We left for Frankfurt around 7:30 on Thursday (hard to believe that was only yesterday!) and got there around noon. After dumping our stuff at the hostel, we walked to the Christmas market and were disappointed to see that they had closed already and were removing the stands. We spent most of the evening packing and relaxing.
This morning, we got up around 7, checked out, and headed to the airport. Everything went really well from there. Our flight left on time, despite all the problems that Frankfurt's supposedly been having. We got to Charlotte on time as well, after an uneventful flight. We had no issues with security or customs or anything. My first meal back in the US consisted of tacos and nachos. They don't have Mexican food in Germany, and I hadn't eaten tortilla chips in 4 months, which is very unacceptable. Now we're sitting in the airport waiting to board our flight to Charleston! We will all be glad to be back home again. Hope everyone is having a good Christmas Eve and has a very merry Christmas tomorrow!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Berlin
On Sunday, we took the train from Munich to Berlin. It was a long trip, but not a bad one. It was 6 hours, and the train was crowded, so I was glad we had made reservations.
On Monday we had intended to go to Dresden, but that train was late, so we jumped on one going to Wittenberg. We walked around the town and saw the church where Martin Luther nailed up his theses and some other related sights. That afternoon we went to Leipzig and walked around there. It was a lot more bleak-looking than the cities in the rest of Germany. Maybe it's because the weather wasn't great, but it had a lot more of the industrial, grey, East Germany feel to it.
On Tuesday we went to Dresden. I thought it was a really beautiful city, with a large palace complex and several ornate churches. The work was very impressive, especially considering it was all rebuilt after World War Two. We went to the Christmas Market there and bought a loaf of Stollen, which is a kind of sweet bread with raisens and marzipan that is a Dresden specialty.
Today we stayed in Berlin and toured the city. We did one of those Hop on, Hop off bus tours, so we got a tour of the sights without having to walk too much in the cold and snow. We went to the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, part of the Berlin Wall, and to a lot of the churches and museums in the area. Tonight I think we are going to go out to a Christmas Market for dinner, but then we are getting in early. Our train tomorrow leaves before 7:30. All of the other trains before 10:30 am were completely booked! Our trip to Frankfurt tomorrow should take about 4 hours, if all goes well. That will give us some time in the afternoon to get ready before our flight Friday morning! It's hard to believe that I will be home in just a few days!
On Monday we had intended to go to Dresden, but that train was late, so we jumped on one going to Wittenberg. We walked around the town and saw the church where Martin Luther nailed up his theses and some other related sights. That afternoon we went to Leipzig and walked around there. It was a lot more bleak-looking than the cities in the rest of Germany. Maybe it's because the weather wasn't great, but it had a lot more of the industrial, grey, East Germany feel to it.
On Tuesday we went to Dresden. I thought it was a really beautiful city, with a large palace complex and several ornate churches. The work was very impressive, especially considering it was all rebuilt after World War Two. We went to the Christmas Market there and bought a loaf of Stollen, which is a kind of sweet bread with raisens and marzipan that is a Dresden specialty.
Today we stayed in Berlin and toured the city. We did one of those Hop on, Hop off bus tours, so we got a tour of the sights without having to walk too much in the cold and snow. We went to the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, part of the Berlin Wall, and to a lot of the churches and museums in the area. Tonight I think we are going to go out to a Christmas Market for dinner, but then we are getting in early. Our train tomorrow leaves before 7:30. All of the other trains before 10:30 am were completely booked! Our trip to Frankfurt tomorrow should take about 4 hours, if all goes well. That will give us some time in the afternoon to get ready before our flight Friday morning! It's hard to believe that I will be home in just a few days!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
In Old Bavaria
(Written on Saturday night)
On Friday, we made two short trips. That morning, we went to Nuremberg. The town is famous for the Nazi parade grounds, as well as the Nuremberg trials and laws, but most tourists go there now for the Christmas market. The markets there are huge—some of the biggest in Germany—and the delicacy of choice is gingerbread (Lebkuchen). It is very tasty. The first batch I bought was small chunks of very spicy, gingery bread that had a small amount of sweet glaze on them. The second kind was extremely moist, a little sweeter, and dipped in dark chocolate. There were many more varieties available, too. The old town was pretty, so we walked around and explored that. It was very snowy there, with maybe 8 inches of snow where it hadn’t been cleared. It was also very cold and windy. That afternoon, we took a train further north to the town of Bayreuth. It’s where the Wagner opera house is. Only Wagner works are performed there. Of course, as there is in every German town, there were a lot of beautiful old churches, a castle or palace, and some other sights. Our trains were late getting back to Munich that evening, so we just took it easy and relaxed in the hotel room. While the weather was nice, Deutsche Bahn trains were always on-time. It was very rare for a train to be even 5 or 10 minutes late. However, 20 minute delays are now almost universal, and some are much longer. Between delays with both of our trains, it took us at least 90 minutes longer to get back than it should have.
