Speyer

#32 Tuesday, September 27: Our last AJY Excursion to Speyer! It was a beautiful day and we went from the freezing weather of the Pope back to summer and sundresses! We saw the Speyer Dom, which is the oldest Romantic Church in the World, as well as the only remaining Jewish Bath in Germany. It was quite a relaxing day and we all really enjoyed our free time walking around the city. This is excursion was far less formal than our others and exactly what we needed after our horrid day of German style ACT testing.

Back to Bruchsal

#31 Sunday, September 25: After the Pope, Julia came to pick me up and brought me back to her house in Bruchsal were I stayed for two weeks back in high school. It was so nice to see her family again, and her puppy FRODO! Oh, how I have misssed them all! They took me out to a GREAT dinner at a Greek restaurant where we all got to catch up while enjoying a delicious meal. It was like I never left. I felt right back at home with them and it was so nice. So nice to be in a family setting again and talking about the good old times. I can't wait to see them again. They are just so funny! Overall, a perfect ending to my lovely weekend! :)

Homeless for the night....TO SEE THE POPE!

Saturday, September 25 through Sunday, September 26: Once in a lifetime experience - complete! WE GOT TO SEE THE POPE! A group of 6 of us in my AJY group decided we would make the trip down to Freiburg, Germany to see the Pope speak. On Saturday night he held a youth vigil, and then on Sunday morning mass was held outside of Freiburg airport for over 100,000 people.  This was a very controversial as well as exciting visit for Germany, because the Pope is from Bavaria; however, there are still many Protestants here in Baden-Wurttemburg. The people had hopes the Pope would speak out more about the issues between the Catholics and the Protestants, as well as about gay marriage. Although some Germans were unhappy with his visit, the 6 of us Americans could not be more thrilled. This was a once in a life time experience for us. Here is a short recap of the weekend.

Saturday morning: Cait and I missed our train. It was like out of a movie. We walked out just as it drove past. We then had to jog to Bismarkplatz (like the center square) to try to get another bus to take us to the train station. Most buses go to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), but of course not a single one we saw that morning. We finally got a bus with literally 5 minutes to spare. We sat on the bus like nervous wrecks praying we would make it in time. We had literally 1 minute left when we got the train station. We went SPRINTING off the bus, across the street without looking (sorry mom) and through the station. People were parting like the red sea for us, it was great. It was a moment I will never forget, movie quality for sure! Our backpacks were bouncing on our  backs and I had full sprint form down the platform. When we made it down the escalator our friends burst into cheers. It was great, yet also terrifying!

#28: On the 3 hour train ride down to Freiburg, we all learned how to make our own rosearies. It was pretty cool. Once we got to Freiburg, we had no clue where we were going so we just followed the crowds. Lucky enough for us, the crowd happened to be a massive group of teenage volunteers dressed in bright orange. Couldn't lose them if we wanted. We walked with them over 45 minutes from the train station to the airport (thats where the vigil and mass took place). We then waited outside the arena for a few hours until we were able to get in. Not alot of information was given, and things were surprisingly unorganized for Germans...especially for the Pope. We got an amazing spot up front and center for the Vigil, but we were hungry and wanted to see the city. We decided it would be best to split up. Half of us stayed and watched our stuff, while the rest of us went into town. I had heard so much about Freiburg from Frau Shuster so it was really important for me to explore. We walked the 45 minutes back into town and met up with my friend Becca's, friend from home. He is studying in Freiburg so he showed us around. The city was super busy, but also really beautiful. We had AMAZING Doners and then trecked back to the airport.

Once we got back from our sightseeing, we realized that might have been a bad idea to leave our area. The place was PACKED! and they were not letting people up to the front. Using my crowd snake technique I have learned at concerts, I managed to get us up to the front, but on the opposite side of where our stuff and our friends were. We were not happy, but at least we were up close.

