After visiting Freiburg from Tuesday to Friday, we headed off to Nuernberg, Germany on Friday and stayed till Saturday night. Nuernberg is known for having the biggest Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany. The weekend we went apparently was one of their busiest and that was definitely true once we got downtown to the Weihnachtsmarkt. It was a really cute town in Germany, the whole city was surrounded by the old castle walls, it was really unique. Once we got there me and mom went exploring downtown and saw some churches and took lots of pictures, then stumbled upon a group of Native American musicians, it was really cool, they were playing covers of popular songs on like whistles and rain makers and some tom tom drums, it was really cool, so mom bought their CD. We had to wait until Eric got there and we were going to pick him up at the Hauptbahnhof (train station), so we shopped a little bit and saw some of the stuff around town. Eric finally called and we met up with him and had a Gluehwein (spiced Christmas wine drink) before going to dinner. We had no idea where to go to dinner in town so we asked the people working at our hotel and they told us there was a really good German restaurant down the road, so we walked there. It was really cute, typical German restaurant, the women waitresses were even wearing Dirndls (the traditional dress for German women, it's usually only worn at festivals like Oktoberfest). We got sat next to some really nice Swiss women and we started talking with them. They showed us what they bought that day in Nuernberg and told us the best Lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies) was Schmidt Lebkuchen. They let us try it and it was delicious!
The next day we set off downtown and walked through the Christmas Market, it was so cute! And there were soooo many people, you could barely walk, the street was full of people as wide as the street would allow. We also went into a cathedral in the center of town called Lorenzkirche, it was a really beautiful church, luckily I got pictures inside before the security caught us taking some. Of course the church was a Gothic style church, it was built from 1270-1350.
Nuernberg has quite the historical significance, it was a very prominant location for huge Nazi conventions-- the Nuernberg rallies, with its relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and the fact that it is in the center of Germany. In 1933 after Hitler's rise to power Nuernberg became a center for anti-Semetism and propoganda. Also Hitler specifically ordered the Reichstag to convene at Nuernberg to pass the anti-Semitic Nuernberg Laws which revoked German citizenship for all Jews. Nuernberg was also where the first railroad was built in Germany. Nuernberg is known for their Christmas Market and Lebkuchen too.
Once we got to the Christmas Market there was another really cool church but it was a bit smaller than the St. Lorenz Kirche, it was the Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church), it was the main church in all the postcards of the Christmas Market and of Nuernberg, it was very unique looking.
During the day of shopping through the Christmas Market Eric and I had about 4 glasses of Gluehwein, it was really good in Nuernberg, and I got to collect all of the cups. And we even found the Schmidt Lebkuchen!! We got about 3 tins full of it, so delicious. I never liked Lebkuchen until I tried it in Nuernberg because I am not really a fan of Gingerbread but something about the cookies in Nuernberg made them so much better! Overall the trip was really great, it was added to my list of favorite cities in Germany, I really enjoyed it! It was sad saying goodbye to my mom and Dan but I know I will see them again soon enough! We had a great week of traveling around! Until next time =]
Auf Wiedersehen
Monday, December 29, 2008
Freiburg Visit
My mom and Dan went to visit Eric first in Mannheim and they also visited Heidelberg. After that they drove down to Freiburg to visit me. The first night I showed them a lot of what Freiburg had to offer downtown, like the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) and the Muenster (cathedral). It was very lively downtown when they came so that was fun, but sometimes the hoards of people are too much to handle. They were getting pretty hungry so I decided to take them to a place called Tacheles, which offers a lot of different types of Schnitzel (schnitzel is basically a pork tenderloin). The weather was fairly good then, which was nice. Later we met up with my friends and went to my favorite restaurant, Kartoffel Haus, which literally means Potato House, everything they serve has potatoes in it, so delicious! I had a salmon, potato lasagne...YUM!
The next day we drove to a town called Titisee, well the lake there is actually called the Titisee, yeah funny name I know, it means Titi Lake basically. It was the perfect day to go because it was snowing and the lake is up on a mountain, it was sooo beautiful, everything was just white. The drive there was gorgeous too, but a little dangerous because we were driving up a mountain, pretty scary. My really good friend Jason Ernst came too, so that was fun. We ate at a little restaurant and had some waffles and cake. My mom ordered a Schwarzwaldkirsch Torte, Black Forest Cake, little did we know there was cherry alcohol in it, and it was so strong, I'm sure she could probably feel the alcohol after that. Me and Jason shared an apple cake/pie thing, it was awesome. After that me and Jason wanted to take a lot of pictures by the lake. It was snowing really hard still so my mom and Dan stayed in the car. Me and Jason were definitely not wearing the appropriate shoes for the weather, tennis shoes. So we had to trudge through the snow down to the lake. We finally found some stairs that lead down there, but they were covered over with snow so Jason went first and ended up just falling on his butt and sliding down...hahah he loved it because he is from Arizona and has never seen snow. So then I did it next, and went really fast down. Then we took a ton of pictures by the lake, it was almost eerie looking because there was no sun, only gray, foggy, and white snow everywhere. We also took some pictures of us jumping which turned out pretty awesome.
We finally headed back to Freiburg and then my mom and I went back into town to go shopping for family and go to the Christmas Market. Then for dinner I took her out to the Feierling Brewery, the food was really good, and I looooove their beer, it's so smooth and really tasty. Mom even had a glass, I think she liked it too, we had a good time just talking, that was really nice because we don't get much time for just the two of us.
Unfortunately because of the really snowy weather I didn't get to show them all that I wanted, like the Shauinsland in the Black Forest, the lake by my apartment, hiking, wine tasting, and much more....but next time my mom comes around May or June I will definitely take her and show her all that Freiburg has to offer, and it will be much more enjoyable in the spring/summer! I can't wait! So I hoped they enjoyed Freiburg, it is a gorgeous city, I am really going to miss it when I have to leave.
Auf Wiedersehen
The next day we drove to a town called Titisee, well the lake there is actually called the Titisee, yeah funny name I know, it means Titi Lake basically. It was the perfect day to go because it was snowing and the lake is up on a mountain, it was sooo beautiful, everything was just white. The drive there was gorgeous too, but a little dangerous because we were driving up a mountain, pretty scary. My really good friend Jason Ernst came too, so that was fun. We ate at a little restaurant and had some waffles and cake. My mom ordered a Schwarzwaldkirsch Torte, Black Forest Cake, little did we know there was cherry alcohol in it, and it was so strong, I'm sure she could probably feel the alcohol after that. Me and Jason shared an apple cake/pie thing, it was awesome. After that me and Jason wanted to take a lot of pictures by the lake. It was snowing really hard still so my mom and Dan stayed in the car. Me and Jason were definitely not wearing the appropriate shoes for the weather, tennis shoes. So we had to trudge through the snow down to the lake. We finally found some stairs that lead down there, but they were covered over with snow so Jason went first and ended up just falling on his butt and sliding down...hahah he loved it because he is from Arizona and has never seen snow. So then I did it next, and went really fast down. Then we took a ton of pictures by the lake, it was almost eerie looking because there was no sun, only gray, foggy, and white snow everywhere. We also took some pictures of us jumping which turned out pretty awesome.
We finally headed back to Freiburg and then my mom and I went back into town to go shopping for family and go to the Christmas Market. Then for dinner I took her out to the Feierling Brewery, the food was really good, and I looooove their beer, it's so smooth and really tasty. Mom even had a glass, I think she liked it too, we had a good time just talking, that was really nice because we don't get much time for just the two of us.
Unfortunately because of the really snowy weather I didn't get to show them all that I wanted, like the Shauinsland in the Black Forest, the lake by my apartment, hiking, wine tasting, and much more....but next time my mom comes around May or June I will definitely take her and show her all that Freiburg has to offer, and it will be much more enjoyable in the spring/summer! I can't wait! So I hoped they enjoyed Freiburg, it is a gorgeous city, I am really going to miss it when I have to leave.
Auf Wiedersehen
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Paris!
My mom and Dan traveled to Europe a 2 weeks ago! The stayed from December 5-14. First off Eric and I met up and went to Frankfurt to pick them up. Once we finally got there it took forever trying to find them, there was the same car rental place like a 5 different locations throughout the airport. We finally found them and headed off to Paris! Little did we know, European driving is much different, and really scary. There was no way I wanted to drive. So Eric drove us most of the way to Paris and once we got there, the driving was even worse. Getting through Paris was a nightmare, I don't know what we would have done with out the navigational system in the car already. We finally got to our hotel, the Holiday Inn, and got our rooms and settled in for a while. Eric and I weren't very tired, but Mom and Dan were because they had been straight traveling for like 1 day and a half. So Eric and I headed out and next to our hotel we found what claimed to be a "Tex-Mex" restaurant, I was pretty excited because I had not had Mexican food in months, it was pretty tasty. Then we went out for a few drinks, it was a good time.
