In my first 8 hours in Germany, my passport was not stamped to enter the country, I managed to buy a Bahncard 50 in German at 7:00 local time (1 am my time), I checked into my hostel, I found a giant flea market, I found a summer festival and I found the zoo.
After the zoo, I went back to the hostel, put my bed together and accidentally fell asleep. I woke up when two German girls came into the room. We talked for a bit, then I decided that I should probably go get some dinner to counteract the jet lag. So I watched the night settle over the Rhein while sitting at this little restaurant on the bank, drinking a beer and eating bratwurst. It would have been very romantic, had I any friends there.
The second day, I walked forever. I found the Altstadt (old city), the Cologne Cathedral, a wall built by the Romans in 50 AD and took some cool pictures. Then, I walked over the bridge, which is covered in locks (like actual padlocks) representing anniversaries and things like that. I waited for sunset while enjoying a Kölsch, so that I could take the famous picture of the Cathedral at night, but I was impatient and ended up heading back toward the hostel.
The third day, I had to check out of the hostel by ten, so I sat in a nearby park with all of my luggage, writing in my journal. This was also the first day that I woke up for breakfast. I wandered towards the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), put my suitcase in a locker, bought Pride and Prejudice auf deutsch, and then found the other Fulbrighters, sitting on the floor in the middle of the station, surrounded by luggage.
We all hung out for several hours, having arrived very early. At one point, some of us went outside, and discovered ambulances and EMTs. Apparently, a man had collapsed and died on the steps to the cathedral. We headed back inside, were picked up and loaded into three buses.
Orientation, however, will be another post.
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