We didn’t have class on Friday (always a good start to a weekend adventure). Sara, Mark and I were leaving for Germany to a place called “Bremen” that we weren’t even sure really existed. At the bus stop we ran into Heidi and Andrea who were on their way to Barcelona (re-writing this over a decade later I realize how cool of an experience and lifestyle we really had at the time! ‘oh, just heading to Barcelona, you’)

Mark was nowhere to be found. We had to talk our way onto the bus and he caught up with us later at the airport. We got into Bremen pretty late at night, and as per usual didn’t have the address to the hostel (considering this was before iPhones, it’s amazing we ever got around!). Everything was closed… everything. I was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that it was going to be a long night. It was such a cute town. The Market Platz in the center of town was completely empty but I could imagine street vendors filling up the cobblestone streets during the day.

We got to the hostel around 11:45 and the doors were locked. There was a lady who opened the door to see what we wanted but wouldn’t let us in. It was cold, but not freezing out. But mostly – I was ready to go to sleep. We decided to just go out and party, get some breakfast somewhere in the morning and then go back and sleep. Problem was, not much was open. We walked around for awhile and the only place open was a strip club. We stayed in there until they kicked us out around 4am. The only place that was open that early was McDonalds. They didn’t have breakfast but there’s no reason I can’t have chicken nuggets for breakfast!

The hostel was still closed so we posted on the front stoop and fell asleep. Eventually we got in and napped until about mid-day. We walked through the market and got lunch in a cafe. It was a magnificently adorable town. It was bitter cold and the feel of Christmas was right around the corner. We saw the ‘town musicians’ which is from a Grimm Brother’s fairy tale. The donkey and the other animals piled up ontop of eachother’s backs. If you rub the donkey’s legs it’s good luck and the color was worn away on the bronze statue. Not so indifferent from Churchill’s foot in the Houses of Parlaiment. It’s funny the little traditions you run into here… they are everywhere!

I got a lot of Christmas shopping down while we were there. I love how comfortable you start to feel with an area even after only being there a few days. The cute coffee shops, the winding alleys and little corners. Even without speaking German we got around just fine. Maybe I might just survive in this world.