This morning (Saturday) we caught a train to Salzburg, Austria. It was about a 90 minute ride from Munich, which was nice. The scenery along the way was very beautiful, as we were going through the Alps. I was a little disappointed to not see any mountain goats, but we did see some deer. We walked around the city of Salzburg for a while and were glad that it was slightly warmer than normal. We went up a big hill to a cloister, where we got a good view of the city. Then we went into the old town and walked around their farmers’ market and Christmas market. When I saw that there was a branch of the Hotel Sacher in town, I demanded that we stop by to get some Sacher Torte. Sacher Torte is a very famous chocolate cake made at the original Hotel Sacher in Vienna. Real Sacher Torte is very expensive, but it is supposed to be the best chocolate cake in the world. I bought a petit four version of the cake, and it was delicious. European cakes tend to not be as sweet as American cakes, but it was extremely chocolately, with a slight cherry taste. This evening, back at the hotel, we are being lazy again. We’ve been doing a lot of walking and all need a break by the evening.
Tomorrow morning, we leave for Berlin. I really enjoyed the city the first weekend I was in Germany, and I’m looking forward to going back.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Many Journeys
On Tuesday we went to Cologne. Fortunately, it was a little (but not much) warmer than Heidelberg. As soon as we got off the train we saw the Cathedral. It's a UN World Heritage Site, but I can't even start to describe it to you. Here's the link if you want to see a picture of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_cathedral The building was huge, and almost all of it was carved or decorated. It's easy to believe that it took over 600 years for it to be built! Fortunately, it was spared during World War Two. After walking around the cathedral, we went to the Lindt chocolate museum. It was pretty neat. Parts of it were a functional factory, so we got to see chocolates being made. We got a free chocolate upon entry, and also a wafer dipped in a chocolate fountain, both of which were very tasty.
That afternoon, I got to meet up with MollyEllen, Katie, and Bizz, who were in our hostel. We went to a nearby restaurant (specializing in Indian and Italian food) and enjoyed a last meal together. It was good hearing what they'd been up to since I left Marburg. That evening we hung out and played cards, but we all wanted to go to bed early.
On Wednesday, we left for Munich. It was so nice taking the ICE (Inter-City Express) trains there. Normally it takes me 8 hours to get from Frankfurt to Munich, but this time it only took 3! We checked into our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was! After dropping our bags off, we headed into the city. We walked to Marienplatz, which is the main old city square, and explored the Christmas Market a little. We then went through the Royal Residence of Bavaria. I had been through once before, but you could spend hours and hours there and never see all of it. Parts of the residence were destroyed in World War Two, but they had been restored for the museum. That evening we went to the Hofbrauhaus Munich. Now I've been to 3 of the 4 in the world (although I've never eaten at the one in Pittsburgh, we walked in the building, and I think that counts). It looked a lot like the one in Cincinnati, except a lot older. I ordered a suckling pig, and was a little disappointed when it wasn't the entire pig. It came with two potato dumplings, and I ordered a pretzel and some Weissbier (wheat beer) to complement my meal.
