coffee in the town square with Stefan (and Harald, guest photographer)From Wendy's hospitality in Brussels, I took my first solo flight (this trip) and trained down to Augsburg to visit Harald and Stefan, 2 good friends of mine from the college days of living in the International House. I was curious about rediscovering my "independent" self-- about how I function on mz own while traveling, not being so dependent on Billy to get us to our destinations (he's a timetable whiz!). I'm not as good at taking the most efficient route, I don't think. For starters, I accidentally told the guy at the ticket counter in Brussels that I needed to know the connections to Munich, when really I needed to go to Augsburg, and consequently I spent some mental energy juggling around how I would modify my transfers in different towns to go straight to Augsburg. I figured it out eventually and transfered in Nuremburg. I had by that time finished a book by Winnie Mandela that Billy and I had been reading, and for the first time got deeply into writing some reflections. Unfortunately, I was so intent on my writing that I stayed seated to finish a thought as we pulled into the Augsburg station, and misjudged the length of the stop. As I pulled my bag down from the overhead rack, other passengers getting onboard blocked my quick escape, and I heard the "door closing" bell chime just as I rushed past them. I reached the door just as it had a few inches left. Had I been bolder, perhaps I'd have thrust my hand or arm into the line of fire, but once it closed --and it did -- there was no getting out. For the first time on the trip, even though weäve had a few travel snafus, I really just wanted to cry. There I was, in Augsburg, and now condemned to go all the waz to Munich (40 minutes) and take another train back (thank god for the rail pass). At some point after 20 minutes or so of feeling shaky and upset about my judgment error, I decided I had to choose to think this was absurdly hilarious, and began to feel alot better (also, a cheap scoop of gelato at the Munich train station was of further comfort).
When I got back to Augsburg, Stefan was waiting for me at the station. We could recognize each other from 100 yards away, and it immediately felt impossible that 2 years could have passed since we lived together in I-House. We went back to his place and then met up with Harald at a coffeeshop/bar that night and chatted for a while, catching each other up.
Harald and I went running together with a friend of his the next morning, then Stefan and I walked all around Augsburg that afternoon. We saw the cathedral, the old town, and I learned more about the history of the town, named after Augustus during the Roman Empire's glory days. We climbed hundreds of steps of a bel tower in the city square, and spent time on a sandy beach created on the top of a parking garage, sipping organic ginger-orange lemonade ("Bionade", a German phenomenon) from our lounge chairs in the sunny breeze. Harald made us a delicious vegetable lasagna dinner, and we reminisced and laughed into the wee hours.
After another day of exploring the city, and patronizing once more the city's coffee shops, I got on a night train and headed back west, to rejoin Billy in Paris. It was great to see my friends, if only for 2 days.
When I got back to Augsburg, Stefan was waiting for me at the station. We could recognize each other from 100 yards away, and it immediately felt impossible that 2 years could have passed since we lived together in I-House. We went back to his place and then met up with Harald at a coffeeshop/bar that night and chatted for a while, catching each other up.
Harald and I went running together with a friend of his the next morning, then Stefan and I walked all around Augsburg that afternoon. We saw the cathedral, the old town, and I learned more about the history of the town, named after Augustus during the Roman Empire's glory days. We climbed hundreds of steps of a bel tower in the city square, and spent time on a sandy beach created on the top of a parking garage, sipping organic ginger-orange lemonade ("Bionade", a German phenomenon) from our lounge chairs in the sunny breeze. Harald made us a delicious vegetable lasagna dinner, and we reminisced and laughed into the wee hours.
After another day of exploring the city, and patronizing once more the city's coffee shops, I got on a night train and headed back west, to rejoin Billy in Paris. It was great to see my friends, if only for 2 days.
reverent worship of the statues in town
Augsburg from the bell tower in town square-- record race to the top is 53 seconds... it took us 3:40 at a leisurely clip
you can't escape the black water of capitalism, even in the Munich train station!
The great Augustus, after whom Augsburg is named.
an old merchant house, now commercial buildings
part of an art series celebrating water
Harald prepares bruschetta and lasagna in the kitchen
the dynamic duo, just as in the olden days of I-House
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