Thursday, April 25, 2013

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. 

Monday, April 22, 2013

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.



Wednesday, April 17, 2013

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. 

Information about Mail


I wanted to make a small post about mail and the system here. When you first arrive at your apartment, unpack, then immediately take a piece of paper, pen, and scissors and go to your mailbox. If there is a name in the name slot of your mailbox that is not your own, take it out. Cut a slip of paper to fit the slot, write your name on the paper, and slide it in place. Your mail will not be delivered 95% of the time if you do not have your name on your mailbox. Why? I do not know. I did not know I had to do this, so most of my mail got sent back to the sender. This meant I did not get my matriculation number, my welcome packet, my internet code letter, my bank card, my pin for my bank card, and numerous other important documents. It was very sad. If you think your mail got sent back, go to the student secretary office or email the bank. They’ll tell you if it got sent back. 

I also received two packages while here. One had to be signed for, so I’d suggest that if whoever sends wants to pay for this option, make sure they authorize that roommates can sign for it, like my mom did, otherwise you won’t get it. If they don’t specify if someone must sign for it, then it will just be dropped outside your apartment door (not your room door). 

You may also encounter that you don't know the name of the street your apartment is on. I don't know what street I live on, but have just been using Wankheimer Täle 1 as the street name, then specifying which room I live in. My other friends have been doing that too. Because umlauts don't always translate when entering in addresses, Amazon or other sites might say your address doesn't exist. Simply remove the umlaut and it should work. At least it has so far for me.