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| Magdeburg/Torgau |
31 March 2012
30 March 2012
Epic Picspam, Part the First
Here is part one of a massive Germany picspam. If you have questions about a specific picture (where it was taken, etc) I think you should be able to comment on the picture in the web album. I'll answer whatever questions you have. =)
Follow the link for pictures of Prague!
Follow the link for pictures of Prague!
29 March 2012
Dresden!
I really, really enjoyed Dresden. There's some serious historical places there, but what's fascinating to me is that the majority of them were legitimately not there following WWII. The Allies went after Dresden because it was one of the major cultural hearts of Germany, and rumors were that the British bombed the cathedral/churches in Dresden in revenge for the Coventry Cathedral that was bombed out during the Blitz. So it was fascinating to see all of these new (but old--the bricks/stone were re-purposed from the old buildings) structures that would not have existed twenty-thirty years ago.
I think that the Dresdeners do a fantastic job of stressing the rebuilding of the historic city, but there's also a vast amount of history prior to the fire-bombing and restoration, which is fairly new. The old palaces, the massive porcelain mural of the Electors of Saxony--there's so much more and I think that the fire-bombing of Dresden ends up being stressed over this. It's a bit of a shame considering how much history there is, and I'm not saying it's wrong, but it's also not good to forget history either.
Also, climbing mountains like a pro. We got to see Koenigstein, and oh man, was that a beast of a mountain to hike up. It was well worth it though--the fortress was intense. I can see why it is considered impenetrable! (My poor, poor feet though.)
I think that the Dresdeners do a fantastic job of stressing the rebuilding of the historic city, but there's also a vast amount of history prior to the fire-bombing and restoration, which is fairly new. The old palaces, the massive porcelain mural of the Electors of Saxony--there's so much more and I think that the fire-bombing of Dresden ends up being stressed over this. It's a bit of a shame considering how much history there is, and I'm not saying it's wrong, but it's also not good to forget history either.
Also, climbing mountains like a pro. We got to see Koenigstein, and oh man, was that a beast of a mountain to hike up. It was well worth it though--the fortress was intense. I can see why it is considered impenetrable! (My poor, poor feet though.)
23 March 2012
Visiting Buchenwald
Last Friday I visited the Buchenwald Memorial with Sam and Amber, two other girls from the group. It was very sobering thing, and I'll admit that it did shake me up quite a bit. I don't think it's possible to go to a concentration camp and not be affected somehow.
I didn't take any pictures because I was so unsettled by how I felt, but also because I didn't like the way that tourists were running around photographing things. The crematorium had a sign to remind visitors that this was a place where thousands of people had died and it was a quiet area! I was very unimpressed with some of the conduct of the other visitors.
The camp was really a huge operation in its' heyday, but also very disturbingly close to Weimar--one of the centers of German culture. It's located 10 kilometers away, and having seen the scope of the camp I cannot imagine how people did not know what was going on. That thought was very, very freaky in and of itself, but the camp itself exudes an air of foreboding. It was like a weight of despair settled on my shoulders the minute I walked through the gate, and it lingered for the rest of the day. There's just a feeling of a loss of hope, both in humanity and in society, that something as terrible as the Holocaust was allowed to happen.
What's worse is when you realize that genocide is still a very real, very present thing in today's society--didn't we learn anything from the Holocaust? I honestly don't know, but I don't think this post does a very good job of describing how I felt or the experience because there just are no words to describe it accurately.
Overall, it was a meaningful spring break because of this day trip, and one I am likely to never forget.
I didn't take any pictures because I was so unsettled by how I felt, but also because I didn't like the way that tourists were running around photographing things. The crematorium had a sign to remind visitors that this was a place where thousands of people had died and it was a quiet area! I was very unimpressed with some of the conduct of the other visitors.
The camp was really a huge operation in its' heyday, but also very disturbingly close to Weimar--one of the centers of German culture. It's located 10 kilometers away, and having seen the scope of the camp I cannot imagine how people did not know what was going on. That thought was very, very freaky in and of itself, but the camp itself exudes an air of foreboding. It was like a weight of despair settled on my shoulders the minute I walked through the gate, and it lingered for the rest of the day. There's just a feeling of a loss of hope, both in humanity and in society, that something as terrible as the Holocaust was allowed to happen.
What's worse is when you realize that genocide is still a very real, very present thing in today's society--didn't we learn anything from the Holocaust? I honestly don't know, but I don't think this post does a very good job of describing how I felt or the experience because there just are no words to describe it accurately.
