Today was a free day for all of us. 4 of the girls had spent the night in Stuttgart for the game, and a little over half the group was going to meet up with them in Stuttgart. I didn't feel like going into town. Too much stress. So I decided to go to the Freibad (pool) with some of the others. We got to the pool around 2.
The pool is super big and nice. There was a big twisty slide, but there weren't enough people to have it up and running. Then there was a big semi-shallow pool that had a lazy river attached to it. We played tag in the lazy river for almost 2 hours. How does one play tag in a continuous, basically oval shaped lazy river? Well you would be surprised. It was fun, fun and more fun :) We took a little break from the pool and went inside for a while.
We ate some ice cream, chips and candy while watching this crazy show called Daisy of Love. It was so awful it was funny and addicting! We watched 2 episodes. During the first episode Sabrina got done with class and headed over to the pool to join us. Then we all watched the second one together. It is a ridiculous show and makes me kind of ashamed to say I am American, but it is strangely amusing...
Thomas, Evan, and Sara left after we finished watching Daisy of Love, and Nick and Dustin had to go eat dinner. This left just Sabrina and myself to go back to the pool, which we did. Eventually Nick and Dustin came to join us. We got out of the pool around 9 pm. We had so much fun. I never would have thought a lazy river could be so much fun, but it was. It was the entertainment of the day!
We went back inside where Nick attempted to fix Sabrina's rolled ankle and remember the pain I had in my foot in Berlin? Well it came back today while swimming. So he tried to fix that too. We ended up staying until after 10, ending our time at the Freibad with Nick showing us his killer dance moves. It was awesome :)
I went home and fell asleep way too early. I really needed to stay up to study and work on my journals....
Lots of love from Germany!!
If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone, cause I’m going to make this place your home.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Wedensday 13.06
Today I didn't wake up until almost 10 am! That's crazy! I slept for almost 12 hours ( I woke up for an hour during the night). We had a special class with Kornetta today from 12-14.
We met in his office and talked about what we liked and didn't like about the Let's Get Together and Talk course. We just wish we had had more time with the Germans. We all feel like we didn't get to know any of them until closer to the end of the trip.
After our discussion, Kornetta wanted us to all go to REWE, a supermarket, and go to the bakery attached to it, to show off our German skills. We all ordered something, and once we were done eating, we headed back to the PH. There we met up with Anderson to talk about the grillfest on Friday and what we wanted to do the next day. Sabrina met me there because her next class was nearby.
From there some people left to do whatever. Some of us stayed (per choice) and had a short grammar class with Anderson. We worked with the verb werden. It was really helpful. Afterwards I got a muffin in the Mensa. Then I headed home. Sabrina and her roommate Nina were meeting a girl who is interested in moving in when their roommate moves out. So I ate dinner at my apartment and then headed to Sabrina's for homework time, which turned into skype with my parents time.
I went home early again, like before midnight. And I was knocked out before midnight. Why do I need so much stinking sleep????
Lots of love from Germany!!
We met in his office and talked about what we liked and didn't like about the Let's Get Together and Talk course. We just wish we had had more time with the Germans. We all feel like we didn't get to know any of them until closer to the end of the trip.
After our discussion, Kornetta wanted us to all go to REWE, a supermarket, and go to the bakery attached to it, to show off our German skills. We all ordered something, and once we were done eating, we headed back to the PH. There we met up with Anderson to talk about the grillfest on Friday and what we wanted to do the next day. Sabrina met me there because her next class was nearby.
From there some people left to do whatever. Some of us stayed (per choice) and had a short grammar class with Anderson. We worked with the verb werden. It was really helpful. Afterwards I got a muffin in the Mensa. Then I headed home. Sabrina and her roommate Nina were meeting a girl who is interested in moving in when their roommate moves out. So I ate dinner at my apartment and then headed to Sabrina's for homework time, which turned into skype with my parents time.
I went home early again, like before midnight. And I was knocked out before midnight. Why do I need so much stinking sleep????
Lots of love from Germany!!
Tuesday 12.06
I met Sabrina at the PH at 12 for lunch as usual. We ate lunch. Then I headed to class from 2-4 and then 4-6. Our first class was with Kornetta. It was our last time in that class, which is sad. I'll miss it. It was a lot of fun. We talked about differences between America and Germany, specific what people wear. When you get down to it, it is hard to tell the difference. But then again, I could pick an American out of a crowd of Germans any day and visa versa.
In our class with Anderson, the other two groups presented on what they saw in Berlin. We talked about the Jüdisches Museum.
After class I went to Sabrina's for dinner. We had bread, meat, and cheese. Typical :) We were both super tired, so I went home around 10. There was a party at the PH. I did not go. I can't imagine how tired I would have been after that.
Lots of love from Germany!!
In our class with Anderson, the other two groups presented on what they saw in Berlin. We talked about the Jüdisches Museum.
After class I went to Sabrina's for dinner. We had bread, meat, and cheese. Typical :) We were both super tired, so I went home around 10. There was a party at the PH. I did not go. I can't imagine how tired I would have been after that.
Lots of love from Germany!!
Monday 11.06
Today was somewhat similar to yesterday. It started off the same, getting up, eating, and doing homework and such. Then we had lunch, which was leftovers from the past couple of days aka delicious and wonderful.
Then we packed up our stuff and headed back to Schwäbisch Gmünd. On the way there, we stopped to pick up some food for the week. Afterwards Sabrina dropped me off at home to unpack, nap and do some homework and laundry.
