Viva Colognia!

The 'Couchsurfing International' Carnival Crew of 2006

Standing, last row, from left to right: Jennifer, Apurva, Andrew, Zach,
Matze, Matthias, Allison, Nico, Eric (in a Schroeder mask).
Standing, second last row, from left to right: Randy, Ulf (the boss) , Jennifer,
Amandine, Jennifer Kim (there were a lot of them!) , Tania.
Sitting, front row, from left to right: Adrian, Jimmy Page (in a kinky death mask)
Picture courtesy a passer-by.

So, those are the people with which I celebrated the Cologne Carnival of 2006. The picture was taken on 23 Feb 2006 and, while the group shrunk and grew over the next 5 days, the nucleus remained fairly stable. We all were hosted by Ulf Kleinings (the boss!), who we found through couchsurfing.com. Ulf managed to accommodate all of us in the dorm of a parish building in the Colognian suburb of Rodenkirchen. I found it ironic that there was beer flowing in our dorm all day to the sweet sounds of an eclectic selection of music and all the while we were supposed to be good christians piously celebrating the Carnival. That is what Ulf told the authorities in order to convince them to let us use the place. That was the first of many of my laughs!

There were two things that made the carnival extra special for me. On the one hand I met some fantastic people and got to know some of them quite well. All of us being couchsurfers, we were a bit more open than the ordinary guy, and that was the common thread that kept us all together in harmony for the five days. The free, celebratory, spirit of our group was intoxicating. Garnish that with a good amount of alcohol and the occasional deep philosophical conversation and you get a really heady mix.

On the other hand, I actually participated in a parade of the Carnival on Sunday 26 Feb. For those not in the know, during the carnival period, there are many parades that are held across the city. Each parade consists of a procession of vehicles (called wagons) , some of which are elaborately decorated. There are various Carnival clubs in Cologne and these organize their own wagon for one or more parades of the Carnival. The members of these clubs either sit on top of the wagons or walk around it and throw out sweets and roses to the spectators. The wagons also have their own music playing. Every wagon has a 'Wagonengel' stationed at each of the wheels in order to protect the spectators from any accidents (like preventing the little kids from making a dash for a candy under a wheel etc. ) . I was one of the Wagonengels of Ulf's Carnival club. It was a really special experience for me, and you will find out why later on in this piece.

The people I met and other anecdotes

We were quite a mixed bunch. We had people from North and South America, Europe, and Asia (I was Asia's only representative! ). We had people of several different age groups coming from various walks of life. While a few people came in groups, most of us were complete strangers to each other. Yet, we all got along from the getgo. There was always something to talk about and we were all united in our zest for celebration. That in itself was quite special.

There were a few people who were particularly intriguing. The first one that caught my attention was Jimmy Page. The name itself has a certain ring to it (ask Led Zeppelin fans). He is in the US Air Force and he lived up to all the notions I had about US Air Force cadets which were gleaned from Hollywood movies -- He walked around with a certain swagger, he was full of all sorts of technological gadgets like wireless network detectors, high definition digital video cameras, air pumps for mattresses etc. etc. . If he introduced himself with the line 'The names Page, Jimmy Page' , it would have been pefect!

He turned out to be the nicest guy though. Certainly deeper than the stereotype he fit so perfectly. Unfortunately I did not get to know him too well as he left us after a couple of days to spend time with his friends from the Air Force. He dressed up in a kinky 'Death' suit, and there is one incident related to that costume that I must write about.

We were at a bar late in the night on Friday ( Feb 24 ) and we saw these two Spanish girls who were dressed in a kinky manner similar to Jimmy. At that point Jimmy's mask was off (It is hard to drink beer through it!) . So he put it on and then the fun started. Before I continue the story here is a picture of the trio so that everyone has an idea of what I am talking about.

Jimmy Page and his two ...

So these three started some of the wildest charades. The girls were not afraid to use their whips on Jimmy ( in a very playful manner, mind you) . Man, after all the beer I had drunk, it was so funny to watch them. Recollecting the crazy things they did still cracks me up!

So much for Jimmy Page. Another really nice person I met was a German guy named Matthias Müller. We spent quite a bit of the carnival together and I really enjoyed his company. He is a software developer at the French telecom firm Alcatel, and he was initially very curious about the Indian IT boom. Most Europeans infact are quite concerned, perhaps understandably so. Matthias and I shared innumerable laughs. He was really full of life, and that made him a pleasure to be with -- he had a bent for taking crazy 'action' pictures and was pretty ingenious on the dance floor. He also did his best to set me up with all the girls. He kept telling me things like 'You are in Cologne during the Carnival, not in Mumbai, nothing is too bold' and 'They will be very impressed because of your English' etc.. Unfortunately, I could not keep my end of the bargain to the fullest. He is certainly someone I want to visit when I travel in June. Here is a picture of us on a moving Colognian tram :

Me and Matthias, dressed as a butterfly catcher.

