Snug as a Bug in Saarbrucken

The plan was to either meet Moritz at the train station… or not. Heh. Moritz had given me the directions from the train station to his apartment and said if I didn’t see him waiting there then I should just head to his place. I didn’t see Moritz when I arrived… so I immediately took off in the direction he told me to. You can walk from one side of Saarbrucken to the other in about 15 minutes, so the directions weren’t really complicated and I found his apartment rather easily. When I arrived, his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend welcomed me, though they looked a little perplexed since Moritz wasn’t at home and he wasn’t with me. They were extremely friendly though and we chatted, sipped wine and they fed me dinner. But, it was not just dinner. Dirk is a cook for a couple of restaurants, so the food was fantastic and packed with flavor. Mmmmm….

Then, Moritz arrived. He saw me and looked relieved. He had been waiting at the train station for an hour! I felt so terrible that we missed each other… he thought my train arrived 20 minutes later than it did, so we must have just missed each other. After chatting and sipping wine a bit longer we all decided to go out and celebrate the birthday of Dirk’s friend, a bartender at one of the restaurant’s Dirk works at. At midnight we left for the local Irish Pub and already I was loving this city. It’s basically the German version of Columbia, MO. A small college town that you can easily familiarize yourself with, but with a lot of students, restaurants, clubs, shops other things going on. Even here most every one could speak English. Whenever I would ask they would say, ‘yes, but a little bit.’ And then we would launch into long conversations in English. Ha! Everyone I met speaks English so much better than they give themselves credit for. I’m so fortunate that Europe is so accommodating for English speakers. Though, I must admit. It feels like I’m cheating. I would love to learn the languages of the countries I visit. Three or four days in each place is hardly enough time to learn just the common phrases though. And I must admit, the German sounds are a bit harder than the Italian ones. I picked up a few words… but even I can hear how terribly I pronounce them.

So yeah, the pub was packed because, as in any small college town, the bartenders and waiters/waitresses are somewhat of the local “celebrities” and there were plenty of people ready to party and celebrate Jean’s birthday on a Tuesday night. The karaoke was going strong and all the songs were in English. It was rather amusing hearing these thick German accents belting out American song after American song. It was such a fun atomosphere! I was antsy to get up there and sing myself, but Moritz wouldn’t join me. And, I admit it, I didn’t have the guts to go up in front of all those German strangers alone. So, I didn’t sing. : ( I need to have more guts next time… booo to me!

Jean, the birthday boy, got up there a couple times with a friend and he was the star of the night, jamming out to the air guitar, rocking out with a loud rockstar voice and jumping all over stage. Everyone loved it… he was great fun to watch!

I didn’t officially meet Jean and get to wish him a happy birthday until everyone was taking off to head to another bar – the bar both Dirk and Jean work at. Jean and I talked a bit before the group took off. He spoke English incredibly well, but he did live in the states for several years. He urged me and the rest of our group to head to the next bar… so we finished off our drinks and headed out.

It was a little quieter at the next bar and it was a much smaller group. It was mostly just the close friends of Jean. The place was open so late just because it was Jean’s birthday. Moritz and I talked and shared laughs and drinks… but, it wasn’t long before the music had me involuntarily bouncing to the beat. I can’t help but dance when I hear the beat! At first, I was the only one dancing, but then Dirk’s girlfriend joined in… then Moritz and Dirk, then Jean and then a lot of the others… and before you knew it we had a full out dance party with everyone just cutting loose and enjoying themselves. It was so great! I loved Dirk’s retro dance style… he was a riot to watch! Moritz surprised me with some great ballroom-style moves turned disco-club. I didn’t find out until later that he had taken dance lessons before… He was tons of fun to dance with! Of course, I had to dance with the crazy birthday boy. Jean and I had a similar dance style, all-out and care-free. We definitely had tons of fun dancing with each other. Too bad I didn’t get to enjoy more of Jean’s crazy fun during my stay, but that night was just a great night… full of laughter and dancing… an absolutely fantastic introduction to Saarbrucken. It was after four in the morning yet again before I crashed out… but this time on Moritz’s couch in Saarbrucken, Germany.

The next morning I slept in late, then hopped online to catch up on some work. By mid-afternoon though, Moritz convinced me to put the computer away so we could go out and explore Saarbrucken. It was such a beautiful blue winter day, I’m so glad Moritz urged me to go out. Moritz’s friend Nic joined us and we walked not even 5 minutes before we arrived at the delightfully cheery Christmas Market. Christmas Markets are a big German and Austrian tradition with dark wood booths wrapped in garland, ornaments and ribbons, all selling various Christmastime treats, trinkets, wreathes, food and more. You hear Christmas music as children run around laughing. Old German men smoking pipes, women shopping, the younger crowd enjoying Gluehwein, a warm, spiced wine drink… very delicious and perfect for a cheery winter day! Moritz, Nic and I enjoyed one. Then we wandered around the heart of Saarbrucken looking at old gothic churches and government buildings. We crossed the river and went up to the bluff to see the old palace of Saarbrucken and to simply take in the wonderful view. All along the way Moritz and Nic were filling me in on different little tidbits of Saarbrucken history. It wasn’t until just about 50 years ago that Saarbrucken was actually a part of Germany. It used to be a region of France. Then it was autonomous before being annexed to Germany. The current city of Saarbrucken also used to be two different cities actually… one on each side of the river.

