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Marseille, France

Unexpected Twists part one

Marseille, France

Life throws many unexpected twists when traveling. As much as we pride ourselves in our planning and reading about all the different places we are going to, random, out of the blue, occurrences have happened over the course of the last few weeks. From missing trains, to having our water shut off, to having to find a hostel at 11 o’clock at night, we have had quite the experience learning what “just go with the flow”, and “thinking on your toes” really mean.

Our first encounter with life’s unexpected twists was our second night in Marseille, France. We had a full day of touring around the city and taking a boat ride to a park off the coast of the city, we were ready to come back to the apartment we were renting to cook dinner and relax. About ten seconds into filling up a pot of water, the water stopped. At first we thought we had broken something, however, after calling the owner and speaking broken French to a guy at a pizzeria next door, we figured out that the water was shut off in the area until 10 am the next morning. So as we ate pizza rather than the pasta we were planning on making, we came to terms that we would not be showering or drinking water anytime soon. We didn’t however, come to terms with the fact that we didn’t have a bathroom.

So our solution was to try and find a public bathroom (which in Europe, this is very rare). While we were on our quest to find a bathroom, we found a 24 hour convenient store and bought water. After about an hour and half running around the city, we desperately went into a hotel, water bottles and all, begging to use their bathroom to a man who couldn’t understand English. When we finally got him to understand that we didn’t need a room for the night but just a bathroom, he very graciously let us use a bathroom. We came back to our apartment to find that while we were frantically running around the city, our water turned back on. Though at the time it was sort of an inconvenience, we still laugh about it and the next day we were fully hydrated from our newly bought water bottles.

Château d'If

Check out more of my photos from Spring Break at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

The Taste of Belgium

March 29, 2012 / sarahtiemann / 0 Comments

During our pre-departure meetings we were warned that there would be a time during the semester where we will be sick, it was inevitable. So naturally after having been told this, I disagreed with this warning and had complete confidence in my strong immune system. Well a few weeks ago, I was kicked off my high horse and got sick. Instead of doing the responsible thing and lying low for a few days, I decided to spend the weekend in Bruges, Belgium. And I am definitely glad my desire to travel outweighed my desire to stay in bed the entire weekend.

One of Bruges' many canals

We only had a regular two day weekend, so we figured why not go to Belgium? So I packed up the whopping two Tylenol Cold Medicine pills I had brought with me and left after classes. After probably spreading the love of cold season to the entire train car, we arrived in Bruges. Though it was eleven o’clock at night, the moment we walked into town, I knew I would love the city. The next morning after taking some extra tea bags for the road, we wandered around Bruges. If I thought Bruges was pretty at night, it was even more adorable during the day. We first went to the local market where there were stands ranging from fresh fish to hand crafted jewelry. After spending some time and money there we decided to experience a real Belgian Waffle. And let me tell you, there is a reason why they are called Belgian waffles. Even in my drowsy state where nothing tasted good, that had to be the best waffle I have ever had. What better to do after eating a little taste of heaven than to go on a brewery tour with a very charismatic tour guide and buy a basket of French fries (ironically enough they were invented in Belgium). We continued eating our way through Bruges by going to an old fashion chocolate shop to taste Belgium chocolate. Belgium was definitely three for three that day.

Once we were full of Belgian classics, we started to make our way back to Germany, starting with a train ride at eleven o’clock at night and spending the night in the Welkenraedt Train Station platform. The city of Welkenraedt just didn’t have the same appeal as Bruges did at three in the morning. Finally morning came and we were able to make it back to Reutlingen. Once the sense of the night’s adventures faded, my cold systems began to make themselves known again. And the six hour nap that followed was much needed. However, I do not regret traveling while being sick because I was able to experience so much and tour around one of my favorite cities. What I do regret is my lack thereof cold medicine.

Brewery Tour

Check out more of my study abroad photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

Brandenberg Gate

Hodgepodge Berlin

March 15, 2012 / sarahtiemann / 0 Comments

For our second class trip, we went to Berlin for five days and though it may seem like a long time, we barely skimmed the surface of everything the city has to offer. Germany’s capital, Berlin is known for so many different things. From its history dating back to the 1700’s to the more modern history with being the capital of Nazi Germany and the airlift during the Cold War, Berlin has seen a lot of changes throughout time. With all these changes has come a very unique and lively atmosphere of the city.

Brandenburg Gate

Ampelmännchen

I wasn’t sure what to expect when going to Berlin. I had heard about all the different sites to see but whatever preconceived notions I had before going where blown away once we arrived. The city is filled with so many different types of people and interests. On one block, you can see people who are going to see the newest performance on one of Berlin’s many of stages, history buffs staring at buildings from World War Two, families taking their kids to the zoo, and shoppers taking full advantage of the open air markets. With this hodgepodge of a interests, it was hard to choose where to start digging in to the city. We wandered around the markets, toured the famous museums, climbed up a cathedral to have the perfect view of the city, and peopled watched by the Brandenburg Gate.

And then came Berlin at night. If I thought there was too many options during the day, the night was even worse. No offense to Valpo, but every night there are always theater performances, ballets, Jazz lounges, sports bars, and crazy dance clubs. It was definitely not an issue of what is there to do, but which one to choose from. We tried to experience all the different types of nightlife by going to the clubs, bars, and a musical performance.

Berlin Cathedral

Berlin has definitely made my top ten of my favorite cities. Berlin has definitely kept up with the modern times but doesn’t forget its past. Even coming back exhausted from sensory overload, Berlin still had more to see. I think that even spending years in that city, there would still be more to see. This just gives me another reason to go back to Berlin in the future.

Check out more of my pictures from Berlin, as well as the rest of my study abroad trip at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

Fasnet Festivities

March 7, 2012 / sarahtiemann / 0 Comments

For the past couple of weeks, we have been seeing people dressed in old wooden costumes, jingling bells and making ruckus while walking down the street. For us, American tourists, we were very confused by this scene. We were even more confused when the people around us didn’t stop and gawk at the people in masks and the shenanigans they were up to. This confusion was a common occurrence for a few weeks until we finally found the answer we were looking for: Carnival.

Wooden Mask of a Federahannes

Carnival has been a tradition in Germany dating back to the Middle Ages. In German it is called Fasnet. Fasnet starts during Epiphany and progresses through February up until Ash Wednesday and when Lent begins. The last few days are when the fools (the carnival characters) really go all out. There are parades where the characters either give candy to the kids singing the traditional songs, or they tease the audience if they aren’t dressed in costume or if they are American college students studying abroad. The tradition of the characters goes back to the guilds and range from mischievous Federahannes to the friendly Gschell. These characters all line up for a parade and are accompanied with local bands and the festival continues throughout the day.

Federahannes teasing the crowd

As a class, we went to Fasnet in Rottweil, where we were definitely exposed to this unknown tradition. When we first arrived, we ate a good old traditional lunch that consisted of a bratwurst and mulled wine. We watched as the parade started to get into formation and made our way to the front of the crowd. For the first half of the parade, we attempted to learn the song that the crowd sang in order to get candy. Finally after several attempts and having various Germans teach us the song, we started to sing. By the end of the parade, we had collected various German candies along with having our hair messed with, feathers in our face, and thoroughly teased. I definitely enjoyed Fasnet and being able to see how this town could take a break from their lives and just have a great fun filled day.

Passing out candy to kids

Check out more of my pictures from Fasnet at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

Lessons From Leipzig

February 15, 2012 / sarahtiemann / 0 Comments

Growing up in the United States, the Cold War seemed like a faint memory that we only learn about in our history classes. Having to memorize all the political agreements, the unsaid tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., it just seemed like one long stalemate. However, after visiting Leipzig I have realized that for the German people, the Cold War and the East verses the West was not just another chapter out of a history book. The city is famous for being the start of the protests against the Communist government. By just touring around and seeing the buildings that have been rebuilt within the last twenty years, as well as, the people who were witnesses and protesters during the peaceful revolution to unify their country, these events are very much alive today.

One of the most striking moments was visiting the Stasi Museum (Museum in der “Runden Ecke”). The building, itself, was the headquarters for the East German Secret Police (Stasi). Just walking into the building, you feel as if you are entering the Communist run building. Your eyes immediately focus on a banner hanging in the entrance stating, “This building will be secured on behalf of the Government and the Citizens Committee of the People’s Police” hanging right next to a security camera. The museum takes you through the original offices while showing you all the equipment used to spy on their own people. From hidden cameras in briefcases, to phone tapping machines, and disguises, it is hard to believe these were still being used until the 1990’s.

The most moving exhibit for me, however, was an essay written by a ninth grader. He criticized the society and policies that he had to live under, even though he knew the consequences of writing this would be severe. According to the museum, the essay found itself in the hands of the police and they kept record of the boy until 1989 when German Communism fell. When I chose to study abroad, I figured that I would be able to connect my studies to my History major, more so than my Education major. However when reading about this student’s (translated) essay, I realized that this is a memory that I could pass on to my future students. I cannot only talk about the history surrounding the story, but also share the message that one person no matter how old, can speak out against what they believe is wrong and truly impact their future.

Check out more pictures of my ten day trip to at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

December 8, 2011 / Stephanie Volz / 0 Comments

The time after fall break has basically been filled with festivals (and a couple class trips). Thanksgiving, many Christmas markets, a chocolate festival.. It’s crazy. The first one was Thanksgiving. The international program at Hochschule Reutlingen (the university) puts on a Thanksgiving dinner every year for all the American students and other international students who are interested. They asked everyone to bring a dessert, but provided turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. All the staples of a Thanksgiving dinner except the green beans. Because for some reason they think that corn is this American thing that we always eat. Since they only eat corn on top of salads or pizza, which I think is weird, but whatever. (And I don’t have any pictures of the night since my camera was apparently dead without me realizing.. Oh well.)

Reutlingen Christmas market

Advent calendar on a house

It was so nice to have that little taste of home, since obviously Germany doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. The downside: the rediscovery that a bunch of Americans in one room is super loud and annoying. Yay America. It’s going to be interesting just how much my perception of Americans has changed when I get back. I can only imagine that I’ll be a little annoyed at times..

So that was Thanksgiving. And then that weekend all the Christmas markets started going up! I had never been to one before, even though there are a few in some of the big cities in the U.S., like Chicago. Of course, being at those would be nothing like actually being in Germany at a market, because it is an experience I think everyone should have. It’s just rows and rows of wooden stalls selling scarves and hats, ornaments, candies, brats, miniature houses, nutcrackers, and anything else related to Christmas. And of course all decorated with lights and garlands. It really is beautiful.

I already wrote about the one in Vienna at the end of fall break, and since then I’ve been to several. The one in Reutlingen of course, which is surprisingly large for such a small city. It even has an ice rink. And my favorite part was the advent calendar they projected onto one of the houses downtown. So creative. And just awesome.

Part of the Nuremberg Christmas market

Next event of this time was a trip I took with a bunch of international students to Nuremberg. The home of the original Christmas market. Nuremberg itself is a really cool city, and I wish I had had more time to look around, since I was only there for a few hours. It’s one of the few towns left in Germany with the city wall still remaining and in good shape, and is really just beautiful. The Christmas market though, that was amazing even though it was super crowded. Anything you wanted to find, you could find there. And the bands and choirs playing on the stage added even more to the atmosphere of Christmas. I had thought that being one of the original Christmas markets would have made it bigger, but that was the only disappointment. And we were still able to make use of the few hours there wandering the stalls and drinking Gluehwein, the spiced hot wine that’s a specialty in the winter.

Part of the group in front of Schloss Ludwigsburg

Next stop: Ludwigsburg! There’s a somewhat famous palace here, and it’s only just over an hour train ride from Reutlingen, so we decided to make a class day out of it for our German culture/literature/history class. The interior was gorgeous, especially the two chapels and the theater. As a nature lover, though, I was drawn to the gardens more. They were beautiful, they even had a fairy tale part that was closed, but had figurines scattered throughout a wooded part to be sort of a fairy tale world. Ludwigsburg also had a Christmas market that we had some time to visit. And I finally found a cheap winter hat! So of course I picked the one with the most colors. I’m now the proud owner of a purple, blue, and lime green hat from Germany!

The weekend after this class trip I went to Stuttgart with Sarah for some Christmas market browsing and Christmas shopping (since we’re running out of time pretty quickly). Neither of us had actually been anywhere in Stuttgart besides the airport and the train station, so it was good just to walk around the city itself. It reminded both of us of Christmastime in Chicago- tons of people walking around in coats, scarves, and hats, and crowding all the stores and malls doing their shopping, and eating at brat places along the main pedestrian area. It could’ve only been more beautiful if it had been snowing. The Christmas market was completely packed with people. Which was frustrating, but on the other hand gave us plenty of time to look at everything in the stalls while in stand-stills in the vast crowds. And it was gigantic, so we had plenty of stalls for stall-browsing while we stood in the crowds.

Stuttgart Christmas

The final festival I’ve been to is the Tuebingen Chocolate festival, also last weekend. Apparently it’s really popular, because there were chocolate stalls from all over the world and people in throngs trying to get to the stalls to buy some bars or hot chocolate (or even chocolate beer or chocolate noodles). I decided not to go too crazy, so I stuck with hot chocolate with chili, although chocolate beer sounded really intriguing.

After a day of fighting crowds in Stuttgart and then a day fighting them in Tuebingen, we decided to be done with crowds for a while. Which was fine, because it was our second to last weekend in Germany.. So really, our last weekend to go anywhere except for maybe a few hours to a nearby town.

We leave on Tuesday already, and there are finals to finish up, stuff to pack, rooms to clean, and plenty of people to say good-bye to before we head off. I’m kind of sad. It’s been an incredible semester, and I’m sure I won’t realize just how much I’ve grown and learned and changed until I get back to the States. Living here is so normal now. The language is so normal, the public transportation so normal, the hills so normal, the colorful money, the ability to buy alcohol, pedestrian areas downtown, sorting trash into four bins, living with people from all corners of the world, even the showers that only spray for 30 seconds before you have to press the button again, all of it is so normal, it’s just a day in the life. Coming back home is going to be a culture shock–it will seem like everything has changed a little bit, when really it’s mostly my perceptions that have changed.

With hot chocolate at the festival

This semester has been absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I’ve learned so much about myself and about the world, and I only hope I can take my experiences back with me and that they will have changed me for the better, and for good. So likely this is my last post until I get back, and then maybe I’ll do one about the transition back to American ways of life. Aus Deutschland zum letzten Mal, tschüß!

The Land of Sounds of Music

December 4, 2011 / Stephanie Volz / 0 Comments

A taste of Salzburg

To finally finish up my blogs about fall break (which was actually more of a winter break, since we didn’t get back to Reutlingen until mid-November), I’ll talk about my time in Austria! In short, I love this country. I mean, The Sound of Music is my favorite movie, so of course that doesn’t hurt my fascination with it. But also, it’s just beautiful. The cities themselves are picturesque, and of course then there’s the Alps in the background in parts of the country. Just absolutely fabulous. And it’s a cheap country, even with the exchange rate. Just another enticement for someone on a student budget.

So first stop was Salzburg, THE land of the Sound of Music. Literally the only downsides to this place were the fact that we didn’t get to our hostel until 2 a.m. and the fact that it was so foggy the whole time we were there that we couldn’t see the Alps. Not that it wasn’t still beautiful. We walked around the city for a good bit, and went inside a few of the gorgeous churches and hiked to the top of one of the hills with a gigantic fortress on top. And after wandering around for a good long while, we got to take the super-touristy Sound of Music tour!!!

The Gazebo

Oh my gosh the marriage church.

Not that I cared how touristy it was. Because we got to sit in a van with other Americans and sing the soundtrack as we drove through beautiful countryside and see all the places that were included in the film. Like the wedding church where Maria and the Captain got married, the row of trees the children climbed, the Von Trapp house, the pond and gardens behind the house, the gazebo, most of the sights in the “Do a Deer” musical section, and so much more. It was some of the most exciting few hours of my life. And since I can’t put all the pictures up here, just look at the ones on Picasa.(https://picasaweb.google.com/100454144518688283131/SoundOfMusic) So doing all that, plus more walking around since it was a beautiful city, took up a good day and a half, and then we headed to Vienna!

Inside the colorful cathedral

Vienna was also amazing. There is so much history and culture in that city, it’s ridiculous. You can also see Zach’s and Jake’s posts about their time in Vienna. I didn’t have quite as much time there, just about two days, but it was still fantastic. We got in a bit before dinnertime, so decided to wander the city for a bit and get food. The absolute highlight of the night was going into the huge church downtown on a whim. Turns out they turn on tons of colorful lights inside at night, and it was just dazzling. I can’t describe it. So beautiful seeing a huge cathedral burst with color.

