Okay, bad upkeep

I know I have been remiss in keeping this up-to-date. Here's the scoop: we lost in the bronze medal game today, to Seattle. The positive is that we lost to the gold medal team yesterday by only 3 points. No other team had come closer than 12. Guess we used all our energy then.

As far as upkeep of the blog, perhaps I shoul have thought better of keeping a blog while I am playing 7 basketball games in the course of five days. I usually just come back to the hotel and pass out on the bed until the next morning...

I promise I will do more and keep everyone informed, but it will be after the fact. I have been keeping notes, and have slews of pictures to share. Cologne is a beautiful city!

Earlier posts mentioned the eeriness of coincidences, and they never seem to be far away. Saturday morning I took the U (public trans) to Registration again, intending to meet Brad there later in the day so he could register. I was also aware that the Rainbow Run, held every Gay Games to commemorate those in the community who have died of AIDS (and recently added: breast cancer), was set to begin, although I thought I had missed the start. As I got to Koelnmesse, I heard them still reading the names prior to the run. Just as I reached the ceremony I heard 'Tim Turley.' I lost it immediately. Tim was a good friend of mine in Denver, and actually lived with Jeff and me for a time. I hadn't thought about him in several years, and hearing his name was a sudden jolt. We (and me in particular) have so much to be thankful for, waking up each morning. Only those who lived through those terrifying days when your friends and acquaintances were dying weekly, sometimes daily, know the emotions something like this can evoke. I'm constantly taken aback when I talk to people who don't know anyone who is living with HIV, let alone someone who died, or witnessed the destruction the disease causes. After a good sob around the corner, I returned to the Run starting point and snapped this shot of Matthew Mitcham, the Beijing Olympic gold medal diver (openly gay), who led the race.

The Australian and New Zealand team had their own shuttle van, which I thought was brilliant. The first time I have seen that at the Games.

This is a shot of Wiener Platz, where my hotel is located. They often have a market in the middle of the square.

Friday, Part 4

The Dom at night is a spectacular sight. The lighting is perfect and it is so majestic. Too bad the Catholic Church owns it...

After finding no one else at registration I knew, I headed across the river to wander. As I have learned from Jeff, I viewed the city as a grid and started walking, top left to bottom right, or some such. Atlstadt (Old Town) is very beautiful, full of restaturants and biergartens. The platz in front of the Dom is also quite popular. Wander, wander, wander, wander. Ok, how can I feel so alone in a city with 10,000 gay people visiting? Finding my hotel was a bargain, but it would be nice to talk to someone, see a familiar face. After 4 hours it's enough and I decide to head back to the hotel. My arthritis is throbbing in my toes, and I'm sure my visage reflects that. I'm trying hard to not let my mind wander to things I should be doing, things I could be doing, directions home, etc., and being in the moment. I'm constantly reminding myself to lift my eyes up from the sidewalk, although the cobblestone is beautiful.

'Steve?'

I look up. It's Brad! Yay! (For those who don't know, Brad is a very good friend, and the other Boston player on my team.) He introduces me to Jurgen, one of his hosts. The remainder of the evening is spent at Jurgen and Gunter's flat (can you come up with 2 more Germanic names?), sharing an ayurvedic meal with them, their friends Mattias and Christian, and another Gay Games athlete they are hosting, Andre, from Slovenia.

It's been a long and delightful day, and when my head hits the pillow about 1 a.m. it doesn't take long to fall asleep with a smile on my face.

Friday part 3

Once again let me apologize for the screwy layout of this blog. I can't seem to get the pics in between the words, and just don't have the patience to learn. I know I did it on the cross-country trip, but that was with Deb's help.

The picture of all the bubbles is actually the Lego store in town. This fascinated me. Just like in a penny candy store, you get a container, and then fill it with whatever color Legos you want. Initially, I thought they were jelly beans. Broke a tooth finding out.


Second pic is the Rhein River, with the lineup of sightseeing boats along the shoreline. These boats are behemoths and take hourly cruises up and down the city. Some have dinner, some entertainment...

The Cologne Cathedral, referred to as the Dom, is spectcular and in the centerpiece of downtown. The stairs facing the train station are always loaded with people.

Why does Europe have to be so far ahead of the US in practical things? All their staircases have runners going down (or up, I suppose) them, facilitating bicycles. No, you don't RIDE down them; it just makes it easier to navigate.

Friday part 2

There's an intresting custom on the bridge crossing the Rhein. Thousands of padlocks are attached to the fencing, all with names of couples. Some are beautifully engraved. Don't know anything more about it, but it's fascinating to behold.

Public sculpture over here is also quite entertaining. This iron man was on the same bridge, appearing ready to tumble into the river. You need to keep your eyes open, because they aren't always in places you would expect to see them. It's fun!

The view of northern Cologne from the main bridge.

To natives, these gorgeous building are commonplace, but to me they are so unique and beautiful, and are everywhere..

Friday, July 30

For those who know German, don't get on my case for omitting the correct umlauts. Get uber it.

Ich bin sehr mude. That means OMG I am so tired. I slept until 10:30 a.m., though it was fitful, nothing more than a couple hours at a time. My hotel room is right on the street and it seems that people (and ambulances) are going by all the time. It's a nice overcast day, though, a sprinkle here and there, but no heavy rain. Since I'm a bit north of the downtown area, there's no one around here who seems to be in the city for the Games.

It's a couple kms to the Registration area, so I decide to hoof it. That's the most likely place to run into someone I know, and at least feel a part of things. Not ready to risk the sideroads, I meander down the main highway. Not much interesting to look at, very efficient buildings, etc. Since Koeln was largely destroyed during the war, most structures are very similary, stucco 4-8 story apartments, just varying in color scheme. The wonderful thing to observe, though, is the great public transportation system, used so heavily, along with all the bicyclists, pedestrians, and small vehicles. It's amazing that we Americans seem to think that we MUST have an SUV. I have yet to see a single one here. The biggest auto I've seen is a Jeep Wagoneer. One.

Koelnmesse, the Registration convention center has begun to pick up in activity. Rob Smitherman, a friend from Chicago, is the lone familiar face, and he's beginning to look harried trying to get everything in place for the Registration and the basketball players.

Ok, catch up time. I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to figure out how to add pictures to blog posts, but my intellect and attention span are getting in the way. So, giving up that idea, I'm posting relevant pictures in one post. Enjoy!

Top 3 pictures are where I went to Register for the Games. As you can see, LOTS of signage and people (that was sarcasm), I know I was there early, but, um... a little help would go a long way. If you look closely you can see the tiny poster on the wall of the building, pointing you into the dark alley. VERY reassuring.

Next picture is a... um... living space on the side of the road. I think that squatters can actually claim some unused land and build whatever makeshift quarters possible. Looking over the fence, there was a stage with a cutout of a wolf, among other detritus the resident must have found interesting in his garbage bin searches. The sign says keep out. Uh, YEAH. Like WAY OUT.

The final picture is the street that I hobbled and cobbled down with my luggage, only to be turned around due to the WWII bomb found in the neighborhood. What you see in the picture is a very small chunk of the distance I walked. Twice. In the rain. With no sleep. I know, I know, no sympathy; I'm just telling a story here.