Our group got to the airport amazed that the time had finally come for us to begin to journey. When I first walked up, I gave each of my friends a big hug. We had a four-hour to flight to Cincinnati, an hour layover, and a nine-hour flight to Frankfurt (where it was already Monday!) Everything went smoothly considering how badly it could have gone. Another part of our group had trouble their plane…apparently the realized some part of their plane had fallen off onto the runway during take-off (although they didn’t realize that until they were three hours into the flight). So they had an extremely long flight day, leaving earlier than us and arriving four hours after us.
Day Two: Frankfurt
When we arrived in Germany, we were met with such cold weather; I was definitely not expecting it. We first went to our hotel, and got settled, and then participated in an old-fashion snowball fight, then we drove into Frankfurt. It was beautiful, we were only in the commercial district, but it was our first taste (literally...bratwurst!) of what was to come. We went back to the hotel, had a little bit of salty soup and snuggled before going to bed. Our room was so cold that Ally and I decided to sleep on the same (twin-sized) bed.
When we arrived in Germany, we were met with such cold weather; I was definitely not expecting it. We first went to our hotel, and got settled, and then participated in an old-fashion snowball fight, then we drove into Frankfurt. It was beautiful, we were only in the commercial district, but it was our first taste (literally...bratwurst!) of what was to come. We went back to the hotel, had a little bit of salty soup and snuggled before going to bed. Our room was so cold that Ally and I decided to sleep on the same (twin-sized) bed.
Day Three: Heidelberg
We awoke at 6:15 (a bit earlier than our wake up call), got ready for the day, and had breakfast. Afterwards, we loaded up into the bus, and drove into Heidelberg. We went into the town (home of Germany’s oldest universities…it is their Oxford, or Harvard). We also went up to the castle…brrr. It was so freezing! We stopped in some cute little churches (traditional architecture, but with modern furnishings, pretty cool), and had the rest of the day for free time, during which we stopped first into a little café. It felt so good to sit inside. Then we did some shopping, ate some crêpes, and returned to our meeting spot. We also walked along the bridge that crosses the river; with the wind blowing, it was so cold. It was freezing; I couldn’t get my hands warm for the whole day. We returned to the hotel and had dinner, played some card games, and then a bunch of people left to go-kart racing (I stayed back because I’m super tired and wanted to clean and write in my journal). And I’m now sitting on my bed. *
*After this I lay down to take a nap, but was woken up by the sound of Sam and Brady’s voices, a little after I heard a knock on my door. Mind you the door locks from the outside only, so when you are inside, you can’t lock the door, which means the door was unlocked. Anyways, I being half-asleep still yell out, “Come in!” and there, standing in my doorway are two of the college students who were a part of our tour. Awkward… They left pretty quickly, not without exchanging a quick and forced conversation. When they left I was sooo embarrassed. Luckily everyone came back within two minutes. Hah.
Day Four: Heidelberg, Rothenberg, Camp Dachau, and Munich
This was our last bit of time in Heidelberg; we woke up, had a large breakfast (as usual…I am
This was our last bit of time in Heidelberg; we woke up, had a large breakfast (as usual…I am
so NOT used to eating such a spread of food in the morning). After eating breakfast, we loaded up onto the bus. Our first stop was at a small medieval town, Rothenberg. Although we did not have much time there, we DID have enough time to buy some schneeballen (a flour pastry… I got lemon, but was slightly disappointed with the treat) and got some delicious pesto. We walked along the fortress wall outside the town to return to our bus. We had another bus ride that took us to Munich and a concentration cap (the first built by the Nazis) that was used to hold mostly political prisoners. At one point, the 34 barracks were stuffed from normal capacity (200 people per barrack) to a horrible 2000 people per barrack. It was so eerie, cold, and quiet, it made the entire experience all the more solemn. We also saw the gas chambers and crematorium on the camp. It was the oddest feeling knowing the history of the ground we stood on.
