Paris was amazing! There is absolutely nothing normal about the city. Everything, from the subway (Metro), to the imposing old stone palaces, to the glitter of the Eiffel tower at 11:30pm on a rainy Paris night is one-of-a-kind; wonders I had the opportunity to see on a quick nine and a half hour stay in Paris on May 8, 2010.
Originally, I had wanted the trip to Paris to be just my host sister and me. But, since both of us have no knowledge of the French language, we came to the realization that our plans needed to be adjusted. Then, we found out that Meike had to take two class tests on the two days after we got back from Paris. Since the trip lasts from 8am on Saturday until 5:30am on Sunday, we decided that it probably wouldn’t be such a good idea for Meike to take part. I was really disappointed because Meike and I had wanted to go to Paris together for awhile, but school is naturally a higher priority.
In the end, I ended up going with a German friend of mine and her mother. The mother is from Belgium and she speaks fluent French, so we were able to get by just fine in Paris. Corinna also has had lots of French in school and went to elementary school in Belgium so she also speaks a fair amount of French and understands quite a bit, too.
Just like on my trip to London, I traveled with Tusculum Busreisen. We left Aachen at 8:30am on Saturday morning and drove across Belgium. We were almost to the French border when a motorcycle cop pulled us over to a truck stop, where we had to wait for 45 minutes while the police checked to make sure the bus driver was taking enough breaks! The only entertaining part about that delay was that we got to watch the Belgian policemen hang around and do nothing; while wearing these pretty much normal uniforms with ridiculous hats. After we finally crossed the French border, the bus driver decided we should immediately take a 45 minute break! So here we are, sitting at a gas station/café on the French border with nothing to do for 45 minutes! And we were already behind schedule! Finally, at about 2:30pm, we reached the center of Paris and parked at the Arc de Triomphe. On the drive in through the suburbs, we had already caught glimpses of the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur.
To start off our adventure, we went into a Paris “drugstore”. This place wasn’t anything like Bartells or Walgreens! This place sells everything from Cuban cigars and Prada baby clothes, to handbags and wildly expensive jewelry. Maybe the fact that this “drugstore” is just down the Champs Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe has something to do with its wares! After continuing our stroll down the Champs Elysees, we went to the first Metro station and took the subway to the Moulin Rouge. We ended up taking the wrong subway at first, but it turned out to be a good thing because we got a great view of Paris from the elevated tracks. It was quite shocking coming up out of the subway at the Moulin Rouge and seeing a street lined with sex shops and cabaret show theaters, although considering the nature of the shows in the Moulin Rouge, it all makes sense. Then, we headed up the hill towards Sacre Coeur. On our way, we stopped and bought I Love Paris t-shirts and postcards (which we proceeded to write while drinking café au lait in the Café des Deux Moulins, made famous by the French film, Amelie). As we entered the Montmartre (artists quarter), we marveled at the paintings and caricatures made in the Place du Tertre, the famous little square close to the base of Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur turned out to be one of my favorite places on the trip. The huge, but elegant white cathedral reminded me a bit of the Taj Mahal. Inside, there were burning candles everywhere and the stained glass windows shined brightly in the sun. There were a lot of tourists walking around, but also some people were praying. Outside on the white steps, tourists and Parisians chatted, picnicked, and relaxed in the sun as African immigrants attempted to sell miniature plastic Eiffel Towers and Paris key chains to naïve tourists. Needless to say, I was not caught up in their scheme.
After Sacre Coeur, we walked down the hill and along a boulevard until we got to the next Metro station. From there, we rode the Metro to the Hotel de Ville, the city hall and center of politics in Paris. We checked out a couple of shops, but even the GAP in Paris was crazy expensive! After that, we tried to get to Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. We asked a bunch of people, but still ended up going in the wrong direction. However, it turned out to be ok because we got to see the Saint-German-des-Pres quarter of Paris. There were so many one of a kind shops and cafes! The 6th Arrondissement is the home of Saint-Germain-des-Pres and is the former Art and Literature quarter in Paris. After we spent an hour in the rain walking in the wrong direction down tree lined streets along the Seine, we finally got the right directions to Notre Dame Cathedral. Although we didn’t go inside, the outside of the cathedral was quite the impression in itself. The building is older than Sacre Coeur; one can tell from the architecture and materials used. Truthfully, Notre Dame reminded me a bit of the Aachener Dom. The stones and carvings are similar on both structures. Another connection to Aachen that we found at Notre Dame was a statue of Charlemagne on his horse! After our quick stop at Notre Dame, we walked across Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge in Paris. Do not ask me why it is called Pont Neuf! Haha I do not know! There was a lot of boat traffic the day we were in Paris. Even in the evening when it was raining and cool, there were dinner cruises and sight-seeing boats all over the place.
Following our walk on Pont Neuf, we strolled past the courthouse in Paris and entered a tiny square that comes across at first as quite unassuming, but is actually the home to many of France’s most famous celebrities. No, we didn’t see any of them. And if we did, we probably wouldn’t have recognized them anyways! Walking further parallel to the Seine, we came to the Louvre. Unfortunately, the museum was already closed for the day, but we took in the palace like structure and walked through the big arch onto the plaza with the famous glass pyramids. On a clear day, one can see all the way from the Louvre down to the Obelisk and even farther down the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe. It was raining when we were there, so we could only see as far as the Obelisk and the giant round about packed with cars around it, but that alone was astonishing!
