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| This is were the journey took place: Dorsten in Germany |
I should have written this a long time ago, but somehow I've forgotten to do so. So, here comes the story how our Carolina- group met in Germany!
5.8.2009
I woke up early, about 5am, mum took me to Kokkola- airport. In the airport I met Emmi for the first time since I came from America, seeing her at airport brought back some old memories and I had the feeling like going back to South Carolina. Unfortunately this flight wasn't going further than Helsinki. Well, everything was ok so far. SO FAR...
In Helsinki we had only 45 minutes to change air plane, and we had NO IDEA about the troubles this 45 minutes will cause.. I called to my mum to tell we're on time and in no hurry. When we saw the long queue we had a bad feeling, we are going to have troubles to make through the queue in half an hour. Still, we were hopeful and didn't do any "queue jumping". After 20 minutes we were finally on the desk to check our bags, still having 10 minutes to go to the air plane. Suddenly the clerk said that she is not sure are they going to take anymore passengers to the plane. She made a call and so we heard the horrible information: we are not going to the plane. At that point I had no idea what to do, I just said "oh no" without understanding what really is happening. The clerk asked as to go to Finnair's desk to ask some help, and so we did. They were sorry for as and told that there is no possibilities for replacing the tickets- we had just lost the flight to Düsseldorf and back to Helsinki. They convinced us that they will do anything they can do to get new tickets for us today, as cheap as possible. So we waited two hours, very desperate and sad (almost hysteric). I was quite sure that my chances to go to Germany and meet my old friends were very very low. I searched for every possible flights going to Germany that day from every possible air company, with no success. I had the feeling like I was in Amazing Race- tv series. Finally the Finnair-clerk had found tickets for us, which costed 280€!!! (the first tickets were only 130€) The first reaction was; I don't have that much money and I'm not going to buy them. My plans were: booking a hotel from downtown Helsinki and waisting my money in night club (I was glad it was Wednesday so the clubs are open). But after an hour of considering, we decided to buy the tickets. We had to wait for 8 hours so we spent the day in Helsinki.
In Germany I forgot all the money-worries, it was wonderful be finally in Germany and even more wonderful to see Freya and Shania welcoming us in Düsseldorf Airport with a welcoming sign. Düsseldorf didn't differ much from Helsinki but on our way to Dorsten I realised how nice country Germany is. Never had thought about it. It even looked like South Carolina in the country side, or maybe it was just because Freya was driving. Anyway, I loved the landcapes. It was also a really hot day! Freya had a very nice big house were I met the rest of the girls; Pauline and Henriikka. After a short while of cleaning & fixing make-up (we had already travelled for 12 hours) we left for eating to fancy restaurant. I ate some delicious pasta and we conversed about what we had been up to past year. Tired but happy, we returned to Freya's home and fell asleep.
Pauline and Me6.8
The Carolina Girls: Henriikka, Pauline, Emmi, me, Shania and Freya. Unfortunately Beatrice couldn't come.
After long and refressing night we woke up for beautiful, sunny and warm day to see what Germany has to offer. The plans were: shopping and exploring the historic city Münster. I tried to live with a very low budget so I limited my shoppings to a pair of shoes and a "party-top". The city was beautiful, such a typical German city. I loved it. We visited to old church and Emmi took an ear-piercing, just like she did in South Carolina. Seems like there wasn't a single negative thing I could say about Germany. I couldn't use my German speaking abilities though, seems like I had forgotten how to use the language many years ago. After shopping and eating "fish n chips" we left for lake side. The park was full of people, enjoying the sunset. I drank my first German beer, "Radler", in a nice sky-restaurant, talking about our experiences in America. There was also two friends of Freya with us, Franzi and Anna-Lisa. Franzi had been in Canada with Lions so she had her own experiences to share. I just can't describe the most happiest feeling I had. Recalling the memories and being in such a nice, nice place with such a nice, nice company made my incredibly happy.
The girls by the lake. Anna-Lisa and Franzi are also in the picture, behind Henriikka.
The Carolina Girls: Henriikka, Pauline, Emmi, me, Shania and Freya. Unfortunately Beatrice couldn't come.
