Reutlingen – Page 11 – Valpo Voyager

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My First Week in Reutlingen: Part One

It’s been a long and exciting week. (okay actually 10 days, but who’s counting?) Finally, I feel de-jetlagged and settled enough to reflect on everything, so this will be quite a long post. So I guess I’ll jump right in on arrival day.

The Arrival:
This is probably going to be the most challenging day of the entire semester. Don’t worry, it’s not a horror story. It actually went much more smoothly than I expected, but for me personally, and I assume for many, the first day in a new place is hard. It’s a huge adjustment to make, especially when you haven’t slept in 36 hours. I always feel pretty out of it the day after a transatlantic flight, but I got through it by focusing on one task at a time. First, we landed and got our luggage, then we met Professor Ostoyich and his family at the airport and took a bus to Reutlingen. I will forever be grateful to them for all of their help on the first day and throughout our orientation weeks. That day, they first took us to their apartment, which is on the same street as the dorms, and fed us, passed out our linens and cooking supplies, and explained the plan for the coming days.

The Dorms:
Then, we all moved into our rooms. I temporarily have one all to myself because there is an odd number of girls in this group, but I may be getting an international student roommate in the future. When I first found this out, I was really disappointed because I didn’t want to feel left out of things, but looking back on this week, maybe it was for the best. I’d hate to subject a stranger to my jet lag-induced temporary insanity. Don’t worry, I’m better now. I find it uncanny, how much the dorms here resemble the Valpo freshmen dorms. They are set up similarly, with 2 beds on either side, closets, a sink, and desks by the window.

And this is the view out of my window. It’s not spectacular, but I do get to see the mountains in the distance.

I think there are 3 or 4 dorms that Valpo kinds could potentially live in, but this semester, we’re split between Wurmhaus and Reichwein-Haus, which are pretty similar. I’m in Reichwein, which is more recently renovated, but this semester, Wurmhaus seems like the place to be. More international students live there, so it’s a little more lively, but I like the quiet on my floor. On each floor of both dorms, there are 2 halls of rooms and a shared kitchen and lounge in the middle.

**Helpful hints about moving in: Be sure to stop at the Valpo program storage locker where you can find all sorts of useful items donated by previous Valpo kids. There are phones, hair appliances, toiletries, blankets, cookware, clothes, and much more. It’s like a treasure hunt! Secondly, if you’re picky about pillows like me, bring a pillowcase/liner that zips. The European pillows here are like big, flat squares, but if you have an extra pillowcase, you can fold the pillow in half, and it’ll seem normal. Finally, BRING AN ETHERNET CORD. Some dorms do not have wifi, and I’m so glad I was prepared for that going in.

The first full day:
The next day was our first full day in Reutlingen. First we bought bus passes. (Be sure to have about 70 euros in cash for that.) We then had a brief tour of the campus and town, followed by a delicious lunch at a café. Most of us got the Maultaschen, a regional specialty similar to giant ravioli. I loved that the program paid for a few meals in the beginning, because we didn’t make it to the store for a few days.

After that, we spent some time exploring the city on our own and then ended up watching a movie/falling asleep in one of the lounges. The next day was a free day to settle in, and on Sunday, we had our first introduction to Tübingen, which I’ll get to in part 2 of this post.

Departure Day

January 16, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

This is my last catch-up post, I promise. I wrote this on the morning of the day I left in order to get my thoughts out, and get ready to go. Departure/arrival day is probably a very different experience for different people, but for me, it wasn’t easy at all. I was a wreck all morning and convinced that I’d have a breakdown in the airport, but somehow, something changed somewhere around the metal detectors. At that point, I realized that getting upset was not going to do any good. Instead, I just had to tell myself to keep calm and carry on. And that’s why I’ve now been in Germany for a week and haven’t written about it yet. I’m still in that mindset as I try to get my bearings, but I’m getting there, and I plan to post about my first week by Sunday. But last week, this was what was running through my mind:

Surprisingly, I was actually pretty at peace with this whole thing until last night. I had expected the panic to set in much earlier, but in fact, in the weeks leading up to today, I managed to distract myself from fear with my very long to-do lists. Now that the lists are finished, I have too much time to think, but I have to find the peace again. That’s the only good way to do this.

