Alex and I slept through the morning and ended up missing breakfast again. However, that did lead us to a really cute bakery filled with an endless supply of tasty treats. I bought a cheese Danish that tasted more like a heap of frosting on a very small pastry, and I regret not trying more things. We then caught the train to Bielefeld, a city I was informed was often called “the city that doesn’t exist,” (though I’m not sure why, I actually really liked it there!). We meandered through the town and ran into another fair that was setting up for the weekend.
A long hike uphill brought us to the Sparrenburg Castle, Bielfeld’s most notable landmark. It was a really beautiful day and the sun and breeze made it the perfect temperature to walk around outside. We joined a tour but the guide only spoke German so we had only a summary of the tour from translations. We went down into the underground part of the castle where soldiers would spend their time and man the two cannons when the castle was being attacked. It was very cold so it was hard to focus, but the tour guide brought us into a side room where they used to bake bread for all the soldiers there. I enjoyed that part, and it helped me put into perspective how many people fit in that small basement. I wish we had learned more about the seventeen types of bats that made the castle their home; I always enjoy learning about conservation.
After we were done touring the tower, we went back into town because everyone wanted to get ice cream. And not just any ice cream. SPAGHETTI ice cream. It sounds gross, but it’s actually ice cream that’s been pushed through a tool that made it look like strands of spaghetti, complete with jelly sauce and white chocolate as the “parmesan.” I had a vanilla variation, but I actually found it underwhelming (but don’t mention that to the other students). During the dessert we got into a pretty serious discussion about game design and the various problems with it, and getting the perspective from German game design students was very insightful. We decided that students would be more successful if the culture changed to encourage more team work and supporting fellow classmates.
We took the train back to Paderborn and stopped at a grocery store to stock up on supplies before the national holiday the next day. I was surprised at how seriously they took it; no place in town was going to be open, so we had to make sure we didn’t forget anything. I was also pretty shocked to see the number of cigarettes being sold at the checkout. I expected the regular candy and gum like in the states, but as we waited in line we were faced with the disgusting pictures of damaged lungs and rotten teeth they include on the cigarette packages. I was even more surprised at how casually the person in front of us bought a bulk pack without hesitation. The fact that cigarettes are still so common, enough that they still have cigarette dispensers on the streets, is off putting.