Aug 28
I woke up early, around 7, and couldn't really sleep anymore. We had a class on a big arc sculpture. It was about 95 degrees but I was in a really comfortable position so it was okay. I ate lunch at a bratwurst stand, which wasn't all that good. I'm looking forward to some better bratwurst later. We had a lot of time to do whatever so we hung out on a bridge and watched people. We waited for the bus to bring us to Nuremberg. It was a three hour bus ride. Right before we got on the bus Kay tripped on one of the stairs and was really in pain. When we got to Nuremberg she went to the hospital and had broken one of the bones in her foot. She has to have surgery on Monday and then a couple weeks or rest. She's a tough girl, she wouldn't let me carry her up to the youth hostel. She couldn't walk on her foot so someone else eventually convinced her to let them carry her up the hill.
We ate dinner at the JHB (youth hostel). It was kinda like cafeteria food and not that great, but it was good enough to eat I guess. We went out to explore the city a bit (Jesse, Jake, Spencer, Me, Eric). It has some really cool old buildings. I'll have to upload some pictures later. We got some ice cream at a stand, and walked around the city until it was almost dark. Right before it got completely dark we went to the highest part of the city, which it right next to the JHB. We looked out over the city and tried to take a few pictures before the sun set. We came back later while it was dark, looking for stars, but there were fireworks instead, and a crowd of people. We played with our cameras and tied to take some night shots.
The JHB where we are staying was the main headquarters of the Hitler Youth during WWII. It was also a prison and it's built like one. On one side there is a 70 foot wall that we are on top of.
Aug 29
We had to get up around 730 to get breakfast and get on the train by 908. It was the most crowded train I have ever been on. We were all standing and crammed into the last car with two babies and a handicapped girl. It was an hour and a half standing in a hot train with no windows that oppened. The doors opened at the stop and without the breeze that came in then it would have been unbearable. Our next train was completely empty and we got to sit and put our feet up.
We got to Dachau around 1130 and visited until around 100. It is a really huge place. It was a really depressing way to start the day. Dachau wasn't a death camp like Auscwitz, but 32,000 people still died there during the 11 or so years it was in operation. The camp was more fore anybody who opposed the Nazis rather than Jews.
After Dachau we went on to Munich for the rest of the day. In our big group we walked a long ways through the main part of the city. It was really crowded and we walked all the way to the Hofbrauhaus from the main train station.
The Hofbrauhaus wasn't all that interesting, but we ate at the restaurant right next door. It was much quieter and nicer. It was a little expensive but we ordered some authentic German food. I had duck and pork knuckle with some potatoes that where made into a gelatin ball. It was a really nice place to take a break after all the walking we did. Our group for today was me Jesse, Jake, Spencer, and Tyler. We looked around in some shops and in the big church, but there wasn't much more that we wanted to do. There was a soccer game but I don't think we would have been able to find tickets. I'm writing now on the train back to Nuremburg. I'm looking forward to doing a little resting when I get back to the JHB.
The train ride back was really long and we almost missed one of our connecting trains. When we got back into town we were heading back towards our hotel and we ran into some street hip-hop dancers. It was a competition and we watched for about an hour and a half.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Finally got some internet
Aug 28
I woke up early, around 7, and couldn't really sleep anymore. We had a class on a big arc sculpture. It was about 95 degrees but I was in a really comfortable position so it was okay. I ate lunch at a bratwurst stand, which wasn't all that good. I'm looking forward to some better bratwurst later. We had a lot of time to do whatever so we hung out on a bridge and watched people. We waited for the bus to bring us to Nuremberg. It was a three hour bus ride. Right before we got on the bus Kay tripped on one of the stairs and was really in pain. When we got to Nuremberg she went to the hospital and had broken one of the bones in her foot. She has to have surgery on Monday and then a couple weeks or rest. She's a tough girl, she wouldn't let me carry her up to the youth hostel. She couldn't walk on her foot so someone else eventually convinced her to let them carry her up the hill.
We ate dinner at the JHB (youth hostel). It was kinda like cafeteria food and not that great, but it was good enough to eat I guess. We went out to explore the city a bit (Jesse, Jake, Spencer, Me, Eric). It has some really cool old buildings. I'll have to upload some pictures later. We got some ice cream at a stand, and walked around the city until it was almost dark. Right before it got completely dark we went to the highest part of the city, which it right next to the JHB. We looked out over the city and tried to take a few pictures before the sun set. We came back later while it was dark, looking for stars, but there were fireworks instead, and a crowd of people. We played with our cameras and tied to take some night shots.
The JHB where we are staying was the main headquarters of the Hitler Youth during WWII. It was also a prison and it's built like one. On one side there is a 70 foot wall that we are on top of.
