First week of actual classes, an alpine adventure, and a spontaneous bikeride

Woah, I can't believe it's already October! On Friday, I'll officially have been back in Germany for a month and I can't believe how quickly that month went by. Though I have to hand it to IES, we have been pretty freaking busy this past month. First orientation, and then a week of intensive politics seminar and german classes, then a trip to Berlin and Prague! Now things are settling down, and we're all settling into our respective schedules with class and such. But just an overview of the classes I'm taking this semester: Econ 353 Economic Relations of the EU, Econ 358 Transition to Market Economies in Central and Eastern Europe, POL 350 Integrative EU Seminar, Germ 403 Emerging Competent German Abroad, and IR 370 EU-US Relations. I'm very pleased with all of my professors thus far, and as nerdy as it sounds, really looking forward to what this semester has to offer me. I came into the IES EU Studies program knowing practically nothing about the EU, and hopefully by the end of the semester I'll be a lot more knowledgable on this extremely complex international body that has far too many treaties and sub-organizations. Did you know that the EU has a cucumber regulation that regulates the how curvy a Class I cucumber is? Yeah, I didn't either (there are also banana and condom regulations). But yeah! Classes have been great so far, and I'm also a huge fan of my no class on Wednesdays :)

Speaking of no class on Wednesdays! So I was incredibly blessed to have my aunt, uncle, and grandma come visit me for the day last Wednesday! Granted I missed out on hiking, but spending the day with family was such a treat. I got to show them around Freiburg and acted as a tour guide in this city that I'm barely familiar with. I took them to all the major landmarks, to the IES center, and a café on the river. Just spending the day with them was so comforting, and made me miss my family back home that much more. That and they're all hilarious to hang out with. So it was a Wednesday well spent.

Die schönen Damen :) 

Und auch Doug

Hahaha one of the street performers trying to give Mamaw a kiss

 Thursday and Friday just seemed to drag in anticipation of our Swiss Alps hike. Bright and early on Saturday morning we hopped on our double decker bus to take us to Engelberg. Fortunately for me, I was able to sleep almost the entire way, and when I woke up...well let's just say I was mildly impressed with the view. Though I will say I will never be sitting at the front of the bus on top again. Let's just say that it was terrifying on the mountain roads.

The view I woke up to. (I was sitting at the front of the double decker bus).

We separated into groups, took the gondola partially up the mountain to Trübsee and from there began our hike. Holy eff, I don't know if I've ever done a more challenging hike before. Though I guess the App Mtns don't have anything on the Swiss Alps! The views though. Absolutely breathtaking. Photos just don't do it justice for the natural beauty that I was able to see. Getting to the top was incredible, and not just because of the views. I got to touch snow! And drink fresh glacial water! I also may or may not have filled my nalgene up with it...no shame. And so far, so good! No giardia for me (knock on wood).

The gondola

On the way up 

Don't worry, I didn't fall

The breathtaking view from the top

After we made our way back down the mountain (via gondola, thank God), we stopped and ate and drank our allotted one beverage from IES before heading back to the bus to go to Luzern (Lucerne)! Ahh what a beautiful city! Of course we all looked fabulous in our hiking gear walking around, meanwhile there are swans everywhere, a world band festival going on, oh and a regatta. Just your average day in Switzerland I suppose. But hey, I enjoyed walking around and looking at things that were way too expensive for me to buy.

Just focus on the gorgeous city around the lake in the background

SWANS AND COVERED BRIDGES. LIKE WHAT?

Casual regatta

Too pretty, I can't even handle it

When we got back it was pretty unanimous that we all wanted to hang out/go out. It ended up being a pretty fun night at Katie and Liz's place with their roommates. I bonded with Jan, their roommate, and was very insistent on him only speaking German with me. He actually kept lapsing back to English! But I put on my stern German face so we could "nur Deutsch sprechen".

Hanging out at Katie's

Katie's roommate Jan and I throwing our Freiburg "Fs" lol

And of course some Pi Phi wings! PPL from Germany!

