Last day in Germany - well, last full day, anyway! There was a lot to be done on this day as well - when haven't we had a full day? This day too was extremely cool. We hopped on a train this morning (our last train ride of the trip) out to what seemed the middle of nowhere. We walked down this little wooded path (again, I thought I was out in nowhere land), when all of a sudden the CommerzBank Arena just popped uo out of nowhere. This is the largest stadium in Frankfurt - I think Madonna just gave a concert there not too long ago. It is also where football is played. You know, European football - what we call soccer. We had a meeting with the organizers of the Women's World Cup for soccer that will be held in 2011 throughout Germany. This was an extremely cool meeting, and I don't even like sports that much! It was just cool to see how much work goes into planning such a massive event. And, we got free stuff. Score!
After that meeting, it was back on the bus with Crazy Driver Guy, and we were off to Darmstadt to see the winning entry of the Solar Decathlon 2007 that was held on the National Mall at the Smithsonian in DC. The houses were understandably small (we also saw th entry for this year). There are strict limits as to what the size of the houses can be, and you also have to understand that these house must first be constructed wherever their home base is, then dismantled and shipped overseas - in pieces - to Washington, where they are reassembled.
Friday, September 4, 2009
August 6
Today started off slowly but ended with a bang. Our first meeting of the day was with Deutsche Bank, one of the major underwriters of this study tour. I suppose it was more of a courtesy visit that anything else, because I honestly didn't get that much out of it. In fact, I became very angry during the meeting. The woman who was talking to us seemed (and I want to make very clear that I am using "seemed" here instead of was, because there is no way that I can prove this) to have a very big chip on her shoulder concerning the United States. It is a very well-known fact that the economy of the United States dictates market operation throughout the world, and the recent financial crisis here has had a major impact abroad. This is something I was very much made aware of when I went to Japan last year, and that program was suspended because of the lack of necessary funds needed to finance such an undertaking. However, as one person in our group put it, the United States may have brought the keg to the party, but we didn't force anyone to drink from it. I guess one could consider that to be a very narrow-minded view concerning the global economy, and very narrow-minded considering the role of the United States in the world today. However, I know that I did not travel all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to hear someone base her judgement of the United States on one trip that she took to Los Angeles. It is very hard to get a representative cross-section of the U.S. from one trip to one part of the country, and she just got under my skin. What made matters worse is that I had left my notebook in the hotel room, so I had nothing to distract me. It made for a long start to the morning. The next speaker talked about corporate social responsibility, and what Deutsche Bank is doing in this area. She was much more interesting (in my opinion). We then had a small tour of the Deutsche Bank's art collection. I think this would have taken a lot longer if we were in Deutsche Bank's main buildings, but as those were undergoing renovations to make them more green, we were just in a smaller temporary office space.
After this we had an opportunity to either go back to the hotel or to spend time in the main shopping district of Frankfurt. It was a nice shopping area (big ticket stores like Bulgari and Dolce & Gabana), but I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have anything tacky like velvet wall art, so I opted to go back to the hotel and grab lunch in the train station. I had Turkish food, the wonderful and enticing döner kebap. I had just enough time to grab an apfelshörle from a convenience store, change clothes, and hop on a bus headed to Ostheim. This may have been one of the scariest bus rides I have ever undertaken. Our driver was not a happy man, to say the least. Our driver in Berlin was very cool and laidback, but this guy was immediately on our cases. By the time he got on the Autobahn, it was over. As you may or may not know, the autobahn has no set speed limit. I believe that busses may, but this guy didn't seem to be adhering to any traffic laws. I decided a nap might be in my best interests. When I woke up, it seemed that we were stranded out in the country somewhere. Ostheim itself is pretty remote, but there seemed to be some major road construction going on that made things seem that much wronger.
What was I doing in Ostheim? We were visiting a company called Bionade. Bionade is an organic drink. It goes through a fermentation process, but is not alcoholic. When we first arrived, we were welcomed into the gasthaus across the street from the company, and there was a large spread of Bionade there for us to sample. Flavors included lychee, herbs, elderberry, and orange ginger. We were taken on a tour of the plant, and given a taste of the glycolic acid that is used in the process. It was pretty much like taking a shot of REALLY strong vinegar. It was beyond nasty. We then got a look at the bottling facility. Afterwards we were given a gift of four bottles of Bionade to take home (yay for freebies! no for suitcase planning!). Since Bionade is made with organic ingredients, it made sense for us to go out to one of the farms that produces ingredients for Bionade.
We went to an elderberry farm that is owned by Martin Ritter. Herr Ritter walked us through the main crop of his farm, which is elderberries. They grow on trees, and we saw a regular variety and a Swedish variety. Of course, we got to sample the berries as well! The farm was fantastic - the weather was beautiful, the sky was blue, there were animals to play with - it was without a doubt the most relaxing day of the trip. I was able to feed some apples to some of the horses, including one that was quite the licker and who also nibbled my finger to the point that it still feels sore two days later as I write this (she didn't clamp down, but she did hold my finger firmly between her teeth - and I do mean firmly). Herr Ritter also served us dinner, fried organic turkey and chicken that he grows on the farm (the bird droppings are used to fertilize the crops), with organic vegetables and salads. It was such a nice pleasant time! Our bus ride back with Scary Driver took about two hours, and most of us on the bus stayed awake and told stories and generally had a good time spending time with each other as this trip winds down to a close. By far, I think that day was my favorite of the trip to that point.
After this we had an opportunity to either go back to the hotel or to spend time in the main shopping district of Frankfurt. It was a nice shopping area (big ticket stores like Bulgari and Dolce & Gabana), but I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have anything tacky like velvet wall art, so I opted to go back to the hotel and grab lunch in the train station. I had Turkish food, the wonderful and enticing döner kebap. I had just enough time to grab an apfelshörle from a convenience store, change clothes, and hop on a bus headed to Ostheim. This may have been one of the scariest bus rides I have ever undertaken. Our driver was not a happy man, to say the least. Our driver in Berlin was very cool and laidback, but this guy was immediately on our cases. By the time he got on the Autobahn, it was over. As you may or may not know, the autobahn has no set speed limit. I believe that busses may, but this guy didn't seem to be adhering to any traffic laws. I decided a nap might be in my best interests. When I woke up, it seemed that we were stranded out in the country somewhere. Ostheim itself is pretty remote, but there seemed to be some major road construction going on that made things seem that much wronger.
What was I doing in Ostheim? We were visiting a company called Bionade. Bionade is an organic drink. It goes through a fermentation process, but is not alcoholic. When we first arrived, we were welcomed into the gasthaus across the street from the company, and there was a large spread of Bionade there for us to sample. Flavors included lychee, herbs, elderberry, and orange ginger. We were taken on a tour of the plant, and given a taste of the glycolic acid that is used in the process. It was pretty much like taking a shot of REALLY strong vinegar. It was beyond nasty. We then got a look at the bottling facility. Afterwards we were given a gift of four bottles of Bionade to take home (yay for freebies! no for suitcase planning!). Since Bionade is made with organic ingredients, it made sense for us to go out to one of the farms that produces ingredients for Bionade.
We went to an elderberry farm that is owned by Martin Ritter. Herr Ritter walked us through the main crop of his farm, which is elderberries. They grow on trees, and we saw a regular variety and a Swedish variety. Of course, we got to sample the berries as well! The farm was fantastic - the weather was beautiful, the sky was blue, there were animals to play with - it was without a doubt the most relaxing day of the trip. I was able to feed some apples to some of the horses, including one that was quite the licker and who also nibbled my finger to the point that it still feels sore two days later as I write this (she didn't clamp down, but she did hold my finger firmly between her teeth - and I do mean firmly). Herr Ritter also served us dinner, fried organic turkey and chicken that he grows on the farm (the bird droppings are used to fertilize the crops), with organic vegetables and salads. It was such a nice pleasant time! Our bus ride back with Scary Driver took about two hours, and most of us on the bus stayed awake and told stories and generally had a good time spending time with each other as this trip winds down to a close. By far, I think that day was my favorite of the trip to that point.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
August 5
This morning I freaked out a little bit because I had forgotten what time I was supposed to meet downstairs - 7:15 or 8:15 (that shot of ouzo was probably a bad idea). Not wanting to be that late person, I got up early and got downstairs, checked out, had breakfast, and then hung out for an hour because, of course, we didn’t have to be downstairs until 8:15. Go figure.
We did have a meeting before leaving Hamburg this morning at the University of Hamburg. The presenter was one of the most excited men I have met on this trip! He seemed genuinely pleased to meet with us, and told us of his wish to join the U.S.’s National Council for the Social Studies. He was funny and easy to talk to concerning issues of teacher education. He then took us on a short walking tour of the campus, and we were able to view a memorial to a Jewish synagogue that was destroyed on Hitler’s Kristallnacht. Next door to the memorial was a Jewish school, and lest you think that any Jews that the Jews faced during the time of Hitler have disappeared, think again. There are still right-wing extremist groups out there (Neo Nazis, as an example) who are still bent on hurting the Jews, and you could see how seriously Germany and the city of Hamburg is taking this by the security measures that were in place around the school. There was a police stand, guards, fences, and security lights and cameras. Very sad to see, and very sobering.
We had just enough time to get back to the hotel area and grab lunch/snacks for the train, as well as out luggage, and then board the train for our almost four hour ride to Frankfurt. I thought that I would get a decent nap on the train, and it turns out that I was maybe out for about 20 minutes or so. Make no mistake - I am exhausted. For whatever reason though I am having trouble sleeping. Not fun at all! We finally got to Frankfurt, and were met with a very welcome surprise - porters for our luggage! This was fantastic because it turned out that the Frankfurt train station was massive. Lugging baggage through there would have been a mess. Our hotel is right outside the station, so it is very handy for getting around. We had enough time to meet Stephan and Victor, our tour guides here, and check into the hotel before heading out to explore the city.
