Art & Architecture Trip - Day 15

This morning, we learned we could spend our time the way we liked until 1300. The girls wanted to shop and look for clothes. I was going to go to Bonn, but I found out that I would have to pay 10 DM extra (above my rail pass) and that I actually had to meet other members of our group anyway. I stayed with them for the rest of the day. We met up with Marcus and his friend Jo and we went to toy stores and other shops. We went for a snack at Sam's Quick Burger Restaurant and then went to a pet shop. Nearby, I went into an arcade and played Asteroids. The club was for 18 years and up students but noone said anything... Later, we went to a cafe (where I got covered in Coke) and played Backgammon. We went back on the train to JGH at 1300 and got trapped at Boltensteristrasse in the train and had to go to the next stop. We missed the group lunch (luckily we ate earlier). Since nothing else ended up being scheduled, we decided to go to the zoo and saw lots of wonderful animals: polar bears, penguins, lions, tigers (etc.). I also went to the aquarium. After we had dinner at JGH, we all went to the Koln speech club and told the Germans there about our country (in English). I met one woman who had been living in the US and had become a citizen. I met a man that had left German in 1934 on vacation in Spain. As a Jew, he lucked out and missed most of the terrible things that happened during the following years. He went from Spain to California after the Spanish Civil War got too bad. He finally returned to Germany in 1962. We took the train back to JGH around 2345 (saw the lighted cathedral from bridges on the Rhine - pretty!). Went to the Cafe and met some Canadians on a tour of Europe. One of them was an electrical engineer for the Canadian Navy. At 0045, I left the Cafe and went upstairs to write this - and sleep. Gute Nacht!