely not on this trip, and it terrified me more than just the cause of the freak out. We have no where else to go, really. If this falls through, we're screwed with finding a place to sleep and it's really scary to be in a new place with no safety net.
Eventually, Johanna, our actual host, came home. She gave us vegan food and showed us a park just down the street and sat and joked and talked with us. She's amazing. This house is a bit messy because they have five people living here but it's big and nice and very relaxed. The mattress is a mattress but now it has clean sheets. Within a few hours of just talking to Johanna, I remembered one of the best things about traveling, and it's this: people have the inherent potential to surprise you. One should never give up on a place because the people will find a way to turn your mind around. Within a few hours, I went from full-on panic to fed, calm, and joking with our new German friends. She's even going to see if her brother is willing to let us crash on his couch when we go to Berlin, where it turns out another of the roommates is going at about the same time, so we'll know someone in Berlin already.
Everything here is lovely. Germany is a magical place filled with parks that look like ancient forests and kind people willing to go out of their way to help you find yours. And if you never leave your comfort zone, you'll never be surprised by how wonderful and accommodating people can be.
Love,
Maria
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