Heeelllooo internet
I'm sorry I've been neglecting you.
First weekend in Berlin: went with Nick & Ed for a day in Berlin to see Hertha Berlin play. They are in the first division of German soccer, the Bundesliga, and it was an incredible experience. There were over 71,000 people there - at a soccer game! I knew it was big in Europe, but I had no idea. Ed says it's just like going to a Browns game, and I believe him. They won 2-0, and that was pretty awesome. Before the game, we decided to wander, and we came upon the Reichstag (German government building, like our Congress) and all kinds of other cool stuff. Berlin has such personality.. I can't quite get my head around it.
Second weekend in Berlin: this was the official weekend designated for all of us on the trip. We left early Saturday morning, and arrived around 10:30 am. We went to the Sony Center at Postdamer Platz, which was really neat. I got some awesome pictures of the former Berlin Wall, but my Internet isn't letting me upload anything, and neither is Facebook (which makes sense, considering that Facebook is on the Internet, but, I digress). Postdamer Platz was completely destroyed in WWII, and today it is the hip, young part of town. I had a pretty good hot dog there, so I thought it was quite lovely.
We then went to a Holocaust and terror remembrance from WWII. It was outdoors, and wonderful. It's incredible, to read hundreds of stories of millions of lives altered because they did not lend themselves to one person's concept of racial purity. I read one letter, sent from one SS officer to another, about the sending of French Jewish children from a ghetto to a concentration camp for extermination - the sender encouraged sending random adults to make the children feel safe. Needless to say, I felt sick, but also glad that this kind of display is literally out in the open, for discussion and to make the world aware that this really happened, and that it is our job to make sure that it never does again. On Sunday, we went to another Holocaust memorial, and it was incredible. The museum underneath the memorial (which will make more sense if I can get pictures to work) was interesting, displaying entire families in different regions and countries completely eliminated during the war. I can't imagine a family completely dying out, in a matter of months. I can't imagine running from my family, leaving them all behind, knowing it was my only chance at survival. I hope I never have to do something like that, and I hope I never am witness to anything like this occuring anywhere ever again.
We also took a tour of the Reichstag, which was AWESOME for nerdy Liz. They sometimes vote by walking out of 'ja' or 'nein' doors. Hilarious. Their system of government is interesting - according to our guide, if their "spectator seating" is not mostly full, the governmental body doesn't like to work, because then they feel like no one cares. The press lobby was so cool, and oh, I just love government.
The Brandenburg gate is completely awesome. End of story.
Greece.
Wow. The most incredible four days of my life. We got there on Thursday about 5 PM, checked into our hostel around 6, and then met up with Meg's friend who studies there and ate a fabulous dinner. We then walked to the acropolis and sat on a huge pile of marble rocks (I know, it sounds lame, but it was so neat) from which you can see all of Athens. I got it by night and day, don't worry. We went to bed at a decent hour. We got up on Friday and went back to Placa, where we had dinner and where you get to the Acropolis from. We went back to the rock and we got our day time pictures. Then, we walked down and saw the Roman and Greek Agora ruins. Then, we went to the coolest market ever. I got a dress, don't worry. We met up with Meg's friend again, and took the bus to the edge of Athens, where we beatched it for a few. Later, we caught dinner, and went to bed.
Saturday, we took a ferry to Aegina, which is an island in the Aegean Sea. It was awesome. We laid in the sun all day, I read a book, and we swam and explored and ate. Downside: Greeks prepare shrimp with the heads and legs still on. Never eating shrimp again - couldn't eat them when they were staring at me with such sad little eyes. Not much elseto say about it, except that the island was GORGEOUS, and I want to go back with my mom =].
Sunday, we did the touristy stuff, and saw the Parthenon, Zeus' temple, Hadrian's Arch, an Olympic Stadium from the 1800s, and the National Gardens. The thing about Athens is that there are random ruins everywhere. We were walking and came upon some below the flea market. And, a roman bath in the middle of the side of the road. Intense. Incredible. I took almost 300 pictures, for your enjoyment at a later date.=]
Anyway, this trip has been a wonderful experience, and I'm so glad I came. I am ready to come home, though. I'm exhausted, and I miss my family and friends. I can't wait to see you all.
Totals for trip:
Money left: 881 dollars
Time left: 12 days
Books read: 10
Scarves purchased: 7 for me, 6 for others
Souveniers purchased for others: 19 and counting
Pictures taken: about 1,000
Hours slept on average: 5.5 hours
Enjoyment: infinite
Miss you!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Prague and School
Hey guys! No pictures this time - sorry, but I know you all have facebook, so you can check them out there. For clarification, Pussy Food refers to a drink on a menu at the orange & black restaurant in one of my albums. I thought it was a hilarious name for a non-alcoholic drink, and that's why it's part of the album title =]
Prague. Was. Incredible. We were only there for three days, but I feel like I could stay for three months and still barely know the city. It was packed, of course, because we went for May Day Weekend, which is a holiday weekend in the EU. We went to see the Castle, but mostly walked all the way up the hill for the birds eye view of the main city, as it was 2.5 hour wait for almost every exhibition, and so not worth it on such a beautiful day. We did, however, get to seriously explore the main city square, the Jewish Quarter, the hills leading up to der Prager Schloss, and we explored the gardens surrounding the Czech Parliament (beautiful, check out my pictures with garden scenery in them for more details).
I loved every minute of it - I finally got my gift for my dear mother =] which means I've purchased for: Mom, Dad, Daniel, Steven, Dylan, Sean, Lily, Aunt Laura, Killian, Katie, Rachel, and Erica. I still need to buy for Uncle Dave, Uncle Chris, Aunt Heather, something else for Steven, Courtney, and Taylor. I just hope I don't run out of Euros in the process =]. Don't spazz, mother-like-figures, I'm not running out of money just yet and I'm not spending huge amounts of cash on gifts. So don't yell at me for spending my money on you, okay? Deal.
I don't even know how to start talking about it - just look at my pictures. We met some British girls & another American, who actually study @ Uni Leipzig mit uns, so that's pretty cool because we can hang out with them now (which we did, for cinco de mayo - which, by the way, is sadly NOT celebrated here).
School is school; my German class is killing me. The tests are really short, so each point off is horrible. And the projects are really challenging - I'm nervous this will be my first B. But, I guess, it had to happen, and I'm so happy to be having so much fun here =]
I need to go; German test tomorrow (even though the lower level has no class tomorrow!) and then Berlin on Saturday for a soccer game. Ed's birthday present - I'm so nice. =]
Miss you all!
Prague. Was. Incredible. We were only there for three days, but I feel like I could stay for three months and still barely know the city. It was packed, of course, because we went for May Day Weekend, which is a holiday weekend in the EU. We went to see the Castle, but mostly walked all the way up the hill for the birds eye view of the main city, as it was 2.5 hour wait for almost every exhibition, and so not worth it on such a beautiful day. We did, however, get to seriously explore the main city square, the Jewish Quarter, the hills leading up to der Prager Schloss, and we explored the gardens surrounding the Czech Parliament (beautiful, check out my pictures with garden scenery in them for more details).
I loved every minute of it - I finally got my gift for my dear mother =] which means I've purchased for: Mom, Dad, Daniel, Steven, Dylan, Sean, Lily, Aunt Laura, Killian, Katie, Rachel, and Erica. I still need to buy for Uncle Dave, Uncle Chris, Aunt Heather, something else for Steven, Courtney, and Taylor. I just hope I don't run out of Euros in the process =]. Don't spazz, mother-like-figures, I'm not running out of money just yet and I'm not spending huge amounts of cash on gifts. So don't yell at me for spending my money on you, okay? Deal.