Today (Thursday) we went to Castle Neuschwanstein, also known as Mad King Ludwig's Castle. He had quite a few of them, but this is the one that the Disney castle is based off of. We had to take a 2 hour train ride to a small town (that's where the railroad ended) where we caught a train to another small town, where we walked half an hour up a hill to get to the castle. It's right in the foothills of the Alps, which were beautiful. The castle is only 5 km or less from the Austrian border, and the setting seems like something from a fairytale. However, based on the actual building and the tour, I'd say it was less impressive than expected. Here's a history of Ludwing and his castle: in the 1860s, Ludwig decides he needs another new castle. I think he'd already had 3 built. He wants a Medieval castle, so he tears down a currently-existing Medieval Castle and has a more authentic looking one built, and decorated in the Byzantine style. He was obsessed with Richard Wagner, and built the castle as a monument to Wagner's works. Most rooms are themed based off of an opera. So, if you can imagine a Medieval, Byzantine, Wagner-esque, castle covered in swans, that's Neuschwanstein. He was also (I think) a tightwad. There were a lot of painted glass "precious stones" and "tapestries" that were painted on the walls. But, in all fairness to him, he never got to finish the castle, not even most of it. He only lived there 6 months before he was declared mentally ill. The next day, he was removed from the castle, and a few days later, he and his psychologist were found drowned together. It's a little sad that this bizarre man never really got to live in his monument in Wagner.
Tomorrow, we are either going to Nuremberg or Bayreuth (which is where the Wagner operahouse is). Another monument to Wagner. They must really love him here. On Saturday we are going to Salzburg, which I am really excited about. I loved seeing the Alps today, and the train ride to Austria is supposed to be even more beautiful.
Hope you all are keeping warm! It's cold and snowy here in Germany, but I think that's about how it is in West Virginia, too.
That afternoon, I got to meet up with MollyEllen, Katie, and Bizz, who were in our hostel. We went to a nearby restaurant (specializing in Indian and Italian food) and enjoyed a last meal together. It was good hearing what they'd been up to since I left Marburg. That evening we hung out and played cards, but we all wanted to go to bed early.
On Wednesday, we left for Munich. It was so nice taking the ICE (Inter-City Express) trains there. Normally it takes me 8 hours to get from Frankfurt to Munich, but this time it only took 3! We checked into our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was! After dropping our bags off, we headed into the city. We walked to Marienplatz, which is the main old city square, and explored the Christmas Market a little. We then went through the Royal Residence of Bavaria. I had been through once before, but you could spend hours and hours there and never see all of it. Parts of the residence were destroyed in World War Two, but they had been restored for the museum. That evening we went to the Hofbrauhaus Munich. Now I've been to 3 of the 4 in the world (although I've never eaten at the one in Pittsburgh, we walked in the building, and I think that counts). It looked a lot like the one in Cincinnati, except a lot older. I ordered a suckling pig, and was a little disappointed when it wasn't the entire pig. It came with two potato dumplings, and I ordered a pretzel and some Weissbier (wheat beer) to complement my meal.
Today (Thursday) we went to Castle Neuschwanstein, also known as Mad King Ludwig's Castle. He had quite a few of them, but this is the one that the Disney castle is based off of. We had to take a 2 hour train ride to a small town (that's where the railroad ended) where we caught a train to another small town, where we walked half an hour up a hill to get to the castle. It's right in the foothills of the Alps, which were beautiful. The castle is only 5 km or less from the Austrian border, and the setting seems like something from a fairytale. However, based on the actual building and the tour, I'd say it was less impressive than expected. Here's a history of Ludwing and his castle: in the 1860s, Ludwig decides he needs another new castle. I think he'd already had 3 built. He wants a Medieval castle, so he tears down a currently-existing Medieval Castle and has a more authentic looking one built, and decorated in the Byzantine style. He was obsessed with Richard Wagner, and built the castle as a monument to Wagner's works. Most rooms are themed based off of an opera. So, if you can imagine a Medieval, Byzantine, Wagner-esque, castle covered in swans, that's Neuschwanstein. He was also (I think) a tightwad. There were a lot of painted glass "precious stones" and "tapestries" that were painted on the walls. But, in all fairness to him, he never got to finish the castle, not even most of it. He only lived there 6 months before he was declared mentally ill. The next day, he was removed from the castle, and a few days later, he and his psychologist were found drowned together. It's a little sad that this bizarre man never really got to live in his monument in Wagner.