Our first stop was the Goethe Haus. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the man for whome the Goethe-Institut is named, so it made perfect sense to go out to see his home. Want to know who Goethe is? Think of him as the German Shakespeare. He is Germany's most famous poet, and was also an important political official. The house was very nice, and relaxing to be able to go from room to room and see how Goethe would have lived. We next went to the Roemerburg Old Town Square, which one of the guides called Disneyland Germany because all of the "original" looking buildings were actually built way back in the 1980's. It was still cute! We saw the oldest remaining standing building in Frankfurt, visited the Nikolaikirche (another one!) and had a private organ recital of works by Bach (very very very cool). I also was excited to see some old ROman bath ruins that were unearthed when Frankfurt started to dig out another tunnel for the subway. We ended our tour at the Kaiserdom, Frankfurt's cathedral, which was a beautiful building of red sandstone.
By this point, we were all getting hungry again, so it was off to dinner - this time at a Japanese restaurant! While I am enjoying the international food, I do hope that we get back to eating German food again soon. I am pretty certain that will happen tomorrow!
Goodnight for now!
We did have a meeting before leaving Hamburg this morning at the University of Hamburg. The presenter was one of the most excited men I have met on this trip! He seemed genuinely pleased to meet with us, and told us of his wish to join the U.S.’s National Council for the Social Studies. He was funny and easy to talk to concerning issues of teacher education. He then took us on a short walking tour of the campus, and we were able to view a memorial to a Jewish synagogue that was destroyed on Hitler’s Kristallnacht. Next door to the memorial was a Jewish school, and lest you think that any Jews that the Jews faced during the time of Hitler have disappeared, think again. There are still right-wing extremist groups out there (Neo Nazis, as an example) who are still bent on hurting the Jews, and you could see how seriously Germany and the city of Hamburg is taking this by the security measures that were in place around the school. There was a police stand, guards, fences, and security lights and cameras. Very sad to see, and very sobering.
We had just enough time to get back to the hotel area and grab lunch/snacks for the train, as well as out luggage, and then board the train for our almost four hour ride to Frankfurt. I thought that I would get a decent nap on the train, and it turns out that I was maybe out for about 20 minutes or so. Make no mistake - I am exhausted. For whatever reason though I am having trouble sleeping. Not fun at all! We finally got to Frankfurt, and were met with a very welcome surprise - porters for our luggage! This was fantastic because it turned out that the Frankfurt train station was massive. Lugging baggage through there would have been a mess. Our hotel is right outside the station, so it is very handy for getting around. We had enough time to meet Stephan and Victor, our tour guides here, and check into the hotel before heading out to explore the city.
Our first stop was the Goethe Haus. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the man for whome the Goethe-Institut is named, so it made perfect sense to go out to see his home. Want to know who Goethe is? Think of him as the German Shakespeare. He is Germany's most famous poet, and was also an important political official. The house was very nice, and relaxing to be able to go from room to room and see how Goethe would have lived. We next went to the Roemerburg Old Town Square, which one of the guides called Disneyland Germany because all of the "original" looking buildings were actually built way back in the 1980's. It was still cute! We saw the oldest remaining standing building in Frankfurt, visited the Nikolaikirche (another one!) and had a private organ recital of works by Bach (very very very cool). I also was excited to see some old ROman bath ruins that were unearthed when Frankfurt started to dig out another tunnel for the subway. We ended our tour at the Kaiserdom, Frankfurt's cathedral, which was a beautiful building of red sandstone.
By this point, we were all getting hungry again, so it was off to dinner - this time at a Japanese restaurant! While I am enjoying the international food, I do hope that we get back to eating German food again soon. I am pretty certain that will happen tomorrow!
Goodnight for now!
August 4
Today was education day. Our scheduled meetings had us visiting the Teacher Training Institute, the Ministry of Education for the Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and a school visit at the end of the day. As has come to be expected in Hamburg, however, things didn't exactly go as planned!
Our first visit to the Teacher Training Institute was interesting. We learned about how teachers in Hamburg actually do their professional development each year at this place rather than at their schools.
After this appointment we went back to the hotel for lunch and a short break before our next appointment. I went with several other people to find a store that sells Birkenstocks. Birks are a bit cheaper over here than what they are in the States, and since I know that they are good for my feet, I really wanted to get a pair. Great success! I quickly found the exact sandal that I wanted, and was out the door in time to grab a slice of pizza, a franzbrötchen (Liz, they ARE great!), and a Mezzo Mix (mix of Coca Cola and Orange Fanta).
Our next appointment at the Ministry was interesting because it showed how the city-state of Hamburg is dealing with integrating cultures other then German into the schools. Traditionally all instruction has been in German, and it has been a sink-or-swim approach to learning if you did not speak German. I thought that the speaker was really interesting, but others in the group found him to be boring. I thought he was fascinating because he was a perfect example of a politician making decisions for schools, and these people crack me up. Besides, he did have some good ideas.
We didn’t get to do a school visit because, guess what? School’s out! This seemed weird because we were supposed to go to parts of Germany where school was still in session. That didn’t happen. I was disappointed in this, as were others because we are all teachers and we were interested in seeing what goes on in German schools. Has the trip to Hamburg been cursed?
Now with ample amounts of free time on our hands, we headed to the Rathaus area and the area around the Alster. I looked inside the Rathaus which was absolutely stunning, and then looked at a temporary art exhibit inside that dealt with different themes and how they are interpreted in each of the world's five main religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism). I was so impressed with the exhibit that I ended up purchasing the accompanying book, even though I swore to myself that I would purchase no more books! I just liked how it showed the similarities between the five religions.
I had shopping time after this, but I didn't have anything I needed to buy as I had done all of my souvenir shopping here and there when I had a few minutes to spare. Now, I had almost three hours! I ended up getting a cup of hot chocolate at Godiva and walked over to drink it on the banks of the Little Alster. No sense in spending money when you don't have to (Dad would be proud!). I then headed back to the square outside the Rathaus and was able to witness something pretty funny. Apparently there is a tradition that if a man turns 30 and is not married/engaged, his friends can harass him outside the Rathaus. This guy was dressed in a bunny costume and was sweeping the sidewalk. The only way that he could be freed from doing this was to have a woman kiss him and free him. It was interesting to watch because they were really having a good time, drinking beers and laughing.
We ate dinner that night at a Turkish restaurant. Germany has a high number of Turkish immigrants, so this made sense. I have no idea what my food was called, but I had hummus, some ground meat thing stuffed with goat cheese, a salad, rice, and some drink of apple juice that is mixed with sparkling mineral water that I have not had 20 of while on this trip. We were brought out shots of some liquorice-flavored alcohol that tasted a lot like ouzo. I’m pretty sure it was ouzo, but they called it something different. Tasty tasty.
That night at the hotel I had to pack up the bags, which are oddly heavy (stupid books) and get ready to leave Hamburg for Frankfurt.
Our first visit to the Teacher Training Institute was interesting. We learned about how teachers in Hamburg actually do their professional development each year at this place rather than at their schools.
After this appointment we went back to the hotel for lunch and a short break before our next appointment. I went with several other people to find a store that sells Birkenstocks. Birks are a bit cheaper over here than what they are in the States, and since I know that they are good for my feet, I really wanted to get a pair. Great success! I quickly found the exact sandal that I wanted, and was out the door in time to grab a slice of pizza, a franzbrötchen (Liz, they ARE great!), and a Mezzo Mix (mix of Coca Cola and Orange Fanta).
Our next appointment at the Ministry was interesting because it showed how the city-state of Hamburg is dealing with integrating cultures other then German into the schools. Traditionally all instruction has been in German, and it has been a sink-or-swim approach to learning if you did not speak German. I thought that the speaker was really interesting, but others in the group found him to be boring. I thought he was fascinating because he was a perfect example of a politician making decisions for schools, and these people crack me up. Besides, he did have some good ideas.
We didn’t get to do a school visit because, guess what? School’s out! This seemed weird because we were supposed to go to parts of Germany where school was still in session. That didn’t happen. I was disappointed in this, as were others because we are all teachers and we were interested in seeing what goes on in German schools. Has the trip to Hamburg been cursed?
Now with ample amounts of free time on our hands, we headed to the Rathaus area and the area around the Alster. I looked inside the Rathaus which was absolutely stunning, and then looked at a temporary art exhibit inside that dealt with different themes and how they are interpreted in each of the world's five main religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism). I was so impressed with the exhibit that I ended up purchasing the accompanying book, even though I swore to myself that I would purchase no more books! I just liked how it showed the similarities between the five religions.
I had shopping time after this, but I didn't have anything I needed to buy as I had done all of my souvenir shopping here and there when I had a few minutes to spare. Now, I had almost three hours! I ended up getting a cup of hot chocolate at Godiva and walked over to drink it on the banks of the Little Alster. No sense in spending money when you don't have to (Dad would be proud!). I then headed back to the square outside the Rathaus and was able to witness something pretty funny. Apparently there is a tradition that if a man turns 30 and is not married/engaged, his friends can harass him outside the Rathaus. This guy was dressed in a bunny costume and was sweeping the sidewalk. The only way that he could be freed from doing this was to have a woman kiss him and free him. It was interesting to watch because they were really having a good time, drinking beers and laughing.
We ate dinner that night at a Turkish restaurant. Germany has a high number of Turkish immigrants, so this made sense. I have no idea what my food was called, but I had hummus, some ground meat thing stuffed with goat cheese, a salad, rice, and some drink of apple juice that is mixed with sparkling mineral water that I have not had 20 of while on this trip. We were brought out shots of some liquorice-flavored alcohol that tasted a lot like ouzo. I’m pretty sure it was ouzo, but they called it something different. Tasty tasty.
That night at the hotel I had to pack up the bags, which are oddly heavy (stupid books) and get ready to leave Hamburg for Frankfurt.
August 3
Today was a scheduled tour at the German Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven. This museum was one of the things I was most looking forward to on the trip, so I was very excited about taking the train to Bremen, switching trains, and ending up in Bremerhaven. Unfortunately, we got a bit delayed because our train out of Hamburg arrived to Bremen late, making us miss our train and forcing us to take the next one. That was a 50 minute wait. There was some serious shopping to get done in that time! I had no idea what I was going to find, but it didn't stop me from looking! It's funny how fast 50 minutes flies by when you have some unexpected unstructured time!