I don't even know how to start talking about it - just look at my pictures. We met some British girls & another American, who actually study @ Uni Leipzig mit uns, so that's pretty cool because we can hang out with them now (which we did, for cinco de mayo - which, by the way, is sadly NOT celebrated here).
School is school; my German class is killing me. The tests are really short, so each point off is horrible. And the projects are really challenging - I'm nervous this will be my first B. But, I guess, it had to happen, and I'm so happy to be having so much fun here =]
I need to go; German test tomorrow (even though the lower level has no class tomorrow!) and then Berlin on Saturday for a soccer game. Ed's birthday present - I'm so nice. =]
Miss you all!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Dresden is the coolest city, ever.
So, we went to Dresden yesterday. In what has to be one of the longest days of my life, might I add.
We left the main train station at approximately 9:02 in the morning, and by 10:40, we had arrived in the city of Dresden. I will now give a (short, probably extremely incomplete, and containing mostly impressions and not facts) history lesson about the city. In the 1600-1700s, Dresden was known as the Florence (got that wrong in my last post, sorry guys) of Germany. Many of the buildings there were either inspired by or built by Italian architects and designers. A lot of the royal buildings are comparable also to those built by the Louies in France, as those were the contemporaries during the time when many of Dresden's important buildings were being erected. During World War II, it was believed that Dresden would not be harmed during the bombings, because it was such an important cultural center of Europe. In fact, it was left unharmed till 1945, at which point many people from other cities (including my own beloved Leipzig) had run to Dresden believing that they would be safe there. One night (which, as promised, I don't know the exact date of), british & american pilots firebombed the entire city of Dresden. When I say entire, I mean entire - very few buildings were left standing and somewhere between 25,000 - 47,000 people died and were later burned in the city center to avoid infection.
On this note, Dresden in part under the GDR but mostly after reunification has spent considerable amount of time reconstructing old buildings, that honestly look as old as they were supposed to be. As our tourguide said, what's old in Dresden, is new, and what is new, is old.
PICTURE TIME!!
1. View from my Studentenwohnheim (dorm room)
2. Some pictures of the Kleingarten
3. GDR building in Dresden's old city square, now one of the biggest hotel I've ever seen - took 10 minutes to walk past.
4. If there's one thing about Germany that would never be true in the US, it's that whenever they want to build something, they have to let the archaologists in first, because there's almost always something below ground.
5. This is the Frauenkirche, the main Lutheran church in the city. It was ENTIRELY destroyed in the bombings, and remained a pile of rubble for a realllly long time. The dark stones you see are original, dark from the fire, and inside I couldn't take pictures but the alter was pieced together.
6. This is the only Catholic Church in Dresden, commissioned by a member of the Royal Family living in Dresden originating from Poland, which explains why it's Catholic. It was a big issue, so it was a private chapel officially, which is ridiculous considering it's size.
7. This is the opera house, which burnt down 3 times on it's own before being destroyed in the bombings. I'm told it's an incredibly accurate replica, though.
8. Here's a photo of Ed & I, with our friend Nick creeping in the background.
9.This is the courtyard built in pieces by the same branch of the family that built the Catholic Church. It was constructed originally to house orange trees, and then made bigger in order to allow for extensive tournaments and celebrations for a wedding. Also reconstructed, but here is housed one of the biggest porcelain collections in the world, the second largest armory collection (which was INCREDIBLE), and a massive collection of portraits.
10. Meg, Jessica, Nick, Ed & I sitting just above the Elbe.
11. Mural of many rulers of Dresden, as well as other members of the royal family, that survived the firebombing because it's made of porcelain.
We left the main train station at approximately 9:02 in the morning, and by 10:40, we had arrived in the city of Dresden. I will now give a (short, probably extremely incomplete, and containing mostly impressions and not facts) history lesson about the city. In the 1600-1700s, Dresden was known as the Florence (got that wrong in my last post, sorry guys) of Germany. Many of the buildings there were either inspired by or built by Italian architects and designers. A lot of the royal buildings are comparable also to those built by the Louies in France, as those were the contemporaries during the time when many of Dresden's important buildings were being erected. During World War II, it was believed that Dresden would not be harmed during the bombings, because it was such an important cultural center of Europe. In fact, it was left unharmed till 1945, at which point many people from other cities (including my own beloved Leipzig) had run to Dresden believing that they would be safe there. One night (which, as promised, I don't know the exact date of), british & american pilots firebombed the entire city of Dresden. When I say entire, I mean entire - very few buildings were left standing and somewhere between 25,000 - 47,000 people died and were later burned in the city center to avoid infection.
On this note, Dresden in part under the GDR but mostly after reunification has spent considerable amount of time reconstructing old buildings, that honestly look as old as they were supposed to be. As our tourguide said, what's old in Dresden, is new, and what is new, is old.
PICTURE TIME!!
1. View from my Studentenwohnheim (dorm room)
2. Some pictures of the Kleingarten
3. GDR building in Dresden's old city square, now one of the biggest hotel I've ever seen - took 10 minutes to walk past.
4. If there's one thing about Germany that would never be true in the US, it's that whenever they want to build something, they have to let the archaologists in first, because there's almost always something below ground.
5. This is the Frauenkirche, the main Lutheran church in the city. It was ENTIRELY destroyed in the bombings, and remained a pile of rubble for a realllly long time. The dark stones you see are original, dark from the fire, and inside I couldn't take pictures but the alter was pieced together.
6. This is the only Catholic Church in Dresden, commissioned by a member of the Royal Family living in Dresden originating from Poland, which explains why it's Catholic. It was a big issue, so it was a private chapel officially, which is ridiculous considering it's size.
7. This is the opera house, which burnt down 3 times on it's own before being destroyed in the bombings. I'm told it's an incredibly accurate replica, though.
8. Here's a photo of Ed & I, with our friend Nick creeping in the background.
9.This is the courtyard built in pieces by the same branch of the family that built the Catholic Church. It was constructed originally to house orange trees, and then made bigger in order to allow for extensive tournaments and celebrations for a wedding. Also reconstructed, but here is housed one of the biggest porcelain collections in the world, the second largest armory collection (which was INCREDIBLE), and a massive collection of portraits.
10. Meg, Jessica, Nick, Ed & I sitting just above the Elbe.
11. Mural of many rulers of Dresden, as well as other members of the royal family, that survived the firebombing because it's made of porcelain.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
being a nerd in leipzig, and other interesting tales
Alright, everyone, sorry I've been a crappy blogger, but I swear, I'm going to try and be back in business for real now. I know I'm going to want to look back on this at some point, and I'll be mad I didn't keep better track.
So, our new professor for this section of the history class is hilarious. I love him. His name is Tim Anderson, and he is a historical geographer. If you're like I was, and have no idea what that means, it means he looks at old landscapes and figures out what they mean for us today. Because of this, he's obsessed with a lot of things none of us really care about, like seeing old textile factories and looking at Kleingartens. I feel like some of you might care, though, so I'll try and describe the best I can. I apologize now for the lack of photographs about any of this -- I had an incident with my mother's camera in which the lens would not retract, I spent a week freaking out with her voice in my head saying "It never did this when I had it, so I don't know what YOUR problem is," (I know, you can hear her too, Dad & Aunt Laura =] ) but one day I worked up the courage and forced it to close so after 26 euro for a new battery I didn't need, the camera is actually in BETTER condition.