Day five: Munich
As our first (and only) full day in Munich, we began with wake-up, breakfast and a bus tour (our tour guide was so funny, she was this older lady with sass. So great.). During our tour, we saw the Nymphenburg Palace, we also ran around the frozen fountains and saw some Canadian geese. The city is beautiful, with a cosmopolitan feeling. It was a nice(ish) day. So we were more able to enjoy the market square (the Marienplatz) and the food market (Viktualienmarket) with its wonderful sausages and strudel. We then walked to the Modern Art Museum to finish the day off. Oh I also forgot to mention the Glokenschpeil that we saw and the fun playground time we had. We also saw the devil’s footprint in a cathedral that was like 600 years old. We ate dinner that night at a brewery. For the night’s entertainment we went to the Hofbräuhaus.
As our first (and only) full day in Munich, we began with wake-up, breakfast and a bus tour (our tour guide was so funny, she was this older lady with sass. So great.). During our tour, we saw the Nymphenburg Palace, we also ran around the frozen fountains and saw some Canadian geese. The city is beautiful, with a cosmopolitan feeling. It was a nice(ish) day. So we were more able to enjoy the market square (the Marienplatz) and the food market (Viktualienmarket) with its wonderful sausages and strudel. We then walked to the Modern Art Museum to finish the day off. Oh I also forgot to mention the Glokenschpeil that we saw and the fun playground time we had. We also saw the devil’s footprint in a cathedral that was like 600 years old. We ate dinner that night at a brewery. For the night’s entertainment we went to the Hofbräuhaus.
Day Six: Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna
We woke up and had breakfast, loaded up in the bus, and began our drive to Austria. Our first stop was in Salzburg (Mozart’s Birthplace). It was Ally’s birthday, so we were in a celebratory mood. We had a wonderful lunch and delicious desserts (crêpes with ice cream and chocolate syrup, and apple strudel). After, we just walked around a little bit. Ally and I went to these ornament stores. The first had all sorts of different ornaments; we wanted to buy all of them. Eventually, we settled for half a dozen decorated eggs. We stopped to get Mozart chocolate balls and walked back to the bus. It was a charming town, and it was interesting to have visited the place where “The Sound of Music” was filmed. When we reached Vienna, we had dinner at an Asian restaurant; there was an adorable little boy there who spent time playing with us
We woke up and had breakfast, loaded up in the bus, and began our drive to Austria. Our first stop was in Salzburg (Mozart’s Birthplace). It was Ally’s birthday, so we were in a celebratory mood. We had a wonderful lunch and delicious desserts (crêpes with ice cream and chocolate syrup, and apple strudel). After, we just walked around a little bit. Ally and I went to these ornament stores. The first had all sorts of different ornaments; we wanted to buy all of them. Eventually, we settled for half a dozen decorated eggs. We stopped to get Mozart chocolate balls and walked back to the bus. It was a charming town, and it was interesting to have visited the place where “The Sound of Music” was filmed. When we reached Vienna, we had dinner at an Asian restaurant; there was an adorable little boy there who spent time playing with us
and soiling his diaper.
Day Seven: Vienna
As has been our routine, we woke up, had breakfast, and started our city tour. I was so unbelievably tired; I even fell asleep on the bus for a little while. We made a stop at Maria Theresa’s summer palace (she was the only female head of the Hapsburgs…and she was Marie Antoinette’s mother). The palace was beautiful; apparently it was modeled after Versailles. We also stopped at this building with an interesting façade. When we walked around the downtown area to a church. Sadly, all the shops were closed. From there, we had free time, so we walked all the way to the Bellevdere Museum. There were two sections of the museum: the lower section with temporary exhibits (This time was the Secession Movement: Gustav Klimt) and the upper section (The permanent collection). Because we checked our coats, we had to run in the cold from one building to the other. Afterwards, we walked back to our meeting spot and went to dinner.
As has been our routine, we woke up, had breakfast, and started our city tour. I was so unbelievably tired; I even fell asleep on the bus for a little while. We made a stop at Maria Theresa’s summer palace (she was the only female head of the Hapsburgs…and she was Marie Antoinette’s mother). The palace was beautiful; apparently it was modeled after Versailles. We also stopped at this building with an interesting façade. When we walked around the downtown area to a church. Sadly, all the shops were closed. From there, we had free time, so we walked all the way to the Bellevdere Museum. There were two sections of the museum: the lower section with temporary exhibits (This time was the Secession Movement: Gustav Klimt) and the upper section (The permanent collection). Because we checked our coats, we had to run in the cold from one building to the other. Afterwards, we walked back to our meeting spot and went to dinner.