I woke up early, around 7, and couldn't really sleep anymore. We had a class on a big arc sculpture. It was about 95 degrees but I was in a really comfortable position so it was okay. I ate lunch at a bratwurst stand, which wasn't all that good. I'm looking forward to some better bratwurst later. We had a lot of time to do whatever so we hung out on a bridge and watched people. We waited for the bus to bring us to Nuremberg. It was a three hour bus ride. Right before we got on the bus Kay tripped on one of the stairs and was really in pain. When we got to Nuremberg she went to the hospital and had broken one of the bones in her foot. She has to have surgery on Monday and then a couple weeks or rest. She's a tough girl, she wouldn't let me carry her up to the youth hostel. She couldn't walk on her foot so someone else eventually convinced her to let them carry her up the hill.
We ate dinner at the JHB (youth hostel). It was kinda like cafeteria food and not that great, but it was good enough to eat I guess. We went out to explore the city a bit (Jesse, Jake, Spencer, Me, Eric). It has some really cool old buildings. I'll have to upload some pictures later. We got some ice cream at a stand, and walked around the city until it was almost dark. Right before it got completely dark we went to the highest part of the city, which it right next to the JHB. We looked out over the city and tried to take a few pictures before the sun set. We came back later while it was dark, looking for stars, but there were fireworks instead, and a crowd of people. We played with our cameras and tied to take some night shots.
The JHB where we are staying was the main headquarters of the Hitler Youth during WWII. It was also a prison and it's built like one. On one side there is a 70 foot wall that we are on top of.
Opel Factory
August 27
Today started with breakfast at the hotel, like usual. We had our first international business class right next to the WWI and WWII memorial. We went over the syllabus and chose countries for some project that I don't know anything about yet. After class we took the train to Russelheim, where the Opel factory is. Opel is a part of GM and is not profitable right now. GM is looking at selling it. Some Saturns are actually Opels with the Saturn logo on them. We ate lunch at a Kebab stand and then got a tour of the factory. It was a hot day so some people were falling asleep during the tour. The factory was very large, one room we were in was a half kilometer long.
After our tour ended we decided to go to Mainz to see the cathedral there. This wasn't really in the plan but we had already paid for our train tickets for the day so we put them to good use. On the way to the church a few of us stopped to put our feet in a fountain and we got left behind. We made it to the church just fine though. We actually were there before the main group because they went to the wrong entrance.
The cathedral was really amazing. I took a bunch of pictures but it was dark in there even in the middle of the day. After the church we split up into groups of 5 because that was how many people are allowed on each train ticket. We had an extra ticket so we actually had a group of 12. We went down to see the Rhein river and ate at an Italian restaurant. Some people in our group went to subway instead and met a guy from Bemidji. We had a long train ride with some transfers and some waiting and we finally got back to Gelnhausen around 10:30.
Today started with breakfast at the hotel, like usual. We had our first international business class right next to the WWI and WWII memorial. We went over the syllabus and chose countries for some project that I don't know anything about yet. After class we took the train to Russelheim, where the Opel factory is. Opel is a part of GM and is not profitable right now. GM is looking at selling it. Some Saturns are actually Opels with the Saturn logo on them. We ate lunch at a Kebab stand and then got a tour of the factory. It was a hot day so some people were falling asleep during the tour. The factory was very large, one room we were in was a half kilometer long.
After our tour ended we decided to go to Mainz to see the cathedral there. This wasn't really in the plan but we had already paid for our train tickets for the day so we put them to good use. On the way to the church a few of us stopped to put our feet in a fountain and we got left behind. We made it to the church just fine though. We actually were there before the main group because they went to the wrong entrance.
The cathedral was really amazing. I took a bunch of pictures but it was dark in there even in the middle of the day. After the church we split up into groups of 5 because that was how many people are allowed on each train ticket. We had an extra ticket so we actually had a group of 12. We went down to see the Rhein river and ate at an Italian restaurant. Some people in our group went to subway instead and met a guy from Bemidji. We had a long train ride with some transfers and some waiting and we finally got back to Gelnhausen around 10:30.
the 26th
August 26
I woke up around 7 and wrote about yesterday's journey in my journal. We had our first German breakfast and ate/talked for a couple of hours. After breakfast we had our first class on some steps by the church. We went over the syllabus for business writing and some other general trip stuff. We have some sort of writing assignment due in a couple days.
After class we numbered off and walked around town looking for restaurants that took credit cards. We didn't find any but Tom found one. We had until 4:30 to walk around town and do what we wanted, but first we ate at a Kebab stand. Kebabs are like gyros only much better, and the one I had here was a little hotter with some crushed red pepper. We found a cheap store like Aldi's and bought some delicious chocolate and other candy. We also found an old graveyard that was several hundred years old. We couldn't read any of the gravestones because they looked like they were in Hebrew. We later found out that it was a Jewish graveyard, so it was all in Hebrew.
