Reutlingen – Page 8 – Valpo Voyager

Category: Reutlingen (page 8 of 20)

First Steps Inside

Make Memories, Go Abroad!

Hello all! I hope everyone is having a great begining to their year and to my college friends, I hope you all are having a great semester! This post will be on the adventures of Vienna, Austria and Prague, Czech Republic, with a break at the local SSV Reutlingen soccer team! First off, if you want an extremely beautiful city with a diverse group of friendly citizens, then Vienna should be on your list of places to visit. Vienna was beautiful, and not just the outside of the buildings, but also the inside. Myself along with Morgan, Raechel, and Shelby from our group made the voyage and we were able to visit the Kunsthistoriches Museum along with a trip to Schonbrunn Palace and St. Stephans Cathedral. Our first thoughts upon arrival was how good the water tasted. This may sound a little strange at first because how can water have a taste other that how water tastes, but let me tell you, whatever it is, you can taste it. The water comes straight from the Alps right to your tap faucet. Moral of the story is, feel free to just take a glass and drink the water straight from the tap and it will be some of the best water there is to taste. We did not just sit in our hostel bathroom drinking the water while we were there however, we did make a trip to the Kunsthistoriches Museum. This is basically an art museum featuring collections of art from the Habsburg’s own collection.

Kunsthistoriches Museum

First Steps Inside

The Building Itself Should Be in a Glass Case

The decorative style of the inside of the building alone was incredible. The inside looked so intoxicating to the eye that I almost forgot there are art expibitions here. The art was fantastic and I would highly recomend giving it a visit. We also had the opportunity to visit Schonbrunn palace which was once the official palace of the Habsburg family. We did not go into the main palace building because of time, but we were able to walk around and outside the palace. We wondered through the palace garden located in the back of the palace and it was breathtaking.

The Main Entrance

I wouldn’t mind having this in my back yard

Roman Sculpture’s in the Garden

After a morning stroll through the garden we decided to give St. Stephan’s cathedral a go. Unfortunately by the time we got there, there was a service being held so we could not make our way up to the altar.

Inside of the Cathedral with a purple backlight

"We can't see the cathedral" (Turns left) "Oh there it is"

“We can’t find the cathedral” (Turns left) “Oh there it is”

This marked the end of our journey around Vienna so we started our way back when…we discovered how beautiful the city is at night.

Hofburg Palace

National Library

All in all, Vienna was hard to beat when it comes to beautiful scenery and decadent desserts.

After we came back to Reutlingen we decided to stay back and rest because on Saturday March 7 we attended a SSV Reutlingen Soccer game! The game was a lot of fun (although there were probably a grand total of 250 people at the game) but the atmosphere was still fun (plus this was payed by the program so that is a huge plus) and the SSV were victorious over Revensburg!

Our next excursion took us along the Vltava river to the wonderful city of Prague! Going to a country that doesn’t speak German as its primary language was a little nerve racking at first, but everything worked out and we learned a little Czech! A little overview of our trip was taking a trip to the famous and biggest attraction in Prague, the Charles bridge! And also a trip to the Prague castle where we were able to see the changing of the gaurd!

Castle Enterance

Howdy Sailor

St Vitus Cathedral Inside the Castle

The view of the city from the castle was incredible as well! Also the view from the Vltava river wasn’t to bad.

Lets go swimming!

If only it were a sunny day

We also took a stop in old town and saw the astronomical clock!

So its 3pm right?

Tyn Church in old town square!

After having unbelievable amounts of fun, we called it a trip and made our way back to Reutlingen. Prague was a great city with excellent traditional bohemian cuisine. Czech was a little scary at first, but we got by no problem with German and English. We did not experience any feelings of being unsafe throughout Prague, but tourist season can be a little different so just make sure to be safe with your money and belongings and you will be fine. I would love to go back to Prague but alas, there is still more to be seen! Speaking of that, this Friday marks the start of our spring break! My roomate and I will be attempting to travel for 17 days straight with just a backpack full of clothes! But hey, this is how memories are made! I hope all of you have a great rest of your day and I want to thank you all again for giving this a read! Until April, this is Austin P signing off!

