It was sad to leave Tübingen. I had gotten to like the city very well. I had also come to appreciate my room, my view out the window, and my building very much. Of course, I had to say goodbye to many new friends I had gotten to know during the orientation. We managed to squeeze in some more fun before we had to go our seperate ways: we had an excursion to the Bodensee (Lake Constance). We took a ferry across the lake to the city of Konstanz. It was a beautiful day, and we had lots of fun.
< On the ferry to Konstanz >
< A view of Meersburg, a town on the other side of the lake >
< Shannon and I in front of the castle in Meersburg >
On Monday, 2 October, my checkout day, I had an appointment at 11 o'clock for the Hausmeister to inspect my room so I could give him the keys and leave. Shannon had left earlier in the morning with Jessica, one of our mutual friends, and her daughter Payson, so that they could have time to go to the Canstatter Volksfest (literally "people's festival," a little like a fair). I spent the morning cleaning wildly, and by 11 o'clock my room was almost completely cleared out. Shortly thereafter, I removed the last of my things from the room, and the Hausmeister locked the room. I loaded my bulging frame pack on my back, picked up my computer bag, and headed downstairs to meet Crystal, with whom I would be traveling to Ludwigsburg. (There are three students from Oregon going to Ludwigsburg: Shannon, Crystal, and myself.) Crystal had much more luggage than I had, and it was necessary to divide the load somewhat. I had been warned against taking rolling luggage to Europe; that's why I had brought luggage that, with a little lashing together, could all be carried on my back. I soon discovered that the advice had not been offered in jest; Crystal had three rolling luggage pieces ranging in size from manageable to bulky. The trip was somewhat nightmarish on account of all the luggage. Between us, we were able to drag, carry, or push the luggage wherever we needed to take it: on and of the busses and trains, up stairs, down stairs, through the train station... but just barely. It was one of those experiences that you think is hellish in the moment, but that you laugh about later.
< My room in Tübingen, cleaned and almost ready to leave >
< Crystal on the train to Stuttgart (where we would connect to a train to Ludwigsburg), with all of our luggage >
< A very tired me on the train to Stuttgart >
When we got to Ludwigsburg, we found that our travails were not at an end. We had expected to get our keys for our new rooms at the student housing complex from the Hausmeister and then relax for the rest of the evening. What greeted us instead was a line in front of the Hausmeister's office of about two dozen people... and the line didn't seem to be moving. It turned out that it only seemed not to be moving, in the same way that, to a casual observer, a bud doesn't seem to be actively opening into a flower. We were not encouraged to find out that, when we called Shannon to see how she was doing, she was still waiting in another line. She ended up spending a total of four hours in line that day. It was overcast and threatened rain outside, and we were fortunate that the rain held off, because Crystal and I stood outside in line for two hours before it was our turn. When finally sat down in the office, Crystal got her key and papers, then it was my turn. The Hausmeister looked at my name on the sheet and said, "Sie müssen sich bei Herrn Bohne anmelden!" Translation: it turned out there were two lines in two different buildings. Shannon and Crystal needed to be in one line; I needed to be in the other. As far as I know, there was no way for me to know this in advance. As it turned out, Shannon had gotten into the line I needed to be in, and I had gotten into the line Shannon needed to be in. I went to the other building, only to discover with sinking heart that there was another long line there. By this time, it was five o'clock, and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Crystal came to check on me, and commiserated with me on my wretched situation. She walked to the little Turkish food market nearby, and bless her heart, she brought me a packet of cookies and some Sprite. I don't know what sort of state I would have been in otherwise. In the end, I got my key and staggered to my room. I dumped my luggage in the middle of the floor, where, for the most part, it would stay for nearly a week. Although I was so tired I could hardly think straight, I joined Shannon, Crystal, Jessica, and Payson to go to the Volksfest. When we got back, it was very late, and I dropped into bed, thoroughly worn out, and not knowing what to expect in the morning.
< Crystal and I waiting in line at the student housing complex >
That Monday was only the beginning of the story. As I have time in the next few days, I'll continue the update to make up for my time without internet.
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