#29: It actually was a blessing, because when Pope Benedict drove by in the Pope Mobile....we were 15 feet away! It was crazy. We all got usually emotional after that were just so happy. It meant so much to me because I know Oma and Grandma would have been so excited for me...I think for me, thats what did it.

The rest of the Vigil was beautiful. It was candle lite, and the whole group just seemed to come together when he spoke. It also meant so much to hear the Pope speak in Germany...in German. Thankfully we had all been to a German Mass before, so we knew the Our Father, as well as some other smaller prayers in German otherwise we would have for sure been lost.

After the Vigil we were pooped. Like totally exhausted. Not to mention cold. We all bundled up with our layers and made camp right where we had been sitting. We had to wait there for a few hours until the field we were allowed to sleep in opened up. So we sat in this for 2 hours. We fell asleep and even got our pictures taken and in the paper the next day for being so commited to seeing the Pope :) Super cool...except the garbage part that is...

What was supposed to be 2 hours of waiting...turned into 4. We had to change locations several times, and ended up waiting 2 hours longer outside our field because the security was not yet organized. We were tired, and cold and just not happy. This is when we experienced the true blue culture shock. We heard that Germans were always so organized and on time with everything, but this whole Papst Besuch was nothing close to organized. No one was telling us anything, and everyone around us was getting so mad. It was a youth event, and we were pretty old compared to those standing around us. It was wayyy past bedtime for most of the kids, and no one seemed to care. Everything was a mess, and unorganized and something like that would have never flew in the states. Riots would have happened or something. We were fed up, we just wanted to sleep and wanted the Germans to for once meet their stereotype. Then...we started doing the unspoke of...homeland vs. foreignland comparison and started ripping on Germany. Looking back I feel bad, but we were just so moody from the day. At this point we wanted to be home, or at least in America where things would never be this unorganized for such a huge event. Our remedy for the homesickness? To sing God Bless America of course! Over and over we sang it, along with any other American Pride song we could think of. It was hilarious, but also kinda bad of us. Although it get seem to work cause 20 minutes later, we were let into the field to sleep.

#30: We put down our tarp, snuggled up and passed out...for 1 hour that is. Then the fog rolled in. We were laying outside in a cloud when we woke up freezing at 3 am. We were covered in dew and literally so cold we were shaking. I could not stand it so I got up and ran around, but it didn't seem to help. We all shed a tear or two because we were that cold, but we had to see the Pope speak the next day so we stuck it out. We all spooned and finally fell back asleep for another hour. 2 full hours of sleep...grand, right?

It actually was. We woke up, and although we were freezing...we got great seats for mass the next day. We got to see the Pope up close again, as well as be apart of history with 100,000 other people as the Pope performed his first Mass in Baden-Wurttemberg. It was totally worth all the trouble we experienced the day before...no doubt. It was such a cool experience and one I will never forget. I was truly blessed with that opprounity and I wouldn't have had it go any other way.

study, practicum, study, castles, beer, more studying....

Monday, September 22: Studied German grammar.

#25 Tuesday, September 23: Studied German grammar and went to my Practicum. Thankfully a good brain break. Although I have already had my first teaching practicum experience at East Aurora last spring, this will be my first practicum as an English teacher. On Tuesday I just went to observe the class and meet my Co-op. Herr Schock will defintely be interesting to work with and I am excited to get back into the classroom teaching instead of just learning. The German school system is very different from what we have in the US and I after just one day I think it might be a topic I chose to do my Richter Grant on...but who knows. My new students are all very nice, and seem excited to have a real "American" in their English class. We held small group discussions about 9/11 and it was very interesting to hear their options of the American government as well as what exactly they remember from that horrible day. I think I can learn alot about the German culture from them and I really am excited to start going back every week :)

Wednesday, September 21: Studied German grammar.

