GerBeny: Ravensburg and the Bodensee

I took a trip to the small city of Ravensburg to visit some friends I had met along my travels. I hopped off the train and said hi to Rika; she said she had a surprise for me. I was handed a poncho, and we turned the corner to see a 1970's East Germany-made scooter. I squeezed my head into the three-sizes-too-small helmet, and we set off into the downpour. Some notable comments: "Sometimes my driving isn't so good" "The brakes don't really work"

Fortunately the route didn't have any downhill slopes, so we made it to our destination alive. After setting up in a bedroom, a few other friends came over to get ready to head out to the city festival: Rutenfest. Friday night was a bit of a downer. The pouring rain put a damper on all outdoor festival activities, and the beer tents were at capacity by the time we arrived. We all had a mas (1L beer) under some umbrellas they had set up outside, wandered around for a little while, and headed home.

Subtle Bathroom Tiles

My only picture from that night

The next day, after a successful morning of shopping for some necessities..

Out with the old, in with the new.

And watching parades and traditional drumming,we made a trip out to Friedrichshafen to enjoy the Bodensee (Lake of Constance). It rained and rained, but we still got ice cream. By the time we got back to Ravensburg, the rain had stopped, so we went to Rika's aunt's house for a small get-together before heading down to the Rutenfest.

A rainy Friedrichshafen

The crowds around the drummers in Ravensburg

Pipers

We were moving slowly through the crowds when I saw one of the saddest sights I've seen on my travels:

He sat there for a good two minutes before I moved on

I briefly considered doing something about the situation, but we had friends to meet, a carnival ride to ride, and beer to drink.

The next day was gorgeous, and Rika and I drove out to Bregenz to check out a more picturesque view of the Bodensee. We went up the gondola, and absorbed these views as we lounged in a reclined wooden bench at the top of the mountain.