2012 Year in Review: GamesCom (III of V)

This next chapter of 2012 completely indulges my geeky/gamer side and my travel lust. August of 2012 took us to Koeln (or the Americanized version, Cologne), Germany for GamesCom!

GamesCom is the largest gaming convention in Europe and when I say “gaming”, I don’t mean Scrabble. It fills the majority of the Koeln convention center with game demos and displays, gaming equipment, gaming merchandise, schools featuring programs in game design and development, etc. In short, it is as much to do with the gaming universe as you can possibly imagine. It was intense!

My favorites from this year included Borderlands 2, StarCraft II, and FireFall. Unfortunately, I judged one game by its cover (and the length of its line, because sometimes size does matter) and missed out on Dishonored… which took the prize for Best Game that year and has received rave reviews since. Go figure. Aside from testing out new games, we got to preview a new Star Trek game that’s coming out in 3D, encountered several cosplayers (people in costume), and scored some free swag from the Razer stage!

Diablo III, Demon Hunter

It’s not my best work, but I also tried my hand at vlogging (video blogging [web logging]) for the first time! In case you’re interested:

Perhaps one of the best parts of our stay was our hotel. I would have to say that perhaps one of the key aspects – one of the make or break elements – of any vacation is the hotel. If you are pleasantly surprised or at least merely satisfied with your accommodations, it’s like getting an ‘A’ on your first test of the year. It gives you a solid, positive foundation for things. If you have a crappy hotel where there are bugs, or the water isn’t hot, or the bed is massively uncomfortable, etc., everything else in the trip has to be that much better to make up for it.

Our hotel was spectacular.

It wasn’t extravagant or particularly posh, but that staff was prepared. Extra, superbly multilingual, staff were on hand; all of them working together like parts of a well-oiled machine - and seemingly happy to be there! It was as if they all actually enjoyed, or at least didn't mind, their job. By our third day I began to wonder if management was slipping them little yellow pills full of happiness, because I thought surely one of them would have cracked by then. The hotel itself was also clean, well-situated, affordable, and comfortable. And had fabulous signage!

Above all, though, it was quiet. Several door handles were adorned with the provided “I’m at GamesCom!” hangers. There were children. People were up at all hours. The hotel was even on a busy street! But it was gloriously quiet. It was everything a convention-goer needed. Clearly, though – I’ve gotten off track.

After seeing as much as we possibly could at the convention, hubby and I headed out to explore the city. Now, I think it’s fair to say that Europe isn’t exactly known for its air-conditioning… and many will tell you that’s because it simply doesn’t get hot enough to warrant it. Superior engineering, a generally cooler climate, and the laid-back lifestyle of most Europeans mean that while it may get a bit uncomfortable at times, the summer heat is completely tolerable.  Except… NO! It was in the 80’s, pushing 90*F (that’s pretty much 30*C and above) almost every day we were there! (It rained one day, I think it may have dropped to a balmy 79*F.) If you were not in air conditioning come mid-afternoon, your shoes were quickly becoming your own personal little swimming pools. 

So we made one of our first exploratory stops in Koeln the Claudius Therme, a mineral bath. We discovered its enticing waters after stopping to have lunch there on our way to ride the gondola across the river (great view! Though beware those who are afraid of heights).

Lunch was nothing short of amazing – wonderfully fresh and delicious. The seat we took looked out over the mineral baths and the calming, cool-looking water simply called to us. We resolved to return... and were there the very next day, swim-suits in hand, and dripping with sweat because it was hotter than ever! Judging by the line, we weren’t the only ones who thought so either.

While the line did move fairly quickly, it felt excruciatingly slow. The people waiting in line to get in didn’t even look much different from those coming out! Only we were dripping with sweat and they had just showered. Once we finally made it, though… oh sweet heavens, it was worth every drop of sweat spent waiting. Anyone who’s not been to a thermal bath – you’re missing out! Go! Right now. Though be sure to check the dress code wherever you go – Europeans tend to be anything but shy about nudity.

The next morning we were up early to catch the train out to Bonn. It was highly recommended by a friend who used to live in the area, so we thought we’d head out and check out Beethoven’s old digs.

Some of you smart donkeys out there might be thinking “Didn’t Beethoven live in Austria?” and you would be correct. However, he was born in Bonn and lived there for quite some time. The house where he was born still stands and is now a museum. As a Beethoven fanboy, I found it vastly interesting and quite moving – hubby didn’t find it nearly as enjoyable. Ah, well. (Photos were not allowed indoors, just out front and from within the courtyard.)

