Advertisement
Published: December 24th 2006
Edit Blog Post
(June 16th through June 18th 2006)
June 16
We left Mönchengladbach early on Friday morning. We had decided to go somewhere that was small and had beautiful views. Our travel guide barely mentioned Constance, so we decided to take a chance. The train ride was wonderful, though we had no seats. We changed trains twice, and the views were great. Eight hours later, we arrived mid-afternoon into Constance. It was grey, and the train station was a bit run down, and we weren't feeling that great. As soon as we walked out the city jumped out and we knew we were going to enjoy the town. We walked north on Konzilstrasse two blocks and walked into the tourist office. They informed us that all but one hostel were full, and it was quite a trek, but we could take the bus. We decided to walk. It was a very nice walk. From the train station we walked north on Konzilstrasse and crossed the bridge, and headed towards Mainaustrasse (B33). Thirty minutes later we arrived at the hostel--just off Mainaustrasse on Salesianerweg. The hostel is huge, tons of rooms. The owner was extremely nice, and we walked in when he was
having dinner, and he still attended us very well. He allowed us to check in and drop our bags, while we went to an ATM. The hostel was empty and our hall on the top floor had no souls except for us. There was only one group of middle school students on the first floor. Next to the hostel is a beer garden, and a football field--along with roaming dogs that are part of the bar. After paying for our two nights, Tron, Little Boi, and I set off to see the town. We didn't walk back the same way, rather we went directly south and through residential streets, lined with amazing houses, all the way down to the beginning of Seestrasse, a boardwalk along the lake that has beautiful sail boats, and areas for picnics or for being able to take a dip. Most of the locals were here, along with all the high school kids drinking wine next to the lake. By the time we got into the center of town it was dark and settled on a restaurant called "Il Pescatore" on Konzilstrasse and Slamannsweilergasse, just around the corner from the tourist office. The food was surprisingly
Constance
behind the train station cheap, and it was delicious. We sat outside, where a TV had been set up for the night match. After the game and dinner we walked around town, and got lost in the small streets. I really liked the buildings and the cathedral was amazing. After a good walk, we headed back the same way, and fell asleep.
June 17
We woke up early and decided to go to Mainau Island. We took the bus from the hostel, and as the bus was rounding to go back from Mainau Island, we decided not to get off, and we just stayed on the bus until no one else was on. The small village is Wallhausen. People with a lot of money--the houses are huge and the cars are top line. The small marina was full of great sailboats. We walked along the small village, and then headed into one of the residential streets. When the street ended a hiking trail began, so we decided to follow it. After twenty minutes of amazing views, we went down to the lake shore, and took a dip in the lake. It was an amazing feeling. Being in the border with Switzerland and Germany,
in a huge lake, only us three, and no one around, was simply breathtaking and a great experience.
After drying up, and walking back to get the bus, we got back to our hostel, and to get ready for the US-Italy match. My brother and Tron got boxes of wine from the supermarket across the street from the hostel, for only 2 Euros. I wanted to hold off until the game began.
We walked down once again to Seestrasse and sat watching the lake in the afternoon. From there we headed to the center of town, and walked behind the train station, next to the lake, and sat at a cafe drinking some beers and watching the first game of the day--surprisingly Czech lost to Ghana. From here as well we were able to get our first glimpses of the Swiss Alps, though one could barely make them out. After a while we started to walk around the town to find our spot to watch the game.
After talking to some Italian fans, and arguing with others, we settled on a bar/restaurant on Slamannsweilergasse. The place was dark, but it was the only place we could find. The food was
great, lots of it too, and we drank the night away watching the game--I caught up to my brother and Tron with the huge beers they were serving us. The game was great. We should have won. At the bar we were the only ones into it at the beginning. At half-time, two German men, that didn't know each other, came to our table. They talked to us and discussed their time in the US--they both had done some work in the states. Very friendly, and each bought us rounds of beer. They loved the states, and it was amazing to talk with them. Halfway through the second half, the crowd in the bar got larger and half the crowd was now going for the US thanks to our screaming and elation, and those Germans that had talked to us. They were even supporting the US when others at the bar disagreed with a call going against the Italians. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and afterwards we sat with one of the Germans that had come up to us, along with his friend, and we sang the night aways. Actually the friend sang the night away, mostly old
Constance
Seestrasse songs, and we jumped in when we knew a lyric. We said our thank-yous and goodbyes, and stumbling through town, made our way to Switzerland.
We decided, since we were already here, we might as well go to Switzerland. The border crossing was unattended, and everyone was walking back and forth. We could barely stand up. We were yelling, and enjoying a tie by the US side. After walking through a residential area and through some football fields, we found a bar right on the lake, which refused to serve us beer. We were that drunk, or maybe that obnoxious, I don't know.
Realizing we weren't going to be served, we crossed the border again and tried to get onto a booze cruise behind the Constance train station. We weren't allowed in. It could have been many things, so we dropped it. Tron didn't. I had to go back and save him from the bouncer who was about to rip his head off because Tron was 'playing angry'. After calming him down, we went to bed.
June 18
We enjoyed our time in Constance greatly, and the scenery and atmosphere that the town and lake provided were magnificent. A
Constance
Lake Constance from Seestrasse town to relax in, with the Alps in the background. It wasn't until we were walking back to the train to leave for Leipzig, that the Alps truly showed themselves. The view we had seen the night before was just a tease, and as we walked to get our train the snow-capped mountains were beautiful. From here we had another 8-hour train ride, this time to Leipzig to see the France-Korea game.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.396s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 17; qc: 80; dbt: 0.296s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb