Don't Forget Your Rain Jacket, This is North Deutschland!

Shortly after getting home from our last trip, Ina, Hanna, Valarie, and I took a trip up to Northern Germany to visit Ina’s parents. And naturally, it seemed like we could be in a completely different country from where we live in Herne, or any other city I’ve visited so far. All the regions here have their own distinct culture, and their own distinct German. Here, you say “Moin,” as hello, where as you say “Hallo,” or “Guten Tag,” in other regions. In Bavaria, we said “Servus.”

Being next to the ocean, Northern Germany has a certain “sea vibe.” When you walk along the streets, the cobblestone usually has lots of puddles from the almost constant rain. Everywhere are bridges where you can see shrimp boats when you look out. The architecture also has a distinctive “sea vibe.” Perhaps I can just let the pictures speak for themselves. It can be crazy cold and rainy here, but it’s so beautiful that it’s worth 5 layers of clothing and enduring the wind.

Today we took a ferry out to an island where we walked along the beach for a few hours and then went into a cute and cozy restaurant to warm up from the cold while enjoying tea, cake, and coffee. The beach here definitely has a different feel than Mexico or Hawaii. The sand is spongy and the tide has a very large range. It’s almost always raining and it tends to be pretty windy too. Everyone walks along very bundled up in jackets and scarves. There were no cars on the island, just bikes, horses pulling carriages full of sight-seers, and a train going from the Harbor to downtown. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie walking around the little island.

Yesterday we went to a pool with water from the North Sea, and following that, we had just about the best dinner ever. MEXICAN FOOD! And to my surprise, it was good, and almost completely Mexican! I could even understand virtually the entire menu between the use of German and Spanish. Score! ;)

North Sea :)

It’s been an amazing fall break; I’ve been able to see so much of Germany already in the short amount of time I’ve been here. Everyone we’ve stayed with has been so hospitable and happy to help me with my German. Right now I’m sitting in a cozy chair next to a warm fireplace, typing away and watching Grey’s Anatomy with my host sisters. On Monday I’ll have to get up, attempt to understand school in a language that I’ve been speaking for two months, and get back into the routine, but right now, in this moment, everything is just about perfect. 

Just a little bit too chilly for swimming...

Days 5&6: Berliner Time

I think you could live in Berlin for 10 years and still not see all of it. It’s absolutely huge, and with it comes a fast paced, modern city vibe. We traveled everywhere by bus or train, usually sightseeing during the day. Some of the highlights of Berlin were going to a chocolate store where we made our own chocolate creations, a very dramatic Opera (In Italian!), and some crazy ice cream creations (pictures included.). There was an event that was going on while we were there called “Festival of Lights,” where all these buildings were lit up with colorful reflections. We also saw lots of typical tourist sights, like the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, and a huge store where I think you can buy just about anything, called KaDeVe. I’m also going to Berlin one more time next year while my sisters have a basketball tournament, so Valarie and I will stay with my host aunt again and spend a few days in the city. And, my end of the year seminar with the other CBYX’ers is in Berlin. I believe I need to do a bit of research to figure out just what I want to do while I’m there. In a city like Berlin, the possibilities are endless.

Festival of Lights

Whats left of the Berlin Wall- Pretty amazing to
 be standing where so much history occured.

Making Chocolate!

Holocaust Memorial

Not only is it icecream, it's also art!

Day 3: Munich

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and since I have such a wonderful host father who always takes the best pictures, I think a picture posting is in need. Here was my day in Munich!

A famous hotel in Munich, known for hosting
 stars like Michael Jackson when they come to town

The Town Hall

Eating Pickles at a big market

Old Olympic Stadium

BMW.. You can never get enough of it in Germany

Day 4 was filled with the long drive from Munich to Berlin, as well as a quick stop at some sporting outlets for a little shopping. We went from one big city to another, and with that saw a whole new German culture.

DAY 2: Am I on the set of The Sound of Music?

Day two of our vacation we went hiking, or “wandern,” as the German’s say. On the drive over I got to see how Southern Germany looked. Bavaria is what most American’s think of when they imagine Germany. Dirndls and Lederhosen, and rolling green hills. Well, at least the rolling green hills part is true! Southern Germany is insanely beautiful. We arrived at the part and started our hike soon after. I was a bit surprised at the incline of our hike, because pretty much everywhere I had been so far in Germany had been completely flat! The first section of our hike was the steepest, the only comparison I have to it is Waipio Valley in Hawaii; and the thing is darn steep. We arrived at a lookout area after about an hour of straight up hill hiking. We sat down on the benches, soaking up the sun and enjoying “Apfelshorle,” a popular drink in Germany made from sparkling water and apple juice. I thought it was so cool how the have these cute little restaurants in the middle of the mountains. Movie scene perfect. We went to another one about an hour later where we had a cheese platter, sausages, “Kaiserschmarren,” a delicious German creation of flour, milk, sugar and eggs served with marmalade. I felt like I was on the set of The Sound of Music as I sat and breathed in the crisp mountain air. The views were spectacular. The next section of our hike, the beginning of the decline, got a little dirty. There was so much mud we could hardly step! It was pretty funny at the end, looking at all of our shoes. We finally reached the car, after about 6 hours of hiking, and I think we were all completely exhausted. We never did find out how far we went though! Major Bummer! A good night’s sleep definitely followed this breath-taking day.