When it comes to international travel, there’s an easy way and a hard way. I’ve experienced each once. The first time I went to Germany, I wasn’t technically alone, but it felt that way because I was traveling with 40 other students that I had never met before. The trip lasted about a month, and at seventeen, that was by far the longest I had ever been away from home. Back then, I had no idea what to expect, not only from the program itself, but also how my body and mind would react to travel. That particular flight on that particular day caused a perfect storm of factors that need up giving me the worst case of jet lag. First of all, I woke up that day almost too sick to get out of bed, and in addition to/because of that, I was not in the right mindset to do the hardest thing I had ever had to do. After I arrived, I unfortunately can barely remember the first week because I still felt physically and mentally awful. After spending a long time trying to figure out what went wrong that first week, I finally attributed it to about 70% jet lag, 20% heat exhaustion (Someone really should have told me there was no A/C in Germany) and 10% culture shock.
Luckily, This time I won’t have to deal with two of those three factors this time. In contrast to the -20 temperatures at home, Germany is currently a pleasant 55 degrees. As for the culture shock, I might sill have a little at some point, but I’m so thankful that this isn’t my first time to the metaphorical rodeo. I know a little bit of what to expect, and I know that I have felt at home in Germany before, so I can again. As for the jet lag, I’ve learned that that just comes down to luck. The first time I went to Germany, I was so out of whack that I didn’t sleep for 4 days. However, the second time I went to Germany, I was completely fine within a day. I think most of it is luck, but some of it has to do with your mindset going in. On the second trip, I was more confident. That time, I was flying completely alone, but I just didn’t panic because I knew that wouldn’t get me anywhere. When the mind is in a good place, it’s easier for the body to be too.
So this time around, I hope that I can use what experience has taught me. In fact, I wonder if it’s somehow possible to just skip the whole beginning part where I get upset and panicked. Can I just skip to the part where I start to feel comfortable and never want to go home? Because I know that part will come, and I don’t want to waste a single day feeling upset when I only get so many to begin with. What if I just don’t worry? Don’t cry? Don’t take it all so seriously? As of now, that’s my plan, to just let it all happen as it’s supposed to. We’ll see how that plan holds up when I get to the airport.
Like every soon-to-be study abroader, I’m scared and excited at the same time. Everyone says this will be the time of my life, and while I generally agree, I also think that adds a lot of pressure for me to make it that good. This experience is a gift, a blessing. But it’s hard. It’s once again the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Over the whole winter break, I’ve thought about it non-stop. In fact, my favorite little part of each day was the four seconds after I woke up each morning, and in my half-deeming state, didn’t remember yet that this challenge was approaching so soon. And then every morning, it hit me all over again. Finally, this morning, It’s time. Time to put one foot in front of the other and step into this blessing, this adventure, reminding myself that the things we fear most are the things most worth having.

Packing for 4 Months: My Attempt at Minimalism

January 14, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

When I was first applying to study abroad, one of the most daunting challenges I faced was figuring out how to pack. A quick google search on this topic will yield some valid, but generic advice. I was able to piece this together into what I thought was a more appropriate list for me and other study abroaders. I wanted to dedicate a post to the great challenge that is packing for a long-term trip. Because that’s the kind of travel blog I want this to be. Not just a list of all the places I go and things I do, but rather a source of practical tips, honest observations, and general guidance for future study abroaders.

One of the biggest inspirations I found in my online search for packing tips was a video posted by a woman who travelled around Asia for a year with just a normal-sized backpack. She’s a real minimalist, and while I surely wouldn’t advise packing that light for a study abroad semester, she proved to me that we don’t actually need anywhere near the amount of stuff we think we need to not only survive, but to have a great time.You can wear most clothes more than once per wash, you don’t need to pack for every “what if,” and you will, in fact, be happier if you don’t have to carry your weight in luggage. This philosophy helped me take a hard look at each item I wanted to pack and honestly assess whether or not I really needed it. Miraculously, I neither over- or underestimated the amount of stuff to take (from what I can tell at this point). The stuff that I decided to put in the “yes” pile was the exact amount that would fit in my suitcase later. Now, I don’t claim to be an actual minimalist. I did fill the absolute maximum amount of free luggage, but I’m proud of myself because a few years ago, that’s the amount I would have packed for one month. In fact, that’s the amount I did pack for one month and it was way too much. This time, I really think it’s gonna last four months.
So I think I’ll start my packing advice with a few examples of what not to pack, most of which stem from my shock and horror at what some of the study abroaders of YouTube suggested. Most of this is more applicable to women, but hey, we’re the ones who usually need help with this kind of thing.

