Catherine's Escapades: The Devil's Drinking
She woke up the next morning at six, realizing that succumbing to the urge of sleep might not have been the best idea. She ended up watching “Suits” on Netflix until breakfast after scanning through the numerous additions to the Netflix in Germany that America doesn’t have. There were so many options, but the show she had seen three times over was the obvious choice.
Breakfast was the same as usual, which included a delicious array of meats, cheeses, jams, and breads. The high carb diet life was definitely one for her. She quickly ate with her host family and fellow American roommates before heading to get ready for the tour of the history of Mayen. Who knew that such a small town could have three whole hours worth of history- the most interesting part being the story of a devil who came up from the ground, angry at the churches, and decided to twist the point to show its imperfection. Although, Catherine wasn’t exactly what you’d call a history buff. She actually disliked most history, especially that that she can’t understand. Imagine someone speaking to you faster than a competitor in debate who snorted cocaine and drank three Monster energy drinks, using words you don’t understand about topics you haven’t been exposed to previously- this is exactly what Catherine was standing through.
It wasn’t that the tour was bad by any means; it was more that she couldn’t understand the importance of it; much like taking a toddler to a Van Gogh museum. Informative. Creative. But with a lack of comprehension of just how much went into making that painting- or in Catherine’s case, making that city.
But then came the fun part. Food. After the tour, the study abroad group went to Dajöh, a modern restaurant with a wine list that made Catherine’s heart beat faster. Love is love, right? A glass of wine and a caprese-inspired thin crust pizza later and she was ready for her first night out. Jetlag and 6 am-wake-up be damned.
She went home to get ready and for the second dinner she was about to feast on. Her host family was having a barbecue with every kind of meat, carb, starch, and vegetable available. It was a little daunting at first, but Catherine had prepared 22 years for this moment. So, she took her first bite of meat in seven months and…nothing happened. She wasn’t amazed by how amazing meat was nor was she disgusted with herself for eating it. It was good and it was meat and now it was in her stomach making her used-to-be-fitting jeans into an unbuttoned blue par of spandex. Thankfully years of the skinny jean movement had prepared her for this moment as well. She jumped and stretched until the jeans fit again, threw on a black tight-necked crop top with a black and silver choker necklace, a pair of dark denim jeans, and a pair of studded black Steve Madden sandals, and set off for the bar to watch (SPOILER) Bayern-Munich beat Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final.
The word overdressed never really bothered Catherine until the moment she walked into the rather low-key bar. Everyone was either wearing a jersey supporting their favorite team, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with one too many beer stains on them, or a band t-shirt with a backwards flat-brimmed cap on their heads. Now, not only was there a language between her and the locals of Mayen, but also her fashion.
Thankfully these locals cared more about getting the group of Americans drunk than the latest fashion trends of Mayen, and bought round after round of drinks. Catherine decided to be the instigator of the night rather than the drinker. Four shots- three of Jäger and one of some kind of rainbow concoction- in a couple hours is sober right? She would take the free shots and then turn to her new friends saying, “Trinkt mehr! Trinkt mehr!” It brought a coy smile to her face every time they decided to ignore the fact that she herself wasn’t drinking. It didn’t matter much though.
After one…two…three pints in, the groups’ professors walked in the small, smoke-filled bar and everyone, including Catherine, lit up. Drinking with professors was way more fun when they had infinite wisdom to share of local sayings, the best beers to try, and what cheers rituals are performed before sliding the 151 liquid down your throat, which they did. Charlie continued to share the wisdom as he grabbed is beer. He told them of all the adventures he’s had abroad and the best ways to get to the bigger cities where there is more than just one local bar, not that Catherine really mind. Drinking was drinking and fun was fun.
Her favorite word she learned was “Freundshaften plus” or “Friends with benefits.” How did this come up in conversation? Well, of course the students wanted to be familiar with the slang- for educational purposes, naturally. It would be wrong to be uneducated of how to talk and understand the local vernacular. Or at least that is what Catherine prepared to say if ever questioned of why she knew more about German slang than German courses. She didn’t understand why the history of wine wasn’t a class. Riesling is one of the most popular drinks in Germany, after all.
It was another early night for the traveller as she walked home from the bar, smelling too much like cigarettes for someone who doesn’t smoke and headed to her room at 12:30. She stayed up watching episode after episode of Mike Ross kicking some major lawyer ass in “Suits” before finally heading to bed. She knew it was going to be a long and exciting day the next day. She was going to see her first castle.