First Trip to Geisenheim - July 31st

So today I took my first trip to Geisenheim. Petra was gracious enough to accompany me on my journey and show me everything that I needed to know. From my guest house we took the bus to the Mainz main train station and from their took a train to the Weisbaden main train station. Once in Wiesbaden I purchased another ticket on a different train that took us to Geisenheim. Because we had a few timing issues the overall travel time was about 2 hours, but I think if I time things right, that can be cut down to just over an hour. So once we were in Geisenheim we still had the problem of finding out where we needed to go. I had attempted to call my contact, Magali, in Geisenheim several times that morning, but unbeknownst to me I was calling her office number and not her cell phone. I think we ended up asking about 6 people how to get to the University and after seeing a pretty cool backery, city hall, and a kids toy store, we finally made it to the campus gates. Once inside we chose a path and followed it until we saw a building that looked important. Luckily the first building we saw was the administration building and a very nice woman pointed us in the right direction toward the Viticulture and Enology building. So we are following signs and all is looking good, until the last sign points into a residential area. We think this can’t be right so we try two other directions and finally decide to follow where the sign points. In the residential area we saw no building that looked at all affiliated with the University and finally asked another man who told us the building we wanted was behind a gate at the end of the road. I had seen this gate however nothing official was written anywhere on it. Once inside I asked another man if he knew Magali and graciously he took us inside to find her. So, after about three hours or so, I was finally at my destination.

At this point Petra decided to travel back home so that I could chat with Magali about some research. I attempted to speak in German but sadly had to give up since I was getting no where. Thankfully Magali’s English is super and we had no problems communicating. We talked for a while about research, work, etc, but also about Germany, Davis and other fun things. She also showed me around the lab and the building and it looks like I will have a great work environment. She then walked me around part of the campus showing me the library, cafeteria, admin building (again), and also the building where I will be living. From the outside the building is very nice: two stores, white exterior, and lots of bushes. Just opposite the building are some vineyards and behind it are other buildings and the Rhein. I think my room will overlook Geisenheim and the Rhein, but I am not exactly sure what I will see. When you walk into the building there is a small foyer with 3 rooms and a staircase up to the other rooms. My room is on the second floor, and I think it will have a desk, bed, TV, and my own bathroom. Sounds like my old days in the college dorms to me! J The kitchen is on the ground floor and is a common space for all the rooms. I hope the other roommates are clean in the kitchen because everyone knows how I feel about messy kitchens! (right Conor and Tami???) But seriously, I am going to try and relax and take everything in stride. I am a great country and a little kitchen clutter can’t ruin that right…right? Right.

So after seeing my new home Magali took me back down to the train station which is actually quite close when you go the right way. Note to self. Our timing was perfect and I hoped on the express train which only had two stops between Geisenheim and Wiesbaden. In Wiesbaden I asked a young lady which train went to Mainz, and I boarded the train that she indicated. At this point everything had gone so smoothly that I figured something must be wrong. And just as I had thought that scenery outside was not familiar and we were still on the other side of the Rhein. I asked someone on the train if it was going to the Mainz main train station and they said no, only to Mainz Kastell, which is not the main station. Oh nuts I thought! The man then preceded to tell me that I could get off at Mainz Kastell and take a bus to the main station. I did as he indicated and everything ended up just fine. Instead of going to the main station though I decided to get off early and walk the rest of the way home through the Altstadt and then the park. All in all the day was perfect, and I think I will be very happy in Geisenheim. I just hope my new roommates are as cool as my past ones, but those are some pretty big shoes to fill!!