Kölle Alaaf!

If there is one thing I like, it's a parade and Köln's legendary Rosenmontag Zug did not disappoint. On Shrove Monday morning, Kyle and I got dressed up (I as a red-cheeked clown, he as an overgrown gnome) and took a train 20 minutes to downtown Köln.

Carnival is a big deal in the Rhine region. The Carnival season begins on the 11th of November at 11:11 am. Between then at its culmination on Rose Monday, there are parties, concerts, and parades. This site has more information on the history of Köln carnival, which originated in ancient Roman and Germanic traditions before merging with Catholicism. City officials long tried to put down the raucous celebrations, until it was institutionalized in 1823 with the founding of the "Festordende Kommittee" (festival organizing committee).

And organized it is! According to the official parade website, the parade is 7 km long, lasts 4 hours, counts on the participation of 10,200 official participants, 124 muscial bands, and 440 horses. During the course of the parade, 150 tons of candy is thrown to the crowd, along with over 300,000 small bouquets of roses.

There were over 50 different associations marching in the parade, some with hundreds of members marching. The biggest groups, dressed in early 19th century military uniforms, date back to the 1820s, when former city militias established themselves as official carnival societies. Many of the societies had large motorized floats from which the crowd was showered in candies and roses to our shouts of "Kamelle" (candy). There was some intense competition to get the treats, and not only from the children.


In addition to the uniformed and wigged paraders, there were also several floats from what appeared to be local trade unions with  satirical political content--Chancellor Merkel doing a handstand to reveal her thong, the emerging economies of the BRIC countries depicted as wise men bearing gifts. Some kicks were made at Germany's recently resigned President, Christian Wulf, and the Euro crisis was frequently referenced.

After about two hours, Kyle and I were cold and getting tired. Thinking the parade was nearing its end (a novice mistake), we headed back to Bonn. When we turned the TV on back at home, the parade in Köln was STILL GOING. We had missed the finale--when the three figures of carnival, the Virgin, the Farmer, and the Prince and his guard file by. We'll simply have to go again some year. As they say in the local Köln dialect, Kölle Alaaf!

Beuel Bound

The long anticipated Karneval season has swept through the Rhineland last weekend and took us for quite a colorful ride.  The main festivities kicked off last Thursday morning in a celebration known as Weiberfastnacht, or Washer women's day.  That morning I walked across the Kennedy bridge to view  the parade in the section of town called Beuel (pronounced something like 'boil').  Thousands of folks were dressed up in crazy costumes, drinking, laughing, and screaming for "kamelle" or sweets thrown from the parade floats.  The parade weaved through the main center and ended along the river at a stage pumping out endless cheesy, yet festive songs.  Traditionally, women dressed as laundry washers and maids would storm City Hall, harass the men, cut off their ties and plant a kiss on their cheeks.  It has evolved into a rebuttal to the male dominated Karneval proceedings during the rest of the week.  Sadly, the building was under renovation, so the women took to the stage and after many taunts, ousted the pirate-clad men.  It was great fun to see the Washer Princess seize the day, but by one o'clock I retreated from the rain and cold for the comforts of my apartment.  Plus, I knew I had to rest up for the big parties in the coming days.  More about that mayhem soon.

~Kyle

The 'Bonn' Voyage

A new year begins and we find ourselves in a new city.  Karen and I both agree that Berlin is one of the coolest cities we have ever visited.  There was still much to explore in the capital city, but we came here to experience Germany as a whole.  The big and small of it.  The people, the cities, the landscape, the food and wine.  Karen's work took us to the small city of Bonn, five hours Southwest of Berlin and nestled on the Rhein river.  Bonn is the former capital of Germany following WWII and grew into quite an international town.  It is home to a prestigious university that was a favorite among royalty, but it is most known as the birthplace of Beethoven!

As luck would have it, we found a cute little attic apartment in the center of town that looks over the Beethovenhaus.  Very inspirational.  Our place is small, but filled with sun all day long.  I am still marveling at the fact that every item (from dishes to doors) comes from IKEA.  We have always inherited so many types of furniture over the years it was simultaneously comforting/frightening to be living in a catalog set piece. I am proud to say that after a month in the apartment, I have only banged my head on the ceiling only a handful of times.  And for the first time in a decade, we have a big ol' TV, which will be a welcome distraction as I work from home.

We are excited to explore our new home and will keep you updated on our adventures.

~Kyle

Beethovenhaus from our window.

Proof that Karen does the dishes (once in a while).

The living/dining/kitchen/office/work-out/TV room.