R-95 Takes the Englischer Garten

Get Around Round Round R-95 Gets Around

March 2, 2015 / apittman / 0 Comments

Hello everyone! I know, I know, I have been really lazy and haven’t posted anything in a while. Myself along with the rest of the group have been super busy with traveling and preping for our spring break in 3 weeks time. Our first stop a while back was the musical center of Leipzig in Saxony. Liepzig was incredible and rich with culture and history every where you looked. While in Leipzig our group visited the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig which not only has historical significance to Johann Sebastian Bach but also to the Monday Demonstrations in the late 1980’s demonstrating against communist rule.

Outside of the Nikolaikirche

This is the outside of the Nikolaikirche (they wouldn’t let me take photos inside) but the inside of it is very beautiful with large white vaulted cielings and greek columns lining the nave that look like they have coconut tree leaves sprouting to the top of the cieling. We also got to see the Thomaskirche which is the final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach. Also we were privaledged to listen to a concert on Bach’s works at the Thomaskirche. The concert was absolutely beautiful simply put. The music in general in Leipzig was fabulous. Everywhere you looked their were street performers either playing violins, guitars, accordions, or all three! (Not really because people don’t have enough hands but that would be pretty cool though).

The Resting Place of J. S. Bach

Thomaskirche

While in Leipzig, the group also visited the Johann Sebastian Bach Museum located directly across the street from the Thomaskirche. The museum was very fun and informative because of how interactive it was. Also the museum housed a belt buckle and thimble that are supposedly from the original coffins of Bach and his wife Maria Barbara at their original burial places. Also while in Leipzig I visited the Battle of Nations Monument on the northern side of Leipzig. The Battle of Nations Monument is a monument commemorating the combined defeat of the Napoleon in 1813 by the nations of Prussia, Austria, Russia, and Sweden.

Battle of Nations Monument

Personally the size of the monument took me completely by surprise. From pictures I saw before going I thought that it was going to a lot smaller but it is truly massive. Where the monument stands is supposedly were Napoleon stood himself during the battle (so the story goes). Overall, Leipzig was a college city with fantastic music everywhere you listened.

Our group also visited the massive (joking) city of Wittenberg for a day trip to see Martin Luther’s home as well as the castle church where Luther (supposedly) posted his 95 theses on the castle church door. The doors are unfortunately not original because the original doors burned down in a fire. These doors happen to be bronze and inscribed on them are the 95 theses. This also means that these doors have 95 doctorates in theology (sorry, bad joke).

Luther’s Casa (House in Spanish)

Castle Church Door

After Leipzig and Wittenberg our group had another fun day excursion to Eisenach where we visited the Wartburg castle. At the Wartburg castle, Martin Luther was ‘kidnapped’ and taken there by Frederick the Wise’s men for Luthers own protection after the Diet of Worms. The Warburg castle also happens to be the spot of the Wartburg Festival in 1817.

Inside the Castle

Wartburg Cast

Eisenach also was home to the first Bach museum, that was for a while believed to be Bach’s own home. However this was disproven recently, but never the less it is still a great museum. One exhibit was Benjamin Franklin’s own glass harmonica.

The last stop on our Luther and Bach trip was Erfurt. Erfurt was amazing, not only because of St. Mary’s Cathedral, but also because they had amazing Thuringian sausages at a local stand for only 1 Euro! That is a deal that even Vince from Sham Wow could sell me on.

Inside the St Mary’s Cathedral

We also saw the St Severus Cathedral that happens to lie directly adjacent to St. Mary’s.

St Severus Cathedral

Left-St Mary’s. Right-St Severus.

After our group trip. Myself along with Raechel, Morgan, and Jared went to Munich. Let me tell you folks. Think of all of the possible German stereotypes possible, then close your eyes. Congratulations you are in Munich! Munich was by far my favorite place I have been. The people, the scenery, the history, the lederhosen. It is ALL there! Our hostel we stayed at offered a free 3 hour walking tour of the city that included the glockenspiel, which in iteslf was amazing. The glockenspiel is Munich’s biggest attraction, and not only was it cool to see that, but to look behind me and see a group of no less than 500 people all staring up at it. We also saw the famous and original Hofbrauhaus which had a very cool atmosphere to it. On a more depressing side of history, the top of the Hofbrauhaus is a larg banquet hall, and in this banquet hall is where Adof Hitler gave one of his first speeches to a large group of people.

Glockenspiel

Marienplatz

R-95 Takes the Englischer Garten

We also were able to visit the beautiful Englischer Garten.

