Ruhr

Ruhr is the main river that passes through the valley where the University is located. You think it would be pronounced like sir, bit with an R. But in fact, it is a combination of sounds that I can't even comprehend. The main problem being the German R, which kind of rolls on the back of your tongue, but not quite. This is a problem, because people are curious what I am doing in Germany. When I tell them I am a traveling scientist, they ask where. I respond with a flem clearing/vomiting noise, and. . .well its not what you want from your Embassador of American Science. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=flem

Now that I have left the hotel life, and the restaurant paradise of Budapest, I finally made it to a grocery store. There is a supermarket type place at the Uni-Center on campus. The Uni-center is like a strip mall contained within the campus. Convenient and disgusting at the same time. I was pleased to find the usual sort of supermarket layout, with your meat at one end, and your dairy at another. There was a larger than expected section of canned meats.

Then I came to the wine section. And there wasn't a single bottle over about 8Euro, and most were between 1.50 and 3.00. So, I decided to include in my blog an under $3 wine log.

Piemonte Barbera (Italia 2005)

A nice bright, calm and sensible red. Actually calling it red would do a disservice to this plum hued vixen. Her sweet smell and front seems to be a rouge, which is quickly snapped away by a dry turn of the shoulder. Then, she teases you with only a hint of spice, only to console you with a mild caress of vanilla oakishness. Good with sausage and kraut.

Goes well with all the motorcycle racing and tennis on tv. Seriously, could I get some soccer at least. Or how about some poker. By the way, I am disappointed to say I haven't found a game yet. Apparently, the rest of the world is catching up.

So, my expectations of the Ruhr region were low. Dr. Simoyi (a wild and crazy professor at PSU from Zimbabwe) informed me that it was ugly and stinks. For once, I took what he said as literal. Everyone else I told where I was going sort of curled there nose and said, "Oh". However, I find Bochum to be just fine. Its no Budapest, but its a relatively clean small town surrounded by river valley and farmland. The views from the Univesity are nice. It is on something of a hill overlooking the river valley. You cannot see the river, but its life giving presence is all around. Why do you notice the songbirds more in foreign lands? The architecture and layout of the campus is very modern, and stark, but there are a lot of trees and plants. The stark contrast gives you the feeling that the plants are trying to take back the area for mother nature. Sometimes it feels like I was walking though the jungle and stumbled onto ancient ruins from 1975. The campus is also very difficult to navigate. It built on various man made levels. And just because you see the building you want to go to, the level you are on may not let you go there. Its like Metroid (video game reference, Mom).

Okay, enough blog. Enjoy the songbirds, wherever you are.