#26 Thursday, September 22: Another AJY excursion, but this time off to the Castle and Gardens of Schwetzigen. All I can say is WOW! These gardens were absolutely spectacular! They were bulit as a summer residence for the Kurfürst Karl Phillip and are just enormous with different secret elements hidden through out the grounds. There is a mosque, a special "Bad" room designed just for Phillip, a bird zoo, peacocks, and so much more. The first part of the gardens are very symmetrical and known as French gardens, but then they twist and turn into a beautiful, less symmetrical set of English gardens. Talk about Princess Problems again...

#27 Happy Arthur Guinness Day! Since we are going to Dublin for Halloween we figured it was about time we try some Gunniess. Thankfully Arthur Guinness Day was this past Thursday and for the first time in Germany we got some FREE BEER. Really, one of our first "free" anythings. It is not my fav, but it was a nice study break for us after the castle.

Friday, September 23: Studied German grammar....again.

The happier side of France!

#23: After the concentration camp, we were lucky enough to escape to Mont St. Odile. It was a beautiful old monastery in the same mountain range as the CC in the east of France. There we had a gorgerous almost 360 degree view of the landscape around us, as well as possibly the worse ice cream ever. Apparently the French are not as skilled as Germans in the art of the ice cream. We also had our first interaction with a French man. He knew a little German thankfully, for otherwise we would have be totally lost. He understood no English and we all know no French. Not the best combo. After we had a little time to relax and process all of the CC information at Mont St. Odile, we were off to Strasbourg!

#24: Strasbourg was a very interesting and adorable city. It was once apart of Germany so there are alot of German influences and alot of German architecture. A really cool mix of cultures! As we approached the Cathedral de Notre Dame (not the Notre Dame in Paris, a different one), we heard what sounded like a huge protest. French protesting? You would think, but no it was a FLASH MOB! The med-students apparently had just finished their big final exam and were all dressed in decorated scrubs to celebrate. They busted out their dance moves and since it was an easy enough dance, I jumped in! How could I not? Those only happen once in a lifetime! SOOO MUCH FUN! After I finished getting my groove on, we toured the Cathedral. It was absolutely breathtaking, by far my favorite Church/Cathedral. We were then lucky enough to climb the 300 + stairs to the top of its tower. Again, just an amazing view. If you think going to the top of the Sears Tower is cool, you really need to come to Europe. They seriously out-do us on fantastic views scale. We finished our tours and then explored the city for a bit. Naturally we had to stop at a little outdoor French cafe for coffee and a crossiant. A perfect end to the day. I have to say this was one of my favorites days of the trip. During the long ride home, I put my music on and the importance of the day and just of everything I was experiencing on this study abroad trip hit me. I really am blessed to have this opprounity to travel the world, and I can't put into words how much I feel my life has already changed because of it. I have learned so much and everyday is another adventure. It is just unbelievable.

Chill Weekend...kinda.

#24 Friday, September 16: We drank from a bucket, things didn't go as well as planned. Long story short, we got to ride in a German ambulance after our friend Matt decided to look like the dumb drunk American in public. Not fun, although I did learn alot about the German healthcare system. Thankfully Germans are understanding.

Saturday, September 17: After a hectic Friday, we decided to take it easy and just catch up on our homework. We spent most of the day running errands and studying and then took a brain break together as a group and watched Step Brothers.

Sunday, September 18: Another homework day...all in preparation for our DSH (equivalent to the ACT, but in German) the next week. Overall, a pretty chill and relaxing weekend...but perfect because starting the next weekend the traveling begins! woohooo!

Natzweiler-Strutfhof Concentration Camp

#22 Thursday, September 15: Off to France with the AJY program! Although this happened to be one of my favorite excursions thus far, the day did not start out as light hearted as it ended. 

