27. July-- Last full day in Berlin...tears

Oh my... now it's finally my turn to blog.

I thought in picking this blog day I would read the examples of others and get the hang of it by now. However, I am not sure how much progress has really been made. In fact, I am technically not even a contributor to this blog.

Well...without further ado, here goes nothing.

Today, despite being our last day, was definitely not our least (to speak in cliches).

We opened up the morning with some historical exploration, much akin to Nicholas Cage in both of the National Treasure movies, and headed to Potsdam.

First off, we headed to the Cecilienhof, a cool little villa in the middle of Potsdam constructed by Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany's last Monarch) for his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm. Aside from being a monument to terrible parenting styles that result in entitled children, the Cecilienhof was a symbol of Prussian military might during the era it was built. Crown Prince Wilhelm lived here with his wife Cecilie (and children....?) until a tiny spat with the French and their pals disrupted German life...WWI.

During the war, Crown Prince Wilhelm left for and fought on the front. When he got back, his dad was dethroned, the Crown Prince was exiled from Germany, forced to leave politics forever, and died apart from his wife and children....wow.

Shortly after the war, the house was taken away from the royal family and given to the state. In 1960, several hotels were opened in the palace, and, in 1990, the palace was named a UNESCO heritage site.

BUT...somewhere in the middle there, the Cecilienhof was the site of an event that gave the site most of its significance today, the Potsdam conference.

From 17. July to 2. August of 1945, about two months after VE day, the big three of the allied forces came to the Cecilienhof to negotiate the future of Germany and its neighbors.

These big three included:

Harry S "'S' stands for 'steal yo' girl" Truman

Winston "Big Papa" Churchill and later, Clement "Who is that?" Atlee

and:

Joseph "Hurry up and stop" Stalin

Charlie, Jack, and Dylan governing the future of relations  between the East and West.
Sorry for the poor quality of the original.
Also, it was a shame that the original and iconic wicker chairs could not be found.

The conference was an event that defined the next few decades by defining post-war border settlements, promoting the United Nations, dividing Germany into sectors, and setting base rules for denazification and the Nuremberg trials.

It was really fascinating to really see all this significant history right in front of us. We saw Stalin's study, the conference room where all the decisions were made (with the original chairs in which  the delegates sat), and all of the restorations to the war damaged palace that the Red Army did to prepare fo the conference.

Also, what was fascinating was how high tensions were at the conference. Although it was a meeting between allies, doors of all equal sizes had to be installed for each of the delegations to enter through (as to not fuel any hierarchal complexes), each leader tried to be more modest than the others (Stalin requested "the accoutrements of the common man"), and Truman found out that "babies were born" during the middle of the conference/ that the atomic bombs were successfully tested and ready to be deployed (nothing says "cocky jerk" like becoming Death, destroyer of worlds).

In short, the conference was an event with pomp, circumstance, and intense hemispherical rivalry.

However, the site was awesome to see!

The front of the Cecilienhof. Rather quaint from the outside...not l like it defined the future of Europe of anything.

Decorative, nationalistic landscaping complete with remodeling scaffolding...touched by Stalin!

Next, we went to Sans Souci, a palace that means "without a care" or "Hakuna Matana" (credits to Frau) in French. The palace was the ridiculously ostentatious vacation home of Frederick II ("The Great"), the King of Prussia.

"Hakuna Matata"

No Prussian King's vacation home would be complete without
an oxidized copper veranda and decorative sun ornament.

Royal stairmaster prototype

Excellent little fountain with motorized
fountain technology installed by Frederick himself.

Eating lunch by the fountain, we found a small and
adorable European duck that we affectionately referred to as "Bob".

Bob was rather fond of small bits of bread.

A rather mean fellow, Bob quickly became the despotic hoarder of the bread,
ruling over the tribes of lesser sparrows with an iron fist.

Teddy contemplates life in front of the ruins that are so remarkably commonplace here.

The palace was quite nice to see and was filled with fabulous rooms and great furniture. However, Frederick was kind of weird guy. He had some daddy issues with the original Frederick (liked the vacation lifestyle due to his father's militaristic legacy), he hated German culture and liked Voltaire, the revolutionary philosopher who came to the palace frequently, more than his wife who lived across the country most of the time, and played the flute with a teacher that was the only person that could criticize him and did so by quietly coughing when he was playing poorly.

Strange dude.