The next day we woke up around 9 to get ready and leave on our tour, but once we got outside to look around for the bus stop for our bus to pick us up, it was a nightmare. I was the one leading us around trying to find it, and of course I am not that great at directions so I think we walked in a circle about 4 times. I was asking French people in my broken French where this bus stop was, and everyone was pointing us to the same place, but every time we would go back we couldn't find it. About a half hour-hour later, we found it!! So me, Eric and Mom went on the tour, and Dan went back to the Hotel. We were only on the bus for about 15 minutes and then got off at La Madeleine, which was a Cathedral built by Napoleon, I snapped two pictures in the church even though the sign said "NO PICTURES," haha I am so rebellious. It was beautiful inside, and the outside looked very similar to the Parthenon. After that we decided just to keep walking because we could see a really cool square in the distance, so we walked all the way there. By this time my mom had mentioned she needed to go to the bathroom. As we were walking we tried looking for a restaurant or any place that might have a bathroom, (side note: in Europe you have to pay to go to the bathroom almost everywhere). So we kept walking and finally made it to the pretty square, there were some monuments, and a ferris wheel, and a park, it was really beautiful, and we could even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. We were so busy taking a ton of pictures and gawking at all the amazing architecture, we had forgotten mom had to go to the bathroom still, we had been walking around for about a half hour at this point. We were in the middle of nowhere that looked like it would inhabit a bathroom, but come to find out there was one hidden behind the ferris wheel. After all that we headed out on our trek to the Eiffel Tower. We walked really far to get there, but it was definitely worth it! The Eiffel Tower was amazing. We really wanted to go up on top, but the line was really long so we took a ton of pictures. One thing about the Eiffel Tower was that there were SOO many pigeons hanging around it, they were flying all around our heads, and one guy in front of me even got pooped on. We were out at the Eiffel Tower long enough to even see it get lit up! I think the color changes often, but when we were there, it was blue and there were all the yellow stars of the European Union on it (which I have come to find out the European Union stars are displayed on the Eiffel Tower because now there is a French presidency in the EU).
The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument since its construction in 1889, it only took 6 months to build. The tower was orginally supposed to be built in Barcelona, Spain but the Spaniards thought that the project didn't fit well with the city architecture and that it was a strange monument (were they wrong!). It was built for a Universal Exposition (World's Fair), and it is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. It is also the highest building in Paris. During the construction of the tower, only one man died. Once it was revealed, many many people greatly disliked it, writing angry letters to the paper, and claiming it was an eyesore. It was even supposed to be torn down in 1909 as a part of the contest rules, but the city used the tower during the First Battle of Marne to dispatch taxis to the front lines, after the battle it was seen as a victory symbol, so the city of Paris kept the monument in place.
After the Eiffel Tower we went to see the Arc de Triomphe, Arc of Triumph, it is right down the street from the Eiffel Tower, it is the sight of so many famous Parisian pictures. It was constructed for the soldiers that fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the 2nd largest triumphal arch in existence. A weird fact about the Arc is that every couple decades they have to bleach the arc because the color of it changes from all of the soot and exhaust from cars! People can also go to the top of the Arc and take pictures...we saw so many people at the top. It was a really beautiful monument, especially at night with the French flag hanging between the arch and it was all lit up. There is a huge roundabout around the arch, which was really cool, but packed full of cars. After seeing the Arc we decided to head back to the hotel and get some rest. The next day Eric and I woke up early because we were going to go and see Notre Dame.
We set off in the morning and took the subway to where Notre Dame was, side note...the Paris subway system is really dirty, so beware. I had heard that Paris was dirty in general, but I never really thought so until we went down into their subway system. Notre Dame is on a little island on the Seine River in Paris. When we got to where the cathedral was supposed to be, we could not find it! We were looking at the map and went in a circle a few times. We thought we saw it but we didn't know how to get into it because it was in a courtyard, turns out the church we saw was Saint Chappelle, and NOT Notre Dame. I had wanted to see St. Chappelle anyway, but the funny thing was me and Eric were taking pictures in front of it not knowing it wasn't Notre Dame. We finally asked directions and someone pointed us to Notre Dame, once we got there it was an amazing Cathedral, unfortunately we didn't have enough time to wait in line and go in. Notre Dame means 'Our Lady' in French and its construction spanned through the whole Gothic period, many say its the best representation of French Gothic architecture, and it really is. While we were there I learned what flying buttresses are, they are used in Gothic architecture, they are basically used for bearing large walls, and enormous amounts of weight to make the structure stay put. They are usually found on cathedrals and mostly Gothic style architecture, they are meant to look as if they are 'flying' instead of just bearing weight from the ground...hence the name flying buttress. Anyway the cathedral was truly and amazing site, and it inspired a Disney movie (well book rather) remember "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," it was a book written to raise awareness of the historical value of the cathedral in the 19th century because the church was being ready to be torn down because it was so vandalized and in a poor state.
After Notre Dame my mom and Dan were not done with their tour so we decided to go see Basilique du Sacré Cœur which means in English Sacred Heart of Basilica. It is the highest point in Paris. It is a cathedral that, to me, sticks out like a sore thumb, the architecture looks like it is something that belongs in the middle east or something, the architecture is far from European, even the color too. On the way walking up to the cathedral Eric and I were bombarded by some African/maybe Nigerian people that were trying to really aggressively heckle us. Eric got stopped but I ran so I could get away from them, they really scared me. I legitimately thought we were going to get mugged or something, but one of them followed me up the stairs and was trying to sell me this stupid piece of string that apparently did something cool, but I really wanted him away from me, but he wasn't taking no as an answer. I could see Eric was also getting extremely annoyed with them too, so I took a picture wanting to keep the moment, because it was so strange. One of them saw me take the picture and rushed over to me demanding that I delete it off my camera, so I did, and then they finally backed off and tried annoying other tourists. We finally made it up to the top to the cathedral. It was amazing, and a really long walk to the top. I have never seen so many beggars in my life, but nonetheless we were at the highest point in Paris in the Montmatre region of the city.
After that cathedral we went back to the hotel to meet my mom and Dan. They got to see the Louvre, I really wish Eric and I could have made it there. Paris was a gorgeous city, and one of my favorites that I have ever seen, the architechture was phenomenal. I wish I could speak French though because it seemed not too many people spoke English, or maybe just didn't want to. I wish we could have seen more, like Versailles and the Catacombs underneath the city, but that could be for another time if I return to Paris at some point in my life. Overall it was an amazing trip. We headed back to Mannheim and I left there for Freiburg, my mom and Dan spent a day in Mannheim and Heidelberg seeing the sites, and Eric showed them around. On my way back to Freiburg I realized I was not going to get there by regional trains. I would have had to wait until about 5 am to make it back to Freiburg, and I really did not want to do that, so in Karlsruhe I hopped on an ICE (inter city express) train, illegally I might add, because I didn't have the right ticket. I was so lucky the ticket guy didn't ask for my ticket because I was pretending to sleep...so I got to Freiburg safe and sound!
I will be writing about their trip to Freiburg, Nuernberg, and Weihnachtsmarkt soon!
Eric and I are in Duesseldorf for Christmas right now with Flo's family, I'll be writing about it soon too. And for New Years I am planning to go to Chamonix, France with my friends, and we will be skiing in the Alps!
Auf Wiedersehen
The next day we woke up around 9 to get ready and leave on our tour, but once we got outside to look around for the bus stop for our bus to pick us up, it was a nightmare. I was the one leading us around trying to find it, and of course I am not that great at directions so I think we walked in a circle about 4 times. I was asking French people in my broken French where this bus stop was, and everyone was pointing us to the same place, but every time we would go back we couldn't find it. About a half hour-hour later, we found it!! So me, Eric and Mom went on the tour, and Dan went back to the Hotel. We were only on the bus for about 15 minutes and then got off at La Madeleine, which was a Cathedral built by Napoleon, I snapped two pictures in the church even though the sign said "NO PICTURES," haha I am so rebellious. It was beautiful inside, and the outside looked very similar to the Parthenon. After that we decided just to keep walking because we could see a really cool square in the distance, so we walked all the way there. By this time my mom had mentioned she needed to go to the bathroom. As we were walking we tried looking for a restaurant or any place that might have a bathroom, (side note: in Europe you have to pay to go to the bathroom almost everywhere). So we kept walking and finally made it to the pretty square, there were some monuments, and a ferris wheel, and a park, it was really beautiful, and we could even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. We were so busy taking a ton of pictures and gawking at all the amazing architecture, we had forgotten mom had to go to the bathroom still, we had been walking around for about a half hour at this point. We were in the middle of nowhere that looked like it would inhabit a bathroom, but come to find out there was one hidden behind the ferris wheel. After all that we headed out on our trek to the Eiffel Tower. We walked really far to get there, but it was definitely worth it! The Eiffel Tower was amazing. We really wanted to go up on top, but the line was really long so we took a ton of pictures. One thing about the Eiffel Tower was that there were SOO many pigeons hanging around it, they were flying all around our heads, and one guy in front of me even got pooped on. We were out at the Eiffel Tower long enough to even see it get lit up! I think the color changes often, but when we were there, it was blue and there were all the yellow stars of the European Union on it (which I have come to find out the European Union stars are displayed on the Eiffel Tower because now there is a French presidency in the EU).
