Sparrenburg Castle

When I asked my friends in Berlin if there was anything to see while I was in Bielefeld, each one of them said that Bielefeld didn’t have much going on. Imagine my surprise, then, when I got to Bielefeld and people asked if I was going to see the castle. A castle? If that’s not something to see, I don't know what is. Maybe castles are just commonplace to most Germans, and that’s why my friends hadn’t mentioned it. Either way, I was thrilled. I had never been in a real castle.
The Sparrenburg Castle sits high on a hill, overlooking Bielefeld and beyond. A massive stone wall wraps around the interior, with a turret in four corners. Inside, the main halls have been reconstructed and now serve as a restaurant. A large turret is in the middle of the grounds, towering over everything. The great thing about the Sparrenburg Castle is that you can really explore it. There are tours that take you around the outside, through the inside, underground, and all the way to the top. What a view!
Sparrenburg is a good bang for your buck, too. The restaurant and the little food stand both charged a fair price for tasty cuisine and the tours were inexpensive (less than 4 euro). Parking and entrance to the castle are free.
A bit of the history? The guide I was given says that Sparrenburg was built in the early 1200s by Count Ludwig of Ravensburg and that it was home to the Count and his “entourage”. Which makes the Count sound like he was a rock star. Because when I think “entourage” I think of hot girls and groupies. But maybe that’s just me.
Throughout the centuries, Sparrenburg saw many changes in ownership and additions to its architecture. Sadly, the castle was pummeled by an air raid during WW II, but extensive renovations have made the castle almost like it was before.
While we were at Sparrenburg, there was a photoshoot for a wedding taking place throughout the grounds, and a bag pipe player in a kilt was playing by the bridge on the way into the castle. There was definitely a lot to see.

www.bielefeld.de
www.sparrenburg.info

The German Wild West

After getting lost and driving around the tiny city of Bielefeld, Germany for two hours, Wilson Gil and I finally made it to Forum- the club at which we would be performing.
A couple years ago, Wilson Gil co-produced a song for the soundtrack of an Indie-Western short film. The film, “Sam Hall”, is a German creation. Now, I don’t exactly think of the “Wild West” when I think of Germany, but the film did do the Wild West justice. You would have thought it was produced by cowboys instead of German rockers.
The show at Forum was to celebrate the release of “Sam Hall”. So, Wild West meets German rock scene? It was eclectic, and fun. Rowdy, raucous, and an all around good time.
The show opened with these teenage guys who were in a surf band called “Braindead Dogs”. Yes, another anomaly- Germans and surf music. And dog costumes. What? The Braindead Dogs were a great act. I think it helped that they were all wearing black and green outfits and plastic dog masks. And yes, it looked as strange as it sounds.
The other bands were “Playbot” and “Razorheads”. Those Germans sure know how to rock. And they don’t rock out like the pussy, ballad type music you hear on mainstream radio. German rockers are gritty, sweaty, vulgar, and loud. They’re in your face and raw. Something about the German accent makes the lyrics sound so much harsher, but in a good, savage rock and roll way.
And then there was Wilson Gil and I. Wilson has this American cowboy shtick with his cowboy hat and his red, white, and blue Buck Owens guitar. I don’t really know how to classify him. Cow-punk? Nirvana meets Johnny Cash? Country rock? Whatever you want it call it, Wilson Gil puts on one hell of a show. During his second song he poured beer all over his head- which made the stage nice and slippery for me to dance on. Wilson even got down on his knees at one point and proceeded to “fuck” his guitar. A little embarrassing if you’re his girlfriend, but hilarious if you’re just one of the crowd.
I swear, I can belly dance to anything. I danced to three of Wilson’s songs. Belly dancing to a mix of rock, country, and punk? It somehow works. The crowd at Forum loved it. German rockers, the Wild West, surf music played by “dogs”, and belly dancing. How could you not love a show that delivered all of that?

More on the club and bands:
www.forum-bielefeld.com
www.myspace.com/avaishya
www.myspace.com/wilsongilandthewillfulsinners
www.myspace.com/razorheads
www.myspace.com/sugarengine
www.myspace.com/braindeaddogs

Road Trippin' in Germany

Going on a road trip in a foreign country can be quite the learning experience, especially when you don’t know the language. And you lose your map, and your phone dies, and road work sends you on a crazy detour. That was the first day of our road trip last weekend.
Things started out well. We rented a car from Enterprise and they gave us a great deal: 50% off for the weekend. Enterprise rocks. They picked us up from the train station, were super friendly, upgraded our car for free, and gave us tons of price breaks.
But that was really the only luck we had. We made it to Bielefeld okay, but a detour sent us on a two hour goose chase for the club- a drive that should have only taken 10 minutes.
Despite being exhausted, we played a great show. (But more on that in the next blog!)
Originally, we had planned on returning to Berlin the next day, but the 50% deal convinced us to rent the car for the weekend. We hadn’t packed extra clothes. Of course, the club was full of cigarette smoke and our clothes were saturated with it. That was our first mistake. Always pack extra clothes, even if you are just planning on a short trip! Wilson’s jeans got totally destroyed (read: ripped, soaked in beer, stained, covered in grime) from his crazy antics onstage and I stank to high heaven. Rock ‘n roll, baby.
Day two of our road trip involved a castle, mountains, and a thousand year old city (don’t you want to read my upcoming blogs?). Not having planned accommodations for our second night (mistake number two), we spent a good chunk of time on the internet and cell phone, but to no avail. We decided to go to the ancient city of Goslar, on the chance that the hostel there would have an available room. We got a little bit lost on the way, but it only cost us about 30 min. Beautiful drive through the hills and forests, but we arrived at the hostel to find it full. There were two beds left, in separate quarters, for about 50 euro. It didn’t seem like such a great deal.
Dinner in Goslar was grand, and then we were off to Dirk’s house. Dirk is the bassist in Wilson’s new band. Now, the day had turned to night, and while driving fast on the autobahn is fun, it isn’t so great when you’re whipping by the road signs before you have a chance to read them.
Needless to say, we got lost. Very lost. And then we thought we found the right route. We called Dirk (who had already been waiting an hour), told him the good news, and thought we were all set. Forty minutes went by, we thought we were almost there, and then suddenly we started seeing signs for “Goslar” again. We had somehow gone full circle! So, driving through unfamiliar territory at night without a map? Big mistake, let me tell you.
We found a hotel, and decided to fork the 85 euro for a room. We should have just slept in the car, and would have if we had packed blankets and pillows. Oh, the mistakes we made.
The hotel wasn’t so great. The manager wouldn’t give us an extra blanket, even though the room was freezing and despite that there were several empty rooms with blankets to spare. He claimed not to know any English, but he understood Wilson perfectly well when Wilson called him an asshole, among other things.
The rest of the trip was fine, and we had an easy drive home (I think we had learned how to read the road signs by that point). But the hotel room and the gas we wasted while being lost cost us an extra 150 euro.
So, for our next road trip? Maps, cell phone charger, food (because highway food sucks), clothes, blankets, pillows, and some freaking common sense.