Last Wednesday, we went to Crimmitshau and saw a Textile Factory that was built in the mid 1800s, and was in operation until just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, due to the fact that the GDR used a lot of the heavy industry from the industrial revolution in an attempt to be self suffiicient & prove that they didn't need capitalism to be successful. Anyway, the factory was still mostly running on steam energy when it shut down in the early 90s, and now serves as a museum. It was neat, but the tour was in German with our teacher translating, and went on too long, and for me, I just cannot care about bobbins and thread for more than 15 minutes, let alone for an hour and a half. We also went to Chemniz, which was known as Karl Marx Stadt in GDR times, and where the famous Karl Marx head lives. We went to a kid's museum there, and played an old GDR form of bowling, but that's really all there is to say about that -- oh, and I had some raspberry gelato afterward. That was a long, and dull day.
Monday, so yesterday, we went to the original German Schreber Kleingarten. These were developed by a man named Dr. Schreber to improve the lives of workers in industrial settings, the original intent being fresh air and a place to roam for children. Today, these garden allotments have little houses with running water, places to sleep, and satellite tv, and many Germans have them as recreation on the weekends. I got some pictures of these, to be uploaded soon. But, again, you can only awww over cute gardens for so long, if you're me, and I reached my limit in about 30 minutes. I think I'd like to have one though -- Mom, I can see you rolling your eyes and saying how I'd never take care of it, and you're right, but if you got one, I'd totally come visit. And take care of the weeds, I guess, if the mood struck me.
Despite his boring topic tendencies, Tim is hilarious, if for no other reason than his teaching style. He is the kind of person who speaks with their ENTIRE body - no lie, he has a dance move for everything.I can't even properly qualify it in words, but I can say that it is wonderful. Tonight he gave a lecture about Pennsylvania Germans and their settlements in Central Ohio, and that was pretty interesting. He's a cool guy, and tomorrow we're going to Dresden. Don't worry - camera is already packed in the bag, so I'll have tons of neat photos from the so called "Venice of Germany."
Other than that, Germany is still pretty cool. I'm sad because Ed is having technical problems with his internet, so I cannot Skype until he gets it back, which means no phone calls for family and friends for a while. It's this thing where they misidentified streaming videos for downloads, and shut off his internet, and we're hoping they correct their mistake, but until then, we'll have to do it the old fashioned email way.
This weekend, we're going to a Leipzig soccer game - I'm excited, let me know if you want any soccer memoriabilia. I already got some special someones a soccer scarf, but I don't know if anyone over the age of 20 is interested in that, so PLEASE let me know, I'd be thrilled to get one for anyone who wants one. They are really cool, and who doesn't like scarves? They protect your neck from the cold & everything =] We're also going to this thing called Audio Invasion 2009, which is classical music and electronic beats. We have to see classical music for our viewing performances class, and she said this one counts, so I'm excited. The tickets were 12,50 Euro, which is like 20 bucks. I'm annoyed, because I don't see what I paid the program fee for, when we have to buy our MANDATORY viewing performances tickets and we have to buy our own food during our MANDATORY excursions. No big deal, unless you're me and have to spend more money to eat better food that you're not allergic to, and even sometimes you still get sick. I mean, it's not the worst thing ever, but it still pretty much sucks. I tried packing last time, and then my bag was so bulky all day and I felt like a freak.
Blah, enough of my whining - I'm in Germany, and it's still fantastic. I do miss things about home, though, and being abroad really makes me appreciate where I'm from. I miss the diversity of America - silly, but everyone here looks SO German, and it's kind of boring because I feel like I am constantly seeing the same faces. I also miss my personal space - no one in Germany has learned this concept yet. I miss my family, friends, and screens on windows. German window design is wayyy better than American, because you can open the windows at the top so when it rains, windows can be open without it raining inside. Unfortunately, no screens mean that today the second hornet I've met so far came roaring into my room, and you guys should know that I run screaming from sweat bees, so this thing scared the crap out of me. Nick & Ed had to kill it, but thank goodness for them.
I got a spring jacket! I realized I didn't actually even own one, so yesterday, Ed & I both bought coats from H & M. I got the most adorable purple jacket for about 29,90 Euro, so about 37 bucks, and this is a good deal for a coat I look so awesome in.
Alright, enough about coats and food and personal space - more updates after Dresden. Email me your desires for gifts and such - I do need to know, as I'm not a mindreader.
Loveee you!
So, our new professor for this section of the history class is hilarious. I love him. His name is Tim Anderson, and he is a historical geographer. If you're like I was, and have no idea what that means, it means he looks at old landscapes and figures out what they mean for us today. Because of this, he's obsessed with a lot of things none of us really care about, like seeing old textile factories and looking at Kleingartens. I feel like some of you might care, though, so I'll try and describe the best I can. I apologize now for the lack of photographs about any of this -- I had an incident with my mother's camera in which the lens would not retract, I spent a week freaking out with her voice in my head saying "It never did this when I had it, so I don't know what YOUR problem is," (I know, you can hear her too, Dad & Aunt Laura =] ) but one day I worked up the courage and forced it to close so after 26 euro for a new battery I didn't need, the camera is actually in BETTER condition.
Last Wednesday, we went to Crimmitshau and saw a Textile Factory that was built in the mid 1800s, and was in operation until just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, due to the fact that the GDR used a lot of the heavy industry from the industrial revolution in an attempt to be self suffiicient & prove that they didn't need capitalism to be successful. Anyway, the factory was still mostly running on steam energy when it shut down in the early 90s, and now serves as a museum. It was neat, but the tour was in German with our teacher translating, and went on too long, and for me, I just cannot care about bobbins and thread for more than 15 minutes, let alone for an hour and a half. We also went to Chemniz, which was known as Karl Marx Stadt in GDR times, and where the famous Karl Marx head lives. We went to a kid's museum there, and played an old GDR form of bowling, but that's really all there is to say about that -- oh, and I had some raspberry gelato afterward. That was a long, and dull day.
Monday, so yesterday, we went to the original German Schreber Kleingarten. These were developed by a man named Dr. Schreber to improve the lives of workers in industrial settings, the original intent being fresh air and a place to roam for children. Today, these garden allotments have little houses with running water, places to sleep, and satellite tv, and many Germans have them as recreation on the weekends. I got some pictures of these, to be uploaded soon. But, again, you can only awww over cute gardens for so long, if you're me, and I reached my limit in about 30 minutes. I think I'd like to have one though -- Mom, I can see you rolling your eyes and saying how I'd never take care of it, and you're right, but if you got one, I'd totally come visit. And take care of the weeds, I guess, if the mood struck me.
Despite his boring topic tendencies, Tim is hilarious, if for no other reason than his teaching style. He is the kind of person who speaks with their ENTIRE body - no lie, he has a dance move for everything.I can't even properly qualify it in words, but I can say that it is wonderful. Tonight he gave a lecture about Pennsylvania Germans and their settlements in Central Ohio, and that was pretty interesting. He's a cool guy, and tomorrow we're going to Dresden. Don't worry - camera is already packed in the bag, so I'll have tons of neat photos from the so called "Venice of Germany."
Other than that, Germany is still pretty cool. I'm sad because Ed is having technical problems with his internet, so I cannot Skype until he gets it back, which means no phone calls for family and friends for a while. It's this thing where they misidentified streaming videos for downloads, and shut off his internet, and we're hoping they correct their mistake, but until then, we'll have to do it the old fashioned email way.
