whatthewalnut

There are people with dark secrets which you should know.

Whatever it is, take the necessary precautions and precaution.

I just want you to be safe.

I know you are still fuming at me. And that you have permanently blocked from seeing anything about you on FB.

I just want to say that it hurts me a great deal to see you behave in this manner, because I do care about you right now. Honestly. And I know that you might laugh at what I am saying now after the way I behaved. But you don't know how much restraint it took me to put up that cold front. And I am telling you now, as you are probably snorting away, that it was extremely difficult. Although knowing you, you would probably let your anger get to your head. I had to do what I had to do and I was prepared to be the villain so that it would be less painful for two persons and not just one. So that's that I guess.

It is not fair. And it will never be. Only a dunce will tell you any different.

I will not change my position: that you are one of the nicest persons I have ever met and I will be waiting for the day we can re-kindle our friendship.

Till then, I bid you adieu.

-

I know there's something in the wake of your smile.
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.
You've built a love but that love falls apart.
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark.

Listen to your heart
When he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
There's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
And I don't know why
But listen to your heart,
Before you tell him goodbye.

And there are voices
That want to be heard.
So much to mention,
But you can't find the words.
The scent of magic,
The beauty that's been
When love was wilder than the wind.

As Rosseau asked, are constitutions the effects of the 'social spirit' or the causes of it?

For Rosseau, in constitutional politics, effects must become their own causes, as 'the social spirit', which should be created by those institutions, would have to preside over their very foundation; and men would have to be before law what they should become by means of law'.

The question is this:

Do constitutions have articulate demands of pre-existing social identities, or do they in fact constitute those identities, and continue to constitute them?

"It is within the power of every person to help another regardless of his circumstances, but provided he has the will to do so." 

