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!