Documenta 12

Just finished a full day of going to all of the different museums across Kassel that were a part of Documenta 12. It was nice to bike around town without all of the gear on my bike, and the weather remained fairly nice as well. The variety of the art was truly amazing, with performances going on in several of spaces, tons of digital video and digital photography, as well as public sculptures spanning across the city itself. I'll be going to a film later this evening that's a part of the program as well. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like this. Having an entire town reorganized to support modern art in the way Kassel has is invigorating. The cafes and restaurants that surround the main square are charming as well (I indulged and bought myself a fancy lunch with some students visiting from China). Documenta takes place only once every five years and I was thinking that it would be fun to try to come back when it's up again, perhaps with other people this time. I wonder where(who) I'll be in five years? I took lots of photos and will post them sometime later this week.

Couchsurfing in Kassel didn't work out so I ended up staying at a hostel for the past couple of nights. It's a hostel specifically for backpackers, and the two people that run it are really friendly and talkative. One is from Chile, the other from Germany. They both listen to a lot of ska in the downstairs hangout area (I swear, no matter where I go in Germany, ska is playing), and it was fun to hang out last night with everyone and play table soccer over a couple of beers. I also finished reading 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', and will start reading William S. Burroughs's 'Junkie' which David Z. lent me. The g8 seems to be what everyone wants to talk about, which is fine although it seems really long ago now.

I'll head off to Münster tomorrow to see the sculpture project. It should take a couple of days by bike and I should be able to camp in between here and there if there isn't any rain. This area of Germany actually has some hills, so we'll see how I do with all of that gear. I always hear that everyone gets addicted to cigarettes while there in Europe and (don't worry mom) I'm glad to say that I haven't, although I do feel that I have become a tad dependant on coffee. I've really enjoyed being able to stop mid-ride in a cafe to get a cappuccino and read a little bit, then head back out on the road. After Münster I should be able to bike out of Germany in less than a day, and to tell the truth I'm looking forward to seeing new places that have less bratwurst stands and more radical spaces. That's it for now. Until the next internet cafe,
-i