The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument since its construction in 1889, it only took 6 months to build. The tower was orginally supposed to be built in Barcelona, Spain but the Spaniards thought that the project didn't fit well with the city architecture and that it was a strange monument (were they wrong!). It was built for a Universal Exposition (World's Fair), and it is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. It is also the highest building in Paris. During the construction of the tower, only one man died. Once it was revealed, many many people greatly disliked it, writing angry letters to the paper, and claiming it was an eyesore. It was even supposed to be torn down in 1909 as a part of the contest rules, but the city used the tower during the First Battle of Marne to dispatch taxis to the front lines, after the battle it was seen as a victory symbol, so the city of Paris kept the monument in place.
After the Eiffel Tower we went to see the Arc de Triomphe, Arc of Triumph, it is right down the street from the Eiffel Tower, it is the sight of so many famous Parisian pictures. It was constructed for the soldiers that fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the 2nd largest triumphal arch in existence. A weird fact about the Arc is that every couple decades they have to bleach the arc because the color of it changes from all of the soot and exhaust from cars! People can also go to the top of the Arc and take pictures...we saw so many people at the top. It was a really beautiful monument, especially at night with the French flag hanging between the arch and it was all lit up. There is a huge roundabout around the arch, which was really cool, but packed full of cars. After seeing the Arc we decided to head back to the hotel and get some rest. The next day Eric and I woke up early because we were going to go and see Notre Dame.
We set off in the morning and took the subway to where Notre Dame was, side note...the Paris subway system is really dirty, so beware. I had heard that Paris was dirty in general, but I never really thought so until we went down into their subway system. Notre Dame is on a little island on the Seine River in Paris. When we got to where the cathedral was supposed to be, we could not find it! We were looking at the map and went in a circle a few times. We thought we saw it but we didn't know how to get into it because it was in a courtyard, turns out the church we saw was Saint Chappelle, and NOT Notre Dame. I had wanted to see St. Chappelle anyway, but the funny thing was me and Eric were taking pictures in front of it not knowing it wasn't Notre Dame. We finally asked directions and someone pointed us to Notre Dame, once we got there it was an amazing Cathedral, unfortunately we didn't have enough time to wait in line and go in. Notre Dame means 'Our Lady' in French and its construction spanned through the whole Gothic period, many say its the best representation of French Gothic architecture, and it really is. While we were there I learned what flying buttresses are, they are used in Gothic architecture, they are basically used for bearing large walls, and enormous amounts of weight to make the structure stay put. They are usually found on cathedrals and mostly Gothic style architecture, they are meant to look as if they are 'flying' instead of just bearing weight from the ground...hence the name flying buttress. Anyway the cathedral was truly and amazing site, and it inspired a Disney movie (well book rather) remember "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," it was a book written to raise awareness of the historical value of the cathedral in the 19th century because the church was being ready to be torn down because it was so vandalized and in a poor state.
After Notre Dame my mom and Dan were not done with their tour so we decided to go see Basilique du Sacré Cœur which means in English Sacred Heart of Basilica. It is the highest point in Paris. It is a cathedral that, to me, sticks out like a sore thumb, the architecture looks like it is something that belongs in the middle east or something, the architecture is far from European, even the color too. On the way walking up to the cathedral Eric and I were bombarded by some African/maybe Nigerian people that were trying to really aggressively heckle us. Eric got stopped but I ran so I could get away from them, they really scared me. I legitimately thought we were going to get mugged or something, but one of them followed me up the stairs and was trying to sell me this stupid piece of string that apparently did something cool, but I really wanted him away from me, but he wasn't taking no as an answer. I could see Eric was also getting extremely annoyed with them too, so I took a picture wanting to keep the moment, because it was so strange. One of them saw me take the picture and rushed over to me demanding that I delete it off my camera, so I did, and then they finally backed off and tried annoying other tourists. We finally made it up to the top to the cathedral. It was amazing, and a really long walk to the top. I have never seen so many beggars in my life, but nonetheless we were at the highest point in Paris in the Montmatre region of the city.
After that cathedral we went back to the hotel to meet my mom and Dan. They got to see the Louvre, I really wish Eric and I could have made it there. Paris was a gorgeous city, and one of my favorites that I have ever seen, the architechture was phenomenal. I wish I could speak French though because it seemed not too many people spoke English, or maybe just didn't want to. I wish we could have seen more, like Versailles and the Catacombs underneath the city, but that could be for another time if I return to Paris at some point in my life. Overall it was an amazing trip. We headed back to Mannheim and I left there for Freiburg, my mom and Dan spent a day in Mannheim and Heidelberg seeing the sites, and Eric showed them around. On my way back to Freiburg I realized I was not going to get there by regional trains. I would have had to wait until about 5 am to make it back to Freiburg, and I really did not want to do that, so in Karlsruhe I hopped on an ICE (inter city express) train, illegally I might add, because I didn't have the right ticket. I was so lucky the ticket guy didn't ask for my ticket because I was pretending to sleep...so I got to Freiburg safe and sound!
I will be writing about their trip to Freiburg, Nuernberg, and Weihnachtsmarkt soon!
Eric and I are in Duesseldorf for Christmas right now with Flo's family, I'll be writing about it soon too. And for New Years I am planning to go to Chamonix, France with my friends, and we will be skiing in the Alps!
Auf Wiedersehen
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Pictures above ( Me Shane and Kelly in the night train on the way to Amsterdam, this was before the guys in front of us puked all over themselves) (The group in front of the I AMsterdam sign, it was sooo cold!)
So I have not updated my blog in quite some time so I definitely think I need to let everyone know what has been going on in my life overseas. A few weeks ago my friends, Eric and I all went to Amsterdam from November 20-23rd, it was quite an experience to say the least. First off we took a night train to Amsterdam, which was about 10 hours away. We got on the train and I sat next to my friend Shane and we were trying really hard to fall asleep, but lucky for us there were 2, I would say about 16 year old German boys sitting in front of us, and they were drinking some vodka very heavily and listening to loud music. After about 2 or 3 hours into the trip I just see out of the corner of my eye one of them puking all over himself! I was totally disgusted and got up and moved down to the train and sat by some other friends of mine for a bit. They sat there for a while and one was just covered in his own puke with his head in a sweatshirt, as if trying to hide his shame. I finally go back to my seat and after about another hour I am just getting to sleep and I hear the kid puke AGAIN! I couldn't believe it, Shane and I were just laughing behind them, thinking thats what they get for getting drunk on a night train, smart idea right?
Picture of (Eric and Kelly standing next to a tiny car in Amsterdam...we saw a ton of cars like this...where did they come from??) (So many bikes in Amsterdam, the had bikes everywhere! People did bike tours around the city a lot) (Me in some huge clogs...hahah)
So we finally arrive in Amsterdam around 9 AM in Amsterdam and I had gotten maybe 3 hours of sleep. We began the day by getting all of our things in the hostel and starting some sight seeing. If anyone doesn't know, Amsterdam is known for having Marijuana and prostitution legalized, so there are some strange characters in Amsterdam.
(Picture of me in front of the canals in Amsterdam) (The Heineken Brewery where we went for the "Heineken Experience") (Me and Kelly in a huge wooden clog/Dutch shoe) (Me, Kelly, and Emma with Darth Vader in the main square, hahah they would stand out there and you have to pay to take a picture with them)
When we were sight seeing the city was actually a cool city, but pretty dirty by my standards because looking into the canals right away I could see a ton of trash in them and the color of the water was almost black. Everywhere we went smelled like weed too. Amsterdam had some really cool buildings and architecture. Such as a lot of the buildings were purposefully slanted forward because all the houses are so close together that you can't get any furniture through the actual house, so they have a pully system to get them through the windows, but if they were smart wouldn't they have just made the pully stick out farther so they wouldn't have to actually build the houses forward just to get things inside? Another strange thing was the Red Light District, we went there at night to check it out, and there are just women everywhere standing in windows trying to lure men in and pleasure them for money. We found out that it is illegal to take pictures of any of the women in the Red Light District, and if anyone catches you snapping a picture the women have cups of urine by the window to through at you, they will break your camera, or throw it into one of the canals; before the end of the trip I actually snapped a quick picture of one of the red light girls, I think she might have seen my do it, but nothing happened.