Though Bonn has much to offer, our time was short. Back to Koeln! One of our first few days in the city, we had taken a trip downtown to kind of get the lay of the land and make note of some of the places we'd like to return to. We wandered around the beautiful downtown area for some time and explored the enormous and absolutely gorgeous gothic cathedral. 

After our trip to Bonn, we returned here and made our way to the German-Roman Museum, the oldest parfumerie in the world, and (my personal favorite) the Lindt Chocolate Factory!! Lindt is certainly not my favorite chocolate in the world, but no chocoholic (might I just note that spell check has no problem with this word - I didn't realize it was a real term) would turn down a chance to tour a real live chocolate factory! So that's exactly what we did.

You're welcome.

Oh, and they had a cafe...

While I wasn’t a huge fan of the local beer (clearly a deciding factor on whether or not I should return to a place), I would have to say that Koeln has been one of my favorite destinations in Germany so far. I certainly look forward to going back for GamesCom 2013!



<< 2012 Year in Review, Part II                                               2012 Year in Review, Part IV >>

2012 Year in Review: Parental Guidance (II of V)

The next slice of the 2012 awesome pie had a long journey before it arrived: my parents! Not only was it fabulous just getting to see them again, but we also got to do lots of traveling. And I got to play tour guide! The first stop was a trip up to Normandy in France. We stayed in the city of Caen (which is pronounced almost how you’d imagine a crow with a cold saying “caw”) and from there ventured to the D-Day beach sites, the Caen Memorial, and Mont St Michel. While it was rainy and a bit dreary for most of our trip, we had really amazing weather while at Mont St Michel!

Note the stairs. (Stairs would become a theme in this trip.) There were lots of them. LOTS of them. This is not a journey for the faint of heart... or weak of knee. 

The beach sites were gorgeous despite the cruddy conditions. It was hard to imagine how much death and devastation occurred in these places. The only place where you could even begin to get an inkling of what it was like was at Pointe du Hoc, where the Earth is still cratered from all the bombing; the original ceiling of a bunker is still in place, scorched and crackled by a flame thrower; a cement wall full of bullet holes. Profound experience.

at les arromanches

Omaha Beach, Dog Sector

Pointe du Hoc

On the way back to Germany, we stayed overnight in the city of lights at the infamous Chat Noir hotel! During our afternoon, we were able to hike amongst the bones of Les Catacombes (lay cat-uh-comb-buh, as I was so politely corrected by a Frenchman during my last visit), take in the view of and from Sacre Coeur, and sample some authentic Parisian cuisine.

Of course, to get to Sacre Coeur you must first climb Montmartre - a hill in the 18th arrondisseement (think: neighbordhood) in Paris. Fortunately, there were some stairs along the way to help. (Yey, stairs!)

At the top of the hill, we discovered that there's a little red train that runs you all the way up Montmartre for a fee. Clever thinkers, those Parisians! Ah well... we still made it to the beautiful Basilica.

It's absolutely gorgeous inside; breath-taking. Truly a must-see! And the view of Paris from this height is just awesome. Not awesome as in the casual "that's totally rad!" 80's way - I mean awesome as in reverent. I've been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and thought that the view here was more impressive. ...I wonder what it would look like from the top of the Basilica!

And 8 Euros or so later... stairs! (I told you it was going to be a thing.)

Lots of spiraling, teeny tiny steps... about 300, to be precise. Up... 

and up...

and up...

and...

totally worth it.

Paris was absolutely lovely. But after a long day it was time to head back to the Chat Noir, get some food, and get some rest. We had a train out early the next morning.

The metro was quiet the next morning - just a few people who were still drunk drinking from the night before. So it was a surprise when a very handsome man with two little boys literally ran and hopped into our train car just before the doors shut. (It was just like in Mary Poppins, when they all hold hands and hop into the sidewalk art - only these guys were jumping into the Paris Metro. Still magical, right?) They were much more awake than most of the rest of us that morning and the boys were so cute you couldn't help but smile. The dad beamed a smile back at us and I thought, “Man. This guy really looks like Usher!” A thought I later shared with my mother, who agreed. Of course a French man would be that devilishly good looking. I tried not to stare. ...too much.

