1 Semester Down...

 So last Friday marked the end of Semester 1 here in Konstanz. We will soon be saying hello to a whole host of new faces and for now have been saying see you soon to some old ones. With everybody feeling a little odd about the whole situation I decided to recall just a handful of the best moments from the last 5 months and because no words could do them justice here's the choice of the many many photos that have been taken.

Ho Narro: The Insanity Of Konstanz

OK so in a bid to avoid while taking a break from studying,  of which there was a lot of, I asked a few people what they thought 'Fastnacht' was, and of course no one had any clue. So I being the academic that I am did some research.
Fastnacht is defined as:
'the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and western Austria. The festival starts on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, known as Schmotziger Donnerstag or Fettdonnerstag and continues until the following Tuesday. Fastnacht is also known as Fasching or Karnival' 
(Interesting facts also include: Fastnacht is a way of scaring off Winter and welcoming in Spring and the reason for all the mask wearing is to hide your identity from God during the shenanigans and tomfoolery)
This is:
1) A fair assessment
2) No where near enough information if you plan on surviving 6 days of insanity

So dear readers, this is where you thank me once again as I (hopefully) give you all the tools you need to experience, enjoy and come out the other side of Fastnacht.

It began late Wednesday evening. I, in my innocence, was wandering through town not really paying attention to my surroundings when a family of trolls walks around the corner. Life rarely offers a proper Hollywood style double take moment but I can assure you this was one. That was the moment I realized that this was a much bigger deal than I had previously thought.
The Wednesday night parade consisted of a long procession of everything that has ever appeared in your nightmares followed by a delightful Hellfire. Yeah, it wasn't exactly your average Wednesday evening..

The following day was the big one. 'Schmotziger Dunstig' otherwise know as the day Konstanz goes f*cking insane. I wasn't aware how insane until I was woken at 7am by a brass band casually meandering down the street. It was going to be an odd one, I mean it's not everyday you get on the bus with John Lennon, Elvis, a panda, 3 trolls and a family of cows. We went for a stroll around town which led to exclamations such as 'hey look a giraffe holding baby Elmo' and 'is that a group of mushrooms playing the drums?'. I think it's pretty clear that only pictures can do this day of insanity the justice it deserves.

Now if everyday was like 'Schmotziger Dunstig' then everyone in Konstanz between the ages of 16 and 80 would be on the list for a liver transplant so a few days of respite are more than welcome. The next big day is Sunday which I guess can be considered the most family friendly day of the festivities.
This is the day of The Parade. No, not a parade. The Parade. Now when you guys think of a parade you probably think of the 40 minutes spent freezing to death on St. Patrick's Day. That would be laughed at and scorned by the people of Konstanz. The Karnival Parade is where all laws and rules are thrown out the window. No seriously, kids are encouraged to take sweets from any and everyone, girls are literally lifted from the crowd, thrown into a cage and carried off, men are shut into a coffin and dragged down the street and women have straw shoved up their dresses by people in masks. All in the name of good fun of course.

Finally we come to the final day of the celebrations. Now with it being Shrove Tuesday I had to once again struggle through the usual ridicule associated with not liking pancakes (I know, I know) and then it was off into town not quite knowing what to expect. In hindsight there couldn't possibly be a better way to close the madness than by burning effigys at various points throughout the city, right?

To say that Fastnacht was a surreal experience would be one of the biggest understatements I've ever come across. It is quite difficult to properly express how amazing it really is and if any of you have free time at the beginning of Lent you know where you need to go.
As for me, I think it would be the ideal location for an ERASMUS reunion.

 

(All photos are as usual stolen from courtesy of Rhys)

I Ran Out Of Witty Post Titles...

So what have I been up to over the past week?
Well as next week is the last week of the Winter semester it's exam season in Konstanz. The library is full, the University is a buzzing hive of activity and I've found myself in the pub 4 out of the last 5 days.... and I wonder why I haven't ever been offered student of the year.

Now I do actually have a reason for neglecting my academic life (Not that I wouldn't have neglected it anyway, it's just nice to have a reason) and no, it's not a budding alcohol problem. I had a visitor! The lovely Miss Rachel Hanly traveled all the way from Cork just to visit little ole me. I was incredibly excited for 2 reasons:
1. I hadn't seen her in a month and couldn't wait to see her.
2. I got to prove to everyone here that I actually do have friends at home and am not in fact on temporary release from some type of institution.

It's odd showing someone around Konstanz. It's a little like seeing it again for the first time. Walking down by the lake with the sun glinting on the water and the Alps clearly visible in the background (yes I forgot my camera.) makes me realize that I take the beauty of this place for granted or worse ignore it completely in favor of cute animals on the internet.

So you're in Germany for the first time. You're looking forward to experiencing all the cultural delights this new land has to offer. What do you do? Well when the person you're visiting is me you spend the entirety of Saturday in an Irish pub watching rugby. Sorry Rachey, but rugby is bigger than both of us. I had no choice!
I'm going to attempt to describe yesterday with the help of my trusty bulletpoints.

• Rugby can be enjoyed even if you have no idea whats going on.
• The more people you cram around a small T.V the better the banter you will have.
• You will eat ALOT during the course of 2 matches.
• If you meet a former All Ireland GAA finalist in a pub they will be able to tell you where you're from within 12 miles.
• If there's a question of whose fans are louder, Rugby and Bundesliga, rugby wins. Hands down.

As to the result? Well out of respect for my Welsh counterparts I won't focus on that....all I will say is Éire Abú and roll on next week.