Exchanging Places--Konstanz, part 1

The Rhine River has its source in the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. The river flows northward out of the Alps until, at a point in southern Germany, it widens into the second-largest lake in central Europe: Lake Constance, or the Bodensee. The lake forms the German/Swiss border for a distance of some 40 miles, until it gathers itself again and resumes its life as a river.

At this point, the Rhine bisects a stunningly beautiful German town named Konstanz. It is here that our family arranged our first home exchange.

A German family, whom we had met on a home exchange of their own in Massachusetts, assisted with the arrangements. Frank was a magazine writer and music critic; his wife Gundel cared for their three children--Patrick, Suzanne, and Kristoff. Frank picked us up at the airport in Zurich and delivered us to our exchange home, a large, well-appointed house near the university.

The Rhine runs directly through the town of Konstanz. East of the river, where we were living, was primarily residential. Less than a mile to the west, a bridge spanned the river and led to the center of town. The Swiss border forms the southern boundary of Konstanz; the adjacent Swiss village is called Kreuzlingen.

Konstanz is aligned along its lakeshore. The Inselhotel, with its waterfront terrace, was an idyllic location for a cup of strong German coffee or a stein of beer. Next to the hotel was a large marina, protected by a curving man-made breakwater. The train station is next to the marina. It soon became a favorite activity of mine to bike across the Rheinbridge to the station, pick up a copy of the International Herald-Tribune, and read it at my leisure at a table in the marina or the Inselhotel, looking up occasionally at the panoramic expanse of the Bodensee.

For nightlife, there were three bars in particular that were favored by the locals. The bars were known collectively as "The Bermuda Triangle," perhaps because unwary visitors to all three frequently developed navigational problems. We witnessed one resident being written up for drunken driving--on his bicycle. Surprisingly, the drink of choice seemed to be a mixture of white wine and mineral water called "schalle."