The Fest

Okay, enough procrastination. Here it is - Kieler Woche. I still can´t motivate myself to record all the events from the Kiel Week sailing festival, but I know I´ll regret it someday if I don´t. I hope that I can get into it as I start writing.

Kiel is a somewhat stale, industrial port city with very little charm or historical significance, as the entire city was flattened during the second world war. Yet every June for the last century and a half, the city is transformed into what is now the world´s largest sailing event, and one of the largest annual folk festivals in Europe. Currently Kiel holds a population of about 240,000, smaller than Wichita. But just after the summer solstice in June, the ships started appearing on the horizon at the sea beyond the förde. Slowly at first, then with a steady momentum, and finally with a chaotic force the harbor filled with a bizarre array of sail boats, historic and famous boats, navy ships from across the globe, little dingies, wind surfers, even submarines. The thousands of boats and sailors would be enough to make the event a spectacle. But somehow over the years Kieler Woche has become a target destination for tourists from around the world, which increases every year as more and more bands, performers, and artists are provided. For about 10 days a year, Kiel´s population multiplies to more than 4 MILLION. Unbelievable. I expected to find the festivities just along the harbor, but was shocked to discover upon the first day that the entire city was transformed. Even the non-interesting industrial sections and housing neighborhoods - everything! Every possible open space and bit of earth in the city was decked with tents, campers, stages, craft displays, ferris wheels and amusement rides, and food/drink vendors. Of course along the water was where most of the activity happened, concerts and boat races and such, and I soon realized that it could become quite dangerous to be around the förde after dark. Not because the people were necessarily dangerous, but simply because you couldn´t move! One night it took me more than 3 hours to loop through a part of the harbor that normally takes 5 to 10 minutes. Aside from the stress of being around so many people, the week had SO many fun things to offer!

The opening weekend I mostly wandered about with my friends, and realized with shock and sorrow that there was absolutely no way to go to everything we wanted to see during the week. We met a couple sailors from the British and American Navy who invited us to a big concert on the American ship Saturday. Sadly, by the time we finally found the part of the förde that held all the Navy ships, the gates had closed and we missed the concert. For some reason I was really curious to have this experience, and was looking forward to meeting a whole SHIP full of Americans. Instead we wandered about, sampled some food from the international markets, and Kristin and I rode several times on the Power Tower - a 300 meter free-fall ride. Sunday we finally made it to the Navy yard before the gates closed, and went to tour some of the boats. Of course the ONLY ships we weren´t allowed on were the two giant American ships, with really tough security. But we helped ourselves onto the Norwegian, German, and Australian ships, and found some beautiful views of the city from the tall masts. Monday was the only day of the week in which I decided to stay in Bordesholm and avoid the city. Tuesday after work I joined Samuel and Kristin for the huge Bosse (popular band from Hamburg) outdoor FREE concert by the water.

Wednesday was Emmi´s birthday, and after a long day of going with her to the forest and hosting a birthday tea with relatives, I went with neighbor Harry to the opening of an art show that he was part of. I had such a good time, and the venue was perfect! The show was in a huge old abandoned bath house, which offered so many interesting display options. Harry had built a big cubic sculpture with carrots and sticks, which had already started to shift and decay after a day, to his delight. It was amazing! We walked through the other exhibits and watched a bizarre but powerful performance art piece by a couple of his friends. Then we just went and sat in the grassy courtyard as many other artists, professors, and friends collected. Soon I was surrounded by a group of very unique personalities, all of them lounging in clusters with their cigarettes and beer and philosophical conversations. There were several elements involved there which might have annoyed me under other circumstances. But for some strange reason in that moment, with the angular sun setting across the trees, buildings, our faces, the stale smell of smoke and hum of voices in the crisp evening air, there was absolutely nowhere else I would have rather been.

Thursday and Friday after work I continued my quest to take in as much of this festival as possible, and Kristin and I went to a concert at die Pumpe, a club where my friend Samuel was hired as the stage photographer. The band was not the type that I would enjoy on the radio, but they were amazing to see live! Their style was kind of old-school grunge/punk mixed with an older ACDC style, if you can imagine that. Lots of guitar riffs and screaming inhuman sounds into the microphone. I had a great time! The best part of the night was when Sam informed us that he has a friend with a sail boat, and we could join them to go sailing on Saturday! This was my biggest wish for Kieler Woche (it is a sailing festival after all), and I could not contain my excitement. Saturday was super busy as Emmi had her massive birthday party with little friends. But after we wrapped up the games and grilling, I went off to Kiel to go sailing. Sadly Kristin couldn´t go, but we still had a great time with just the three of us. Kristophe was the guy who owned the boat, and you could definitely tell he had been at sea for a LONG time. His skin was red and peeling off the face around the stark white outline where his sunglasses usually rest. We had great wind, and I was surprised at how fast we could go, and how we had to cling for our lives when the boat shifted! Kristophe could sail like a pro, as he´d been doing since he was 10, and I had no fear. I was even in charge of the steering board for a lot of the trip while Sam and Kris were working with the sails above. I was a bit nervous as there were SO many other ships and boats in the harbor to avoid, but once we made it out to sea it was easier. Amazing! My sailing experience basically wrapped up my Kieler Woche week. We did a couple more things - wandered the city, ate some wurst, listened to music and visited some friends at their flat, but nothing at all topped the sailing. Now I need a boat of my own! :)

An incredible week. An exhausting week. I´ll admit I am a bit relieved to have it all behind me now. Yesterday I was in the city again for the first time since Kieler Woche closed last Sunday, and it was so nice to have open spaces again. Boring as it may be, I have a soft spot for our little insignificant Kiel during the other 51 weeks of the year.

Whew! I´m done. I think this is all I´m going to share about Kieler Woche. More to come about other parts of my life later.