Reflections on Wittenberg

Given the course questions on Wittenberg, there are two that I would like to address. The first: After seeing firsthand the decline in attendance to Church in Wittenberg, what do you think the Church in Wittenberg and, more generally, the church in Europe could do to inspire more followers for Christ? and secondly: In a country with so many elaborate churches, why do you think religion has lost its importance and does not appeal to people like it used to? Do you think this could happen to America in the future? Why or why not? Continue reading “Reflections on Wittenberg”

Elevator Speech

Where did the time go? I cannot believe how quickly this whole trip has flown by.

I had the privilege to take 202 in Germany, and being able to only focus on one subject at once was amazing.  We had classes on Monday-Thursday from 9-11 for the 202 class, then a German language and culture class from 2-4. It was about a 45 minute commute to and from the Technische Universität of Berlin. Apart from the class time, we would work on our homework during the weeknights.

The food in Germany is great. The street food and food from the grocery store is typically what I would eat. We would have group dinners where we could order the German highlights like Schnitzel and Porks Knuckle. Along the streets, there would be plenty of pizza, and doner options for a cheap price. For breakfast at our hotel (St.-Michaels-Heim Jugendgästehaus & Hotel) on the weekdays, there would be bread, meats and cheese, as well as coffee, and a small amount of cereal. I typically lived off of the bread and nutella for breakfast once I grew tired of the other options. For lunch during the weekdays I would go to a bakery close to our class. It had lots of different kinds of sandwiches to choose from for a cheap price. There were also plenty of Eis cafe’s that sold gelato, and would be a common spot that we would always find after a meal.

During the last week we were able to travel around for 7 days, so my group and I decided to go to first Vienna, Austria. We found cheap plane tickets, and a cheap airbnb that was a quick ride from the hauptbahnhof. We payed for public transportation so that we could see a lot of sights. Vienna is a nice city, and we were able to see a few museums in the city, as well as eat great food. After our trip to Vienna, we took a plane back to Berlin, then we traveled to Stuttgart by train with our railpasses. We found a cheap airbnb in the city once again. We saw the Mercedes and Porsche museum in Stuttgart, and I would recommend the beautiful German city to anyone. We then traveled to Munich by train, and stayed in a cheap hotel. We went to the BMW Museum as well as got a tour of the plant to see just how each model of a BMW is made from start to finish.

The trip was amazing, and I will miss the countless experiences I had with my friends in my room at St.-Michaels-Heim, as well as my friends on the group trip during the last week. 

 

What’s it like?

Here are a few of the countless pictures I have taken while on this trip.

Here are 3 of our 6 total group members that I had the privilege of traveling with during the last week of free time while on the trip. This picture was taken in Munich at the BMW Museum.  We had the ability to step foot in the luxury cars, and here are some of my friends doing just that. We saw the history of BMW as a whole in the museum, and as well as went on a tour of the plant to see exactly how a BMW is made, and the differences between each model.

Here is the first Porsche sportscar that was modeled to kick off our tour of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. This was during our last week of Free time, and while in Stuttgart we as well saw the Mercedes Museum. The Porsche museum was laid out perfectly, as we could see each model progressing through the year as technology advanced. The Porsche Museum seemed to be focused mostly around racing, being a powerhouse in the early 1900’s races. There was even a racing simulator in the museum for guests to test their skills at driving an incredibly fast car.

Here is another picture taken during my last week of free time during the trip. This is the Schloßplatz in Stuttgart, which is located right next to the main shopping center and downtown area of the city. While this picture looks calm and quiet, at night time the square would be littered with people having a good time around the beautifully architectural buildings that creates the square like appearance. There was restaurants that surrounded the area, with live music playing on occasion, which created a lovely vibe at night to sit in the grass and hang out with friends.

Thanks for reading!

 

Snapshots

I had such a great time on this trip. Here are some more pictures of what went down.