Things not to pack:
Hair dryers/curling irons/straighteners—That’s an obvious one, you don’t want to light your hair on fire. Personally, I decided to avoid this issue by re-perming my hair. Bringing the 80s back! And of course, they sell hair appliances abroad too.

Full-sized soaps/shampoos—It really bugs me how people can’t live without their very specific brands. Don’t waste space and weight in your luggage with this stuff. Just pack travel-sized bottles to last a week, and after that, be adventurous and try the local products. One exception to this is all prescription and OTC medication, which may be unavailable in many areas.

Season specific clothing—Know the climate before you go, and don’t pack a bunch of heavy sweaters or a bunch of short shorts if you won’t need them several times.

Too much clothing/accessories—Don’t bring your entire jewelry collection. I packed one necklace, one bracelet, one ring, and 2 pairs of earrings. Tangent time: I saw some girl giving packing advice on YouTube who had about 15 bras in her suitcase! I can’t imagine why that would be necessary.

Feminine products—This one really gets me, at least if you’re going to Europe. Several girls have
advised bringing your own, but before you waste space on that, just take a second to ask yourself how millions of European women manage to get by with what’s available in their countries. Another YouTube nut actually packed 2 giant Costco-sized boxes of tampons for her trip and acted like that was a good tip. I don’t want to judge others and I know that we all have things we won’t budge on, but I actually laughed out loud at that video and the size of those boxes. Becoming adaptable to new environments is a life skill. Come on girls, let’s learn it!

Too many shoes/heels—The final YouTube nut advised brining about 8 pairs of shoes, 3 of which were heavy boots. Believe me, I wish I could do that, but with no room left in my one suitcase, I had to pick just 4 to pack in carry-on and the heaviest to wear on the plane. Also, you really, really, really don’t want to bring heels to Europe. Heels + cobblestones = pain and embarrassment.

And finally, the worst offense of them all…
American junk food—IF I HEAR ONE MORE PERSON TELL ME TO PACK PEANUT BUTTER AND/OR KRAFT MAC & CHEESE, I’M GONNA LOSE IT! And it’s not just because I don’t particularly like these 2 foods. It’s the principle of it. First, I wish people knew how easy it is to make real mac & cheese that’s infinitely better than the box. In fact, I think I’ll make that my first abroad recipe post! Secondly, I hate the idea of clinging to comfort junk food instead of trying local foods. You have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try some really yummy stuff that you’re gonna miss when you go home. Embrace it and enjoy it!

And now for what you should pack:
Disclaimer: I don’t know if I made all the right decisions, but I did my best, and I feel confident that I’ll have what I need. Sometime during my semester, I’ll do an update post to talk about what I wish I would have packed or left at home.

To start the process, I spread out a big sheet on my floor and pulled things out of my closet, organizing them first into “yes” and “maybe” piles and then into item categories. This is all the clothing I ended up packing:

Some people may find this boring, but I want to list everything I packed because I found it extremely helpful when other people posted their packing lists on their travel blogs. Just in general, I tried to pack mix and match clothiers in mostly neutrals with a few pops of color. I opted for comfort, layering, and versatility above all. If a particular item didn’t match with at least 2 other things, I wouldn’t bring it. I didn’t pack clothes I don’t like, but I also didn’t pack my favorite/nicest things either. Many pieces are hand-me-downs, thrift shop gems, or just sort of on their last leg. That way, if I need to throw things out at the end of the semester to make room for accumulated junk, I won’t have a problem doing that. Finally, remember to wear your heaviest clothes and shoes on the plane. In my case, that’s jeans, my snow-proof walking shoes, and my winter parka.

