Realizations and Things I'll Miss : 1

As it has hit mid-June, I've come to the realization I will be going home soon. As such, I have decided to post short posts about things I realize will change once I get back.

Post 1:
Upon discussing with my friends the prospect of going to Maine when I return, I've discovered that the 1.5 hour journey to Maine, which before seemed rather long, now seems short, having traveled to Freiburg, Stuttgart, Bonn, Köln, and soon München and Wien.

Berlin Day Two: Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Back Never.

As Day One had ended with Rix, Sabrina, Alex, and me going to the Brandenburger Tor at night to take pictures of it glowing, realize our cameras were horrendous when it came to night time pictures, then going to the Holocaust Memorial where we were chased around by a group of three guys shouting
"boo!", we decided it was time to call it a night and return the next morning for a free walking tour of Berlin that our hostel has advertised.

Brandenburger Tor

As luck would have it, the clouds turned gray and proceeded to let fourth an ocean of rain upon Berlin. The free walking tour was immediately forgotten for a hop-on hop-off bus tour. If you go to the Brandenburger Tor, you'll find almost all of these types of tours pick up there. Tickets range from 10 Euro to 17 Euro per day ticket (9am to 7pm). If the weather is nice, I still recommend the walking tour, because though our particular tour was given in German and English, the buses are loud (a combination of the number of people and the roaring engine) so it was hard to hear. There are also other options, like  bike tours, which guide you through the city. Berlin is fairly well set up for bikers, with lanes and signals solely for bicyclists. There also these bizarre contraptions that are called beer-bike tours. A bar is surrounded by seats equipped with pedals. While you drink beer, you pedal, and somehow the bike-bar moves, being steered by the sober driver who is also giving a tour. We did not try this. Perhaps next time.

We stopped first at the President's house (I think that's what the bus driver said...), which is this massive building. I had no idea what it was, but it was pretty.

President's House

Then we went to the Victory Statue. This is tricky to find as you must walk down the street, find the tunnel (there are signs though they are quite small), walk through the tunnel, not get distracted by this could exhibit which projects a silhouette of you using your body heat onto the wall, climb a flight of stairs, and then surface with rain pelting you rather unpleasantly. We accomplished this feat and found ourselves staring at murals made of metal. Bullet holes from WWII combat decorated the art work, damaging some sections so badly that they were completed removed.

You can climb to the top of the tour, but it was pretty expensive and as it was cloudy and rainy, I didn't think it was worth it, though if it had been sunny and clear, I definitely would have. The statue itself is beautiful and with the right angle, you can manage to get the Brandenburger Tor in the picture, as it is right down to road from the statue. There's also a few memorials of famous people, mostly chancellors, that parallel the road, so you can walk to either the Brandenburger Tor or the President's house and see statues commemorating German leaders.

After the Victory Statue, we went to Checkpoint Charlie. I'm not going to lie, it was slightly disappointing. I thought I'd see a massive part of the wall, a huge barricade that was the checkpoint. Instead, it is pretty much information pasted on walls, a really expensive exhibit, and a sign saying you are about to leave American territory. It is worth seeing, don't get me wrong, but if you only have one or two days and are debating what to see in terms of the wall, I'd say choose an different part of Berlin or just go to C.C. really quick.

After Checkpoint Charlie, we headed back home. It was down pouring and cold and we were hungry. We spent the night getting food, hanging in the hostel, and preparing for the next day.

Berlin: Day One

Day one:

Having checked into the Hostel after hours of waiting with the sun beating on our backs, we ascended the stairs, and by ascended the stairs, I mean we took the elevator to the top floor, realized we still had to walk up a flight of stairs, sobbed softly, and then entered the rooftop terrace. This terrace boasted a blow up swimming pool that brought back a swarm of childhood memories centered around splashing other people mercilessly. However, being the grown-up, mature woman I am, I simply stood in the pool, looked around, and basked in the glory of cool water on my feet. I took pictures of the view, which was fairly nice. We could see a church, an Opera house, and another pretty building that I never found, but have a picture of. 

