"Mama said not to be takin' rides from strangers..."

Believe it or not, there is something in Germany that I have spent almost as much time doing as I have spent running along the Rhein. And it doesn’t involve Wienerschnitzel or Federweiss or wearing Dirndlkleider/Lederhosen, either. What I’m talking about has drastic effects upon my feet, wallet, and…oh, the environment, too.

That’s right, people: I have been riding the bus.

The buses in Mainz are possibly the best thing that have ever happened to a weary college student (regardless of whether or not said student has even started classes yet). If, on a whim, you decide you would like to go into the city just to take a walk, just wander on down to the closest bus stop, wait five minutes at the most, and bippity boppity boo—there you are (sorry, pumpkin carriage not included). You even get to press the little “stop” button and see the sign light up: “Wagen haelt.” These are the simple pleasures in life, people. Do not take them for granted. Otherwise, you can just walk home.

I have even gotten into the habit of sticking my bus pass in my shoe and taking the bus down through the city until I get to the Rhein, which allows me to run sans-traffic and even farther down the river to see more appealing parts of the landscape. The other day I got to run to the point where it literally looked like I was in Vermont—the only sign of civilization was a train running alongside me in the distance (yes, I run that fast). The only sad part about running out and back is that one eventually has to turn around. I never want it to end (well, maybe sometimes).

The foliage is almost at its peak here in Germany, so running along these trails and even walking through the city has been a real treat. Unfortunately for you all, I see the most beautiful things while running, which means I don’t have a camera with me and therefore no evidence whatsoever that what I have seen is, indeed, awe-inspiring. But, even if I did carry it with me, you all would still have to wait until next week until I get my own internet and am able to upload photos. So stay tuned and upbeat.

Yesterday I dragged Hannah, Erich, and Sarah (some Midd kids, for those of you who don’t know) along with me to Frankfurt for the afternoon. Again, public transportation made the trip stress- and financially free. With our bus cards we were able to take the train from the Mainz Hauptbahnhof to the middle of Frankfurt, where we walked around and saw more statues, fountains, and awesome churches. It was very cool to be able to stand on a street with really old buildings and look up to see modern skyscrapers looming above you in the same blink of an eye. We really had no plans for Frankfurt that afternoon, but just wanted to sort of wander around and see what the city was like. In our travels, Hannah pointed out a museum for satirical art. We went inside and got to see quite the collection of comic books and political cartoons, although for the most part we didn’t understand a lot of the satire. Sometimes the jokes had to do with certain plays on words that, as native speakers, we all didn’t quite understand. Others we understood but didn’t find quite as funny. And still others we understood, found a little bit funny, and laughed very loudly to let the other German speaking people in the room know that we did, in fact, understand what was going on. We left the museum exhausted from effort.

This morning I went to my first complete German mass in Mainz. I add the word “complete” because, last week, unbeknownst to me, was a very important festival celebrating the cathedral in Mainz where, as a result, one large mass was held outside on the main square (Marktplatz). I took my time last Sunday, again, with the bus, getting to one of the churches in the city only to see this huge gathering of people outside facing a stage with the bishop leading the mass. I stayed for awhile but, because I really couldn’t understand the bishop (he had a very strong accent and a very faulty microphone), I decided to continue to try one of the churches. I then made it to said church only to find a sign announcing said festival and cancelling masses for church that Sunday.

So, as said, this Sunday I went to my first complete German mass. The church was gorgeous—I have pictures that I had taken earlier in my wanderings around Mainz that will (again) soon be posted. I understood a majority of the mass, as well—mostly because I have been to so many English-speaking masses that it’s easy to guess what is going on. But, still, I can honestly say that the homily (or message from the priest) was easy enough for me to follow. Hurrah for listening comprehension! Those days sitting in language labs during high school weren’t all for naught!

Despite my ability to understand most of what was going on, however, I did learn today that I need to memorize the appropriate mass responses in German. For those of you who haven’t been to a Catholic mass, there is a time where we shake hands with our neighbors and say “Peace be with you.” Today, when I had to do this, I actually had no idea what to say. I have to tell you, though, that the man standing in front of me didn’t seem to know, either. Maybe he’s a foreigner, too. Or maybe no one in that church is sure. I’ll have to figure it out before next week.

A few other pictures that I have to promise to put up are those from Hannah and I’s excursion for ice cream the other night with our Georgian friend Dito. We went to this awesome ice cream café place where you don’t just order awesome flavors, but an aesthetically pleasing dish that just happens to be made out of ice cream and fruit. Dito, for example, ordered an ice cream lasagna (no noodles, just to clarify). I ordered this massive beast of strawberries and ice cream that was absolutely gorgeous (but not so much that I didn’t feel compelled to eat it). Trust me, you will be amazed.

Peace, love, and pocket-sized German dictionaries,

Amanda