Hamburg - Köln

What I enjoy most about each stopover on the train is seeing people hug and kiss their families and friends goodbye as they board. Then the ones remaining behind stay on the platform as they wave the train away. As an observer witnessing the whole parting process behind the glass windows, I cannot help but smile to myself. I have only witnessed partings at airports and never at trains before. Knowing that the German cities are only hours apart by the well-connected trains and yet people still take the time to send them families and friends aboard a train is indeed heart warming.
At the moment, am feeling rather apprehensive and worried about staying with people from couchsurfing. Will be meeting a total of 3 strangers from 3 different cities and will be spending 4 nights with them collectively. Entertaining a million scary thoughts about them now, from resident drunkard to an S&M dungeon operator. Goodness, I hope I really meet decent people.
Arrived at Köln Hauptbahnof at about 1030 in the morning. Met my first ever couchsurfing host, Marcel, outside the train station, and following that, was awestruck by the towering Köln Dom or Cathedral. It is very massive, and its architecture was screaming ‘gothic’. Marcel and I chatted and made our way to his apartment which was located about 10 minutes away from the main station. Along the way, he bought bread from the local bakery and we had breakfast (my second one that day) in his kitchen. Talked more and found this guy to be very earnest and intelligent.
My couch was extremely big and comfortable (I had the chance of sitting and bouncing on it a little), and it was located in Marcel’s own room. His room was incidentally the biggest in the apartment, and when he told me that he was paying the most rental among his flat mates, I joked that it would be hilarious if they actually paid according to the square metres of each room. Turns out the 3 of them didn't think it was a joke afterall.
After breakfast and unloading my haversack in the apartment, we headed out to the Cathedral where we bought the tickets (EUR 1.50) to climb to the top. Felt deeply appreciative that Marcel was willing to pay to accompany me as well. Unlike most other cathedrals, the same narrow circular steps there were used for both ascending and descending. That meant a lot of time wasted for we halted many times during the climb as we made way for those in the opposite direction. We entered the room which kept the bells and we were in luck for they rang two minutes upon our entrance. We proceeded to the top and saw the city, and Marcel managed to locate his apartment from where we were.
Afterwards, Marcel had to leave to meet his female friend while I headed for the Schokolade (chocolate) Museum. Except for two free wafer sticks dipped in Lindt milk chocolate, the place was disappointing. Most of the exhibits were aimed at children, and the rest were just irrelevant e.g. showcase of British chambermaids serving their masters a pot of hot chocolate and a related showcase of different pots used to pour out hot chocolate. Except for the genie in Aladdin, I can hardly think of anyone who would be genuinely interested in that. Only reward were the views of the River Rhine and bridges from a platform alongside the museum.
Next up on my itinerary was the Cologne cable car ride. Decided against taking the public transport and walked instead along the river bank for about 2.4km. There was a ‘pasar malam’ along the way which ran for about 800 metres and the locals were selling all sorts of wares.
Cable car ride was very short, but I was honestly quite scared when it was directly above the river for the car was swaying due to the strong winds. Thought of a way to escape the locked cabin in 5 seconds should the unthinkable materialize. Wished I had paid more attention when I watched “Breaking the Magician’s Code” back home. Arrived at the other side of the river and found myself in the gorgeous Rhine Park. There were families flying kites, people playing soccer and teenagers doing all sorts of stunts on their skateboards. I was quite sure I saw a woman do cartwheels on the grass.
Walked back to the city square and gave in to my weaknesses: bought a beer from the pasar malam and was pleasantly surprised that it was Kölsch, the local specialty beer.
Contacted Marcel, and we headed to Rewe to buy groceries (and a huge ass carton of beer) for dinner.
Back at his apartment, I got to meet his other roommate, Dimmy, who can be quite the joker. He showed me what looked like the head of the broom and told me that it was his dreadlocks which he cut off a couple of months back. I was extremely grossed out. He told me he hadn’t cut his hair for 4 years to get that, and that during the winter, it would take about a day to dry. I don't think my hairstylist would take the idea of me keeping dreadlocks very well: no business for 4 years.