We had another hour or so on the train from Bremen to Bremerhaven. As each minute ticked by, I could feel myself getting more and more excited. I truly was looking forward to this museum! It won the Best Museum in Europe award in 2007 - and there are a LOT of museums over here! In the lobby I was about ready to lose it - I'm crazy in museums! We were given a card that corresponded with a different emigrant, and as we moved through the museum, we could see how our emigrant did, if they were allowed passage, what happened to that person on the passage, and if they were finally allowed into the country to which they had emigrated. My emigrant was Justina Tubbe, who, rest assured, finally made it to the United States in 1835 and ended up settling in Texas. We had another guided tour, which lasted around two hours or so, which was just enough time to scratch the surface. I SOOOO wish that we would have had longer here. I was fascinated by this place - lots of interactive exhibits for visitors, a place to do research on your own family at the end, and very informative signs throughout the museum in both English and German. I even managed to have my picture taken as an emigrant (unfortunately the machine was out of ink so they are supposed to mail the picture to me - we'll see!). I wanted to take pictures, but once again this was a museum where you had to pay to take pictures and I thought I would console myself by buying the museum book in the gift shop. Guess what they were out of? They are supposed to e-mail me when the new book is available. I was utterly fascinated by this place. We had to move on, though. I was hoping that I could have used my remaining time in Bremerhaven to explore the museum more (we were scheduled to spend the afternoon in Bremerhaven at our choice of museums, but something happened - a vote or something that I didn't take part in) but we were headed back to Bremen. I was a little disappointed here. Bremerhaven had this amazing sea breeze, and even if I just spent another hour there, I was looking forward to walking around Bremerhaven and just enjoying the city. Not spending time in Bremerhaven has been one of the lows for me on the trip so far, and it was made that much worse due to the fact that there was apparently a vote to determine what we were doing and I didn't get to take part for some reason. I think I had just built so much up around this part of the trip that when it didn't work out I was just really bummed. Bremen was a nice city, and I got to see the statue of the Bremen musicians, which was cool, but I still remained a little bummed about how the day turned out. I knew I couldn't pout - this is, after all, a trip that I am not paying for - so I put a smile on my face and tried to deal with it the best that I could. I did get a little souvenir shopping done in Bremen, so not all was lost!
Dinner that night was at a Chinese restaurant. Britta knew the owner, and called ahead to have the food ready when we arrived as it was getting late. This was a feast! We sat at two large tables with lazy susans, and food just kept coming out of the kitchen every time you turned around. It seemed as if we ate forever, but in reality I think we just bombarded with enough food that it seemed that we ate more than what we actually did. And what did I have to drink? Apfelshörle!!!
Back to the hotel for another great night's sleep in anticipation of tomorrow!
We had another hour or so on the train from Bremen to Bremerhaven. As each minute ticked by, I could feel myself getting more and more excited. I truly was looking forward to this museum! It won the Best Museum in Europe award in 2007 - and there are a LOT of museums over here! In the lobby I was about ready to lose it - I'm crazy in museums! We were given a card that corresponded with a different emigrant, and as we moved through the museum, we could see how our emigrant did, if they were allowed passage, what happened to that person on the passage, and if they were finally allowed into the country to which they had emigrated. My emigrant was Justina Tubbe, who, rest assured, finally made it to the United States in 1835 and ended up settling in Texas. We had another guided tour, which lasted around two hours or so, which was just enough time to scratch the surface. I SOOOO wish that we would have had longer here. I was fascinated by this place - lots of interactive exhibits for visitors, a place to do research on your own family at the end, and very informative signs throughout the museum in both English and German. I even managed to have my picture taken as an emigrant (unfortunately the machine was out of ink so they are supposed to mail the picture to me - we'll see!). I wanted to take pictures, but once again this was a museum where you had to pay to take pictures and I thought I would console myself by buying the museum book in the gift shop. Guess what they were out of? They are supposed to e-mail me when the new book is available. I was utterly fascinated by this place. We had to move on, though. I was hoping that I could have used my remaining time in Bremerhaven to explore the museum more (we were scheduled to spend the afternoon in Bremerhaven at our choice of museums, but something happened - a vote or something that I didn't take part in) but we were headed back to Bremen. I was a little disappointed here. Bremerhaven had this amazing sea breeze, and even if I just spent another hour there, I was looking forward to walking around Bremerhaven and just enjoying the city. Not spending time in Bremerhaven has been one of the lows for me on the trip so far, and it was made that much worse due to the fact that there was apparently a vote to determine what we were doing and I didn't get to take part for some reason. I think I had just built so much up around this part of the trip that when it didn't work out I was just really bummed. Bremen was a nice city, and I got to see the statue of the Bremen musicians, which was cool, but I still remained a little bummed about how the day turned out. I knew I couldn't pout - this is, after all, a trip that I am not paying for - so I put a smile on my face and tried to deal with it the best that I could. I did get a little souvenir shopping done in Bremen, so not all was lost!
Dinner that night was at a Chinese restaurant. Britta knew the owner, and called ahead to have the food ready when we arrived as it was getting late. This was a feast! We sat at two large tables with lazy susans, and food just kept coming out of the kitchen every time you turned around. It seemed as if we ate forever, but in reality I think we just bombarded with enough food that it seemed that we ate more than what we actually did. And what did I have to drink? Apfelshörle!!!
Back to the hotel for another great night's sleep in anticipation of tomorrow!
August 2
Today was our sightseeing day around the city of Hamburg, and it was also the day that I thought I was going to die. Simply put, I think Hamburg was trying to kill me. Read and discover.
I opted out of going to the fish market this morning for multiple reasons. One, I had seen the Tsukiji market in Tokyo, the world's largest, so I wasn't really concerned about seeing another market. Two, it gave me more time to sleep in. As I had stayed up far too late last night, I really needed the extra time to sleep in. I even slept so late that I didn't allow myself enough time for breakfast. No worries, though. I ended up being fien throughout the day, so no complaints!
We took the subway to the harbor to look around. Hamburg is a very industrial city, and its harbor is always bustling. We took a 1.5 hour boat tour of the harbor, which was interesting if not a bit smelly (fuel) and rocky (bustling harbor = lots of waves). The narration was all in German, which was a bit frustrating. I eventually quit trying to listen to the guide translate and just looked around me. When the boat was only gently moving back and forth, I think I caught a few winks along the way. After that someone had the bright idea to go down into a tunnel that would take us to a small island out in the harbor.
This is where I think Hamburg was trying to kill me. Just saying.
I wasn't initially afraid of the tunnel. We took the elevator down, and it was very noisy. This tunnel goes under the Elbe River, and is open to traffic on weekdays. On the weekend, it is for pedestrian use only. However, today, for whatever reason, there was a group of motorcycles that were circling the route of the tunnel. Motorcycles equal exhaust fumes. Turns out, the tunnel wasn't that well ventilated.
Would this be a good time to tell you that I am claustrophobic?
I am not sure how long this tunnel was, this Gateway to Hell as I now like to call it. I would give an estimate of six to seven football fields end to end, but I am really not sure. It seemed as if it stretched on forever. About halfway through the tunnel, after breathing in all kinds of exhaust, it occurred to me that there was nothing protecting me in this tunnel from a massive onslaught of water except for the tiled walls that arched over me. I freaked out. I definitely quickened my step to get out of the tunnel, and by the time I reached the end, I was hyperventilating and crying. I definitely lost it. Unfortunately for me, there was no way to get back from the island except to go back into the tunnel again. There were no taxis (remember, no auto service on weekends), no busses, no ferries...no nothing. The only way I could get back to civilization was to go through that tunnel all over again. Claustrophobia, my friends, is no laughing matter. Generally when I get in an enclosed area, I am okay, but for whatever reason today I couldn't handle it. Wood, Britta, and Nicola tried to find a way to get me back, but something in me told me to run for it. I told them to call off the search, that I had made a decision to run through the tunnel. As we all know that mine is not a body built for speed, this was going to be quite a feat. I estimate that I made it a good distance before I lost it again, becoming a hysterical mess. I have never been so happy to make it to the end of something. Thus far, that tunnel has been the worst moment of this trip for me, and I am hoping that nothing else will pop up that could rival it in any way, shape , or form. After this (and after I had the chance to calm down), we had the chance to look around the harbor a bit and grab some lunch. I have to admit that the area bothered me some, but it could be that my impressions are colored by the tunnel incident. I thought it was a little touristy. But, overall the weather was nice and I had the chance to get lunch (a cold fish sandwich, which is much better than what you think), so I'll take it.
Here's where the unfortunate part of Sunday kicks in. The hotels that we were scheduled to visit weren't open, so we literally walked around for almost six hours. We saw a couple of churches including another Nikolaikirche, which was just the bombed out remains of a church destroyed during World War II. We were able to go up into the remaining steeple and get a view of Hamburg. It was very windy and chilly up there, but nice nonetheless. I also got to see the Alster, the big lake in the middle of Hamburg. I think overall though I was a little frustrated with today. It just seemed that we walked and walked and walked, and really didn't see much. Again, I could just be saying that because of the tunnel. Not sure.
Dinner tonight was at a Pakistani restaurant, which is essentially very much like Indian food. Here's the fun part though - translating it from Pakistani to German to English. Ordering took FOREVER, but once the food showed up, it was worth the wait! I had a samosa and chicken tikka masala, and some apfelschörlen. After the group finished eating, some of the members decided to go tour the Red Light District. I just wasn't interested. Morally the idea of gawking at people who make a living of selling themselves just gets to me, and I just felt bad about making these women my spectacle for the night. I wasn't alone. More power to the ones who went out and viewed it, and I know they had fun, but I had a great time going out for drinks with Michael, Siggi, and Karen. In fact, that has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip for me to this point. Sleep came VERY easy Sunday night! I had abused my body with too much food and some running - I needed rest!
I opted out of going to the fish market this morning for multiple reasons. One, I had seen the Tsukiji market in Tokyo, the world's largest, so I wasn't really concerned about seeing another market. Two, it gave me more time to sleep in. As I had stayed up far too late last night, I really needed the extra time to sleep in. I even slept so late that I didn't allow myself enough time for breakfast. No worries, though. I ended up being fien throughout the day, so no complaints!
We took the subway to the harbor to look around. Hamburg is a very industrial city, and its harbor is always bustling. We took a 1.5 hour boat tour of the harbor, which was interesting if not a bit smelly (fuel) and rocky (bustling harbor = lots of waves). The narration was all in German, which was a bit frustrating. I eventually quit trying to listen to the guide translate and just looked around me. When the boat was only gently moving back and forth, I think I caught a few winks along the way. After that someone had the bright idea to go down into a tunnel that would take us to a small island out in the harbor.