This past weekend, our group was able to visit the amazingly picturesque city of Heidelberg where we received a tour of the only college of Jewish studies in all of Germany. After we also received a small tour of Heidelberg itself. Honestly, everything looked like it could be on a post card.

Just Beautiful

Shelby with the Heidelberg castle in the background

The day after Heidelberg Shelby, Morgan, and myself traveled to Frankfurt for the day to get the one. The only. Chipotle. Yes that is right there is a Chipotle in Frankfurt and it was worth every minute of that train ride. We also walked around and saw the old Rathaus and were outside of the election room where the electors met to decide who would become the next Holy Roman Emperor. Unfortunately it was raining during our exploration of Frankfurt so I couldn’t take my camera out. But Frankfurt so far was the first city to remind me of the U.S. Frankfurt is also home to the European Central Bank and is home to the Euro Tower. Frankfurt was a nice city that looked the least like the Germany people tend to imagine, but nevertheless it was a lot of fun (and Chipotle was so worth it).

A couple of us will be traveling to Vienna this weekend so check in next Tuesday at the latest for another blog post about what was once the seat of the Habsburg Empire! Thanks for being patient and keep on keepin on! For everyone on spring break at Valpo, be safe and have fun! Until next time ladies and germs, this is ya boy Austin P signin off from the land of sausage and bread, peace!

“I think it’s my adventure, my trip, my journey, and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may”

~R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

11:07

February 7, 2015 / apittman / 1 Comment

11:07

The clock said 11:07, but it was not a real clock. The clock was hand painted. Hand painted with the time reading 11:07. On April 22, 1945 at 11:07am, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was liberated by Soviet armed forces just outside of Berlin.

I can honestly say that after visiting this memorial, I am a changed person. It is one thing to read about the horrors and disgusting events that took place in concentration camps, but to see it first hand and walk where tens of thousands of people were systematically exterminated, is something that I cannot really fathom into words. Myself, along with the entirety of my group all do not know how to describe it. The minute you walk in, you immediately feel pure evil. As you walk past the execution pit you want to drop to your knees and wish that this never happened. As you walk past the crematorium ovens you think this is a dream and that this is not real. As you read the names of the people killed, each name getting harder and harder to fight back tears, you wish you could unsee these things.

This quote can be seen before entering the crematorium.

The trip to this memorial has changed my life forever. Even trying to find pictures to use in this blog was hard for me to go through without getting a stomach ache. I will only be posting two pictures from the camp itself. The rest I am withholding.

I did not want this post to be depressing but I figured I would start with this because it was the first thing we did as a group in Berlin.

Berlin however was very beautiful and incredible. It was hard to believe that over 70% of the city was completely and utterly destroyed after the second world war. Some of my favorite parts of Berlin were all of the museums I was able to visit. Included with the trip is a 3 day pass to museums in Berlin. Depending on what museums, you could get in for free. In total I was able to visit 6 museums, 5 of which were covered by the program. Myself along with other members of R-95 went to the Altes Nationalgalerie, Altes museum, Neues Museum, Pergamon Museum, and the DDR museum. The DDR museum was very interesting because it was an interactive museum involving life in East Germany under the German Democratic Republic (It was also the only museum we had to pay for). But with our student discount we were able to go through the whole museum for 4 Euro. Also one of my personal favorite sites was the Brandenburg Gate.

This was actually the monument I wanted to see most when coming to Berlin and I can say that I was not dissappointed. The gate itself dates back to the 18th century, but was very badly damaged during the second world war. Victoria the goddess of Victory ontop of the gate is actually not original. The first statue ontop of the Brandenburg Gate was the goddess Eirene or Irene who was the daughter of Poseidon and was the goddess of peace. This Victoria statue is actually the third to be ontop of the Brandenburg gate because during the Napoleonic wars, Napoleon took down Eirene to be brought back to Paris.

Another beautiful masterpiece of architecture was the Berliner Dom or the Berlin Cathedral. This massive cathedral is the largest in Germany and also one of the most beautiful.

The Berlin Eye in the background

Underneath the cathedral lies the eternal resting place of a number of Hohenzollern family members in the crypt.

Another must was the Berlin wall and the famous Checkpoint Charlie (which now is sort of a tourist attraction than an actual checkpoint).

