The Nicest City in Germany

My travels recently took me to Freiburg, Germany.  Some would say it's the nicest city in Germany.  By some, I am talking about Marcel, my newly acquired German friend.  I met Marcel at Peaches (really, of all places?) during the holidays while he was in Garmisch vacationing with friends.  My train ride there went smoothly and was faily uneventful compared to my first solo experience.  I made all of my connections with the help of the alarm on my cell phone and even had the opportunity to grab a bite to eat during a delay.  All in all a good day of travel for this easy napper.

Serious German Faces

When I arrived in Freiburg Marcel met me at the train station and from there we went to his favorite coffee spot, Art Cafe.  After a chai tea latte we took off to the city center so he could show me around his favorite city in all of Germany.  Throughout my stay we frequented several pubs, cafes, and restaurants to sample the local brew and cuisine.  His friends were all really nice and went out of their way to make me feel welcome with their eager attempts at English.  His roommates, Ramona and Steffi, were a different story.  They didn't believe their English was good enough and were nervous to talk with me.  It made me feel horrible that they weren't comfortable in their own flat and no matter how many times I relayed the fact that I'm the one who should be nervous because I don't speak ANY German, they still avoided any sort of confrontation.  Maybe by the next time I visit I will have some more basic German skills.  Maybe? I would sure hope so.  Marcel has been having me learn tidbits here and there, but he is too relaxed with my lessons and lets me get away with not studying, which I frequently do. I think I will blame it on being a lazy American. So anyway, we spent my last day taking the Schaunisland cable car up 1,300 meters to enjoy the view of the surrounding area, drink hot tea, and eat some delicious German baked goods.  The goodbye was difficult, but the promise of a near future visit and his silly antics outside the train window made it more bearable. Freiburg was a beautiful city with a university feel.  It reminded me a lot of Bloomington with a unique vibe and a side of hippie.

Mountain view

In Garmisch related news the Alpine World Ski Competition is taking place here in town.  The tourists are a plenty and the marienplatz is in full swing with my favorite food/gluhwein booths and concerts every night.  There is plenty to keep entertained with, so it should be another crazy couple weeks in my little America.  Hopefully a longer post soon to come.