I met Sabrina at the PH at 7:30 as I usually do on Monday nights. We stopped at Rewe to pick up lettuce and red peppers for the week. We had dinner, did homework and went to bed pretty early.
An uneventful day.
Happy: yummy leftovers for lunch :)
Crappy: back to the daily grind
Lots of love from Germany!!
Then we packed up our stuff and headed back to Schwäbisch Gmünd. On the way there, we stopped to pick up some food for the week. Afterwards Sabrina dropped me off at home to unpack, nap and do some homework and laundry.
I met Sabrina at the PH at 7:30 as I usually do on Monday nights. We stopped at Rewe to pick up lettuce and red peppers for the week. We had dinner, did homework and went to bed pretty early.
An uneventful day.
Happy: yummy leftovers for lunch :)
Crappy: back to the daily grind
Lots of love from Germany!!
Sunday 10.06
This is how today went:
Got up
Ate some food
Sat around on our computers either doing homework or watching Big Bang Theory
Ate some food (really stinking good food, I don't even remember what it was but it was delicious and I had a very happy tummy)
Sat around on our computers doing homework and watching Big Bang Theory
Ate some food
Made more chocolate covered bananas
Ate extra chocolate
Sat around on our computers watching Big Bang Theory
Went to sleep
It sounds awful but it was AWESOME! I finally got to relax and just be lazy. That hadn't happened in the last 5 weeks.
Happy: being lazy and super well fed :)
Crappy: nothing!
Lots of love from Germany!!
Got up
Ate some food
Sat around on our computers either doing homework or watching Big Bang Theory
Ate some food (really stinking good food, I don't even remember what it was but it was delicious and I had a very happy tummy)
Sat around on our computers doing homework and watching Big Bang Theory
Ate some food
Made more chocolate covered bananas
Ate extra chocolate
Sat around on our computers watching Big Bang Theory
Went to sleep
It sounds awful but it was AWESOME! I finally got to relax and just be lazy. That hadn't happened in the last 5 weeks.
Happy: being lazy and super well fed :)
Crappy: nothing!
Lots of love from Germany!!
Saturday 09.06
Sabi and I slept in today. It was nice. When we woke up, her cousin Nico was here. Well he had actually just left with Sabrina's mom to go shopping. By the time they got back we were up and eating breakfast. We got ready for the day, and went out to the living room to play games with Nico. He's 8 and really stinking adorable and funny. We played a matching game, which he kicked our butts in. Then we played another matching type game. He kicked our butts again. Then we played monopoly. I don't really know who won that. But probably Nico. He's good, let me tell you. It was fun. Sabrina made him explain each game to me in German, and I understood it all. Today was all German all the time. After the games, we had lunch which was chili and rice. Yum!
After lunch we all packed into the car and headed to Stuttgart to get Sabrina a new laptop! Hurray! She got a Mac book pro. Then we went to C&A and got me a new belt because my old one broke.
Then we all headed back home. Once we were home, Sabrina and I got her new laptop up and running! Woo hoo! She was so stinking excited. Eventually Nico went home, and the 4 of us (Sabrina, her parents and myself) sat down to a nice simple dinner of bread and meat and salad.
After dinner Sabrina and I watched Beauty and the Beast and went to bed.
Happy: playing games with Nico and getting Sabrina's new computer
Crappy: nothing...
Lots of love from Germany!!
After lunch we all packed into the car and headed to Stuttgart to get Sabrina a new laptop! Hurray! She got a Mac book pro. Then we went to C&A and got me a new belt because my old one broke.
Then we all headed back home. Once we were home, Sabrina and I got her new laptop up and running! Woo hoo! She was so stinking excited. Eventually Nico went home, and the 4 of us (Sabrina, her parents and myself) sat down to a nice simple dinner of bread and meat and salad.
After dinner Sabrina and I watched Beauty and the Beast and went to bed.
Happy: playing games with Nico and getting Sabrina's new computer
Crappy: nothing...
Lots of love from Germany!!
Friday 08.06
Today Sabrina and I actually got up at a decent time, got ready, had breakfast, and headed out. We stopped at the bakery in town to grab some food for lunch, a few pretzels and some sweet pastries. Then we hit the road to go to Neuschwanstein. I made a CD before we left of some of my favorite songs, and some of Sabrina's too. It was fun. We sang our little hearts out. When that CD was over, we switched to Wicked, Sabrina's absolute favorite, and one of my favorites too. We got to what we thought was a good place to park, but it ended up being way too far away from the castle. So we kept driving. We may or may not have ended up in Austria :)
Eventually we found our way back and drove all the way up to castle and paid the 5 euros for parking.
We had to wait in line to get tickets and ended up with a German tour. I didn't mind. It would be good for me. The tour wasn't for another few hours so we took our time walking around.
We walked up to a smaller castle, Hohenschwangau.
There was a nice little chapel near this castle where I lit yet another candle. I just can't help myself when it comes to lighting candles in churches. I just love it :)
We of course had to document the two of us with the castle in the background.
From Hohenschwangau we walked to the lake, before starting our climb up to Neuschwanstein.
It was so peaceful. Well except for all the people who continuously asked us to take their pictures. Correction they asked Sabrina to take their picture. It was weird.
Then we started the climb. Oh man. It was long and steep and long. Did I mention it was long? There were lots of people. And some rain. Some horse-drawn carriages, leaving poop trails. But there were some great views.
Soon I could see part of the castle! We were getting close!
