Glühweinrundreise

One of my fellow Fulbrighters, John, had a Grand Proposal: an all-day trip around Rhineland-Pfalz, visiting Christmas Markets in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Speyer, Worms and Mainz. Food, Friends, and of course, Glühwein. It sounded like a pretty spectacular idea. A whole day of Christmas-spirited happy goodness and a chance to add to my collection of Glühwein mugs. And did I mention how much I LOVE Glühwein?!


December 4, 9am, our group of five Mainzer/Bingener Fulbrighters headed to Ludwigshafen to meet up with Jessica, the Fulbrighter stationed there. She picked us up from the train station and we hit the town for breakfast before the market opened at 11am. We had a nice, filling breakfast of scrambled eggs and brötchen with an assortment of jams. We hit the market shortly thereafter, got our first Glühwein of the day, and browsed the stalls. 

A nice (albeit a bit creepy) man took our picture!

  (L to R: me, Emily, John, Jessica, Lori and Beth) 

Then we moved on to Mannheim. There was a sweet model ICE train to ride (ok, intended for children), but the man at the counter wouldn't let me buy a ticket. hmph. So I enjoyed a mug of Feuerzangenbowle instead. Since we spent a long time eating breakfast in Ludwigshafen, our time in Mannheim was cut a bit short so we could catch the train to Speyer. 

On the train to Speyer, I started to get an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I figured it was just the combination of the large breakfast and the two large mugs of wine I had consumed within past hour and that it would soon pass. But buy the time we got to the Speyer market, I was sick. To prevent ruining the group's holiday cheer, I headed back to Mainz.  

*Cue worst two hours on a train ever* The only thing good about that train ride was buying a rose from a bachelor party dressed as Lady Gaga and her security guards. Brightened my mood a bit. (For those who don't know, before the bachelor party group actually parties, they collect money for the new bride and groom by selling roses and shots of alcohol in public places. The groom-to-be is usually dressed up, but this by far was the most hilarious and most creative I've seen) 

By the time I got home, I felt much better (for reasons I won't share here). I napped a bit and rejoined the group once they got to Mainz, though I didn't drink any Glühwein. 

So this got me thinking. Why on Earth would I get sick? Everyone else had the same breakfast and the same amount of Glühwein! I recalled the times I've got similarly sick since I've been here, and each time I've had eggs. So, new discovery, I have a new-developed sensitivity to eggs. Awesome :\ While I'm glad I know this now, I wish I would have found out on a different day. Oh well. 

Current Glühwein mug count: 3

lg, Lauren