This weekend, we're going to a Leipzig soccer game - I'm excited, let me know if you want any soccer memoriabilia. I already got some special someones a soccer scarf, but I don't know if anyone over the age of 20 is interested in that, so PLEASE let me know, I'd be thrilled to get one for anyone who wants one. They are really cool, and who doesn't like scarves? They protect your neck from the cold & everything =] We're also going to this thing called Audio Invasion 2009, which is classical music and electronic beats. We have to see classical music for our viewing performances class, and she said this one counts, so I'm excited. The tickets were 12,50 Euro, which is like 20 bucks. I'm annoyed, because I don't see what I paid the program fee for, when we have to buy our MANDATORY viewing performances tickets and we have to buy our own food during our MANDATORY excursions. No big deal, unless you're me and have to spend more money to eat better food that you're not allergic to, and even sometimes you still get sick. I mean, it's not the worst thing ever, but it still pretty much sucks. I tried packing last time, and then my bag was so bulky all day and I felt like a freak.
Blah, enough of my whining - I'm in Germany, and it's still fantastic. I do miss things about home, though, and being abroad really makes me appreciate where I'm from. I miss the diversity of America - silly, but everyone here looks SO German, and it's kind of boring because I feel like I am constantly seeing the same faces. I also miss my personal space - no one in Germany has learned this concept yet. I miss my family, friends, and screens on windows. German window design is wayyy better than American, because you can open the windows at the top so when it rains, windows can be open without it raining inside. Unfortunately, no screens mean that today the second hornet I've met so far came roaring into my room, and you guys should know that I run screaming from sweat bees, so this thing scared the crap out of me. Nick & Ed had to kill it, but thank goodness for them.
I got a spring jacket! I realized I didn't actually even own one, so yesterday, Ed & I both bought coats from H & M. I got the most adorable purple jacket for about 29,90 Euro, so about 37 bucks, and this is a good deal for a coat I look so awesome in.
Alright, enough about coats and food and personal space - more updates after Dresden. Email me your desires for gifts and such - I do need to know, as I'm not a mindreader.
Loveee you!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Battle of Nations and a Crazy Weekend
So, after my short break, I'm back again. Sorry for the lapse in updates, but being "not busy" in Germany is busier than I ever thought it would be! I'm loving it though, for sure, and I can't wait to get back and show everyone my pictures and tell them all the same stories a million times.
So, where was I last time? Oh, the Battle of Nations Monument. It's supposedly the biggest monument in Europe, and I totally believe it. It's massive, and it's dedicated to the many soldiers that lost their life during one of Napoleon's bloodier sieges. It has a BILLION stairs (this is a slight exaggeration, but by my count, I climbed up and down about 1,000 stairs while I was there), and at the top there is a really neat view of Leipzig. The monument has been used as a place for political rallies since it's inception, and Hitler used it as a gathering place for his rallies. It was really neat, and I promise I have pictures.
We went to Wittenberg on Wednesday, and saw the place where Martin Luther supposedly hammered up his 95 Theses. I guess it's not known whether he actually nailed them to the door, but the church itself is really neat, and as always, I took pictures. Wittenburg was a picturesque little town, and I forgot to get postcards there, so I'm sad about that. Other than that, though, I'm glad the history part of this trip is over now -- I appreciate it, but looking at churches is a rather chilly business, and it's beautiful outside!
This weekend, 7 of us went to Erfurt. This is a town in an east German state called Thuringia. It was smaller than Leipzig, but still really cool and of course confusing. We stayed at the Opera Hostel, which was SO NICE, and only 28 euro total for our two night stay. Speaking of how much it cost, the trains here rock -- we got a ticket to Erfurt and back for 28 euros per ticket -- but you can put up to five people on one ticket! So we travelled there and back for about 12 euro a person. I love it. Anyway, we left about noon on Friday, arrived just before 3, checked in to our hostel, explored the city, ate a delicious meal, and then took a nap. It was great! That night, we went to the most spectacular club I've ever been to - Musicplatz. It was 3 different dance floors, and it was incredible. We were there for about 3 and a half hours just dancing away and having a great time.
Saturday, we woke up and headed to a soccer game. It was a rivalry game between Erfurt Rot Weiss and a purple team I cannot remember the name of but I'm sure Ed knows. It's a third division team in the German Bundesliga, so the stadium was cooler than but reminiscent of a high school stadium. It was so neat to see so many pumped up fans at a soccer game, but it was also an interesting expeirence politically (I know, I know, I'm a nerd). I say this because Erfurt is an east German city, and these tend to be more conservative, and their soccer team and fans were no exception. We ended up standing next to some reallyy creepy skinheads, and we had to move away, and some of the fans shouted racial slurs at the other team's African American forward. It was a little too much for me, and I'm glad not to ever go back to a game like that. Still, the experience was worth while, and I picked up presents for some special brothers of mine while I was there.
Later, we went back to the city and walked around forever, and then showered up. I was going to go dancing again, but my sinus infection got the best of me, and I passed out. Other people went out, though, and I guess it was wonderful -- I know my sleep was.
Sunday, we went to a town called Muelhausen, which is also in Thuringia, where one of our coordinators lives, and they have a ton of animals including a 7 week old kitten and I almost stole him and brought him home...and then I thought about my mom's face if I made her love ANOTHER cat, and the thought scared me enough to give him back =]. Still, I want a kitten!!! Other than cats, they made a DELICIOUS barbeque, which we all ate far too much of, and then we went home to Leipzig, and finally went to sleep. This is a lie - I did some homework and then figured out how to use Skype to call home for only 2 cents a minute, so that was exciting.
Today is Easter Monday, and in Germany it's a holiday, so no school for Liz! I'm planning on going out for a jog/walk with Meg and Jessica, and then doing some laundry and getting some more work done. I am trying to get my camera to hold a charge, but it's fighting with me, and I am just hoping I can find replacement batteries in Germany.
Alright, enough for now -- this is a LONG post. I miss you all and I hope you had a fabulous Easter!
So, where was I last time? Oh, the Battle of Nations Monument. It's supposedly the biggest monument in Europe, and I totally believe it. It's massive, and it's dedicated to the many soldiers that lost their life during one of Napoleon's bloodier sieges. It has a BILLION stairs (this is a slight exaggeration, but by my count, I climbed up and down about 1,000 stairs while I was there), and at the top there is a really neat view of Leipzig. The monument has been used as a place for political rallies since it's inception, and Hitler used it as a gathering place for his rallies. It was really neat, and I promise I have pictures.
We went to Wittenberg on Wednesday, and saw the place where Martin Luther supposedly hammered up his 95 Theses. I guess it's not known whether he actually nailed them to the door, but the church itself is really neat, and as always, I took pictures. Wittenburg was a picturesque little town, and I forgot to get postcards there, so I'm sad about that. Other than that, though, I'm glad the history part of this trip is over now -- I appreciate it, but looking at churches is a rather chilly business, and it's beautiful outside!
This weekend, 7 of us went to Erfurt. This is a town in an east German state called Thuringia. It was smaller than Leipzig, but still really cool and of course confusing. We stayed at the Opera Hostel, which was SO NICE, and only 28 euro total for our two night stay. Speaking of how much it cost, the trains here rock -- we got a ticket to Erfurt and back for 28 euros per ticket -- but you can put up to five people on one ticket! So we travelled there and back for about 12 euro a person. I love it. Anyway, we left about noon on Friday, arrived just before 3, checked in to our hostel, explored the city, ate a delicious meal, and then took a nap. It was great! That night, we went to the most spectacular club I've ever been to - Musicplatz. It was 3 different dance floors, and it was incredible. We were there for about 3 and a half hours just dancing away and having a great time.
