prosting around ze germany

Surprisingly, our second week of classes flew by and before we knew it it was time to head back to the train station and make our way to Munich. We could barely contain our excitement as we rushed from class to the Montarina to grab our ginormous, overstuffed backpacks. This time around, everyone remembered their Eurail passes and we got on the train with plenty of time to spare.

We had to switch trains three times during our trip, with one layover lasting about an hour. During that hour, we decided to stop at this small sports bar and grab a beer (when in Germany...) while we waited for our next train to arrive. The bar was pretty crammed with all 20-some of us trying to squeeze and in and we definitely got some weird looks but we got by by using manners and trying to keep the volume down.

Our train arrived in Munich around 10pm and luckily our hostel was only about a block away. Our 6 person female room was catered to us perfectly, with the exception of the lone mirror that all 6 of us had to share. 

We made our way down to the hostel bar with our free drink coupons and talked with some other the other people staying there. These conversations often end up being some of my favorite because everyone has a different story and through talking with them you can learn so much about the world. We even met a kid from Munich who grew up in Blacksburg! Talk about a small world!

When we realized we still hadn't had dinner, we decided to venture out to find doner kebabs and other german snacks. Once again, all 20-something of us crammed into a little restaurant and ordered. The service was fast and the guys working there loved us (maybe because there wasn't a single person in there when we walked in). From there, we journeyed to a small bar/club thing another block over. The music and the people were a little weird, so we kept to ourselves, dancing awkwardly in one big american circle until it was time to head home. There were also tons of professional photographers walking around snapping pictures, making us feel like celebrities, and today Megan and I found ourselves on one of the websites! 

The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast down in the hostel bar and then met in the lobby for our free walking tour. Our expectations were far exceeded once we met Ozzy, our tour guide. He did a great job of relating the city's history to life events rather than just throwing important dates and figures at us. We started at our hostel and walked to the first of many landmarks: the Frauenkirche church, aka the Pope Benedict XVI's home church where he was a bishop before moving on to bigger and bietter things. It was the first ornate church that I have stepped foot in since being in Europe and I was astonished by its beauty. I know I will be seeing plenty more throughout the next few months, which is definitely something I could get used to.

Then we moved on and walked to the main square just in time to see the bells chime and the figurines move around, telling stories of Munich's past. We took videos and pictures and marveled at the Glockenspiel for a little while before moving on to an area filled with small vendors and markets. Ozzy took us through all of the various sites and smells to a bratwurst stand where we could choose between red and white sausages. Upon his recommendation, I got a red sausage and a Mezza Mix (a half coke-half orange juice soda that is apparently very popular in Germany-- HAD to try it!) all for less than 3 euros! Both were delicious and everyone was very satisfied (Ozzy definitely knew how to please american college students!) From there, we went to another stand to get pickles. I sat out on this one but watched everyone line up to choose from 8 different pickle varitites. Walking, eating, and observing the market area was definitely a highlight of the tour. 

We then headed to a cozy little bar so that we could all have a chance to try a shot of the raspberry schnapps. We had to take turns going in with small groups, because as Ozzy explained, these little pubs were originally made small with one room so that the room could heat up quickly. We must be doing something wrong back in the states because the schnapps was delicious, despite it being made with 40% alcohol. 

After warming up a little, we walked to the Hofbrauhaus to see the famous beer hall where Hitler's beer hall putsch of 1923 occured. Ozzy was very knowledgable and explained everything from how to how a beer stein, how to order like a local and how to cheers (or prost!) to the reasons for the markings on the walls and ceilings (flags strategically painted to cover every centimeter of what were once swastikas). This part of the tour was also where we met back up with Bailey, who had disappeared about an hour earlier upon stopping to put toe warmers in her boots. We were relieved to see her hanging out with new friends drinking a half liter of hofbrau. Apparently she wasn't as worried as we were! 

The tour then took us to a few more iconic sites (St. Michaels Church, The National Theatre, Maximilianstrasse) and ended with a group pictures on the steps of Odeonsplatz, leaving us the time left in the afternoon to walk around the pedestrian district and explore some of the shops and grab yet another german snack. 

We headed back to the hostel and made reservations for dinner for 20 at the Augustiner beer hall (again, the hostel staff was extremely helpful and made the reservation for us), showered and got ready for the night. We met everyone down at happy hour in the Wombat's bar and then headed to dinner. Our meal at Augustiner was filled with laughter and delight, perhaps thanks to our liters of beer that we just HAD to order. My meal, entitled "The Barvarian Special" was absolutely amazing. 