A little stretch that was left standing

Berlin overall was spectacular and I wish our group had more time to explore, even with five days, we could not see it all. Also I forgot to mention that our group was lucky enough to stuff ourselves with some of the best food I have ever had, all covered by Valpo. The meal itself included various specialties from around the Berlin area. I would have included a picture but our entire group literally inhaled both platters before a single photo could be taken, not to mention there was enough food left over to feed the entirety of Scheele hall for 6 weeks.

After Berlin, myself with a couple of my friends from the group decided to go to Bremen and Hamburg. Both places were absolutely fantastic. I just wish that we could have stayed longer.

Bremen Town Hall

Underneath the Bremen Town Hall lies the Rathskeller restaurant which is over 600 years old and is home to the largest wine selection in all of Germany. Needless to say, our entire group had a fabulous time there.

Hamburg Town Hall

Hamburg was also quite amazing. Hamburg is home to Germany’s largest exporting port and also great fish and the infamous Reeperbahn. Y’all can google it cause I ain’t explainin it. Either way, Hamburg was amazing and like Bremen, I wish I could have stayed longer.

This trip so far has meant so much more to me than I could have ever imagined. I am so thankfull that I have this opportunity to see the world and learn about it from first hand interaction. Everywhere you look there is history to be told and lessons to be learned. This has been one of the best decisions of my life and I am already sad that it will come to an end sooner rather than later.

Our group will be traveling again this upcoming week so expect another long time before posts. I hope you enjoyed and if you have any comments or requests please leave them! This is Austin Pittman signing off from Reutlingen. Good night.

The Marienkirche

Germany, the Land of Bread and Small Streets?

January 19, 2015 / apittman / 1 Comment

Hallo everyone! This was our groups first week in Germany, which of course meant the start of classes this past Monday, January 12. The class itinerary is as follows in no particular order: European Art and Architecture, International Economics, History of Modern Germany, a Luther and Bach course, German 204 (for the advanced speaker), or German 101 (for the beginner), or German 102 (for the awkward student who took a semester of German before coming and did not want to repeat German 101, but yet German 204 is too advanced for them so they sit through class with their mouth wide open because they do not understand a word the teacher is saying). The reality of German 204 is not too bad to be honest, I have sat through the class for a week now and I can honestly say that my listening has improved at least 2 fold as well as my speaking. Although I may look constipated during the class, I am getting better and it helps to push yourself! (no pun intended) Thursday was a special day for our study group however. There is a Reutlingen specific holiday celebrated by Reutlingers in early January called Mutscheltag. Mutscheltag is an old schwabisch traditional holiday that involves playing dice games for bread prizes. However our group did miss the actual holiday, but Herr Viet, our Economics professor (and an authentic Schwabe) put on a special event for anyone interested in the holiday. The dice games are quite simple and loads of fun to play. All you need is a group of at most 7 and 3 dice and you are good to play! One game for example involved just having to role a one-two-three straight with all three dice once. In total we played 7 games, and the individual from each group with the lowest score got to go to the winners table. Thursday there was enough for five groups so five individuals made it to the winners table. After one short game at the championship table to determine final placement, individuals received their prizes and contemplated how they were going to eat all of that bread. I myself did represent my group at the winners table and got 3rd place overall! I counted it as a personal victory and was glad I could make my table proud. Below is a picture of my prize, and just to give you a picture of how large it actually is, the center ring by itself is as big as my head.

SO MUCH MUTSCHEL

However, the Mutschel itself was delicious and I enjoyed every bit of it! I did share it with people on my floor because no one man should have all that bread (yes that was a Kanye West joke). Also on Friday was the Valpo Study Cener groups tour around Reutlingen. We were able to see various statues of important individuals of Reutlingen’s history, the Marienkirche which is the largest church in Reutlingen, and also the Guinness Book of World Records smallest street. Yes that is right, the worlds smallest street is in Reutlingen. Pictured from left to right are some pictures inside the Marienkirche and on the far right is the worlds smallest street.