If I remember correctly, the one of the city planners for the early Washington D.C. was a Frenchman, L’Enfant. His city plan for Washington D.C. copied the strong points of the city of Paris and influenced the later city planners to use L’Enfant’s design. One can see the similarity today between the Washington Mall (Capitol-Washington Memorial-Lincoln Memorial) and Voie Triomphale “The Grand Axis of Paris” (Louvre-Obelisk-Arc de Triomphe). That really interested me, because I have been to Washington D.C. twice and I find the layout of the city so practical and people friendly.
Our second to last stop on our whirlwind Paris tour was the Statue de la Liberté (Statue of Liberty), a scale copy of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour. The statue in Paris faces west, towards her sister statue across the Atlantic. We reached the climax of our last stop, the Eiffel tower, at 11:30pm; half an hour before the bus was set to leave from Arc de Triomphe! The rain and cold didn’t stop us from going up to the second level and enjoying a wonderful view of Paris at night. The nighttime view from the Eiffel Tower was definitely an experience I will remember for as long as I live.
After descending the STAIRS of the Eiffel tower (340 stairs in the dark rainy night=a little dangerous I think) we raced across the street and up the stairs to Place du Trocadéro, now home to the Palais de Chaillot, and originally built for the 1878 World’s Fair in Paris. On the other side, we caught the Metro and arrived a couple of minutes later at Charles de Gaulle Etoile Metro station on the Champs Elysees. After ordering burgers and fries from the most elegant McDonalds in the world, we raced back to our bus and arrived (the last ones) at 11:58pm. Some of our fellow travelers had already been sitting on the bus for a half an hour!
Our trip home ended at 5:30am in Aachen with no delays or weird police checks!
Thank you all for being very patient with me and my not-so-regular blog posts. I am very behind on this one (Paris was a month ago!) but I have been very busy here lately, finishing up my Berlin project and getting ready to go home in 2 and a half weeks!
I have a lot more about the last month to tell you all about (soccer games (mine and professional), HAMBURG, Holland on the North Sea), but I’ll let it wait for a couple of days until after I come back from Berlin next Saturday!
06 June 2010
07 May 2010
May Rain
You might have guessed from the title that it is raining here in the Eifel. This morning I woke up to a mixture of snow and rain coming down outside my window. I have to confess, it has dampened my spirits a little. Of course I am used to spring rain (being from Seattle), but snow along with it, in May no less, is going a bit overboard.
I am sitting in the Selbst Lern Zentrum (Self Learn Center) at my school. I look out into the courtyard and decide that I am going to miss this place. I'll miss the maze of hallways and the classrooms where one can still see the walls because they are not yet covered with posters detailing the rise of the Ottoman Empire or the functions of the different parts of a cell. I'll miss the Brötchen pause after 2nd period where one can go buy a pastry for 60 cents. I'll miss the orderly ding-dang-dong of the bell at the end of the period. I've gotten used to my life here at St. Michael Gymnasium. I've made friends and improved my self confidence. I am able to raise my hand in class and contribute to the discussions in German. Whenever I try to speak English, I seem to make grammar mistakes and I always want to stick a German word in where an English word must go. I don't mind though...this just shows that I am coming closer to my goal of being completely immersed in the German language.
It's crazy when I think that I only have 6 and 1/2 weeks left here in Germany. The time has gone by so fast. I have been here for 9 months and they have been the fastest 9 months of my entire life. Everyday I have experienced something new and I think that is the reason why the time has flown by. In America, I have a fairly regular schedule...day to day it's pretty much all the same. Here, each day is new and different...I have a different school schedule everyday and I never know what will come when I wake up in the morning. It's an exciting life when one can live in spontaneously instead of with the knowledge that day after day everything is the same. Of course I have nothing against my life in America. It is exciting in its own way and I am never bored there either. However, there is no doubt about it that these two lives are very different and I will have to find a way to balance the two of them when I return on June 23.
Last Saturday, I took the SAT in Düsseldorf at the International School there. I was pretty well prepared and it was pretty easy for me. I hope I did well. I'm planning to take it again this fall, so that is good. The International School in Düsseldorf is a beautiful school on a tree lined street near the airport. I think I would love to go there. There are a fair amount of American students there because their parents are military, government officials, or have business in Düsseldorf. After my test, Ralf, Sven, and I walked along the Rhein and went up to the top of the Rhein Tower in the center of the tourist area in the city. It reminded me of the Space Needle because of its similar design and rotating viewing platform. It's ironic to me that I went up in the Rhein Tower before the Space Needle. Hint hint Mom and Dad!
Tomorrow I am going to Paris for the day with a German friend of mine and her mother. We are leaving Aachen at 8am and driving to Paris in a travel bus (the same company with whom I went to London) and getting there at about 1pm. We will tour the city until 12am when we will begin to drive back to Aachen. I am so excited to see the sights of Paris. I can't wait to see the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Couer, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Elysees. I never imagined going to Paris, just because I thought that it wouldn't happen for many years, but now I am excited beyond belief.