Sunday, I forced my body to sleep in (I mean come on, hiking was pretty strenuous). After doing nothing but uploading pictures and stalking FB for a few hours, I decided to go on a bike ride. Now, let me tell you about my bike because I'm kind of in love with her. Her name is Lola, she's green and has a bell that's slightly rusted with a four leaf clover on it. She's also like 30 years old, only has foot brakes and no gears. But she's a gem. Anyway I decided to do some exploring with Lola, so I grabbed my Nalgene and iPhone and just went. For a while I would just follow random signs to places that sounded cool, so I found a couple of pretty ponds and lakes and cornfields. Then I saw a sign that said, "Breisach 18km". Now I knew Breisach was on the border, which would be pretty neat, so I thought, "hey what the heck, I'll bike to Breisach". My bikeride was beautiful, about 4 hours roundtrip and roughly 55km long. I think I shed a tear of happiness when I hit Freiburg because by the end of the trip my legs were basically on fire. Slightly deflated tires and no gears will do that to your legs I suppose. But hey, now I can say that I've biked to the German-French border, which I guess is pretty neat.

Action shot with Lola

Der Rhein!

Breisach!

Some really hairy cows and a pear tree (it was a really sour pear btw)

Song of the Week: Wrecking Ball (cover) by Chester See

Best Meal: Is chocolate a meal? Because the dark chocolate truffles I bought in Lucerne were heavenly.

Switzerland must do: Hike somewhere in the Alps! Talk about getting one with nature, it was absolutely beautiful.

Switzerland don't do: Don't forget to have money with you. Luckily, most places do accept Visa and Mastercard. 

Highlight of the week: My bike ride to the border obviously! It was so peaceful riding by myself, and I had a a good long talk with God which was definitely needed. 

Prague, Czech puns, and more monopoly money

There really are no words to describe how beautiful Prague is. I've seen my fair share of Europe, but this city is by far the most beautiful that I have ever seen. Most everyone who I have talked to about their travels in Europe almost always say that Prague was their favorite city. While I can't say that it bumped London out of its spot as my favorite city in Europe, it definitely is up there on my top cities list.

Just a glimpse of the architecture

So anyway, we arrived at our hostel early Thursday afternoon and had enough time to put our stuff up, listen to the rules, and leave to go back into the city for our guided tour. This time we stayed at the PLUS Prague Hostel which was soooo much nicer than the one in Berlin! The wi-fi actually worked, I didn't have to share a bathroom with the entire floor, and there was a mirror in the room. Oh and a pretty cool bar (but I'll get to that later). Karin navigated our group then into the city, where we would meet our tour guide. The great thing about Prague transportation is that there are only 3 different subway lines. The bad thing is that I understand no Czech so when they call out the stops I could never tell if it was the one I actually needed unless I could see the name of the station on the wall. But luckily Karin's a pro and got us to our meeting spot. After finding some snacks, our tour guide finally showed up. Unfortunately for us, she was older and therefore didn't speak all that loud. Meaning that I really can't say I learned a lot from this tour which really is a shame since it focused on communism in the former Czechoslovakia. Though I did learn about the Velvet Revolution and that the Communism Museum is located above a casino. 

The casino that the Communism Museum is over

Paint a brick!

This statue. Literally no words. 

Memorial of the Velvet Revolution

Astronomical Clock!

We ended our tour at the Charles Bridge aka the central tourist bridge aka I don't care because it was beautiful! The view of the Danube and the other bridges over it, as well as all the statues on the bridge. Ugh, just too pretty. After making our way over the bridge, Rin, Emma and I had dinner with the boys at this Czech restaurant. I really wish I remembered what it was called because it was soooo good and so cheap! Emma and I split the goulash which was fantastic, and we also sampled some local beer that were like not even 2 Euros each. That was definitely one thing I loved about Prague, everything was so much cheaper! Even if the monopoly money didn't make sense (I took out a 1000 Koruny which was the equivalent of $50...).

View from the Charles Bridge

The best Czech beer!

Goulash!

After dinner we made our way to the Lennon Wall since we were so close to it. Emma shared the history of the wall with us. Wow, what an amazing piece of art. I just happened to have a couple of sharpies on me, so we all signed the wall. Afterwards we went to the John Lennon pub which was a hilarious time. Our waitress was super sassy, especially when one in our group ordered absinthe and she was called over to demonstrate how to drink it. We essentially did our own little pub crawl back to the hostel, ending it at the hostel bar where it seemed like everyone from our program was hanging for the night.