Day Eight: Vienna, Budapest
Another driving day! Breakfast, packing, loading, and driving. We got to Budapest early-ish, so we drove to the old Buda part of the city. We had a little bit of time to grab a pastry and hit up a grocery store for some snacks (but more importantly, kiwis!). Our hotel was alright; we had a palace room. There was also a Russian group that had a crazy dance party…sadly we weren’t invited.
Another driving day! Breakfast, packing, loading, and driving. We got to Budapest early-ish, so we drove to the old Buda part of the city. We had a little bit of time to grab a pastry and hit up a grocery store for some snacks (but more importantly, kiwis!). Our hotel was alright; we had a palace room. There was also a Russian group that had a crazy dance party…sadly we weren’t invited.
Day Nine: Budapest
Our full day in Hungary consisted of a (chilly) city tour. We went to the old Buda area again. To the Mateo’s church; we also visited the Hero’s square with statues of Hungary’s important figures. We also got some shopping done (my little duck!). Pretty much we walked up and down this one avenue -the Vila Utca, had lunch at a Burger King, and walked along the shore of the freezing Danube River with Cooper, Steve and Connor. We also stopped by this little pub. I reeked of smoke. Although I really enjoyed the city, my first impression was that it was dirtier than the rest of the European cities.
Our full day in Hungary consisted of a (chilly) city tour. We went to the old Buda area again. To the Mateo’s church; we also visited the Hero’s square with statues of Hungary’s important figures. We also got some shopping done (my little duck!). Pretty much we walked up and down this one avenue -the Vila Utca, had lunch at a Burger King, and walked along the shore of the freezing Danube River with Cooper, Steve and Connor. We also stopped by this little pub. I reeked of smoke. Although I really enjoyed the city, my first impression was that it was dirtier than the rest of the European cities.
Day Ten: Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague
We had to prepare for the longest day of driving (about 7 hours, with a stop in Slovakia) At first we didn’t want to stop, and wanted to get to Prague (and off the bus) as soon as possible. The driving conditions were awful there; it was sleeting and there was black ice on the road. Once we had stopped, we were happy we didn’t miss the opportunity. Before even getting to Bratislava, we stopped and got a little bit of food at a rest stop. I got a tasty/savory bread with cheese, ham, and mushroom. When we got out of the bus in Bratislava, it was snowing, which felt refreshing after we ate a (heavy!) chocolate strudel. We actually arrived in Prague at a good hour, had diner and then us girls decided to take showers and just go to sleep. When I got out of my shower, I was informed that we were going to go bowling. As I usually do, I begrudgingly said okay. When we stepped into the bowling alley, everyone was disappointed with what we found. It was gross and smoky. We decided to go to this Internet café, which ended up being just being a bar. Ally, Erin and I went back to the hotel and got some hot chocolate and apple strudel. Woohoo!
Day Eleven: Prague
We started the day off as usual: breakfast, city tour. We went to the Prague Castle. Inside there were some interesting features (the house Franz Kafka lived in). There was also a church we stopped in that had the longest stained glass window in the world. Bigger even than the windows at the Notre Dame. Later, we went across the bridge with lots of statues. There was a lovely clock tower and the architecture of the entire area was gorgeous. We all just walked around and looked for presents for everyone we still needed to find things for. At first it was Sam, Brady, Kyle, Ally and I. But when the boys went to find a jersey. So Ally went to a cool little shop with all these wooden puzzles. We each ended up getting two. We though to ourselves “Oh, 4:30 we can kill an hour at this little café.” We got hot chocolate and split strawberries and whipped cream. We were waiting by the astronomical clock and tried to figure out one of the puzzles I got. These two mean were laughing at us because we looked ridiculous hitting the wooden ball. When the clock stuck the hour I was confused because I thought I had miscounted the number of times it chimed. We waited for our meeting time to come, but were confused when it was the half hour and no one else was there. Turns out we had arrived early and it was barely 4:30 then. Luckily we ran into our friends and got some gelato. At 5:30, we met with everyone, went to dinner, and then walked to the black light show (which by the way was super ridiculous). There was a time when water started sprinkling from the ceiling, as though it were raining. I started falling asleep. You can imagine how disoriented I was when I woke up to the sound of children laughing, and giant balloon/bouncy balls falling out of the darkness towards me. The show was pretty crazy, but helped us make some good memories.
