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Another Sunday afternoon! And it is cold here in Germany! What to do? Ice Skating!!!

To make the maximum out of this cold weather, me and couple of friends decided to go to the ice skating. But before that we would need to eat something. So we decided to also visit a Gurdwara on the way and eat at the Langar.

Gurdwara

I had visited a few Gurdwara before but always with Sikh friends. This was the first time I was going with friends from other religions. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely comfortable, since I wasn’t sure myself on how one is expected to pray there.

The Gurdwara at Furth was a small shed, unlike the once that I had been in India. Nevertheless, the ambiance gave the same calm feeling as any other Gurdwara.

We were inside for sometime, everything was great – briefly. Then came the first setback. One of the Sikh worshipers seemed annoyed. Possibly he thought we were there for free food (Partly he was right, but also we genuinely wanted to see the Gurdwara).

He asked us to bow down to the Guru Granth Sahib. I felt deeply uneasy. I personally didn’t have a problem to bow but some friends were from other religion and also atheists. They understandably wouldn’t want to do it. I somehow felt responsible for putting them in that situation.

So some of us bowed and others didn’t. We took our seat and this person again insisted we all bow. We ignored him this time. Another worshiper was noticing this and later spoke to me, kindly asking that I should not take offense at what had been said.

Later, when we were standing outside, somewhat awkwardly, deciding whether or not to go for the snacks, an elderly man near the gate took us to the food place and got us seated. He spoke so warmly and lovingly that we couldn’t refuse.

We did not wait for the main Langar, as it was getting late for the ice skating. The bread pakoda, sweets and tea was very delicious.

Ice Skating

We had been noticing that the trains were full with football fans. There was a match between Nurnberg and Furth. Surprisingly, the ice skating place was near that same stadium where the match was being held.

First thing we noticed after getting down at the train station was LOTS of bear cans! Apparently, people enter the stadium half drunk so that you don’t have to pay for expensive beer at the stadium.

We could also hear the shouting at the stadium. The energy was intense and we could hear it from a long distance. It was just like the video games but more electrifying. Watch a match at the stadium : Added to wishlist.

We made it to the ice skating arena at PSD Bank Arena. The entry ticket with student discount is 6 Eur is valid from 1300 to 1800. The renting of the ice skates costed another 6 Eur.

The fun began as soon as we wore the skates. The first challenge was to stand on that blade even to reach the rink. It was challenging but easier than we thought. All of us could easily stand and balance on it. For most of us, it was the first time on skates.

On the ice the story was completely different. I came to appreciate friction so much after a few minutes on the ice. Some of us started having falls as soon as we entered the rink. Where all the Indians were having a tough time balancing, the German friend was already gliding on the ice.

There were a lot of people at all levels of expertise there. Small kids who held on to penguins (skating aids) and others who were swift and could do hockey stops! We were like the small kids but without the penguins. So, we became the penguins falling and learning the hard way.

People were helpful. Seeing us fall an expert skater already came to us to give us some tips.

Some of the fun sights to remember was when a bunch of people who were themselves new were trying to help this guy. They ended up holding each other in a circle and couldn’t move anywhere.

Soon afterwards after the training.

Then there was this guy who thought he nailed it! and fell!

Who says, you can learn only from experts! This guy teaches you how not to skate!

There were some who had some prior experience and could skate well.

This guy already skated so well forward that now he wanted to skate backward!

Luckily, I did not have any fall. Possibly my earlier experience with heel wheels helped me.

But by the end of the 3 hours that we were there, we all improved. A little bruised but a lot happier!!!

A couple of new experiences this week too!! Roommates out of town, which meant I have the whole house to myself. Was it fun? Yes and No!!

It is nice to have people home when I return from university at night. A late-night bus on an almost empty bus with some light music playing in my ear followed by a small banter with roommates marks the perfect end to my day.

This week my roommates, all of them, including the German ones, were having a fun time in India. So I decided to have some fun on my own here as well. To make full use of the empty house, I called friends over for potluck (I am too lazy to cook)

Potluck

The gathering started small but soon grew in number. We were I guess, about 10 people. But here is the thing with potluck. The more the merrier! There are more varieties of food and more games to play.

We were supposed to meet at 12. Since most were Indians they followed IST (read Indian Stretchable Time). The Indians only started arriving at 13:00. The Greek girl thought she knew Indians and arrived 30 minutes late 😂 and she was still the first to arrive.

The food was as delicious as ever. The seasoning with hunger on top, made it all even better.

We finished our lunch and still one hadn’t arrived. He took the stretching of time far too long even as per Indian standard. We decided to play a prank on the poor soul. We decided to tell him that everyone left. That broke his heart!! He was so sad that he did not notice the 10 pairs of shoes when he entered the house. I even showed him my roommates room as my own as everyone was hiding in my room. He failed to notice the heels, or he thought I have a weird fetish and decided to ignore it.

We decided to play UNO. Unfortunately, I did not know the game. Yes, I didn’t know and it is embarrassing. I also didn’t know they would get this game. I would have learnt it on YouTube if I had known.

They looked at me the way airport security looks at an unattended suitcase—just because I didn’t know the game. Generation gap things!! I’m catching up, slowly but bravely

The game was easy and fun and time flew and I didn’t realize it was time for people to leave. I hate it when good things come to an end but all good things eventually end. We had a hot cup of tea and then bid goodbye.

The German friend did stay back for dinner. So for me, the fun continued into the late night. There were enough leftovers to fill us in and I got to see my German friend on TV!! He is a big shot back home!

The weather was cold at -8 degrees. Freezing some water to test the cold was the last fun thing for the night.

Snowfall

The weather report had been predicting snow since someday. The cold from the potluck night might have helped it to snow the next night. 

This was the second snow of the season, but it was heavier this time. I would have missed it again unless my friend had messaged me. The rooms in Germany are warm and noise proof.

It was past midnight. I was prepared to sleep when I got the message. The room was so cozy that I was reluctant to leave it at first. But my friend insisted so I went out.

Without doubt it was the best decision. There is a nice feeling of walking in fresh snow. It is soft and leaves a crunching sound as the tiny snow grains fracture. It was lovely. It also got a bit warmer than the -8 the previous night.

After enjoying the snow, the following morning I woke up worried. My shoes aren’t waterproof and if all that snow melted, it would make my feet cold.

Surprisingly, when I looked outside the roads had already been cleared of snow and the city workers were clearing the footpaths. That was a relief because it meant as long as I keep to the footpaths I won’t be getting my shoes wet.

When I reached university, I was greeted with a snowman.

The snow started melting the next day as the temperature was above 0. It got wet everywhere but not so much to wet my shoes. After 3 days most snow had melted. The temperature has been hovering between -1 and 3 for the week. 1 week since the snow I still see some piles of ice where the city workers had piled it.

In the meantime, I took advantage of the black Friday week to buy myself a good winter shoe. I am now waiting for the next snow when I shall walk over to my fill.