Saturday, we woke up and headed to a soccer game. It was a rivalry game between Erfurt Rot Weiss and a purple team I cannot remember the name of but I'm sure Ed knows. It's a third division team in the German Bundesliga, so the stadium was cooler than but reminiscent of a high school stadium. It was so neat to see so many pumped up fans at a soccer game, but it was also an interesting expeirence politically (I know, I know, I'm a nerd). I say this because Erfurt is an east German city, and these tend to be more conservative, and their soccer team and fans were no exception. We ended up standing next to some reallyy creepy skinheads, and we had to move away, and some of the fans shouted racial slurs at the other team's African American forward. It was a little too much for me, and I'm glad not to ever go back to a game like that. Still, the experience was worth while, and I picked up presents for some special brothers of mine while I was there.
Later, we went back to the city and walked around forever, and then showered up. I was going to go dancing again, but my sinus infection got the best of me, and I passed out. Other people went out, though, and I guess it was wonderful -- I know my sleep was.
Sunday, we went to a town called Muelhausen, which is also in Thuringia, where one of our coordinators lives, and they have a ton of animals including a 7 week old kitten and I almost stole him and brought him home...and then I thought about my mom's face if I made her love ANOTHER cat, and the thought scared me enough to give him back =]. Still, I want a kitten!!! Other than cats, they made a DELICIOUS barbeque, which we all ate far too much of, and then we went home to Leipzig, and finally went to sleep. This is a lie - I did some homework and then figured out how to use Skype to call home for only 2 cents a minute, so that was exciting.
Today is Easter Monday, and in Germany it's a holiday, so no school for Liz! I'm planning on going out for a jog/walk with Meg and Jessica, and then doing some laundry and getting some more work done. I am trying to get my camera to hold a charge, but it's fighting with me, and I am just hoping I can find replacement batteries in Germany.
Alright, enough for now -- this is a LONG post. I miss you all and I hope you had a fabulous Easter!
Monday, April 6, 2009
What a Weekend!
So, I've been reminded repeatedly to update this thing, so here I am, even though it's officially midnight here and I should be sleeping.... ha!
This weekend was so great! I have fantastic pictures going up on Facebook right now and next time I update I'll post them. I took some good ones today, too, so that should be good. Thanks again Mom, for letting me use your camera -- hopefully it's going to good use in your eyes as well!
On Saturday, we went to a city called Naumburg, and there we went to a really famous cathedral (called a "Dom" in German), but I don't know much about it, because it was at most 40 degrees F inside and we didn't know it would be so cold, so no one came prepared and we all froze. In addition, our tourguide's English was only slightly better than my German, and I think the vocab he knew was vocationally specific. He could not pronounce hard "v" sounds, so I spent most of the time trying not to laugh at his saying "willage" instead of "village" rather than actually paying attention. I got some neat pictures of the place, though, so check them out on Facebook if you like. After seeing der Dom, we went into the main city center, and into the old market square. I proceeded to get kind of irritated, because there was really no where for me to eat and in fact for lunch I wound up eating bread and butter, but the town was so small that no major shops and affordable cafes were open on the weekends. We went to the Nitsczche House (spelled HORRIBLY, sorry), and then ate gelato (which I ate for 3 days straight and I'm in love with Raspberry Gelato).
That night, after our return to Leipzig, we went to a party in one of the dorm rooms in our group, and then to a bar called Moritz Bastei, or MB. This place is SO NEAT. I don't know if I already talked about it and I'm too lazy to look, but it was an old fortress rediscovered in the 70s and then turned into a student bar. Saturday night is "All You Can Dance" for 3 Euro, so we went there and it's like this incredible and insane underground and stone walled fortress of dancing. It was awesome!
Sunday, we went to a town called Torgau. It was so cool, and it had a castle that had been standing since 957 or something. It was also their Fruelingsfest, or spring festival, in celebration of their town's charter, and they had fun stuff for kids and DELICIOUS brats, and a lot of people dressed up in quirky renaissance garb. We went into the castle after gawking a lot at the festival, and climbed an insane amount of stairs up a narrow spiral staircase to get the view at the top of the tower. I am officially a stair MASTER. I have sweet pictures from it, so check it out. For you history buffs out there, Torgau was also the city where the American & Soviet troops met in Germany during WWII. We checked out that monument, and I should have photos of that later -- my batteries died on the way into the castle, I'm now recalling, but I made Ed take a bunch, so I'll post those when he's ready.
Alright, enough for now -- I need to sleep. Next time (hopefully tomorrow), I'll tell you about the Battle of Nations Monument in Leipzig today and how I climbed at least 1,000 stairs.
Night - miss you and love you!
This weekend was so great! I have fantastic pictures going up on Facebook right now and next time I update I'll post them. I took some good ones today, too, so that should be good. Thanks again Mom, for letting me use your camera -- hopefully it's going to good use in your eyes as well!
On Saturday, we went to a city called Naumburg, and there we went to a really famous cathedral (called a "Dom" in German), but I don't know much about it, because it was at most 40 degrees F inside and we didn't know it would be so cold, so no one came prepared and we all froze. In addition, our tourguide's English was only slightly better than my German, and I think the vocab he knew was vocationally specific. He could not pronounce hard "v" sounds, so I spent most of the time trying not to laugh at his saying "willage" instead of "village" rather than actually paying attention. I got some neat pictures of the place, though, so check them out on Facebook if you like. After seeing der Dom, we went into the main city center, and into the old market square. I proceeded to get kind of irritated, because there was really no where for me to eat and in fact for lunch I wound up eating bread and butter, but the town was so small that no major shops and affordable cafes were open on the weekends. We went to the Nitsczche House (spelled HORRIBLY, sorry), and then ate gelato (which I ate for 3 days straight and I'm in love with Raspberry Gelato).
That night, after our return to Leipzig, we went to a party in one of the dorm rooms in our group, and then to a bar called Moritz Bastei, or MB. This place is SO NEAT. I don't know if I already talked about it and I'm too lazy to look, but it was an old fortress rediscovered in the 70s and then turned into a student bar. Saturday night is "All You Can Dance" for 3 Euro, so we went there and it's like this incredible and insane underground and stone walled fortress of dancing. It was awesome!
Sunday, we went to a town called Torgau. It was so cool, and it had a castle that had been standing since 957 or something. It was also their Fruelingsfest, or spring festival, in celebration of their town's charter, and they had fun stuff for kids and DELICIOUS brats, and a lot of people dressed up in quirky renaissance garb. We went into the castle after gawking a lot at the festival, and climbed an insane amount of stairs up a narrow spiral staircase to get the view at the top of the tower. I am officially a stair MASTER. I have sweet pictures from it, so check it out. For you history buffs out there, Torgau was also the city where the American & Soviet troops met in Germany during WWII. We checked out that monument, and I should have photos of that later -- my batteries died on the way into the castle, I'm now recalling, but I made Ed take a bunch, so I'll post those when he's ready.
Alright, enough for now -- I need to sleep. Next time (hopefully tomorrow), I'll tell you about the Battle of Nations Monument in Leipzig today and how I climbed at least 1,000 stairs.
Night - miss you and love you!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Drinking in Germany
Helloooo! Sorry I have not updated for like 48 whole hours =] but I've been busy making my new dorm room into my new home. I'll take some pictures of the REALLY HUGE room I'm living in, as well as the rest of the suite and the buildings. No worries, I'm pretty thorough.
My favorite part of all of this so far has been grocery shopping. I got soo much good stuff! I found an organic nutella substitute with 1/2 the guilt, no milk, no soy, and made with DARK chocolate. I'm in heaven, basically. No sunflower seeds, I actually bought real food, and salad stuff, etc. It's kind of fun being in charge of my own menu for real for once. I cannot wait to make eggs - and muffins with Meg & Jessica.