My last weeks here are packed with more new experiences. Next week, I have Thursday and Friday off from school. On Thursday, I am going to watch the German men's national soccer team play against Malta. On May 24 and 25, we have no school and we might be going to somewhere on the sea in northern Holland. The next week I have no school on Thursday and Friday and 5 days later I will fly off to Berlin with Kayla and Leilani for our CBYX seminar. A week and a half after I get back to Berlin, I will be flying home to Seattle!
I am so happy to be going home, but at the same time, I don't want to leave. I love my host family and my friends at school. I love my soccer team and how happy I am when I play with them. I love Aachen and the narrow cobblestoned streets in the Innenstadt and around the Dom. The flowers are starting to bloom and everything is green again after a long, hard, winter. At the moment, I can't believe that I will be going home. It hasn't registered that in less than 7 weeks I will be sleeping in my bed, meeting my puppy for the first time, and seeing my family again. Weird...
Now that I have probably confused you with all of my grammar and language mistakes, I'll let you go. I have to go to Catholic Religion class anyways!
I am sitting in the Selbst Lern Zentrum (Self Learn Center) at my school. I look out into the courtyard and decide that I am going to miss this place. I'll miss the maze of hallways and the classrooms where one can still see the walls because they are not yet covered with posters detailing the rise of the Ottoman Empire or the functions of the different parts of a cell. I'll miss the Brötchen pause after 2nd period where one can go buy a pastry for 60 cents. I'll miss the orderly ding-dang-dong of the bell at the end of the period. I've gotten used to my life here at St. Michael Gymnasium. I've made friends and improved my self confidence. I am able to raise my hand in class and contribute to the discussions in German. Whenever I try to speak English, I seem to make grammar mistakes and I always want to stick a German word in where an English word must go. I don't mind though...this just shows that I am coming closer to my goal of being completely immersed in the German language.
It's crazy when I think that I only have 6 and 1/2 weeks left here in Germany. The time has gone by so fast. I have been here for 9 months and they have been the fastest 9 months of my entire life. Everyday I have experienced something new and I think that is the reason why the time has flown by. In America, I have a fairly regular schedule...day to day it's pretty much all the same. Here, each day is new and different...I have a different school schedule everyday and I never know what will come when I wake up in the morning. It's an exciting life when one can live in spontaneously instead of with the knowledge that day after day everything is the same. Of course I have nothing against my life in America. It is exciting in its own way and I am never bored there either. However, there is no doubt about it that these two lives are very different and I will have to find a way to balance the two of them when I return on June 23.
Last Saturday, I took the SAT in Düsseldorf at the International School there. I was pretty well prepared and it was pretty easy for me. I hope I did well. I'm planning to take it again this fall, so that is good. The International School in Düsseldorf is a beautiful school on a tree lined street near the airport. I think I would love to go there. There are a fair amount of American students there because their parents are military, government officials, or have business in Düsseldorf. After my test, Ralf, Sven, and I walked along the Rhein and went up to the top of the Rhein Tower in the center of the tourist area in the city. It reminded me of the Space Needle because of its similar design and rotating viewing platform. It's ironic to me that I went up in the Rhein Tower before the Space Needle. Hint hint Mom and Dad!
Tomorrow I am going to Paris for the day with a German friend of mine and her mother. We are leaving Aachen at 8am and driving to Paris in a travel bus (the same company with whom I went to London) and getting there at about 1pm. We will tour the city until 12am when we will begin to drive back to Aachen. I am so excited to see the sights of Paris. I can't wait to see the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Couer, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Elysees. I never imagined going to Paris, just because I thought that it wouldn't happen for many years, but now I am excited beyond belief.
My last weeks here are packed with more new experiences. Next week, I have Thursday and Friday off from school. On Thursday, I am going to watch the German men's national soccer team play against Malta. On May 24 and 25, we have no school and we might be going to somewhere on the sea in northern Holland. The next week I have no school on Thursday and Friday and 5 days later I will fly off to Berlin with Kayla and Leilani for our CBYX seminar. A week and a half after I get back to Berlin, I will be flying home to Seattle!
I am so happy to be going home, but at the same time, I don't want to leave. I love my host family and my friends at school. I love my soccer team and how happy I am when I play with them. I love Aachen and the narrow cobblestoned streets in the Innenstadt and around the Dom. The flowers are starting to bloom and everything is green again after a long, hard, winter. At the moment, I can't believe that I will be going home. It hasn't registered that in less than 7 weeks I will be sleeping in my bed, meeting my puppy for the first time, and seeing my family again. Weird...
Now that I have probably confused you with all of my grammar and language mistakes, I'll let you go. I have to go to Catholic Religion class anyways!
18 April 2010
Easter Break
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!
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!
26 March 2010
Three Months Left
I can't believe I am going to be in Germany only 3 more months! Wednesday the 23 of March was the 3 month mark. I am already starting to think about everything that I will miss here: my host family, friends, my school, the food, the beautiful sights of Europe. Of course, I am also incredibly excited to go home, but it will definitely be a little weird for the first couple of weeks back in the States!
I am at school right now in a free period. I had an English test 1 and 2 period and now I've got 3 and 4 period free before Catholic Religion 5 and 6 period and Math 7 and 8 period. Doesn't sound too exciting, but Religion is pretty interesting and maybe we will talk about the test we took on Tuesday in Math.