And I couldn't let my chance to cheers (or prost!) in a German beer hall escape me, now could I? 

After dinner, we decided to explore one of the biggest local clubs. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like the club we went to. Dance music was blaring in this enormous underground room and I wasn't sketched out in the least (which I was not expecting). Multiple stages and bars were strewn about and the lights were flashing in every which way to the beat. Eventually we had to tear ourselves away in order to get home and get some sleep for the next day, but we still talk about how badly we wish we could go back. 

Sunday morning we got up and met downstairs for breakfast before boarding a train to Dachau to tour the world's first concentration camp. After getting off the train we had to get on a bus, where we found the second half of our group on the very same ride! We all waited in line for our audio tour handhelds and walked silently to the entrance gates. 

I wasn't sure what to expect of the visit to this haunting and cruel place, but I can say now that it really helps to put things in perspective. I was sure to read every plague and poster in the museum and on the grounds of the camp, but even after all of the information was presented, I had a difficult time fathoming the events that took place right under my own two feet. Needless to say, I left with ten times more knowledge than I had going in, but also feeling sick to my stomach. 

We got back to Munich to grab our bags, but not before half of the group got stuck on the train due to the doors closing before they could get off. We were a little scared seeing them pull away considering our train back to Lugano was leaving in less than an hour, but luckily they just got off at the next stop and were back at our hostel with us grabbing our backpacks from the luggage room in no time. 

We hurried to the train station and grabbed one last doner kebab before boarding our chariot home. The train was pretty crowded, forcing Kerry and I to sit next to two loud German optical frame designers who were very interested in our trip abroad. Sleeping was out of the question, so we just smiled and eavesdropped on their conversation (of course, all we got out of it was a string of odd sounds and frantic gestures). 

We arrived back in Lugano around 11:30pm and walked up to the Montarina ready to crash in our own beds. We were greeted at the door by our scary security guard Palo and the unique aroma of the Montarina lobby and I realized in that moment how much this place has already become our home.

Overall, Munich was an amazing place that I would love to visit again one day. Rich in history and culture, it had everything I could have wanted in a nice weekend trip with 20 of my closest new friends. Next weekend, we head to Venice for it's famous carnivale- which means right now it's time to get some reading done and rest. 

"Ok see ya byyyee!" (our new favorite phrase used by local swiss-italians)

Linds

p.s. shout out to ma gurl julzzzzz

the larger lessons

There are a million little things that you learn throughout the day while studying abroad. You see that cars are smaller, fashion is important, food is fresher. Then you notice slightly bigger things- aspects of the culture that, if you were at home, would come completely naturally to you. Street signs, road names, locations of information - suddenly you have to search for them. It takes traveling and experience, however, to learn the bigger lessons. And while I've only traveled around Europe for about ten days, I felt the need to write down these bigger lessons as to not forget them in the future.

In our consumer behavior class, we are taking a closer look at the dynamics of motivation, and more specifically, the nature of goals. We learn from our textbook that upon failing to complete a goal, one becomes frustrated. When people cannot cope with this frustration, they use various defense mechanisms (aggression, rationalization, regression, withdrawal, projection, repression, etc.) to protect their self image and perhaps more importantly, their self esteem.

Enough with the marketing spiel. I'll get to the point. Basically the biggest lesson I have learned so far (above learning of basic phrases, common customs, the art of catching connecting trains) is controlling the frustration that comes with not completing a goal. I have been tossed across the big pond and given a few tips and tricks that have aided me in dealing with my foreign situation. Regardless, while I am here, I will continue to make wrong decisions that keep me from completing my goals. The trick is to take these obstacles and not let them, for lack of better words, turn me into a crazy person. I'm going to miss a train here and there. A lack of knowledge is going to cause me to waste money and time, thus restraining my ability to meet my goals concerned with traveling on a budget.

Over the next four months, I vow to simply take these experiences and digest them. I will not pout or whine or regret. I will comprehend the lesson laugh, and learn. I also vow to observe and constantly take in my surroundings. I vow to record these observations in my journal and in this blog and use them as reference in the future. I vow to wake up every morning excited to live and learn.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun, but I feel fortunate to have learned this early. I know that it doesn't make me any less naïve, but I do believe it's a start. I can not fathom the number of and types of lessons that are out there waiting to be taken in.