In the big suitcase:
8 t-shirts/everyday shirts (all short sleeves for layering with cardigans)
3 either casual or dressy tops
1 dressy top
4 cardigans
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of khakis
1 black dress pant
1 casual khaki skirt
1 pair of longer khaki shorts
1 pair of black leggings
1 pair of yoga pants (that double as pajamas)
2 workout/sleep t-shirts
1 lounge/sleep short
2 versatile black dresses, 1 printed
2 pairs of black tights (because 1 will rip)
5 tank tops/layering camis
1 swimsuit
1 swim coverup/PJ
1 dressy coat
1 spring windbreaker
5 printed scarves (plus a warm one with hat and gloves)
socks, underwear, and bras (but not 15 of them, see above)
minimal toiletries and makeup

To actually pack the suitcase, I first used all of my roll-up space bags, and then packed things by category in gallon ziplock bags. Those are like the poor man’s space bag because you can squish all the extra air out. Every piece of clothing (except jeans) is in an airtight bag, tightly rolled, not folded. I’m really not usually so OCD, I got the bag idea from YouTube too, and it’s brilliant. There’s no way I would have fit everything with any other method.

Carry-on baggage:
My airline allows one carry-on and one “personal item.” Because I would probably go nuts if I didn’t have a guitar for 4 months, I bought a really cheap as-is, travel-sized one that counts as my carry-on. Then i stuffed the case with all of my paperback books. It’s probably not great for the guitar, but I’m not wasting any space. And isn’t it pretty?

So that meant that I only had the “personal item” left in my luggage allowance. Usually, they say this is supposed to be a purse or laptop bag, but I’ve never been stopped in all my years of using my regular-sized school backpack and calling that my “personal item.” That way, I can fit my laptop, my entire purse, plus some other stuff in it. These are the other miscellaneous items I recommend bringing:

Shoes—because there’s no real weight restriction for carry-ons, or at least, they don’t check it. I will wear my good walking shoes and I packed a pair of black flats, converse sneakers, comfortable walking sandals, and shower flip-flops. If it was summer, I would have bought flip flops there but unfortunately, it’s January.

laptop, camera, smartphone at least for wifi use, plus all the cords and chargers, and an adapter
laptop lock
regular lock (for hostel lockers)
ethernet cord (unless you’re confident in the wifi wherever you’re going)
small umbrella
a folder with important documents
one notebook (This is study abroad after all.)
medication/contacts/glasses
sunglasses
minimal jewelry
a bunch of ziplock bags–I heard that they don’t have them in Germany, but I guess I’ll find out.
American measuring cups—For me, that’s a necessity.

Except for a few other little things, that’s pretty much it. Of course I’m afraid that I forgot something, but in the end, the most important thing to remember is that I can’t be prepared for everything, but I will figure it out when I need to.

We’re Capable of More Than We Think

January 12, 2014 / kaitlyncarzoli / 0 Comments

Hi! I’m Kaitlyn Carzoli, a junior German major and French minor studying in Reutlingen, Germany this spring. You can follow my adventures on this page as I dive into the life and culture of Germany and hopefully many other places across Europe! For now, I have a bit of catching up to do, so I’ll start by posting the three entries I wrote before arriving. This first one should give you a little bit of background on why I chose to study in Germany and my hopes for the semester:

As of today, I have about a month left before I leave to spend the spring semester in Reutlingen, Germany, and I couldn’t be more excited! Still, it goes without saying that I’m nervous too. Some of my biggest passions in life are travel, foreign languages, and foreign cultures, but even so, my decision to study abroad was not an easy one. I always knew I wanted to study in Germany at some point, but my fear of the unknown kept making me feel like I wasn’t ready yet. There were so many questions to answer, lists to make, and problems to solve, but if only I had just a few more months, maybe I would be ready by then. And then I realized something. I’m never going to feel ready, so I just have to get on the plane and figure it out as I go along. I’m never going to have all the answers or know exactly what to expect. There will be unforeseen challenges, and I have to make peace with the fact that not every decision I make will be the right one. But learning to meet those challenges is how I’ll grow and learn to trust myself. I know I’ll be a different person when I come back, and I’m excited for that transformation.