For dinner, I was in charge of cooking the breaded pork chops. Marcel cooked some ‘egg-pasta’ and prepared salad. Got to see how he prepared his own yoghurt dip (tells me he never buys pre-made sauces). Found that he is the only guy who cooks in his apartment, and he is in charge of the meals. Told him that his roommates were really lucky. So dinner was really hearty, and a pleasant affair. As we talked, I got to learn more about my awesome host and discovered that we had a lot in common e.g. we watch the same comedies, how we used to compete with our friends on spells from Harry Potter, and how he used to be an XXL too.
They showed me how to open a beer with a lighter, and I was terribly unsuccessful. Nearly broke Marcel’s lighter as a result. Apparently they’ve learned it since they were 14.
After a couple of beers, all three of us got dressed. Marcel had planned for me to join them out to the local bars and clubs. Oh and I should interject and point out that, prior to my arrival in Köln, Marcel and I had corresponded online and we had already canvassed the possibility of spending that Saturday night out.
Our first stop was at a bar where one of their friends was spinning and in charge of the music. Met a few of their other friends and, for some strange reason or another, they expressed surprise that English was the main language used in Singapore. Grabbed a few beers there.
Next stop was somewhere quite far away, and it was awesome that I didn't have to buy any transport tickets because I could make use of Marcel’s student pass. Like the ones that BLS gave us, these passes allowed us to bring a person with us on the public transport systems (S-Bahn, U-Bahn and trams) on weekends for free. It was awesome.
We walked for about 20 minutes to reach an outdoor club called Odonien. It was epic because it was actually a junk yard that was bought over and converted into an ‘art showcase’, and later converted into a club. There were a couple of outdoor hearths (fire furnaces) where people were huddling close to because the weather was a chilly 3 degrees. Every single part of me was freezing even beneath the 4 layers of clothes I had donned on. In contrast, the other two boys simply had a jacket on top of their T-shirt and found the weather perfectly fine. The club was nothing like I had ever seen before, with neon insect figurines hanging from the ceiling. The music was weird and we found it really hard to dance to. It was only outside that I found out from Dimmy the reason behind the music, the lights and the apparently eccentric people that were there. I hadn’t noticed before until he pointed it out to me, and I was shocked beyond words. After that revelation, I found myself strangely ‘appreciating’ the atmosphere way more, and eased into the party.
Made our way back home about one and a half hours later. Got back to the apartment at about 5.30am where the two decided to heat up leftovers from dinner as ‘supp-fast’. I was content with fruit.
Got up at 3.30pm (hello I got up at 5am the previous day) and found the other two already in the kitchen and blaring their music. Marcel asked me if there was anything that I would like to do that day, and told me earnestly that they usually spend Sundays at home. I replied that I was quite happy to do so because I had already seen most of the key attractions in Köln and I would like to enjoy their company a little more.
And so we sat and just talked about everything. I asked if Marcel knew what Spirited Away was, and I nearly fell off my chair when he told me that he had watched all the movies from Hayao Miyazaki! I told him that what I loved about those movies were the intricate details and the randomness of it all. He begged to differ, saying that he believes that Miyazaki puts stuff in his movies intentionally and after careful consideration and those were definitely not random at all. Coincidentally, this was the same discussion I had with one of my Korean friends back in Hamburg. In any case, I was damn impressed with Marcel all right!
Later on, he suggested if I would like to watch the movie, Melancholia, at night with him and Tommy (the third flat mate missing from yesterday) and I agreed.
At the theatre, I tried to order nachos with cheese and it was a disaster. According to Marcel, I had ordered the following: “Nachos with a Castle, one.” Oh well.
 I thought the movie was extremely boring and random. Not surprisingly, Marcel disagreed. I challenged him to explain to me what takeaways he got from the movie, and he says that he will need a couple of days to mull over it. Told him to get back to me should he eventually find any.
Marcel decided to meet a friend at a bar after the movie, and he asked me if he could do so. I felt incredulous and I clarified if he was asking for my permission for him to meet his friend. He replied that it was because I’m his guest and he didn't want to ‘abandon’ me. Haha I was so impressed! Told him it was perfectly alright to do so, and that I would pass because I had a long day ahead tomorrow. And so I headed home with Tommy instead, and found myself snugly in his couch shortly after.
 