We began our journey by driving west out of Germany and towards the Vosges mountains in the east of France. The scenery was amazing as we approached the mountains, only to get better as we passed them and were greeted in their valleys with vineyards stretching the length of the mountains beside us. As we began climbing steeper up the mountain range, the bus was filled with chatter and flashes from cameras as everyone tried to capture the view below us. After a few minutes of excitement the bus crossed over a set of train tracks and than started driving parallel to them up the mountain. We were no longer accompanied by little shops and stores, but just alone with the trees at both of our sides. After crossing over the tracks, the bus grew quiet as we were all quickly reminded of exactly what route we were on...what train tracks we were driving along side. Somber thoughts filled all of our minds as we reached the very quiet camp grounds at the peak of the mountain. We silently filed off the bus and walked to the edge of the look out point. We assumed that below us would lie the most beautiful landscape of mountain valleys; however, as we approached the edge...we realized what we were actually about to see. Over the railing, a little ways down the mountain, stood the once all male concentration camp, Natzweiler-Struthof.

I have seen plenty of movie footage and pictures of the horror that took place at these Nazi concentration camps, but never did I expect to feel as moved as a did standing at the base of one. I was consumed with thoughts of sadness and horror, but no emotion stood stronger than my disbelief of what I was actually looking down upon. The idea that the beauty of the mountain valleys below us actually only masked the horror of what lied within them. That such a dark history stood in these woods, and I was actually standing in front of it all....

I don't think I could accurately describe all of the emotions I felt as we walked through the grounds. We learned about all of the unique attributes this camp had, and each one set a new set of chills down my back. We saw the horror of the gas chambers, and the experiment room as well as smelled what will forever be the permenant stench of the infermatory.

The horror and the aptitude of that horror that was experienced at Natzweiler-Struthof is unbelievable. It was very difficult to wrap my head around the numbers of those who lost their lives. Although it was a rough morning, I am glad we were able to make the trip. We specifically were taken to this CC and not Dachau, because they wanted to keep us away from the Holocaust tourism. This camp was silent and it gave us the opprounity to take it all in. Our professor had a very rough time showing us around. He said that being a German, and having to show us Americans this dark history is not something he is proud of, but its apart of the German culture now to be as open with their history as they can. That element of their new philosophy is something I made a mental note to myself to make sure I talk to my future students about.

Overall, a dark morning, but thankfully we were able to escape to Mont St. Odile to clear our brains.

"There is SEX (in the city) here?"

#19 Monday September 12, 2011: First experience with the Uni Activities! Becca and I went to work out at the track and stumbled upon a huge group of girls doing what we hoped was Zumba, but was actually called, "BauchBeinPo"  (stomach, legs and butt). It is a combo of zumba, aerobics and yoga and happened to be really fun. There was probably over 100 girls participating! Apparently, because the University doesn't have varsity sports, all the club activites are REALLY popular.

#20 Tuesday September 13, 2011: Greys Anatomy, GLEE and Sex in the City in one night? Yup! Thankfully the Glee songs are not translated :) Cait and I are all about the German translated American TV shows lately. We discovered that Tuesday nights are THE TV nights here in Heidelberg. It is great for helping us learn the language, and get our little taste of home.

#21 Wednesday September 15, 2011: The girls decided it was a good idea to test out another Uni Activity so we went for Yoga. I love Bikram Yoga, but I normal Yoga just doesn't do much for me. It was relaxing, but it was not a brain break like I hoped. Although most of the poses are easy to translate (childs pose = Kinderpose) the instructor was using a whole bunch of German terms that had us all confused. Not the best experience, but at least it was something active.

3 more "firsts" to add to the list! Scroll down and read the other posts. I just added about 4 entries from the last week!

Meet the Gang!



I figured since I am starting to make references to all of my friends here, that it's about time I introduce them to you all!

Meet the gang (from right to left):  First up is our little nugget Becca. Becca is from the Chitown area, so we have lots in common and relate real well! So nice to have a little piece of home around.

Next up is Anne Marie. She is also a midwestern girl and goes to SLU with Becca. Anne Marie ran cross and track in highschool, so we too have alot in common. All the other girls in our group are in sororites, so when then start speaking "greek" we are each others escape!