Inside the Marienkirche

Yes…this is real

The Marienkirche was absolutely beautiful and there will be plenty more pictures to come when I bring my DSLR camera inside. One fun fact about the Marienkirche is that there are more than 600,000 small triangles that make up the entire ceiling of the church that have to be cleaned individually by hand. In blogs to come I can include the story of why the Marienkirche was built if that sounds interesting to you readers! Coming back to the smallest street however, the reason it is the worlds smallest street is because it is not privately owned. The city of Reutlingen owns the street and therefore is a registered street. The street itself is about 1 foot wide and a good 20 or more feet long. Myself with the group did make it through to the other side, but needless to say, it was a tight squeeze. For you starwars fans out there, you could say I felt a little like Jek Porkins in my X-Wing in “Starwars Episode IV A New Hope”. Sunday, myself and a few other of my classmates decided to climb to the top of the Achelm, the tallest mountain in Reutlingen. The climb itself was very exhausting but beyond worth it. The trip took us about 2 and a half hours walking from our dorm to the top so it was definitely a full day event. My roomate Ross told me his pedometer counted 15,000 steps on the trip so it was a great workout with breathtaking scenery! Unfortunately the weather was rather gloomy so the pictures did not turn out so well, but I do plan to go back in the spring to get everything blooming! Overall, this was an eventfull week and I felt like I have been here a year already with all of the activities our group has done but thats what keeps it fun! Tonight our group got together and had a quesadilla night while watching the news in german. Nights like these may seem insignificant when compared to climbing a mountain or going through Guinness Book of World Records, but nights like these form great memories and great friendships. This Saturday our group may be visiting the Hohenzollern castle just up the road so be ready for some awesome castle shots! I can also include photos from the Achelm if y’all want as well! Just comment and leave your opinion! This is Austin Pittman signing off from Reutlingen and wishing you all a good night and week, until next time. Tschuss!

First Impressions of Germany

January 12, 2015 / apittman / 1 Comment

I have made it safely and soundly! The plane ride was a little bumpy but Swiss air gives you plenty of chocolate to forget about that. Our group landed in Zurich, Switzerland then took a conecting flight to Stuttgart, Germany where we finally took a bus to Reutlingen. Quite honestly this four day span has been surreal. It still has not hit me that our group will be studying here for an entire semester, but I have (mostly) nothing but great things to say about Germany so far. As soon as we got into Reutlingen we were welcomed by Professor Ostoyich (our study abroad director) and his family. They make you feel right at home from the start. In fact so at home that on Friday we played a game of tag with his daughter while getting a tour of Reutlingen University. It seems as though every now and again I have to pinch myself to remind me that I am indeed in Germany. My first impressions of Germany are quite simply the beauty of the region Reutlingen lies in and also the friendliness of the people in and around Reutlingen. As a group, we have visited downtown Reutlingen and Tubingen, which are both spectacular. Our groups European Art and Architecture professor, Professor Springer, gave us a tour of Tubingen, a university town that has the Nekar river running through it. In the tour, our group saw the Tubingen castle, city hall, market square, and also a fantastic dinner at the Nekarmuller restaurant that was covered, free of charge, by the program. Tubingen University is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the 15th century, and has currently over 30,000 students. Valparaiso University also offers a Tubingen study abroad program that lasts a year, while also having the courses taught in German. Speaking of the German language, myself coming from a 101 background felt fairly confident in my German conversational skills, but I was soon mistaken. The region that Reutlingen lies in has a very interesting and different accent compared to the rest of Germany. It can be hard to understand exactly what people are asking you or talking about, but once you get the hang of it, it is really no trouble at all. Although it may be scary going to a country where you do not know the language, I can assure you that you can still survive in Germany. Mostly everyone can either speak or comprehend English so communication should not steer you away from visiting. Although I would recomend learning some German beforehand to get the full experience. Monday marked our first day of classes and so far, it seems as though they will be very informative and manageable. Each class brings a special something to the table that helps us understand and comprehend modern Germany. However, the only bad thing I have to say is that internet can be scarce. The dormatory I live in does not have Wifi or a very stable ethernet connection so internet can be very difficult at times. Especially if you have a cellular device with a provider other than T-Mobile because T-Mobile for example has an international plan that offers mobile data and texting for almost nothing, while Verizon, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular can be pricey.Be prepared to be unplugged for a while and disconnected. However this is not such a bad thing. Not being able to use my phone has acutually let me be able to take in the beautly of the region and also the atmosphere here in Germany. Unforedtunentaly, I was unable to get some pictures included in this blog, however the next one I will throw in some from the Reutlingen and Tubingen area so you can get a feel of how breath-taking the area actually is. Also, I forgot to include a lot of umlaut’s because I do not know how to put them in, but hopefully I will figure it out by my next post. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next post! Tschuss!