Tonight I have soccer practice and since it is raining today, the field should be pretty muddy. I don't think I'll be wearing shorts to practice! I was so excited last Friday and on Wednesday because it was warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts to soccer! That hasn't been the case since October!
Tomorrow, Ralf, Sven, Meike, and I are driving to Austria. We will be there for two weeks on Easter Break. Next Thursday, we will drive to Munich and pick up Karin at the airport. She is flying down from Köln/Bonn. We are going to go skiing at HochZillertal and on Hintertuxer Glacier (I'm super excited about that because I have never skiied on a glacier). We'll also go to Innsbruck and probably drive a bit around Tirol. I love going to Austria and Bavaria because the mountains and lakes are beautiful and the scenery is so different from here in the Eifel.
For the past couple of weeks, I have had 90 minutes of German lessons every Thursday. A woman who is friends with the lady I did my Praktikum with is giving me lessons. Just when I thought I was getting a grip on the German language, I found out how much more complicated it really is! Past, Past Perfect, Present, Future...everything is very challenging! Nevertheless, I find it is always better to simply speak without thinking and not to focus on all of the mistakes. Chances are, you won't be making that many mistakes!
I hope everyone is doing well!
Carrie
Monschau, Germany
March 26, 2010
I am at school right now in a free period. I had an English test 1 and 2 period and now I've got 3 and 4 period free before Catholic Religion 5 and 6 period and Math 7 and 8 period. Doesn't sound too exciting, but Religion is pretty interesting and maybe we will talk about the test we took on Tuesday in Math.
Tonight I have soccer practice and since it is raining today, the field should be pretty muddy. I don't think I'll be wearing shorts to practice! I was so excited last Friday and on Wednesday because it was warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts to soccer! That hasn't been the case since October!
Tomorrow, Ralf, Sven, Meike, and I are driving to Austria. We will be there for two weeks on Easter Break. Next Thursday, we will drive to Munich and pick up Karin at the airport. She is flying down from Köln/Bonn. We are going to go skiing at HochZillertal and on Hintertuxer Glacier (I'm super excited about that because I have never skiied on a glacier). We'll also go to Innsbruck and probably drive a bit around Tirol. I love going to Austria and Bavaria because the mountains and lakes are beautiful and the scenery is so different from here in the Eifel.
For the past couple of weeks, I have had 90 minutes of German lessons every Thursday. A woman who is friends with the lady I did my Praktikum with is giving me lessons. Just when I thought I was getting a grip on the German language, I found out how much more complicated it really is! Past, Past Perfect, Present, Future...everything is very challenging! Nevertheless, I find it is always better to simply speak without thinking and not to focus on all of the mistakes. Chances are, you won't be making that many mistakes!
I hope everyone is doing well!
Carrie
Monschau, Germany
March 26, 2010
12 March 2010
News óf the Month
I can't really think of anything earth-shaking and totally exciting to say, so I'll just give an update of what I've been up to since I got back from Weimar:
Ralf, Sven, and I went to an Alemmania Aachen game once and we're going again tonight. Alemmania is 13 out of 18 in the 2nd Bundesliga, but it is still fun to go to the games and experience the atmosphere.
Last Sunday, we went to Roermond in The Netherlands. There is a huge outlet shopping center there that a lot of Germans go to because it is open on Sundays (unlike stores in Germany). It was pretty cool because when we were driving there, we drove on a street that is right on the border of Germany and The Netherlands. Where we were driving was Germany and the people driving the other direction were driving in The Netherlands. Ralf told me that before the EU had open borders, there used to be a little barrier down the middle of the street so the cars couldn't cross over. The Windhorsts also took me to see the house that they lived in when they lived in The Netherlands.
I have been going to school like normal. On Monday, my Geography class went to an above ground coal mine about an hour away from our school. It was pretty interesting to see all the complicated and huge machines that make the whole process work. Today I had English 1st and 2nd periods, then 4 free periods, and then I will have Math 7th and 8th period. There is not enough time to ride the bus home during the 4 free periods, so I have to stay at school. It's actually ok though, because there are lots of kids to hang out with and talk to. I also have access to a computer and I can do homework too.
On Sunday, I have a soccer game in Stolberg (about 30 minutes away from my house). I hope that we win and that we don't freeze!
It has been really cold and windy here for the past week or so. The past few days have been cloudier (and warmer), but it has been snowing some. I am so tired of the snow all over the place. I can't wait for the flowers to start blooming and for it to be finally warm enough that I can wear a t-shirt outside (or even just a sweatshirt!) I am really looking forward to this summer, no matter how hot it might get in Fall City!
Well I have to go get ready for Math. I am really looking forward to 90 minutes of my favorite subject!! Everyone who really knows me is laughing right now...you know what I mean.
Carrie
Monschau, Deutschland
Ralf, Sven, and I went to an Alemmania Aachen game once and we're going again tonight. Alemmania is 13 out of 18 in the 2nd Bundesliga, but it is still fun to go to the games and experience the atmosphere.
Last Sunday, we went to Roermond in The Netherlands. There is a huge outlet shopping center there that a lot of Germans go to because it is open on Sundays (unlike stores in Germany). It was pretty cool because when we were driving there, we drove on a street that is right on the border of Germany and The Netherlands. Where we were driving was Germany and the people driving the other direction were driving in The Netherlands. Ralf told me that before the EU had open borders, there used to be a little barrier down the middle of the street so the cars couldn't cross over. The Windhorsts also took me to see the house that they lived in when they lived in The Netherlands.
