Pfingsten Weekend, Africa Fest

Just home from a long day out! Lunch with some friends from my dorm downtown at a döner place (where I practiced Turkish with the owner!), second day of Afrika fest, then back to town to meet up with others for ice cream, coffee, and dinner at a trattoria. It's been hard getting used to the fact that almost all places close early Saturdays, and are not open at all on Sundays or holidays. So, no school today, or tomorrow, because of a Catholic holiday, which means I will have had a week of freedom by the time I have class again, on Thursday. I took advantage of this time to explore the local area and go to Afrika Fest, which was really crowded but fascinating. I went downtown yesterday to visit the Marienkappelle, a Gothic church downtown.

Exterior.

Interior.

One very big difference between life in Austin and life in Würzburg is that in Austin, I'm used to going to only one or two stores to get everything that I need, like HEB or Target. In Würzburg, though, there are few shops that carry such a hodgepodge, except for the local Woolworth, which is bankrupt and closing. The Aldi supermarket and Real (formerly a Wal-Mart) do have a lot of products, and seem very popular, but their selections seem limited compared to what I'm used to. The many small, specialty stores that exist in these parts that would probably have a hard time staying in business in the states. On second thought, though, perhaps it has more to do with urban versus rural areas. Anyway, for example, there is a store downtown that only sells razors. Another specializes in gummy bears, which my sister would love:


Another one's primary goods seem to be ceramic tiles of cute doggies and kitty-cats:

The dog tiles say, "Here guard I."

Here are some pictures from the 21st annual Afrika Fest. Würzburg has the largest celebration of African culture outside the African continent, strangely enough.

Girls getting their hair braided.

Awesome drummers. (The one in the beige hat was so cute!)