WTF?

Ok. I need to leave for the train stop outside my dorm in 10 minutes, but I just have to express my incredulity at one thing.

SOMEHOW from the bathroom to my bedroom, I lost my toothpaste. Only minutes before, I brushed my teeth with the minty freshness that is Colgate, and then BAM, it's missing.

HOW DO I DO THIS?

Let's Talk About Geneva

Hey Party People!

Long time no blog (I know, completely my fault). Anyway, since it’s 12:27 am here, and I have yet to pack for my 6:52 am train to Munich tomorrow (today), I’m going to fake out and post my Geneva experience from my IES blog here. I only picked out the Genevea part, because the other half is a much shorter rehashing of my horrific sledding ordeal.

Geneva was a much better experience [than sledding]. Before I went to there, the IES people in my program said it’s the most beautiful and expensive city we visit. They were right.

When I thought of beautiful European cities, Geneva never came to mind. But it’s this quaint town surrounded by the Alps on three sides and Lake Geneva, and it’s really, truly gorgeous. And expensive. The prices were just unbelievable. I paid a little more than 4 francs for three tiny pieces of chocolate (the franc is worth only a bit less than the dollar)! I have to admit, though, it was completely worth it – the chocolate was fantastic.

I then climbed to Saint Peter's Cathedral’s tower to see panoramic views of Geneva; it was the best four francs I spent the whole trip. The whole city was breathtaking.

I don’t think I’ll ever be going back to Geneva, though, even if I do become rich and successful. There were Rolex and Cartier shops on every corner, and even McDonald’s was expensive. The whole city was simply teeming with ridiculously rich people.

I’m going on my first independent trip to Munich tomorrow until Sunday and then am off on another IES field trip to Luxembourg, Brussels, and Paris! Until then!

I think you got all the important facts from there. I promise to give you all the nitty gritty on the most famous beer house in all of Germany when I get back! Until that day arrives, I’ll leave you with some awesome pictures of beautiful Geneva.

Me and the UN: We're BFFs

The View from the UN

Views from St. Peter's Cathedral. It was actually the first Calvinist church ever, but I'm not sure what denomination it is now.

Tschüss! Or I guess in Geneva it's au revoir!

Oh, by the way, Geneva made me so sad that I'm not taking French anymore, and I imagine Luxembourg/Brussels/Paris will make me feel even worse. This trip has just made me even more determined to master it someday.

I really have to pack. Au revoir!

Berlin and I CLIMBED A FREAKIN' ALP

So yeah. I went to Berlin. It was awesome. For further explanation click here and see the following pictures. For those interested in the fact that I climbed an Alp (I know, it’s weird to say it in the singular), keep reading.

Recent Graffiti on the Berlin Wall


Me and the Brandenburg Tor


The Berliner Dom

Checkpoint Charlie!


The Reichstag

I actually was in the chamber where the Bundestag does all it's work. I had a nerdgasm.

Inside the Dome of the Reichstag.

AnywayI signed up for a day trip that read “Lazy Day in the Alps” – it was not. I had forgone skiing (my first mistake), for this so called lazy day. The way it was described was when we got to Grindewald, we would take an extra bus up to the quaint town and be able to sled back down the mountain. I took a bus up the mountain, but a town was not there to meet me. It was a series of buildings where you could pay a ridiculous amount for food and rent a sled. With said sled you can, well, sled back down the mountain or hike up an even higher one and then sled alllll the way down. Stupid me – I hiked up the mountain.

And hike I did – for THREE HOURS. AND I STILL DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE TOP (I had to give up, lest I miss my bus back to Freiburg). But I do have to admit the view was amazing; the sled ride down was not. I do not know how this operation was legal. The only steering mechanism on the sled is your feet. And the path had so many sharp turns and steep hills, I thought I was gong to fly off head first into a rock. It was crazy. So, once I got to the lodge, I paid the €14 (yes, the Swiss took Euros) to take the bus back down, because I was confident I was going to hurt myself.

The Alps

More Alps


WHAT I CONQUERED!
I wish there was a better picture to show you what I actually hiked, but I was at it for 3 hours and and had to quit 45 min from the top, if that gives you some kind of an idea.

Holy Lots O' Pictures, Batman! Oh, well. Until next time!

Estonian Exploits

Hello all!

So, I was just in Estonia for three days! I went to see the Baltic sea, walked on the frozen harbor, and listened to some really interesting lectures. For more info on those exploits, click here. Also, see pictures associated with this post. But it was awesome.

Berlin is amazing, as well. It's so beautiful here, and I never want to leave, though I will tomorrow. I'll clue you in on those adventures in a day or two.

Ciao! (Yes, all the Germans say it.)

Me on the Baltic Sea.



The memorial for the fallen Russian soldiers.