I have been going to school like normal. On Monday, my Geography class went to an above ground coal mine about an hour away from our school. It was pretty interesting to see all the complicated and huge machines that make the whole process work. Today I had English 1st and 2nd periods, then 4 free periods, and then I will have Math 7th and 8th period. There is not enough time to ride the bus home during the 4 free periods, so I have to stay at school. It's actually ok though, because there are lots of kids to hang out with and talk to. I also have access to a computer and I can do homework too.
On Sunday, I have a soccer game in Stolberg (about 30 minutes away from my house). I hope that we win and that we don't freeze!
It has been really cold and windy here for the past week or so. The past few days have been cloudier (and warmer), but it has been snowing some. I am so tired of the snow all over the place. I can't wait for the flowers to start blooming and for it to be finally warm enough that I can wear a t-shirt outside (or even just a sweatshirt!) I am really looking forward to this summer, no matter how hot it might get in Fall City!
Well I have to go get ready for Math. I am really looking forward to 90 minutes of my favorite subject!! Everyone who really knows me is laughing right now...you know what I mean.
Carrie
Monschau, Deutschland
24 February 2010
Zillertal and Weimar
Today is no school so I thought I would update my blog. If you are wondering why we don’t have any school, I’ll tell you. First of all, it’s only my school, St. Michael Gymnasium, that doesn’t have school today. Second of all, today is basically a teacher work day, but who knows what is actually going on. One thing that is a bit interesting is that there aren’t really school districts here like in the States and each school is more independent. I’ll take my free day as an opportunity to fill you in on the last two weeks.
Four days after getting back from London, Sven, Ralf and I went to Austria. We got there on Thursday the 11th and returned on Tuesday the 16th. The trip down to Zillertal took 10 hours! A lot of that had to do with the weather conditions. Normally, there is no snow on the Autobahn because so many cars are traveling so fast and the snow simply melts. That day however, it was snowing like crazy all over Bavaria and the snow was sticking on the Autobahn. Luckily, we made the trip safely! The skiing in Austria was amazing. We skied three days in Kaltenbach (Hochzillertal/Hochfügen) and every day was sunny! We could not have lucked out more on the fantastic weather and snow conditions. The snow was not very fresh, but once the sun and the people softened it up a little bit, it was like a dream. The crowds were huge however, and sometimes waiting in the lift lines can be pretty hectic. We also skied the two “Talabfahrts” of Hochzillertal. A Talabfahrt is a run that goes all the way from the top of the mountain to the valley (where the gondolas start, ticket counters are, and parking lots are). This is pretty special because most of the snow at the bottom of these runs is all artificial so the groomers have to work pretty hard to keep that well kept. Unlike at Christmas, the camping platz was covered in about 6 inches of snow. It was definitely pretty, but the snow is sometimes hard on the tents that are attached to the trailers. A couple of the poles on our tent had slipped a little bit under the weight of the snow, so we had to put them back into place again. I feel incredibly lucky that my host family takes me on trips to see places like Austria, Italy, Belgium, and Holland…places that I might not get to see otherwise (or as a tourist in 20 years).
After getting back to Lammersdorf at 5pm on Tuesday the 16th, I got up at 5:30am the next morning to go to Weimar. I was in Weimar from Wednesday until Sunday the 21st. Weimar is in Thuringen, one of the new (since 1990) states in Germany. You probably recognize the name from history class (Weimar Republic, etc.) I went to a seminar with 48 other Americans, all of whom are the CBYX recipients from ASSE (California, Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada). Every year, the scholarship recipients go to Weimar for a 5 day seminar. A lot of times it is called the half time seminar, but in reality, the half way point was January 14th and as of today, I have been in Germany for 6 and ½ months and have exactly 4 months left.
Anyway, Weimar is not especially well known as a city full culture and life, but I think it is a perfect place to visit if you don’t want to be in a huge city, but still want to get a good taste of history. Weimar was home to Schiller and Goethe, two of Germany’s most famous writers. In addition, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, and Hans Christian Anderson lived at some point in the city. More recently, the Bauhaus movement took place in Weimar. In the late 1920s and early 30s, architecture took a turn as extremely basic houses with horizontal lines instead of vertical lines and many intricate decorations began to be built. This part was interesting because we walked through a new development of these Bauhaus style houses in Weimar and they look very modern, so unlike the stereotypical German house. As you can tell, Weimar has a lot to do with culture and the arts of Germany and the entire world. On the other side of the culture spectrum, described by one of our German seminar leaders as “unkultur” or not cultural, is the former Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald, located on a hill above Weimar and about 10 minutes from the city center by bus. I had never been to a concentration camp, but I had heard a lot about them, from teachers, films, and books. Even when one thinks they know all about the horrors of these camps and how the prisoners were treated, all of that becomes more real when one actually visits a camp. I can’t describe what it is like to go to one of these camps, but I can only say that it is just something one has to do in life. Until you have seen the barracks, the cells where the prisoners stayed during their last night before going to the crematorium, or the crematorium itself, the horror of the time of the Nazis is just something there, but not quite real, not quite believable even though you know it’s true. This was a very sobering part of the trip, but as the next generation to lead the world, we must see was has been done so we can make sure that it happens never again.