I set up 3 alarms (2 on my iPhone and 1 call from Singapore) that would wake up me at 5.30am. My train was to depart Köln at 6.53am at the Hauptbahnof and since my DB ticket was only valid for that particular ride, the prospect of me missing that train would have been disastrous. Then again, that would have been the best excuse to stay behind in Köln to spend some more time with the 3 new friends I have met and grown to love. And that would definitely also mean having a couple more bottles of the local beer, Kölsch, which, according to Wikipedia, is exclusively brewed in Köln and it tastes marvelous.
Initially planned to nudge Marcel up in the morning to say bye, but seeing him sleeping so soundly in bed, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Left a box of chocolates on the couch as a thank you gift. Supposed to knock on Dimmy’s door to bid him farewell too, but didn't.
The morning walk to the main station was about 15 minutes and I had never felt more grateful for the highly centralized location of their apartment. Bought a sandwich as I awaited for the train’s arrival. The train pulled in on the dot, a manifestation of German punctuality.
The ride to Heidelberg was most enjoyable, with the train going past many mountains and villages that were located along a river. It is scenic sights like these that make me wonder what kind of person I would have been had I grew up in the countryside, where the nearest shopping malls or streets would be an hour away by train. Life would surely pass at a much slower pace, and a mountain hike would probably replace a movie outing. It would be so damn cool to own a house there. Oh and sunrise was only at 8am which was a sure indicator that the harsh winter was fast approaching.
Arrived at Heidelberg Hauptbahnof at about 9.35am, and met a very nice local lady who helped me to buy a day pass for the trams. Relied on iPhone Maps to find Montpellierbrücke where I was to board the bus to D’s apartment. Found his place without too much effort thanks to his clear directions, and found it quite amazing that the house was occupied by 8 people. Dumped my haversack and took off towards Theodore Heuss Bridge, which was one of the starting points for the Philosophenveg (Philosopher’s Way). It is an uphill walk and great philosophers like Mark Twain have apparently walked on it too to gain inspiration about life, some of them manifested in his literary works. It was thus in the spirit of this Eat, Pray and Love trip that I do the same.
The climb uphill was very steep, but it wasn't as backbreaking as I would have imagined. The views of the city of Heidelberg were spectacular, although it was unfortunate that it was rather cloudy and that affected the pictures. Had brief conversations with a local Physics LLM student, as well as a middle-aged (rather boisterous) couple from the USA. Climbed down the Way and reached the Old Bridge, Alstbrücke. The design of the bridge is a classic, and it was so windy I swear I was afraid that my camera would be blown off into the Necktar river. Saw a dam on one side of the bridge.
The other end of the bridge lead me to the Kornmarkt, where the foot of the castle, Schloß Heidelberg was located. Decided to walk uphill instead of taking the furnicular (tram uphill, mostly for old people) to save money, and boy was the walk more tiring than the Philosopher’s Way! Although entry to the castle garden was free, entry to the castle grounds required a ticket. I decided to get one, as well as the audio guide because I was 2 hours ahead of schedule. The audio guide earpiece would put the ‘tai-gor-tais’ (handphones from the 1990s) to shame. The castle ruins were spectacular, but nothing could trump the views of the city from the castle top. I imagined what the royal family would feel each time they looked out of their windows or balconies; an easy 叫我黄帝moment there. The whole experience would have been perfect if not for the freezing weather and the toilet attendants who demand 50 cents for each use of the toilet. That is a grossly exorbitant price to pay to empty my bladder, and more expensive than the water drunk to fill it up. Needless to say, I refused to use the toilets. After about one and a half hour, I left the castle grounds and had a quick chat with the audio guide ticketing man. When he found out that I was from sunny Singapore, he exclaimed, “5 million people in one city! Woah!”. Hilarious. Then when I asked for suggestions of things to do after the castle, he gave me some advice (including a visit to another nearby castle to which earned him a retort, “Enough for today thanks!”) and most helpfully told me that my admission ticket included a free ride down the furnicular to the Kornmarkt. See, it helps to talk to strangers, you never know what surprises might be in store for you.
Walked around the Alstadt (old town) and found my way into a chic café. One item on their menu sold me immediately – “Schofferhofer Hefeweisenbier”. Since the last time I drank it in Dresden on our return trip to Hamburg from Budapest, I have had so much trouble trying to find it again. Downed it in seconds and it is still as delicious as I had last recall.
Walked around to the Cathedral of the Holy Ghost, the (new) university square and then found my way into an eatery called Nordsee for a seafood salad (prawns, eggs, capsicum, lettuce and mozzarella cheese topped with yoghurt dressing) contained in a huge nachos shell. Most unhealthy and delicious salad I’ve eaten in Germany.
I must say that Heidelberg’s a really small town. You could walk back and forth via the main shopping lane and be done in one and a half hours at a snail’s pace. And that main shopping lane is truly the ‘backbone’ and the most happening street in Heidelberg. On the way to Starbucks to meet DS, I bumped into a male friend from BCL which was way too much of a coincidence. I got to meet DS who came riding on a bicycle along with a female friend, S. We settled at an Arabic imbiss for dinner where I had some grilled chicken, salad and (unintentionally) cold potato wedges. Had a good chat with DS and S, and they were hilarious. We spent half the time laughing, and DS possess the cheekiest laugh I have ever heard. Bought some ice cream for DS and myself as dessert as well as to thank him for taking the time to host me.
We went back to his apartment, and I had the chance to meet all 7 of his other housemates. According to him, the 7 of them had known each other since forever. It was also quite apparent in the chemistry they all shared. We spent the time drinking beer as we all watched two of them having a battle of wits on a chessboard. During that time, Daniel offered me some of the pasta one of them cooked (which I couldn't refuse) and some imported cheese from France. Looking at the colour of it, I refused very subtly but Daniel sliced a huge portion, put it on some bread and told me that I had to eat it now. It was amazing, and I found it hard to believe that a small piece of cheese could contain so many flavours. Tried a beer from Daniel’s hometown which was enjoyable, although it tasted oddly like freshly-mowed grass.
His room was extremely cozy and there was an extra bed in it which was mine for the night. Loved the multi-coloured quilt-like bedsheet. Chatted for awhile about his work, and I knocked out fairly quickly.
 