Then there was an afternoon nap because for some bizarre reason, being on a train for 8 hours and sleeping most of that time somehow makes me more tired. Then I embarked on a nighttime journey of Berlin. It started at the Brandenburger Tor. If you go at night, there are far fewer people, but its harder to get a good picture (at least with my camera). It is beautiful and breathtaking and it is also the start for many tours from the tour buses (hop on hop off buses cost about 10Euro per day, and is definitely worth it, as there is also a tour guide giving commentary on each site we stop at or drive by) to the bike tours to the bier-bike tours (this consists of a vehicle with a bar on top of it that people can sit at and whilst they pedal, the drink beer and listen to the guide talk about the locations, while slowly losing focus for some unexplained reason…

After the Brandenburg Gate, we went to the Holocaust Memorial. It was really powerful and especially interesting to see how people interacted with the stones, from people sitting on them to running across the tops of them to people walking slowly through them, absorbing their interpretation of their meaning. It was a great experience, as the dark night sky set a different mood than the daylight I would see the memorial in a few days later. However, a few guys decided it would be oh-so-funny to jump out at us and scream “Boo” as we wandered through it. We left, slightly creeped out and slightly frustrated. So ended day one in Berlin. 

Berlin: Travel and the Hostel

During the week long break, I traveled to Germany and to Poland. At 5am, I was loading my suitcase into a taxi that would take me to the Hauptbahnhof. If you are traveling before 6am, you probably won’t be able to find a bus to take you the station in time, but fear not! Because the taxi rides are relatively inexpensive (at least from Franz. Viertel) and the fifteen minutes of sleep you get in that car ride is truly refreshing, especially when you go to sleep at 11pm the night before, not that I did…

At the Hauptbahnhof, I went to the bakery and stood forlornly outside the glass barrier that indicated a closed state. I thought about sobbing, but at the clock struck 5.15am, the glass was removed, retracting into the walls, and I was able to order a brezel and a chocolate milk. For chocolate milk, I recommend Landliebe Milch, as it is pretty close to American chocolate milk. You may ask, but what is the difference? For a chocolate milk connoisseur like myself, the difference is obvious. German chocolate milk has a sour taste compared to American chocolate milk and it is strangely never refrigerated when you buy it in stores which at first was strange, then terrifying, and then was normalized as I slowly stopped caring, thinking people must not be dying because of this or Kaufland surely would change its practice. Do not buy the Kaufland milk. It tastes horrible. 

Having procured milk and a brezel, I boarded the train and passed out for about eight hours, waking up to the loud noise of Berlin’s train station. I highly recommend the Bahncard25 and will continue bringing it up for the rest of this blog because it is awesome. My ticket to and from Berlin was about 85 Euro. My friend's ticket cost 139 Euro. It also helps to plan ahead, because the tickets are a lot cheaper. We planned this trip at the end of April, so it was a little late. For trips to Italy, you have to plan MONTHS before hand, because the trains our all booked two weeks or earlier before spring break, as I learned when we attempted initially to plan a trip to Italy for break.

We took a short subway ride to the Friedrichstrasse Station and began the hunt for our hostel. Unlike Hostel Elf, which I stayed at while in Prague, there was no scavenger hunt for hostel signs. We did manage to go the wrong way, but some friendly Germans in Vodaphone helped us. 

Our hostel was called BaxPax Hostel and I must say, I have mixed feelings about it so I shall discuss the pros and cons:

Pros:

Location: It was right off of Friedrichstrasse and close to two or three main subway stations, so transportation was easily accessible, especially the stop for the Brandenburger Tor, which is one stop away or a short twenty-five minute walk, which though sounds long, is through a cool part of Berlin, so you’ll get to see cool stores like the Ampelmann Store or the various souvenir stores, also the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, a necessity for anyone who has a sudden craving for American coffee and stale donuts. 

Atmosphere: The staff was really friendly, the hostel felt more like a hotel with the connected restaurant, outside lounge area, rooftop terrace, and billiards room. There were also free maps which is awesome. We also got a free drink card during check-in. Thus did I get a free coke that was chugged in the sunlight, on the lounge, in the 70 degree weather that beat down upon me mercilessly, turning my white, pale skin a nice red, as if my shoulders and back were blushing at the sun’s attention. 

Rooms: The rooms were spacious and clean and the beds were comfy. The lockers were large and could hold two people’s worth of luggage (A suitcase and two backpacks...at Baxpax!).

 Cons:

Check-In: Check-in took almost an hour because they were changing shifts. It would have been ok, but we booked a time to check-in, so it wasn’t like they didn’t know we were coming. However, the staff were friendly and managed to alter our booking so we didn’t have to pay for a person who was coming a few night later, an option that wasn’t available when we booked. (For most hostels, you have to book the entire stay based on the greatest number of people. We had five people staying in the hostel the first two nights, with another friend joining later for the last two, thus we had to book a room for 6 people online in order to all be together). 