Speaking of, I finally feel at home-ish in Leipzig. I sat up for several hours with Aleks the day before I moved out of her place, and I am sad it is over already, because we were finally starting to warm up to each other and understand each other. I hope we can still do things, because we have fun together. Now, I'm really enjoying getting to know the other people in my group. I am worried, though, that I will love our group so much that I will not speak German like I want to, but I guess I will just have to wait and see.
I am in LOVE with the price of food in Germany. I got all of my groceries for about two weeks for 40 Euro, and this includes a 3,90 Euro six pack of raspberry (Himberrie) Berliner Weisse and a large bottle of blush wine for 1,90 Euro (twist off top, of course). I love it. I am also liking that drinking in Germany is so much more laid back than at home -- although going to parties is fun, it is also nice to be surrounded by people who drink in moderation and because they enjoy the taste, not because they need to be hammered right away. I am going to the lake shore tomorrow with some friends, and we're going to lay out and do some work and we're bringing my cheap bottle of wine. Not only is Germany's drinking age 16 for beer and wine, but there are also no open container laws. Ahhhh I love being somewhere so relaxed.
Alright, I need to go to sleep now. Pictures to follow (esp because I'm going on two trips this weekend, and plan on being a total tourist the entire time).
Missing everyone so much - email me your home addresses so I can send out postcards!
My favorite part of all of this so far has been grocery shopping. I got soo much good stuff! I found an organic nutella substitute with 1/2 the guilt, no milk, no soy, and made with DARK chocolate. I'm in heaven, basically. No sunflower seeds, I actually bought real food, and salad stuff, etc. It's kind of fun being in charge of my own menu for real for once. I cannot wait to make eggs - and muffins with Meg & Jessica.
Speaking of, I finally feel at home-ish in Leipzig. I sat up for several hours with Aleks the day before I moved out of her place, and I am sad it is over already, because we were finally starting to warm up to each other and understand each other. I hope we can still do things, because we have fun together. Now, I'm really enjoying getting to know the other people in my group. I am worried, though, that I will love our group so much that I will not speak German like I want to, but I guess I will just have to wait and see.
I am in LOVE with the price of food in Germany. I got all of my groceries for about two weeks for 40 Euro, and this includes a 3,90 Euro six pack of raspberry (Himberrie) Berliner Weisse and a large bottle of blush wine for 1,90 Euro (twist off top, of course). I love it. I am also liking that drinking in Germany is so much more laid back than at home -- although going to parties is fun, it is also nice to be surrounded by people who drink in moderation and because they enjoy the taste, not because they need to be hammered right away. I am going to the lake shore tomorrow with some friends, and we're going to lay out and do some work and we're bringing my cheap bottle of wine. Not only is Germany's drinking age 16 for beer and wine, but there are also no open container laws. Ahhhh I love being somewhere so relaxed.
Alright, I need to go to sleep now. Pictures to follow (esp because I'm going on two trips this weekend, and plan on being a total tourist the entire time).
Missing everyone so much - email me your home addresses so I can send out postcards!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Apparently this car is GDR car - this information courtesy of Ed, so I'm not sure how reliable it is =] Either way, it is adorable. And fun to take pictures of - who knew!
See, the cars are so tiny here compared to America. No trucks anywhere, and no SUV's. I like it - being here makes me feel like I'm being environmentally friendly, even if I'm not really doing anything. Even though the recycling system here is BOMB.COM - they can do all plastics, papers, metals - you get paid back for glass and some plastics, actually. You can also determine between "bio" waste and "restmull" - biodegradeable stuff is separated from the others so it does not sit in a landfill among things that cannot break down on their own. I love it.
This is the sea we visited on Sunday - see the blue sky? It was only out long enough for me to snap this shot. I didn't capture it on the camera, but all along the beach and pathways people were rollerblading and biking and such - there was even a little boy with the neatest proto-bike I've ever seen. It had two wheels, and the body of a bike, but it had no wheels, instead, the boy propelled it by using his feet and essentially running with it. Ed & I laughed, but apparently it is used to teach balance before putting the kids on bikes. Seems like I could use one, right?
Hi Killian =] this is for you. I love the little man sprinting to the exit, which is apparently underground in this department store. It's a weird thing to take a picture of, but it captures so much. I cannot really explain it, all I know is that this is one of the best things I've seen so far - even basically seeing every star in the sky on Ed & I's flight over the Atlantic. Well, not nearly as awesome as that, but still. And by awesome, I mean awe-inspiring. Should have taken a picture of THAT.
This is an example of the bar I went to this afternoon - you get to take off your shoes and relax on a glorified bed and drink. I had a drink called the Berliner Weisse, which is a Berlin beer you choose a syrup and add to the beer. I chose raspberry - it tasted wonderful. Anyway, about 9 of us went to this place, called Sol y Mar, after our orientation tour, and it was so much fun. I loved it. I want to take everyone I know there. Just sit back against the pillows, have a drink, and relax. Wonderful, wonderful. And for only 2,90 Euro, perfection.I really need to write a paper I have left from last quarter, so that's all I have for today.
Viel Liebe von Deutschland!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Still Freezing...
So, I am sitting in my bed at my host student's apartment and I am STILL cold. I swear, I have yet to really feel warm in this country. I start to, and I make a movement to remove a layer of clothing, and it's like a gust of wind comes in from nowhere and I start from the beginning, delving deeper into my layers and shivering. I'm liking the laptop, because without the base it gets SO hot, and right now, that's definitely a good thing.
I really love Leipzig, as a city. It has so much personality as a city - the mixture of old and new is wonderful, even if what my host says is true and some of the "old" is not so old but made to look old. The roads are confusing as anything, but I like to wander them (accompanied by someone who knows where they are going, of course).
Yesterday evening, my host & I met up with Ed & his host and we walked around the city center. The city center is really something - if I were a sweet photographer like the kids in the "I'm a PC" commercials, I could maybe take a series of pictures and show you a panoramic view, and even then it would do no justice. It is a winding and confusing series of shops and pubs, weaving in and outdoors and in an around each other. Fun fact: in Leipzig, you can sit outdoors in the cooler weather and enjoy your brew, because there are heated areas for you! It looks super fun, and I definitely plan on trying it.
We then traveled to a party, the one I mentioned before - delicious drink alert: white ale with grapefruit - of course a Belgian beer, I think. Sooo good! I ate pasta & drank a martini - was wonderful and quiet. Still didn't try out my German, but I will soon (I will have to in class on Tuesday, I can't really avoid it in a class of 3 people).
Today, we went to this thing called the Panorama - it was a huge display of a part of the Amazonian Rainforest - it was really neat, but nothing like the museums in the states. I took some pictures, but without the flash, so don't count on anything spectacular. By far the coolest part of the day was our trip down the highway to an area by a lake. It was not as chilly as the days previous (though, still too cold for mee) so we walked by the shore and then went and sat outdoors at a cafe where my host, Ed's host, and I had the good sense to order warm drinks, while Ed had a vanilla milkshake mixed with cold hot chocolate. Why do I remember all of this? The houses near here were adorable, apparently this section of the surrounding area is where all the wealthy people live. I captured some of the houses on camera, and I will post those soon.
Tomorrow is my first day of real life in Leipzig - I have an orientation from 11 am to 5 pm, which feels like a long time, but for you guys at home, you will be asleep for most of it. =] Don't worry, more photographic memory passages to follow.
<3
I really love Leipzig, as a city. It has so much personality as a city - the mixture of old and new is wonderful, even if what my host says is true and some of the "old" is not so old but made to look old. The roads are confusing as anything, but I like to wander them (accompanied by someone who knows where they are going, of course).
