Eitherway, I am getting off topic. For the most part, to get around during the day, I have been walking, which the temperature is perfect for! It does get cold at night, but it is nothing unbearable, and if anything I would describe it as refreshing. It is especially nice to feel the cool air after being sandwiched in a club for a few hours. Kempten is a small city, of approx. 60,000 people, but it turns out it lays claim to being the oldest city in Germany. So here are some facts about where I am at right now:
- A Greek geographer named Strabon mentions in 50 B.C. named Kambodunon. It is thought that the Celts were the original settlers
- In 15 B.C the Roman troops like they seem to have done through out history, destroyed the city.
- The city was destroyed by fire multiple times (Is that bad luck, or a bad omen?)
- In the year 747 Irish Monks were cent from the Abbey of St. Gall (in Switzerland) to evangelize the area, and with them the Kempten Abbey was built. It was the first in the entire region. With the financial support of Charlemagne's (We heard about him in middle school history class) wife the monastery became one of the most privileged monasteries in the entire Frankish empire
- Barracks from WWII that were used to house Jews before they put on a train still stand today.
That is a rundown of what I know about the history, as for what I have experienced, it has been interesting. My first day here, Sebas and I walked through part of the old town area, it was a hand laid stone street, which has not every smooth, with old buildings towering over us on both sides. Every few hundred yards or so, it seemed there was another plaza, or square type area, where it opened up greatly. It seemed most restaurants were located in these areas, with large outdoor seating areas, and some of the biggest umbrellas I have every seen. Since you can not smoke inside any restaurants or bars, the outdoor seating was especially popular with people, old and young, they all were enjoying the weather outside. If you try to enjoy an afternoon in Florida outside, you better bring a dry t-shirt cause it is fucking hot!
Again, I got off topic. When with Sebastian I have left all of my beer choices up to him, and I would estimate I have tried 7 to 8 different beers, and I truly did enjoy them all. One concoction that Sebas encouraged me to try, really did have me scared. A Hefewisen style beer, with coke... Yes you read that properly, Coca Cola mixed with beer. Sounds crazy, but when in Rome, you are to do what the Roman's do, so I tried it. It was a big shock to me that I actually liked it. Another drink that I tried was a Pilsner style beer with "Orange soda," it was light, yet very refreshing!
That briefly covers my drinking so far, as for food, that part has been alot less exciting. I am a very picky eater, but one of the things I promised myself on this trip is I would try new things. Unfortunately for me, two nights I ate dinner were at the restaurant where Sebas works. It is an italian restaurant, so I had pepperoni pizza one night, and on thrusday it is cheeseburger night, so I tried one. Needless to say, the pizza was great, the burger, not so great. It was edible, but it tasted like the ground beef used was devoid of any fat. Anyone who enjoys making burgers at home on their grill know you do not use the extra lean ground beef for that. Today for food I ate at the shopping mall, where I was picking up a cell phone. There were quite a few places there to choose from, including McDs, and much to the surprise of some of you, I did not choose the Golden Arches. I choose a place called Knolli's. It was described to me as "German" fast food. There was bits of chicken that were fried, and what appeared to be bratwurst as well. Since I had spoken to Sebas about German food earlier and it was agreed then when he had a day off we would get real German food from a relaxing sitdown type of restaurant, I choose the chicken. The chicken and fries were put into what I could only describe as a large sno-cone type holding device, and the lady squirted alot of ketchup and mayonnaise onto the top. (MAYO on fries? WTF) I went with it, and found my spot next to a few other men at the elbow high community tables in the middle of the mall, and ate. It must say it was nothing worth trying again, but it served its purpose. After eating my lunch I found a small cafe a few blocks away and sat down for a beer. The language barrier is still BIG problem for me, but I have learned to say One beer please, Good morning, and thank you. It is babysteps, but they are steps. The cafe I was sitting at was in the front corner of the square, and as I sat there, I saw three women, ranging between 65 and 80 come walking up (one was using a walker) and they sat down a few tables away. While I could not understand what they were saying, I could only imagine this was the equivalent of our grandmothers spending the afternoon at the beautyshop to get their perm. They were talking back and forth, laughing loudly and drinking carafe after carafe of wine. I figured if I am having that much fun when I am there age, that would mean life turned out pretty damn good.
Before ending my afternoon stroll, I did stop at a grocery store. It was a scary and interesting experience! Thank god for pictures being on the packaging or I would not have been able to buy any food. As it stands I picked up some snacks, like crackers and chips just to nibble on, then I also picked up a package of what looks similar to Sabarret hot dogs, which they are not. I picked those up though because my gracious host does work alot, so I figured it was something I could cook on a stove easily for myself. Oh and the last thing I picked up was a jar of mustard. I have no idea if it is spicy or sweet mustard, or if it is even mustard, but judging by the color (it is a yellowish brown) I think I am pretty safe. Ciao for now
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