(The pictures below are ...the first of Ginny in the square in Amsterdam walking through a huge crowd of pidgeons) (The next of our first day in Amsterdam outside of our hostel) (And the I AMsterdam sign at night when it was snowing.)
Another thing about Amsterdam was that it was so expensive!! I never had expected it to be so bad, but the first night Eric got into Amsterdam we went out for a beer at a pub and Eric ordered a Guinness and the bartender said it was 7 Euros!!! Which equals about $9 for one glass of beer! Eric strangely had two glasses and then decided to call it a night because he spent 14 Euros on only 2 glasses of beer. We also went to a Pancake house(we saw them everywhere, apparently pancakes are very popular in Amsterdam) and I decided to get a pancake since I had not had one since being in the USA, when my pancake came out it was as thin as a piece of paper and had nothing on it, I laughed because they charged me 4.25 Euros...approx $5.50!!! So I basically ate it like a tortilla. Another funny food thing was the coffee portions, all Eric wanted was a normal sized coffee and they would bring him a tea set sized cup of coffee that would be gone in 3 seconds, and charged 2.25 Euros for it. Overall Amsterdam was a cool city, but I would never feel the need to return. Oh and we also did a Heineken Brewery Tour which was actually really fun, but if any of you decide to go to Amsterdam ever, go when it is warm because I froze my butt off the entire time, partly because I only had a thin jacket and was sick the whole time.
The next week was Thanksgiving which was really fun because my program hosted a Thanksgiving Potluck at my apartment complex, everyone brought some homemade Thankgiving food, I was really happy I didn't have to miss out on that Food Eating Marathon Holiday called Thanksgiving! It was funny what some people brought, a girl Heidi in my program brought a pumpkin pie that was totally homemade from an actual pumpkin because Germans have never heard of pumpkin pie, nonetheless have canned pumpkin pie filling. I got a huge piece but I was disappointed by the result, it tasted like black licorice, but I definitely give an A for effort because that would have been hard to make. I had so much food that night, when I got up from the table I couldn't even stand up straight because my stomach was so full, I had to hunch over all way home.
Pictures below... (My table at the Thanksgiving potluck, mmmm delicious!) (The table full of desserts and food!) (My roommate Joanna, Shane, Me and Kelly eating our Thanksgiving dinner in GERMANY!) (Ulli, my program director, serving me some Turkey...yumm! )
We also had a Thanksgiving dinner at my apartment for my German roommates. My roommate Joanna basically planned everything, it was so delicious. We made for them chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, carrots with brown sugar, rolls, jello salad, and a real pumpkin pie. It was so good, and the Germans were obsessed with the pumpkin pie because they had never tasted anything like it before, so I had my mom send me some more pumpkin pie filling so they can make it for their families on Christmas! They were also really confused with the cranberry sauce and jello salad because they have nothing like it here. It was a really fun night with all of my roommates.
Right now my mom and Dan are here and we have already gone to Paris and they went to Heidelberg and Mannheim to visit Eric. They are in Freiburg visiting me now. That blog is soon to come! Next week! Hope all is well at home. Everything is flying by so fast here, and it's amazing that it is already December! I miss you and Love you all! Happy Holidays!!!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Halloween
I almost forgot to mention, that two weekends ago was Halloween. No one really celebrates it in Germany, except if they do they try and look legitimately scary. As in the USA, college students dress really funny, or the girls just dress really slutty. So Halloween is one or if not the biggest holiday for college students. We didn't have much to work with here since they don't have Halloween shops so we really had to be creative. The first night I was a vampire and the second night my best friend Kelly and I dressed up as men's and women's bathrooms, it was pretty funny.
(My friends and I dressed up as Goths and Vampires...Me, Zach, Ann, Shane, and Kelly in the front.)
(Kelly and I were Men's and Women's bathrooms hahhaa)
And if you haven't noticed I finally found out how to put pictures on my blog...so I am going back to all of my blogs and updating them with pictures, and then you can finally put a story with an image =] so go back and read all of them or just look at pictures! I love you all...keep reading!
(My friends and I dressed up as Goths and Vampires...Me, Zach, Ann, Shane, and Kelly in the front.)
(Kelly and I were Men's and Women's bathrooms hahhaa)
And if you haven't noticed I finally found out how to put pictures on my blog...so I am going back to all of my blogs and updating them with pictures, and then you can finally put a story with an image =] so go back and read all of them or just look at pictures! I love you all...keep reading!
School has begun
So I have now been in school for 3 weeks now. It feels like it's a struggle for me everyday, I am really starting to feel the strain of being a FES (Foreign Exchange Student). It's really weird for me to go into a classroom and have only a slight idea of what the teacher is explaining, having to write down notes while the teacher is talking is impossible for me. This semester I am taking 4 classes equaling 12 credits, I already got 3 credits in September from a 4 week language class that I took, so in all this semester I will have 15 credits. I am taking a German Linguistic course, a Theatre class where a professor from Iowa is teaching it and we get to go to different plays in Freiburg, a German Composition and Conversation class, and a Children/Young adult literature class. And remember all of these classes are taught in German, and I have to write a 10 page paper for 3 of the classes. It is very stressful, but I am trying to stay calm through all of this.
I haven't really been doing much since my last post, since school started and we haven't traveled anywhere lately. Next weekend of November 20-23 I am going to Amsterdam with 9 of my friends, Eric is also going to be there that weekend which I am really excited for. I just really hope the weather is decent. Another trip coming up will be when my Mom and Dan come to visit Eric and I. We are going to show them around our parts of Germany and then take them to Paris, which I have not been. I am so excited. One thing also coming up is the Christmas season, everyone here is very into Christmas and Germany and a few other European countries have their own Weihnachtsmarkt (which means Christmas market), they sell a ton of small Christmas gifts and a very popular drink they have is called Glühwein( which is a warm drink of apple wine, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and lemon slices), I am really excited to try it. Another popular thing for Christmas are Lebkuchen (which are spices cookies...or close to Gingerbread), I can't wait for the Weihnachtsmarkt to open up, it starts at the end of November and goes until the day before Christmas, they have already started setting it up in Freiburg! Here are some pictures of the Weinachtsmarkt..the first one is actually in Freiburg.
Other than all these events coming up, not much is going on with my life here except for school and hanging out with my friends. I hope all is well back home! Happy Thanksgiving (soon) and have a wonderful Christmas too! It makes me sad that Eric and I can't be there, but it will be great to experience what a different culture does for Christmas!
Tschüss!!!
I haven't really been doing much since my last post, since school started and we haven't traveled anywhere lately. Next weekend of November 20-23 I am going to Amsterdam with 9 of my friends, Eric is also going to be there that weekend which I am really excited for. I just really hope the weather is decent. Another trip coming up will be when my Mom and Dan come to visit Eric and I. We are going to show them around our parts of Germany and then take them to Paris, which I have not been. I am so excited. One thing also coming up is the Christmas season, everyone here is very into Christmas and Germany and a few other European countries have their own Weihnachtsmarkt (which means Christmas market), they sell a ton of small Christmas gifts and a very popular drink they have is called Glühwein( which is a warm drink of apple wine, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and lemon slices), I am really excited to try it. Another popular thing for Christmas are Lebkuchen (which are spices cookies...or close to Gingerbread), I can't wait for the Weihnachtsmarkt to open up, it starts at the end of November and goes until the day before Christmas, they have already started setting it up in Freiburg! Here are some pictures of the Weinachtsmarkt..the first one is actually in Freiburg.
Other than all these events coming up, not much is going on with my life here except for school and hanging out with my friends. I hope all is well back home! Happy Thanksgiving (soon) and have a wonderful Christmas too! It makes me sad that Eric and I can't be there, but it will be great to experience what a different culture does for Christmas!
Tschüss!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Madrid and the start of school!
(Me and Kelly in Konstanz, Germany...it is right on the border of the German-Switzerland border...gorgeous city.)