Then comes Hannah...aka Momma Nelson. Hannah is the mother of the group and probably the funniest person I have ever met. She is the one to pull out a bandage, the map, or some other life necessity from her purse whenever we are in need. She also organizes all of our outings because she is the research queen. Hannah, along with my suitemate Cait, go to Elon University in North Carolina. They live quite the different lifestyle from us back in the Midwest.

Next to Momma Nel is Caitlin, the little Princess :) Cait is a poli-sci/international business major and in a sorority at Elon. I am learning so much about the world from this girl it is crazy. She is teaching me all about politics, which is very important here in Germany, as well as  ALL ABOUT SORORITY LIFE! And not just normal sorority life..southern sorority life. I know all about UofI, ISU and SIU greek life, but from what I have heard...Elon runs circles around what I thought "being Greek" was all about. Cait, Momma Nel and Matt (not pictured, but the man of our group...known as frat Matt) "speak greek" all dayyyy, errrdayyy. Although sometimes it is overwhelming..I am FASCINATED with this world of theirs. Not just the sorority life, but their school in general. I plan to post all about Elon later in the year (it def deserves its own entry), but here are just a few differences. Girls wear sundresses everyday to class and boys wear Polo's and khakis. They do not own, yes..own..jeans. It is only khakis. Also guys wear their shorts ABOVE the knee always. No one, I repeat, no one wears sweat pants. They tailgate in dresses and the guys wear suits. They go to tennis matches and  derbees. Elon is the definition of PREP. They dress up everyday for class. It is just astonishing to me. And yes, as you can imagine..they all have money. Such an interesting enviorment. Needless to say, Cait and I are very different, but we are learning so much from each other. Quite the pair :)

And last but not least is Lauren, our little Ginger. She is from New Jersey and quite the party animal! Lauren loves coffee...and coffee...and more coffee.

It has only been a few weeks, but I know these are a group of girls that will be friends for life.

Proud to be an American!

Sunday, September 11, 2011: Quite a day to remember. Being out of the US on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 really made all of us a little homesick. Although our hearts were at home..it just didn't seem like enough. Being in Germany has given us a completely new view of America....good and bad, but on this day there was nothing but American pride on our mind.

Cait is from the East Coast and has alot of ties to those who lost their lives during the attacks. We stayed up really late the night before just reflecting on the world since 9/11. Being from the Midwest, I am lucky and blessed to say I didn't have anyone I knew perish on this day, but Cait did. It was so hard to hear her stories, but it helped remind me of what really happened that day and where we are as a country now.

We both knew that church was a must that Sunday. We had meant to go weekends prior, but there was no way we were missing this time...we had alot to talk to the big man about and also alot of souls to honor.

#18: We went to the Jesuit church (there are no Catholic Churchs very close) and saw our first German mass. It was definitely different, but good practice for when we see the Pope next week. The Mass was an hour and a half long, and Communion was organized in a very strange pattern. Germans don't like waiting in lines so instead of waiting single file everyone just piles up at the front of the chapel. Although it was difficult to understand and long, I really enjoyed it. It helped us all feel a little bit closer to home.

After Church was work time! With our big university test coming up, we all had a ton of grammar rules to review. Not super fun. Thankfully with the time difference we were also able to stream the News coverage of the memorial service in NY. We listened to all the names read as we studied German grammar. A very weird feeling...again, making the fact we were in another country on this day seem very wrong.

To lighten the mood a bit we went to the streetfest going on outside our house after we finished our work. Sadly it started to rain, so we didn't see much. Thankfully there is ANOTHER STREET FEST this weekend on our block so no worries. Never a shortage of festivals in Europe that is for sure.

Overall, a somber day as I'm sure it was for everyone back at home as well.

9/11: Never forget.

Wine and Wurst? You bet!