Arrived at Nuremberg at about 2.30pm in the afternoon. My first impression of the city was (I know that this is silly) just how gorgeous and big the Hauptbahnof was. I had thought Nuremberg was nothing but a small city with nothing much more to offer than its annual Christmas market. Well I could not have been more wrong!
And so I dumped my haversack in the lockers provided because my host, Max, was still at work and there was no one available at the apartment. Then, I was thankful that I decided against rolling my turquoise luggage because it simply wouldn't fit into any of the lockers and the thought of me dragging it along with me was quite unimaginable.
Bought the day pass (EUR 4.60) because I found out that as long as I take more than two rides in a day, I would have recovered the investment.
Reached the Doku Zentrum, which honestly was the highlight of Nuremberg for me. Having studied world history in secondary school, I was really interested in the history of Germany during WWII. I spent about 2 hours at the exhibits and it was damn well worth it. The museum chronicles the rise of Nazi Germany, from the rise of the socialists to the fall of the Third Reich. The pictures and documentary films shown vividly depicted the entire process and it was highly informative. The audio guides were cool, because when you reached an area where a film was being shown, the device would pick up the signals and play the corresponding audio track for the otherwise-silent film.
Next, I had to walk quite a fair bit (round half the empty lake) to get to the Zeppelinfield. A bit of background, the Zeppelinfield was where the Nuremberg Nazi Rallies were held, and it was meant to be the official place where rallies took place in Germany. I had also learnt from the exhibits how Hitler and his chief architect designed each aspect of the grounds very carefully, so as to attained a certain effect. For example, the Nazi flags had to be enormous so as to make the people feel that the Fuhrer is omnipresent. The rally ground was never completely constructed. Although the grand row of pillars had been torn down (according to a stranger on the site, he said it was because of wear and tear and guarding against its inevitable collapse), the podium where Adolf Hitler once stood remained. It took me a fair bit of courage to stand up there, and once I did, I tried to imagine that there were 200,000 people looking up to me. What a position of power that podium contained. It felt extremely eerie, to think that I was standing at the very same place Hitler stood years ago, the man highly instrumental behind the breakout of the second world war. I barely stood there for three minutes. It was way too surreal. With my main purpose behind Nuremberg completed, whatever else happened in Nuremberg was going to be a bonus.
Took the U-bahn to Lorenzkirche to meet Max. Found him after some miscommunication and he introduced me to his girlfriend, S. She was really bubbly and adorable, and I found relief in the fact that, like me, she could not speak German. She had spent a large part of her life in America, and had moved to Nuremberg only for a month. She only got to know Max through a couchsurfing gathering, and they merely got together two weeks ago. Immensely adorable. While walking around the town finding an agreeable place for dinner, they gave me a short tour of the city as well which was nice. We eventually settled down at an Indian restaurant, which, according to S’s Indian friend, was the best Indian restaurant he could find in Nuremberg. It didn't disappoint at all, although the stupid waiter did annoy me but lying to me that there wasn't a toilet in the restaurant. Thank you for blemishing my otherwise perfect dinner experience.
I was immensely thankful that we shared quite a fair bit of chemistry among us all. Max is really nice and he is quite the adventurous sort himself having been to India for a month. S is really funny, and it the moment of the night when we were enacting scenes out of Modern Family. After dinner, picked up my stuff from the main station and we headed over to this newly opened bar across Max’s apartment for post-dinner drinks. Had two of their promotional beer of the day (“Landbier”) and it was very nice. Apparently it was the local specialty brew.
Slept on Max’s couch (convertible sofa) in his room and it was so comfortable, I slept without so much as a disturbance.
Got up the next day at about 8.45am where I had breakfast with Max in his kitchen. He bought a baguette from the night before and we just ate them with all sorts of spreads, the likes of nutella, jam, cheese and peanut butter.
Bade farewell to Max and said that I really hoped that him and S would make the trip down to hamburg in a month’s time to visit, where I’d be more than happy to prepare something for dinner.
Walked around the Alstadt, which was located within some high walls, with a citadel in each corner. For me, this was the charm of Nuremberg. Outside of these walls, the city was undistinguishable from any other normal city. I walked to the castle where one could get an aerial view of the city. It honestly wasn't anything spectacular. Thing about these castles are that they are often located at high points, which means leg torture. All these royals and their demands for views of their city. Well, I did cheekily think to myself that the city could earn way more money than admission tickets if they tore down the entire place and built some kick-ass modern hotels iin its place. It would be so epic and un-cultural.
Walked aimless around the Old Town hoping to stumble upon a random find. Well I did fall in love with the rivers that flow into the town. There were many small and dainty bridges as a result, and they make touring the small city square on foot a most joyous affair. Found myself in a temporary fishmarket, where I ordered my first Nuremberg local delicacy – 3 small sausages in a small bun. The sausages were amazing for, despite their size, each packs tons of spices and they blend together so well in your mouth. 
Headed back to the main station at 4pm for a 5 hour long train ride to Berlin. 