By the time we were at the castle, we still had over an hour until our tour, so we kept walking. There was a bridge which gave us a great view of the back of the castle. The front was all under scaffolding, much like the Gedenkniskirche in Berlin which was a bummer.
Thankfully the back was still open and beautiful. The bridge we had to stand on made me super nervous. The boards would bend as people piled on. Then it started to pour, and it cleared out just so Sabrina and I could catch a few pictures :)
You can already see how wet we were after just a few minutes in the rain! Well that rain didn't really let up for the next hour. We sat under some shelter and ate our pretzels and pastries, waiting for our tour to start.
I have no pictures from inside because we weren't allowed to use our cameras, which didn't stop some drunk German jerks. Honestly. They were complete fools. Sabrina and I both agreed.
Down in the gift shop I found some of Bully's family! :)
I also found the perfect place for Bully and family to live :)
After the tour was over, Sabrina and I headed back home. When we got home we ordered pizza, which I got all over myself. I'm the reason we don't have nice things, I know. After we ate our pizza, we curled up to watch Big Bang Theory and eat our banana treats! They were soooooooo good! We'll have to make more soon!
Happy: finally seeing my castle :)
Crappy: all the rain!
Lots of love from Germany!!
Eventually we found our way back and drove all the way up to castle and paid the 5 euros for parking.
We had to wait in line to get tickets and ended up with a German tour. I didn't mind. It would be good for me. The tour wasn't for another few hours so we took our time walking around.
We walked up to a smaller castle, Hohenschwangau.
There was a nice little chapel near this castle where I lit yet another candle. I just can't help myself when it comes to lighting candles in churches. I just love it :)
It was so peaceful. Well except for all the people who continuously asked us to take their pictures. Correction they asked Sabrina to take their picture. It was weird.
Then we started the climb. Oh man. It was long and steep and long. Did I mention it was long? There were lots of people. And some rain. Some horse-drawn carriages, leaving poop trails. But there were some great views.
By the time we were at the castle, we still had over an hour until our tour, so we kept walking. There was a bridge which gave us a great view of the back of the castle. The front was all under scaffolding, much like the Gedenkniskirche in Berlin which was a bummer.
I have no pictures from inside because we weren't allowed to use our cameras, which didn't stop some drunk German jerks. Honestly. They were complete fools. Sabrina and I both agreed.
Down in the gift shop I found some of Bully's family! :)
Happy: finally seeing my castle :)
Crappy: all the rain!
Lots of love from Germany!!
Thursday 07.06
Today was a lazy day at home with Sabrina. It was a holiday here in Germany so nothing was open and there wasn't much to do other than be lazy! :) We slept in, which felt wonderful and had breakfast. Then we just sat around doing homework and such. I worked on journals, she proof-read a paper for a friend. We had a simple lunch and later in the afternoon we all went on a walk around the town. Adelberg is small. There is one bakery which has some grocery items in it. Otherwise there isn't really a grocery store. There is one elementary school. It is one small building. I can't wait to bring Sabrina to Palatine to show her everything there. The entire size of her town is probably the size the PHS. In Adelberg there is a monastery. It is small but really pretty. We walked around on a trail. We stopped inside a church. As we walked back towards the house, there was a festival type thing. We picked up a couple pieces of cake to eat once we got back to the house.
Not too long after that we had dinner. Sabrina's parents grilled. Yum. We had chicken and wurst and potato salad and bread with yummy garlic butter. I was a happy camper. A very full happy camper.
After dinner we made our yummy banana treats! We cut up bananas and covered them in chocolate, white and milk! Once they were covered we popped them in the freezer. We can't eat them until tomorrow, but we did eat the leftover melted chocolate :)
We went to bed kind of early because we had to get up a little earlier the next day to go to Neuschwanstein!
Happy: good food, being lazy, great company
Crappy: NoThInG! Loving life :)
Lots of love from Germany!
Not too long after that we had dinner. Sabrina's parents grilled. Yum. We had chicken and wurst and potato salad and bread with yummy garlic butter. I was a happy camper. A very full happy camper.
After dinner we made our yummy banana treats! We cut up bananas and covered them in chocolate, white and milk! Once they were covered we popped them in the freezer. We can't eat them until tomorrow, but we did eat the leftover melted chocolate :)
We went to bed kind of early because we had to get up a little earlier the next day to go to Neuschwanstein!
Happy: good food, being lazy, great company
Crappy: NoThInG! Loving life :)
Lots of love from Germany!
Wednesday 06.06
Today we had class from 12-14 but instead of our usual Berlin class, Frau Becker came in to talk to us about cultural differences. We did a fun activity where the class was split into two different groups, each group being representatives from a different country. We were given background information about our country and our relationship with the other country. We were given information on our customs, traditions and things that were important to us. From there we had to decide how to handle the situation at hand. When the two groups came together, you could really tell the differences. It was cool, and hilarious. I love this group. We have so much fun together. We know how to laugh, that's for sure. We talked a little more about some differences we have noticed between Americans and Germans, and before we knew it class was over.
I got to see Sabrina between classes because her next class was in the room mine was just in! :)
After that I grabbed a bite to eat in the Mensa, and then went home to pack for my weekend at home with Sabrina. I watched some Big Bang Theory while packing.
Around 4:30 Sabrina picked me up, and we headed to Adelberg. On the way we stopped and picked up some bananas and chocolate for a treat we were making.