Also, I heard the most German name of all time at Sans Souci, the name of Frederick's sculptor, Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. How could someone comfortably name their children that?

Unfortunately, for both of these places, I could not take photos inside. When I tried, I was told that I needed a 3 Euro photo permit that I could get down the hallway, down the stairs, up the stairs, across the hallway, over the hallway, etc. In short, I never found the place to get the permits.

After our little history jaunts, we went and celebrated the practice of the true global language, capitalism. We went to the Kudamm, KDW, and the Alexanderplatz to do some last minute shopping and sightseeing in Berlin.

A quick little side note on the KDW or "Kaufhaus des Westens". It was essentially designed as a big middle finger to the DDR and its communist government during the latter half of the 20th century. Just visible over the wall, this massive, shimmering mall served as a shrine to all the consumerist goodness that the East Germans were missing out on.

It's just so fascinating how history is, in some way, ever present here.

After our shopping jaunts, we had our final dinner together. Some good German food and an all together nice time filled with bratwurst, thick potato soup the consistency of applesauce, and strange little slices of cheese coated in paprika and caraway seeds.

Again...strange, but fun.

Overall, it was a great time and a great last full day in Berlin.

Thanks for reading.

It's so weird to think that we will be home tomorrow (Mom, the crying can soon stop, don't worry).

Goodbye everybody and goodnight!
Aidan

26 Juli 2016 - Berlin Day 2

Hey everyone!! Yesterday was quite the day. According to the Apple Health App (something we're a bit obsessed with), we walked 26,663 steps. For a better idea of just how much that is, it equates to 10.5 miles. A long, long way. My muscles ache everywhere. But to be honest, for me it was the best day hands down.

We started relatively late for us, at 9. We took the train to the Brandenburg Gate, where we met our beautiful tour guide, Rob. He seriously blessed us with his presence. Definitely one of the better tour guides we've had, though we've been fighting over whether Michael from Hamburg was better or not. I'm team Rob all the way.

We saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which was actually a lot less grandiose than you might expect. That being said, I found it to be really worthwhile. It basically consists of a bunch of concrete blocks of different sizes, getting bigger towards the middle. On the edges of the memorial, the blocks were at ground level, so you don't even notice them, and in the middle they were so big they were all you could see. According to Rob, the artist never specifically stated the meaning behind his work, but leaves it up to the viewer's interpretation.

Next we visited the parking lot that resides over the bunker where Hitler killed himself. There's no memorial or anything for obvious reasons, but there still were quite a few tour groups there with us.

We also got to see pieces of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and a lot of old buildings (though mostly it was new replicas of old buildings because World War II).

Then after the tour, we got time to see what we wanted to see in Berlin. I went with a group to the Topography of Terror, which Tony astutely described as a walking textbook. That being said, I found it really interesting to read about the Nazi regime and see different photos and documents. After that, we went to the memorial for the homosexuals killed in the Holocaust, which I found to be a lot less deep than the Jewish one. It basically was a big concrete block with a window inside where you could see a screen playing a clip of two men kissing. To me, it was a statement of pride, of openness in a way unheard of in the forties. It seemed to be more prideful than mournful. What I also found very interesting was how it was surrounded by flowers, something nonexistent in the Jewish memorial.

Then we went back to the hotel for a quick break, and came back to see the East Side Gallery, the longest existing strip of the Berlin Wall.

(It is necessary to take down many walls)

Then we grabbed dinner, which for me consisted of a croissant, a banana and fries. For our last activity of the night, we went to a cabaret acrobatic show. It was honestly a surreal experience and kind of hard to describe, so I asked the class what they thought.

"The most Berlin thing that has ever occurred. Like Cirque Du Soleil on steroids with a postmodern twist." -Eden


"The show was really weird and I had no clue what was happening 90% of the time." -Meghan


"Made me wanna quit the potential the Academy has given me to become a cirque performer." -Tony


"It was a trip." -Christina

Berlin Day 1--Entering the Matrix

Hello everyone, Ginnie here. Apologies in advance for any weird formatting or pictures; I'm writing this on my phone from the disco.

So, onto the story of today. We left our hotel in Lubeck heading for Berlin! It was about a three hour drive. We made one stop at an oasis to get some food, then about an hour later we made it to Berlin proper. The city is beautiful so far, and the hotel is very nice. The rooms have more people in them this time; mine has four people now.

