Bremen weekend

Got away from my not-so-intense grind, and explored Bremen last weekend! The weather was rather glorious, and I had a good, mellow time. It's just an hour away by train- just nice.

I booked a hostel the night before, and lucked out... it worked out really nicely. It was quite close to the train station, which was convenient- not a neighbourhood I would choose forever, but for two days, just fine. The only complaint was a roommate whose snoring really defies description. Certainly the loudest I've ever heard, but also incredibly irregular... the best I can think of, is a mower or chainsaw that's having problems. He was also the only person in the place I talked to- pleasant enough when awake, and quite a normal voice, besides the Chicago accent.

Bremen has about half a million people, and the downtown area is very pedestrian and bike friendly- multiple streets which are pedestrian only, or pedestrian and transit only. So nice! There were also a lot of parks, lakes, and a river. Of course, the old buildings are still impressing the heck out of me- Europe just has that added depth!

As I showed you in the blog before, the group of 4 animals are quite the town mascot. They also have a big old sculpture called Roland. I guess it beats Maple Ridge's mechanical horse?

I also visited a really nice art gallery, and took quite a few photos, only realizing on the way out that I wasn't supposed to. Ooh! Illegal Bremen Kunsthalle photos! I hope they don't deport me. One of my favourite pieces, which I didn't take a photo of, because it felt creepy, was a series of 3 video screens, which showed the wall behind it. Every once and a while, one of the art guard people would walk into the frame, and stay there for a while. They might say, "stand back please" (in German), or something else. It was cute!

There were also these two video screens set up like portraits, right next to each other, and at first the faces looked like they were still, but in fact they were moving super slowly- kind of like those living statues? They kept changing emotions, ever so slowly. It was SO captivating. (That's the photo at the top - in case you hadn't figured it out!)

Hmmm... what else?
Ooh! Friday night, I watched a concert by Anne Sophie von Otter, a bigger name in the classical singing world. She was 'slumming' with folksongs, Abba tunes, and such. She truly does have a lovely voice, and I enjoyed the night a lot! I have to say I prefer Abba singing the more energetic tunes like "Money Money Money", though....

On Saturday, I visited a natural history museum (yeah- I'm a nerd. The salary they pay me doesn't permit high-priced shopping and clubbing. That's my excuse) Its newest sections on Asia and Oceania were really interesting, and had a nice English audio guide (I asked for it in my best German, in my defence). The upper floors were kinda musty- they felt about 20 years older.

Later that day was a open house day at the town theater (which, being in Germany, includes opera, and ballet). I got to see interviews with the resident performers, and hear concerts, all for free! It was sweet. I've been practicing a lot more since I came back.

By the end, I was feeling a bit lonely, but I was glad to get away from children and being friendly and polite for a bit. Now I feel like I can enjoy the people around me a bit more!

Oops! Tomorrow is my early morning. I'd better go to bed!

Take care,

Russ