This is where I think Hamburg was trying to kill me. Just saying.
I wasn't initially afraid of the tunnel. We took the elevator down, and it was very noisy. This tunnel goes under the Elbe River, and is open to traffic on weekdays. On the weekend, it is for pedestrian use only. However, today, for whatever reason, there was a group of motorcycles that were circling the route of the tunnel. Motorcycles equal exhaust fumes. Turns out, the tunnel wasn't that well ventilated.
Would this be a good time to tell you that I am claustrophobic?
I am not sure how long this tunnel was, this Gateway to Hell as I now like to call it. I would give an estimate of six to seven football fields end to end, but I am really not sure. It seemed as if it stretched on forever. About halfway through the tunnel, after breathing in all kinds of exhaust, it occurred to me that there was nothing protecting me in this tunnel from a massive onslaught of water except for the tiled walls that arched over me. I freaked out. I definitely quickened my step to get out of the tunnel, and by the time I reached the end, I was hyperventilating and crying. I definitely lost it. Unfortunately for me, there was no way to get back from the island except to go back into the tunnel again. There were no taxis (remember, no auto service on weekends), no busses, no ferries...no nothing. The only way I could get back to civilization was to go through that tunnel all over again. Claustrophobia, my friends, is no laughing matter. Generally when I get in an enclosed area, I am okay, but for whatever reason today I couldn't handle it. Wood, Britta, and Nicola tried to find a way to get me back, but something in me told me to run for it. I told them to call off the search, that I had made a decision to run through the tunnel. As we all know that mine is not a body built for speed, this was going to be quite a feat. I estimate that I made it a good distance before I lost it again, becoming a hysterical mess. I have never been so happy to make it to the end of something. Thus far, that tunnel has been the worst moment of this trip for me, and I am hoping that nothing else will pop up that could rival it in any way, shape , or form. After this (and after I had the chance to calm down), we had the chance to look around the harbor a bit and grab some lunch. I have to admit that the area bothered me some, but it could be that my impressions are colored by the tunnel incident. I thought it was a little touristy. But, overall the weather was nice and I had the chance to get lunch (a cold fish sandwich, which is much better than what you think), so I'll take it.
Here's where the unfortunate part of Sunday kicks in. The hotels that we were scheduled to visit weren't open, so we literally walked around for almost six hours. We saw a couple of churches including another Nikolaikirche, which was just the bombed out remains of a church destroyed during World War II. We were able to go up into the remaining steeple and get a view of Hamburg. It was very windy and chilly up there, but nice nonetheless. I also got to see the Alster, the big lake in the middle of Hamburg. I think overall though I was a little frustrated with today. It just seemed that we walked and walked and walked, and really didn't see much. Again, I could just be saying that because of the tunnel. Not sure.
Dinner tonight was at a Pakistani restaurant, which is essentially very much like Indian food. Here's the fun part though - translating it from Pakistani to German to English. Ordering took FOREVER, but once the food showed up, it was worth the wait! I had a samosa and chicken tikka masala, and some apfelschörlen. After the group finished eating, some of the members decided to go tour the Red Light District. I just wasn't interested. Morally the idea of gawking at people who make a living of selling themselves just gets to me, and I just felt bad about making these women my spectacle for the night. I wasn't alone. More power to the ones who went out and viewed it, and I know they had fun, but I had a great time going out for drinks with Michael, Siggi, and Karen. In fact, that has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip for me to this point. Sleep came VERY easy Sunday night! I had abused my body with too much food and some running - I needed rest!
Finishing up August 1st...
Okay, so we finally got to Hamburg after a long day of travel. Any hope of getting a little bit of immediate rest was immediately pushed aside as we went out for dinner. I was admittedly a bit hungry, so I was fine with it! We ate dinner at a local restaurant, which served some regional specialties. I had pannfisch, which was a pan-fried fish with a mustard sauce, with German potatoes (yes!), sauerkraut, and a salad. I had two big glasses of apfelschörle, of course! It's my new favorite thing! After a nice long dinner getting to know our new tour guides Britta and Nicola, it was off to the hotel to make phone calls home, play around on the internet some, and finally get some sleep for a long day tomorrow!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, August 1
Today was our last day in Gotha, and the day that we left to go to Hamburg. Our train didn’t depart Gotha until 3:45, so we had time in the morning to go on individual trips or to hang out longer in the city. I choose to go to the Thuringian Forest with other members of the group. This required us to take the electric train south into the hills. We were ble to get out into the German countryside and relax a little. Our first stop on the route was Boxberg, where we were able to see a horse racing track that dates back to the Victorian Era. It was a turf track. The stands were not so big, but the track itself was long. I am not exactly sure how long it was as I saw no signs, but it was cool to get a look at a German racetrack. We then took a short walk to a small gasthaus that overlooked the hills, where I had another apfel schörle! Love them! Then, after petting and oohing and aahing over goats (we were in the country, and there wasn’t too much to see), we took a hike through the woods. It got a little scary because at one point, the path split in two, and we had no idea which one to take. Of course, we ended up taking the high road – literally. This one went up a hill. It was a bit much for the Old Mickster, but I made it! We then got back on the train and headed to the end of the line, a little town named Tabarz. I was excited about getting here because I was interested in picking up some German crafts, but unfortunately the stores were closed. I thought that was a little weird since it was a Saturday, a big shopping day in the U.S. but apparently not in Tabarz. After a stroll around town I went back to the train station to wait for the train back. I had a delicious iced chocolate to drink, and then once everyone made it to the station, we began to order lunch. There was a large menu, but I think the size of our group intimidated the shop owner, so the menu was quickly reduced to either bockwurst or currywurst. I had ordered slightly before the group order went in, so I got fries with my bock (think oversized hot dog), whereas others did not. We had to scarf it down pretty quickly as you couldn’t take food on the train. We got back to the hotel in Gotha in time to get our luggage, and head for the train station. We had two trains to take today, one to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, and there we switched for our train to Hamburg. All of this train riding was pretty uneventful, right up until we got to Hamburg, and the train had to stop because someone was on the tracks. I am not sure if they got hit or what, but we were there for a good bit waiting for things to get settled. We arrived in Hamburg around 8:30 or so, and by this point I was tired, thirsty, and hungry. Luckily we were able to check in and go right away to dinner. Okay, since you asked...pan fried fish with a mustard sauce over German potatoes, with a side salad. Scrum-diddly-umptious, as Ned Flanders might say. Hamburg looks lovely so far. We have a day of sightseeing planned tomorrow, and I get to sleep in a little!
Friday, July 31
Today we spent the entire day in Gotha. Our first appointment of the day (actually, it was the only appointment) was with one of the oldest map making companies in Germany. The presentation was really informative. I really enjoyed seeing two copies of the Almanac de Gotha, which is a book that lists the European royal families and their lineages. We saw an older copy that was printed in Gotha, which was very cool. The book stopped being produced at the end of World War II, largely due to the fact that Gotha was in the former East Germany and the Soviets frowned upon the idea of royal families and monarchies. It began being published again in the 1990’s, but this time in London. We got to go to the map production rooms and watch cartographers at work. This really interested me because I was very interested in one time of becoming a cartographer. Before we left we were given a gift by the company, which was a very cool pocket atlas. This atlas is very different in that each country is labeled in its own language. For example, the United States is labeled in English, Germany in German, the Netherlands in Dutch, etc.
We then took a walking tour of Gotha. What I thought was a small town was in fact much larger. It was a beautiful day for a walk though! I had a bratwurst for lunch and an ice cream cone, which gave me just enough energy to make it through the rest of the tour, which involved much uphill walking. We stopped by the Rathaus, which is found in every large town. It’s the city hall, and is not pronounced “rat house” although it definitely looks like it should be! Near every rathaus, or in its basement, is a restaurant called the ratskellar. This particular day, a very alternative couple got married and was standing out in the square in front of the rathaus having pictures taken when they noticed us star9ing at them. So, they started waving at us, and let us take their picture. Very fun! From there it was off to climb the hill up to the Schloss Friedentstein. Schloss Friedenstein is a palace, and the largest example of Early Baroque palaces in Europe. It was built all at the same time, which gives it some major continuity. We were able to tour the palace, and see some of its refurbished rooms. For some of the rooms we were required to put on these really large oversized slippers over our shoes. I couldn’t take a picture as picture were not allowed inside the palace without buying a press pass, so you are going to have to take my word on just how funny these were!!
I was definitely feeling a nap at this point, and as we were done for the day officially and we didn’t have to meet up for dinner until 7, I thought a quick nap would be nice. I slept for maybe 30 minutes, and it may have been the single best thing I have done on the trip so far! When I woke up, I had a little epiphany that was brought on by nothing in particular. I suddenly realized while looking up at the ceiling that 20 years ago looking up at that ceiling would have been impossible. Since Gotha was an East German city, you or I would not have been allowed there. All of a sudden it made Gotha that much more interesting, and I was definitely ready to head back out and explore some more. One of the things that I noticed in Gotha was that very few people spoke English, so communicating was very interesting. Luckily I can ask how to get to a bathroom if I need one (not that I can understand any directions they might give me), but my shopping skills are pretty horrible. I can however look at things for a long time. It seemed to me that a lot of people were a little wary of us. Maybe we scared them! Or, maybe it is simply because we were American, and it was pretty obvious that not a lot of English-speakers make it into the area. In fact, when getting ready to order the second ice cream cone of the day (with all of the walking I did, I deserve it!), the waiter asked us to wait, went to the back, and sent out someone who spoke a little English. Perhaps it was easier on everyone, but still pretty interesting to watch.