After our Paris excursion we spent a few days hanging around Stuttgart, then we were off to Switzerland! Staying in Schaffhausen, our main goal was to see if we could locate any information on my grandmother’s grandparents who had come over to the States from a small nearby village named Guntmadingen. We weren’t sure if we’d find anything, but no sooner had we stepped off the train than we had run into someone selling strawberries under the family name – from Guntmadingen!! (Best strawberries I’ve ever tasted in my life!)

After checking in, we toured around Schaffhausen – visiting the Rheinfalls, seeing a castle, then wandering around downtown. From what I hear, the Swiss are pretty proud of these falls. I think I would be too. They are quite impressive.

Gorgeous!

Of course, to get to the castle we did encounter some old friends...

Stairs!!! 

(I'm pretty sure dad wanted to kill me at this point. It would've been the perfect revenge to just push me down these stairs.. these evil, soul-sapping stairs. Of course, I'm glad he didn't.)

Needless to say... we slept pretty well that night.

The next morning it was time for Guntmadingen. When we asked for assistance on finding the right bus to get us there from the front desk, we discovered that one of our potential distant cousins worked at our hotel!! She gave us lots of wonderful information and even provided contact information to stay in touch. So not only did we get to see where my ancestors lived (right up to one of the very houses they lived in!), we found someone we may actually be distantly related to. Successful journey, indeed!

That little cluster of houses in the distance? The entirety of Guntmadingen.

Clearly, it didn't take us long to visit. We even walked over to the neighboring town (whence the photo was taken) to check out the church and its graveyard. It's the very church where ancestors of mine were wed and buried - a humbling experience. After seeing it all first-hand, we understood why everyone in town (including our bus driver, who clarified our desire three times before shrugging, laughing, and issuing our tickets) thought it was so funny that the American tourists wanted to see Guntmadingen!

On the train back home, mom happened to browse a magazine that had been left in our seating area. In her browsing, she came across a photo of someone she recognized: one of the little boys from the train in Paris. In fact, both of the little boys – hand-in-hand with that handsome young man that had looked so much like Usher. We were able to make out enough of the article to determine that yes, the photo was of Usher. In fact, he had recently (a few days prior) held a concert in London. Meaning he was in Europe. Meaning...

We. Saw. Usher!!!!

(dad wasn’t nearly as thrilled.)

Sadly, my parents couldn't stay much longer after that. It was hard to let them leave, but it was a very good visit that created lots of wonderful memories. Plus there were more adventures to be had!



<< 2012 Year in Review, Part I                                                         2012 Year in Review, Part III >>

2012 Year in Review: Tulips and More! (I of V)

…hello, Blog.

I bet you thought I forgot about you. That’s simply not tr- …what’s that? Oh, I know I haven’t written in ages! It’s just that things get busy… I get lazy… and then people were all, “OMG the world is going to end!” So I thought really… what’s the point? Zombies (because we all know that’s how the world’s going down) can’t read anyway. Even if they could, I’m pretty sure they’re more preoccupied with brains than with the internet. (Clearly they have not been introduced to Grumpy Cat.) But then a funny thing happened! Or really, didn’t happen. The apocalypse. It just… it didn’t… happen. Then I was left feeling rather silly! Because now here are all these people dying (or I guess not dying, really) to read my blog and I’ve not been very accommodating. So I thought, “Oh! I’ll update on New Year’s Day to mark the start of a whole new season of blogging!” And, as we all know, when I say one day… I really mean sometime long after that. In this case, I’m only two days late!

While the year of 2012 did not usher in the Zombie Apocalypse, it did bring me a whole heaping pile of awesome. As I forgot too long procrastinated sharing it with you all… let me take the time to do so now.

My year started with a newfound sense of freedom. After several long years, four moves, and a change (or two) in majors I finally completed my undergraduate degree! My diploma arrived shortly after the new year and there was much rejoicing. (yaaaaaaaay)

After a long, gray winter, the hubs and I finally got around to seeing more of Europe by taking a tour of The Netherlands (namely Holland) and visiting the world-famous Keukenhof. It was nothing short of amazing! Let’s see if I can sum up our trip in 10 words: cats, cows, cheese, chocolate, Chocomel, windmills, Anne Frank, tulips, canals. …nope, not quite. There were also chickens and clogs, fresh fish and amazing hand-painted Delft pottery. I mean, just amazing! And when I type tulips, I should write TULIPS! because there were so. many. They also came in thousands of varieties! But the best part? The scent of the wind after caressing hundreds of acres of tulips.

TULIPS!

Tiltin' with the 'mills.