In addition, we visited Erfurt, the capital of Thuringen. We sat in the parliament there and visited the Rathaus and the mayor. We listened to a talk about the government in Thuringen and some people asked a couple politicians questions about their opinions on certain problems. The mayor gave us a speech about her duties and what Thuringen has to offer in Germany. Erfurt was interesting for me because it has a street train, unlike Aachen which has buses.
I really enjoyed getting to see all the kids again. Of course I get to see Leilani and Kayla almost every day, and I have seen some of the kids from Aachen a couple of times, but being able to see some of the kids who I hadn’t seen since Washington D.C. was really fun. We had an 11pm curfew and that gave us the chance to go into the city of Weimar and hang out a little. It was definitely a crazy time, but I got to talk to lots of kids and that was really interesting.
It’s so weird for me to think that a year ago I had just done my interview and was about to find out that I had gotten accepted into this program. It’s sometimes weird to think that my sister could be here next year, sitting on her bed and writing a blog post about Zillertal and Weimar. Good Luck Sal!
I’d like to let you guys know that I know when I’m coming home. I’m really excited, but I still can’t comprehend how fast the time has gone and that I really only have 4 months left in Germany. I leave Germany at 12:20pm on June 23 and arrive in Washington D.C. at 3:00pm on the same day. No the flight is not 2 hours and 40 minutes…there is a 6 hour time difference. I’m hoping to fly out of D.C. at 5:50pm and arrive in Seattle at 8:25pm, but I’m not sure yet what will happen. Either way, I can’t wait to see all of you guys this summer!
Carrie
Lammersdorf, Germany
February 23, 2010
Four days after getting back from London, Sven, Ralf and I went to Austria. We got there on Thursday the 11th and returned on Tuesday the 16th. The trip down to Zillertal took 10 hours! A lot of that had to do with the weather conditions. Normally, there is no snow on the Autobahn because so many cars are traveling so fast and the snow simply melts. That day however, it was snowing like crazy all over Bavaria and the snow was sticking on the Autobahn. Luckily, we made the trip safely! The skiing in Austria was amazing. We skied three days in Kaltenbach (Hochzillertal/Hochfügen) and every day was sunny! We could not have lucked out more on the fantastic weather and snow conditions. The snow was not very fresh, but once the sun and the people softened it up a little bit, it was like a dream. The crowds were huge however, and sometimes waiting in the lift lines can be pretty hectic. We also skied the two “Talabfahrts” of Hochzillertal. A Talabfahrt is a run that goes all the way from the top of the mountain to the valley (where the gondolas start, ticket counters are, and parking lots are). This is pretty special because most of the snow at the bottom of these runs is all artificial so the groomers have to work pretty hard to keep that well kept. Unlike at Christmas, the camping platz was covered in about 6 inches of snow. It was definitely pretty, but the snow is sometimes hard on the tents that are attached to the trailers. A couple of the poles on our tent had slipped a little bit under the weight of the snow, so we had to put them back into place again. I feel incredibly lucky that my host family takes me on trips to see places like Austria, Italy, Belgium, and Holland…places that I might not get to see otherwise (or as a tourist in 20 years).
After getting back to Lammersdorf at 5pm on Tuesday the 16th, I got up at 5:30am the next morning to go to Weimar. I was in Weimar from Wednesday until Sunday the 21st. Weimar is in Thuringen, one of the new (since 1990) states in Germany. You probably recognize the name from history class (Weimar Republic, etc.) I went to a seminar with 48 other Americans, all of whom are the CBYX recipients from ASSE (California, Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada). Every year, the scholarship recipients go to Weimar for a 5 day seminar. A lot of times it is called the half time seminar, but in reality, the half way point was January 14th and as of today, I have been in Germany for 6 and ½ months and have exactly 4 months left.
Anyway, Weimar is not especially well known as a city full culture and life, but I think it is a perfect place to visit if you don’t want to be in a huge city, but still want to get a good taste of history. Weimar was home to Schiller and Goethe, two of Germany’s most famous writers. In addition, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, and Hans Christian Anderson lived at some point in the city. More recently, the Bauhaus movement took place in Weimar. In the late 1920s and early 30s, architecture took a turn as extremely basic houses with horizontal lines instead of vertical lines and many intricate decorations began to be built. This part was interesting because we walked through a new development of these Bauhaus style houses in Weimar and they look very modern, so unlike the stereotypical German house. As you can tell, Weimar has a lot to do with culture and the arts of Germany and the entire world. On the other side of the culture spectrum, described by one of our German seminar leaders as “unkultur” or not cultural, is the former Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald, located on a hill above Weimar and about 10 minutes from the city center by bus. I had never been to a concentration camp, but I had heard a lot about them, from teachers, films, and books. Even when one thinks they know all about the horrors of these camps and how the prisoners were treated, all of that becomes more real when one actually visits a camp. I can’t describe what it is like to go to one of these camps, but I can only say that it is just something one has to do in life. Until you have seen the barracks, the cells where the prisoners stayed during their last night before going to the crematorium, or the crematorium itself, the horror of the time of the Nazis is just something there, but not quite real, not quite believable even though you know it’s true. This was a very sobering part of the trip, but as the next generation to lead the world, we must see was has been done so we can make sure that it happens never again.