Luckily, underneath all my nervousness lies a stronger peace. I know that everything will be okay, because on a smaller scale, I’ve experienced this sort of transformation before. In high school, I studied German for four years, and for some strange reason, I really had a knack for it. During the summer before my senior year, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a month living with a German host family and travelling around Germany with other students. On the first day, I was so terrified that I almost didn’t get on the plane, but by the last day, I would have given anything to stay just a little longer. On my last morning there, I sat down to breakfast, and my host dad told me something that I’ll never forget. Roughly translated, he said that we’re always capable of more than we think. I’ve decided, that’s going to be my mantra in Reutlingen. It sounds cliché, but that summer profoundly changed my entire way of thinking about myself and the world, and somehow, I felt more at home in Germany than I ever have anywhere else. So in a way, I’m thinking of my semester in Reutlingen as a homecoming of sorts. I’m going back to a place that I love, and I’ll get to rediscover all the things that I’ve missed about it.

Like the breathtaking landmarks:

And 500-year-old buildings that look like this:

And this:

And of course, the amazing food!

So that’s just some of what I’m looking forward to this semester. Next, I’ll post my general study abroad packing tips and some pre-departure thoughts. Then, I’ll be all settled in and ready to add new content about my first week in Reutlingen. If you are at all interested in studying abroad at Valpo, keep up with this blog, and if you want to know even more, check out my travel/food blog at spoonfulofzucker.blogspot.com .

Bis morgen!

–Kaitlyn

The Reutlingen group and Dr. Stroebele

A great opportunity

October 24, 2013 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

The Reutlingen group and Dr. Stroebele

A short, but very interesting update! Last week the Reutlingen cohort was invited to meet with the Cultural Minister of Reutlingen, Dr Ströebele. Dr Ströebele warmly welcomed the Crusaders at City Hall. The night went smoothly and everyone had a great time- the event allowed the students to interact with the cultural minister, asking him questions and listening to what he had to say.

The students greatly enjoyed the opportunity of meeting an important figure in the city of Reutlingen. The event was even covered on the official website for Reutlingen! The article also gives in-depth information about the Valpo Reutlingen program. Check it out: (though you might not understand it)

http://www.reutlingen.de/de/Aktuelles+Info/Nachrichten/Nachricht?view=publish&item=article&id=5109

Relaxation is a must!

March 17, 2013 / maryanncraft / 0 Comments

Over the past weekend I have done a lot of lounging around, but it was well worth it. On Friday a friend of mine and I went to the town of Bad Urach. Bad Urach is known for its hot springs so we were gonna head up there to relax. We left around noon and upon arrival decided to head toward the waterfall. Looking back on it now, it was a good idea but for the wrong day. It took us a while to get there because the ground was kind of soggy from the snow melting. What should have taken a total of about 45 minutes ended up taking us almost two hours to go to the waterfall and back. This was because we did something we had decided at the beginning we were not going to do: climb up the side of the waterfall.

We had reached the waterfall and done the touristy thing, you know, taken pictures. We saw the steps leading up the side up the waterfall and saw they were covered with snow and ice and decided that it was probably not a good idea to go up them. This older man had come up and politely offered to take our picture. After taking the picture, he said to us that we need to climb up. I thought he was joking so I smiled and said that we were fine on the ground. I realized that he was not joking. The way that he was talking to us, he was telling us that we needed to go up these stairs. My friend and I didn’t know how to get out of the situation, so we did the only thing that we could: we started climbing the stairs. Needless to say, that old man left us in the dust.

About half-way up we decided to stop and take some more pictures. We were standing beside the waterfall, so all we could hear was the running water. We looked up and saw that the man was yelling something down at us, but I had no idea what he was saying. We assumed that he had told us to keep going, so up we went. Once we started passing the bigger obstacles, like the icy steps or the steep inclines, I started realizing that we would need to go back down the way we came. We didn’t see the old man anymore and so we decided to start the climb back down.

Part way down, my friend slipped but since I was ahead all I heard was the thump of her hitting the stairs. I turned around and wondered why she was sitting in the snow. After getting her cleaned off, we started the walk back down the waterfall. Needless to say, it took us a while because we were very cautious. Once we got back to solid ground, my friend looked back and noticed that the man was heading back down the stairs and was close to us, so she told me to get walking. We did NOT want to talk to that man again. I know it wasn’t his fault that my friend fell, but we felt better blaming him for having made us go up the treacherous steps that would lead her to her fall.