Why You Shouldn’t Study Abroad: End of Semester Thoughts

December 20, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

Everyone who has ever studied abroad comes home saying the same thing:

“It was the best time of my life! I learned so much! Saw so much! Everyone should study abroad!”

I’m not home yet (I won’t be until June, as I have an internship next semester here awaiting me), and so I’m not going to echo what so many study abroad people before me have said. Those are the kind of people that tend to make me suspicious, whose blind adoration is intimidating, rather than welcoming. I will instead, lay down the reasons that you shouldn’t study abroad. No, I’m not going to go into logistics, like money, time, or the other details that can prevent you from heading off to see the world. These are the things that ensure that your time abroad will be wasted.

Like everything else, going off to learn and experience life in a foreign country can be pretty awesome while simultaneously being very awful. You have to take the good with the bad, like how engineering majors balance heavy workloads and sleepless nights for a challenging rewarding career. If these cons outweigh the many, many advantages of study abroad, don’t go.

Why You Shouldn’t Study Abroad:

1. You absolutely cannot function outside of your controlled environment. You are the kind of person who is absolutely worthless when you don’t have your coffee at precisely 9 am, when your alarm clock isn’t set to the loudest buzzing known to man, when the class schedule varies a bit. You plan everything, and everything is organized. Study Abroad, is not for you, my precise friend. There will be too many unknowns, and you will be unable to predict them. It’s really okay. I’m not judging you for this, as you are probably the person who keeps the world running when I’m off traveling.

2. You are deathly afraid of not understanding what’s going on. If you depend on understanding everyone else’s words, and the cultural norms, study abroad is not for you. There is never a moment that you will ever be able to understand every aspect and every conversation in a new culture. More importantly, study abroad requires a brave heart, one that does not cower in the face of the new and unknown.

3. You cannot survive without your support network, or you are the key support for someone else. If you rely on a group of people to navigate all life matters, you will be lost in the lost distance world of time zone changes and internet communication. You will not have the means or time to contact home everyday. While the internet has made communication across the pond much, much easier; it cannot fix all ills. If you need to be in someone’s physical presence, you should not study abroad.

4. You don’t think experience is a good way to learn. If you think the best way to learn is in a classroom, from a textbook, written by an expert, instead of by your own life, then do not study abroad. You will not get anything from the myriad events and lessons that life in a foreign place will teach you. You will not enjoy the full experience of new food, new people, and new ideas.

If these don’t sound like you, then you really should study abroad. If these aren’t obstacles, but challenges, you can handle the growth experience that is study abroad. Go and see the world.

Christmastime in Germany: It’s Truly the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

December 12, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

Germany is OBSESSED with Christmas. They start decorating in mid-November, and keep celebrating until Three Kings Day, on January 6^th. The word in Germany for Christmas is Weinachten, and the highlight of the Christmas season in Germany is the Weinachtsmarkt. Every German city has these Christmas markets at some point throughout Advent, in the center of town. Some last all of December, some only a few days.

St. Nikolaus in Munich.

The towns around Reutlingen are no exception. Reutlingen itself has a Weinachtsmarkt for a full month before Christmas. Tübingen has a Chocolate Market, only for a weekend, which is quite unfortunate. We’ve gone to three already, in Reutlingen, Munich, and Salzburg (technically not in Germany, but as it’s on the border of Austria and Germany, I feel like it counts.)

Salzburg, all lit up. The lights in the middle of the square next to the big pretty building are where the Christmas market is.

There are a few things at every Weinachtsmarkt. Adorable Christmas ornaments, nativities, wreathes, delightful baked goods, and an overabundance of Glühwine. What is Glühwine exactly? It is a warmed mixture of wine with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, more commonly known in the US as mulled wine. I really, really like Glühwine and am very pleased that you can get it everywhere at Christmastime. There are also non-alcoholic versions, for those who don’t wish to imbibe and for the kids. While Glühwine is traditionally made with red wines such as port or claret, Germans sometime will also serve white wine versions.

Hoards of people around a Glühwine stand in Salzburg.

The warm Glühwine is even better enjoyed while strolling around a Christmas market. Germany in general has a far milder climate than the Midwest, but it is also a much more humid climate. It’s the kind of cold that sinks into your bones if you stand still for too long, but doesn’t seem bad at all when you’re moving around. The Glühwine is another excellent technique for combating the chill. The non-alcoholic version even tastes like cider, so you have the classic American fall drink covered!

