Everything Else That's Been Fascinating And Exciting At UNC For The Last Month That I Haven't Talked About Because Of Germany--WAIT! GERMANY! I WENT THERE! I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY!

Quick question:  Have you ever seen 48 college students go to town on a legitimate medieval castle? It’s ridiculous.  We were like little children that just moved into a huge new house when our parents immediately decide to leave for the weekend, leaving us to explore the mansion on our own.  It was beautiful chaos.

 There were people climbing over random castle walls. (I was afraid a phalanx of longbow-men were gonna jump out of the woodwork and take us down with a rain of arrows at any moment)

To the walls, the Americans are attacking! AND THEY HAVE CAMERAS!

There were people lowering themselves into the empty moat. (There was no water, but I was afraid we’d see some snakes -- If there are snakes in Germany, which I’m not so sure about -- I think they killed them all.  All German children below the age of 10 were given sticks in 1825; snakes disappeared from the region within a month, followed closely by large spiders and bears.)

This used to be filled with water. crazy.

There were people falling into tunnels and caves beneath the castle grounds. (I was afraid we’d find frozen cavemen or a cavern that goes hundreds of miles underground but we just found old beer bottles, used condoms, and an old German soldier who’d been there since World War II.  We convinced him the Norwegians had shaken off their German occupiers, led the Allies to victory, and now ruled Germany with an iron fist, or at least a friendly but heavily gloved hand that smells strongly of fish – let’s  be realistic.)
 

There were people climbing up random pieces of tower that were separated from the castle by a good bit of wilderness. (I was afraid I was going to hear war-cries and see a huge legion of orcs pouring through the hills in the distance; then of course I would’ve forgotten my horn back in the bathroom at the lodge and I wouldn’t have any matches with which to light the signal fires)

Needless to say, my imagination got more exercise than that one Christmas when I found 2 sizes of cardboard box and a big plastic tube behind the tree.  And ohhh what a day that was; I get nostalgic and a little nauseous whenever I see ribbons.  (Nostalgic and nauseous are very similar words – and when you think about it, somewhat similar in the feeling they evoke too.) (Wait no they're not; that's stupid -- wait -- is it?)

We spent two nights in this renovated-castle-turned-medieval-YMCA-slash-youth-retreat-center.  This secluded place was different from most other places we visited, not only in that it was a castle and not a city, but in that we didn't cause huge inconveniences to hundreds of people.  There were 50 of us in all, and we definitely knew how to block a sidewalk/fill a hostel/mob a restaurant. We were obnoxious Americans too; we only had two people who knew any German, and we talked loudly in English wherever we went.  We were the people who blocked the hall that is the entrance to the subway and occupied every ticket machine because there was a lot of us and we didn't know how technology worked.  We *always* got put in the back room at restaurants, along with all the German families that had young children.  Perhaps showing our Americanism the most, we dominated karaoke.  Even when it was a German song being sung (99 luft balloons) we overpowered them with our assertive and arrogant vocal cords.

Classic Americanism: Being critical of their artistry.

There was no room in this castle for anyone else.

This is the only picture that exists of karaoke. I promise. Don't look for more.

Okay I'm happy now; I think I've finally had my fill of talking about Germany.  Probably.