Freiburg at Last!

So at long last a bit after 12 noon my gate finally opened. Sadly the computer to do final check in was broken so it took forever to get everyone on the plane. It was about a half hour until we took off, but once we did it was an uneventful flight. The cabin crew ran out of most kinds of food so they didn't feed me. That was a bit of a bummer.

Wasn't even checked by customs on the ground. My cellphone went nuts since the airport belongs to three countries. It kept telling me "welcome to Germany", "welcome to Switzerland", and "welcome to France". The only mishap was that the bus I needed had left and would be returning for an hour. Managed enough French to figure that out by talking to the driver of another bus.

In the meantime I talked to two mountain climbers waiting for the bus. They spoke enough English that we could hold a good conversation. I let them call home using my cellphone. Home was just down the road for them, and didn't pick up, so I wasn't charged for the call anyway. Another English ex-pat also waited with us. We did try to find a cab a few times but none of the drivers would go all the way to Freiburg. The hour passed quickly, and by 5pm my bus ride was over and I was on the tram with Matt heading to his dorm.

Matt's dorm is in the Vauban. A residential district mainly of young families. It's next door neighbor is a hippie squat. Its pretty quiet and I didn't have a hard time finding my way back today after Matt went to class. The tram is really reliable and though I can't quite do it on my own if I could understand the accent a bit better I wouldn't have a problem.

So last night after I dropped my things off we took the tram back to the center of town and found a place to dinner, which was delicious. Matt's German is great by the way. Went to a great pub afterwards for another pint. Talked a lot about life and recent events. We haven't seen each other to talk in awhile so it was good to catch up.

After the second pint it was early to bed for us. Matt had class at 9am and I was exhausted after my long days. I fell asleep immediately until 9:30am the next day. Matt was kind enough to give me his bed and sleep in my sleeping bag.

Put on the Betty shirt this morning. Hopefully I'll get a photo with it. If nothing else, Steve, your face toured the streets of Freiburg today. At around 11 I met Matt and some of his friends for lunch. They are all Americans studying here and seemed nice. Their cafeteria is simple but the food was better than Frank. You grab a tray, go down the line, and take what you want. One thing from each station. Then you ring out at the end. The food was a little salty so I wish the glasses they had for drinks were bigger. I've been a bit thirsty all day as a result.

After lunch Matt and I walked around the city center a bit more, eventually climbing the hill overlooking the city. The view was wonderful, Black Forest and mountains (snowcapped ones near the airport the day before!).

After a brief stop for Matt to buy school supplies he headed to class and I walked back to his dorm, using the tram tracks and stops as a guide.

Freiburg is a nice town. Cars aren't allowed in the city center so its very quiet, all the roads are wrapped around it. Each part of the city seems to have a distinct character that reflects what goes on there. The city center does still have the feel of an old town. Cobble paths are inlayed with the crests of the trades of nearby businesses. The highlight of the day was the beautiful cathedral at the center of town, a product of the rich guilds and silver mines of Freiburg's past. Its a different sort of cathedral, more soaring and filled with images than Welsh churches, but not as delicate and light as those in France. Of course many elements are similar and the overall structure is the same, but it was interesting to note the differences in the details.

Windy day and light rain. Matt and I are going to head out to get groceries for dinner, and then might meet up with a few people to check out a pub I don't think they've seen yet.