Bern, Switzerland

On Friday morning, my alarm went off at 3:15 a.m....I turned it off and laid back down, bad idea. Jessica kindly buzzed my room at 3:55 (we were suppose to meet at 3:45). Luckily, my backpack was all ready to go and I just grabbed my tooth brush. The four of us (Jessica, Briona, Jennifer, and I) power-walked to the train station for 2 reasons: 1) the train departed at 4:43 and 2) it was still dark outside. We made it to the train station with 10 minutes to spare! The train ride included many transfers, but we arrived in Bern at 12:30 ready to hit the trail since we slept most of the way there. Our first stop, was at Starbucks where I ordered my first Mocha Frappuccino Light that I have had in months. I read the map and after a few minutes of walking we were at the Einstein Haus for a tour. I had no idea Einstein married and had children. Plus, he did his greatest work at the age of 27. Einstein's work also led to the GPS, which made me think of my brothers and hot air ballooning.

After the interesting tour, we kept walking to this viewing of Bears. Yes, bears. The city of Bern was named in 1191 from the first animal ever shot/killed which was a bear. Since the shooting of the bear, the town has kept bears for show. We didn't stay long before walking up this huge hill to a Rosegarten. The Rosegarten consisted of a green lawn with tons and tons of roses planted all along the sides. I spotted a table on the lawn where we sat and ate our packed pb&j sandwiches. The hill gave us a great view of Bern, too. We stayed long enough to take good pictures then continued with the most important event on our agenda: find Swiss chocolate!

I had to ask some store owners, but finally a lady told us on the other side of the clock tower is swiss chocolate. I bought a value pack of 5 to bring back as gifts for the family. With a very successful day in Bern, we loaded back on the train for Gimmelwald, which is a town located in the Swiss Alps!

The Bike Ride

On Sunday a group of about 10 met for a long bike ride. John Griffin, the program director, is a huge bike rider and keeps a bike here. We decided to bike to a town about 2 hours away and stop for a snack. The town we stopped in hosts the all boys choir, who sings in The Dom every Sunday during the school year. I brought a pb & j sandwich with me and order Minestrone soup. Most everyone ordered cafe and coffee. After the break, it was another 2 hours home. Total, we biked about 14 miles at least. Needless to say, I was very sore that night.

I was amazed at all the bike paths around Regensburg. There was as many bikers on the paths as cars on the road, maybe more. We passed by small churches, farms, and other small towns. The temperature and weather were ideal for biking. When we got back, John had us over for dinner at his apartment. The Basile's made a pasta and so had John. I tasted pesto sauce for the first time and loved it. Juan, Jessica, and I stayed for the movie with John and the Basiles. We ate an entire pan of brownies while watching Cabaret. I had never even heard of the movie, but back in the day it won many oscars. This trip has been so unique because my teachers are as much my friends as the other students. We sat and talked about our lives so far and theirs. When I signed up for Germany, I thought traveling and living in another country would be the highlights, but now I am realizing the relationships and friends I've made are the best part.

Visiting the Monastery

The rain on Saturday did not dampen the Basiles, Briona, Kelsey, or I from traveling to the Monastery and Brewery. We met at the train station at 10 a.m. from a short train ride, bus ride, and boat ride to Weltenburg Abbey. The monastery dates back to about 620 and is the oldest monastery in Bavaria. We arrived hungry and immediately sat down to lunch. I ordered potato soup, better be safe than sorry with those German menus. In Germany it is normal to sit at long tables with several other groups. We sat down across from a couple from East Germany. They talked with us in English. They reminded us that this monastery and brewery is older than our country, which was weird to realize.

While we were eating, a couple came out of the church after getting married. They walked under an arch and these guns were shot in their honor. The flower girls and members of the wedding party were similar to the U.S. After the wedding exited, I got to see inside this church. It was stunning with all of the paintings and detailed architecture. I still am amazed every time I walk into a church here at all the detail. A couple asked us to take their picture in English and we discovered they were from Iowa. Lately, whenever I hear someone speaking in English, I feel the need to start a conversation with them.