Our rooms weren't ready when we first got to the hotel, so we ended up putting them in a luggage room and heading off into the city. After stopping at a church, we went to a biergarten for lunch. It was very expensive! We walked back to the hotel after that, and our rooms were ready this time.

We spent an hour in the hotel. Most people put on something nicer, as we weren't going back to the hotel before going to the disco. Leaving the hotel proved to be a bit more of a challenge, as many forgot necessary equipment (like train tickets, passports, etc) in their rooms. We ended up leaving twenty minutes later, but we still traversed Berlin's train system and made it to the Reichstag on time.

I think it's safe to say that most people liked this tour better than our EU parliament one. While we didn't have a tour guide of the same caliber as our Hamburg guide, our lady was still nice, if overly fond of the word "possibility". We saw the room where the parliament meets, as well as the newer modern buildings. Security was tight; we had to go through a metal detector just like in the airport. Personally I found the walls of the Reichstag the most interesting, as graffiti written by Soviet soldiers during their invasion of Berlin has been preserved on the walls. Our visit ended with a tour of the roof and a great view of the city.

Coming out of the Reichstag, we found our way to another train station and eventually to the street the disco--called the Matrix--is on. We actually missed it at first, as it's tucked under tracks. Everyone broke off to get some dinner. I had some fries and a Fanta. Then it was time for the disco. Everyone received a wristband meaning we couldn't have alcohol (so no worries there parents). Aidan and I are watching everyone's bags and planning what we want to do tomorrow when we tour the city. I really don't enjoy environments like this--too loud and too many people for me--so thanks to Aidan for keeping me company. But don't worry; my fellow Academites are having a great time dancing! And no one had to worry about losing their stuff, so everyone won in the end. There are many other German students here, with a separate room for the teachers to hang out in. As of yet, I have yet to see any signs that the reality I perceive isn't real, red or blue pills, or killer computer programs, so I think we'll make it out of this Matrix in one piece. We leave at 10:00, though this blog won't be posted for a while as I'm writing this without Internet. It'll be an action packed today and everyone needs sleep.

Tomorrow we head out to see the city. But that'll be someone else's story to tell.


After note:

Apologies, but I can't get pictures to load on my phone!

July 24, 2016

Hello, trip sponsors!
Welcome to the last Sunday before you get to see your babies. I am Eden Krenzel and I'll be your writer for today.

To start things off I would like to apologise for the blandness of today's post as today's adventure was a very calm one.

The morning started off as usual. Everyone woke up at around 7am and then went down for breakfast. We finished eating and left to catch our 20 minute train to the Baltic sea at 8:40am. The ride was pretty quick and calm. We were all still sleepy, but pretty excited to go to the beach. Once we got there, Frau rented us a few cabanas to share. As soon as we got to them, we dropped off our stuff and took a group picture. Following that we split up into groups, some going swimming and some tanning (we put on sunscreen). The water in the Baltic Sea was very cold but still warmer than the Rhein, and much saltier than what we're used too. There were some jellyfish present, but they were all friendly and none of us got stung! 

Academites walking to the beach

Around noon, most groups split up to go get food. It happened to be that at the exact time we were at the beach, there was a sailing festival. There were competitions all around us and many different food stands. Since the food was so close and there was such a big variety, many of us went to go get lunch at the festival. Some of the popular foods were: bratwurst, crepes, falafel, french fries, garlic bread, and pizza. The weather was also amazing, sunny, but also slightly windy, thus we were able to walk around with our food and explore the festivals. Aside from the food, there was also live music, jewelry stands, clothing stands, art stands, and many other interesting and entertaining things to explore. 

The beach we were on and the
cabanas that were there

Academy tanning party

Once people finished eating and exploring, we went back to the beach where we again split off into swimming and tanning. At this point most of us got really tired -- so many fell asleep. Slowly, most of the class congregated together and we ended up getting together and all tanning and hanging out by each other. Since at this point it was about, four in the afternoon, we decided that we should stay and get dinner at the festival, and then we could take the 6:30pm train home and then come back early enough to pack and get ready for tomorrow's trip to Berlin. Thus, for the next two hours, we played frisbee, tanned, and then went on to explore the sailing competition and the rest of the festivals until we finally returned back to our hotel.