We got to her house a little after 5. I met her mom and dad, both are super dee duper nice. We had dinner soon there after. Sabrina and I made some spaghetti for dinner. After dinner we curled up in bed and watched The Princess and the Frog. I hadn't seen it before, and boy was I missing out! Great movie.
Not a too exciting day, but still fun :)
Happy: pretty much the whole day, I don't have any complaints today :)
Crappy: nothing really. maybe unpacking just to repack, but that just means I'm busy :)
Lots of love from Germany!!
I got to see Sabrina between classes because her next class was in the room mine was just in! :)
After that I grabbed a bite to eat in the Mensa, and then went home to pack for my weekend at home with Sabrina. I watched some Big Bang Theory while packing.
Around 4:30 Sabrina picked me up, and we headed to Adelberg. On the way we stopped and picked up some bananas and chocolate for a treat we were making.
We got to her house a little after 5. I met her mom and dad, both are super dee duper nice. We had dinner soon there after. Sabrina and I made some spaghetti for dinner. After dinner we curled up in bed and watched The Princess and the Frog. I hadn't seen it before, and boy was I missing out! Great movie.
Not a too exciting day, but still fun :)
Happy: pretty much the whole day, I don't have any complaints today :)
Crappy: nothing really. maybe unpacking just to repack, but that just means I'm busy :)
Lots of love from Germany!!
Tuesday 05.06.12
I had to get up early today for class. We had our grammar course from 8:30-12. Then we had 2 hour break before we had class with Kornetta from 14-16. During that break Sabrina and I had lunch together, just like we do every Tuesday.
Then we had class with Kornetta, except he wasn't there. We had a substitute, which went just fine. We broke off into groups and talked with Germans about what we had done the week before. Sara and I were with two German students, both of whom are studying this fall at GV! So we ended up talking more about GV than what we had done last week, but that's okay. It was still a good chat.
After that class we had the Berlin course with Anderson. Instead of talking too much about Berlin we did a lot of work with passive sentences. The art group talked about what they learned in Berlin. And that was all the time we had today.
I went to Sabrina's after class for dinner and journal writing. We also skyped my parents for a couple of hours. That's pretty much it for today!
Happy: lunch with Sabrina and meeting some of the people coming to GV in the fall!
Crappy: long day of class...
Lots of love from Germany!!
Then we had class with Kornetta, except he wasn't there. We had a substitute, which went just fine. We broke off into groups and talked with Germans about what we had done the week before. Sara and I were with two German students, both of whom are studying this fall at GV! So we ended up talking more about GV than what we had done last week, but that's okay. It was still a good chat.
After that class we had the Berlin course with Anderson. Instead of talking too much about Berlin we did a lot of work with passive sentences. The art group talked about what they learned in Berlin. And that was all the time we had today.
I went to Sabrina's after class for dinner and journal writing. We also skyped my parents for a couple of hours. That's pretty much it for today!
Happy: lunch with Sabrina and meeting some of the people coming to GV in the fall!
Crappy: long day of class...
Lots of love from Germany!!
Monday 04.06.12
Tati, Remi and I got up kind of early today. We had breakfast, got ready for the day, Remi left for class and not too long after that I was heading to the train station with Tati. I hate saying goodbye. But hopefully I won't have to wait too long to see her again. Canada isn't that far away is it?
I had about an hour before my train so I sat in the train station working on journals (I feel like that's all I do now a days...). Before my train I went to one of the stores in the train station and bought a postcard and a little snack.
The train ride to Stuttgart wasn't very long at all. Maybe an hour. Then Stuttgart to Schwäbisch Gmünd was about 40 minutes. I took the bus back to the apartment (and saw Anderson on the bus), packed my backpack, and headed to Sabrina's. I showed her everything I had bought in Berlin, including my dirndl. I told her all the stories from the past week, and she told me all of her stories. Then she had to go to class, so I went back home for about an hour, and then met her back at the PH so we could have dinner and eat some ice cream. We ended the night with homework and Big Bang Theory and Sabrina's first skype date with my parents!
Happy: reuniting with Sabrina :)
Crappy: leaving Tati
Lot of love from Germany!!
I had about an hour before my train so I sat in the train station working on journals (I feel like that's all I do now a days...). Before my train I went to one of the stores in the train station and bought a postcard and a little snack.
The train ride to Stuttgart wasn't very long at all. Maybe an hour. Then Stuttgart to Schwäbisch Gmünd was about 40 minutes. I took the bus back to the apartment (and saw Anderson on the bus), packed my backpack, and headed to Sabrina's. I showed her everything I had bought in Berlin, including my dirndl. I told her all the stories from the past week, and she told me all of her stories. Then she had to go to class, so I went back home for about an hour, and then met her back at the PH so we could have dinner and eat some ice cream. We ended the night with homework and Big Bang Theory and Sabrina's first skype date with my parents!
Happy: reuniting with Sabrina :)
Crappy: leaving Tati
Lot of love from Germany!!
Saturday and Sunday 02.06-03.06
Saturday was our last day/morning in Berlin. We walked around in the morning to finish up a few presentations, but I didn't actually have time for that. I was taking a different train than the others so I could go and see Tatjana in Karlsruhe! :D
I got on my train, found a seat, watched a movie, wrote some journals and just relaxed. I ended up sitting with a dad and his two daughters. Across from us was an adorable little boy, mom and dad. He was super cute.
