Yes, this is a very late post about that week in Germany. Good thing though that I can vividly remember those days because one, it was really fun. Two, I am reminded of what exactly happened because I jotted down notes by the old pen and paper method. And three, the photos, especially the Polaroid pictures and videos of those days continue to put a smile on my face when I view them. I am definitely going back to Germany, maybe for Carnival again, next year. The fun vibe, the music, the people and the food – they have made me feel at home for the days I was there. When I arrived in Spain, I have been planning to meet my friend, Marie, in Germany (she used to volunteer in the Philippines and we have been great friends since then). Of all the weeks, I chose Carnival Week to be in Germany because, hello, Carnival in Cologne!
There is this stereotype of Germans being serious and no fun, but actually, this isn’t all true, because come Carnival Week, they really know how to party. I arrived in the evening of Wednesday, 22nd February in Bonn Airport, Marie fetched me. The drive to Wuppertal, where Marie lives, was going to be long so we had enough time to start talking and catching up. We didn’t really have any set plans for the week but for sure, we were definitely going to have a lot of fun. The following day was the beginning of the Carnival experience for me. I was in costume as a Native American Indian and Marie as a jellyfish. We met Frank, Marie’s colleague, and his friends. We were all in costume. We went to the city centre of Cologne to drink kolsch and dance – a lot.
24th February – Marie and I went to Berg Castle. The museum in the castle housed many different expositions. And the castle itself was majestic. I really like going to these kinds of places because I like to imagine how it was like to live centuries ago. We then went to see the Mungsten Bridge (the highest railway bridge in Germany) and had lunch at a cafe by the River Wupper. The bridge connects Remscheid and Solingen (also called the “City of Blades” because it is famous for the manufacture of quality swords and knives). After lunch, we went to a Solingen neighbourhood. The quaint houses were very typical of small town German neighbourhoods. I was amazed at how seeing the neighbourhood was like seeing a scene from a movie that came to life. We then went home to rest because the next day was going to be another busy day, errr, party day.
25th February – Today, Saturday, I had to take my make-up skills to the next level. I had to paint Tobi’s face. He was going to be a tiger for the day. Oh, Tobi is Marie’s boyfriend, I met him years ago when he went to the Philippines for a visit. Marie, Tobi and I walked to the train station in our costumes, funny how it was a typical day in Wuppertal and there we were, surely not fitting in, getting surprised stares and smiles from strangers. We were partying at a bar at the beginning and we decided to go to a brewery to meet some of Tobi’s friends.
After a few hours and one too many glasses of beer, we had to part ways with Tobi. Marie and I joined the Parade of the Dead, an evening street parade filled with loud band music, different floats and costumes. We literally joined the parade and we weren’t mere spectators. After this, we went to join Frank and some of his friends in an open air party. Marie and I did something mischievous. We didn’t pay the entrance, but instead, found an opening among the railings and slipped in. I really enjoyed that party because the music was very upbeat and I tried to sing along to it. Marie explained the jist of most of the songs to me back at her place, because she said, those songs will be played for all of the parties.
26th February – Marie and I did some more sightseeing of Wuppertal in the afternoon. The best part was riding in the suspended train or Schwebebahn. I was anxious but it was fun. I have this fear, not of heights but of falling, thus the anxiety. Afterwards, we went to Dusseldorf (rival to Cologne, in beer and Carnival). We did not plan to party, we went to do some night sightseeing, but after around four glasses (don’t worry I mean 200ml tall glasses, or what’s called a stange, typically used to serve German beers), we partied, dancing and as one old couple told us as to how we were such in Carnival vibe but we didn’t have costumes on. (As I said, we didn’t really dress up for the party).
Being the creatives (?) that we were, we found a costume shop, and bought fake moustaches. Funny how we were both wearing eyeglasses that night. Upon wearing our moustaches, we were already in tandem costumes. A lot of the men – especially the ones with the moustaches – told us about how unique and cute we looked in our costumes (never knowing that we weren’t really IN costumes). The most unforgettable moment of that night was when we were in a bar and I had a dance off with a guy. I sure showed him some hip-hop moves, I might have actually won, because he was the first to stop dancing.
27th February – Today was a big day in Cologne, it was Rose Monday Parade. I was dressed as a frog. We went with Sabi and Karo, Marie’s flatmates, Anna, her bestfriend and Michael, Sabi’s boyfriend to watch the parade. We were dressed as an animal crew and a cowboy. The girls were a reindeer, a bear, a lion, a parrot and a frog, while Michael was the cowboy. The parade was really fun, lively and colorful. There were chocolates, roses, and many other treats being tossed at spectators, and we sure had our share of catches. Marie and I had a challenge from the beginning of Carnival, we had to keep track of all the people with the same costume as our own. And here is my count: American Indian-14; vampire-13; frog-3. Even at my dripsy (in between drunk and tipsy) state, I would shout the number. I can remember how Marie’s friends were surprised when all of a sudden I shouted a number and they didn’t have a clue what I meant. I know this is one long post. But it has been brewing for a while now and the longer it had to wait, the more thoughts it would have, and the better it ought to be – just like a great barrel of kolsch beer (sorry alt beer, I like kolsch more).
mspatsperous 