So last week I ventured to Madrid Spain to visit my friend Diego, he studied in the USA for a year when I was a Junior in High School. I was actually really nervous to go because I was traveling totally by myself. It was quite an experience. I left Sunday October 12th at 12:15 AM and didn't arrive in Spain until 11:00 AM, and the night before I got no sleep because Jake, Kelly and I went to Konstanz, Germany which is southern Germany right next to Switzerland and it is on this really huge lake called The Bodensee. On a clear day you are able to see the Alps! Too bad it wasn't clear enough for us to see it, but the city was absolutely gorgeous. So once I got to Spain I was so exhausted. We actually didn't do much the whole week because Diego had University and we both were sick for about 2 days. It was actually really frustrating being in Spain knowing that I took 3 years of Spanish, but forgot everything! I couldn't communicate and barely anyone spoke English, so it was kind of lonely. Madrid was pretty, but it definitely was not what I was expecting from Spain. The weather was awesome, in the 70's the whole time, but the city was not very special to me, to me it just seemed like a big city, nothing really stood out. It was really nice to see Diego again though because it had been three years since we saw each other, he looked so different when he picked me up from the airport, with facial hair and all, granted he was 15 when he was in the USA... (I met up with my friend Jason in Madrid)(Picture of me in front of the post office in Madrid..it used to be a castle for the royal family) (Picture of me and Diego)
Spain was such a strange experience for me for a lot of reasons. One being that I have never encountered people that do so many drugs. Every time I was walking down the street people would just casually walk by me and mutter "Hashish?" I had no idea what that was until I came to Spain, apparently it's just like weed. It was everywhere in Spain. I know there are a lot of drugs in the USA, but I never feel directly confronted with them. Also another thing was prostitutes in Spain. I honestly don't think I have ever actually seen a real prostitute, of course I live in rural Iowa, but in Spain, women are just on the street and they will just go up to older men and coax them into going somewhere with them. Once I saw it I couldn't look away. Diego and his girlfriend were wondering why I was so fascinated, but I had just never actually seen it. Quite an experience. Hookers and drugs. This picture is of the amazing park in the center of Madrid, me and Diego's girlfriend.
I don't really know what I was expecting for Spanish food, but once I ate it I really did not like it. I just thought it was really bland and not my type of food. Spanish people ALWAYS eat ham too for some reason. They have these stores where there are just countless pig legs hanging from the ceiling. It looks so disgusting. Maybe just for Americans, seeing raw meat hanging from a ceiling for people to buy. Spain is known for rice, churros, tortilla, empanadas, and paella...I am sure some other things too, but these are what I experienced. Churros are also well known in the USA but they are made Mexican style, with cinnamon and sugar, the Churros in Spain are just long fried pieces of dough and you dip them in hot chocolate sauce. They are kind of good, but it was nasty seeing people actually drinking the chocolate sauce, acting like it was hot chocolate with marshmallows! Tortilla is a potato/onion cake thing...it just looks like an omelet, it was actually delicious. Empanadas are also good, the one I had was tuna (I actually hate Tuna fish but these were so good!) basically a pie type thing with meat and vegetables inside. And finally Paella is usually a seafood dish with rice, like squid and rice was very popular, seeing pictures of it made me sick...not a fan of that kind of seafood.
I had a good time seeing Diego. I also met up with one of my good friends that I hang out with in Freiburg. He was staying in Madrid for 3 days and we met up for dinner. I also hung out with Diego's girlfriend Maria a lot, she took me shopping and showed me around Madrid, we had a lot of fun. We also saw 2 famous Spanish actors, I obviously had not idea who they were but at least I saw some celebrities.
(Once I finally got back home to Freiburg from Spain...my friends and I went to a Brauerei (Brewerey) for Kelly's birthday, she is the one in the brown next to me...she also happened to go to school with Kyle Welch, my cousin...small world)
This week on Monday I finally started school, which will go until mid February. It was such an odd feeling I had on my first day. The feeling I had when I went to high school in Texas for the first day, feeling like the new kid, not knowing anyone. It was a really awkward feeling. I am taking 4 classes, my program offers quite a few classes for us to take, I am taking 3 of them. A history course of German unification to reunification (1871-1990), a course about theater which is taught by a professor from Iowa (she is German) and then a Composition and Conversation class. The one University class I am taking is either a Film class or a children's literature class. I went to the children's literature one on Monday and it was so hard for me because the teacher was talking and we were taking notes at the same time. Today I was supposed to go to my film class but we got so lost and never found the class. Nonetheless I am very excited to start a whole year of German classes so I can start my way on becoming fluent!
Other than that not much is going on here. I think my friends and I are planning on going to Amsterdam, Holland (Netherlands) in November and I may be going to Stockholm, Sweden in the beginning of December to see a friend of mine, Diana. It is nice to feel more settled in here now! I just found out also that the exchange rate is $1.28=1 Euro!! Which is amazing considering when I came to Germany in August it was $1.60=1 Euro. Hope all is well at home, and mom I really hope you visit soon! Love you all!
Tschuess! (Bye)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Mannheim, Heidelberg, Visiting Eric
Last weekend I went to visit Eric from Thursday to Sunday. We had a lot of fun. We first went to Heidelberg on Friday and it was actually a really gorgeous day. Heidelberg is a huge touristy part of Germany, because it is the epitome of what people think when they think of Germany. We walked up to the castle. Of course I was huffing and puffing the whole way there because it was a walk that was basically straight up! Eric was wondering why I was so out of breath..haha. In Heidelberg I heard the most English I have heard since I have been in Germany, it was kind of weird actually. Some lady from Wisconsin actually came up to me and Eric to talk because she heard us speaking English. After we walked around throughout the castle and saw the amazing view of Heidelberg and the forest we went to a little bar to get something to drink and I had a little snack. A German couple from Bremen asked us if they could sit at the same table with us because the whole restaurant was full and we had 2 free seats at our table. So they started talking to us in German and then asked us if we were from Denmark? haha it was kind of weird that they assumed we were from there, because our accents are pretty American, at least mine is anyway. We finally told them we were from the USA and got into a huge discussion lasting about 2 hours ! The woman was saying she thinks that American accents sound like we are speaking with a hot potato in our mouths...haha!!! So that was a comparison I have never heard before. And of course they had to ask what our views on McCain and Obama were, EVERY German seems so interested on our political views, which is strange for me, because I really have never gotten into many political discussions. ( Pictures of me and Eric at the Castle in Heidelberg)
Needless to say Heidelberg was so beautiful, especially at this time of year in the fall because all the leaves are changing and perfect weather to walk around the city. On Saturday we explored Mannheim. It is so different from where I am at in Freiburg. Mannheim is very industrialized, and flat. While in Freiburg, I am surrounded by the Black Forest and everything is very old looking, and every road has cobble stones. But Mannheim was definitely a change of scenery for me, especially the amount of Turkish people there were there, Freiburg definitely doesn't have very many. Mannheim's weather is also very different because it will be totally sunny and not a cloud in the sky and then 30 minutes later it will be cloudy and about to rain, it does this everyday. Eric got mad at me because I didn't take my umbrella with me the first day, because he knew it would rain at least once...and unluckily for me it did. All of Eric's roomates were gone all weekend so I didn't get to meet any of them but I did meet his Brazilian friends. He definitely has a knack for developing a very diverse group of friends...lol. Mannheim also has a really pretty water tower downtown, definitely looks nothing like "water towers" in the USA. The Mannheim Castle was also a sight to see. It was so enormous! I think the whole castle took up about 6 city blocks!! Eric also took me to this amazing church that he stumbled upon one day, it didn't look very pretty from the outside but once we walked in, my jaw dropped! Everything was marble, gold and green, it was so pretty, and my pictures don't do justice at all! sadly.
(Eric by the garden in Mannnheim/Wasserturm...the fountain was amazing.)
(Picture of me in front of the Wasserturm...Water tower in Mannheim) thank god it was actually a nice day in Mannheim.) (Eric in front of the enormous John Deere Plant...you can't tell from the picture but it was huge)
I also met my Tandem partner last week and I went to the Hookah bar with her and 2 of her Ukrainian friends. We had a lot of fun just talking, both in English and German. Her English is so good, I was wondering why she wanted me for a tandem partner, but I really hope she can help me improve my German. Her name is Anne Winkel and she is 22 years old, so I am glad I have a new German girl friend.
So right now I am on my 2 week break before University starts. Tomorrow I think me, Kelly, and Jake (my AYF friends) are going to Triberg in the Black Forest. It apparently has the biggest waterfall in Germany and home of the Cuckoo Clock, which originated in the Black Forest. So I am sure it will be really pretty there.
Next week from Sunday October 12-October 19 I am going to Madrid, Spain to see my friend Diego, he was an exchange student at North Scott High School when I was a Junior and we became really good friends. He lives in downtown Madrid so I am sure it will be soo pretty! The weather is supposed to be nice the whole week too, around 65-72! perfect weather! It just sucks that I have to fit everything that I am taking into a backpack because to check my luggage it cost 30 Euros ($43)!! So knowing me I am sure I'll over pack! But that's my plan for the next week...on October 20th I start German University! I am definitely getting a little scared because every class is in German of course! So I hope I can keep up and get some good grades!