The train ride was about 5 hours long. I got to Karlsruhe at 6 and Tati was waiting for me at the track. It was so awesome to see her! We got on a street train, and headed to her apartment. We started to catch up on our 10 minute ride to her place. Once we got to her apartment, I met her boyfriend and we all talked. I got connected to the internet and skyped with mom and dad. They were glad to hear I was in Karlsruhe safe and sound, and they got to see Tati!
We left a little bit after that for dinner. First we stopped and got bubble tea. It is the hot thing here in Germany. They even sell it at McDonald's now! I got a strawberry smoothie which was awesome! We walked around with our bubble tea. Tati took us past the "must see' thing in Karlsruhe. They have a nice little castle/palace/thing.
From there we walked to Vapiano's where we had dinner. It is an italian chain restaurant. And it is sooooo cooool! When you walk in you get a credit card type thing. Then you go up to a counter where you order your food and they make it right there in front of you. I had pasta and chicken in a creamy pesto sauce with tomatoes, peppers, and spinach. It was super delicious. It totally hit the spot.
After dinner we walked home, had a drink, and tried to figure out where to go on Sunday. It was between France or Switzerland. I know, be jealous :) We then curled up on Tati's bed for a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory. Back at GV a lot of my friends watch that show, and I've seen maybe 2 episodes before. But after watching it with Tati, I am hooked. I may or may not have fallen asleep during the second episode, but in my defense I had had a long day.
Sunday we got up late, maybe around 9:30 or 10. It was nice to sleep in and be a little lazy. Because we got up so late we decided to go to France because it was only an hour drive versus Switzerland which was at least 3 hours away and the weather wasn't supposed to be that great. So off to Strasbourg, France we went!
On the drive there we listened to some Lady Gaga :)
It's cool. Tati speaks German, English and Russian. Her boyfriend speaks French and English. So the common language between them is English, so all they speak is English. Tati is actually hoping to study in Canada this next school year. It is difficult for them to be in Germany or France because one of them is always lost in translation, so they want to live in an English speaking country.
Anyway. France is Tati's boyfriend's, Remi, native country. The two of them have been to Strasbourg before, especially Remi so I had a built in tour guide :)
One of the first things we did was go inside the cathedral. Dang, was it pretty in there. I love old churches.
The last two pictures are of the huge clock inside the cathedral. It was a pretty big deal. We stayed until 1 hoping that the little figurines would do something at the top of the hour, but nothing really happened. It just dinged and one moved. Poop.
From there we went to go find some lunch. This area of France at least has some pretty awesome Flamkuchen. It is similar to a pizza but on a much thinner crust. I got one that was overloaded with cheese, onions and bacon. I couldn't finish it. I made Remi and Tati do that :)
After lunch we had to walk around a little cause we were so stinking full.
How much more gorgeous could this place be? It's crazy pretty!
There was a little fair going on in one area. There were cows, pigs and sheep. A guy was shaving the sheep right in front of us, until it started to pour rain! The poor sheep was half shaved! They looked funny. We were close enough to the cows to pet them :) There was a little booth for wine tasting too. Remi grabbed us each a glass of a Pinot Grigio. It was so good! We decided we had to pick up a bottle of some kind of wine before we headed home.
Random I know, but in Strasbourg they drink tap water! Their water is one of the things they are very proud of! There were even water fountains!
We took a boat tour through the town. Each person got their own headset and you could pick the language you listened to. I picked the German one for kids. I understood about 95% of what was said. Tati and Remi learned things about the city and the buildings and such while I was listening to a Pirate tell crazy stories. I didn't mind though. It kept me thoroughly entertained :)
After the boat ride we dashed to the car and headed home. On the way to the car we found a little market open and bought some wine. In the car Tati and I both fell asleep. We were wiped out, all three of us. We went home, had a simple dinner, had some wine, and watched more Big Bang Theory. We went to bed kind of early. It had been a long day. We were all wiped out and needed to get up kind of early the next day.
Happy: being with Tati! I missed her!
Crappy: all the rain
Lots of love from Germany!!
I got on my train, found a seat, watched a movie, wrote some journals and just relaxed. I ended up sitting with a dad and his two daughters. Across from us was an adorable little boy, mom and dad. He was super cute.
The train ride was about 5 hours long. I got to Karlsruhe at 6 and Tati was waiting for me at the track. It was so awesome to see her! We got on a street train, and headed to her apartment. We started to catch up on our 10 minute ride to her place. Once we got to her apartment, I met her boyfriend and we all talked. I got connected to the internet and skyped with mom and dad. They were glad to hear I was in Karlsruhe safe and sound, and they got to see Tati!
We left a little bit after that for dinner. First we stopped and got bubble tea. It is the hot thing here in Germany. They even sell it at McDonald's now! I got a strawberry smoothie which was awesome! We walked around with our bubble tea. Tati took us past the "must see' thing in Karlsruhe. They have a nice little castle/palace/thing.
Sunday we got up late, maybe around 9:30 or 10. It was nice to sleep in and be a little lazy. Because we got up so late we decided to go to France because it was only an hour drive versus Switzerland which was at least 3 hours away and the weather wasn't supposed to be that great. So off to Strasbourg, France we went!
On the drive there we listened to some Lady Gaga :)
It's cool. Tati speaks German, English and Russian. Her boyfriend speaks French and English. So the common language between them is English, so all they speak is English. Tati is actually hoping to study in Canada this next school year. It is difficult for them to be in Germany or France because one of them is always lost in translation, so they want to live in an English speaking country.
Anyway. France is Tati's boyfriend's, Remi, native country. The two of them have been to Strasbourg before, especially Remi so I had a built in tour guide :)
One of the first things we did was go inside the cathedral. Dang, was it pretty in there. I love old churches.