In addition, we visited Erfurt, the capital of Thuringen. We sat in the parliament there and visited the Rathaus and the mayor. We listened to a talk about the government in Thuringen and some people asked a couple politicians questions about their opinions on certain problems. The mayor gave us a speech about her duties and what Thuringen has to offer in Germany. Erfurt was interesting for me because it has a street train, unlike Aachen which has buses.
I really enjoyed getting to see all the kids again. Of course I get to see Leilani and Kayla almost every day, and I have seen some of the kids from Aachen a couple of times, but being able to see some of the kids who I hadn’t seen since Washington D.C. was really fun. We had an 11pm curfew and that gave us the chance to go into the city of Weimar and hang out a little. It was definitely a crazy time, but I got to talk to lots of kids and that was really interesting.
It’s so weird for me to think that a year ago I had just done my interview and was about to find out that I had gotten accepted into this program. It’s sometimes weird to think that my sister could be here next year, sitting on her bed and writing a blog post about Zillertal and Weimar. Good Luck Sal!
I’d like to let you guys know that I know when I’m coming home. I’m really excited, but I still can’t comprehend how fast the time has gone and that I really only have 4 months left in Germany. I leave Germany at 12:20pm on June 23 and arrive in Washington D.C. at 3:00pm on the same day. No the flight is not 2 hours and 40 minutes…there is a 6 hour time difference. I’m hoping to fly out of D.C. at 5:50pm and arrive in Seattle at 8:25pm, but I’m not sure yet what will happen. Either way, I can’t wait to see all of you guys this summer!
Carrie
Lammersdorf, Germany
February 23, 2010
11 February 2010
I LOVE LONDON
I am probably the only one who noticed, but did anyone else realize that I have been in Germany for over six months? I can hardly believe it. The time has gone by so fast. I remember going to the meetings before we left and in D.C. and every alumni said “oh yeah, you won’t believe how fast the time flies!” and I just thought “no way! That is almost eleven months! It can’t go by that fast!” However, it really does. As of today, I have just over four more months left in Germany. I’m a little surprised by how fast the time has gone, but I still have four months to learn more German, travel a bit more, play soccer, have fun with friends, and do my best at school.
My big piece of news is that I went to London! I went with Leilani (another CBYXer who lives in Seattle and goes to St. Michael Gymnasium with me) from February 5-February 7. It was pretty insane and once I describe it to you, you’ll realize why!
The trip was actually advertised by a bus travel company in the Rheinland (which includes Aachen). It was a 1.5 day trip to London, but without any overnight stay in a hotel. We left Aachen at 11pm on Friday (it was supposed to be 10pm, but our bus was late). We then drove partly through Holland, Belgium, and France before we got to Calais at around 3am. At Calais, we got on a ferry and took the 1.5 hour trip across the English Channel to Dover. I have never ever gotten sea sick on the Washington ferries, but my stomach sure was feeling a little funny on the crossing from France to England! It was really amazing once we got to Dover because while it was very dark, there were enough lights at the port that we could see the outlines of the famous Cliffs of Dover. I really want to go back to Dover sometime so I can see everything in daylight!
Once we got to London it was 6am London time and 7am German time. We then paid 10 Euros each for a 90 minute city tour given by our bus driver. If you ever go to London, I would strongly recommend taking a city tour. Normally, they last a couple of hours or so and then you have time to sightsee on your own and if you saw somewhere on the tour that you really liked, you can always go back. During our tour, we saw the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and 10 Downing Street (where the Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, lives).
After the tour, Leilani and I went shopping for about an hour at Primark (sort of a WAY cheaper H & M) and I got a wallet and a long sleeve white shirt (both were 3 pounds each!) After our shopping excursion, Leilani and I found a couple of music shops on these really cool little side streets that Leilani had been to last year on a school trip to London. It was really interesting to wander a little bit off the beaten track (Oxford Street, the busiest shopping street in London) and see what happens.
Later in the morning, we bought a one day subway-, underground-, tube-ticket for the two central zones in London. This turned out to be a really great deal. The ticket was around 5.60 pounds and we used it a fair amount to get across central London. What really helped was that Leilani had been to London before and ridden the Tube so she knew most of the time where we were going and so on. Oh yeah and one interesting piece of info: I have never seen escalators so long as the ones in the London Underground. You stand at the bottom and look up and it seems like it goes on forever and ever. Haha just a random thing I wanted to add!
In the afternoon, Leilani and I went back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. The National Gallery is full of paintings from the 1300s or so until the 1900s. Famous artists such as Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Manet, Cezanne, and many others have paintings displayed in the gallery. I even got to see Van Gogh’s Sunflowers! It was beautiful and I loved getting to see the original!
I also bought an Oxford University sweatshirt from a street stand. I told my parents that my aspirations keep on getting higher and higher!
I was a little worried about the weather in London because it is a city famous for its rain, cold, and fog (sounds a little bit like a mix between San Francisco and Seattle doesn’t it?), but it was clear and sunny the whole day. Yeah, it was a little cold, but warmer than Germany! Another plus was no snow!