The Town Hall

Deutschland Update

And so I’m in Germany.
And yes, it’s awesome.
And yes, that is my dorm, Charlottenburgerstrasse, aka Berliner Allee, aka the Citrus Chateau.
And yes, there are solar panels on the roof.
And no, it was not designed in the 70's. It's actually the newest dorm.
I got here no problem (except for the fact that my duffel is the HARDEST bag to roll around ever. There will be a baggage exchange when Mike visits.) The journey was actually kind of amusing: fellow participants were accrued as we reached each leg of the journey. Four of us from Penn State left the Philly airport for Frankfurt. At the baggage claim we found three more. Then, at the train station there were two extra additions. I felt like a freshman, but, hey, there’s strength in large travel parties.

All and all, my roommates are pretty nice when I see them. The German custom of keeping your door closed whenever one is in their room, whether or not they wish to be disturbed, kind of hinders the socialization, but I definitely have nice roommates. One girl’s roommates talked about her in German, thinking she couldn’t understand what they were saying (she could), and it was not nice.

I love Freiburg. They have a lot of shopping. Surprisingly, I’m not crippled by the exchange rate (which, by the way, right now is $1 =€ 0.7703(!!!!). I’m having a party if it gets 1:1.). A sweater that I’d pay $15 is €10, so it works out wonderfully. I can’t do much more shopping, otherwise I don’t know how I’ll bring everything home. Seriously, though, Freiburg is such a cute, quaint city, but still big enough to actually be a city. Everything is so beautiful.

I’ve been seeing a lot of Germany, too. So far I’ve been to the “Tuscany of Germany” and Heidelberg. Both were beautiful. This southern region of Germany looks so much like home it hurts. If you changed the architecture from beautiful to boring, it would be NEPA. Even the weather is the same (though, recently, it’s been better than in the US).
My grandfather kept telling me have to go the München to see this gorgeous castle that is lit up at night to look like it’s on fire and has a huge vat of wine. Sorry, Grandpa, it’s actually Heidelberg (What are the chances?)! The picture is of said huge vat of wine. I know it’s blurry (The lighting was bad.), but you just have to see it. More pictures will be posted on Facebook soon. Oh, and in Heidelberg, I went to a FAKE Hard Rock Café! I saw burgers for €3,10 and thought, “What a great deal!” The food was crappy, and, if you look at the Hard Rock Café’s website, you will find that there is no Hard Rock Heidelburg! I was swindled in the town where Martin Luther defended his thesis!

And David Bowie just came up on my playlist (What Babe?) Surprisingly, this is the first real wave of homesickness that has hit me. Hmm… that’s a pretty good track record, actually. Anyway, I miss you all! And now that I’m (finally) settled in, I’ll write more frequently. Until next time!

10 Things I Have Learned About Germany/Freiburg so Far:

1) EVERYONE bikes in Freiburg. Really, it’s quite ridiculous. The bikes easily out number the cars 10:1, at least.

2) Freiburgers (lmao, I know) are very nice to/used to foreigners, due to its extremely central location. On any given Saturday, at least half of the customers at the local IKEA are French.

3) Yes, there are exceptions to the stereotypes. For example, my flatmates don’t recycle. They have three trashcans just for the hell of it.

4) Speaking of my flatmates… Germans don’t congregate in the communal areas of their flats. They stay in their rooms with the door closed, no matter what they are doing.

5) And yes, Germans are very, very punctual.

6) They will clarify for you that David Hasselhoff was not responsible for the unification of Germany.

7) For some reason, instead of regular windows, they have glass doors with gates immediately outside of said doors.

8) Skim milk does not exist. Additionally, Germans find the thought of skim milk repulsive. (Speaking of food: the Coke bottles are shaped completely differently, and Harry Potter helps sell food in Germany. See pictures.)

9) At the clubs, they play American music, but not American club music. Think Tutti Fruiti, La Bumba, Shakira, The Killers, Rock Around the Clock.

10) Finally, there are creepers in Germany, and they are much more aggressive than the average American creeper. Trust me.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu!

And so I’m leaving tomorrow for Germany. God knows that with my parents in charge of the time table, I’ll be wandering around the airport for four hours before I depart, but, hey, at least I won’t be rushing. And maybe I’ll get in some good shopping, too.

I have taught my parents how to use skype, so we’ll see how that goes. When we did a test run, they wanted to know why the picture was jumpy. “Because,” I told them, “we bought $20 webcams, not $60 ones.” They’re still not sure if they’ll remember how to run it on their own. Let’s hope I don’t have to try and explain it to them again from across an ocean.

In other news, $500 will get you a mere €340. My train ticket, which I cannot buy until I actually get to the train station, costs about €68. That, in combination with buying everything that I will have forgotten, may drain me of this bit of currency very quickly; I’ll have to search for an ATM as soon as I set foot in Germany. Quick German Tip: ATM is the same in both English and German. They’re bright yellow (see picture), and you can also by stamps at them. Anyway, I’ll let you know how the search goes.

Until next time!