The last two pictures are of the huge clock inside the cathedral. It was a pretty big deal. We stayed until 1 hoping that the little figurines would do something at the top of the hour, but nothing really happened. It just dinged and one moved. Poop.
From there we went to go find some lunch. This area of France at least has some pretty awesome Flamkuchen. It is similar to a pizza but on a much thinner crust. I got one that was overloaded with cheese, onions and bacon. I couldn't finish it. I made Remi and Tati do that :)
After lunch we had to walk around a little cause we were so stinking full.
There was a little fair going on in one area. There were cows, pigs and sheep. A guy was shaving the sheep right in front of us, until it started to pour rain! The poor sheep was half shaved! They looked funny. We were close enough to the cows to pet them :) There was a little booth for wine tasting too. Remi grabbed us each a glass of a Pinot Grigio. It was so good! We decided we had to pick up a bottle of some kind of wine before we headed home.
Random I know, but in Strasbourg they drink tap water! Their water is one of the things they are very proud of! There were even water fountains!
We took a boat tour through the town. Each person got their own headset and you could pick the language you listened to. I picked the German one for kids. I understood about 95% of what was said. Tati and Remi learned things about the city and the buildings and such while I was listening to a Pirate tell crazy stories. I didn't mind though. It kept me thoroughly entertained :)
After the boat ride we dashed to the car and headed home. On the way to the car we found a little market open and bought some wine. In the car Tati and I both fell asleep. We were wiped out, all three of us. We went home, had a simple dinner, had some wine, and watched more Big Bang Theory. We went to bed kind of early. It had been a long day. We were all wiped out and needed to get up kind of early the next day.
Happy: being with Tati! I missed her!
Crappy: all the rain
Lots of love from Germany!!
Friday 01.06: Berlin day 5
Today was another free day, we didn't even have any presentations. Anderson saw some of us at breakfast that morning, but not all of us. He gave us some possible things to do but Becky and I already had a plan. Today we were going souvenir shopping and seeing some sights in Berlin. We wanted to make sure we had seen everything.
We started off in Alexander Platz. She wanted a picture by the clock, plus there was a C&A right there. Becky had decided she wanted to try and wear a scarf, and I thought C&A would be nice and cheap and have a decent selection. Wrong. They were cheap, but the selection was awful. I wanted to go check out the baby clothes for baby Christopher and my Ana-bear. So as I'm walking through the baby stuff, Becky comes up to me super excited saying that she found traditional dresses. So now we are both super excited. I have wanted a dirndl since Frühlingsfest! There were some that were 79 euros, others that were 99 euros and then some that were 129. I knew I couldn't try on any that were 129, and I tried to stick to just the 79 euro ones, but there were only 2. I had no clue what size I would be so I grabbed like 6 different styles and sizes. I eventually found one that fit me well and I loved! It's pink and purple and perfect! Becky found one she liked but couldn't convince herself to buy it. I on the other hand, couldn't stand the thought of putting mine back on the rack. We walked around for a few more minutes and I couldn't stand thinking of not having my dirndl, so I bought it! :) Yeah I splurged on myself. I don't care! It was totally worth it.
From there we headed to the Brandenburg Tor again because Becky needed a couple more pictures of it. On our walk there we were able to get some good pictures of the Fernsehturm. The whole day, every time we walked past a souvenir shop we went inside. I honestly don't know how many we went into. I'd say at least 25, but that seems a little low! :)
As we walked, we pasted this fountain which I remember from 5 years ago! I was so pumped :)
Man did it bring back some awesome memories :)
We continued walking and shopping. We stopped in this store. It was full of hand-made wooden things. It was soooo adorable. I wanted to buy everything in there. Becky had to drag me out.
From there we went to the Berliner Dom. We just got pictures of the outside. I wanted to go inside but it cost money, so we just settled on some gorgeous pictures :)
Beautiful isn't it? I thought so!
We ended up walking past Humboldt Uni again, but a much different and prettier part than what Anderson had shown us.
Now remember, this isn't all we did all day. There was a lot of going in and out of souvenir shops along with the sight seeing.
At this point we stopped for a late lunch. On our first day in Berlin, Becky and I saw a place that had steak, and we knew we wanted to eat there once. Today was our perfect chance. So even though the prices were a little high, it was totally worth it.
Becky got a steak and baked potato. I got a burger, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me :) I even ate the coleslaw that came with it. I know, amazing right? The burger came on garlic bread. Yum! The meal was worth every penny.
From there we walked towards Checkpoint Charlie. When we were there on Wednesday we didn't really get a chance to stop and take pictures of it, plus we hadn't gotten any pictures with the wall! So we checked that off the list.
From there we wanted to find the Gedenkniskirche. We followed the map to where we thought we needed to go. There was a big polish festival and a bell tower thing, but no church. We were super confused. How did we miss the church? Well it was all under scaffolding. It looked like an office building, not a church. They had it under all the scaffolding and such because they were doing some renovations/investigations. Making sure the structure was sound and all. It was a bummer. I didn't even get a picture of it I was so bummed.
But thankfully there was a polish festival right there that we got to enjoy. We ate crepes, looked at all the little stands, considering buying lots of things, and the most exciting was getting to have some fresh squeezed orange juice. :D The guy even let Becky come back and squeeze some herself!
