Art & Architecture Trip - Day 33

I did not do much today - just relaxed and had fun. I got up at 1130 and ate breakfast. Then, at 1300, Frau Johland took Stephan and I to the Bensberg Palace museum. There, we saw many artifacts of the palace and a mine (still being worked in 1953). We were at the museum until around 1500, when we stopped for some ice cream. After we returned home, I wrote a letter to Mom (I finished at 1700). Frau Johland told me several interesting things today: about her escape from DDR and some of her trips back home - and that we might go to Berlin next week. I hope we do!!! After some pizza for supper, we went to Bensberg station and took the train to an open air concert. Christof, Stephan, another friend and I arrived at Koln Messe (convention center and Rhein park) at 1930. The talent show, which is a yearly event, began at 2000. This was no ordinary talent show, however. People came to it prepared to distract the performers - who put on quite wacky acts - and help them mess up. The audience had posters, firecrackers, horns, nooses, banners and other items. We all helped out with noise and with a long, snake-like dancing procession to the front of the stage as the performance ended. Christof said, however, that this show was not as exciting as last year - when people threw oranges, eggs and tomatos at the performers. While at the concert, I saw one of Frau Scheuch's friend's daughters (I met here at a previous open air festival). We left the concert at 2300 and Christof waited vainly for a new-found girl to show up at the train station. He was distressed that she did not, although he admitted that he did not have any real information about her. We tried to cheer him up on the train ride home. Bed late again...