To work off lunch, Kelsey and I hiked around the area and found a hill overlooking the monastery/brewery. From the hill, we could see the Donau River. Another church was on this hill and we went inside it, too. Around 3 we took a boat ride back to Kelheim. We sat at a cafe and ordered coffees and cake until the bus came. Kelsey and I split Apfel strudel, which was worth every calorie. I enjoy going places with the Basiles. Mr. Basile is my World Civ teacher while I am here.

After a long day, Briona, Kelsey, and I walked around the mall then went home to prepare for the day of bike riding next.

Reading, Walking, & a Melting Pot

The second week of classes ended, and I had my first 3 day weekend with plans to visit a Monastery and go for a bike ride. Friday I woke early again even without an alarm. My plan was to catch up on journaling then wander the city. I stepped out of my room to find a new roommate moving in next door. Her name is Marta and she is from Poland! I have one word to describe her: precious! We get along so great. I changed my plans and decided to spend the next 3 hours scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom while wearing pink rubber gloves. Since I now had a girl roommate, I could make signs designating a 'girls' bathroom and a 'boys' bathroom. The countries represented in this apartment alone are: Morocco, Albania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and America. We are officially a Melting Pot!

After all of the cleaning, I went on an hour walk to downtown and treated myself to dinner. I sat outside at an Italian restaurant in Haidplatz. I ordered a salad (not dressed), but the waitress gave me tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and a breadstick. Although, it was not what I expected, I still enjoyed it. I sat there for a hour outside reading a book and people watching. This semester has been very relaxing compared to the busy summer and previous semester.

Tour of The Dom

After classes last Thursday, the group met in front of The Dom for a tour. The tour guide began with the outside, describing all of the individual statues and symbolism. All I could think was thank goodness I will not be tested on this. The Dom took 250 years to construct and is the most important landmark of Regensburg. My two favorite parts of The Dom are the organ pipes (5,900 total-hanging on the ceiling by 4 ropes) and the smiling angel statue. The Dom was dedicated to St. Peter and has many statues of him. The Dom is in constant repair because of air pollution changing the color of the stones. The ceilings use to be painted with Biblical stories, but during one group's reign they decided churches should not have elaborate paint. Now The Dom is all grey inside, but is still very beautiful.

Culture Shock Meltdown

Up until last week, I had not experienced culture shock. However, my one occurrence came when my computer charger quit working. I found an Apple Store in downtown Regensburg, but it would cost 79 euro for a new one. Then the tears came. The typical insurance covered a new charger for the first year. I had purchases the Apple about 13 months ago exactly. Luckily, the man helping me spoke English, and after a few phone calls (and the question, "did your husband buy this for you?), we figured out I had the extra 3 years of insurance! A new charger would be here in 3 to 5 days. So, a week later, and I am back to blogging.

Dult Fest and a German Baseball Game

The first week of classes flew by, and it was time for the weekend. Although the group did not travel, we had plans for Dult Fest. Dult Fest is Regensburg bi-annual festival/carnival. There are tons of rides and German foods. My friend, Jessica, does German dancing in St. Louis and brought her dirndl with her to Germany. She wore it, along with hundreds of other German women, to the festival. To our surprise during dinner, Terry, a guy on the program with me, walked up in a lederhosen and just about brought the house down. Towards the end of the night, fireworks went off about 10 o'clock that were impressive. The Dult Fest continues for the next 2 weeks, so I am sure I will be going again.

This morning I decided to sleep until I woke up, with no alarm clock, for the first time in months. However, the clock read 8:09 this morning. I had a productive morning of making oatmeal and hot tea, doing laundry, and going grocery shopping. I went to the Netto for yogurt, stopped in the bakery for 2 wheat baquettes, then into the butcher's shop for black forest ham. I already know I will miss the walking distance of those 3 stores when I get back to the states.

My friends and I planned to bike ride to some castle ruins today, but received an invite at noon to attend a German baseball game, which was once in a lifetime probably. I didn't even know baseball was in Germany or that it would only cost 4 Euro. The Basil's, John Griffin, Jessica, Jennifer, and I all went to the game. The teachers were surprised only girls showed up, but I guess the boys on the program decided to not go. The six of us had so much fun sitting on the second row closest to the field. We would have sat on the first row, but we could barely see over the fence. The Regensburg team won 10 to 1. After the game, we saw the shop had a sign for Louisville Slugger, and I just had to get my picture with it. Overall, the Saturday was a fun, relaxing day!