Tomorrow, we are either going to Nuremberg or Bayreuth (which is where the Wagner operahouse is). Another monument to Wagner. They must really love him here. On Saturday we are going to Salzburg, which I am really excited about. I loved seeing the Alps today, and the train ride to Austria is supposed to be even more beautiful.
Hope you all are keeping warm! It's cold and snowy here in Germany, but I think that's about how it is in West Virginia, too.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Adventures With the 'Rents
So, Mom and Dad did get here safely on Friday. We were all hungry, so Mom found a nice little bar in the red light district where we could eat. She is a character. We wandered down to the Christmas market since we couldn't check into our rooms until 2 pm. After we moved in, we took a little break to recuperate, before heading back out into the city for a little bit. Our hostel is less than a block from the main train station, which is really convenient since we're doing a lot of travelling. It's right at the edge of the red light district, and it was pretty noisy the first night (although a lot of that was Dad snoring!) but it's not a bad place. We've got a private room with a shower, and there's free breakfast, too.
On Saturday, we went to the History of Frankfurt Museum. It was very interesting. We also stopped by some old (Roman, I think) ruins that are in the city center. Of course, we spent a good deal of time at the Christmas market! There's so much to see, and so much tasty food to try. My new favorite: Riebekuchen or Kartoffelpuffers, both of which are varients of potato pancakes. You can get them with applesauce or garlic sauce, both of which are delicious!
On Sunday, I took Mom and Dad to see the sights of Marburg. We walked around the city and looked at all the pretty buildings. I took them up on an overlook to point out all the boring places (like the library and my dorm) that were nevertheless important these past few months. They got to experience the slippery dangers of the cobblestone streets in the Oberstadt and the many, many flights of stairs up to the castle. We went to the museum inside the Castle, which was pretty nice. I didn't know it existed. Since most of the signs were in German, I translated what I could. We then got some gluhwein to warm up before heading to Paprica for a nice, hot lunch. Mom got the potato, spinach, and sheep-cheese auflauf. I got the cheese tortellini and veggie auflauf. Dad got Jaegerschnitzel...finally. The waitress forgot his food. Twice. But everyone had a good, filling meal. I took Mom to Cafe Vetter to look at the beautiful desserts they have, but we were too full for cake so we just got a few truffles to go. We walked around Marburg's Christmas Market (which I admit is a little disappointing after Frankfurt's) and then headed back to the big city.
We got up early today to go to Heidelberg. It's amazing how much faster you can get places when you can take the expensive trains! In Heidelberg, we walked around the old city and took some pictures. The sky was really blue and the sun was shining (which is always amazing in Germany). Especially because it's only daylight from about 8:30 am to 4 pm, it's nice to get some sun when you can. We took a tour of Heidelberg Castle, which was nice. It's really beautiful there. We meandered through their Christmas Markets (which are spread out wherever there's room) and then headed back to Frankfurt. I think eventually we'll head out to find some dinner, but we're pretty tired tonight and probably won't be too crazy.
Tomorrow we're going to Cologne, and that evening some of my friends from Marburg will be staying at the hostel before they fly back to the US. It will be nice to see them again one more time!
On Saturday, we went to the History of Frankfurt Museum. It was very interesting. We also stopped by some old (Roman, I think) ruins that are in the city center. Of course, we spent a good deal of time at the Christmas market! There's so much to see, and so much tasty food to try. My new favorite: Riebekuchen or Kartoffelpuffers, both of which are varients of potato pancakes. You can get them with applesauce or garlic sauce, both of which are delicious!