After long and refressing night we woke up for beautiful, sunny and warm day to see what Germany has to offer. The plans were: shopping and exploring the historic city Münster. I tried to live with a very low budget so I limited my shoppings to a pair of shoes and a "party-top". The city was beautiful, such a typical German city. I loved it. We visited to old church and Emmi took an ear-piercing, just like she did in South Carolina. Seems like there wasn't a single negative thing I could say about Germany. I couldn't use my German speaking abilities though, seems like I had forgotten how to use the language many years ago. After shopping and eating "fish n chips" we left for lake side. The park was full of people, enjoying the sunset. I drank my first German beer, "Radler", in a nice sky-restaurant, talking about our experiences in America. There was also two friends of Freya with us, Franzi and Anna-Lisa. Franzi had been in Canada with Lions so she had her own experiences to share. I just can't describe the most happiest feeling I had. Recalling the memories and being in such a nice, nice place with such a nice, nice company made my incredibly happy.
The girls by the lake. Anna-Lisa and Franzi are also in the picture, behind Henriikka.
7.8
Freya and Shania in Freya's home
Another sunny, warm and beautiful day. It was some 30 degrees and we spent most of the day at home, ate some mozarella and tomatoes and visited local grocery store. This evening we were going to have some BBQ at Freya's house with some friends of Freya. Corinna and Anne came first and the other came later in the evening. Can't remember all the names.. Freya's brother Jost (our servant) made some German bradwürst for us, which was better than I had thought. I ate WAY too much, can't resist German BBQ food (well, BBQ is always good..). We also had "a chance" to try some German drinks, a bit of this and quite a lot of that.. Well, at least the drinks were good and I made my plans what to bring home and what not not to bring home.. And the conversations were very interesting. Hopefully everyone heard what "Boten Anna" stands for? At least it was fun, very fun. :) At the end of the night, when we were about to go to sleep, we messed up with the alarm system and had to call to police that it was an accident.
German-Finnish-Dutch-Belgian-group :)
8.8
Freya, laughing as we always do
I must admit I had a small headache in the morning, but not too bad. Plans for the day: visiting local castle, watching movie and clubbing! The castle was, also, overly German. Instead of exploring the castle we saw the playground, so what does a group of 18 year old girls? GOES TO PLAY!!! Never too late to be immature! God, how much fun it was. Especially the trampoline. We had already seen how mad, aggressive and bloodthirsty the German wasp is, but this time one of the wasps succeeded and stang Emmi. So we had to leave the fun.
Back at Freya we watched the movie, can't remember the name but it was Queen something. A good movie but I was so tired that I almost fell asleep. After the movie I took a quick nap and started to get ready for night out. Finally, all the girls were ready to party. We drank a few beers and left for Prisma Bottrop! There we had to wait for Corinna and the other girls since they had some VIP tickets for us. Unfortunately (how many times I have to say this during my Germany- trip), they got lost and we missed our tickets. We went inside without the VIP- tickets, and it was AMAZING. I bet there is clubs like that only in the biggest cities of Finland, and Bottrop wasn't a big city at all. I could have got lost there. I was also surprised how lucid the people were there, none of them very really drunk. In Finland most people seem to go clubbing only for drinking. In Prisma, people were there mostly for dancing. And I can believe that, I can just dance in such a fancy club. And I did it all night long, until 6 in the morning. My feet hurt so much that I could hardly walk: I had high heels. It was an amazing night, I still get the "Prisma Bottrop"- feeling when I'm listening some overly German songs like "Das Geht Ab". I also made some new friends. What a great day after all.
Shania and Freya dancing
9.8
This was going to be our last full day in Germany. We spent it by swimming in local swimming hall. The best thing was certainly the water slides. How much fun it can be when 10 people (some random guys just jumped to the slide with us) slides at the same time and when some of them goes faster then the others? CRASH AND A ONE BIG STACK!
After swimming we went eating to Mexican restaurant. At this point, I had some 10 euros left. Comic, isn't it? The food was great and I spent my last cents to drink. It was sore, but good. We had a party feeling and so danced all the way back to Freya's home (in car, though). We hadn't faced all our troubles yet. Back at Freya I realised I had lost my IDs. Somehow I must have dropped them in the Club, they were completely lost. We had a converstation until late in the night, even we had to wake up early. I didn't want to waste second of being with these lovely friends, with whom I have shared so many lovely memories, the best memories of my life.
10.8
Early morning and we were on our way to Düsseldorf. I haven't mentioned how crazy it feels to drive 200km/h completely legally. But I love it! It wasn't as hard to say good byes here than last year (actually EXACTLY a year earlier, I left 10th of August from South Carolina), because I knew I was going to meet these girls again next summer. Anyway, it is never easy. I waved for them maybe ten times when going up to the gate on escalator, after I was so high I couldn't see them anymore. Again, airport had combined and separated us, but only for a short while. Troubles were not over! In Helsinki airport, after spending the day in Helsinki waiting for the continuing flight, I accidentally followed Henriikka and I wasn't in the gate anymore. I tried to go back but an angry guard came and warned me that I can't go to the gate that way, I have to do the security check. And so we did. It took a long while since Emmi had "some" liquids with her. Weird that they didn't notice the liquids in Düsseldorf. Waiting for next adventure!
