All good things...

...have ended.  Well, so far as the 'being in Germany' section of 'good things' is concerned.  I can hardly complain about what's happended since, but they are for another place (plug plug).  That said one year and one month after beginning my adventure as a youth in Germany and I'm finally writing about what seemed forever away in sunny September - the end of my Erasmus year in Konstanz.

The Final Countdown

Doodle oo doo, doodle oo doo doo...
etc.

This is my way of attempting to make this blog entry fun.  I think the fact that I'm typing the synth part to an 80's Swedish rock band's most enduringly successful song sums up how happy and fun I feel about this whole situation.  This 'situation' is the fact that there is now less than a month separating me from the plane which will take me back to sunny Birmingham and not be waiting to bring me back to Konstanz again after a week or two. 
That isn't to say that I don't want to go home, there's all sorts of fun things there:

• My Family - ok bunch o' lads.
• A lovely lady - she's pretty cool.
• A house in Bath - its cozy
• A short jaunt - spoiler alert: it's not short.

All these things are things that I like, but that doesn't mean I won't be sad to leave Konstanz, the friends I've made and the city, region and country I've come to genuinely feel at home in.  In fact it almost means quite the opposite, whilst home is wonderful, I know that I will miss Konstanz and more than anything the people I've met and got to know here. 

I fly on the 27th, leaving me 3 weeks until the day that plane leaves.  In those 3 weeks I have a lot coming up, some of which I'm very excited about and some of which I really want to get out of the way in order to enjoy the former:

Those need to hurry up:

• Another Hausarbeit
• Exams and revision
• Bureaucracy surrounding the end of my time at the uni, in my flat and as an official resident of the city.
• Rain - yes its July and its been raining

Those I'm going to enjoy:

• Visiting Berlin
• A parental visit
• A girlfriendly visit
• Sunshine - it does get pretty warm, when its not raining.  
• German beer
• The Konstanzer Weinfest
• A lake warm enough to swim in
• lots more, I'm sure

Time is short, but I refuse to let that stop me from enjoying every last bit of that time.  This year has been unique, enlightening and extremely enjoyable and I'll be damned if that doesn't go for the last 3 and a bit weeks too.

Liechtenstein: From the Pylons to the Autobahn.

So having Wednesdays free as discussed previously, Katrina and I decided we should go on a trip a little further afield. In fact we decided we wanted to do something a bit international, which is not too difficult around here. We settled on somewhere we both though was a little ridiculous and therefore all the more appealing: Liechtenstein. It’s the 6th smallest country in the world (3rd in Europe) and something of an oddball. It has limited possibilities for visitors/residents/castle aficionados.

Catching up with Time and Time catching up with me...

I may have been watching a bit too much Doctor Who (thank you University of Bath VPN) but this almost on time (as if there's a timetable) Blog post features a fair bit of thinking about time. 

Once Upon a Five Day Weekend

I had a five day weekend.  It was nice.  It was like an inverted normal week, which consisted of doing the paltry amount of stuff I do on a Monday and Tuesday and then having Wednesday off (as is usual), Thursday off (as is unusual - it was a bank Holiday) and Friday off (as is usual) in addition to the real weekend (which, for those of you who like complete lists or are unsure how Germany works, is Saturday and Sunday, and I normally have off).

Father Son bonding, Deutsche Bahn, Sun and other Surprises. An overdue roundup.

So it has been nearly a month since my last report on the occurrences surrounding my time here in abroad.  Consulting my calendar (because remembering things from that long ago is tough), I have learned where I need to pick up from, so I shall:

Semester 1 Report

So in my last blog  promised my regular reader that I was still alive and would post something more fun soon.    Well here it is dear reader.  It is action packed and features bullet points:  everyone's favourite form of punctuation.

Still Alive...

Greetings dear readers,

Whilst I don't have time to share a rich and interesting tapestry of words about abroad with you, I'd simply like to comfort you all with the knowledge that I'm still alive and that normal service will be resumed next month.

Luckily, here the cake is not a lie.

Fastnacht, not fast nackt.

