finally, pictures from Bonn and the Goethe-Institute!

part of my room

first night in Bad Godesberg....went to Cafe Bago with the Americans, lol
the Godesburg (in Bad Godesberg), aka the remnants of some really old castle
sometimes translations don't quite work out, but i like the inclusion of "the best for you."they don't take kindly to vegetarians here
Mcdonalds and a cowboy; now I feel right at home!
these giant heads even make Ian (who's 6'8") look tiny! we couldn't figure out for the longest time why there were these two stone heads lying in front of the cathedral in Bonn, but we finally figured out that they represent the 2 patron saints of Bonn (who were both decapitated). kinda weird, but whatever
Das Bonner Muenster, aka the cathedral in Bonn (construction begun in the 1200s!)
the cathedral again (you can see the heads at the bottom)
the inside of the cathedral is amazing, decorated very opulently in the Baroque style
Beethoven intimidates me
everything here is so squished together (like this 500 year old church, jammed in between shops and apartments)
the old city hall (and a wedding). A good deal of the buildings in Bonn were built in the late 1700s and thus quite colorful and ornate.
part of the palace that now houses Bonn University (yes the university is in a palace). Europe is ridiculous.
Decorations on the roof of the University
I really like things in silhouette
awww, sad sunflower :( don't know what was up with this trailer, but i just liked it
again, Europe is such a mish-mash, like this 800 yr-old segment of the old city wall just stuck randomly in the street in front of some apartments
ok, I know it's creepy, but I had to take a picture of this guy as an example of the madness that is Karneval. Karneval is the German word for Mardi Gras, except in Bonn and Cologne the celebrations begin a month early and everywhere you go you see people (especially lots of older people) dressed up in costumes. According to Pascal, there are Karneval Clubs, whose members meet throughout the year and plan their costumes and float for the parades. This is what happens when uptight Germans finally let their hair down, lol.
In this house was Ludwig van Beethoven born on December 17th 1770. In Bonn, everything revolves around Beethoven.
Beethoven was born in the room on the very top right. The house is a museum, which Leigh, Caroline and I visited. It was really interesting, but too many placards to read in Deutsch.
Listening to some of Beethoven's works in the digital studio.
So Caroline and I found this playground while we were walking to the Rhein river, and it contained this contraption. We think that you're supposed to be able to pull on the chains to slide yourself back and forth like a skateboard in a half-pipe, but for us it was just a death trap.
We should not be allowed in playgrounds
Wow, I look way too happy to be riding that bouncy horse. Guess I'm just a 5-yr-old at heart :)
Caroline and I make bad choices, like setting our camers on self-timers and trying to stand on a teeter-totter. Luckily there were no casualties, except for Caroline's pants, which split right up the crotch. Hilarious for me, not so much for her!
The Rhein Promenade. Not the prettiest picture ever, but this is basically what the weather usually looks like (wet and gray), so I figured it was a fair representation.
Remember when I said that all of the government-related stuff like embassies and consultes moved to Berlin in 1990? Yeah, some of them didn't have enough money to make the move.
Right by the Goethe-Institute is a beautiful neighborhood called the Villenviertel, where all the diplomats used to live back in the day. Lots of beautiful mansions.
I can't get over how green and mossy everything is, even in February! It's quite the change from dry and brown Spokane.
One day I will live in the house. And I will gaze upon the Rhein everyday while my servants bring me chocolate. Lol, jk.
Waleeeeeeeeeed!!! (Waleed is the name of the guy looking at the camera. He and his twin are hilarious). Playing "Billiard" with some people from the Goethe-Institute. Just for the record, I'm terrible at pool, which is why after 1 game I opted to be the photographer instead. Also, I don't know how this happens, but just like at Wash U, I pretty much only hang out with guys here. I need more estrogen in my life.


Ok, that's all for now, but expect another post and some pictures from Cologne in a few days!