And then there was Ulf Kleinings, our host. The energy he exuded in organizing things for us is phenomenal. He was the epitome of the world famous German thoroughness. He printed coloured, customized, maps which highlighted all the points of interest and the bus and tram routes between them. He sent out a gigantic 25 page email to all of us detailing the itinerary, directions, how to use the parish facilities etc. so that we could be totally independent if we chose to go our own way. Unfortunately, he was so busy organizing things most of the time that I did not get to know him as well as I would have liked.

He was also the most imaginative in his costumes. He took great pains over what he wore and was in something new each day. Here are a couple of pictures of him in various outfits:

Ulf on the left in his Geisha outfit. Also Jennifer Kim, and Randy in his chicken suit.

Ulf on the right dressed as a court jester. Matthias, the butterfly catcher, stands on his left.

Now for some random anecdotes. Here is one of my favourite pictures, courtesy Matthias:

Me, an Indian, dressed as an Indian (but not quite!!) mimicing a rather
curious sign in post-WWII Germany. My partner in crime is Matze
(a.k.a Dr. Ichen (I think!) )

On Saturday 25 Feb, Matthias, Ulf and I were spectators at a parade in a Colognian suburb whose name I have forgotten. The parade was rather small scale. There were sweets and streamers galore being thrown from the wagons that were passing by. At the end of the parade, I looked upon the streets of the neighbourhood and they were strewn with candy wrappers, streamers, broken beer bottles etc. A total mess. Matthias and I were heading to a beer tent to grab a beer before returning to the parish and while we were on the way to the tent, we saw these huge Mercedes-Benz trucks approaching the messy streets. These trucks had vaccum pumps, brushes and what not -- real mean cleaning machines! Anyway, we went into the tent and, when we emerged ten minutes later, the steets were spotlessly clean! Not a wrapper or a beer bottle in sight. It was as if the parade had never happened! Talk about German Efficiency!

Partying hard is hard work.
Matthias and me taking a nap after being spectators of the Saturday parade.
This candid picture is thanks to Jennifer Kim.

Being part of a parade

On Sunday 26 Feb, I was part of the parade of the Rodenkirchen suburb as a Wagonengel. I was actually 'employed' by Ulf's carnival club to do the 'job' . The payment was free beer during the parade and for sometime after as well. If one uses those terms to describe my activities, then it is probably one of my most enjoyable days of 'work' ever!

Technically, the Wagonengels are not supposed to particpate in the distribution of sweets and roses, but Ulf kept us supplied with the roses for a good part of the parade. This is how the distribution of roses works: when a person in the crowd who is of the opposite sex calls out the word "Brushia" which means 'a bunch of roses' in German, we are supposed to give them a rose and they give us a kiss in return. Similarly, when anybody shouts out 'Carmella', we are supposed to hand them some sweets. In this case no kisses are expected or given.

I was stationed at one of the wheels of a wagon which had a music system on board. They played the typical Colognian folk songs along with some English Pop songs. I was also had access to a bountiful supply of the strong and delicious German drink Jägermeister. All of this meant that I was very loose and relaxed, and my general awkwardness while dancing completely disappeared (at least in my mind, which is all that matters in the end.) .

So there I was, dancing along the streets of Cologne, giving out roses, getting many kisses ( from some very pretty girls! ) , smiling at everybody and getting the broadest smiles in return. I felt completely at home. Everyone was there to celebrate and be merry and in that there was a complete resonance between us. Words were redundant -- the smiles and gestures said it all. And then I thought to myself "Here I am, thousands of miles away from home, with a bunch of people who were complete strangers only a few days ago, in a country I have never visited before, with people speaking in a language I do not know the first thing about. Yet I feel as comfortable here as I would be if I were with old school friends back at home." . That for me was the most magical part of the carnival. I think that, to the end of my days, when I recall those scenes and my state of mind during that parade, I will not be able to resist a broad smile. It was priceless.

Hedonism taken to the limit

If there are five words to describe the carnival experience, the title of this section is it. The beer would start flowing at noon or so and would continue to flow, un-tapped, till 0200 the next morning. Then there would be a little sleep before we had another go. Guys and Gals were always on the lookout for someone and generally did not have any inhibitions -- it was a real free for all. I had a few enjoyable encounters which did not go very far, but I was well entertained watching all the 'hunters' on the prowl.

In the end, it was a very memorable experience. It has redefined my ideas on travel. Whereas earlier my priority was to travel to places of historical importance and stare at old buildings, I now think that I will be better served traveling to places, and in a manner, that exposes me to new experiences and new people. Now, I would rather travel to experience new things, to walk the line, and possibly get myself into sticky predicaments and then work toward getting myself out of them again. Toward that end, I plan to hitch-hike around Germany during June and visit the small towns where I can stay with the people I have met in Cologne. That should be a fun experience.

Until next time, Enjoy!