Freya and Shania in Freya's home
Another sunny, warm and beautiful day. It was some 30 degrees and we spent most of the day at home, ate some mozarella and tomatoes and visited local grocery store. This evening we were going to have some BBQ at Freya's house with some friends of Freya. Corinna and Anne came first and the other came later in the evening. Can't remember all the names.. Freya's brother Jost (our servant) made some German bradwürst for us, which was better than I had thought. I ate WAY too much, can't resist German BBQ food (well, BBQ is always good..). We also had "a chance" to try some German drinks, a bit of this and quite a lot of that.. Well, at least the drinks were good and I made my plans what to bring home and what not not to bring home.. And the conversations were very interesting. Hopefully everyone heard what "Boten Anna" stands for? At least it was fun, very fun. :) At the end of the night, when we were about to go to sleep, we messed up with the alarm system and had to call to police that it was an accident.
German-Finnish-Dutch-Belgian-group :)
8.8
Freya, laughing as we always do
I must admit I had a small headache in the morning, but not too bad. Plans for the day: visiting local castle, watching movie and clubbing! The castle was, also, overly German. Instead of exploring the castle we saw the playground, so what does a group of 18 year old girls? GOES TO PLAY!!! Never too late to be immature! God, how much fun it was. Especially the trampoline. We had already seen how mad, aggressive and bloodthirsty the German wasp is, but this time one of the wasps succeeded and stang Emmi. So we had to leave the fun.
Back at Freya we watched the movie, can't remember the name but it was Queen something. A good movie but I was so tired that I almost fell asleep. After the movie I took a quick nap and started to get ready for night out. Finally, all the girls were ready to party. We drank a few beers and left for Prisma Bottrop! There we had to wait for Corinna and the other girls since they had some VIP tickets for us. Unfortunately (how many times I have to say this during my Germany- trip), they got lost and we missed our tickets. We went inside without the VIP- tickets, and it was AMAZING. I bet there is clubs like that only in the biggest cities of Finland, and Bottrop wasn't a big city at all. I could have got lost there. I was also surprised how lucid the people were there, none of them very really drunk. In Finland most people seem to go clubbing only for drinking. In Prisma, people were there mostly for dancing. And I can believe that, I can just dance in such a fancy club. And I did it all night long, until 6 in the morning. My feet hurt so much that I could hardly walk: I had high heels. It was an amazing night, I still get the "Prisma Bottrop"- feeling when I'm listening some overly German songs like "Das Geht Ab". I also made some new friends. What a great day after all.
Shania and Freya dancing
9.8
This was going to be our last full day in Germany. We spent it by swimming in local swimming hall. The best thing was certainly the water slides. How much fun it can be when 10 people (some random guys just jumped to the slide with us) slides at the same time and when some of them goes faster then the others? CRASH AND A ONE BIG STACK!
After swimming we went eating to Mexican restaurant. At this point, I had some 10 euros left. Comic, isn't it? The food was great and I spent my last cents to drink. It was sore, but good. We had a party feeling and so danced all the way back to Freya's home (in car, though). We hadn't faced all our troubles yet. Back at Freya I realised I had lost my IDs. Somehow I must have dropped them in the Club, they were completely lost. We had a converstation until late in the night, even we had to wake up early. I didn't want to waste second of being with these lovely friends, with whom I have shared so many lovely memories, the best memories of my life.
10.8
Early morning and we were on our way to Düsseldorf. I haven't mentioned how crazy it feels to drive 200km/h completely legally. But I love it! It wasn't as hard to say good byes here than last year (actually EXACTLY a year earlier, I left 10th of August from South Carolina), because I knew I was going to meet these girls again next summer. Anyway, it is never easy. I waved for them maybe ten times when going up to the gate on escalator, after I was so high I couldn't see them anymore. Again, airport had combined and separated us, but only for a short while. Troubles were not over! In Helsinki airport, after spending the day in Helsinki waiting for the continuing flight, I accidentally followed Henriikka and I wasn't in the gate anymore. I tried to go back but an angry guard came and warned me that I can't go to the gate that way, I have to do the security check. And so we did. It took a long while since Emmi had "some" liquids with her. Weird that they didn't notice the liquids in Düsseldorf. Waiting for next adventure!
