A Quick Tour

Guten Tag! Actually, it's funny, I don't think I've heard that more than a handful of times here. Most people just say "hallo." It works!

I've been in Marburg 4 days, and I'm leaving for Paris today (Friday). I don't know when I'll have internet access, so this might be a day or two outdated when you read it. Anyway, Marburg is pretty killer, so let me tell you a bit about it.

It's located on the river Lahn, which isn't some huge roaring Mississippi River, but it's nice nonetheless. From what I can tell, about half of the city is on each side of the river, but I'm not really sure. In any case, it's not a huge place, but it's definitely not as small as I thought it would be. There are a lot of bars and such, and I was surprised to hear people who have been here for a semester already talk about bars they haven't been to and would like to. Considering how often a lot of those people go out, I guess there are quite a few places around. I'm not complaining.

Right now I'm staying in David's dorm, which is in Wehrda. I think Wehrda kinda functions like a suburb of Marburg, though it's not a suburb at all. It's a little ways from the main part of the city, and if you didn't know better you'd think it was part of Marburg itself. I'm guessing in the olden days they were small independent towns and grew into each other. In any case, Wehrda seems to be mostly residential, and those who live there work in Marburg. There are a few little bakeries and restaurants, but it's mostly houses and the like. Coming from Marburg, Wehrda goes uphill (What? Land goes UP sometimes!?!?). I don't know how far, as I haven't been to the other side of it, but I know there are some woods and trails farther up as well. I'll have to check that out one day.

The dorm I'm staying in is really cool. It's comprised of 3 or 4 floors and a basement, with maybe 20 or so people on each floor. There are 4 buildings, I think. Anyway, when you walk in one of them, you walk into a little lobby with mailboxes and glass doors. You need a key to get further, or you can buzz a person's room by pressing a button with their name on it. I've been in a room a few times when someone buzzed in, and it's a horrid sound that could wake the dead. Everyone in the room jumps out of their seat as if someone just jumped out of a corner screaming. It's like a doorbell from hell. But it works, and the person can open the lobby door from the hall. I guess this is all standard fare apartment kinda stuff, but there's nothing like this in Baton Rouge, where land is aplenty.

Anyhow, once you get past the lobby one way or another, there's a stairwell in the middle! Surprising! On each floor there are doors to the left and right that you need a key to get into, and they lead into the halls where the rooms are. There are two halls on each floor, connected by the Teeküche [kitchen]. The kitchen is pretty legit, and people DEFINITELY use it. There's fridge space for everyone who lives there, and there are also cabinets for each person with a lock. Add 8 stove burners, an oven, a sink, plenty of counter space, and 2 tables and you're good to go. Most of the kitchens I've been in have a sofa, a toaster, and something to heat up water for tea or coffee (I have no idea why they have different stuff). I've been hanging with the people here in the kitchens a lot. It seems that it's pretty common for people to cook, and we've been sharing cooking duties every night for dinner. It's also interesting to see people come in and cook dishes from their home cultures (I've seen curries, asian foods, and pastas). There are a LOT of different kinds of people here.

The rooms are nice, as well. Standard fare: a bed, a chair or two, a table or two, a lamp, a walk-in closet, a window, some shelves, etc. You also get your own SINK, which is a total bonus! No toilet, but that's ok. The rooms are pretty spacious, surprisingly, though David's is cluttered with my suitcases and clothes right now. There's a little heater thingy for when it's cold, and the window opens for when it's hot. Added bonus: you can use the windowsill as a refrigerator! Au natural, baby. The bed's even comfortable. All in all, the rooms are good. I give them a thumbs up.

There's a community (unisex, OMG) Klo [bathroom] on each side of the floor. Each one has two stalls and a urinal, and each of these has its own door so no one gets to watch you go. The urinals are really high up, by the way. I don't know what children or midgets do here. I guess they use the stalls. There's a sink in the bathroom, too, but there's no soap by it... so I guess unless you bring soap with you every time you go to the bathroom, it's kinda useless. You can just wash your hands in your room– AND GET GERMS ALL OVER THE DOOR HANDLES IN THE PROCESS MUAHAHA

Sorry, I think I need more sleep. Also worth a mention is die Dusche [the shower]. Yeah, actually, it's really not that exciting, it's just a shower. But there's only 1 on each side of the floor, and the hot water stops at 2am. The end.

So that just about ends the tour. The other day I walked "around the block", which took about 20 minutes, and I took some pictures of the general local scenery. There are also a few pictures of the dorm buildings, too, though I haven't taken any of the inside yet. Don't wanna be too creepy. "Oh don't mind me, just taking pictures of the bathrooms!" Anyway, here's what I have so far: http://picasaweb.google.com/kakeeman/WillkommenInMarburg?authkey=H6B3MjWnl90&feat=directlink

Wunderbar! Hope all is well back home. I can't imagine the worry and panic that ensued after my leaving. It's okay, you guys! You can make it without me for a little while. Just relax.

Tschüß!
Nick