Took a boat ride in Lübeck. The view was gorgeous! We played some cards and took a few candid polaroids.

On the last week, we climbed exactly 306 steps up the Church of St. Peter in Marienplatz, Munich to get this amazing view. Totally worth it.

The view from above

Had our boujee meal in Venice on the last day. Everyone was looking fine, as always.

Trattoria San Basilio

Trip to Bremen

This summer we took a day trip to the city of Bremen. Like many of the other places we visited Bremen was very touristy and bustling with people. However Bremen was the first touristy city we had visited that wasn’t a tourist spot for Americans. It was really interesting to see a popular location unaffected by American culture.  Out of all the cities we’ve visited so far, I could see myself living here the most. I really loved the older town square and the cathedrals around town. The city was absolutely gorgeous, when we had time to wander around, I took a lot of pictures and explored every church I could find. I’ve loved seeing all the churches throughout Germany, and Bremen had a lot to offer. I found a church that had an underground portion that was open to view and it was really cool, both figuratively and literally! It was really hot out so a break from the sun was fantastic. After seeing a lot of the older portion of town, a few of us went to see the more modern city, which was a lot more like the other cities we’ve been to. Overall our trip to Bremen was really fun because we got to see a city that still had a lot of intact older buildings and lots of German culture.

Elevator Speech!

Today is my 41st day in Europe. I know that time hasn’t stopped in the United States; days have been ticking away. That being said, my experience here has whirlwinded me into thinking I could fly home tomorrow and it still be July 13th! So much has happened and all of it in what feels like a blink.

We came to Berlin, and it seemed huge. It is, being the largest city in Germany. However, over the weeks of being in Berlin, the general layout of the city became more and more familiar, effectively shrinking it. We took public transportation everywhere: the buses, S-bahn, U-bahn, ICE trains, etc. Our stay, St. Michael Heim’s, was a comfortable, clean, and spacious hostel with a particular yet friendly staff. There, East Berlin, and most big things in-between were explored.

We did take an engineering statics and dynamics class, for which we commuted to TU Berlin four days a week. Nevertheless, it seemed secondary compared to the experience of being in a foreign country and having the opportunity to be independent and absorb new culture.

The beer and food were one of the first things that I looked forward to trying, which lead to my first meal being a Beck’s beer and Currywurst. It was street food, but I was satisfied with that first taste of Germany. Since then, I tried Döners, Schnitzel, Spätzel, Bavarian meatballs, Almdudlers, Apfelscholre, Mezzomix cola, and the list goes on…

The people in Berlin are generally friendly and reserved. They are accommodating to English speakers. The transportation is efficient, clean, and pretty easy to follow, especially for an experienced, cityslicker American. Germans are pretty fashionable too, men and women. Many wear clothes that flatter their bodies, stylish shoes, and have generally put-together outfits. Many Germans are fit too because walking and biking are much more popular.

On the weekends, we took so many memorable and enriching excursions to other cities in Germany. We saw Heidelberg, Bremen, Cologne, Koblenz, Lübeck, and more. I really enjoyed the cathedrals of each major city, and I felt almost ashamed because, by the end of the trip, I started to feel desensitized by the beauty of these churches. It’s only because there was so much overwhelming art and history in every one if these buildings. I really wish the U.S. could be peppered with great cathedrals the way that these Germany cities are.

Weekend trips were especially fun because we usually didn’t have to worry about homework, and traveling always provided opportunities to socialize with peers and share experiences with other people. I really enjoyed vlogging my experiences and striking up conversations or just joking around.

For everyday fun in Berlin, we played ultimate Frisbee, swam in a nearby pond, explored downtown Berlin, and occasionally got lost in the Schloss. I’m gonna miss German chocolate and *ahem* beverages…

I can’t do the trip justice in just an elevator ride, but I know this program will be an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I feel so, so grateful that I went with such great people and was given this one in a lifetime opportunity!