I hope everything is going great back at home...even though the economy is taking a big hit!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Needless to say Heidelberg was so beautiful, especially at this time of year in the fall because all the leaves are changing and perfect weather to walk around the city. On Saturday we explored Mannheim. It is so different from where I am at in Freiburg. Mannheim is very industrialized, and flat. While in Freiburg, I am surrounded by the Black Forest and everything is very old looking, and every road has cobble stones. But Mannheim was definitely a change of scenery for me, especially the amount of Turkish people there were there, Freiburg definitely doesn't have very many. Mannheim's weather is also very different because it will be totally sunny and not a cloud in the sky and then 30 minutes later it will be cloudy and about to rain, it does this everyday. Eric got mad at me because I didn't take my umbrella with me the first day, because he knew it would rain at least once...and unluckily for me it did. All of Eric's roomates were gone all weekend so I didn't get to meet any of them but I did meet his Brazilian friends. He definitely has a knack for developing a very diverse group of friends...lol. Mannheim also has a really pretty water tower downtown, definitely looks nothing like "water towers" in the USA. The Mannheim Castle was also a sight to see. It was so enormous! I think the whole castle took up about 6 city blocks!! Eric also took me to this amazing church that he stumbled upon one day, it didn't look very pretty from the outside but once we walked in, my jaw dropped! Everything was marble, gold and green, it was so pretty, and my pictures don't do justice at all! sadly.
(Eric by the garden in Mannnheim/Wasserturm...the fountain was amazing.)
(Picture of me in front of the Wasserturm...Water tower in Mannheim) thank god it was actually a nice day in Mannheim.) (Eric in front of the enormous John Deere Plant...you can't tell from the picture but it was huge)
I also met my Tandem partner last week and I went to the Hookah bar with her and 2 of her Ukrainian friends. We had a lot of fun just talking, both in English and German. Her English is so good, I was wondering why she wanted me for a tandem partner, but I really hope she can help me improve my German. Her name is Anne Winkel and she is 22 years old, so I am glad I have a new German girl friend.
So right now I am on my 2 week break before University starts. Tomorrow I think me, Kelly, and Jake (my AYF friends) are going to Triberg in the Black Forest. It apparently has the biggest waterfall in Germany and home of the Cuckoo Clock, which originated in the Black Forest. So I am sure it will be really pretty there.
Next week from Sunday October 12-October 19 I am going to Madrid, Spain to see my friend Diego, he was an exchange student at North Scott High School when I was a Junior and we became really good friends. He lives in downtown Madrid so I am sure it will be soo pretty! The weather is supposed to be nice the whole week too, around 65-72! perfect weather! It just sucks that I have to fit everything that I am taking into a backpack because to check my luggage it cost 30 Euros ($43)!! So knowing me I am sure I'll over pack! But that's my plan for the next week...on October 20th I start German University! I am definitely getting a little scared because every class is in German of course! So I hope I can keep up and get some good grades!
I hope everything is going great back at home...even though the economy is taking a big hit!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Freiburg 2008
Last weekend we went to France and to an SC (Sport Club) Freiburg soccer game, it was so much fun. We went right over the German border to France and went to a medieval castle that was on top of a huge hill or I think what looked like a mountain. The view was amazing because we got there in the morning around 9 and the weather was perfect! We could see so far and everything was just all green and trees everywhere. The castle itself was really cool too, I loved it because I love really old architecture and learning the history of it. One thing I love is Cathedrals, especially the one we visited in Cologne and we have nearly the same one in Freiburg too, just smaller... I love Gothic architecture, it's just so ornate and detailed. After we went to the Castle we drove in the bus for about 20 minutes to a quaint little French town called Colmar. It was really beautiful, and it was a very stereotypical French town, with Crepes on every corner, bakeries and the typical old French architecture. It was beautiful to just walk around in the town for a few hours.
Colmar, France(Me and Kelly in the weapon room of the castle...this picture is pretty cheesy)
(The buildings in Colmar were so pretty...really colorful...I wish Eldridge Iowa looked like this...lol.) (Me and Kelly at the bottom of the castle) (The castle in Colmar, France...Le Haut Koenigsbourg) (Picture of the really cute buildings as we were coming into Colmar, France.)
Then on Sunday Kelly and I had already purchased tickets for the soccer game and planned on going, then everyone decided they wanted to come too, so we had about 6 of us at the game and it was so much fun! We were really squished in the crowd because we definitely didn't get there early enough but it was such a blast! I don't think there are more dedicated fans than soccer fans! And we learned a lot of chants and songs that they sing at every game, so it was really fun getting into it. The guy in front of me though was getting annoyed with me for sure...hahah I just kept like screaming all the chants with everyone else and I think I was a little bit too close to his right ear...haha. That is one thing I definitely have to again, I think there are still 4 more home games left...so hopefully I can make it to every one.
(At the Freiburg game...Freiburg WON! the bottom picture is of Kelly and I , we bought t-shirts that said "Wir sind Himmelisch..aber wir koennen auch anders" Which means we are heavenly, but we could be different...rough translation.) It was such a fun game.
This week has actually been pretty stressful because my class for the International House has given so much homework and then we had to give a Referat (presentation) on friday, and I definitely hate public speaking more than anything! I have no idea why, because I am not a shy person. But I actually did really well, and was soo happy to get it over with! And next week we will be done with the class on Thursday and we also have one more huge test to take! So hopefully I can contain my stress. I am also getting nervous for classes to start because I have no idea how difficult they will be and if I will be able to understand. German professors are also so different from US professors, being that they really don't care that I am from the USA, they don't usually accommodate for people, so that is kind of scary. Everything about German school is sooo different from the USA because after elementary school everyone breaks off into their own different schools...like Gymnasium(for kids with the best grades) and then there are 3 lower schools and you basically have to choose what you want to do when you are around 13 and stick with it all through college or however far you choose to go in education. In the USA there is so much more leeway in choosing your major, I have had friends that have changed their major 5 times before they graduate college, so it is so different compared to the USA.
Other than the whole school thing, everything has been wonderful here! This whole weekend has been absolutely gorgeous and amazing weather. Last night my roomate Joanna and I cooked dinner for our German roommates, we made baked macaroni and cheese, salad, and baked cinnamon apples! It was soo good, and I think our roommates were kind of amazed that we could cook..haha. I think I am getting sick, it seems like everyone I know is coming down with something, so I am really trying to avoid getting sick because I have so much coming up in the next few weeks! I hope everything is going great back home...well except for all the companies going under!!! I really hope the dollar doesn't totally lose it's value by the time I come home!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Colmar, France(Me and Kelly in the weapon room of the castle...this picture is pretty cheesy)
(The buildings in Colmar were so pretty...really colorful...I wish Eldridge Iowa looked like this...lol.) (Me and Kelly at the bottom of the castle) (The castle in Colmar, France...Le Haut Koenigsbourg) (Picture of the really cute buildings as we were coming into Colmar, France.)
Then on Sunday Kelly and I had already purchased tickets for the soccer game and planned on going, then everyone decided they wanted to come too, so we had about 6 of us at the game and it was so much fun! We were really squished in the crowd because we definitely didn't get there early enough but it was such a blast! I don't think there are more dedicated fans than soccer fans! And we learned a lot of chants and songs that they sing at every game, so it was really fun getting into it. The guy in front of me though was getting annoyed with me for sure...hahah I just kept like screaming all the chants with everyone else and I think I was a little bit too close to his right ear...haha. That is one thing I definitely have to again, I think there are still 4 more home games left...so hopefully I can make it to every one.
(At the Freiburg game...Freiburg WON! the bottom picture is of Kelly and I , we bought t-shirts that said "Wir sind Himmelisch..aber wir koennen auch anders" Which means we are heavenly, but we could be different...rough translation.) It was such a fun game.
This week has actually been pretty stressful because my class for the International House has given so much homework and then we had to give a Referat (presentation) on friday, and I definitely hate public speaking more than anything! I have no idea why, because I am not a shy person. But I actually did really well, and was soo happy to get it over with! And next week we will be done with the class on Thursday and we also have one more huge test to take! So hopefully I can contain my stress. I am also getting nervous for classes to start because I have no idea how difficult they will be and if I will be able to understand. German professors are also so different from US professors, being that they really don't care that I am from the USA, they don't usually accommodate for people, so that is kind of scary. Everything about German school is sooo different from the USA because after elementary school everyone breaks off into their own different schools...like Gymnasium(for kids with the best grades) and then there are 3 lower schools and you basically have to choose what you want to do when you are around 13 and stick with it all through college or however far you choose to go in education. In the USA there is so much more leeway in choosing your major, I have had friends that have changed their major 5 times before they graduate college, so it is so different compared to the USA.
