On Sunday, Jianhong and I went to the Schluchsee. More below the fold, including lots of pictures.
We hopped on a train and headed off into the distance. We weren’t sure where to get off, exactly, except that it was further along than the Titisee. So we stayed until…an omen…
Yes, we reached a station named “Aha.” After that must be “I see” and “Hmm” stations. That would summarize roughly 1/3 of my responses to everything.
As we got off the train, so did a couple of older ladies. We decided to follow them for a little bit, hiding in the distance. We were making jokes, claiming that we were going to mug them and steal their clothes so that we could go on a killing spree. What a fun-loving bunch we are…
There are the old ladies. I called dibs on the one on the right, as I was dying to get those shoes. And the umbrella… Now for a couple of pictures of the Schluchtsee:
We decided to hop around on the rocks to avoid getting our shoes muddy, and, well, because it’s fun. Not pictured: me slipping on a rock and landing on my camera. The battery popped out and went into the water, and the camera got a bit scratched up, but as soon as we found (and cleaned off) the battery, the camera worked good as new. I appreciate that, Kodak: you have created a camera for the consummate klutz. Also not pictured: the mossy rock I slipped on later. I did not fall on my camera this time. Stupid moss.
If you can figure this one out, you’re doing a good job. Or you’re messed up in the head, one of the two. I can figure it out, but I was there—and I’m messed up in the head.
There are also trees. Trees and rocks: the Schluchsee experience. The good news was that, even though it was a beautiful day, the lake was almost empty. There couldn’t have been more than a couple dozen people around during the 2-3 hours we were there. And now for the scenic postcard picture:
Oh, wait, somebody’s hand just happened to get stuck in the frame right after this person asked me to take a picture… How convenient… Let’s try this again:
After all of this, we decided to go to a village and take the train back home. Here is a picture of the village:
To be honest, I don’t even remember the place’s name. It’s no Aha, though, I’ll tell you that much. While there, I was attacked by a mummy:
Fortunately, I was able to navigate it into a ditch and run the other way. That’s what you get for having no eye holes, mummy!
We got to the train station with about 40 minutes to kill, so we walked around the village, eventually ending up at the information office. The place was closed on Sundays (like everything else in this country), but the building was still accessible. They just locked the office doors and left the front doors open. So we were able to go inside, Jianhong could warm up, and we could also use the restroom. After that, we found a reading room which was open and spent some time there. There was a discussion about why exactly men always put their stuff in their pockets and don’t carry bags around. I explained the positive aspects of pockets, and she pointed out all of the things in her bag. I told her that I could fit them all in my pockets, and proceeded to stuff away. Here is the end result:
There are three things to note:
- I still don’t stand up straight very well.
- I obviously had room for more stuff.
- All of the ladies are swooning at this photo. The reason I chopped my head off of it is so that they do not begin to stalk me.
After this, Jianhong decided that she would give it a try, and even upped the ante by putting her water bottle and the outer box of the wonderful chocolate-toffee-nougat-nut concoction she brought with her.
It worked, but it was hilarious watching her because she couldn’t bend her knees, and so couldn’t walk straight.
By the way, here is a photo of exactly what we were stuffing into our pockets:
I brought the compass. Though I was still manly enough to be able to direct us by the powers of the sun. That’s right: we did not even get lost during this event!
At this point, the train was going to come pretty soon, so we packed up and headed back to the station. To understand the next part of the story, you must realize two things. First, we were speaking in English. Yes, both of us speak good German. Yes, we could say the same things in German that we do in English. But with her, I speak English; that’s just how it goes. The second thing to realize is that if you look back at the picture of 85% of me, you’ll notice that I am wearing a t-shirt. People who know me (which make up roughly 95% of the readership, with the other 5% being people who are looking for miracle cures for gout) know that I never wear a jacket, even in the middle of February. I was walking around in the t-shirt, despite the wind picking up during the afternoon and despite the fact that I even had a sweater in my backpack. Why? Because I’m that awesome. Anyhow, a woman heard the two of us talking and looked at me and said (as I attempt to piece it back together as she said it) “I-ron-man.” I had to smile and laugh, and I believe I got off a friendly “Ge-nau.”
So this sums up the trip to the Schluchsee. Incidentally, “Schluchsee” translates roughly to “Canyon lake” or “Gorge lake.” The More You Know(tm).