Tomorrow we leave for another weekend in a foreign country so stay tuned. Munich, here we come!

Linds

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

INTERLAKEN!

You live and you learn. This statement has never been more true than it was this past weekend. With that being said, the past three days have been some of the best in my life. Hands down. I'll try to keep this short and sweet, but so much has happened so I'm just going to start typing.

Let's start with this past Friday. We all got back from class around noon and packed up our things for our first weekend trip. We split into a few different groups according to what people wanted to do most- some people went to Milan, some to Munich and 18 of us to Interlaken. We (the 8 of us that went snowboarding) picked up our snowboards and skis at a local ski shop in town and then headed home to pack. We went to the train station with abut 20 minutes to spare, hoping that would be enough time to find our train.

While trying to find our gate, someone suggests looking at our rail pass, so Megan pulls hers out of her bag. Her eyes get huge and we quickly realize that she accidentally packed her boarding pass from our flight last week instead of her rail pass. Without a second thought, she leaves her bags with us and takes off in a sprint back to our room to get her ticket. Note: the time is 12:10. Our train leaves the station at 12:14 and Megan just took off back to the hostel. Freaking out, we grab her bags and get to the gate. Kerry and I realize then that Megan has no way of knowing which gate to go to, so we leave our bags and wait for her in the main terminal tunnel, praying that she will show up in time for us to run to the train. We hear our train pull up and the announcer comes on to say that it has arrived. Kerry and I keep our eyes locked on the end of the tunnel hoping Megan will fly through at any second. Sure enough, right in time, Megan slides from around the corner. Her face is red, her hair is messy and she is ferociously panting. 100 yards from us, we scream at her to run as fast as she can and to follow us. We get on the train and it starts moving about 10 seconds later.

We sit down in our seats, eyes wide, crying laughing because that's all we know to do. We peel off our coats and watch Megan try to catch her breath. Let's just say that about 8 minutes into our ride Megan runs to the bathroom to throw up (5 minute straight sprint up a hill + winding up the swiss alps on a train = the perfect storm for a spew session). I think my abs are more sore right now from laughing at the beginning of that train ride then that are from snowboarding through the alps. The ride through the alps was breathtaking and we couldn't help but look like typical americans and taking pictures out of the windows.

People watching on the train was definitely entertaining, and we found out that other people were having fun watching us too. Our third and last train into Interlaken was pretty packed, but when a guy in his 20's wanted to sit smack in the middle of our group, we just continued on with our conversations assuming that he didn't speak English. 20 minutes later, he jumps into the conversation, surprising us all. Turns out that his english is very good and he lives in the region and was headed home for studying in the city for his finals. We drilled him with questions and laughed about our differences until he got to his stop. He was really nice  He even made Carter try some of his snuff tobacco that was "Christmas flavored" that he said is very popular amongst the other hardcore mountain man. Carter and him became fast friends and he even gave the rest of his tin of stuff to Carter to take with him. We wished we had something to give him in return, but unfortunately we didn't bring any burgers or peanut butter with us.

4 hours and 3 trains after departing, we arrive in Interlaken and check into our hostel, Balmers. Starving, all 18 of us take off to find a place to eat, only to land upon Hooters. We all agree that burgers, wings, and fries sound amazing so sure enough, we walk in and get the entire back bar to ourselves! I was a little disappointed with the size of the wings (let's just say getting chicken wings in Switzerland is like getting a hamburger at a mexican restaurant.. rookie mistake!) but regardless we were all extremely satisfied.

That night, we went to the bar that is located under our hostel and met people from all over the world. Australia, Germany, England, South America, China, Canada... nearly every continent was represented and everyone was more than willing to share traveling stories. It was amazing to hear about some of the lives these people live. We all decided to stick to the local beer Rugen Brau- cheap and good!

The next day, we got up for our free breakfast and then headed to a ski shop a few doors down to pick up our lift tickets. Some people went to town to explore, some went paragliding and some went to watch the alpine ski championship, but Bailey, Jordan, Mitch, Jack, Carter, Michael and I went snowboarding. We had been lugging around our boots and boards on trains all weekend and we were ready to put them to use! (You can imagine how upset I was when I found out that I could have rented my board for even CHEAPER than I did in Lugano right there in the store... but like I said.. living and learning!)