#15 Friday, September 8: After a long day of classes, Cait and I decided it would be a good idea to run errands and pick up food for the next week because most stores are closed early Saturday and all day Sunday. Sadly, things did not go as smoothly as planned. We managed to embarress ourselves in the grocery store, take the wrong train...again, got lost trying to find a stinkin mailbox as well as temporarily break my phone. It was a long afternoon to say the least. Thankfully we had a really cute little stir fry dinner with our group of friends, cooked by the one and only Momma Nelson, and then went out in Heidelberg with the rest of the AJY group. We went to a disko on "Unterstraße" and for the first time got some lovin from the German boys. It was about time. haha Boys are very shy in this part of Germany. They do not really approach girls or buy girls drinks...defintely different from the US.

#16 Saturday, September 9: We originally were going to go to France, but we found out that the following week we got to go for free with our group...so that plan was scratched. We decided to hit up the WORLDS largest wine and wurst festival instead! Brats, Spätzle, chocolate covered fruit and wine tasting....can't get much better. The festival was actually really cool. It was like a huge carnival, but with more intense rides and of course...way better food. It was a great trip for us, especially being last minute. It is so nice that every weekend we can find these festivals or concerts or fairs and normally we never have to pay to get there, or for anything but food.

Cait and I have made several blog entries thus far, but they have not been uploading well. We want to be able to show you all at home what the atmosphere is like through all of our travels. It is so much easier to show you than to try to explain. We just can't do these amazing places justice with only our words. This is the 3rd video we have made, but the first one I uploaded to Youtube. I am slowly putting the previous ones up so feel free to check my Youtube channel if you want to see them later this week. Warning, although this video is not too bad..the others are CHEEZZZZYYYY :) Enjoy.

#17: We got the TV to work! After a long day of walking and eating Cait and I spent the afternoon watching German TV which was a first since we have been here. Then some of the girls came over for a "girls night". We made some food and watched the Titantic in German! Nice relaxing end to a great day!

3 more "firsts" to add to the list.

"AJY Excursion? Or is this Hogwarts?"

Ah, its been a whole week since I have blogged. I really need to work on making this more of a priority. Lets see...what have you all missed?

#13 Wednesday, September 6: Our AJY group went on an overnight excursion to Bronnbach, Weikersheim and Schwäbisch Hall. We stayed in Bronnbach on the first night and in an old Monastery...that was a first. It felt like we were at Hogwarts. Tons of little hidden doors, and outdoor corridors that looked like they were straight out of the movie! It was so much fun to explore. And they had renovated the part we stayed in into a very modern, hotel like atmosphere. The old and new feel made it a very unique place. Such history, yet also so new. They had beautiful garten grounds that stretched out across the valley we were in. It was gorgerous. Aside from the scenery and the tours, we also had a great meal at the Orangelia, and had an opportunity to bond as a group as well. Great midweek break!

#14 Thursday, September 7: We then took a bus to Weikersheim and Schwäbisch Hall the next morning. In Weikersheim was a beautifully ornamented castle with a HUGE garden that we frolicked in for almost an hour. I could not even imagine what it would have been like to live in such a beautiful place. Schwäbisch Hall was also very quaint, but we didn't get much time to walk around because we were spending time looking at a lot of modern art...which I decided is not my thing. I tried to be open minded, but if my little cousin Jack can make the same thing effortlessly...I don't think it should be hanging in an Art Museum. Just sayin...

On Thursday night when we got back we also went to ladies night for the first time and made some GERMAN friends. SUCCESS!

3 new cities off the bucket list...check! :)

15 seconds of fame. Life goal = accomplished.

Today was quite the exciting day! The AJY group split up into 3 sections, each going on a different excursion. One to a museum, one to a brewery and one the the Rhein Neckar Fernsehen (television station). Although the other excursions were nice I'm sure, my group had it the best...

#12 Tuesday, September 6: Got to be on German TV! One thing to check off my life bucket list :)

ahhh so exciting! We learned all about the production of television and such and then got to sit in on the nightly news. We met the newscasters and the head of the entire program. Not too shabby for a Tuesday evening!