On Sunday, I took Mom and Dad to see the sights of Marburg. We walked around the city and looked at all the pretty buildings. I took them up on an overlook to point out all the boring places (like the library and my dorm) that were nevertheless important these past few months. They got to experience the slippery dangers of the cobblestone streets in the Oberstadt and the many, many flights of stairs up to the castle. We went to the museum inside the Castle, which was pretty nice. I didn't know it existed. Since most of the signs were in German, I translated what I could. We then got some gluhwein to warm up before heading to Paprica for a nice, hot lunch. Mom got the potato, spinach, and sheep-cheese auflauf. I got the cheese tortellini and veggie auflauf. Dad got Jaegerschnitzel...finally. The waitress forgot his food. Twice. But everyone had a good, filling meal. I took Mom to Cafe Vetter to look at the beautiful desserts they have, but we were too full for cake so we just got a few truffles to go. We walked around Marburg's Christmas Market (which I admit is a little disappointing after Frankfurt's) and then headed back to the big city.
We got up early today to go to Heidelberg. It's amazing how much faster you can get places when you can take the expensive trains! In Heidelberg, we walked around the old city and took some pictures. The sky was really blue and the sun was shining (which is always amazing in Germany). Especially because it's only daylight from about 8:30 am to 4 pm, it's nice to get some sun when you can. We took a tour of Heidelberg Castle, which was nice. It's really beautiful there. We meandered through their Christmas Markets (which are spread out wherever there's room) and then headed back to Frankfurt. I think eventually we'll head out to find some dinner, but we're pretty tired tonight and probably won't be too crazy.
Tomorrow we're going to Cologne, and that evening some of my friends from Marburg will be staying at the hostel before they fly back to the US. It will be nice to see them again one more time!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Leaving Marburg
The rest of my week has been spent hanging out with friends, packing, and cleaning. On Tuesday, after class, I hung out with Bizz. We watched Mama Mia and ate some tasty chocolate.
On Wednesday, it was really diffcult to get up for 8 am tutorial. We did a debate that day, and I think my side was victorious! Of course, I'm not going to put up anything other than winning. I went to Lecker Eck one last time, but I got doner-box (doner meat, french fries, and garlic sauce--very nutritious) instead of currywurst, which I had eaten the night before. For my afternoon tutorial, we met at the Marktplatz and drank gluhwein instead of having a real class session. That evening, I went to another dorm for a birthday party, but the bus only ran part of the way and then stopped because of snow. I find it hard to believe that it couldn't get through, considering that a snowplow was right in front of us. Still, we had to walk about 20 minutes to get there. It was nice seeing everyone again. With a few exceptions, no one acted too sad, which was good. Bizz and I walked back to the main part of town, which took an hour. The bus still wasn't running and we didn't want to spend the night.
Yesterday I cleaned and packed before exploring the Christmas Market one more time. I bought myself another Christmas present--it's a calendar of art of Marburg! I think artists are all local, and I'd like to keep the pictures because they're very beautiful. That afternoon, Bizz and I hung out with Maria (Taiwan) and some Korean girls. There was another party last night, and I wanted to go, but I was afraid of getting snowed in again. As it was, I went back to my dorm and cleaned.
This morning, I got checked out with no problems. I even got all of my housing deposit back, which was good. I made it to Frankfurt around 10:45 am, and I am now at the hostel waiting for Mom and Dad to get here! I checked online and saw their flight is on time, so they should be here soon!
On Wednesday, it was really diffcult to get up for 8 am tutorial. We did a debate that day, and I think my side was victorious! Of course, I'm not going to put up anything other than winning. I went to Lecker Eck one last time, but I got doner-box (doner meat, french fries, and garlic sauce--very nutritious) instead of currywurst, which I had eaten the night before. For my afternoon tutorial, we met at the Marktplatz and drank gluhwein instead of having a real class session. That evening, I went to another dorm for a birthday party, but the bus only ran part of the way and then stopped because of snow. I find it hard to believe that it couldn't get through, considering that a snowplow was right in front of us. Still, we had to walk about 20 minutes to get there. It was nice seeing everyone again. With a few exceptions, no one acted too sad, which was good. Bizz and I walked back to the main part of town, which took an hour. The bus still wasn't running and we didn't want to spend the night.