The square in front of the Munich town hall, all gussied up for Christmas.

Another welcome part of the German holiday celebrations: they drape all of the shops downtown and around the Christmas market in lights. Of course, just like at home, they began decorating well before Thanksgiving, which is highly unnecessary. Then the season of advent came and the streets were delightful. I always give myself from Thanksgiving to New Years to enjoy Christmas, and Germany seems to be on the same page.

Storefront in Munich decorated for Christmas.

So while the weather here seems to avoid freezing, and I have no snow to remind me that it’s December, the Christmas markets sure help. I may go to the Reutlingen one again this weekend. Or to the medieval one in Esslingen. Or to the one in Cologne… so many choices!

Merry Christmas from Germany!

How to Make Spätzle: A Schwabian Food Special

December 12, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

Our faculty here is awesome. Have I mentioned that? Since we have such a small class here in Reutlingen this year, our Art History professor invited us to his house for class one day. Furthermore, since his home is in Tübingen, and we missed our usual lunch break, Herr Springer also made us lunch.

Best Day of Class Ever. Sorry other teachers/professors.

It was delightful, and really delicious. (Who knew that a simple cucumber salad could be so good? It’s just cucumbers, cream, and vinegar, but it’s so refreshing.) And as an added bonus, we learned how to make Spätzle, traditional Schwabian (regional) egg noodles. The dough is fairly simple: eggs, flour, water. But, unlike regular egg noodles, the ratio of eggs to flour in Spätzle is really high. This makes the dough really, really sticky. It takes a special press to push it through the noodle maker, and even with the special tool, it’s a ton of effort. The dough is so sticky that instead of scraping the last bits of dough out of the mixing bowl, the dough peels off the side. Before being cooked, the dough is the consistency of epoxy or high grade industrial grout.

Filling the noodle maker.

The noodles are pushed through the dough maker (there might be an official name for this, but I don’t know) and into an already boiling pot of water. They sink to the bottom, but when they finish cooking, they float, right up to the top. The cooked noodles are fished off with a strainer ladle and put into a glass pan.

Push really hard…

… and you’ll get Spätzle.

Here’s the funny thing about Spätzle: it’s really like the Schwabian version of really good homemade mac and cheese. Once in the glass pan, the noodles are covered with grated cheese. Herr Springer also added bits of fried onion and ham. Then the Spätzle is baked for about a half hour, long enough that the cheese melts and the ham bits get crunchy. Then you eat it, in gratefulness to whomever came up with the brilliant idea to melt cheese on noodles.

A finished plate of Spätzle, waiting for delicious ham and onion.

Spätzle is a Schwabian specialty, and restaurants all over Baden-Würtemberg and the other southern German state, Bavaria serve it. Still, the best Spätzle is homemade Spätzle.

Checking In and Catching Up

November 25, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

Okay, I realize it’s been a while. I just got so caught up in traveling that I forgot to document the traveling. And general life experiences. We’ve traveled a lot. Since I’ve written last, we’ve been through the lands where Luther and Bach walked. We’ve seen Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Budapest, Prague, Munich, and Paris. At points, we also attended class and slept.

Brittany and I were amazed at the precision of our neighbor’s leaf raking.

I have just looked at when I last posted. September. Sorry, guys. I’m going to try and catch you up with the last month or so in my next few posts, but to keep the ball rolling forward, let’s start with the last weekend: Paris.

Me! In front of the Notre Dame.

Paris was not originally on my must see list. It seemed to be such a cliché- See Paris! See the World! The city of lights was more beautiful than I expected it to be. It is also way too crowded a place for me to ever live in. Parisians are strangely bad at English, considering that it is basically the language of international tourism (i.e. how to make money off of all the culture they’re so proud of.) The first day in Paris, we took the metro to a stop near the right bank of the Seine River. From there we walked across the Ile de’ Cite, which is the island home to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palace of Justice. The latter is known primarily for something involving the revolution (as well as being a beautiful old building). Notre Dame means the Church of Our Lady in English, and it is quite impressive in person, although there were too many people there, a general theme for famous tourist spots in Paris.

There were a lot of cars, and a roundabout with no lanes, which to me seems like death.

We then crossed over the Seine and took the RER suburban metro train to the Eiffel Tower, which is much larger than it seems in pictures. It’s massive. 986 feet, according to my Art History professor. (He actually gave it to me in meters, but I thought you would all appreciate the imperial system. I definitely miss it.) It is also gorgeous at sunset. I took approximately a million photos, one of which I shall share with you now.

