So here I am, sitting in the sun with a t-shirt and shorts on. You’re probably thinking, oh, she went on a trip to Italy or Spain…but no, I am sitting in the front yard of my house and writing this! I missed the sun and the green grass and trees so much this winter that I have to make up for I by going to such lengths as updating my blog outside! Oh, and I am trying to make my German pale skin go away! I don’t think I’ve been this pale in my entire life!
All in all, everything is going really well here. I am very happy, but as busy as ever. That is one thing that very few people realize about an exchange year…that there is no boring time, no “oh I have 2 hours to watch tv or go on facebook” time. In America, I love to read. Here, I don’t have the time to read. In addition, the English books here are expensive. However, if you are an exchange student and you DO happen to have time to read, see if you can check out ebooks for free from your local library. There is normally a huge variety to choose from and they are simple and easy to download with an Adobe Reader program.
Easter break in North Rhein Westfalia was March 27th to April 10th this year. Ralf, Sven, Meike, and I drove down to Austria on Saturday the 27th. The drive was quite entertaining because in order to avoid traffic, we took a detour in northern Baden-Wurttemberg. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any maps and the GPS was also not much help! Haha, but it was really interesting for me to see part of Germany that is really off the beaten track. This is one of those experiences that I will definitely always remember because I saw countryside and a lifestyle that most visitors in Germany never see.
After we got to Zillertal on the 27th, we skied twice before driving to Munich on Thursday to pick Karin up at the airport. Before we picked her up, we went and visited the Allianz Arena. Germany’s most famous, most loved, and most hated soccer team, Bayern Munchen, plays in this arena. Munich has a soccer team in the 2nd Bundesliga, 1860 Munchen, and they also play in the stadium. The stadium is really cool because at night, it lights up in the team colours of whoever is playing in the stadium at the moment. So when Bayern plays, the stadium in red and when 1860 plays, the stadium is blue. After we picked Karin up, we drove into the central area of Munich and walked around a bit. We saw the world famous Hofbrauhaus (no we didn’t go in), the Glockenspiel, and many other famous sites in Munich. I can’t wait to go back someday because I know there is a lot more I have yet to see and I would love to see more of the city.
Over the break, we skied a total of 6 days. We skied 4 days at Kaltenbach (Hochzillertal), one day on the Hintertuxer Glacier, and one day at Penken (a huge ski area near Mayrhofen and also in Zillertal). Skiing on the glacier is an experience I will never forget. It was a beautiful sunny day and even at 2 miles above sea level, was it above freezing. At the highest point reachable by gondola on the glacier, one is 3200 feet above sea level and the panorama terrace allows people to take in unbelievable views of the Alps and the Dolomites. Skiing at Penken was also interesting, but not as good as at Kaltenbach. The snow at Penken was either really icy or mushy and there was already a lot of brown patches on the slopes. Hari Kiri, with 70% grade the steepest slope in Austria, was already closed for the season, but we rode by it on the lift and it looked pretty insane, but doable. One of the gondolas that connects Mayrhofen to Penken is quite the exciting ride. Starting in the valley floor at Mayrhofen, it goes directly up to the top of the mountain without any support. At the top of the mountain, the gondola continues its free hang across another valley to the top of another mountain. It’s definitely pretty freaky and not everyone’s cup of tea!
We also took a day trip up into Bavaria. Starting in Zillertal, we drove north and across the border into Germany. We got on this tiny narrow toll road that winds through the German Alps. We came out in Wallgau, which is close to Mittenwald and a little farther down the road is Garmisch-Partenkirchen (yeah, where we went for ski jumping). The mountains there are huge and rocky and covered with snow. I take pictures, but I really feel that there’s no way to capture the feeling you get seeing the mountains for the first time, in a photograph. After driving through Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we went to Oberammergau. Oberammergau is the site of the world famous Passion play which is put on every 10 years by villagers. This year is a play year and the play will be running from May to October. The buildings in the town are covered in paintings, many of them depicting scenes from the Bible. I’m not religious, but I was pretty in awe of the work and detail put into the paintings. On our way back to Austria, we took a quick stop at Kloster Ettal. “Kloster” is the German word for monastery and Ettal is the location (directly translated: Et Valley). The building is huge and very imposing, with intricate stonework. It looks practically more like a palace than a monastery. Kloster Ettal is currently very high profile in Germany because many of the monks were recently accused of child abuse. To finish off our little road trip, we drove over the mountains from Mittenwald down into Innsbruck. It never ceases to amaze me how close everything her e in Europa really is!
This past week at school was pretty good. I got my math test back and that wasn’t exactly positive, but das Leben ist kein Ponyhof! I have been thinking a lot about my end of the year project for my CBYX seminar in Berlin. I’m trying to figure out what to send home in my big box and what to keep here to take in my suitcases. That job is not going to be fun…I have acquired so much stuff here!
I’ve only got a little over two months left here in Germany. I’ve already got so much planned, but there is still so much I want to do! I regret not starting to travel more in the fall. I realize that this is not a travel year, but I still want to see Rome, Barcelona, Paris, and much more and I am sad because I know that I won’t be able to see all of that! So if you are reading this Sally, remember to start your travels early!
Speaking of Sally, she is coming here next year with CBYX! Most of you already know the details of course, so I won’t write those, but it’s pretty exciting for her! Of course it will be weird only seeing her for a month this summer after I come home and before she leaves, but we’ll catch up a lot then. I’m going to miss her a lot next year though! I hope to come pick her up in June 2011, but we’ll see.
My parents are calling soon and I got to post this blog before they call!