After looking around, it was then time to head to dinner, which was at the same restaurant where we had pizza the night before. Dinner tonight had an Italian theme, and this time I stayed away from the wine and drank apfel schörle instead. That drink is a mix of sparkling mineral water and apple juice, and is VERY good and light. In fact, I have had many of those so far on the trip. Dinner tonight was a bowl of baked onion soup (not French onion – it was prepared a little differently) and a baked pasta dish of stuffed tortellini, crabmeat, cream sauce, cheese, and some shrimp scampi. The shrimp were a little disturbing because they still had their heads on. Of course, this became a perfect opportunity to play with my food. It helps me take the sting out of my food still looking like it did when it was alive. Tonight was the last dinner with Monika and Wolfgang, who will be leaving us tomorrow when we leave to go to Frankfurt. They have been so much fun to be with, and very informative and very tolerant of our questions. We gave them parting gifts of German wine and American wine. We all drank a shot of limoncello at the end (limoncello is a very sweet, very powerful lemon-flavored liquor) to mark the end of our first week in Hamburg. It was a very enjoyable day!
We then took a walking tour of Gotha. What I thought was a small town was in fact much larger. It was a beautiful day for a walk though! I had a bratwurst for lunch and an ice cream cone, which gave me just enough energy to make it through the rest of the tour, which involved much uphill walking. We stopped by the Rathaus, which is found in every large town. It’s the city hall, and is not pronounced “rat house” although it definitely looks like it should be! Near every rathaus, or in its basement, is a restaurant called the ratskellar. This particular day, a very alternative couple got married and was standing out in the square in front of the rathaus having pictures taken when they noticed us star9ing at them. So, they started waving at us, and let us take their picture. Very fun! From there it was off to climb the hill up to the Schloss Friedentstein. Schloss Friedenstein is a palace, and the largest example of Early Baroque palaces in Europe. It was built all at the same time, which gives it some major continuity. We were able to tour the palace, and see some of its refurbished rooms. For some of the rooms we were required to put on these really large oversized slippers over our shoes. I couldn’t take a picture as picture were not allowed inside the palace without buying a press pass, so you are going to have to take my word on just how funny these were!!
I was definitely feeling a nap at this point, and as we were done for the day officially and we didn’t have to meet up for dinner until 7, I thought a quick nap would be nice. I slept for maybe 30 minutes, and it may have been the single best thing I have done on the trip so far! When I woke up, I had a little epiphany that was brought on by nothing in particular. I suddenly realized while looking up at the ceiling that 20 years ago looking up at that ceiling would have been impossible. Since Gotha was an East German city, you or I would not have been allowed there. All of a sudden it made Gotha that much more interesting, and I was definitely ready to head back out and explore some more. One of the things that I noticed in Gotha was that very few people spoke English, so communicating was very interesting. Luckily I can ask how to get to a bathroom if I need one (not that I can understand any directions they might give me), but my shopping skills are pretty horrible. I can however look at things for a long time. It seemed to me that a lot of people were a little wary of us. Maybe we scared them! Or, maybe it is simply because we were American, and it was pretty obvious that not a lot of English-speakers make it into the area. In fact, when getting ready to order the second ice cream cone of the day (with all of the walking I did, I deserve it!), the waiter asked us to wait, went to the back, and sent out someone who spoke a little English. Perhaps it was easier on everyone, but still pretty interesting to watch.
After looking around, it was then time to head to dinner, which was at the same restaurant where we had pizza the night before. Dinner tonight had an Italian theme, and this time I stayed away from the wine and drank apfel schörle instead. That drink is a mix of sparkling mineral water and apple juice, and is VERY good and light. In fact, I have had many of those so far on the trip. Dinner tonight was a bowl of baked onion soup (not French onion – it was prepared a little differently) and a baked pasta dish of stuffed tortellini, crabmeat, cream sauce, cheese, and some shrimp scampi. The shrimp were a little disturbing because they still had their heads on. Of course, this became a perfect opportunity to play with my food. It helps me take the sting out of my food still looking like it did when it was alive. Tonight was the last dinner with Monika and Wolfgang, who will be leaving us tomorrow when we leave to go to Frankfurt. They have been so much fun to be with, and very informative and very tolerant of our questions. We gave them parting gifts of German wine and American wine. We all drank a shot of limoncello at the end (limoncello is a very sweet, very powerful lemon-flavored liquor) to mark the end of our first week in Hamburg. It was a very enjoyable day!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday - Leipzig & Gotha
Today we left Berlin. It was kind of sad to leave the city. I definitely don’t feel that I saw everything that I wanted to see, but then again, how is that possible to do in a city the size of Berlin? We did a lot of things here, and I do need to remember that and not feel badly about not getting to everything. I may never forgive myself for not going to see the Bust of Nefertiti, but as there is considerable debate right now concerning the authenticity of that piece, I just might be able to get over it!
We caught the train at the main train station in Berlin. It was a high speed train (similar to the ones I took in Japan, thought I don’t think it was as fast) that we took to Leipzig. Leipzig is a former city of East Germany, and another city that was heavily destroyed during the bombing raids of World War II. I finally felt that I was in Germany when we arrived in Leipzig. It is a very picturesque little town (actually, not quite so little) that has very old and traditional buildings throughout. We started our morning at the Nikolaikirche, which is where the Peaceful Revolution began in East Germany that ultimately led to the breakdown of the Wall and eventual reunification of Germany. This church was absolutely stunning. Someday when I manage to actually get pictures up, you need to check it out. The interior was a blend of soft pinks, mint greens, and gold. I think I could have easily spent a good amount of time in there exploring and just enjoying the surroundings, but we had to make our morning appointment at the Leipzig Museum of Contemporary History. Here we had a very excellent tour of the museum and a description of the events of the Peaceful Revolution. This museum also had a fantastic exhibit of what life was like in the old German Democratic Republic (East Germany). I really enjoyed what I saw of this museum, even though it was just in German. I am sure that as a German-speaker I would have enjoyed the many hands-on experiences that it offered.
After lunch we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Leipzig. It is a very old restaurant and was one of the places Johann Goethe frequented when he lived in Leipzig. I had a very tender filet of pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage. For years I have been disgusted about the idea of red cabbage, something of which I am reminded each year when watching A Christmas Story during the holidays. Remember when Ralphie’s mom served it up? Anyway, I was a little hesitant about it, right up until I took the first bite. Now I am pretty certain that I could eat red cabbage every day, as long as it is served as I had it in Leipzig. After lunch we went off to our next appointment which was at a museum dedicated to the influence of the Stasi on East Germans. The Stasi were the East German secret police, similar to the KGB in the former Soviet Union. Some might even argue that it is like the CIA in our own country or Scotland Yard in Great Britain. However, there are some major differences between the Stasi and our own services! The Stasi were everywhere and kept very close tabs on East Germans. They kept extensive files on the civilians, the extent of which was known only after the disappearance of East Germany. They were known quite well for their brutality. It truly is, in my opinion, a fascinating topic for study. At this museum, which is located in the former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig, you can see many artifacts related to the Stasi, in rooms that look very much the same as they did when the building was occupied by the Stasi.
After this, I visited the church of St. Thomas, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent many years in residence. I was able to see his grave and listen to someone practice one of the arias from one of his compositions. I then had some time to head out and finally do a little shopping on my own. I got some gelato (lemon, and it was great), and had a fantastic time walking down little streets lined with cafes doing some window shopping. I then caught my next train, which brought me to where I am now, in Gotha. Gotha is by far the smallest place we have been yet, but I love it. We got in tonight around 9:30 or so, and then quickly headed out for a late dinner and social time. My hotel room is near the train station, and I hear trains coming and going, but I have wonderful full length windows that open up to flowers and a nice view. As long as the bed is comfortable, I should be all good for the night! We are spending two nights here before heading off to Hamburg. From what I have experienced so far in just a few hours, I think that I am going to like Gotha a lot!
We caught the train at the main train station in Berlin. It was a high speed train (similar to the ones I took in Japan, thought I don’t think it was as fast) that we took to Leipzig. Leipzig is a former city of East Germany, and another city that was heavily destroyed during the bombing raids of World War II. I finally felt that I was in Germany when we arrived in Leipzig. It is a very picturesque little town (actually, not quite so little) that has very old and traditional buildings throughout. We started our morning at the Nikolaikirche, which is where the Peaceful Revolution began in East Germany that ultimately led to the breakdown of the Wall and eventual reunification of Germany. This church was absolutely stunning. Someday when I manage to actually get pictures up, you need to check it out. The interior was a blend of soft pinks, mint greens, and gold. I think I could have easily spent a good amount of time in there exploring and just enjoying the surroundings, but we had to make our morning appointment at the Leipzig Museum of Contemporary History. Here we had a very excellent tour of the museum and a description of the events of the Peaceful Revolution. This museum also had a fantastic exhibit of what life was like in the old German Democratic Republic (East Germany). I really enjoyed what I saw of this museum, even though it was just in German. I am sure that as a German-speaker I would have enjoyed the many hands-on experiences that it offered.
After lunch we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Leipzig. It is a very old restaurant and was one of the places Johann Goethe frequented when he lived in Leipzig. I had a very tender filet of pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage. For years I have been disgusted about the idea of red cabbage, something of which I am reminded each year when watching A Christmas Story during the holidays. Remember when Ralphie’s mom served it up? Anyway, I was a little hesitant about it, right up until I took the first bite. Now I am pretty certain that I could eat red cabbage every day, as long as it is served as I had it in Leipzig. After lunch we went off to our next appointment which was at a museum dedicated to the influence of the Stasi on East Germans. The Stasi were the East German secret police, similar to the KGB in the former Soviet Union. Some might even argue that it is like the CIA in our own country or Scotland Yard in Great Britain. However, there are some major differences between the Stasi and our own services! The Stasi were everywhere and kept very close tabs on East Germans. They kept extensive files on the civilians, the extent of which was known only after the disappearance of East Germany. They were known quite well for their brutality. It truly is, in my opinion, a fascinating topic for study. At this museum, which is located in the former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig, you can see many artifacts related to the Stasi, in rooms that look very much the same as they did when the building was occupied by the Stasi.