Sunset at the Eiffel Tower, just as the lights were being turned on.

Perhaps most importantly, across the Seine from the Notre Dame is a little bookstore, one may safely say is the best in the world. It is known as Shakespeare and Company, and coming to Paris, it was the only thing I needed to see. It did not disappoint. It was, in fact, the most magical place of selling books that I could have ever envisaged. Outside, there are carts of secondhand books for sale, spanning everything from the most generic children’s book about football to obscure short story writers from the 1930’s. The ground floor is overrun with bookshelves, new stories from the US and the UK. The second floor has a collection of children’s books in the landing and two perfect reading rooms filled with books. There is even a cat, who only sleeps in the best of the reading room chairs.

Here I am, in front of my favorite bookstore in the world.

So, Paris was a beautiful and hectic city. Coming back to classes and responsibilities in Reutlingen was a little painful, but such is life. I will begin catching you up on the rest of my adventures soon!

The study abroad kids at Professor Springer’s house for lunch- but more about that later.

First Trip: Part 1 Berlin

September 25, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

So, having been in Germany for a grand total of three weeks, we decided it would be a grand idea to take a ten day trip to Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. Seriously.

Kaiser Wilhem Memorial Church, left unrestored in remembrance of the horrific damage WII caused not just here, but everywhere.

Technically, the Berlin trip was a part of our Modern Germany class. Nothing is more exciting as a college student than a field trip. (Excepting free food and naps.) Learning about the Friedricks and Wilhems of Prussia is great, but their importance doesn’t really sink in until you see building after gorgeous building funded by the Prussian monarchy. There are many of these buildings in Berlin. We also visited Sachsen-hausen Concentration Camp and the German History museum to continue learning about Germany outside of the classroom.

No, I do not know why Super Luther is a thing. Seen outside the Berlin Cathedral

We were in Berlin from a Friday to a Wednesday, so there was plenty of time outside of class to go exploring. Berlin is a fantastic city to walk around in and admire the architecture. I loved exploring the neighborhood of Savignyplatz, where our hotel was located. There were fun restaurants and shops everywhere, gorgeous turn-of the-century buildings, and (most importantly) two fantastic bookstores underneath the S-bahn: one for fiction, biography, and philosophy; and one for all kinds of art-based non-fiction (film, music, architecture, art, etc.). I bought a book one rainy afternoon, and read and enjoyed fantastic hot chocolate at a cafe three doors down from the hotel, which was delightful.

Platter for four at the Zillemarkt in Berlin, just a few blocks from our hotel. Yes, this was a ridiculous amount of food.

Since this was a longer trip, we visited so many places that I started losing track. We went on a bus tour that highlighted key sights in East and West Berlin, including the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and a few sections of the Berlin Wall (Cue Pink Floyd). We toured the Berlin Cathedral, took pictures in front of Humboldt University (where Einstein and Max Plank taught!), visited the Brandenburg Gate, marveled at the beautiful Schloss Charlotenburg and its extensive grounds, admired Art Nuveau at the Bröhan Museum, and ate authentic Berlin Currywurst.

Train rides across Germany are long if you do not amuse yourself.

(As a side note, while they might not always be there on the exact minute, German trains, buses, and subways are pretty much the best. Easy to understand maps, signs showing the train, its final stop and stations between are everywhere, and they-re pretty much always clean. Plus, even in second class, the inter-city Deutsche Bahn trains are very sleek. They have automatic glass doors between compartments. It’s like a science fiction movie. Maybe James Bond?)

Courtyard and Alley to Orangienburger Strasse

There’s my update on our Berlin adventures. I will explore some of our tourism in more detail, along with Hamburg and Cologne, when we arrive back in Reutlingen. Right now: Hamburg. Tomorrow: Cologne. I’m excited for more trains!

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Category: Reutlingen (page 8 of 20)

Make Memories, Go Abroad!

Get Around Round Round R-95 Gets Around

11:07

Germany, the Land of Bread and Small Streets?

First Impressions of Germany

Why You Shouldn’t Study Abroad: End of Semester Thoughts

Christmastime in Germany: It’s Truly the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

How to Make Spätzle: A Schwabian Food Special

Checking In and Catching Up

First Trip: Part 1 Berlin

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