We started the day off as usual: breakfast, city tour. We went to the Prague Castle. Inside there were some interesting features (the house Franz Kafka lived in). There was also a church we stopped in that had the longest stained glass window in the world. Bigger even than the windows at the Notre Dame. Later, we went across the bridge with lots of statues. There was a lovely clock tower and the architecture of the entire area was gorgeous. We all just walked around and looked for presents for everyone we still needed to find things for. At first it was Sam, Brady, Kyle, Ally and I. But when the boys went to find a jersey. So Ally went to a cool little shop with all these wooden puzzles. We each ended up getting two. We though to ourselves “Oh, 4:30 we can kill an hour at this little café.” We got hot chocolate and split strawberries and whipped cream. We were waiting by the astronomical clock and tried to figure out one of the puzzles I got. These two mean were laughing at us because we looked ridiculous hitting the wooden ball. When the clock stuck the hour I was confused because I thought I had miscounted the number of times it chimed. We waited for our meeting time to come, but were confused when it was the half hour and no one else was there. Turns out we had arrived early and it was barely 4:30 then. Luckily we ran into our friends and got some gelato. At 5:30, we met with everyone, went to dinner, and then walked to the black light show (which by the way was super ridiculous). There was a time when water started sprinkling from the ceiling, as though it were raining. I started falling asleep. You can imagine how disoriented I was when I woke up to the sound of children laughing, and giant balloon/bouncy balls falling out of the darkness towards me. The show was pretty crazy, but helped us make some good memories.
Day Twelve: Prague, Dresden, and Berlin
Our morning consisted of breakfast, loading onto the bus, and driving to Dresden. The city was interesting because everything –with the exception of a couple buildings- had been completely destroyed in WWII. The buildings that had been reconstructed were beautiful. The rest of the city was all built after and was modern in its design. When we were done
Our morning consisted of breakfast, loading onto the bus, and driving to Dresden. The city was interesting because everything –with the exception of a couple buildings- had been completely destroyed in WWII. The buildings that had been reconstructed were beautiful. The rest of the city was all built after and was modern in its design. When we were done
there, we drove to our final city on the tour: Berlin. We dropped off our stuff at the hotel and had dinner in the city. We took the tram to another area and had about an hour of free time during which we went to a little tavern. After our hour of free time, we rode the tram back to the hotel; almost everyone was in dire need of a restroom. Back at the hotel, there was a bowling alley, so everyone decided to bowl. I didn’t since I don’t particularly enjoy bowling, but I hung out downstairs with everyone until bed check time.
Day Thirteen: Berlin
I think Berlin is the city with the most interesting history of all. We got to drive around the two distinct areas of Berlin: East (Russian) and West (Allied). In the Russian side we saw predominantly Stalinist architecture (like in Moscow), in the west, more care was taken to produce the building. The East side also has Communist architecture (pre-fabricated apartments. We went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and learned about how people tried to escape into West Berlin; we saw the Berlin Wall (gallery), Nazi architecture (large, intimidating buildings), and the bunker where Adolph Hitler committed suicide. After the tour, we returned to the area we had spent time in the night before, we went to this store, Muji. We just walked around the area and ran into Jack. We decided to walk into this building that was artist colony. We found some cool things, and it was pretty sweet. On the top floor of the building, we walked into this room and some guy comes up to us and yells “STOP! Welcome to the late night show.” Then he just stares at us, and I –not knowing what to do- just smile and giggle. He then proceeded to put his face so close to mine that my personal space was definitely invaded. It was pretty funny because later when we were about to leave, he asked where we were from, because “We were able to laugh at his games and must’ve seen them before.” He was, of course, excited when we said we were from California. When this man and two women walked in, he asked me if I wanted to meet the guy. Before I could answer, he goes, “She wants to meet you!” Hah. Fantastic. We walked back, got some crêpes and quiche. We had dinner and returned to the tavern we had gone to the night before. We rode back to the hotel on the tram and packed a little for our return trip home.
Overall, the trip was an amazing experience. We got to see so much, and learn about so many different places. Although we didn’t get to know any of the cities super well, we got a taste of each one of them so we know where to return to in the future.