When we got back to our hotel it was only about 7pm so most of us took showers, got redressed, and then proceeded to go out with our friends and explore Lubeck. After that, we all got ready for tomorrow's early ride to Berlin and then we proceeded to congregate in each other's room where we talked, laughed, and ate A LOT of candy. 

Thus, overall, while the day was pretty calm and not too adventurous, our class still had an incredible amount of fun and we could not have been happier to have a calm and relaxing day before our intense three day touring trip to Berlin. Make sure to check out tomorrow's blog to Keep up with our adventures in Berlin. 

23 Juli 2016

**Full disclaimer-- I'm awful with technology so if this blog looks weird I sincerely apologize

Greetings from Lübeck! Although, I guess technically you can't really qualify today as a Lübeck day because we spent the majority of it in Hamburg...

Hamburg oh Hamburg, what a wonderful city! We started our excursion in the center of the city, the Rathaus (town hall), with a tour led by a surprisingly entertaining Scottish tour guide named Michael. 

Rathaus

PC:Maeve

Michael took us all around the city in a glorious adventure through time and architecture. Though each building stood alone in its own unique design, there was a common motif connecting these solitary monoliths: they were all replicas of the original buildings that were destroyed in the fire of 1842. 

So basically, a disgruntled employee from a cigar factory decided to set his place of work on fire, one might call him a tad hot-headed. Then, a lovely rum maker thought it wise to dump his rum into the river to save his home from burning faster with the alcohol. However, the rum was mixed with the very river water with which firemen tried to put out the fire. This fire raged for 10 flaming days and destroyed 25% of the city, leaving over 30,000 people homeless and in poverty... and then they got cholera... and died...  and then the Allies bombed 80% of the city. 

Years later, Hamburg rebuilt most of what was lost in the fiery flames of fury. Among these reboots of old Hamburg was Saint Peter's Church. You'll notice in the picture below that the bricks of the church alternate between traditional red and a charred black, this is because the architect used bricks from the original building that had survived the fire with mere discoloration. 

Saint Peter's Church 
PC:Maeve

After our tour, we had a bit of free time to experience the city in which ever way we so chose. For me, that meant food and lots of it! Hamburg is known for their Panfisch, a cod-like creature with a side of potatoes. As the self-proclaimed pickiest eater of the group, I can proudly say that even I thoroughly enjoyed this fishy dishy.

Panfisch: a fishy dishy
PC: Maeve

The boat tour of Hamburg's harbor was a little lacking in content, but still every bit as beautiful as one would expect a boat tour to be. However, I'd be lying if I said that Mr. Lyon's new 90% paper hat did not distract me from the beauty of the harbor.

Hamburg Opera House
PC: Maeve

To round out the Hamburg acade-adventure, the class ate together in a cute little restaurant where we were able to sing to our beautiful birthday girl, Adna. She's kinda a big deal. 

Here's Adna looking hawt
PC: Maeve and her stalkerness

Anywho, that's all for today folks! Bis Morgen!

-Jordan Z.

  

Lübeck - day 1

BLOG: LÜBECK DAY ONE Quick shameless plug: I've been keeping up a personal blog of my own experiences. I try to update it when I can, and if you'd like to see my take on the experiences of the trip, feel free to read: ksgermany.wordpress.com
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So, this Nachtzug

The first thing you must understand is that it is claustrophobic. "Small" or "cramped" or even the real-estate favorite, "cozy", doesn't feel adequate. Unless if you could figure out how to shift up one of the middle bunks, there was no way to sit up straight on a bunk. Facilities are airplane-style and small, luggage is stuffed under bottom bunks and on a ledge next to the top bunks. As Mr. Lyon aptly put it, people were either in the slept-very-well camp or the did-not-sleep camp. Personally I was somewhere in the middle, since I meddled around until about 1:00 or more in the morning.

We got off the night train at about 9:00 in the morning, where we got breakfast at the train station.

Then we headed to train number 2 to Lübeck. We had a nice pile of suitcases on the luggage rack. It was a smooth train ride, and we made it to the hotel. We had to wait a while to check in, as many of the rooms weren't yet ready. Frau let us loose on the town, and a group of us went to get some gorgeous döner sandwiches.

We walked around the town a bit, raided a grocery store for a little supplies (Heather and I bought the essentials: bananas, cherry tomatoes, and chocolate), walked through a clothing store, and then headed off to a nice choice lawn picked out by the King of Greenery, Aidan himself.