We got our lift tickets and took off on our journey to Grindelwald. We weren't too sure of how to get there, so we just kept asking people and putting our faith in their directions. Luckily, one local skiier witnessed our cluelessness and offered to show us the way to the top of the mountain. Through a series of connecting trains, buses and gondalas, we finally arrived at the top around noon. The sights were by far some of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed and we all just kept expressing how completely amazed we were. The runs were ten times longer and wider than anywhere I've been in the U.S. and the snow was fresh packed powder... aka heaven! We had a blast and headed home around 5 when the slopes closed.

 

When we got home we grabbed dinner at a restaurant next to our hostel and strongly considered taking part in their pizza challenge (eat two large pizzas by yourself and get them for free plus your picture on the wall). Thankfully, we didn't let our hunger completely take over and we vowed for regular sized meals. Then we went home and got ready for the night. We went to the same bar below our hostel again, but this time we stuck to ourselves a lot more. It was really fun to talk to everyone and hear about the adventures people had. It seemed like every single person had the time of their lives that day regardless of what they were doing and their stories reflected it.

Sunday morning we woke up, walked around town a little bit and then packed up and headed to the train station. This time we only had to change trains once and the trains were practically empty so we were able to spread out and nap on the rides home. We got back to Lugano around 5 and even after the amazing weekend we had we were happy to be home.

Back to school work! Can't wait to see what next weekend brings.



Linds

first week of classes!

WHERE TO START? I guess I will just pick up where the last post left off.

This week marked our first days of class. We are currently taking two classes and then in a few weeks we will switch to two other courses. We currently have Consumer Behavior everyday and Italian every other day, so on Mondays and Wednesday we get out a little after noon, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have an hour break in the middle for lunch then we stay in class until around 4. Fridays we have both, but hopefully more often then not they will be canceled so that we can travel! 

Basically the school day goes like this:

We all meet downstairs and leave the Montarina together about 30 minutes before class starts. The walk takes about 20 minutes and everyone looks at us like we're nuts, but honestly it's a great way to start the day. The walk is mainly downhill and 85% of the time I wake up too late to eat breakfast so I'm stuffing my mouth with a pop tart or a special k bar or something.  When we get to class, we start with consumer behavior which is very discussion based. Then, we either go home or break for lunch. The university, USI for short, has a great cafeteria just a few yards from our class that we can go to for quick macchiato or focaccia sandwich (YUM!) Unfortunately, everything is really expensive so we usually just make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grab a yogurt or something to eat in the classroom.

On Tuesday we met our italian teacher, a local woman in her fifties with the biggest smile and the funniest accent. Sometimes our pronunciation is so bad that she can't help but giggle and the same goes for us (sometimes she asks us how we say certain italian words and she bends over laughing like crazy while we all look around at each other with blank faces wondering what she is laughing about). She not only taught us the basics (which may or may not help us from looking and sounding so american all of the time) but she also teaches a culture segment. We learned all about the region and its history as well as the best places to grab cheap food in town. It is already obvious that she wants to help us as much as possible because when people ask her Lugano questions or questions about weekend trips to nearby towns she answers thoroughly and often researches and asks her friends in those towns about the best places to go. She has already taken on a sort of motherly role and I think everyone really appreciates it.. even though she says our names weirdly.

After classes we usually head home to nap and then go back into town to explore some more. The nap is a pretty crucial part of the day, especially because we are always completely zonked when we finally hike up all of the steps and make it home. In town, 99% of the things we need can be found at Mirgos, a giant superstore that is basically a cleaner, more european Walmart.

 There was also a bit of down time for us to hang out at the Montarina and get to know each other even better. We've been playing cards and other games like catch phrase. Mary said it perfectly during one of our conversations earlier this week- being here is a lot like being at camp! That being said, I really need to brush up on my egyptian rat screw skills... my slap reaction time to doubles is at an all time low and I haven't won a game yet.

Dinner is served at 7:30 in the main hotel building next to ours. The owner gave us a presentation this week that explained the history of our buildings and the land that it sits on. We learned all about the winery and our buildings and when and how they were restored. The outside facades have to be preserved, so the buildings almost as beautiful as the sights around us. He explained that there are few places in the world where you can enjoy palm trees and giant snow capped mountains in the same view.

That basically covers it as far as the school week routine goes. I'll now write a separate post about my trip to Interlaken (or as my sister says it, EEENTAYARLAAAAKENNN!!!!)

Linds