Key-Cards: Our key cards stopped working every five minutes. This is not an exaggeration. There is a key-card lock on the dorm room door and on the bathroom. One would leave the room, put the key-card in the bathroom lock, have it work, shower, return to the dorm’s door, put in the key, and find it deactivated through some sort of black, dark magic. We had to have it re-activated multiple times throughout the day, which at 1am is most annoying. It also seemed to be a problem throughout the hostel and the other Baxpax Hostels in Berlin (there are three, we stayed in the Downtown one, which after having talked to a friend who stayed in the Kreuzberg one, is far less sketchy of the two in terms of location). 

Overall, I would stay there again, as it wasn’t that expensive, though there were a few inconveniences. 

Switzerland

This past Saturday, I went to Basel, Switzerland for a day through the Studit Program. International students can sign up for excursions to different places for very little money. There are also dinners and Stammtisch events that students can participate in. 

I went to Switzerland for 17 Euro, which included a two-hour tour, ferry ride, and transport. I would plan on factoring in some of the Studit excursions into your plans because you can hardly beat their prices and the people running it are very friendly UniTübi students.

Basel:

It was a misty, rainy morning when I arrived, strawberry and cream tart in hand, at the bus station. I checked the time and realized I have only fifteen minutes to eat this delectable treat. I pondered my fate if it should have to go to waste, or worse, if I were to give it to the pigeons scuttling about. Torn knowing I would not be able to savor it’s deliciousness, I ate it quickly hoping to dull the pain.

The bells sounded, resonating through town and probably shattering the ear drums of those residing in the Altstadt. It was seven. I looked around, expecting the bus to turn the corner any second and enter the mayhem of the Hauptbahnhof. Alas! Five minutes went by. Then ten. Then fifteen! I felt my mind weakening, fracturing as I realized the stereotype that German transit systems are run on punctuality, that it is a mortal crime to be late only five minutes, was untrue. At 7.30, the bus arrived, though I barely noticed, having curled myself into a ball, merging with the ground wet from the sky’s tears shed over lateness.

We boarded the bus and immediately fell asleep. My will to read Adam Bede crushed by the closing of my eyes, a blink being prolonged just enough to cause unconsciousness. Three and a half hours later, I was awoken by German. Groggily, I peered around. Alex was still here, sitting next to me. Outside, it was rainy, but I saw a face. Roger Federer. Yes! We arrived! Basel greeted us with the face of its most famous tennis player (and possibly its most famous person) plastered on buses, banks, and other buildings. 

The man who had been speaking German stopped and transitioned into English. In my state of sleepiness, I almost forgot to cheer when he said we’d conduct the first part of the tour on the bus because of the rainy atmosphere outside. He pointed out a Catholic church that became Protestant and then a Protestant church that was massive and though it looks old, was from the 1900s. It is marked most noticably by magnolia trees. That did not help me when I later tried to find the church on foot. Mainly because I didn’t know the correct name and so when I described it, I realized people don’t regularly identify things by the trees that encircle them or the date they were built. No, by names or streets or “it is the really famous building that some french man built.” 

The walking part of the walking tour began in the Altstadt. We were told about how the streets we were walking through were named after spices (ginger, pepper, salt, etc.) and that we were in the district where people would come in olden times to by spices. Surrounding us was the knight’s residences, near the wall that surrounded Basel. They were placed here for pragmatic reasons. If people were going to invade, they’d first attack the wall. The city wall was expanded to where it is today, with a new wall going around lands acquired after a bridge was built across the Rhein, a major feat of that age. 

We walked to the Old Town Hall, which is a strikingly red building with two towers. On the right tower, there is a balcony. This is the balcony that Federer stood, displaying his two-thousand trophies from various Masters, Opens, and Cup matches. 

We continued on to a massive church near the Rhein on the side of the larger section of Basel. It was a gothic Catholic church that housed a memorial for Eramus. He was a devout Catholic who lived in Basel for 10 years before leaving, only to return weeks before he would die. He left Basel because of the growing Protestant influence/population. Why he returned is a mystery, though many speculate it was because he wanted to publish something, and Basel had a large paper and publishing industry, and later, was the pharmaceutical capital of Europe. The European exchange of students between universities (the Erasmus Program) is named after him. The church visit ended our tour and we headed to the ferry to cross the river. 

We looked down at the river from the church and noticed its strong current, tearing at the shores, battling the stones that formed a large bridge between the two sides of Basel. From this location, one could see the Black Forest of Germany and the start of French territory. Three countries seen from one point. It was truly magical.

But the magic was disturbed when we realized that the ferry was nothing more than a small wooden boat tied to a line running perpendicular to the river. By angling the boat, it would move back and forth across the river, against the current. There was no motor required, a very green way of traveling from one side to the other or the cause of my death. 

