Hallo von Deutschland!

(Sunset from Seabass's apartment... and Seabass)

So after two solid days of planes, trains and uncomfortable naps I have arrived here in Reutlingen. I'm staying in the modest luxury of Seabass's apartment, a short walk from Reutlingen's bars, train station, etc.

(A glimpse of Reutlingen through the trees)

A number of Seabass's peers live nearby in the so-called Aquarium: a huge glass building full of student housing. The students are from the US, Mexico, Europe, Russia... I've met a lot of good-natured people, and drank a lot of beer.

(The old and the new in Reutlingen)

Apparently that is the thing to do here. I arrived determined to beat my jetlag into the ground- and succeeded. We went out the first two nights into Reutlingen, imbibing liter cans of Faxe or some smaller, yet stronger, beer. We wandered through hookah bars, pubs, and apartments. We snacked on Doner Kebab- a delicious Turkish fast food. We crashed through a hedge on a mistaken shortcut. Sunday we took it easier, starting the day off with a wander along Reutlingen's picturesque pedestrian paths. We found ourselves at the local park (open for the last day of summer) where we played frisbee and volleyball with a medley of European students. That night we went with a large group of foreign students to the nearby town of Tübingen- home to the oldest university in Europe, and one of the few towns that survived the Allied bombings. We had dinner at a local restaurant where I ate pretzel-bread dumblings in a creamy mushroom sauce (I forget the German name). After that Seabass, Martina and I wandered throughout historic Tübingen. It is a beautiful town with tall houses, a hilltop castle, a manmade river island lined with sycamore trees, and awesome winding streets. Pictures to come soon.