Bonn central

3/2/13

So today felt like spring at 37F (well we've been 32F and below for a while now). The sun was finally shining through the clouds and that's the first I've seen it in over a week. Today was central Bonn adventure day, and a tutorial on how to use the bus system here. I wanted to look at phones and maybe get some other things while in town. First rule- ask those who live in your building about the bus system- I found out that if I used a bus stop 25 meters from another one, it was 1euro cheaper. Apparently they charge by zone or the number of stops it takes you to get to your stop. Its about 2.70 euro for me to go 5 stops (one way). I originally had a plan of attack on how I was going to go about this expedition, but unfortunately that went by the wayside. The second I stepped off the bus, I realized that even the best maps in the world were no match for Bonn's street organization. So I just wandered about eventually finding everything I was looking for and more. I also learned to look for the big church which is just barely taller than most buildings to get back to the central station. So I managed to find Bonn's visitors site, Beethoven's house (should I decide to explore there one day),  dmMarkt, other stores galore. Lunch was at a place called Tacos which promised good Mexican food. Insert expected disappointed music, I had a spinach enchilada- it was eh, it had the most spice I've tasted while here though. Food tends to be a lot more bland or has a more subtle flavor than in the US. I miss the strong flavors. One of my stops I found a post-office, I managed to meet an American family living here, who gave me a hint of how to get around. I was told to find the red mailbox at the university's main campus in Poppelsdorf, the mailbox is a book exchange, but behind it is an office for Loyola-Marymount's international students. Apparently they have a lot of brochures in English, and if I explain my circumstances, I might be able to get some. Exciting news to me!  My final take home after my adventure- gym clothes for rock climbing (yay!), nicknacks, postcards and stamps, a cute pair of shoes, a goody bag from L'Occitane en Provence, measuring spoons (ironically didn't have metric units on them), can opener and peeler. Of course my story isn't complete here. I had a brief bus mis-adventure, I got on the right route number, but in the wrong direction, luckily my mistake was caught early before the bus left the terminal and I was able to run to the next bus, better luck next time.

Across from Beethoven Houses' museum

One of the major church's in the town's market area