Tomorrow we have an over night excursion to Kloster Bronnbach (monastery), Weikersheim, and Schwäbisch Hall :) Should be exciting!

Hope all is well back home :) Miss you all.

Craving Chipolte already? Pathetic..

You would think I could last more than a week and a half before I had a Chipolte craving, but no...it hit hard yesterday! The bread, cheese and pastries here are delicious; however, they get old when you have them every day. Caitlin and I have been trying to save money and having been cooking for ourselves...so pasta is now on the X-list as well, since we have made that at least 4 times in the last eleven days. We plan to be more creative, but with a fridge that doesn't get very cold, we are scared to buy meat and keep it fresh. So after a long day of class...

#11: we found the one Mexican Restaurant in Heidelberg and treated ourselves. So worth it...no Chipolte, but Chimichanga subsided my cravings!

I also finally got to catch up with Julia for a few hours after class. It was great getting to hear about what she has been up to in the last few years and comparing stories. Being exchange partners really has made us life long friends. We can talk for hours and its like I've known her my whole life. She was also nice enough to let me vent about Germany a bit, and having studied abroad herself, she understands my petty frustrations.  She also showed me how find all of the REAL local grocery stores, instead of the ones the AJY program tells us about. A great afternoon with an old friend :)

After my time with Julia and dinner with our little group, I came back and ATTEMPTED to do my homework. As always, facebook and skype got in the way so I had to get up early to get my blogging in, but it was worth it catching up with people back home. I also bought my TICKET TO SEE THE POPE last night. He will be in Freiburg in a few weeks and is holding a youth service for free! All we had to do was register, so Caitlin and I, as well as a few other classmates, are all making the trip to see him. Not only is it cool to see him, but I know Oma/Grandma would probably love that I am getting this opportunity as well. Not to mention..I get to see Freiburg and the Bächlen. I learned all about Freiburg in high school from Frau, so its really exciting I get to visit while I am here. Overall a good Monday.

I hope everyone had a relaxing labor day at home. Off to start my Tuesday. Miss you all!

Princess Problems

Originally this weekend was supposed to be complete European adventure, but reality took its toll and we realized going to France today would probably not be the best idea when we have so much homework to finish up. No worries, we just postponed it until next weekend.

This weekend did have its share of adventures, even if we could not leave the country...

# 7 Thursday, September 1: This day was particularly overwhelming when it came to German class, but it was also so exciting because we finalized our plans to travel to Scotland and England over our Fall break. Round trip with 4 buses and 2 flights came out to only be 150 American Dollars! How amazing? We wanted to celebrate by going to Moor's, an Irish Pub in town for ladies night, but we were all too tired. The free champagne would have to wait. We instead wanted some comfort food. French fries it was! We even splurged and paid the extra 30 cents for ketchup (yeah, they charge you for everything around here), but that was a rookie move. We forgot they don't have normal ketchup in Germany, but rather curry ketchup. Ughhh, huge disappointment after we poured it all over the fries. I guess you live and you learn...no ketchup around here.

#8 Friday, September 2: After a very rough week of grammar, we all decided the diskos in Mannheim would be a perfect place to celebrate. We got all dressed up and headed out...except on the wrong train of course. It was bound to happen sometime. Once we got ourselves headed back in the right direction we realized we still had about an hour of traveling ahead of us...sooo, we decided to make friends. An Irish man next to us recognized we were Americans and we started chatting. He was real cool and told us the best places for dancing in Mannheim. Once we arrived we explored the city using Hannah's map...it was surprisingly helpful.

Overall, it was a successful night at the diskos!

#9 Saturday, September 3: This is where we all started to develop Princess Problems. We live in the cutest city....that sits in a valley....overlooking the river....with beautiful mountains surrounding us...and a castle...how can we not feel like Princesses? Every other city looks like poop compared to what we have and we feel bad because we know when we get home we will probably never find things nearly as pretty anymore. We just like expect this beauty now...seriously a problem. Anywhooo, this all began when we went up to the Heidelberg Castle to celebrate Schlossfest. Schlossfest is celebrated 3 times a year in remembrance of when the castle was burned during the French Revolution. We toured the castle and were amazed by what we saw. The castle is not only beautiful, but also enormous! Although it was destroyed, old parts still remain along with the additions that every Kaiser built during their reign. In that sense it is very unique.