Once we headed back into town, we found the way to the hot spring quite easily. The water was so warm. We first went into the outside pool. We spent some time out there, but decided to go inside after realizing that though our bodies were warm, our faces were freezing. Once inside, the other pool was just as warm, but the inside kept our faces warm as well. This place was almost like a giant hot tub. We found a spot inside the pool that you could lay on these metal bars and there were bubbles coming out that massaged your back and actually moved up and down. Yup, I fell asleep. It was soooo comfortable. I would highly recommend going.

So basically, not including the hike to and up the side of the waterfall, my day was pretty relaxing and I’m not complaining. I got to sleep in a little and take a day trip where I basically fell asleep in a giant hot tub that massaged me the entire time. I would say that it was the life. For a moment, I had no worries, until we got home that night and I remembered all of my homework and tests that I needed to study for this past weekend :/ Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Ulm: That’s one high church tower

March 6, 2013 / maryanncraft / 0 Comments

This past Saturday a couple of my friends and I took one of the ‘suggested’ day trips to Ulm. Ulm is known for its high church tower. If you can picture this, high church tower = a lot of stairs = tired at the top. I agreed to doing this. I don’t know why. I was all set for relaxing my first actual weekend in Reutlingen where I wasn’t expected to do anything. Instead, I signed up for this trip. Which this surprised me, because I had already said that after I climbed the tower in Cologne, I would not be climbing anymore towers. Apparently, I lied to myself.

To get there, we have a pass called the Naldo pass that works for the buses and trains in the Naldo system. Since we found the directions on how to get to Ulm on the Naldo website, we assumed that it was in the Naldo network. Apparently, not. One stop before we actually had to get off, the conductor informed us that we needed to get off and buy the correct ticket. We did this and then had to wait ONE HOUR before the next train that would take us 15 minutes to the next stop.

When we arrived in Ulm, the first stop was obviously the tower. It didn’t take that long to climb because part of the tower was closed off, though it was still tiring. We did get pretty close to the top, though. The view from the top was a little blocked off because there was construction happening on that tower.

After the tower, we got ice cream to help soothe the nerves of some of the people in our group who were afraid of heights. I was not going to complain. The ice cream here in Europe is better, in my opinion, than in America. It is just creamier, probably because it’s gelato, but it’s good.

Afterward, we went to the bread museum. We thought that the museum would be more like a factory, in that they would give us free samples of different breads. No. It was the history of bread. You can understand how exciting this museum was for us :/ The coolest part of this museum was grinding grain. Yippee.

The day went well, all in all. We got home safely, though we were all exhausted.

The many sides of London

March 5, 2013 / maryanncraft / 0 Comments

Our first official day in London we started the day off by going to the Tower of London. It was spectacular. We took one of the free tours offered and learned some of the history of the Tower. Most of the history had to do with illegally killing people, but besides that it was great! 😉 At the Tower, we got to see the crown jewels. Sadly, we could not take any pictures but the crowns were amazing.

After the Tower we went to Westminster Abbey. It was huge! And a lot of dead bodies are buried there, such as Elizabeth I’s and her half-sister Mary. There is an audio tour that is part of your admission, which really helps to tell about the history of the Abbey. Most have heard of the Abbey, but not many know why it is important to people. Most recently, it was the venue for the wedding between Kate Middleton and William. It was also where Elizabeth II was crowned queen. In fact, on the audio tour I learned that most royals are baptized, crowned, and buried in the Abbey.

After the Abbey we decided to go check out Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. This doesn’t seem to be the place most would think of going when they visit London, but I’m really glad that I went. Taking the tour, I learned about the amount of detail that went into the making of the Globe to ensure that it was made exactly the way it was built in Shakespeare’s time. They covered everything, to even the same type of tree being used and the animal hair used in the clay that was used to make the walls. Something that was not planned to be a part of the tour was the wedding party that came in. I guess they just really like the Globe that much that they wanted to take their wedding pictures inside of it.

The next day in London we did mainly quick little things that wouldn’t take up as much time, since we were flying back to Reutlingen that day. First, we went to Baker Street because of Sherlock Holmes. There was even a statue of him. Afterward, we went to King’s Cross to check out Platform 93/4. It was really cool there. There was even a Harry Potter store next to the ‘platform’ that was set up somewhat like one of the stores in the movies. They even had wands and chocolate frogs!