On the way back to Moritz’s apartment we stopped for another Gleuhwein and we ate at one of the festive booths at the Christmas market while a small brass band with trumpets and trombones, etc… shouted out Christmas music and young children danced, spinning in circles.

That night Moritz and I went grocery shopping and cooked an easy, but scrumptious spaghetti dinner. Well, Moritz cooked. I ate. I did buy the groceries though. Then, we watched a film that Moritz actually filmed and helped put together about a German cruise that goes up to Iceland. Wow… some of the images were so incredible. That’s one of the major reasons I was attracted to Moritz’s profile… he’s into all that gearhead, filming and graphics stuff like I am. I was rather impressed by his work from the cruise. What a gig!

By then, Moritz and I had fallen into an easy rhythm… as if we’d always been close friends, knowing when to get each other pumped or when to just relax. Moritz’s company was cozy and comfortable, just like Saarbrucken.

The next day… more sleep… more work…. until I went out to finally meet up with Thilo! Thilo and I met at the Christmas Market. This time we had another version of Gluehwein… a version where rum and sugar is added. It’s stronger, but sweeter. Can’t remember what it’s called… starts with an F. It was delicious. Then we stepped inside a local German-style subway (sort of) and I grabbed something to eat. Thilo and I just chatted, catching up on the last 6 months. When I was finished eating, we stepped back out into the Christmas market… just in time for Santa Claus… or Sint Nicolaus… not sure which because the Germans have stories about and celebrations for both. Anyways, Santa Claus was peering over the sides of his red sleigh, both he and his reindeer suspended high above a delighted crowd at the Christmas market, and he was waving and telling children to be good and spreading Good ol’ German cheer. I just ate it up. I loved how even “commercial Christmas” in Germany was still more about bringing the community together, sharing food, drinks, music and laughter at the center of town… instead of locking yourself in your own lit up fortress (and often times a ridiculously over lit fortress), where no stranger would feel comfortable stepping in to share the holiday festivities. Christmas was in the air everywhere in Saarbrucken… and it made me feel all giddy and excited about the holiday season. I haven’t felt that giddy and excited since I was in grade school… and then, I was giddy about getting, not giving or sharing.

After the visit from Santa Claus, I left Thilo to go back to Moritz’s so he could escort me to his friend’s place… and I could join them for a game of indoor soccer!!! It’s been months, literally months, since I’ve played and I was soooo excited to get back at it again! I knew I’ve been lugging around those soccer shoes for a reason! I was actually surprised the guys let me come play… pretty much, women don’t play with men in Europe. But, they did let me join in… and they weren’t disappointed… hehehe. Really, it was a good match. I started off playing really well. I did get sloppy pretty quickly though, since I haven’t had the constant load of exercise I’m used to and I’m really out of shape. But, geez, I can’t tell you how much my body just loved getting out there again to kick it around and run myself into the ground. It was so great! The guys were incredibly friendly too...

When I got back to Moritz’s I had to jump in the shower and get ready for another night out. We had plans to meet up with some of Moritz’s friends and meet up with Thilo, his girlfriend and some of his other friends. Phillip, one of the guys from soccer, came out with us for a bit. He’s totally sweet. I wish I would have gotten to know him more. Basically, I bar hopped that night, meeting up with different friends and such of Moritz and Thilo. At the end of the night Thilo, Moritz and I all ended up at the same place, but then Thilo took off… he needed to get up early to study. That’s when I realized Moritz had been talking to one of the other guys I played soccer with, Baddi. I had actually thought I had irked Baddi a little bit on the soccer field because I was playing so rough. But, at the bar, he couldn’t stop raving about how well I played and how he’s never seen a girl play the way I do… hehehe. He was my new best friend! Really, though, this kid was hilarious. I think he had me crying a bit, I was laughing so hard. He definitely had me crying after buying a round of a shot called ‘The Flatliner.’ Ugggh. Never again. Never again. Not too long after that Moritz and I decided to throw in the towel and go to bed. We had made plans to meet Baddi, and Phillip for that matter, at a club the next night. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out… and that kinda bummed me out (ha… bummed me out… but it did). I was really looking forward to hanging out with those guys again. They were really a pleasure to be around.

So, the next day… it was another late start for Moritz and I. I worked and then we finally got going and went out for brunch. We went to Dirk’s restaurant hoping he’d be there so we could try his food, but he wasn’t. We didn’t think of checking his room before we left the flat… dur. Nontheless, the food was great. Then Moritz and I moseyed around town… and stopped at a tiny little coffee shop before heading back to his apartment. It was evening before I was finally showered and packed and ready to meet Thilo to crash at his place for the next couple of nights.

Thilo and I took it easy that evening, cooking, chatting with roommates, playing poker and watching The Wedding Crashers. Just enjoying each other’s silliness like we did back when were both living in Columbia, MO. During the evening I also found out that Julian and Maria (remember them from Holland?) would be heading to Austria to go skiing… and that they were going to come through Saarbrucken to pick me up and take me with them. So, my couple nights crashing at Thilo’s got cut short… and I was bummed about that… but how could I pass up a free ride into Austria (which is where I was headed to next), stopping for a couple of nights in the Alps to try my hand at snowboarding?? Well, yeah. I couldn’t pass that up. Not to mention I would be taking the trip with Julian and Maria. So, what a last minute surprise! And at about five in the morning I was on the road with those two… headed for the slopes!