Other than the whole school thing, everything has been wonderful here! This whole weekend has been absolutely gorgeous and amazing weather. Last night my roomate Joanna and I cooked dinner for our German roommates, we made baked macaroni and cheese, salad, and baked cinnamon apples! It was soo good, and I think our roommates were kind of amazed that we could cook..haha. I think I am getting sick, it seems like everyone I know is coming down with something, so I am really trying to avoid getting sick because I have so much coming up in the next few weeks! I hope everything is going great back home...well except for all the companies going under!!! I really hope the dollar doesn't totally lose it's value by the time I come home!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Freiburg
So now I have been in Freiburg for almost 3 weeks and it is really amazing. I feel like I have been in Germany for so long already! This week has been pretty difficult with my class because we had 2 tests this week and it was pretty stressful because this 4 week class is counting toward my GPA back home and I am getting 3 credits for it... so it puts a little bit more pressure on me.
Pictures of the Muenster (the cathedral in Freiburg) and of St. Martin's Tor in Freiburg, very well known monuments in Freiburg
This weekend we are going to Alsace, France and on Sunday I am going to an SC Freiburg Fussball game..which is the soccer team in Freiburg, apparently they are pretty good too! I can't wait to go because from what I have seen of European soccer games it looks crazy and soccer fans are unlike any other sport fan! As far as going to Alsace, I don't know too much about the city but I know that it is territory that France and Germany have been fighting over for years. There is a castle there and other cool things to see, I think it is a traditional city. Eric went to Heidelberg on Wednesday September 17 and I think he thought it was really cool! I have read about it and it sounds beautiful! There is a castle there and I think it is one of the oldest German cities. Their University is the oldest in Germany dating back to the 1300s. It is strange that the city only has about 100.000 citizens but they have over 3.5 million tourists per year...so I definitely have to visit Heidelberg soon!
My friends and I (at the Schlossberg Biergarten and at Art Cafe)
Eric and I have been talking about where we want to go for our break that we have coming up. I have 2 weeks off from October 5-19 and Eric has one week off. We think we are going to see Berlin for a few days and then I think I might go to Spain for a week to see Diego in Madrid and hopefully travel to some other cities too, I really want to go to Barcelona and one of the many Spanish islands. I can't wait to start traveling and see new places! I definitely want to go to Switzerland too in the winter time to ski and see Simona. Except Switzerland is FAR more expensive than I would have ever thought, when our AYF group went to Basel everything was closed because it was Sunday and we went to Mcdonalds to eat thinking it would be super cheap, but were we wrong...my meal cost about $15!!! At Mcdonalds!!! I was totally amazed. And when Simona came here she was in awe about how much cheaper things were here, so she bought a ton of shampoo and hair stuff because they don't ever sell it that cheap inn Switzerland.
(Me at the Biergarten beer garden at the Schlossberg, you can see all of Freiburg from there...probably my favorite spot in Freiburg, I also will hopefully be working there in the Spring)
I can't wait to see what new adventures await me!
(Me and Jake standing over the Baechle they are little canals through all of Freiburg, which used to be their water source, it's one thing that Freiburg is well known for, some days there is water flowing through them and sometimes not. Myth is that if you step in one on accident then you will marry a Freiburger)
One thing I also didn't know was the weather here, I figured it would be nicer but actually it has gotten cold quite fast and I definitely didn't bring enough warm clothes so I have had to buy some sweaters and a couple light jackets and of course some scarves, Germans wear scarves all the time, even if it is 80 degrees outside...haha. Oh another thing...Simona is going to try out for the Swiss Idol singing show soon so watch out for her...she will be the next big thing...haha.
I have found it to be so fun just going around by myself in Freiburg and just exploring, I have seen so much that I wouldn't normally see being with a huge group of people. The only thing that is hard is when so many people just assume that I am German and ask me questions and I can't think very fast on my feet and say something fast in German so I end up just staring at them blankly...haha it is pretty embarrassing, but we were warned before we came here that we would be embarrassed quite a bit! and that has definitely proved true!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Pictures of the Muenster (the cathedral in Freiburg) and of St. Martin's Tor in Freiburg, very well known monuments in Freiburg
This weekend we are going to Alsace, France and on Sunday I am going to an SC Freiburg Fussball game..which is the soccer team in Freiburg, apparently they are pretty good too! I can't wait to go because from what I have seen of European soccer games it looks crazy and soccer fans are unlike any other sport fan! As far as going to Alsace, I don't know too much about the city but I know that it is territory that France and Germany have been fighting over for years. There is a castle there and other cool things to see, I think it is a traditional city. Eric went to Heidelberg on Wednesday September 17 and I think he thought it was really cool! I have read about it and it sounds beautiful! There is a castle there and I think it is one of the oldest German cities. Their University is the oldest in Germany dating back to the 1300s. It is strange that the city only has about 100.000 citizens but they have over 3.5 million tourists per year...so I definitely have to visit Heidelberg soon!
My friends and I (at the Schlossberg Biergarten and at Art Cafe)
Eric and I have been talking about where we want to go for our break that we have coming up. I have 2 weeks off from October 5-19 and Eric has one week off. We think we are going to see Berlin for a few days and then I think I might go to Spain for a week to see Diego in Madrid and hopefully travel to some other cities too, I really want to go to Barcelona and one of the many Spanish islands. I can't wait to start traveling and see new places! I definitely want to go to Switzerland too in the winter time to ski and see Simona. Except Switzerland is FAR more expensive than I would have ever thought, when our AYF group went to Basel everything was closed because it was Sunday and we went to Mcdonalds to eat thinking it would be super cheap, but were we wrong...my meal cost about $15!!! At Mcdonalds!!! I was totally amazed. And when Simona came here she was in awe about how much cheaper things were here, so she bought a ton of shampoo and hair stuff because they don't ever sell it that cheap inn Switzerland.
(Me at the Biergarten beer garden at the Schlossberg, you can see all of Freiburg from there...probably my favorite spot in Freiburg, I also will hopefully be working there in the Spring)
I can't wait to see what new adventures await me!
(Me and Jake standing over the Baechle they are little canals through all of Freiburg, which used to be their water source, it's one thing that Freiburg is well known for, some days there is water flowing through them and sometimes not. Myth is that if you step in one on accident then you will marry a Freiburger)
One thing I also didn't know was the weather here, I figured it would be nicer but actually it has gotten cold quite fast and I definitely didn't bring enough warm clothes so I have had to buy some sweaters and a couple light jackets and of course some scarves, Germans wear scarves all the time, even if it is 80 degrees outside...haha. Oh another thing...Simona is going to try out for the Swiss Idol singing show soon so watch out for her...she will be the next big thing...haha.
I have found it to be so fun just going around by myself in Freiburg and just exploring, I have seen so much that I wouldn't normally see being with a huge group of people. The only thing that is hard is when so many people just assume that I am German and ask me questions and I can't think very fast on my feet and say something fast in German so I end up just staring at them blankly...haha it is pretty embarrassing, but we were warned before we came here that we would be embarrassed quite a bit! and that has definitely proved true!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Already a month in Germany
Today I realized that I have been in Germany for a month already! Although it honestly feels like longer because it feels so natural being here. I am so excited for the year here, I have already learned so much about the language and the way of life here.
This weekend Eric and Simona came to visit me in Freiburg, we had a lot of fun. It was so nice to see Simona again since it has been 3 years since I last saw her! She came here on Thursday night and I was actually pretty nervous to see her for some reason, but then we saw each other and it was exactly how we were in high school which was a huge relief. That night we went to an Italian restaurant and just talked the whole night, it was really fun. Eric came the next day and unfortunately the weather was crappy so we didn't do too much. The weather was actually horrible to whole weekend but on Sunday we woke up to a totally sunny day! I was so mad because it was constantly raining the WHOLE weekend. Nevertheless we had a lot of fun hanging out together.
I have noticed some people here are not very hygiene conscious. An example of that was when Eric, Simona and I got on the Strassenbahn and smelled something so foul that we all almost upchucked! Not saying that people here are all dirty but some really need to invest in a shower once in a while. It seems more of an occurrence in the Strassenbahn because it is usually hot and very crowded in there.
I hope some of you who read this can find a way to come and visit because it is amazing here and the city is gorgeous. I am so happy I have this opportunity here =].
One thing that is a bit difficult for me here is cooking because everything is a bit different and when i go to the grocery store back home I know exactly what I want to buy, but here I spend quite a bit of time going through the stores searching for something I would like. Something great about grocery shopping here though is how cheap it is! The other day I went and bought so much that I could barely carry and it was only 22 Euros which is about $30! Another thing though is that on Sundays basically everything is closed so if you need groceries you really can't get any, Sunday is really dedicated to relaxing and spending time with friends and family, I really like it.
Today we were supposed to go hiking in the Schwarzwald to this lookout point which is about 1 mile high in the air! And once you get there you climb a tower and can even see the Alps! Unfortunately the trip was cancelled yesterday because it was raining all day and I think they thought it would rain again today but it was actually a beautiful day today, about 59 degrees and sunshine all day! It was awesome. Eric and I sat by the lake that is right next to my apartment for a while, it was so peaceful and beautiful. Fall has definitely arrived here, and I love it, it is definitely my favorite holiday, I can't wait for all the leaves to turn orange and red because my whole city is surrounded by trees and the Schwarzwald! It will be so beautiful.