Yesterday evening, my host & I met up with Ed & his host and we walked around the city center. The city center is really something - if I were a sweet photographer like the kids in the "I'm a PC" commercials, I could maybe take a series of pictures and show you a panoramic view, and even then it would do no justice. It is a winding and confusing series of shops and pubs, weaving in and outdoors and in an around each other. Fun fact: in Leipzig, you can sit outdoors in the cooler weather and enjoy your brew, because there are heated areas for you! It looks super fun, and I definitely plan on trying it.
We then traveled to a party, the one I mentioned before - delicious drink alert: white ale with grapefruit - of course a Belgian beer, I think. Sooo good! I ate pasta & drank a martini - was wonderful and quiet. Still didn't try out my German, but I will soon (I will have to in class on Tuesday, I can't really avoid it in a class of 3 people).
Today, we went to this thing called the Panorama - it was a huge display of a part of the Amazonian Rainforest - it was really neat, but nothing like the museums in the states. I took some pictures, but without the flash, so don't count on anything spectacular. By far the coolest part of the day was our trip down the highway to an area by a lake. It was not as chilly as the days previous (though, still too cold for mee) so we walked by the shore and then went and sat outdoors at a cafe where my host, Ed's host, and I had the good sense to order warm drinks, while Ed had a vanilla milkshake mixed with cold hot chocolate. Why do I remember all of this? The houses near here were adorable, apparently this section of the surrounding area is where all the wealthy people live. I captured some of the houses on camera, and I will post those soon.
Tomorrow is my first day of real life in Leipzig - I have an orientation from 11 am to 5 pm, which feels like a long time, but for you guys at home, you will be asleep for most of it. =] Don't worry, more photographic memory passages to follow.
<3
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Arriving... & Other Complicated Things
So, I'm officially in Leipzig. And very tired. And it's 3:30 pm here and 10:30 am in the states, but it feels like afternoon to me, and I'm told that's a good start.
I'll begin with detailing the hectic journey to where I am currently comfortably seated on a couch in an adorable apartment belonging to my host student, Aleks.
Ed & I arrived at the Cleveland airport, both with fathers in tow, around 1:15 - made it through baggage check & security by 1:40 at the most. Our plane was supposed to leave at 2:55 -- we finally took off shortly after 5 pm. This two hour delay completely eliminated our two hour layover in Newark, but our flight was supposed to come in at gate 131, and the flight to Berlin was at gate 126, both in Concourse C.
No such luck. We arrived in Newark in a different concourse, and then we had 10 minutes of Ed walking as fast as he could and me pretty much sprinting to keep up. Yes, we were bickering the entire way. We arrived at gate 126 only to be ushered in last minute to our plane...which then sat at the gate for another half an hour, but whatever. The flight was not that full, so Ed & I were able to sit in a three seat row by ourselves. The in-flight entertainment was pretty awesome - I watched CSI & played su doku =]. Unfortunately, the plane was one of the coldest experiences of my life -- it was around -26 degrees F the entire ride, as we were so high up I thought we were about to leave the atmosphere, and it was night until an hour before we touched down in Berlin. Also unfortunate was that the plane was blowing icy cold air into the cabins the entire ride. I wore two coats and a blanket and I was still chilled. I slept for maybe two and a half hours - Ed slept for a maximum of an hour, total.
We got into Berlin, collected our baggage, and went in search of a currency exchange. There, I was depressed to learn that $546 was equal to 386 Euro...I'm still a little sad about it. But, this is neither here nor there. After this depressing incident, we went to get a bus ticket for our ride from the airport to the main train station (Hauptbahnhof, for those of you learning German). We waited in line for 30 minutes at the very least, as many confused people were treating the ticket line as the information desk - unfortunate, as the ticket desk was situated right next to an information desk. Anyway, after a long wait and 2,80 Euro, we got on the bus...I promise to take many pictures of public transportation in Germany/EU, it's fascinating and wonderful.
We arrived at the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin, walked around for about 20 minutes trying to find where to check our luggage, did so, and then sat on a bench looking for a girl in our group, Rachel. We were supposed to meet Rachel at the baggage claim of her flight at 8:15, but her flight wasn't listed at the airport, so I could not find her. Turns out, she came into the OTHER airport in Berlin, but neither of us had thought of that. Following our failed attempt to locate Rachel in a crowd, we ate breakfast. Unfortunately, it was McDonalds, and my sausage and egg McMuffin had no egg, but in fact sausage, "special sauce", and lettuce. I'm still confused about it.
It was during breakfast that my body started shaking, and Ed & I decided we were going to need a nap. We walked around the Hauptbahnhof yet again, finally finding the information center (difference between US & Germany - info centers are neither obvious, clearly marked, or easy to find...) and then getting pointed in the direction of a couple hostels we might be able to stay at.
We walked for about half an hour before finding the "Helter Skelter Hostel", which sounded creepy to me, but actually ended up mostly wonderful. We were allowed three hours of nap time in the hostel for 10 Euro each, and we were sent into a comfortable and spacious apartment. Unfortunately, it was not heated, and it was a very cold nap. They also forgot to mention our nap to the people who had actually rented out the room for the weekend - they arrived early to leave their luggage and found us sleeping - I don't know who was more alarmed, but Ed slept through the whole thing, and I was barely awake, and it turned out fine.
Anyway, after our glorious nap, we returned to the Hauptbahnhof, where we FINALLY found Rachel! We sat around in what I must call the BK Lounge, as it was right next to a Burger King, and I mostly made faces at adorable children for about an hour and a half. I also sent an email to my mom & dad from a pay as you go internet service... it was pretty exciting. The y & z key are flipped on german keyboards (among other things, of course), so signing my name was interesting... and I probably looked like an idiot hitting one letter at a time on the keyboard.
We finally boarded our train from Berlin to Leipzig at 5:15 local time (about noon for you guys at home). Ed fell asleep almost immediately, and so did Rachel, but I read a book while the strange woman next to me was singing along to german techno music. We got into Leipzig at 7:30 or so, and my host student Aleks picked me up from the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, gave me a short tour of the city, and let me take a shower at her apartment while she got food for our dinner. We ended up eating with her boyfriend, Johnathan, and it was pasta with a wonderful tuna, olive, garlic, and onion sauce that I will officially be making when I return because it was quite yummy. After dinner, Ed and his hosting student, Marie, called Aleks, and we decided to meet them at a bar near the city center (I think).
The bar is actually a recently rediscovered fortress, and is really neat, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I ordered ein bier, which turned out to be massive, and promptly felt quite sleepy. We stayed out to about midnight (7 pm @ home) and when we returned I fell asleep pretty quickly.
Today, I woke up around 9:30 and went to a welcome breakfast. This was nice, although unnecessarily long, and I enjoyed getting to know some more of the german hosting students. Afterward, Marie, Aleks, Ed & I went to a massive and confusing store where I got some essentials (such as a 7 Euro hairdryer) and now feel much more ready to really live here for 10 weeks.
Currently, I'm going to take a nap. Later on, around 6:30, we're going to meet up with Ed & Marie at the city center, before going to a party held at our student coordinators house (her name is Carolin, and it should be really fun).
I have yet to take any pictures, but I will start soon. Leipzig is wonderful, and I cannot wait to share it with everyone!
Alright, time for a nap - one more thing - tonight is time change for Germany, so after tonight, I'll be officially 6 hours ahead of you at home.
Missing youuuu all !
I'll begin with detailing the hectic journey to where I am currently comfortably seated on a couch in an adorable apartment belonging to my host student, Aleks.