Rin, Emma, and I at the John Lennon Wall

We all live in a yellow submarine

Walking across the Charles Bridge at night

The next morning we had speakers to listen to, so we were yet again divided into Groups A and B. Luckily for my group, our meeting was at the hotel down the street which was super convenient. Our first speaker really was more of a lecturer (I mean he was an Econ professor), but it was super interesting. He focused on socialism and why it doesn't work and the Czech Republic's transition to a market economy. The next guy was a journalist who looked like a shorter eastern European version of Leonardo DiCaprio. He opened the floor for Q&A right off the bat and we learned a lot about the Czech people and government. I'd say of our trip, he was my favorite guest speaker by far. After our meetings were through we went into town and grabbed lunch at this market right off the subway stop. I had boar sausage which was surprisingly really good, and then we were off to wander again through Prague. We stopped at several markets (I bought my postcard) and again went over the Charles Bridge. Unfortunately for us it really started to rain, so Emma, Rin and I ducked into a café for a while. Once the rain was through we made our way back to the hostel to get ready to go out. We ended up at this club called Lucerna which was doing an 80s and 90s night. We kinda ended up being the youngest ones there as it turned into us dancing with people our parent's age. It was still a blast though as they played awesome music.

One of the many markets

OMG the Charles Bridge...AGAIN!

Ugh so pretty 

The only picture I snagged at Lucerna. I believe Britney was singing on screen in the background.

My last day in Prague ended up not being so great due to some stuff going on back at home, but I tried to make the most of it. Jacob and I were the last 2 at the hostel that morning, so we palled up for the day and found this really cool market by the river. He was a gent and bought me ice cream as a thank you for reminding him that he had left his laptop back at the hostel! He had to go off and get that which left me alone for about 2 hours by myself. Again, I just wandered with no set destination, and met up with everyone back at the train station. After taking 2 benadryl on the bus to sleep, I slept the entire 8 hr bus ride home, and woke up in Freiburg! As great as the trip was, I definitely was missing my home away from home. And boy has it been good to be back this past week. Even if that does mean I actually have to go to class now :P

Some cool graffiti

A view OF the Charles Bridge

I think the Czechs are still a little resentful of the communists...

Song of the Trip: Strawberry Bubblegum by Justin Timberlake

Best food: My goulash! Hands down a winner.

Ice Cream: Well actually it was delicious chocolate gelato from the market that Jacob and I went to

Must Do: See the Lennon Wall. Seriously, it's so cool.

Don't Do: Use public transportation without a valid ticket. A few kids in my program were checked with unvalidated tickets. Let's just say it cost them a few hundred Koruny...

Nightlife: Check out Lucerna! It was a blast, even if it was an older crowd.

Berlin Round Two

It'd only been a little over a year since my last trip to Berlin, so I remembered the city fairly well. However last time it had just been my friend Sam and I, whereas this time I was with 60 other people. They divided us into 2 groups so we would be easier to manage (that and we had slightly different schedules), which meant that we were also located at two different hostels. With my luck, our group kinda got the shaft on the hostel deal and got the shittier one further from downtown. Though I shouldn't complain too much considering I spent almost no time there, thanks to some very late nights. As soon as we dropped our stuff off we went straight to Brandenburger Tor to begin our walking tour of the city. We briefly met the other group, and then we were off to walk around Berlin and learn about post WWII history!

I'm just all about the selfies in front of important stuff

Moser and I 

Our guide was great (and British, yay!) and gave us a pretty thorough history of Berlin under Hitler and right after the war. We walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, over Hitler's bunker, past the Topography of Terror, the Luftwaffe Headquarters, and the Propoganda Ministry. We ended our tour at Checkpoint Charlie which was just as unimpressive as it was the last time I was there, and then we were free for the rest of the evening.

The group walking into the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Kevin in the Memorial

Hitler's Bunker. Ahh I stood over where he killed himself...

Former Luftwaffe Headquarters

Topography of Terror Museum

We went to this awesome club called Felix which was right near the British embassy and the Holocaust memorial. Monday is Ladies Night which meant no cover for us girls and then basically male strippers from Magic Mike. Needless to say it was awesome. We danced and danced and probably didn't leave till about 3 or 3:30 and made the long cold trek home to BaxPax Mitte where we were staying. It was about 4 when I finally got in bed which basically allowed me to take a 3.5 hr nap before I had to get up and shower. With only 2 showers to our floor, I wanted to make sure I at least got one!

The group on stage at Felix

Our second day was pretty jam packed for us essentially having the afternoon off. We started out with a tour of the Berlin Wall Memorial where we watched a couple of videos on the wall, and then had an awesome tour guide take us around. The amount of people that died trying to escape East Berlin, or really just the victims in general astounded me. The fact that children died because they fell in the river and couldn't swim, yet no one could jump in the water to save them without risk of being shot, just hit me really hard. The fight against communism was so real and so strong, and you can still feel that the fight isn't over in Berlin. There's so much construction, especially in the Eastern half of the city, from tearing down Soviet buildings. There's also a strong presence of Die Linke in the Eastern half, as if the people still aren't willing to let socialism die just yet.