Yesterday I cleaned and packed before exploring the Christmas Market one more time. I bought myself another Christmas present--it's a calendar of art of Marburg! I think artists are all local, and I'd like to keep the pictures because they're very beautiful. That afternoon, Bizz and I hung out with Maria (Taiwan) and some Korean girls. There was another party last night, and I wanted to go, but I was afraid of getting snowed in again. As it was, I went back to my dorm and cleaned.
This morning, I got checked out with no problems. I even got all of my housing deposit back, which was good. I made it to Frankfurt around 10:45 am, and I am now at the hostel waiting for Mom and Dad to get here! I checked online and saw their flight is on time, so they should be here soon!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The End is Nigh
I seem to have a lot more time on my hands in the library than I thought I would! I finished my Food, Diet, and Globalization paper this morning and emailed it to my tutor to grade. I just have to polish the intro and conclusion for my Reproductive Health Policy paper, and then email that in, too. Yee haw! I am reaching the end of my class work!
At the same time, I am reaching the end of my time with my IUSP friends, which makes me very sad. I'll have to do a lot of travelling when I get back to the US, because I know I'll have plenty of places to stay. Last night, we went to the dunkel cafe. We went into a bar, then down a flight of stairs to a small landing. The menu was posted there, and you had to memorize your order. We were then taken down another flight of stairs that was pitch black (they used several layers of blackout curtains) and led to our table by our waiters, who were blind. We had no idea who was sitting next to us, so we had to ask and feel around to figure things out. The waiters took our order, and it was confusing to know who was getting what. I wasn't hungry, so I just ordered the "surprise drink". It ended up being a beer, which was fairly easy to figure out from the bottle and the taste. Some people got food (and some people stole the food under the protection of darkness!) and it was interesting for them to try to eat it. A few people even got soup, which was quite the challenge. Before we left, we had to pay for our food in the dark, which also involved fumbling around in my purse in the dark. I am pleased to say that I found the exact change on the first try. Evidently I am very familiar with the feel of money (even European money).
After that, Bizz and MollyEllen and I watched a movie and hung out for a while. I finally found my Hausfrau this morning, and I am supposed to check out at 8 am on Friday. I will have to do a lot of cleaning on Thursday, so I guess it's good I don't have class then. Today, I have class and tutorial, and tomorrow I have two tutorials. Then I am done! It's hard to believe it's the end of the semester already!
At the same time, I am reaching the end of my time with my IUSP friends, which makes me very sad. I'll have to do a lot of travelling when I get back to the US, because I know I'll have plenty of places to stay. Last night, we went to the dunkel cafe. We went into a bar, then down a flight of stairs to a small landing. The menu was posted there, and you had to memorize your order. We were then taken down another flight of stairs that was pitch black (they used several layers of blackout curtains) and led to our table by our waiters, who were blind. We had no idea who was sitting next to us, so we had to ask and feel around to figure things out. The waiters took our order, and it was confusing to know who was getting what. I wasn't hungry, so I just ordered the "surprise drink". It ended up being a beer, which was fairly easy to figure out from the bottle and the taste. Some people got food (and some people stole the food under the protection of darkness!) and it was interesting for them to try to eat it. A few people even got soup, which was quite the challenge. Before we left, we had to pay for our food in the dark, which also involved fumbling around in my purse in the dark. I am pleased to say that I found the exact change on the first try. Evidently I am very familiar with the feel of money (even European money).
After that, Bizz and MollyEllen and I watched a movie and hung out for a while. I finally found my Hausfrau this morning, and I am supposed to check out at 8 am on Friday. I will have to do a lot of cleaning on Thursday, so I guess it's good I don't have class then. Today, I have class and tutorial, and tomorrow I have two tutorials. Then I am done! It's hard to believe it's the end of the semester already!
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