In the late afternoon, Leilani and I went to Harrods. It is supposedly the most famous store in the world and I can really see why. They have EVERYTHING! All of the clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry are designer. There are gigantic food rooms which include everything from vegetables, to cheeses, to fruits, to mushrooms, to fresh seafood and all sorts of meats. There is a huge tea, coffee, and chocolate room. There are rooms full of photographs, paintings, oriental carpets, home furnishings…everything that you can think of seems to be at Harrods. I bought a box of passion fruit black tea for my host family. Even if you have no plan to buy anything at Harrods, I would definitely recommend going there just to see the scale of everything and some of the beautiful and one of a kind things that are for sale. Maybe you’ll even hear a woman singing opera like we did!
After leaving London at 7:45pm German time, we arrived back in Aachen at 5:30 on Sunday morning. It was an extremely fast trip, but I got my first taste of London and I’m already hooked!
Well I’d better bring this post to a close. Ralf, Sven, and I are heading off today to Austria to go skiing for a couple of days. We’ll come home on Tuesday so I can go off the Weimar on Wednesday. It’s been a busy past week and the next couple of weeks will also be busy, but I love every minute of it!
I miss all of you guys and I can’t wait to see you all again when I get home!
My big piece of news is that I went to London! I went with Leilani (another CBYXer who lives in Seattle and goes to St. Michael Gymnasium with me) from February 5-February 7. It was pretty insane and once I describe it to you, you’ll realize why!
The trip was actually advertised by a bus travel company in the Rheinland (which includes Aachen). It was a 1.5 day trip to London, but without any overnight stay in a hotel. We left Aachen at 11pm on Friday (it was supposed to be 10pm, but our bus was late). We then drove partly through Holland, Belgium, and France before we got to Calais at around 3am. At Calais, we got on a ferry and took the 1.5 hour trip across the English Channel to Dover. I have never ever gotten sea sick on the Washington ferries, but my stomach sure was feeling a little funny on the crossing from France to England! It was really amazing once we got to Dover because while it was very dark, there were enough lights at the port that we could see the outlines of the famous Cliffs of Dover. I really want to go back to Dover sometime so I can see everything in daylight!
Once we got to London it was 6am London time and 7am German time. We then paid 10 Euros each for a 90 minute city tour given by our bus driver. If you ever go to London, I would strongly recommend taking a city tour. Normally, they last a couple of hours or so and then you have time to sightsee on your own and if you saw somewhere on the tour that you really liked, you can always go back. During our tour, we saw the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and 10 Downing Street (where the Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, lives).
After the tour, Leilani and I went shopping for about an hour at Primark (sort of a WAY cheaper H & M) and I got a wallet and a long sleeve white shirt (both were 3 pounds each!) After our shopping excursion, Leilani and I found a couple of music shops on these really cool little side streets that Leilani had been to last year on a school trip to London. It was really interesting to wander a little bit off the beaten track (Oxford Street, the busiest shopping street in London) and see what happens.
Later in the morning, we bought a one day subway-, underground-, tube-ticket for the two central zones in London. This turned out to be a really great deal. The ticket was around 5.60 pounds and we used it a fair amount to get across central London. What really helped was that Leilani had been to London before and ridden the Tube so she knew most of the time where we were going and so on. Oh yeah and one interesting piece of info: I have never seen escalators so long as the ones in the London Underground. You stand at the bottom and look up and it seems like it goes on forever and ever. Haha just a random thing I wanted to add!
In the afternoon, Leilani and I went back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. The National Gallery is full of paintings from the 1300s or so until the 1900s. Famous artists such as Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Manet, Cezanne, and many others have paintings displayed in the gallery. I even got to see Van Gogh’s Sunflowers! It was beautiful and I loved getting to see the original!
I also bought an Oxford University sweatshirt from a street stand. I told my parents that my aspirations keep on getting higher and higher!
I was a little worried about the weather in London because it is a city famous for its rain, cold, and fog (sounds a little bit like a mix between San Francisco and Seattle doesn’t it?), but it was clear and sunny the whole day. Yeah, it was a little cold, but warmer than Germany! Another plus was no snow!
In the late afternoon, Leilani and I went to Harrods. It is supposedly the most famous store in the world and I can really see why. They have EVERYTHING! All of the clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry are designer. There are gigantic food rooms which include everything from vegetables, to cheeses, to fruits, to mushrooms, to fresh seafood and all sorts of meats. There is a huge tea, coffee, and chocolate room. There are rooms full of photographs, paintings, oriental carpets, home furnishings…everything that you can think of seems to be at Harrods. I bought a box of passion fruit black tea for my host family. Even if you have no plan to buy anything at Harrods, I would definitely recommend going there just to see the scale of everything and some of the beautiful and one of a kind things that are for sale. Maybe you’ll even hear a woman singing opera like we did!
After leaving London at 7:45pm German time, we arrived back in Aachen at 5:30 on Sunday morning. It was an extremely fast trip, but I got my first taste of London and I’m already hooked!
Well I’d better bring this post to a close. Ralf, Sven, and I are heading off today to Austria to go skiing for a couple of days. We’ll come home on Tuesday so I can go off the Weimar on Wednesday. It’s been a busy past week and the next couple of weeks will also be busy, but I love every minute of it!
I miss all of you guys and I can’t wait to see you all again when I get home!
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