Nürnberg - Berlin

Arrived at Berlin on Thursday night and found my way to the hostel. Found a guy from China in my 4 person mixed dorm and damn does he
talk a lot. Tells me about the most random stuff like how he doesn't think he needs to shower at night because he has already showered in the morning. Weird.
Next morning, went to the Reichstag Dome and gained some knowledge of the German Parliament. Had to make an appointment for the visit way in advance and was glad that I did so. Made my way on foot to the standard Berlin attractions such as the Brandenburger Tor, Berliner Dom, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Insel and the Victory Column. Highlight of the day was probably the Topography of Terrors which was a free exhibit displaying the entire Nazi regime from rise to fall. There was also a big chunk of the original Berlin Wall. Headed to find Stauffenbergstrasse which was where Colonel von Stauffenberg (the general who Tom Cruise was portraying in Valkryie) and his ka-kias were shot. Had Mustafa’s Kebabs for dinner and it is not hard to believe that they are the best in Germany.
The next morning, I got up early to visit the Berliner Dom and the sights were spectacular. Also saw the holocaust memorial which was awesome and picturesque. Next made my way to the Stasi prison which offered English tours twice a week. Highly informative although it was a bitch to find my way there (and back). Visited the Ritter Sport Museum and decided to call it a day.
On Sunday, visited the Pergamon museum and had to queue for about half an hour for the tickets. The exhibits, particularly the Assasi special panaroma exhibit, were cool. Met Himmy at some flea market at Mauer Park. Hunted down some kebab store that Angela Merkel apparently frequents. Regretted as found Mustafa’s to be a thousand percent nicer. Took the train back to Hamburg although there was a minor scare at the Hauptbahnof that the intended train was not going to run.

Berlin - Hamburg

In all, I had an amazing time backpacking across Germany by myself. Discovered the ups and downs of travelling solo. This will definitely be a trip that I will not forget. In the meantime, cannot wait for my hosts Max and Marcel to visit me in Hamburg real soon!
 

Life in Hamburg has been nothing short of awesome so far. 

Sitting through my last lecture for International Trade Law now (ALREADY?!) and can't believe that one month has past by so quickly.

Loads of exciting stuff to come up. Doing a road trip to Budapest tomorrow night, which will be a 12 hour drive in our rental car. 

Just booked my train tickets around cities in Germany, where I will be having a solo journey around 5 cities all in a span of 9 days sometime in October during my recess week. 

Hamburg - Cologne - Heidelberg - Baden Baden - Nuremberg - Berlin - Hamburg

Trying to live with couch surfers to save on cash and meet different people, and to get new and fresh perspectives.

I could really live in Hamburg you know ;)