It also has the BEST views of the city! I remember coming up the castle when I was in high school on the exchange, and although we saw numerous castles..this one always was my favorite. 4 years later...

We all have discussed and just feel so honored to being able to spend our days in such a city. It is unreal. to end our day of activities, we climbed up the Philoshophenweg on the mountain on the other side of the bridge. There we all relaxed and waited for the fireworks show and the "burning of the castle".

Again, all I can say is that it was amazing! Do you see where the Princess Problems arise from?

#10 Sunday, September 4: No France. Although we had to reschedule, Caitlin and I still managed to have a lovely day laying out by the river doing homework. We might have been eaten alive by bugs, but it was still worth it.

I am just literally in love with this place. I hope you can all see why! Thanks for checking in! Miss you all

- Molly

Travel Plans!

TGIF! Too much German grammar for one week, but thankfully things are calming down and I feel more comfortable with all of the new stuff I have learned. We are also doing less activities as a group, which means more free time to explore!

We just booked tickets to fly to Edinborough, Scotland and London during our fall break! ahhhh so exciting! We got great deals. Less than 150 American dollars for all of our transportation! We are bumming on our friends couches so no need to pay for places to stay! :) France, England, and Scotland all in the next 3 weeks, and then Austria, Switzerland & Italy the following month. LIVING THE LIFE.

Exploring Hansel and Gretel Style

I swear I will get better at this blogging more often thing, but our days are just so packed that it is hard. That being said, daily adventure updates are a must.

#5 Tuesday: Climbing the mountain! Hansel and Gretel Style.

Since I haven't really done hills all summer, I decided it would be a good idea to run the mountain for my workout and Matt (my fellow AJY classmate) decided he would come along. In class we learned that on top of the mountain sits an old Nazi Amphitheater. Hitler bulit the theater on this particular mountain because it is known as the holy mountain. He wanted the Heidelberg citizens to view his Reich as they did this mountain. It is no longer allowed to be used, but we were told it was worth the hike, so we took it upon ourselves to run there instead. Naturally, we felt the need to explore and that means making our own trails. Good idea? Well, not quite. We got lost. Probably around 4 times...but we actually made it to the top in record time. 10 minutes faster than our teacher said was possible. Yup, studs...we didn't even need the breadcrumbs! :) Anyway, not only did we find the theater, but also 2 ruins of monasterys that date back to 1070. HOW CRAZY IS THAT! In one run I felt like I was transported back the Middle Ages and the 3rd Reich. So bizzarre, yet so cool....and also so beautiful.

Nazi Amphitheater

Old Monastery from 1970

#6 Wednesday: This was really the first HARD day of German classes. Our class managed to cover every aspect of German grammar in one hour which completely left my head spinning. We all thought that our first month would be the relaxing time, at least school wise, but we were so wrong. We spend our mornings in class, and then all afternoon into the evening doing homework. Such a bummer when I still have so much space outside to explore, but I just keep reminding myself I have 3 more months to fit it all in. Anyway, the experience of the day also involved the mountain. We ran it again, but this time we split up (don't ask me why, Matt was just being dumb) and were by ourselves for a while. GETTING LOST IN THE WOODS = adventure #6. Thankfully I made it back okay, but I am not used to deep woods and steep falls...Skokie doesn't have those. Overall, still an amazing day in Heidelberg. I don't think I will ever get used to how pretty it is :)

Please excuse my grammar mistakes in this blog! I am already forgetting how to write in English. Check back after this weekend! We have day trips planned to Mannheim (Disko central) and Weissburg, France! Miss you all <3