After this, I visited the church of St. Thomas, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent many years in residence. I was able to see his grave and listen to someone practice one of the arias from one of his compositions. I then had some time to head out and finally do a little shopping on my own. I got some gelato (lemon, and it was great), and had a fantastic time walking down little streets lined with cafes doing some window shopping. I then caught my next train, which brought me to where I am now, in Gotha. Gotha is by far the smallest place we have been yet, but I love it. We got in tonight around 9:30 or so, and then quickly headed out for a late dinner and social time. My hotel room is near the train station, and I hear trains coming and going, but I have wonderful full length windows that open up to flowers and a nice view. As long as the bed is comfortable, I should be all good for the night! We are spending two nights here before heading off to Hamburg. From what I have experienced so far in just a few hours, I think that I am going to like Gotha a lot!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Last Day in Berlin
This morning we got a later start. It was nice to be able to sleep in a little longer and get some much deserved rest. Our first appointment of the day was at the edge of Berlin - actually I believe we were in Brandenburg - to meet with the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. This airport will eventually replace Berlin's three airports (Tegel, into which I flew, Schoenfeld, which was the GDR's airport, and Templehof, which is where the Berlin air lifts took place). It is actually being built at Schoenfeld (much more space there), and is considered to be one of if not the largest construction project in Europe. It was really interesting to see how this airport is being developed. We also got free luggage tags (which helps for me as mine disappeared somewhere between Louisville and DC - probably with my watch) and some gummi airplanes. Yes! We then went out to the observation tower to look at the work being done.
Next it was time for lunch. We stopped in one of the main Turkish neighborhoods of Berlin, where I had organic currywurst and fries with mayonnaise (when in Berlin...). It was a great lunch, and I washed it down with a Mezzo Mix, which is a blend of cola and orange drinks. I then finally got the chance to hit a grocery store, which is my favorite thing to do in foreign countries, and pick up some much needed gummi type items.
Our next meeting was very interesting, and probably something that freak show who made a comment on my last entry could have used. We met with a group that fights right-wing extremism and discrimination within Germany. It was very cool to see the kinds of work that they are doing. They don't focus on the past, yet they find ways to connect the past with today for students in a way that is not old and worn out. It seems that teenagers in Berlin do not connect that closely anymore with what happened during the Holocaust, as they see it to just be part of history. This group wants the students to see how these right-wing groups are using the same styles and techniques of discriminating against others as did the Nazis, and hopefully by making that comparison the students will be better informed and be able to inform others.
We then stopped for a short bit at Alexanderplatz, which is where the demonstrations took place just prior to the Wall being opened. This is the twentieth anniversary of the Wall falling, as I have mentioned before, so Berlin has erected a large and very informative open-air exhibition in the square. It was pretty eye-opening. I picked up a book about it if anyone is interested when I get home.
Our last stop of the day was a dinner cruise. Did you know that Berlin has more water running through it than Venice? We took a three-hour tour with a fantastic dinner spread through downtown Berlin. It was nice to get a final look at all of the places we have visited so far in Berlin. I also had my first and probably last beer in Germany. I have never liked beer, and didn't want to try this one until someone told me that it tasted like a Jolly Rancher and not beer at all. And you know what? They were right. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this beer is only served in Berlin (Berliner Weiss Rot), so no more for the trip.
I have really enjoyed my stay in Berlin. We are leaving soon for Leipzig and Gotha. More from there!
Next it was time for lunch. We stopped in one of the main Turkish neighborhoods of Berlin, where I had organic currywurst and fries with mayonnaise (when in Berlin...). It was a great lunch, and I washed it down with a Mezzo Mix, which is a blend of cola and orange drinks. I then finally got the chance to hit a grocery store, which is my favorite thing to do in foreign countries, and pick up some much needed gummi type items.
Our next meeting was very interesting, and probably something that freak show who made a comment on my last entry could have used. We met with a group that fights right-wing extremism and discrimination within Germany. It was very cool to see the kinds of work that they are doing. They don't focus on the past, yet they find ways to connect the past with today for students in a way that is not old and worn out. It seems that teenagers in Berlin do not connect that closely anymore with what happened during the Holocaust, as they see it to just be part of history. This group wants the students to see how these right-wing groups are using the same styles and techniques of discriminating against others as did the Nazis, and hopefully by making that comparison the students will be better informed and be able to inform others.
We then stopped for a short bit at Alexanderplatz, which is where the demonstrations took place just prior to the Wall being opened. This is the twentieth anniversary of the Wall falling, as I have mentioned before, so Berlin has erected a large and very informative open-air exhibition in the square. It was pretty eye-opening. I picked up a book about it if anyone is interested when I get home.
Our last stop of the day was a dinner cruise. Did you know that Berlin has more water running through it than Venice? We took a three-hour tour with a fantastic dinner spread through downtown Berlin. It was nice to get a final look at all of the places we have visited so far in Berlin. I also had my first and probably last beer in Germany. I have never liked beer, and didn't want to try this one until someone told me that it tasted like a Jolly Rancher and not beer at all. And you know what? They were right. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this beer is only served in Berlin (Berliner Weiss Rot), so no more for the trip.
I have really enjoyed my stay in Berlin. We are leaving soon for Leipzig and Gotha. More from there!
LONG Tuesday
I woke up this morning at 3:00am. Yep. It seems that jetlag is still trying to kick my butt, and I must say that it is doing a bang-up job. The only good thing that came out of this is that I didn’t get up late for this morning’s appointment. It was an early morning, meeting at 7:00. We left Berlin and went to a neighboring town to visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. I am going to do my best to describe this, but it truly is one of those beyond words situations. I tried very hard to put myself in the mindset of someone who was entering this camp as a prisoner, but I have nothing at all to compare it to. Sachsenhausen was first used as a camp for Nazi political prisoners, and then for Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses – anyone who the Nazis eventually persecuted. The camp was liberated by the Soviet and Polish armies near the end of World War II, and it is then that the camp took on a whole other life as a prison for enemies of the German Democratic Republic (that’s East Germany for most of us). The Communists then made the camp into a memorial, but not as it is today in its current state. The Communists used the camp to show the triumph of communism over fascism, and dedicated the camp in memory of those Communists who had died under the guard of the Nazis. They even built a memorial tower taller than the guard towers of the camp to show how Communism “towers over Fascism.” We saw an original barrack, some artifacts from the camp, and lastly, the ovens and mass graves of the camp. It was truly upsetting, but I am nonetheless glad to have seen it. I wish that I could have had a couple more hours there to see everything, but we just didn’t have time. We had to get back to Berlin for our next meeting.
That meeting was at a newspaper office, Der Tagesspiegel. We talked about newspaper publishing in Berlin, and really throughout Germany. Berlin itself has ten daily newspapers, which I thought was a little crazy. After that, we broke off in different directions for lunch. I went to a Turkish restaurant where I had a nice falafel dinner. I like falafel. For someone who hates beans of all kinds, I have for some reason really taken a liking to chickpeas, of which falafel is made. Yummy in the tummy, you know? Then it was back on the bus for our next appointment, which was with the Berlin Sanitation Department. Now admittedly, a lot of us made jokes about this. We really thought that we were headed to watch poo being separated from water and that water being treated, blah blah blah. But, we were really there to learn about Berlin's pretty advanced recycling program. Berlin has a fantastic program for recycling, and this is something we really need to get on in the U.S. Berlin, and Germany really, has greatly reduced the amount of refuse they generate. Excellent stuff.
By this point I thought I was in the throes of death. Exhaustion was creeping up on me, and I was about to drop. My feet and their blisters were acting up, and I was getting cranky. Luckily we got about a 45 minute break at the hotel before heading out again. Some of us were headed to the Charlottenburg Palace to check out a Baroque and Classical music concert. The musicians were all dressed in Baroque costumes, and it was very very nice. After a big dinner (Germans love big dinners, and this is why I love Germans) of pork and spaetzle, the concert was very very relaxing and enjoyable. We headed back to the hotel and got here around 11:30 or so. I was up another 20 minutes trying desperately to catch up on blogging so you guys won't be bored. Aren't I nice?
I am planning on uploading pictures to facebook tonight, as well as possibly flickr for you guys who are not my facebook friends (that would be you, current students). Hopefully it won't take long. It is currently Wednesday morning, and I have to head off for another jam packed day. Tschuss for now (that's "bye") and I will write more later!
That meeting was at a newspaper office, Der Tagesspiegel. We talked about newspaper publishing in Berlin, and really throughout Germany. Berlin itself has ten daily newspapers, which I thought was a little crazy. After that, we broke off in different directions for lunch. I went to a Turkish restaurant where I had a nice falafel dinner. I like falafel. For someone who hates beans of all kinds, I have for some reason really taken a liking to chickpeas, of which falafel is made. Yummy in the tummy, you know? Then it was back on the bus for our next appointment, which was with the Berlin Sanitation Department. Now admittedly, a lot of us made jokes about this. We really thought that we were headed to watch poo being separated from water and that water being treated, blah blah blah. But, we were really there to learn about Berlin's pretty advanced recycling program. Berlin has a fantastic program for recycling, and this is something we really need to get on in the U.S. Berlin, and Germany really, has greatly reduced the amount of refuse they generate. Excellent stuff.
By this point I thought I was in the throes of death. Exhaustion was creeping up on me, and I was about to drop. My feet and their blisters were acting up, and I was getting cranky. Luckily we got about a 45 minute break at the hotel before heading out again. Some of us were headed to the Charlottenburg Palace to check out a Baroque and Classical music concert. The musicians were all dressed in Baroque costumes, and it was very very nice. After a big dinner (Germans love big dinners, and this is why I love Germans) of pork and spaetzle, the concert was very very relaxing and enjoyable. We headed back to the hotel and got here around 11:30 or so. I was up another 20 minutes trying desperately to catch up on blogging so you guys won't be bored. Aren't I nice?
I am planning on uploading pictures to facebook tonight, as well as possibly flickr for you guys who are not my facebook friends (that would be you, current students). Hopefully it won't take long. It is currently Wednesday morning, and I have to head off for another jam packed day. Tschuss for now (that's "bye") and I will write more later!
Monday, Monday...
Okay, so this morning we got up and headed over to German Federal Foreign Office. We had a talk about Modern Germany, and let me tell you – this was very interesting. The speaker, Daniel Szabo de Bucs, was fantastic. I was initially concerned because I didn’t think that my ADHD would allow me to sit for around three hours and listen intently the entire time, but I was happily entertained. Daniel gave us his first account of being in Berlin the night that the Wall fell. He told us that he was in his punk rocker stage at the time, and was wearing raggy jeans and an American leather jacket from the 50’s. He said a West Berliner came up to him in her fur coat, threw her arms around him, and said, “Welcome to freedom, son!” He had been mistaken for a East Berliner! It was very cool to hear about his experiences, and the dark time that Germany underwent after reunification as the two former Germanys struggled to mesh together.