So its been a little while and there are two reasons for this:

1. I've actually been doing academic work.
2. Its been Fastnacht (otherwise known as Fasching or Karnival depending on where you are) and I've been waiting for all the crazy to be over before attempting to explain it.  

Today, being Ash Wednesday, marks a complete close to Fastnacht, so reason 2 no longer stands and I feel I need to avoid a beak from reason 1, so I'll take a stab at an account of the last week.

Returns

So it's been a while (a month, in fact) since I've added to the number of words chosen at random floating around the internet so here's a quick update on the thrilling life I lead here in Germanyland.

• Expecting a get together on the first night back to be a quiet affair is silly, as is expecting to be able to leave without having a drink forced upon you.
• Leaving your work until the weekend you get back is a bad idea, which can only be partially relieved by actually reading what's expected.
• Its not constantly fun and games, so when it isn't look after people because they will look after you.  
• The second bottle of wine is NOT a good idea.  
• As previously mentioned, snow is not the end of the world.  
• Education here extends to beer:

• Contrary to popular belief, some academic work IS required.
• Visits home should be tea resupply first and fuzzy wuzzy feelings second.
• Being the only person in a Wales shirt in an Irish bar on the 2nd February looks set to be fun.
• The idea of some people leaving forever in a few short weeks will not stop being odd.

The bottom line is that it's great to be back, not because its always perfect and not because there's nothing for me at home, but because I know this year is going to go far too quickly and I fully plan to make the most of it.  

Journey of the Magi (or at least a bunch of foreigners)

So in the last week or so places have been visited, wine has been drunk and journeys made (some more successfully than others).

Bodenschnee

Yes, the white powder has arrived and its not been smuggled here from South America in a Condom. 

Münster not Munster

So its been a little while since I've posted an update on my exciting life, so here's a brief overview of what I've been up to:

Google Translate, in human form!

So last week's event was a trip to Stuttgart on Thursday.  Here is a short list of adjectives to describe the day and the city:

Political Animals Are Nocturnal

So in the time since my last blog update nothing of much importance whatsoever has happened anywhere at all.  So that's where I'm going to leave it.

Ha. You should be so lucky...

Die Fresher's Week

So, its been two weeks since I've written anything, which some of you may feel is not nearly a long enough gap, but despite that here goes. 

The First Month:

So the 3^rd of October marked 1 month since I moved to Konstanz.  Its been great fun, with great people, in a great place.  Here are a few of the things I've learned:

Oktoberfest

So after my previous entry with its slightly downcast view of Oktoberfest the time came to have myself well and truly schooled in all things Oktoberfest from the one place that knows them:  The Theresenweise (die Wiesn) in Munich, home of the one, the only, the original Oktoberfest.  I should say now that I went for a day rather than staying overnight or through the night so my view is pretty much of the middle of the day.

Septemberfest.

Those with even a passing interest in Germany and things German will know that they like their beer and they like a good singsong.  The word "Oktoberfest" will probably conjure up images of Munich, tents, lederhosen, women in Dirndls with "viel Holz vor der Hütte" and of course, Beer, lots of beer.  All of these images come to mind because they are, broadly, true.  What people (including my good self) sometimes do not realise is that the majority of the festival occurs in September (The Bürgers of Munich, being practical types, moved it because the weather was better) and that there are Oktoberfest celebrations all over Germany, including (luckily for me) Konstanz.  So, having been told about Oktoberfests every year in school and in Uni and each person pointing out that it was at a very awkward time for us it seemed rude not to stroll on down to the tent which had been erected on the edge of the Bodensee to house the Oktoberfest am See (an international festival as the very near by Switzerland shares this event, along with may others).  

Bu·reauc·ra·cy

noun, plural bu·reauc·ra·cies.

1.government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.

2.the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department.

3.excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators.

4.administration characterised by excessive red tape and routine.

 

Yes, I've got to that stage where I feel the need to write a blog post not only explaining the empire of the Beamte but also to recount my experiences with them, which hopefully will not turn into too much of a rant and might even serve to forward people yet to arrive in the Bundesländer.