We also got to see the Wellington Arch, which was actually by accident because our goal was to go and see Buckingham Palace, which we did get to do. After Buckingham we went to go get lunch. The place we ate at was so cool! It was called Yo!Sushi and it had a conveyor belt that brought the food around. The best part would have had to have been the faucets that were at the table. One was for still water and the other for sparkling. And they had FREE refills!!!! That is almost unheard of in Europe so it was a hot commodity while we were there. We probably each had at least five glasses of water, if not more. It was a good day all around.

SPAMALOT!

March 4, 2013 / maryanncraft / 0 Comments

Upon arrival in London, it took us a total of three hours to find our hostel. Afterward I was soooo exhausted that I fell asleep. I woke up about an hour later and we decided that we wanted to go see a musical that night. The musical we decided on going to see was “Spamalot.” Now this was not my first choice for a musical, but I’m so glad that we went. We got amazing seats, so amazing that I believe when the man told us where we would be sitting if we bought the tickets, I immediately said “We’ll take them,” without even thinking about it. I am glad I decided to go, seeing as this was my first musical and all, it was a fantastic one to choose! I know, I know. It’s surprising I haven’t gone to other musicals yet, but at least I started with one that I deem A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

During the musical I was laughing so hard because of the jokes that were being made and the way they portrayed the movie onto the stage. It was so cool, because the cast only had like twelve people in it, and so some people played multiple parts. I personally like smaller casts so this was enjoyable for me. It also didn’t hurt that the actors had accents which made the musical seem a little more authentic to the whole Monty Python theme. Some of the parts were different from the “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” movie, but I think it made it that much funnier because we didn’t exactly know what to expect.

There were times when events or people from the present would be put into the musical. I believe Susan Boyle was mentioned. There were some parts that I didn’t understand just because it had to do with words that the English use that we don’t. After the musical it was pretty late, so we didn’t really do anything else afterward. I did feel accomplished, though, because I was not expecting on really doing anything, and instead we went to go see a musical that I really thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re ever in London, check out “Spamalot!”

Leipzig and Wittenberg

March 4, 2013 / emilywambach / 0 Comments

Our first class trip was great! I was a bit worried about how it would work out, thinking that maybe it would end up being hectic. But I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected! This trip specifically was designed for our Theology/History course that focuses on Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach (I know, a strange combination). It was a lot of fun. A lot of walking, but still fun!

Our week started off in Leipzig in eastern German state Sachsen. Meaning on the other side of the country… meaning a long train ride, a long train ride that started off with Mary-Ann and I running to the bus stop to catch the bus so we could catch that train. All that matters though is that we made it! And I was able to sleep the entire way there, so that’s good too.

This is the boys choir that preforms for the Thomaskirche. This would be the kind of choir the Bach was incharge of during his employment!

By the time we arrive to Leipzig the sun has already set. And we’re greeted with the lovely spray-painted sign of “SWABIANS GO HOME” (Reutlingen = The middle of Swabia). But that’s alright! Good thing we aren’t actual Swabians! And our hotel/pension is only a short walk away from the train station so we start our way over. To get there we cross over a popular street car stop, in which Dr. Jennings alerts us to watch out for said street cars before crossing. And what do I do? Walk in front of a street car. (It was not my day as you could tell…) Luckily I just needed to quicken my pace to get by.

But to any of you who doubt my competence, I’ll have you know that everything went great afterwards. Our main reason for visiting Leipzig was the Thomaskirche, the church that Bach use to be employed at. It’s a beautiful gothic church and has a huge statue of Bach by the side of it! Lucky for us we were even able to listen to the boy choir while we were there. After spending the whole day exploring Leipzig, it was nice to sit down and relax.

This is where Luther lived in Wittenberg!

The next day we took a day trip to Wittenberg. As many of you should know, this is where Martin Luther used to live, teach at, and most of all, this is where he posted his 95 Theses, starting the Protestant Reformation. Everything in this town was very old and quaint. It was so cool to be able to see everything that we learned in class! We visited his old house and the Schlosskirche where he posted the 95 Theses. The church was under construction, but luckily we visited at the right time to see the church mid-renovation! It was really cool to see the church empty, and we were even able to go into places we normally wouldn’t be allowed to.

So basically, the first half of our trip went great! I had a lot of fun and I would love to visit Leipzig and Wittenberg again!

Valpo Voyager

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