He liked us :) and the orange juice was delicious. Worth every penny! There was also a polka band playing. It was honestly so much fun. We were tempted to stay there the whole night. If the drinks wouldn't have been so expensive I think we would have stayed.
Regardless, we headed back to the hostel. When we opened the door to our hallway, almost everyone was out in the hallway talking and drinking. Becky and I sat out there with them, snacking on our Lidl trip leftovers. Now our group pretty much had this whole hallway to ourselves. There was one room on the end that had people in it that we didn't know. As we were all sitting out there talking, the girls in that room came out to talk to us. They invited us to go out with them that night and we talked to them (in German) for quite some time. Turns out they were from the Stuttgart area too. They were surprised by how good our German was and the fact that we even wanted to learn the language.
We all dispersed to our own rooms to get ready to go out. I had been debating whether to go out or not. I really just wanted to stay in, finally watch a movie and relax. It had been a long day with a lot of walking and I just wasn't up for another night of walking around, crazy loud music, drinking, and all that goes along with clubs, partying and drinking.
I ended up making the better choice. I watched a movie and relaxed while Becky went out. She came back not a happy camper. Apparently things didn't go very smoothly. They never even found a place to get a drink. They had walked around aimlessly for hours. I was happy I simply watched a movie.
Happy: getting my dirndl and fresh squeezed orange juice
Crappy: the Gedenkniskirche being covered up
Lots of love from Germany!!
We started off in Alexander Platz. She wanted a picture by the clock, plus there was a C&A right there. Becky had decided she wanted to try and wear a scarf, and I thought C&A would be nice and cheap and have a decent selection. Wrong. They were cheap, but the selection was awful. I wanted to go check out the baby clothes for baby Christopher and my Ana-bear. So as I'm walking through the baby stuff, Becky comes up to me super excited saying that she found traditional dresses. So now we are both super excited. I have wanted a dirndl since Frühlingsfest! There were some that were 79 euros, others that were 99 euros and then some that were 129. I knew I couldn't try on any that were 129, and I tried to stick to just the 79 euro ones, but there were only 2. I had no clue what size I would be so I grabbed like 6 different styles and sizes. I eventually found one that fit me well and I loved! It's pink and purple and perfect! Becky found one she liked but couldn't convince herself to buy it. I on the other hand, couldn't stand the thought of putting mine back on the rack. We walked around for a few more minutes and I couldn't stand thinking of not having my dirndl, so I bought it! :) Yeah I splurged on myself. I don't care! It was totally worth it.
From there we headed to the Brandenburg Tor again because Becky needed a couple more pictures of it. On our walk there we were able to get some good pictures of the Fernsehturm. The whole day, every time we walked past a souvenir shop we went inside. I honestly don't know how many we went into. I'd say at least 25, but that seems a little low! :)
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| Today |
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| 5 years ago |
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| 5 years ago |
We continued walking and shopping. We stopped in this store. It was full of hand-made wooden things. It was soooo adorable. I wanted to buy everything in there. Becky had to drag me out.
We ended up walking past Humboldt Uni again, but a much different and prettier part than what Anderson had shown us.
At this point we stopped for a late lunch. On our first day in Berlin, Becky and I saw a place that had steak, and we knew we wanted to eat there once. Today was our perfect chance. So even though the prices were a little high, it was totally worth it.
From there we walked towards Checkpoint Charlie. When we were there on Wednesday we didn't really get a chance to stop and take pictures of it, plus we hadn't gotten any pictures with the wall! So we checked that off the list.
But thankfully there was a polish festival right there that we got to enjoy. We ate crepes, looked at all the little stands, considering buying lots of things, and the most exciting was getting to have some fresh squeezed orange juice. :D The guy even let Becky come back and squeeze some herself!
We all dispersed to our own rooms to get ready to go out. I had been debating whether to go out or not. I really just wanted to stay in, finally watch a movie and relax. It had been a long day with a lot of walking and I just wasn't up for another night of walking around, crazy loud music, drinking, and all that goes along with clubs, partying and drinking.
I ended up making the better choice. I watched a movie and relaxed while Becky went out. She came back not a happy camper. Apparently things didn't go very smoothly. They never even found a place to get a drink. They had walked around aimlessly for hours. I was happy I simply watched a movie.
Happy: getting my dirndl and fresh squeezed orange juice
Crappy: the Gedenkniskirche being covered up
Lots of love from Germany!!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Thursday 31.05: Berlin day 4
Today started off with breakfast, and then some of the last few presentations. Once the presentations were done we had a free day. There were 11 of us that wanted to go to the zoo. The rest went to the Berliner Dom and I don't have a clue as to what else they did.
The Berlin zoo supposedly has more species than any other zoo in the world! I was super pumped. When we drove past it on Monday night, the outside had paintings of dolphins and whales. Maybe, just maybe I would finally see a dolphin!
The zoo was more expensive than the one in Stuttgart, which was expected, but not nearly expensive as the ones back home, like Brookfield. For the zoo and the aquarium it cost 15 euros for a student. Not bad at all!
We walked in as a group, but within 1 minute had already broken off into about 3-4 groups. I like the way German zoo exhibits are built. I feel like they are a lot more open, and there are less big walls between us and the animals. I feel like in America it is all fences.
When we started, we were all taking pictures of the animals and the information plaques, to try and learn more animal names, but after about 10 minutes we totally forgot about that...