We walked back to the hotel, where we freshened up before heading out to a boat ride to a festival in a small northern time. We played some games to pass the time and Sarah and I ordered water in a fancy bottle that was quite overpriced but provided at least some hydration.


We roamed around the festival for a couple hours, where a group of us got some bratwurst and crêpes and walked around the town before meeting up to take the train back to the hotel and go to sleep.

We're still adjusting to life "on our own", without our exchange families. Sometimes we'll think we catch a glimpse of Maxi in a crowd, or see Laura B. sitting somewhere at w table. I know for me, there is a sort of hole in my life at the moment, and I do miss both my families. But everyone has been lovely and upbeat, and the enthusiasm for the week to come has not left me without a great deal of excitement.

We heard about the shooting in Munich--as reports are coming out our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are all safe and sound; as Frau has told us, the distance between us in the north of Germany and Munich in the southeast is like that of us and Tennessee. She's reminded us of our plan Bs and impressed upon us the importance of staying together and keeping track of each other. As always, the academites have and will watch out for each other on this trip.

Heather has finally stopped singing Hamilton to me as I write this post right now (we're rooming together), which means that I might now actually get the chance to sleep.


Bis Morgen, alle :)




-Katia

Donnerstag, 21. Juli

Hello! Today was the last day that we spent with our Austausch partners in Germany. The day was kind of bittersweet as we attended our classes and went to school with our partners for the last time (although some didn’t go to school and went swimming in the Rhine river with their partners). I attended French class with my partner Isabel, where there was a small end-of-the-year party for them. We had delicious croissants and crepes that the teachers and students made right in the classroom, and then all of the class, including Jordan, Maeve, Eden, and I played this game called Promo Raten (a game kind of like 20 questions). After only 2 hours of school, Isabel and I biked home, where we chilled and watched a couple of episodes of Grey’s Anatomy together.

Breakfast! 

During the afternoon, we started making food for the going-away party (Abschiedsparty). After Isabel and I went grocery shopping in the Innenstadt, where I got to walk the streets of Tiengen one last time, we made mini pizzas, flamkuchen, and bruschettas from fresh baugettes (I won’t ever get over how good their bread is here).

Making mini baugette pizzas for the party!

The going-away party had amazing food, and all the American students sat together with our German partners and chatted as if we’d all been friends for years. The Academy kids took turns giving speeches and thanking our respective host families and the teachers that accompanied us during the exchange, as well as sharing a new favorite German word that they learned on this trip. Mine was “Fleischkaseweckle” – which was a name for a sandwich roll with meat and cheese on it. Others shared colloquial phrases and favorite phrases in Alemanisch, which was the local dialect. After the speeches, we ate food, listened to music, hung out with each other, and took pictures (thanks Meg!). 

Party! 

The food was delicious!

Leaving was hard. It didn’t really hit me (or any of us, really) until the bus rolled up at 9:30 PM that we were leaving our  partners, our families, and the German friends that we’d made during these two weeks. I'd only met Isabel and my host family two weeks ago, but it felt as if I'd been with them for much, much longer. We all lingered around the bus, but no one was willing to get on because we couldn’t bear the thought of leaving. Tears were shed and many hugs were exchanged. 

Eden and Hannah hugging goodbye

Maeve and her partner Caroline, reluctant to leave each other <3

It’s amazing to think of how much German language and culture we’ve learned in this short span of two weeks, but it’s even more incredible to think of how familiar our host families and Austausch friends have become to us. I’ve had many moments when everything has clicked. I’d be biking to school or be eating dinner out in the backyard, or find myself slipping into German conversation with my host family without even thinking about it, and for a moment, I’d be completely at ease. Suddenly, it’s almost as if we’ve always lived this way, with our incredibly loving families, and surrounded by quiet, winding streets and beautiful rolling hills. Staying with our Austausch partners, attending our Gymnasium classes, and going on our field trips definitely gave us wonderful experiences that broadened our horizons and helped us feel as involved in German life as possible.

Thanks to Frau Haidorf, Herr Stihl, Herr Axel, and all of our Austausch partners for making our exchange experience so great. I’m definitely sad to leave my Austausch family and friends, but I’m also very excited to keep traveling with our Academy class for the next week. Hamburg, Lbeck, and Berlin, we’re coming for you! But first—onto the night train. J

Maeve is ready. 

Heather trying to get in that last-minute arm workout (her suitcase broke)