Ed & I arrived at the Cleveland airport, both with fathers in tow, around 1:15 - made it through baggage check & security by 1:40 at the most. Our plane was supposed to leave at 2:55 -- we finally took off shortly after 5 pm. This two hour delay completely eliminated our two hour layover in Newark, but our flight was supposed to come in at gate 131, and the flight to Berlin was at gate 126, both in Concourse C.
No such luck. We arrived in Newark in a different concourse, and then we had 10 minutes of Ed walking as fast as he could and me pretty much sprinting to keep up. Yes, we were bickering the entire way. We arrived at gate 126 only to be ushered in last minute to our plane...which then sat at the gate for another half an hour, but whatever. The flight was not that full, so Ed & I were able to sit in a three seat row by ourselves. The in-flight entertainment was pretty awesome - I watched CSI & played su doku =]. Unfortunately, the plane was one of the coldest experiences of my life -- it was around -26 degrees F the entire ride, as we were so high up I thought we were about to leave the atmosphere, and it was night until an hour before we touched down in Berlin. Also unfortunate was that the plane was blowing icy cold air into the cabins the entire ride. I wore two coats and a blanket and I was still chilled. I slept for maybe two and a half hours - Ed slept for a maximum of an hour, total.
We got into Berlin, collected our baggage, and went in search of a currency exchange. There, I was depressed to learn that $546 was equal to 386 Euro...I'm still a little sad about it. But, this is neither here nor there. After this depressing incident, we went to get a bus ticket for our ride from the airport to the main train station (Hauptbahnhof, for those of you learning German). We waited in line for 30 minutes at the very least, as many confused people were treating the ticket line as the information desk - unfortunate, as the ticket desk was situated right next to an information desk. Anyway, after a long wait and 2,80 Euro, we got on the bus...I promise to take many pictures of public transportation in Germany/EU, it's fascinating and wonderful.
We arrived at the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin, walked around for about 20 minutes trying to find where to check our luggage, did so, and then sat on a bench looking for a girl in our group, Rachel. We were supposed to meet Rachel at the baggage claim of her flight at 8:15, but her flight wasn't listed at the airport, so I could not find her. Turns out, she came into the OTHER airport in Berlin, but neither of us had thought of that. Following our failed attempt to locate Rachel in a crowd, we ate breakfast. Unfortunately, it was McDonalds, and my sausage and egg McMuffin had no egg, but in fact sausage, "special sauce", and lettuce. I'm still confused about it.
It was during breakfast that my body started shaking, and Ed & I decided we were going to need a nap. We walked around the Hauptbahnhof yet again, finally finding the information center (difference between US & Germany - info centers are neither obvious, clearly marked, or easy to find...) and then getting pointed in the direction of a couple hostels we might be able to stay at.
We walked for about half an hour before finding the "Helter Skelter Hostel", which sounded creepy to me, but actually ended up mostly wonderful. We were allowed three hours of nap time in the hostel for 10 Euro each, and we were sent into a comfortable and spacious apartment. Unfortunately, it was not heated, and it was a very cold nap. They also forgot to mention our nap to the people who had actually rented out the room for the weekend - they arrived early to leave their luggage and found us sleeping - I don't know who was more alarmed, but Ed slept through the whole thing, and I was barely awake, and it turned out fine.
Anyway, after our glorious nap, we returned to the Hauptbahnhof, where we FINALLY found Rachel! We sat around in what I must call the BK Lounge, as it was right next to a Burger King, and I mostly made faces at adorable children for about an hour and a half. I also sent an email to my mom & dad from a pay as you go internet service... it was pretty exciting. The y & z key are flipped on german keyboards (among other things, of course), so signing my name was interesting... and I probably looked like an idiot hitting one letter at a time on the keyboard.
We finally boarded our train from Berlin to Leipzig at 5:15 local time (about noon for you guys at home). Ed fell asleep almost immediately, and so did Rachel, but I read a book while the strange woman next to me was singing along to german techno music. We got into Leipzig at 7:30 or so, and my host student Aleks picked me up from the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, gave me a short tour of the city, and let me take a shower at her apartment while she got food for our dinner. We ended up eating with her boyfriend, Johnathan, and it was pasta with a wonderful tuna, olive, garlic, and onion sauce that I will officially be making when I return because it was quite yummy. After dinner, Ed and his hosting student, Marie, called Aleks, and we decided to meet them at a bar near the city center (I think).
The bar is actually a recently rediscovered fortress, and is really neat, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I ordered ein bier, which turned out to be massive, and promptly felt quite sleepy. We stayed out to about midnight (7 pm @ home) and when we returned I fell asleep pretty quickly.
Today, I woke up around 9:30 and went to a welcome breakfast. This was nice, although unnecessarily long, and I enjoyed getting to know some more of the german hosting students. Afterward, Marie, Aleks, Ed & I went to a massive and confusing store where I got some essentials (such as a 7 Euro hairdryer) and now feel much more ready to really live here for 10 weeks.
Currently, I'm going to take a nap. Later on, around 6:30, we're going to meet up with Ed & Marie at the city center, before going to a party held at our student coordinators house (her name is Carolin, and it should be really fun).
I have yet to take any pictures, but I will start soon. Leipzig is wonderful, and I cannot wait to share it with everyone!
Alright, time for a nap - one more thing - tonight is time change for Germany, so after tonight, I'll be officially 6 hours ahead of you at home.
Missing youuuu all !
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
packing
well, i'm one exam and two days away from being home - finally. i haven't been home in 11 weeks now, and i miss everything - from my cats to the way my room gets warm when the sun rises because of my dark curtains. i realllly cannot wait.
it's kind of stressing me out that i'll only be home for 5 full days before i run off to germany. i really want to just enjoy being home. but, i'm excited. i think i may see czajka on friday, i'll be seeing jimmy and scott on saturday (maybe david, too =] ), sunday is kirin day, monday is killian day - tuesday & wednesday are family days. i am super pumped to be hanging out with my brothers, too, since we'll all be home at the same time.
it's kind of surreal that when i get back from germany and start school again in the fall i'll be 20 and a junior in college. i kind of don't want to grow up and be a real person - it's frightening.
also, i'm sunburnt from trying to absorb the warmth of southeast ohio before i dive into the chill and rain of leipzig. sunshine makes me tired.... time for studying, then bed!
8 days till germany, in case you're counting from home =]
it's kind of stressing me out that i'll only be home for 5 full days before i run off to germany. i really want to just enjoy being home. but, i'm excited. i think i may see czajka on friday, i'll be seeing jimmy and scott on saturday (maybe david, too =] ), sunday is kirin day, monday is killian day - tuesday & wednesday are family days. i am super pumped to be hanging out with my brothers, too, since we'll all be home at the same time.
it's kind of surreal that when i get back from germany and start school again in the fall i'll be 20 and a junior in college. i kind of don't want to grow up and be a real person - it's frightening.
also, i'm sunburnt from trying to absorb the warmth of southeast ohio before i dive into the chill and rain of leipzig. sunshine makes me tired.... time for studying, then bed!
8 days till germany, in case you're counting from home =]
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
getting ready....
well, it's exam week, and instead of studying i'm making this blog.
i'm kind of starting to freak out about packing, etc. but, i'm super excited.
bllaahhh i don't have a final till thursday! i need to pack. booo everyone is leaving tomorrow.
k this was a test run...more from germany!
i'm kind of starting to freak out about packing, etc. but, i'm super excited.
bllaahhh i don't have a final till thursday! i need to pack. booo everyone is leaving tomorrow.
k this was a test run...more from germany!
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