I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking here, until I get to one that has a story along with it! :)
For those that are curious, no there were no dolphins or whales. Yes I was super bummed. We went to the aquarium and when I realized I wasn't going to see any dolphins I slid into a funk. A depressed that I couldn't see any dolphins funk. I was crushed. Really. Becky gave me a hard time about it, but they are my favorite animals and I had really high hopes I would get to see one. But alas, there were none.
The one thing that semi-but-not-really-made up for the lack of water mammals, was the petting zoo. I didn't get any pictures because I was feeding and petting baby goats. Eventually when Becky puts her pictures up I'll get the picture of the goat and me on here! :D
We ended our zoo trip at the gift shop, where I bought myself a stuffed polar bear. I needed a cuddle buddy and I really wanted a "Berlin bear" and figured this was as close as I would get. He has a cute ribbon around his neck saying greetings from Berlin. Totally worth it. It's the first thing I had bought for myself the whole trip, aside from some postcards.
Becky really wanted to be able to say she ate McDonald's in Germany and there was one across the street from the zoo so that's where we had dinner. To me, it was just McDonald's. Nothing special. I don't really ever eat fast food so I might not be a good judge.
The rest of the group met us there and we headed to the train station to get back in time to meet Anderson for a little excursion. After a little bickering about what trains to take, we made it to where Anderson was meeting us and started walking.
He took us to a memorial in Treptower Park for the fallen Soviet soldiers. It was a gorgeous memorial. My favorite part was the statue at the top of the hill. It was a soldier holding a small child and has a broken swastika at his feet.
While I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have when I was there, now that I look back at it, I wish I had gotten some background knowledge before hand. But it had been a long day at the zoo and I had some intense foot pain going on.
It started to lightly rain so we continued walking until we came to a beer garden... which was closed. But the restaurant upstairs was still open! So we all sat around and had a drink. I had Berlin weiss bier, it is a white beer and then they add a colored syrup to it. It was really sweet. I could've had more, but Anderson was only paying for one :)
From there we headed back to the hostel. It was a long walk. In the pouring rain. I was wearing ballet flats, so they were soaked. The pain in my foot was overwhelming. I was soooooo not in a good mood.
I got back, changed into comfy clothes, and got to skype with Sabrina :) We talked for over an hour. It was really nice to finally get to talk to her. Sure the internet sucked and we got disconnected, but it was better than no skyping at all!
Happy: Petting a penguin, petting a goat, skyping with Sabrina
Crappy: it raining and my foot hurting.
Lots of love from Germany!
The Berlin zoo supposedly has more species than any other zoo in the world! I was super pumped. When we drove past it on Monday night, the outside had paintings of dolphins and whales. Maybe, just maybe I would finally see a dolphin!
The zoo was more expensive than the one in Stuttgart, which was expected, but not nearly expensive as the ones back home, like Brookfield. For the zoo and the aquarium it cost 15 euros for a student. Not bad at all!
We walked in as a group, but within 1 minute had already broken off into about 3-4 groups. I like the way German zoo exhibits are built. I feel like they are a lot more open, and there are less big walls between us and the animals. I feel like in America it is all fences.
When we started, we were all taking pictures of the animals and the information plaques, to try and learn more animal names, but after about 10 minutes we totally forgot about that...
I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking here, until I get to one that has a story along with it! :)
 |
| It's a HUGE zoo |
 |
| I pet this lil guy :) |
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| Just for you Emily Dean :) |
 | |
| For the Dean sisters :) |
 |
| Found some Ben & Jerry's for Sabrina :) |
 |
| Sunbathing kangaroos |
The one thing that semi-but-not-really-made up for the lack of water mammals, was the petting zoo. I didn't get any pictures because I was feeding and petting baby goats. Eventually when Becky puts her pictures up I'll get the picture of the goat and me on here! :D
We ended our zoo trip at the gift shop, where I bought myself a stuffed polar bear. I needed a cuddle buddy and I really wanted a "Berlin bear" and figured this was as close as I would get. He has a cute ribbon around his neck saying greetings from Berlin. Totally worth it. It's the first thing I had bought for myself the whole trip, aside from some postcards.
Becky really wanted to be able to say she ate McDonald's in Germany and there was one across the street from the zoo so that's where we had dinner. To me, it was just McDonald's. Nothing special. I don't really ever eat fast food so I might not be a good judge.
The rest of the group met us there and we headed to the train station to get back in time to meet Anderson for a little excursion. After a little bickering about what trains to take, we made it to where Anderson was meeting us and started walking.
He took us to a memorial in Treptower Park for the fallen Soviet soldiers. It was a gorgeous memorial. My favorite part was the statue at the top of the hill. It was a soldier holding a small child and has a broken swastika at his feet.
 |
| The first archway into the memorial |
 |
| Thank you Sara's hand for enhancing this picture |
It started to lightly rain so we continued walking until we came to a beer garden... which was closed. But the restaurant upstairs was still open! So we all sat around and had a drink. I had Berlin weiss bier, it is a white beer and then they add a colored syrup to it. It was really sweet. I could've had more, but Anderson was only paying for one :)
From there we headed back to the hostel. It was a long walk. In the pouring rain. I was wearing ballet flats, so they were soaked. The pain in my foot was overwhelming. I was soooooo not in a good mood.
I got back, changed into comfy clothes, and got to skype with Sabrina :) We talked for over an hour. It was really nice to finally get to talk to her. Sure the internet sucked and we got disconnected, but it was better than no skyping at all!
Happy: Petting a penguin, petting a goat, skyping with Sabrina
Crappy: it raining and my foot hurting.
Lots of love from Germany!
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