Anyway I will keep updating this so keep reading!
Aufwiedersehen!!!
This weekend Eric and Simona came to visit me in Freiburg, we had a lot of fun. It was so nice to see Simona again since it has been 3 years since I last saw her! She came here on Thursday night and I was actually pretty nervous to see her for some reason, but then we saw each other and it was exactly how we were in high school which was a huge relief. That night we went to an Italian restaurant and just talked the whole night, it was really fun. Eric came the next day and unfortunately the weather was crappy so we didn't do too much. The weather was actually horrible to whole weekend but on Sunday we woke up to a totally sunny day! I was so mad because it was constantly raining the WHOLE weekend. Nevertheless we had a lot of fun hanging out together.
I have noticed some people here are not very hygiene conscious. An example of that was when Eric, Simona and I got on the Strassenbahn and smelled something so foul that we all almost upchucked! Not saying that people here are all dirty but some really need to invest in a shower once in a while. It seems more of an occurrence in the Strassenbahn because it is usually hot and very crowded in there.
I hope some of you who read this can find a way to come and visit because it is amazing here and the city is gorgeous. I am so happy I have this opportunity here =].
One thing that is a bit difficult for me here is cooking because everything is a bit different and when i go to the grocery store back home I know exactly what I want to buy, but here I spend quite a bit of time going through the stores searching for something I would like. Something great about grocery shopping here though is how cheap it is! The other day I went and bought so much that I could barely carry and it was only 22 Euros which is about $30! Another thing though is that on Sundays basically everything is closed so if you need groceries you really can't get any, Sunday is really dedicated to relaxing and spending time with friends and family, I really like it.
Today we were supposed to go hiking in the Schwarzwald to this lookout point which is about 1 mile high in the air! And once you get there you climb a tower and can even see the Alps! Unfortunately the trip was cancelled yesterday because it was raining all day and I think they thought it would rain again today but it was actually a beautiful day today, about 59 degrees and sunshine all day! It was awesome. Eric and I sat by the lake that is right next to my apartment for a while, it was so peaceful and beautiful. Fall has definitely arrived here, and I love it, it is definitely my favorite holiday, I can't wait for all the leaves to turn orange and red because my whole city is surrounded by trees and the Schwarzwald! It will be so beautiful.
Anyway I will keep updating this so keep reading!
Aufwiedersehen!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Finally in Freiburg
I left Duesseldorf on September 1st 2008 and it was a crazy day of traveling, a 5 hour train ride. It was funny while leaving Duesseldorf because Eric and Flo's mom (Andrea) were on the train helping me get all of my huge bags to my seat and all of the sudden the train started leaving! Eric and Andrea had to quickly jump off a moving train which was hilarious to watch, but after they jumped off little old me was just sitting in the middle of the narrow aisle in the train and my biggest bag couldn't even fit through the aisle and all these Germans were staring at me! Finally someone helped me carry them to my seat and get situated. Once I got to the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof (train station) I had to check in at the AYF desk, it was so hard to take all my bags all the way to my apartment. I don't even want to think about coming home because of the packing! HA!
Since we have been here it has definitely been a culture shock but I love it! It helps me learn things so much faster! Although my german language is definitely not by any means great, I really think I have been improving so much, which is such an amazing feeling. I honestly could see myself moving here for a while, I just love the culture and the city is absolutely beautiful with the mountains and Schwarzwald (Black Forrest) surrounding the city! The city is exactly like a postcard.
Last Sunday we went to Basel, Switzerland which is just over the German border. It was a gorgeous city! But everything there was outrageously expensive! Ironically all we bought there was Mcdonalds and it was about 10 Euros or about $13! We also went on a Sunday so nothing was open! =[ So we definitely missed out on the city for the most part. This coming Sunday we are traveling to the Shauinsland which is in the Black Forrest and hiking/ going to a restaurant inn the Black Forrest. I am pretty excited because you can see the whole city of Freiburg there! And Wednesday (tomorrow) we are going to a Biergarten in the Schwarzwald for some formal dinner that the International House if holding for us. So we have to dress up and walk up a mountain...sounds really fun! haha I definitely can't wear heels for that! I just am really excited to start traveling and learning more about Germany and Europe.
Simona and Eric are coming to Freiburg this weekend and I am so excited because I haven't seen Simona in 3 years!!
It has been nice because I have already set up my room in my apartment, fully equipped with IKEA! I love my apartment too because I have 7 other roomates but I don't know all of them yet because there are people moving in and out this month. I have a huge kitchen 3 bathrooms on my side of the apartment, and we also have a balcony, the rent is much cheaper than the USA too!
It is really strange going grocery shopping here because you have to bring your own bags to bag the groceries yourself! haha so I guess you all should be happy for the convenience of Wal- Mart and HyVee. Germans go grocery probably 2-3 times a week I think because you can't carry too much back to the apartment alone.
Another funny thing that happened here was when I didn't realize what a douvee was. The first day when I came into my room there were 2 sheets, a pillowcase and a big comforter on the bed, all WHITE. So the next day me, Zach and Shane were all at Ikea and Zach and I were talking about how dirty our comforters were, and finally Shane interrupted and was like...you guys know that 'comforter' is supposed to go INSIDE the douvee cover! hahah and we had both slept with this dirty white looking comforter over us the night before!
I also love the history of this city. Freiburg was almost completely taken out by WWII but the one thing that was almost completely intact was the Muenster which is the huge cathedral that is in the center of town. There are also bullet holes on some of the University buildings from WWII! The Baechele are so neat too, they are little canals running through the whole city, sometimes they have water running through them and sometimes now. Most days here there is water running through them. Apparently they were the source of water for the whole city years ago. All I can say is that this city is so amazing and beautiful, nothing comparable to flat Iowa, it is nice to see some new scenery.
Aufwiedersehen
Since we have been here it has definitely been a culture shock but I love it! It helps me learn things so much faster! Although my german language is definitely not by any means great, I really think I have been improving so much, which is such an amazing feeling. I honestly could see myself moving here for a while, I just love the culture and the city is absolutely beautiful with the mountains and Schwarzwald (Black Forrest) surrounding the city! The city is exactly like a postcard.
Last Sunday we went to Basel, Switzerland which is just over the German border. It was a gorgeous city! But everything there was outrageously expensive! Ironically all we bought there was Mcdonalds and it was about 10 Euros or about $13! We also went on a Sunday so nothing was open! =[ So we definitely missed out on the city for the most part. This coming Sunday we are traveling to the Shauinsland which is in the Black Forrest and hiking/ going to a restaurant inn the Black Forrest. I am pretty excited because you can see the whole city of Freiburg there! And Wednesday (tomorrow) we are going to a Biergarten in the Schwarzwald for some formal dinner that the International House if holding for us. So we have to dress up and walk up a mountain...sounds really fun! haha I definitely can't wear heels for that! I just am really excited to start traveling and learning more about Germany and Europe.
Simona and Eric are coming to Freiburg this weekend and I am so excited because I haven't seen Simona in 3 years!!
It has been nice because I have already set up my room in my apartment, fully equipped with IKEA! I love my apartment too because I have 7 other roomates but I don't know all of them yet because there are people moving in and out this month. I have a huge kitchen 3 bathrooms on my side of the apartment, and we also have a balcony, the rent is much cheaper than the USA too!
It is really strange going grocery shopping here because you have to bring your own bags to bag the groceries yourself! haha so I guess you all should be happy for the convenience of Wal- Mart and HyVee. Germans go grocery probably 2-3 times a week I think because you can't carry too much back to the apartment alone.
Another funny thing that happened here was when I didn't realize what a douvee was. The first day when I came into my room there were 2 sheets, a pillowcase and a big comforter on the bed, all WHITE. So the next day me, Zach and Shane were all at Ikea and Zach and I were talking about how dirty our comforters were, and finally Shane interrupted and was like...you guys know that 'comforter' is supposed to go INSIDE the douvee cover! hahah and we had both slept with this dirty white looking comforter over us the night before!
I also love the history of this city. Freiburg was almost completely taken out by WWII but the one thing that was almost completely intact was the Muenster which is the huge cathedral that is in the center of town. There are also bullet holes on some of the University buildings from WWII! The Baechele are so neat too, they are little canals running through the whole city, sometimes they have water running through them and sometimes now. Most days here there is water running through them. Apparently they were the source of water for the whole city years ago. All I can say is that this city is so amazing and beautiful, nothing comparable to flat Iowa, it is nice to see some new scenery.
Aufwiedersehen
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