Overall, it was a meaningful spring break because of this day trip, and one I am likely to never forget.
12 March 2012
Munich, or, the longest train rides of my life
Munich was an interesting trip, to say the least. After getting tickets almost at the last minute (the day before, but still), it was an adventure to get down there. From Leipzig on the ICE (fast train) it was four or five hours, and that's a long time on the train. Basically traveling was all we did on Friday, and I was glad because it had been a long day--in the morning our class had a day trip of Leipzig.
The hostel was where things go interesting. There were seven of us (me, Jake, Amber, Joe, Derek, Molly, and Virginia) and we had reserved an eight person room. The thing with hostels is if you don't have the exact number of people, there is always the chance you will end up sharing a room with strangers. Well, that's what happened with us; we ended up sharing the room with this older guy who was a bit of a creeper. Needless to say, we tried to avoid being in the room when he was there as a sort of privacy thing.
Saturday morning/afternoon we went to Neuschwanstein. Built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (aka the Swan King, who was a bit mad and drowned suspiciously at a rather early age) this is the castle that Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle on. It took two hours from Munich by train, then a short bus ride, then a trek partially up the side of a mountain to get to it, but it was worth it. Part of it was under year-long renovation in preparation for the Luther Jubilee in 2017, but the part that wasn't covered by scaffolding was very beautiful. It's your quintessential German castle, and although we didn't pay to do the tour I thought it was still very neat.
After getting back to Munich, Jake was nice enough to take us on a walking tour of the city. We went through the main tourist area (that is, the busiest street in Munich) and saw the Glockenspiel clock. Supposedly the figures are supposed to dance and music plays, but it never did it while we were there, which was a bit of a let-down. Then we went and had dinner at the Hofbräuhaus--one of the oldest breweries in the city. There were so many people there that I didn't think we were going to find a seat! We wandered through it for ages, creeping on people who looked like they were leaving, until we finally found a table. The food was very good and the beer was also good--there's a reason that they have seat for up to 1,300 people in the main hall. Also, a live house band playing polka! You can't get more Bavarian than that, guys.
Sunday we wandered around Munich, going to the English Garden and Olympiapark. The English Garden is a huge public park and larger than New York's Central Park. We saw so many dogs that it was a bit ridiculous, but it was fun. The Olympiapark consists of the Olympic Stadium, the swim hall, and the multipurpose hall that were built for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The park is very large and it was busy when we were there, and the stadium is massive, but also the architecture was interesting.
All in all, we had a good time but I wish it would have been longer. Dachau is very close to Munich and I would have loved to have gone to see it, but we didn't have enough time. It's spring break now, which basically means I'm lazing about, but we'll see what I can find to do around Wittenberg and the surrounding areas. Just because I can't go to Italy, Austria, or Paris doesn't mean I can't have fun, right? Right. =)
The hostel was where things go interesting. There were seven of us (me, Jake, Amber, Joe, Derek, Molly, and Virginia) and we had reserved an eight person room. The thing with hostels is if you don't have the exact number of people, there is always the chance you will end up sharing a room with strangers. Well, that's what happened with us; we ended up sharing the room with this older guy who was a bit of a creeper. Needless to say, we tried to avoid being in the room when he was there as a sort of privacy thing.
Saturday morning/afternoon we went to Neuschwanstein. Built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (aka the Swan King, who was a bit mad and drowned suspiciously at a rather early age) this is the castle that Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle on. It took two hours from Munich by train, then a short bus ride, then a trek partially up the side of a mountain to get to it, but it was worth it. Part of it was under year-long renovation in preparation for the Luther Jubilee in 2017, but the part that wasn't covered by scaffolding was very beautiful. It's your quintessential German castle, and although we didn't pay to do the tour I thought it was still very neat.
After getting back to Munich, Jake was nice enough to take us on a walking tour of the city. We went through the main tourist area (that is, the busiest street in Munich) and saw the Glockenspiel clock. Supposedly the figures are supposed to dance and music plays, but it never did it while we were there, which was a bit of a let-down. Then we went and had dinner at the Hofbräuhaus--one of the oldest breweries in the city. There were so many people there that I didn't think we were going to find a seat! We wandered through it for ages, creeping on people who looked like they were leaving, until we finally found a table. The food was very good and the beer was also good--there's a reason that they have seat for up to 1,300 people in the main hall. Also, a live house band playing polka! You can't get more Bavarian than that, guys.