The bell was rung at the dock and the ferry began its trek over to us. It docked and 30 of us boarded. I braced myself, throwing messages in bottles into the Neckar, hoping one would find its way to Bonn and Flo would find it and read my final words to all those who would listen (which would be about six people). Within five minutes, I had crossed the river, still alive and not drowned somewhere or washed ashore, left in a sandy ditch. 

After the ferry ride, we had three hours of free time. Alex, Zynep, and I walked through the smaller section of Basel across the river, then crossed the bridge, and went into four or five chocolate shops, testing different kinds before buying our authentic swiss chocolate at a department store/grocery store. We walked around for a bit, got lost trying to find a church, and eventually made it back to the bus, where were slept on the way home. 

The Wonders of Bonn and Köln

On April 3rd, 2013, I set out for Bonn, a large city boasting an amazing university in Nordrhein-Westfallen, and most importantly, my friend Flo. I left Tübingen around 6pm on that fateful Wednesday night, printed temporary bahncard in hand, and fear bouncing throughout my body, unable to rest in a single location, should my fidgeting shake it loose. I had planned for a lot to go wrong on this four hour journey. First, I assumed that I somehow had not mastered the German printers with their A4 paper size and mysterious system of inserting cards, pressing buttons at random, and hoping the document came out properly. 

Thankfully, on my way to Stuttgart, my ticket and provisional bahncard scanned without a problem and I found myself even seated in the proper class and location. The regional trains (generally detonated with an RE) lack any sort of reservation system. So I knew I just had to sit in the 2nd class cabins. Even standing in the first class section could get me a large fine. I would not loiter there, despite the temptation presented by spacious seats with ample leg room. 

At Stuttgart, the heart palpitations began. Where was track 11? How do I get there? Unable to summon a beast which would guide me, and with my compass forgotten at home, I set forth towards the helpful sign that pointed left, stating the location of tracks 3 through 11. Stuttgart, I have determined, was set up to my liking. All the trains come in and dock. The only way to the other stations is to go towards the main building and turn left or right. There is none of this funny business of going underground, walking around confused as to whether or not 2a and 2b are on the same side when your ticket only states station 2. It is simple. 

I boarded my train again and felt my heart beat quickly. Round two of ticket checks was upon me. And again I had survived. A few hours later, I had arrived at Bonn. Some evil menace tried to trick me by planting a stop with Bonn in parentheses a stop before the main Bonn train station, but I overcame this trickery and remained seated, my exhaustion winning against such forces. Upon exiting, I looked about for a giant among men. Far away, in a leather jacket, hat, and glasses, I found Flo. I thought of running, but remembered I was wearing my backpack. Besides the pain it inflicts when twenty pounds of clothes rocks back and forth whilst you’re attempting to propel your body forward, one also looks silly when running with a backpack on, as if you are a turtle that has decided to walk on two legs instead of four. 

Upon reaching Flo, I met Oli, a friend of Flo’s who also studies at Bonn. We got pizza, which was delicious, and headed to Flo’s apartment where we spent the night discussing my time in Germany and the next day’s adventures. We went to sleep and awoke seven hours later, exhausted and excited. I had brötchen for the first time, which reminded me of a Bertucci’s roll, but better. Crunchy outside with a soft center. I smothered mine in nutoka, a nutella like substance, and even tried this weird sausage/wurst like spread. I think it would have tasted better heated, but I don’t think that is traditionally how one eats that spread.

We wandered through Bonn and I saw the University, which is essentially a cool palace/castle. We then meandered around the Rhein. Flo pointed out the mountains where Snow White supposedly lived. I then began plotting an adventure which would lead us to her house, but then realized time did not allow such a feat, at least not then. We went to a museum on German history and the American Way in Bonn. It was interesting to compared East and West German culture and how America impacted it. It expanded upon what I learned in my Germany Today course about how West Germany felt initially isolated when the wall went up, but then how it almost inverted with the East Germans feeling trapped, sealed off from the West. 

The next day we went to a cool park where I encountered massive ducks, feisty squirrels, and deer. After a long walk we returned to the center of Bonn and walked around more. We ate at a local steakhouse and I ate the first red meat since I’ve been in Germany. 