Anyway, after our tour we were free for the afternoon to work on our Berlin Projects for German. Mine required that I go to the Jewish Museum and answer some questions about it, reflect, and the sorts. I was intrigued because this was a museum that I had not been to, and Jewish history has always been so interesting to me, especially the Jews in Germany. I went with Tammy, Rin, and Salome, and this museum beyond exceeded my expectations. There is such a huge focus on the architecture of the museum and one's interpretation of it. Libeskind, the architect, designed it so that one would reflect, that one could put themselves in the shoes of the Jews - especially during the Holocaust era. The Garden of Exile and the Memory Void were the 2 highlights of the museum for me. They respectively lie at the ends of the Axis of Emigration and the Axis of Continuity. Being in the Garden of Exile you can tell that he wants one to feel disoriented as it does not lie on flat ground, but on a slope. There are also tall concrete blocks like in the Holocaust memorial that block most of your vision while in the garden. However, at the top of each block there is an olive tree planted which I believe symbolizes how that at the end of their journey the Jews were to eventually find peace (I believe that place to be Israel). 

View of the outside of the Jewish Museum

In the Garden of Exile

The other exhibit, the Memory Void, actually made me speechless. Never have I been so moved by a museum exhibit before. The floor of this void is comprised of over 10,000 iron faces "fallen leaves" as the artist calls them. They stare up at you hauntingly as you walk across them (which you're allowed to do because it's an interactive exhibit). The faces klang against one another as you move across the floor and actually make it impossible for one to move silently, but the klang is the only thing that breaks the silence. "Schallendes Schweigen" is a poem by Rose Ausländer which accurately, in my mind, represents the room. If you go to Berlin, you have to go to this museum, and you have to go to the Memory Void. It sticks with you. You feel the suffering of this group of people, hear their long lost cries. I scribbled out a poem the following day about it when I should've been paying more attention to the DGAP speaker, but I couldn't get the place off of my heart or out of my mind.

"Etched Faces"
Faces staring all around
Looking up,
as I look down
Their cries, they echo
through empty space
And haunt the void,
This solemn place
Standing still
They cry no more
Their dried tears
stain the floor
-S. Ireland

Fallen Leaves

When we left we had a tour scheduled for us at the Reichstag (seat of the German Bundestag aka Parliament), and we were kinda late getting there lol whoopsies. It was so cool actually getting to visit, even if our tour guide was ancient and talked super slowly in a monotone voice. It also made me realize that I've never even seen the US Capitol...awkward. Also the Cuppola at the top offers amazing views of the city, so I highly recommend giving the Reichstag a visit.

Where important stuff happens in Germany

Sunset in the Cuppola

The rest of the evening we had off, so we went and ate some tasty German food and went out to a neat little bar with some Australians. Literally the accents on this trip though, they just made me melt haha. Also on our way back we happened to walk through prostitute alley. German prostitutes are quite practical really, they all wear fanny packs with their corsets and 5 inch heels.

Our last day in Berlin was jam packed! We had a meeting at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik which was led by a Mr. Julian Rappold. The DGAP is essentially a network for Germany's foreign policy, so the meeting was very interesting as we really focused on the upcoming election. After our meeting with Herr Rappold we had a little break to change our clothes and eat before we went to listen to some women speak about living in the DDR (former East Germany). It was astonishing hearing actual accounts of the presence of the Stasi, how people were monitored, and how if you weren't compliant with the government they could essentially ruin your life. After listening to them, I had my reflection session at this cafe with some other students in my group where IES graciously paid for my coffee as I discussed politics in the EU and Germany. And for our last night in Berlin we made it out to East Berlin to this club called Suicide Circus. I think the name should be enough to accurately describe how that experience was. But hey I got to dance, and got a poster and some stickers so I think it was a success. Overall Berlin was yet another fantastic experience. While I experienced a lot of the same sights that I did with Sam last summer, it was such a different trip this go round. And I'm sure that the next time I go back, it will be just as different.

Song of the trip: Royals by Lorde
Best meal: My schnitzel at that one German restaurant we went to...
Must do: Visit the Jewish Museum
Don't do: Underestimate how long it takes you to get somewhere! We were like 30 min late to a meeting because we underestimated how far we had to walk hahaha
Nightlife: Go to Felix! So much fun! Firebar was also a great time (and cheap!)