School was great today. Not only were the H-PB cookies a smash hit; we played Tabu. Tabu is the German version of Taboo; the game where one must make their partner say the secret word without using hand gestures or any of the other "taboo" words on the card. One also must not swear or one could earn demerits. Regrettably, one did earn a few demerits (but only for using the brown word and I did say it in German, so...). Taboo is a tough game at the best of times but Tabu was insane. It was so hard but I faired as well as the other students who have been at the school for several months. I can't believe the difference from day one - when I understood maybe 15% of the conversations to today - where I can participate about about 80%.After school I made a mad dash (remember that game show?) for the train station to catch my train to the quiet spa town of Bad Schandau. I arrived at the station three minutes prior to an earlier-departing train so I bought a ticket (using only my new German knowledge) and hopped aboard.
The train ride was boring for the first 40 mintues but picturesque for the remaining 20. The train line followed the meandering Elbe River, which was travelling in the opposite direction on its way from the Czech Republic. Upon arrival in Bad Schandau, I had to board a commuter boat to take me to the actual town on the other side of the river. The boat ride took less than five minutes. Phelps could swim the distance in about two minutes...
Bad Schandau is very small; much, much smaller than Wittenberg. One can walk it all in an hour or so. The buildings are very quaint, ranging from one house I noted to be just over 400 years old to the nearly brand new Hotel Elbresidenz where I am staying. I got another great deal at hotels.ca; this time for a five-star property which features a full spa and an international breakfast (both are included in the room rate of C$100). The room is on the small side, but it is much larger than my room at the flat, and it is well appointed with hardwood floors, an ultra-modern bathroom with seven shower heads, free hi-speed internet, a seventeen-foot high ceiling and a balcony into an outdoor courtyard. The clothing drawers are unslammable too - I really like that. One can try to whip them shut but just as they are about to slam, they gently roll into position.
I walked about ten kilometers around the area, hit the spa for an hour and watched some live music at the nearby beer festival; a fairly full day.
Speaking of beer. Here is your CHORE FOR THE DAY! Try to make the next person you see say the word BEER without using the following words in the process: BEER, ALCOHOL, DRINK, COLD. Proper nouns are not permitted; nor are hand gestures. Use only your words.
Viel Spaß!
