The weekend has been very very rainy and very very cold. I almost started missing the hot Hyderabadi sun. Well, almost, but not quite. The only good thing is that they have turned on the heater in the hostel. It seems Germans turn it on only when they're in danger of actually freezing their asses off. The heater, I have discovered, is also a nice place to dry one's clothes. Especially when it's on, but even when it's not. It's a bit difficult, since only one or two items of clothing fit on it at a time, but it's better than paying 1.80 Euro for washing and another 1.30 Euro for drying at the laundry place, which I still haven't managed to find.
Yesterday, I lazed all day and did some Skyping and chatting, so today I thought I should start the day by going for a walk. Yeah, right. Perfect timing. I dressed up in my sweater/jacket/hoodie and jeans and Pumas and sauntered out, only to be assailed immediately by the cold, cold air. If there was even a breeze, I'd probably have become an icicle immediately, but our heroine decided to brave the cold and wander out in search of some warm victuals. Surprise, surprise! It's Sunday. The day on which all shops, supermarkets and restaurants seem to be closed. Ms Almost-Icicle trudged to the next bus stop in search of sustenance, but no such luck. By this time, I was breathing steam like the dying DiCaprio in Titanic. So I tried jogging back, but that only made it worse.
However, one single Bistro was open, and when I stumbled in, numb from the cold, there was a maternal-looking lady at the counter, exuding warmth and the soothing aroma of coffee, the prickling scent of alcohol, and something vaguely chocolaty.
The conversation as I imagined it, and planned it in my mind:
Me: "Hallo. Guten Morgen. Haben-sie cappuccino? Ein cappuccino. Wo viel? Danke schon."
The conversation that actually happened:
Me: (shivering wordlessly). Coffee Lady: Hallooo (musically). Me: Hallo-o-o (still shivering). Coffee Lady smiles sympathetically and says something in rapid Deutsche. Me: "Y-you have ca-cappuccino?" Coffee Lady in excellent English: Yes, sure. Me: One Cappuccino.
I still managed to squeak out the "Danke schon" at the end, somehow. Ah well, baby steps in German. And the cappuccino was excellent, with a tasty chocolate for free! The whole thing warmed me up, and cheered me up as well. Before that, I was planning to post gloomily about what a "gloomy sunday" I am having and to bore the entire world (or whoever is still bothering to read my posts) with my woes.
On my way back to the studentendorf, frozen and chattering no more (perhaps because of the coffee or perhaps because it was around 10.30 by then), I heard someone playing a piano and followed the melody to the half-closed door of a music room. There was an Asian girl who was sitting inside and playing the piano, but when she saw me, she got up and shut the door with a bang. Girl, I didn't come to see you or your attitude (um, actually I was the rude one who went prying, but... details!). Just wanted to hear the nice music. So I sat outside on a bench and listened to the music until it was drowned out by the tolling of the Church bells.
(I've been planning a post about food, but I never manage to take a picture of the food before eating. Once, about halfway through having Turkish pizza, I remembered and took a snap, but it showed half-eaten, mangled bits of bread, beef and vegetables which wouldn't have tempted anyone. Some day, some day...)
Yesterday, I lazed all day and did some Skyping and chatting, so today I thought I should start the day by going for a walk. Yeah, right. Perfect timing. I dressed up in my sweater/jacket/hoodie and jeans and Pumas and sauntered out, only to be assailed immediately by the cold, cold air. If there was even a breeze, I'd probably have become an icicle immediately, but our heroine decided to brave the cold and wander out in search of some warm victuals. Surprise, surprise! It's Sunday. The day on which all shops, supermarkets and restaurants seem to be closed. Ms Almost-Icicle trudged to the next bus stop in search of sustenance, but no such luck. By this time, I was breathing steam like the dying DiCaprio in Titanic. So I tried jogging back, but that only made it worse.
However, one single Bistro was open, and when I stumbled in, numb from the cold, there was a maternal-looking lady at the counter, exuding warmth and the soothing aroma of coffee, the prickling scent of alcohol, and something vaguely chocolaty.
The conversation as I imagined it, and planned it in my mind:
Me: "Hallo. Guten Morgen. Haben-sie cappuccino? Ein cappuccino. Wo viel? Danke schon."
The conversation that actually happened:
Me: (shivering wordlessly). Coffee Lady: Hallooo (musically). Me: Hallo-o-o (still shivering). Coffee Lady smiles sympathetically and says something in rapid Deutsche. Me: "Y-you have ca-cappuccino?" Coffee Lady in excellent English: Yes, sure. Me: One Cappuccino.
I still managed to squeak out the "Danke schon" at the end, somehow. Ah well, baby steps in German. And the cappuccino was excellent, with a tasty chocolate for free! The whole thing warmed me up, and cheered me up as well. Before that, I was planning to post gloomily about what a "gloomy sunday" I am having and to bore the entire world (or whoever is still bothering to read my posts) with my woes.
On my way back to the studentendorf, frozen and chattering no more (perhaps because of the coffee or perhaps because it was around 10.30 by then), I heard someone playing a piano and followed the melody to the half-closed door of a music room. There was an Asian girl who was sitting inside and playing the piano, but when she saw me, she got up and shut the door with a bang. Girl, I didn't come to see you or your attitude (um, actually I was the rude one who went prying, but... details!). Just wanted to hear the nice music. So I sat outside on a bench and listened to the music until it was drowned out by the tolling of the Church bells.
(I've been planning a post about food, but I never manage to take a picture of the food before eating. Once, about halfway through having Turkish pizza, I remembered and took a snap, but it showed half-eaten, mangled bits of bread, beef and vegetables which wouldn't have tempted anyone. Some day, some day...)
He He He. You brave lass you.
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