Sunday we wandered around Munich, going to the English Garden and Olympiapark. The English Garden is a huge public park and larger than New York's Central Park. We saw so many dogs that it was a bit ridiculous, but it was fun. The Olympiapark consists of the Olympic Stadium, the swim hall, and the multipurpose hall that were built for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The park is very large and it was busy when we were there, and the stadium is massive, but also the architecture was interesting.
All in all, we had a good time but I wish it would have been longer. Dachau is very close to Munich and I would have loved to have gone to see it, but we didn't have enough time. It's spring break now, which basically means I'm lazing about, but we'll see what I can find to do around Wittenberg and the surrounding areas. Just because I can't go to Italy, Austria, or Paris doesn't mean I can't have fun, right? Right. =)
08 March 2012
Spring Break times
So, it's a bit sad that I won't get to go to Italy but I'm looking forward to staying around Lutherstadt Wittenberg. At least I'm not alone--it's me, Jake, Amber, and a passel of Lutherans. Could be worse, yeah?
01 March 2012
Long-overdue Berlin post
I've had this scribbled down for quite some time in a notebook, but I've been lazy and haven't typed this up! Many apologies to those who've been waiting for it!
Berlin was a very large, very industrial sort of city. We were pretty much at the city center and our hostel was relatively close to Unter den Linden, which is basically the heart of Berlin. There were a ton of touristy restaurants, bars, and the like on Unter den Linden and at one end is the Brandenburg Gate and at the other end is the Deutsches Historisches Museum (aka one of the best places ever).
On our first day we went to the Reichstag and then did a walking tour. The Reichstag is very neat, and I have some pretty decent photos of it. My favourite part was the Russian graffiti that they integrated into the room design--it was a very interesting way of preserving history. The dome was also interesting, and the view was pretty good. However, after all this walking the walking tour was torture--my feet hurt so bad. (I have since learned that one does not pack rain boots and expect to not have blisters by the end of the trip).
The second day was spent traipsing around the German Historical Museum. It was so interesting, but unfortunately I don't have many pictures because I'm not sure pictures were allowed? So there's only, like, two or three pictures of that. The museum spanned the early Germanic tribes period shortly after the fall of Rome up to present day German history. Basically, it was a lot of information--too much, really. I think my favorite part was the 1700s-1800s period, aka the I-have-all-the-money-'cause-I'm-royalty-look-at-my-expensive-things period. I've never seen so much silver in my life! (Also, it made me think of the Royal Babylon book, which is always funny.)
I stayed an extra day and went to Potsdam with a few of my classmates. We went to Sanssouci, which was the summer palace of the Prussian king Friedrich II, and is situated in the middle of a huge park. The castle was beautiful, but the effect would have been a lot better if it was spring or summer when the park would be green and not as ugly and sparse. Maybe a return trip should happen? I don't know.
Berlin and Prague photos should be up shortly! =)
Berlin was a very large, very industrial sort of city. We were pretty much at the city center and our hostel was relatively close to Unter den Linden, which is basically the heart of Berlin. There were a ton of touristy restaurants, bars, and the like on Unter den Linden and at one end is the Brandenburg Gate and at the other end is the Deutsches Historisches Museum (aka one of the best places ever).
On our first day we went to the Reichstag and then did a walking tour. The Reichstag is very neat, and I have some pretty decent photos of it. My favourite part was the Russian graffiti that they integrated into the room design--it was a very interesting way of preserving history. The dome was also interesting, and the view was pretty good. However, after all this walking the walking tour was torture--my feet hurt so bad. (I have since learned that one does not pack rain boots and expect to not have blisters by the end of the trip).
The second day was spent traipsing around the German Historical Museum. It was so interesting, but unfortunately I don't have many pictures because I'm not sure pictures were allowed? So there's only, like, two or three pictures of that. The museum spanned the early Germanic tribes period shortly after the fall of Rome up to present day German history. Basically, it was a lot of information--too much, really. I think my favorite part was the 1700s-1800s period, aka the I-have-all-the-money-'cause-I'm-royalty-look-at-my-expensive-things period. I've never seen so much silver in my life! (Also, it made me think of the Royal Babylon book, which is always funny.)
I stayed an extra day and went to Potsdam with a few of my classmates. We went to Sanssouci, which was the summer palace of the Prussian king Friedrich II, and is situated in the middle of a huge park. The castle was beautiful, but the effect would have been a lot better if it was spring or summer when the park would be green and not as ugly and sparse. Maybe a return trip should happen? I don't know.
Berlin and Prague photos should be up shortly! =)
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