On my last full day, I went to Köln. I planned on going back, so to me, it was worth it to spend more time in Bonn then Köln. Köln is MASSIVE compared to Bonn. The Bonn church, which I saw both my first and second day (once at night and once in the morning) is a third of the size of the Kölner Dom. I recommend doing a walk through the Cathedral, the treasure room, and the tower. Though the tower is very tall and you have to walk up an extremely narrow spiral staircase that makes you both dizzy and tired, it is worth it once your reach the top. The view is spectacular. You get an idea of the size of the cathedral as well as the size of Köln. If you are short on time, you can skip the treasure room. It is fascinating seeing what the old priests wore and the bejeweled cups and artifacts from as early as the twelfth century. 

After the Kölner Dom, we went to the Schokoladen Museum. It is relatively close and worth it. When I went, Lindt Chocolate was showcased. You get a piece of chocolate as part of your admission ticket and then you enter the museum. It is mostly the history of chocolate, including where it originates from and how it is manufactured. You can watch people make chocolate and even custom make your own Lindt Chocolate. There’s even small greenhouses modeling the climate of the forests where cocoa beans are grown. 

The tour took roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Afterwards, we got Flammkuchen. Flammkuchen is like thin crust pizza, but without any tomato sauce. Traditional or “Classic” Flammkuchen generally has cheese, a sour cream sauce baked into the crush, bacon, and onions on it. There are a few variations, but they are not nearly as popular as the classic option.

We went home and talked about different German music. I realized most of what I was introduced to in the US was fairly dated compared to what is popular in Germany. I also learned how popular US music is in Germany, which is only emphasized by my inability to find many radio stations here that don’t play a lot of English songs, which are often even written by German bands. The next day, I returned to Tübingen, having no issues with the trains at all. It was an amazing experience and I’m very fortunate to have friend who could and would show me around their city/home. 

Today’s money saving tip: If you plan on traveling a lot, get the bahncard. I recommend the bahncard25, which gives your 25% off tickets your purchase through deutschebahn. Should you want a card, go to the HBF to get one, not online. If you go to the actual store/service desk in the station, you can get the bahncard25 for 25 euro for four months or for 41 euros for the year. Online, you can only get a year membership for 61 euro. I didn't realize you could get the four month one or a student discount and ended up paying 61 euro for mine. Also note that if you open one, you MUST send an email 6 weeks prior to its expiration stating you want to terminate your membership, otherwise it will automatically renew.

Freiburg

The mandatory orientation at Freiburg was a bittersweet experience for me. Everyone travels to the main station separate and from there you travel as a group to the cottage in the Black Forest, unless you’re the group from Tübingen that was imprisoned on a train for seven and a half hours instead of two and half. 

We purchased the Baden-Würrtemberg Group ticket which allows unlimited travel for one day. There were five of us, so the ticket cost 38 Euro for all of us (22 Euro + 4 Euro per person after the initial buyer). We had intended to take the 12.06pm train from Tübingen and thus would have to miss the second half of our course and the excursion. If you have to miss class for mandatory meetings or for bureaucratic ones (the office you need to go to is only open until 11.30 for example) just tell your teacher. They are very understanding of these things.

While in class, we received calls saying that due to construction, our only hope of getting there on time would be the 11.17am train. We did not receive that message until our 10.30am break. Since there things we had to get done before we left that we intended to do during this break, we missed the train. We took the 12.06pm train after all and might have even made it on time if not for an accident on the tracks outside a station that we needed to go through. After countless re-routes, we arrived at 8pm at the cottage. Though this train ride was horrible, it could not be helped and it did give us Tübingen UMass students time to bond and possibly lose any sanity we had. 

I will say, the UMass program was very helpful during our travel issues. They kept in constant contact and even got a taxi to get us from the train station since we were so late. Food was ready for us when we arrived and everyone was friendly and sympathetic. We ate, learned what we were doing during the orientation, and then went upstairs to hang out before bed.

The next day, we went for a hike. Definitely bring winter boots and a heavy jacket. It is cold there. Silke and Regine led the way and were very knowledgable of the history of the forest and the statues we saw. It was a wonderful experience, full of kodak moments and near death experiences (I am very clumsy). When we went back to the cottage, we met with Silke or Regine and discussed course selection, requirements, and any questions we had. They were very knowledgeable of my major requirements, what courses could count towards my major, which courses were actually interesting, and the difficulty of the courses. Later that night we watched a movie, the Reader, which was amazing. 

The final day, we left as a group and trekked to the bus station. We took a bus to the train station, then a short train to Freiburg, then the train to Tübingen. The train ride back was quick and though we had a slight mix up in trains (took an ICE/IC train which the Baden-Württemberg card does not cover) we managed to get home quickly. 

Though the initial train ride slightly ruined the magic of the Black Forest, the UMass orientation was very helpful, fun, and relaxing. I got to meet many wonderful people and learn more about German culture and social norms.