After that we walked around the Federal Foreign Office to the old part of the building for lunch at the International Club. We had to turn our passports in for this! It admittedly freaked me out a bit as I don’t think you should ever be without your passport abroad, but I was assured that everything would be fine. I then rode a very excellent elevator to the top floor. It was an old school elevator, and it didn’t stop – you just hopped on and off as you got to your desired floor. A little tricky, but an absolute blast – I even rode it around the top! LOVED IT! We walked out on the patio area and got more striking views of Berlin, and then went in for lunch.
Lunch was definitely gourmet caliber stuff. It wasn’t the best meal I have had so far, but it was definitely good – I guess just in a way that I didn’t expect or was used to. The first course of salad was easy enough. Just wild greens with shaved pecorino cheese (like parmesan) and cheery tomatoes, although these tasted a bit preserved. Topped off with a balsamic dressing. Good, but one of the greens was peppery, and a bit of a surprise! Second course was a lightly fried fish filet on top of some lentils in a cream sauce, garnished with these little green doughy things. None of us could figure those out – although we agreed that they were tasty. Dessert? Apple strudel, only this time with a vanilla cream sauce on top. Very good, but the night before is still the winner as it came with ice cream(!!!).
After lunch – and getting back our passports – we went to Berlin’s Museum Island. We had about three hours here. Now, understand, we were all pretty dressed up, and I wasn’t wearing the most comfortable shoes. Some people ended up going back to the hotel to change, but I didn’t want to waste time. Feet heal, right? So off I went. I went to an absolutely stunning church called the Berliner Dom. It was absolutely breathtaking. I also had the chance to go down to the crypt. This was cool mainly because that particular crypt was the resting place of the Hohenzollern royal family. These were the rulers of Prussia, and let me tell you, it was a bit freaky being down there. Freaky and creepy. But, I of course loved it! It is very surreal seeing the graves of the people you have studied, even more surreal when those graves are not separated from you by layers of dirt but only by the thickness of the coffin and sarcophagus of that person. I ended up my visit here with a visit to the gift shop for even more postcards, including my favorite so far. Did you know that when John F. Kennedy gave his speech and Berlin and said that he was a Berliner, he actually said that he was a jelly doughnut? True story! German articles can be tricky, and he used the wrong form. The Berliners knew what he meant, and applauded wildly, but dang it, that’s just funny. So when I saw the postcard with a picture of a jelly doughnut on it and Kennedy’s misspoken words, I had to have it.
After that, it was decision time. There are so many museums on Museum Island that it was hard to choose, and time was rapidly slipping away. I ended up going to the Perganon Museum, chiefly to see the giant Perganon altar from Greek times that was brought to Berlin from Turkey (did you follow that?). Insanely huge. I also saw the famous Ishtar Gate that led into the city of Babylon. I mean, seriously, where does this stuff come from? How in the world did it get to Berlin of all places? Well, there’s that whole concept of imperialism playing in again, and just as with other countries, Germany got some goods that way. I am not sure if that was the case with either of the exhibits I saw, but it is worth noting that countries sometimes come by their exhibited items through questionable means. Just something for you to think about.
After meeting Monika, we hopped a bus to the Tiergarten. The Tiergarten was once the royal hunting grounds for the Hohenzollerns (remember them?), and it is still a gorgeous park much along the lines as it looked when they ruled, but with one major difference. Not one tree in the Tiergarten is over fifty years old. It was completely wiped out during WWII, and was replanted. Today it is very pretty, and provided the perfect backdrop for dinner at the Biergarten! I of course did not have beer as I hate the stuff, but I did sit back and have a great time eating fantastic pizza and drinking Diet Cokes until I was nauseous. It was a perfect end to the day, and an enjoyable way to unwind with some cool new friends.
And my feet...yeah...not so good...
After that we walked around the Federal Foreign Office to the old part of the building for lunch at the International Club. We had to turn our passports in for this! It admittedly freaked me out a bit as I don’t think you should ever be without your passport abroad, but I was assured that everything would be fine. I then rode a very excellent elevator to the top floor. It was an old school elevator, and it didn’t stop – you just hopped on and off as you got to your desired floor. A little tricky, but an absolute blast – I even rode it around the top! LOVED IT! We walked out on the patio area and got more striking views of Berlin, and then went in for lunch.
Lunch was definitely gourmet caliber stuff. It wasn’t the best meal I have had so far, but it was definitely good – I guess just in a way that I didn’t expect or was used to. The first course of salad was easy enough. Just wild greens with shaved pecorino cheese (like parmesan) and cheery tomatoes, although these tasted a bit preserved. Topped off with a balsamic dressing. Good, but one of the greens was peppery, and a bit of a surprise! Second course was a lightly fried fish filet on top of some lentils in a cream sauce, garnished with these little green doughy things. None of us could figure those out – although we agreed that they were tasty. Dessert? Apple strudel, only this time with a vanilla cream sauce on top. Very good, but the night before is still the winner as it came with ice cream(!!!).
After lunch – and getting back our passports – we went to Berlin’s Museum Island. We had about three hours here. Now, understand, we were all pretty dressed up, and I wasn’t wearing the most comfortable shoes. Some people ended up going back to the hotel to change, but I didn’t want to waste time. Feet heal, right? So off I went. I went to an absolutely stunning church called the Berliner Dom. It was absolutely breathtaking. I also had the chance to go down to the crypt. This was cool mainly because that particular crypt was the resting place of the Hohenzollern royal family. These were the rulers of Prussia, and let me tell you, it was a bit freaky being down there. Freaky and creepy. But, I of course loved it! It is very surreal seeing the graves of the people you have studied, even more surreal when those graves are not separated from you by layers of dirt but only by the thickness of the coffin and sarcophagus of that person. I ended up my visit here with a visit to the gift shop for even more postcards, including my favorite so far. Did you know that when John F. Kennedy gave his speech and Berlin and said that he was a Berliner, he actually said that he was a jelly doughnut? True story! German articles can be tricky, and he used the wrong form. The Berliners knew what he meant, and applauded wildly, but dang it, that’s just funny. So when I saw the postcard with a picture of a jelly doughnut on it and Kennedy’s misspoken words, I had to have it.
After that, it was decision time. There are so many museums on Museum Island that it was hard to choose, and time was rapidly slipping away. I ended up going to the Perganon Museum, chiefly to see the giant Perganon altar from Greek times that was brought to Berlin from Turkey (did you follow that?). Insanely huge. I also saw the famous Ishtar Gate that led into the city of Babylon. I mean, seriously, where does this stuff come from? How in the world did it get to Berlin of all places? Well, there’s that whole concept of imperialism playing in again, and just as with other countries, Germany got some goods that way. I am not sure if that was the case with either of the exhibits I saw, but it is worth noting that countries sometimes come by their exhibited items through questionable means. Just something for you to think about.
After meeting Monika, we hopped a bus to the Tiergarten. The Tiergarten was once the royal hunting grounds for the Hohenzollerns (remember them?), and it is still a gorgeous park much along the lines as it looked when they ruled, but with one major difference. Not one tree in the Tiergarten is over fifty years old. It was completely wiped out during WWII, and was replanted. Today it is very pretty, and provided the perfect backdrop for dinner at the Biergarten! I of course did not have beer as I hate the stuff, but I did sit back and have a great time eating fantastic pizza and drinking Diet Cokes until I was nauseous. It was a perfect end to the day, and an enjoyable way to unwind with some cool new friends.
And my feet...yeah...not so good...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Brats in Berlin
Okay, first off, I am at an internet cafe on a German keyboard. Any typing mistakes are likely to be due to the fact that things are in different places, and it is taking me a bit to get used to it! I would have bought internet service at the hotel, but the difference is about $7.50 an hour in the hotel and 1 Euro in the cafe. Hmm. So if zou see the occassional "z" instead of "y" you are just going to have to deal with it! I'm paying by the minute here!
So yesterday was a LONG day. We flew into Frankfurt, spent a few hours there in the airport and then hopped a plane to Berlin. I unfortunately suffered from the same malady that affects me whenever I fly anywhere - I couldn,t sleep a wink on the plane. I knew that this was going to be a problem because we had a long day scheduled for Monday, but I did what I could and got a cool thirty minutes on the Berlin flight. And true enough, we did have a long day on Monday. We met Monkia and Wolfgang, our Berlin-Leipzig-Gotha hosts, and then took a ride to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Esplanade. This is one nice hotel! The down comforter alone is reason enough to stay here! We didn't have time to check the beds out though as we had to immediately change and head to the Reichstag, which is essentially the capitol building of Germany. The Reichstag was bombed heavily during WWII, and still shows the signs of it. Its old dome was destroyed and has been replaced by a huge glass dome. We took a tour of the building and then walked around on the roof where I was able to get some good shots of the city. I also had my first bit of food, which was a pretzel. Quite tasty! We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburg Tor). This is of course a rather iconic symbol of Berlin. It is where Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and from which there was massive television coverage once the wall did fall in 1989. We walked through to a lovely plaza where you could see the hotel window from which Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket - you know I took a pic of that! We then walked to the Memorial for Murder of the Jews of Europe. This was a pretty stark memorial. It is open to the interpretation of the person viewing it. It is a collection of large stone blocks of varying heights. They are also set on a field of land that is not flat, so that when you walk through the memorial (highly encouraged), you rise and fall, and at times, you feel lost. Perhaps that is the point. Very powerful stuff.
After that we headed out on a bus tour of Berlin. I admittedly really started to feel exhaustion creeping up on me, and I know that I dozed off at one point. We got out at the remnants of the Berlin Wall. That was really cool. You could walk in and around the still existing parts (most of the wall has been torn down). After that, we got back on the bus and headed to dinner - finally! I had an amazing dish of goulash with bread dumplings and my first of what I am sure will be many apple strudels. Back to the hotel and to bed - I actually fell asleep with a book in hand! Very long day, and a great night of sleep!
Everyone is headed back to the hotel now and I am going with them - I am a little intimidated by the area because we are in the Red Light District of Berlin! Ha ha! SO I will hopefully write more tomorrow!
Ta ta, kids!