At 430 we had a tour with a very British sounding guy who grew up in Gelnhausen. He didn't have a German accent at all so he must have lived in England for a while. He told us the history of the city, explaining that Gelnhausen was once the third biggest city in Germany. The city took a beating in the 30 years war and by the end less than ten percent of the population was still there. Our guide showed us the inside of the old church there and said that the people from Little People Big World were there a few weeks ago and he will probably be in that episode. His name was Jorg Hoeller.
After the tour we went out to dinner again and went to a fancy restaurant called Burg Muhle. I had a nice steak and potatoes. We explored the city some more in the dark while looking for a good place to look at the stars, but instead we found a playground and we had some fun there.
I woke up around 7 and wrote about yesterday's journey in my journal. We had our first German breakfast and ate/talked for a couple of hours. After breakfast we had our first class on some steps by the church. We went over the syllabus for business writing and some other general trip stuff. We have some sort of writing assignment due in a couple days.
After class we numbered off and walked around town looking for restaurants that took credit cards. We didn't find any but Tom found one. We had until 4:30 to walk around town and do what we wanted, but first we ate at a Kebab stand. Kebabs are like gyros only much better, and the one I had here was a little hotter with some crushed red pepper. We found a cheap store like Aldi's and bought some delicious chocolate and other candy. We also found an old graveyard that was several hundred years old. We couldn't read any of the gravestones because they looked like they were in Hebrew. We later found out that it was a Jewish graveyard, so it was all in Hebrew.
At 430 we had a tour with a very British sounding guy who grew up in Gelnhausen. He didn't have a German accent at all so he must have lived in England for a while. He told us the history of the city, explaining that Gelnhausen was once the third biggest city in Germany. The city took a beating in the 30 years war and by the end less than ten percent of the population was still there. Our guide showed us the inside of the old church there and said that the people from Little People Big World were there a few weeks ago and he will probably be in that episode. His name was Jorg Hoeller.
After the tour we went out to dinner again and went to a fancy restaurant called Burg Muhle. I had a nice steak and potatoes. We explored the city some more in the dark while looking for a good place to look at the stars, but instead we found a playground and we had some fun there.
Day By Day
We flew out of MN at 9:15 at night. The first thing I did was break my watch at security. The scanner beeped at me because I had forgotten to take it off. I took it off and either broke it there or had earlier. The watch still works but if it unlatches then it will fall off completely, and I'm expecting it to fall off at a very bad time and lose it.
Anyway, on the plane I had an aisle seat and sat next to a guy from Fresno, California. Spencer and Jake were right across the aisle from me. It was a 7 hour flight and I slept for about an hour and a half. Most of the people I talked to got less sleep, and many of them didn't sleep at all. I watched Gran Torino, which was pretty good. When we finally got we went through security again and got on the plane to Frankfurt Germany. I slept through this entire flight, but the stewardess bumped into me every time she went past and woke me up. They gave us food but I fell asleep before I could eat it. Once we landed we took a couple of trains to the main Frankfurt train station and then went to Gelnhausen.
We were all in rooms of 2 and I was with Jesse. Most of the rooms were slightly different and of all the ones I saw, ours was the worst. The whole group went out to eat at a German restaurant. I had something called Swaebische Spaetzlepfanne, which is egg noodles with a ton of bacon on it. It was good but it was also very salty. They don't drink water with their meals so I ordered a Fanta. All I got was a .2L glass which is about 7 ounces. Everybody was super thirsty so we all went back to the hotel and drank several glasses of tap water.
We went on a walk for about a half hour then we all got our Euros from an ATM. I took out 200 because I know that there will be a fee every time I take out money. I wish I knew what the exchange rate was but I don't have any access to the internet. Then we all went back to the hotel and finally got some sleep.
Our room
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gelnhausen
This has been my first chance to write. The long plane ride was not fun. We made it though. I slept through the entire second plane ride to frankfurt. From there we took a train to Gelnhausen, which is where we stayed for the night. Im rooming with my friend Jesse, and I might be with Spencer tonight. We had our first class today, mostly we talked about the syllabus. I could pay for internet at the hotel, but its cheaper to pay by the minute here at a casino. the keyboard is mostly the same, but it hard to use. I'll try to put up some pictures as soon as I can, but for that I would need internet access with my laptop. That's all for now bye
Monday, August 24, 2009
Leaving day
We fly out today at 9 pm or so. We're meeting up at the airport at 6:45. I visited some friends at Bethel last night and this morning and now I'm getting ready to go. My textbook finally came today, that was a close call. I ordered it earlier but somehow my order didn't go through. I'll post again the next time I get a chance, I don't know when that will be though.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
First Post
I decided to put up the blog before I left so that everybody could get it saved in their bookmarks. I'll probably be posting at least twice a week, but I may post info on more than one day at a time. This blog will be there too inform you but also to help me remember what happens.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)