Carnival in Germany!

I think the best way to summarize my experience with Carnival in Cologne is that famous line from Streetcar Named Desire:

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers"

Now I realize she was just being hauled off to a mental institution but I stand by my statement. I can't even stress how grateful I am for everyone I met on the trip because they really made my stay awesome. I guess the best way to approach writing about Carnival without going into extensive chronological details of each day, is probably just go over some highlights from the weekend.

Free Housing

My friend Lisa had a friend in Cologne who was totally cool with letting me sleep on his floor for the weekend. Which saved me about 150 euros. He was also BEYOND nice in bringing me out with him, buying me beers, and showing me the city.


The Friends of Friends of Friends

His friends were also super helpful. They took me to bars and parades and lunches. They did their best to speak what little English they could muster and would never speak German to each other when I was around. One guy even gave me a 5 hour, guided tour of the city since he was a history major. I think what's just impressive is how welcoming and hospitable these people are to a complete stranger.


Rose Monday

This entire day was pretty surreal. The drinking started at 11AM and I met the friends of the guy I was staying with. I also invited some guy I met on the train the first night I was there. So basically I was with about 6 people I barely knew.

But with beer as breakfast, you can't really complain.

I ended up following the french guy to some bars and ended up in several different techno clubs with a lot of people I didn't know but who were all willing to start up a conversation. They were pretty fascinated with the fact that I came all the way to Cologne by myself just for Carnival. I think it was their first time meeting a Canadian. Either way, lots of free beers!

I ended up dropping my gloves in a toilet and swearing off ever buying mittens again. I also drank for about 15 hours without worrying once about where I was going to end up that night. Eventually, one guy who was a friend of the French guy I met on the train 3 days ago told me that I could crash on his floor. So at the end of the night, I sat on the back of his bike, sombrero in hand, riding down the empty streets of Cologne at 3AM - laughing to myself at how absurd this image must be. It was an awesome day that my liver must pay the price for.

Cologne as a City

Cologne is a really cool city, partially just because it's so old. It was founded around 55 B.C. by the Roman Empire. Then the Roman Empire fell. Napolean and the French then took it over, then Prussia and now it's just part of Germany. The most interesting part of the city is just the overall destruction of it. The city's been beaten down so many times then rebuilt with the best of intentions but no real consideration for restoring historical buildings.

So you'll see little parts of the city that are really medieval, like this gothic cathedral:

12th century, bitches.

And then you'll see modernist crap and buildings which were all results of the 1960s trying to make the city more car friendly. Either way, there's a lot of history AND I FIND THAT INTERESTING OK?

What I Loved About Germany and Carnival

1. You can drink beer, everywhere.
2. I never had to pay for the tram.
3. There was no snow anywhere.
4. Everyone was wearing a costume.
5. Parades, candy and flowers.
6. Street food was cheap.
7. Music and mini bands on every corner
8. A lot of men dressed as women.

Just overall insanity everywhere you went. So I end this lengthy post with the 2 pictures I think best embody the spirit of Carnival.