Cat & Canal

Shortly thereafter, I took a day trip to Munich with a friend of mine. After I got us off the train at the wrong stop like a total traveling pro, we made our way to Dachau! It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day… which was in complete contrast of the dark history of the camp.

I still don’t think I can put into words the effect the camp had on me, but I can say that it was very interesting to see the various reactions of others visiting that day. When we left, my friend and I were rather somber and reflective; though we did chat a bit. This, of course, was interrupted by the only person who could interrupt such a mood – the Classic American.

The Classic American is the only fitting title for these people, I think – akin to the name of a sandwich you might see on the menu at Denny’s or something. It’s not that they don’t speak the language, it’s that they come expecting everything to be in English. They have almost no idea what to do if there isn't English translation or an English speaker around. Then when they find someone who does speak their language, they must engage in conversation. Conversation, of course, is their word for flaunting their limited knowledge of any- and everything and attempting “jokes” that often consist of their lack of understanding of their cultural flub-ups or frustration at cultural differences. ('Why should I tip the woman who’s sitting outside the bathroom? She’s just sitting there!' accompanied by the look of, 'Am I right or am I right?') Then they expect and try to get you to laugh in agreement. In general, they’re annoying to those of us who are just trying to blend in.  

While it was completely jarring having to speak with someone who seemed completely unaffected by everything he’d just seen, we didn’t have to tolerate him long! Soon the bus arrived and we were whisked to the bahnhof, where friend and I fled to the Munich city center to explore a bit. We even had time for a quick trip to the famous Hofbrauhaus and some souvenir gathering!

Had my over-eagerness not gotten us off the train too early, we probably would have had more time to hang around. However, what I was able to see of Munich was pretty amazing and I know there's much, much more.

2012 Year in Review: Part II! >>

FESTivities!

Don your dirndls and lace up your lederhosen, ladies and gents! It's fest season!

Lederhosen don't actually need lacing... but it was the best I could come up with. The point is that it's that well loved time of the year when Germans come together to celebrate some long-dead royalty's wedding day (or birthday)!

And beer.

...ok, fine. It's mostly about the beer now, but history is important too!! I'll give you the gist and let you google the rest.

I'm sure by now most of you have figured that I'm referring to the infamous Oktoberfest in Munich. While you would assume that Oktoberfest would actually be held during the month of its namesake (the original actually was), you would be incorrect. They hold it in late September. Why? Better weather, of course! Even though King Ludwig's wedding day was super cool and all; and they invited the common folk to come out and celebrate with them, that's in fact not the fest I'm referring to. I'm actually more excited about our local Volksfest!

The Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart began as an agricultural festival, celebrating "OMG we actually survived that hellish winter!" and held on King Wilhelm's birthday. They probably should have held it on Czar Nikolaus's (yeah, the Russian guy) birthday since he was the one that sent the grain that saved their frozen butts... but he wasn't king, like his cousin. And May is a terrible month to celebrate a harvest! Good month for "sweet Jesus we survived the winter!" though... hmm... I digress.

Volksfest here is very similar to Oktoberfest in Munich, but it has a few less tourists. If you ever get a chance to attend, you must get the full effect by popping your head into one of the tents. Do this before 1700, when table reservations kick in, and you can grab any open seat you can find! It could be a little crowded, though, as any time during fest season is a good time to drink. This was the scene when we arrived around 1400 this year.

Once you secure a seat, it's time to order your halbes Hähnchen (half chicken) and your Mass (liter of fest beer). Other food and beverage is available, but this gives you the authentic experience. Eat quickly though because before you finish that beer, you'll be standing on the bench, swinging your stein and singing along to the live entertainment!

You may not know the words, but as long as you move your mouth and appear to be having a good time you're in good with your tent neighbors! It's also a fair bet that you'll at least be able to hum along to a good portion of the playlist. In the States, you can keep your Li'l Wayne, Justin Bieber, and One Direction. Over here, we rock American 80's! Don't like the 80s? Have another beer. You'll love this great American export by the time you reach the bottom.

After your second liter mass, it's time to hit some rides. If you're not feeling like the tilt-a-whirl, the log ride, or the sling shot, at least shell out the Euro for a calm trip on the Ferris wheel. This is a particularly enjoyable time after the sun has set and you can get a good view of the fairgrounds all lit up. 

Finally, if you attend the fest with a sweetheart, make sure to pick up a heart-shaped, decorated Lebkuchen with your favorite valentine-type message on it before the night is over. Don't wait too long before catching the train home, though. The later you wait, the greater your risk for getting wet!