Running Around Germany
Recently I spent a week in Germany for work. It was a part of Germany I had not been to before … then again, I haven’t been out of the country in over a decade. As strange as it may sound, I was excited to go to a place where I wasn’t fluent in the language. Oh who am I kidding, before going about all I could say in German was after someone sneezed. Fortunately, I’m pretty good at navigating a city where I don’t speak the language. I do watch Amazing Race after all.
The first question I was asked was how is Germany?
I don’t know. I spent 12 hours a day inside an office building. The photos I have of Germany are all dark. In fact, my oldest daughter requested I take 18 pictures. No, I don’t know why 18. She’s as unique as I am.
I will say, the city I went to, Dusseldorf, did have some amazing beer. The beer that they are well-known for is Altbier. It’s a darker colored beer and they add toasted barley to the brew. There are at least 3 breweries in the city that craft the beer. In one outing, I saw them pouring the beer into a barrel, roll it out to the street, and start serving. They bottom pour which means no pressure, just gravity.
My goal was to get in a few runs during the week. Nothing too crazy, but also knowing that I had 60% control of my evening schedule. That’s a 60% improvement from home.
Come to find out, the jetlag and long days in a conference room drains my energy. I’m not very good at sitting still which is why normally I have a sit-stand desk.
I did meet someone that is training for his first marathon. Immediately I asked him when he was running this week. Much easier to ensure I will run if someone else is going as well. Fortunately, he has visited this office multiple times so knew some running routes.
One morning around 5am we set off for a 6 mile run. Due to the 30mph winds and cold temps in Colorado, I hadn’t done much outside running. It’s amazing how much faster I can go when not constrained to a hamster wheel! We crossed over the Rhine River and followed a paved path to Alt Stadt (Old Town). There he showed me this statue (pic to the left) that tells the story of how the city was founded. Sorry, don’t remember the story. Or I could lie, Google it, then tell you.
On the run we also say the original lighthouse (pic to the right). As I grew up in Maine, I get pretty happy when I see a lighthouse. It reminds me of the Portland Head Lighthouse that was a couple hours from my hometown. I have been back in 6 years, so brings back some memories. Some people were our starting to enjoy Karnival, will get to that in a moment, and were yelling happily in German. Not sure what they were saying, so I replied with “yaaararaaraaaa!!!!” I’m sure they found it just as funny at 5 in the morning.
The cobblestone streets, fresh bakery smells, and great conversation made this a run that I will remember. Running is a great way to explore a city. There were several other runners out early in the morning, but not too many. Come to find out, the city has a marathon at the end of April. Might need another work trip.
So Karnival. Imagine Mardi Gras but not just insane 21 year olds. In fact, the insane ones just may be the 40 year olds. Then, dress them up in costumes. Some were dressed like bunnies while others like a giant hot dog. Again, I don’t know why and the locals at the office couldn’t quite connect the dots. The festivities start Thursday morning at 11:11 when the women storm the government building. Any man wearing a tie has it cut off. Then they march around and rock/pop bands start to play in the town square. Happiness and drinking commences!
The last night I was there, friend and I decided to run 4 miles to town, eat, drink, and take a cab back. If I could think of how I would spend a vacation, this would be the theme I would follow. Food and beer taste so much better after a run! Walking around in shorts and long sleeve tech while it’s 36 degrees out wasn’t the best experience. However, when a guy dressed in a tutu looks at you funny, you must look funny.
You would have thought the World Cup was playing, but no, it was just a normal Friday night. People were walking around with drinks in hand, stopping at food carts, breweries rolling barrels of beer down the sidewalk, and smoke. Living in Colorado, where smoking almost anywhere is illegal (yet marijuana is legal), I tend to forgot what walking into a cloud of smoke smells like. Full disclosure: my first year of college I smoked. Quite honestly, I did it because I was bored. I would smoke in between tennis matches. It was a nice way to psych out the competition a bit. We all do dumb things.
Overall, it was a successful trip from a work standpoint and running. I made a running friend that is in the same office as me and started convert him to ultrarunning. When we were back in Colorado, I provided him a copy of the book that introduced me to the ultramarathon world: Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes. You either find the story insane or intriguing. It’s a fine line, but one that I’ve been walking since my first ultramarathon in 2011.
Funny thing, when I was walking around this old town part of Germany, I run into a Dunkin Donuts. I don’t try to find them, they just seem to find me. It is no secret that I love me some donuts. In fact, people know that if they need a favor that they come with donuts. My first full-time job when still in high school was working the overnight shift at Dunkin Donuts. I was the guy that frosted, dipped, and filled the donuts. Just turn the music up and get to work. I really enjoyed that time.
There were a couple of other places I found donuts. Due to Germany’s “purity laws,” there is less bad stuff in the desserts there. That means less sugar and less fake stuff. The donuts tasted much lighter and those with jelly filling tasted like real fruit. Way to easy to go back to eating a dozen of those in a sitting. Even the airport in Frankfurt had a bakery creating fresh everything on the spot.
Next time you travel to a new city, explore on foot. Good for you and you’ll notice details missed from a car.
