A Number of Firsts While Ice Climbing

Not only was it my first time climbing on vertical water ice, but it would be the first time I used quite a bit of shiny climbing equipment I purchased before parting ways with Bent Gate Mountaineering. My shiny pink rope would loose some shine, and all sorts of slings, carabiners, and accessary cord would garner some street cred-tarnish.

Catching Up with the Fall 2011: Conundrum Hot Springs

After an early-ish start, we finished the last hour of the hike and arrived at the Hot Springs, which had a total of four people at first. For reasons pictured at the beginning of this post, I didn't take many pictures at the Springs themselves. After a few hours, the place became packed with people, and I think there were close to twenty in the big pool by the time we decided to leave.

Munich and the Romantic Road

It was still very summer-like in Munich, with crowds of lightly-dressed tourists throughout the streets. The city seemed more crowded than when I was there for Oktoberfest in 2008, but that might have been because Thereisienwiese was to be empty for another week until the first keg was to be tapped.

Speechless in Berlin

I have been trying to verbalize the way I felt about Berlin since I left, and after a month and a half of trying to find the words, I've come to the conclusion that I simply cannot. I stayed from September 7th to September 9th, with Maria's awesome friend Levke (thanks again to both of you). Berlin was absolutely amazing, which is an understatement, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The Best Stupid Person in Magdeburg

We also met up with Johannes, who worked in the tourist shop in Die Grüne Zitadelle. He had told me that he had to deal with stupid people all day. Since I bought a postcard from him, I figured I was one of those stupid people. Luckily, he said that if I am stupid, I was the best stupid person he had to deal with. I would later sign the book in his shop with those words, which has since garnered some attention from other tourists according to Maria and Johannes.

Mainz vs. Wiesbaden

As to which city is better, it's hard to say. Mainz certainly had a younger, creative feel, while Wiesbaden had a pleasant, older feel. Each city claims the other lives "on the wrong side of the river," but as far as I can tell, they simply live on either side of the right river.