altstadtfest

Last weekend was the annual Altstadtfest in Saarbrücken. The main square was lined with stands selling food, drinks, and sweets from all over the world, as well as specialties from other regions of Germany. Though the weather was cold and it rained the whole weekend, I still spent the majority of it outdoors enjoying the festivities.

So my boss at earthfaves is also a DJ for this group called the Robot Scientists, and on Friday they had a gig at a lounge called Liquido. I met the rest of my coworkers there in the evening and after listening to some "spaced out disco," we all went dancing at a club called n8werk.

The next morning I met the interns at a cafe for breakfast. Afterwards, I took a nap to catch up on some lost sleep from the night before and then we met up again in the evening to enjoy some of the concerts and activities of the festival.

We ended up going back to n8werk on Saturday night for a spring break themed party. Apparently, throwing USA college spring break parties is the cool thing to do here in Saarbrücken, because this is already the second one I've been to. I find it is interesting to see their perceptions of American college students over here. I think they must have formed their ideas about us from watching American Pie movies or bad MTV shows because the decorations and entertainment at the diskothek were a bit raunchy and ridiculous.

On Sunday I went to Mettlach with Ludivine, Jesus, Diego, Mathias, and Diego (número 2). The goal was to make it to the top of the hill to see the Saarschleife, the most famous landscape of the Saar River. Unfortunately we never quite made it there, due to both a lack of prior planning and the constant rain. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the train ride, good company, and the quiet walk in nature.

I got to see how a dam works up close-- it was actually pretty neat.

Even though Saarbrücken is no Berlin, I am always surprised by how much there is to do here and throughout the Saarland. There are several festivals this summer and lots of opportunities to experience some culture at a play, film, or concert. Because it is a university town, there are several nightlife options and always something to do on the weekends. I still have a lot of sights to see before I can call myself a true Saarbrücker including the churches, museums, and castle. This Saturday I'm road tripping to Luxembourg with the other interns, but more on that later. Today I'm just relaxing and staying out of the rain on yet another day off in Germany. Have I mentioned how much I love all these holidays?

Photo Cred: Ludivine, Diego, Nachtwerk