"I feel something. A slight tingle in my fingers. I think it's affecting me."

Do Germans really drink beer for breakfast?

Yes, my friends, the answer is yes.

Proof... well, actually this picture isn't exactly proof that Germans drink beer for breakfast. Maybe it was all a cleverly constructed fabrication made by our hosts, but I'm pretty sure if one travels to Bavaria, she'll find the Bavarian breakfast to include a delicious glass of Hefeweizen.

We arrived in Freiburg, Germany last week for four days with our friends Max and Alex. We met them while Alex was studying in Boston during our first year there, but to be honest, we didn't really know either of them all too well. We even felt a little embarrassed that we'd be staying with them for so long. Come to find out, we didn't stay long enough.

Max is studying to be a teacher, but in actuality, he IS a teacher. Before we arrived he had already bought an entire case of different German beers so that we could have an introduction to the German beer culture. Over the course of four days, we sampled over 22 beers of all kinds: pilsners, stouts, bocks, doppelbocks, kolschs, hells, et. al. Like a good German, who values organization over almost all else, Max would present them four at a time, making sure that we were being systematic by sampling various pilsners with other pilsners, stouts with other stouts. We'd take turns sampling each other's fare and then keeping a running tally of which ones we liked and which ones we didn't.

I love Germany.

Me thinks the Black Forest to be pretty cool.

Me too.

Beyond the beer culture, it was fun to get to know the town of Freiburg. Later, when staying a night in Paris, our host was surprised that we weren't seeing the usual sights like Berlin and London, but choosing smaller towns like Freiburg and York. I've loved this, however. I'd love to visit the big cities, but visiting smaller ones with people we know has enabled us to really get to know the country we're visiting.

Can you see what the gargoyle on the left is doing? This is actually part of the Freiburg Muenster (Cathedral). Apparently the mason who worked on the gargoyles wanted to marry the daughter of a man who lived across the street and was turned down by the father. Later, he fashioned this beautiful work of vengeance and pointed it at the man's bedroom window.

Freiburg is framed around its University, which once housed the likes of Husserl (the Hustla! as Emma would say) and Heidegger. [During our stay, I felt the numinous other be released from its shadowy veil and present itself within my phenomenological experiences themselves. It was a dream, more like reality--being there felt like there-being and my dasein will never be the same. Eh? Eh?] I loved the intellectual climate, the enthusiasm for the humanities, the interest in philosophical/religious/political conversation that went deeper than many Americans are willing to go with new acquaintances accompanied by a tolerance for others beliefs that is more like actual tolerance and not a veiled dogmatism of political correctness.

"Which one of these doesn't belong?" -- Galen DiDomizio

We hiked a mountain in the Black Forest, ate dinner with a real German family (Max's parents), visited Switzerland and swam in the Rhine right in Basel's city center (we formerly joked that we'd never find a river in a European city clean enough to swim in--it only figures that the Swiss have this covered while the rest of the continent enjoys the pollution that we in the states know all too well). We ate wonderful food, gained a newfound appreciation for stinky cheese, and realized that eating sausage and drinking beer in the U.S. will never be the same, always carrying the memory of the treasures of Allemagne.

Not sure if it's the branding or the beer, but I love this variety.

Everywhere I go all the people wanna know--why in the world do you like the Mets?

I really did love Germany. I didn't think I would as I've never been drawn to it before. Maybe we just experienced the right things to make our trip unforgettable. And for that, we have Max and Alex to thank. They were amazing hosts and now amazing friends. We are so thankful.