So yesterday was a LONG day. We flew into Frankfurt, spent a few hours there in the airport and then hopped a plane to Berlin. I unfortunately suffered from the same malady that affects me whenever I fly anywhere - I couldn,t sleep a wink on the plane. I knew that this was going to be a problem because we had a long day scheduled for Monday, but I did what I could and got a cool thirty minutes on the Berlin flight. And true enough, we did have a long day on Monday. We met Monkia and Wolfgang, our Berlin-Leipzig-Gotha hosts, and then took a ride to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Esplanade. This is one nice hotel! The down comforter alone is reason enough to stay here! We didn't have time to check the beds out though as we had to immediately change and head to the Reichstag, which is essentially the capitol building of Germany. The Reichstag was bombed heavily during WWII, and still shows the signs of it. Its old dome was destroyed and has been replaced by a huge glass dome. We took a tour of the building and then walked around on the roof where I was able to get some good shots of the city. I also had my first bit of food, which was a pretzel. Quite tasty! We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburg Tor). This is of course a rather iconic symbol of Berlin. It is where Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and from which there was massive television coverage once the wall did fall in 1989. We walked through to a lovely plaza where you could see the hotel window from which Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket - you know I took a pic of that! We then walked to the Memorial for Murder of the Jews of Europe. This was a pretty stark memorial. It is open to the interpretation of the person viewing it. It is a collection of large stone blocks of varying heights. They are also set on a field of land that is not flat, so that when you walk through the memorial (highly encouraged), you rise and fall, and at times, you feel lost. Perhaps that is the point. Very powerful stuff.
After that we headed out on a bus tour of Berlin. I admittedly really started to feel exhaustion creeping up on me, and I know that I dozed off at one point. We got out at the remnants of the Berlin Wall. That was really cool. You could walk in and around the still existing parts (most of the wall has been torn down). After that, we got back on the bus and headed to dinner - finally! I had an amazing dish of goulash with bread dumplings and my first of what I am sure will be many apple strudels. Back to the hotel and to bed - I actually fell asleep with a book in hand! Very long day, and a great night of sleep!
Everyone is headed back to the hotel now and I am going with them - I am a little intimidated by the area because we are in the Red Light District of Berlin! Ha ha! SO I will hopefully write more tomorrow!
Ta ta, kids!
Friday, July 24, 2009
The National Portrait Gallery
In between arriving in Washington and attending the orientation at the Goethe-Institut, I spent a VERY quick 30 minutes at the National Portrait Gallery. Good stuff. Here is a sampling of what I saw...obviously if I paused to long to take pics, I wouldn't have been able to see as much!
George. Classic.
My boy Richard!
Tecumseh Dying.
Pocahontas, European style!
William Henry Harrison
Bust of Elie Wiesel, who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Mr. Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the author of the very excellent Night (which, if you haven't yet read, you should read immediately).
Ah, Walter Cronkite. A tribute inside the Gallery.
The now-famous campaign ad used by President Obama during his 2008 campaign.
Excellent rendering of the Preamble to the Constitution using old license plates - one from each state! Classic!
I was going to go get pics of the monuments tonight, but am way too tired. Opting for an early bedtime tonight and an early rise. We'll see what happens!
George. Classic.
My boy Richard!
Tecumseh Dying.
Pocahontas, European style!
William Henry Harrison
Bust of Elie Wiesel, who survived a Nazi concentration camp. Mr. Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the author of the very excellent Night (which, if you haven't yet read, you should read immediately).
Ah, Walter Cronkite. A tribute inside the Gallery.
The now-famous campaign ad used by President Obama during his 2008 campaign.
Excellent rendering of the Preamble to the Constitution using old license plates - one from each state! Classic!
I was going to go get pics of the monuments tonight, but am way too tired. Opting for an early bedtime tonight and an early rise. We'll see what happens!
Dang It!!!
Today's Events:
1. Did you know that a flight to Cincy from Louisville only takes 20 minutes? Weird. You only get a snack, no drink. At least the bathroom worked. The plane going out before mine to Atlanta had no working toilets.
2. Stepped in something funky on the flight from Cincy to DC. I don't know what it was (or is, as most of it is still on my shoe) but it provides a delightful sticking noise with each step. It may or may not be a dried apricot. I'm not getting that close.
3. Delta does not cover if one of your "luggage feet" breaks off. I already asked. Looks like I'll be traveling with lopsided luggage.
4. Neither will they replace luggage tages that are missing from your luggage.
5. However, they better cover the watch that is missing from my suitcase. You think DC is like NYC in that I can pick a watch up on the corner somewhere?
6. For some reason, these people kept trying to get me on a bus to NYC. Maybe they knew in advance that I would need a watch?
I'm now going to go find a place to eat and then head to my orientation at the Goethe Institut. More later from yours truly as the Hampton Inn so graciously provides free Internet!!
7.
1. Did you know that a flight to Cincy from Louisville only takes 20 minutes? Weird. You only get a snack, no drink. At least the bathroom worked. The plane going out before mine to Atlanta had no working toilets.
2. Stepped in something funky on the flight from Cincy to DC. I don't know what it was (or is, as most of it is still on my shoe) but it provides a delightful sticking noise with each step. It may or may not be a dried apricot. I'm not getting that close.
3. Delta does not cover if one of your "luggage feet" breaks off. I already asked. Looks like I'll be traveling with lopsided luggage.
4. Neither will they replace luggage tages that are missing from your luggage.
5. However, they better cover the watch that is missing from my suitcase. You think DC is like NYC in that I can pick a watch up on the corner somewhere?
6. For some reason, these people kept trying to get me on a bus to NYC. Maybe they knew in advance that I would need a watch?
I'm now going to go find a place to eat and then head to my orientation at the Goethe Institut. More later from yours truly as the Hampton Inn so graciously provides free Internet!!
7.
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...
So it is 7:00 the morning of August 24. I am leaving this morning to go to Washington D.C. for an orientation with the Goethe Institut, and then it is off to glorious Germany!
We got the final itinerary yesterday, but I was so busy trying to get stuff done around here that I didn't have an opportunity to get it typed out and included on this blog. However, it is a long flight to Germany, so maybe I will have time to get that done sometime before I land! If not, I will keep you posted day to day. Biggest change from the preliminary itinerary? No Porsche factory and no vermouth distillery. WHAT?!?!
I am excited about hitting Washington later today. Our orientation begins at 4 and is followed by a catered dinner at 7. Afterwards I hope to find a couple of people and head over to the National Mall to view the landmarks at night. Should be gorgeous!!
We got the final itinerary yesterday, but I was so busy trying to get stuff done around here that I didn't have an opportunity to get it typed out and included on this blog. However, it is a long flight to Germany, so maybe I will have time to get that done sometime before I land! If not, I will keep you posted day to day. Biggest change from the preliminary itinerary? No Porsche factory and no vermouth distillery. WHAT?!?!
I am excited about hitting Washington later today. Our orientation begins at 4 and is followed by a catered dinner at 7. Afterwards I hope to find a couple of people and head over to the National Mall to view the landmarks at night. Should be gorgeous!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Time flies...
Umm, yeah. So, as of right now, there are 17 days left until my departure date. 17 DAYS!!!! Wow! Summer has been flying by so fast, and I can't believe that it is almost time to leave for Germany.
Since, as you can see, this has snuck up on me, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I don't feel that I am in any way, shape, or form ready for this trip. I need to knuckle down and really start learning some basic German phrases. I need to start my packing list (for those of you who read the Japan blog, you know that I am way behind on this - I could have easily packed for Japan about four months before I left). A pressing issue for me is to get things ready for the start of school, as I will be returning home two days before the start of the academic year. I also need to finish things up for a graduate course that I took this summer. Suddenly my summer of fun has turned into a summer of work! AAAAAHHHHH!!!! But, I know it will all be worth it in the end!
I am excited about meeting my fellow travelers and exploring Germany!
Since, as you can see, this has snuck up on me, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I don't feel that I am in any way, shape, or form ready for this trip. I need to knuckle down and really start learning some basic German phrases. I need to start my packing list (for those of you who read the Japan blog, you know that I am way behind on this - I could have easily packed for Japan about four months before I left). A pressing issue for me is to get things ready for the start of school, as I will be returning home two days before the start of the academic year. I also need to finish things up for a graduate course that I took this summer. Suddenly my summer of fun has turned into a summer of work! AAAAAHHHHH!!!! But, I know it will all be worth it in the end!
I am excited about meeting my fellow travelers and exploring Germany!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Itinerary
Today I received my itinerary via e-mail from the Goethe-Institut. It looks like I will be touring mainly northern Germany. I know at one point we will be headed to a port on the North Sea, so that will be cool! I like being able to see other bodies of water for some reason!
I also received a list of names and e-mail addresses of the people who will be on the same trip as me. I look forward to meeting them!
And for you car lovers out there, it looks like I am going to go to a Porsche factory. That's right!
I am going to post my itinerary as soon as possible!
I also received a list of names and e-mail addresses of the people who will be on the same trip as me. I look forward to meeting them!
And for you car lovers out there, it looks like I am going to go to a Porsche factory. That's right!
I am going to post my itinerary as soon as possible!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Woo hoo!!!
Today has been very exciting! I found out today that I have been accepted to go to Germany this summer as part of the Transatlantic Outreach Program sponsored by the Goethe-Institut. I am floored! I definitely didn't expect this, but am so glad that it happened. Yesterday I received word that I had not been awarded another fellowship that I had applied for, and had decided at that point to not get my hopes up about this one. Imagine my surprise when I got the packet in the mailbox! I immediately felt good about it because it was a pretty hefty packet, with lots of paperwork inside. I haven't even managed to read through it all yet.
I will be traveling to Washington, DC on July 24, and will have an orientation on that Friday and the following Saturday morning. I will then travel to Germany where I will be until August 8. School starts on the 10th, so I will have a LOT to adjust to on that Sunday.
I am thrilled beyond belief and feel very lucky and blessed. I cannot wait to start planning this adventure!
I will be traveling to Washington, DC on July 24, and will have an orientation on that Friday and the following Saturday morning. I will then travel to Germany where I will be until August 8. School starts on the 10th, so I will have a LOT to adjust to on that Sunday.
I am thrilled beyond belief and feel very lucky and blessed. I cannot wait to start planning this adventure!
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