The next day we started at Schoenbrunn Palace, which is basically Versailles #2. It was absolutely gorgeous inside (and it was nice not to have to take a tour for once.. they just give out audioguides with the tickets and let you wander yourself). And the gardens also were fantastic. If it wasn’t so cold I could’ve spent an entire day there just sitting outside. After that, Molly and I went to the famous art museum while Matt went to go find Bach stuff, and other music-related stuff. It is famous for a reason, it had so many famous paintings by famous artists that even I knew, as artistically retarded as I am.

Molly in front of Schloss Schoenbrunn

After lunch at Nordsee (cheap fish!) Molly and I wandered around the city for a good bit. Since Christmas decorations were starting to go up, it was even more beautiful. After a bit of shopping and hot chocolate and cake, we made it over to the Belvedere Palace, which had a bunch of Klimt art, which Molly went crazy over while I relaxed in the garden instead. And then for the rest of the night we just relaxed in the city over drinks and at the hostel.

The next morning we decided to see if we could catch the end of the Vienna Boy’s Choir, since they sing every Sunday during the chapel service at the Hofburg Palace. We figured there’d be no way to see them, since they supposedly sing from the balcony and nobody can see. BUT turns out they came downstairs for a final song after the procession out! And we got there at just the right moment, right before they started singing. So we just so happened to see and hear the most famous choir in the world in a palace, without paying anything and without planning it. It was absolutely fabulous. And I mean, they’re pretty good, but the main attraction is that they’re so famous. There’s fabulous music all over Europe in the churches.

Vienna Boy’s Choir

Vienna’s Rathaus, or city hall

After that, we had a few hours to wander around before our train back to Reutlingen. So we found the beautiful Austrian Parliament building, and the city hall of Vienna. Both absolutely stunning. And the Christmas market in Vienna had just started, so we were able to get our first taste of Christmas in Europe! More posts about Christmas markets coming later, of course, but this one was beautiful with the gigantic city hall in the back ground. But then we had to leave.. And thus concluded my fabulous two-week adventure all over western Europe. Five countries, plus an island, and many more cities than that, not bad for two weeks. Bis zum nächsten Mal!

Volksfest in Stuttgart

October 3, 2011 / Jake Stefan / 0 Comments

So it’s officially October here in Germany. And what does that mean? Oh yeah, Oktoberfest, of course!

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany is probably the most famous, but there are Bierfests all over the country. After consulting with some German friends, we learned that making the trip to Munich might not be worth it. It was purportedly quite the experience, but very touristy, there’s nowhere left to spend the night, and everything is really expensive.

Instead, everyone suggested that we make a point to go to the Cannstatter Volksfest – Stuttgart’s version of “Oktoberfest” and the second largest Bierfest in the world. They told us that there weren’t very many tourists, and it was probably the most authentic experience we could have.

On Saturday we decided to take the train into Stuttgart do a little shopping and then meet up with some other people from our German course at the fairgrounds.

We ate lunch at a café that serves traditional schwabisch food, just to complete the experience. Unfortunately we had terrible service. Because customers here are expected to tip much less, there isn’t as much pressure for “service with a smile.”

Eventually we made our way to the Cannstatter Wasen – the grounds where the Volksfest is held. It was huge! There were rides and tents and food and toys and games and anything else you could dream of!

Canstatter Wasen

American Burgers! - "The Giant Hamburger"

Las Vegas!

Behind all the typical “carnival rides” they had giant beer tents that seat thousands of people. But these aren’t just like temporary cheap-o tents. These are like hardcore buildings they take up and down every year. And everything inside is done up to nines. It was surreal!

Dinkel Acker

The tent we were in

At first we had some difficulties meeting up with our friends from the course because it was so huge! We tried calling and texting but the German cell phone network kept crashing. That’s how many people there were at this Bierfest. The cell phones didn’t work. How crazy is that!?

Eventually we met up and sat with a bunch of German students. Because the Germans are pretty serious about their Bier consumption, they were pretty friendly.

Inside the tent

Panorama

We turned out to be one of the main attractions of the evening, with all the Germans taking turns teaching us all the traditional drinking songs. They showed us how to stand up and dance on the tables, as well as how to “properly” hold a Maß (1 Liter) of Bier.

The whole festival really reminded me of the smaller Galas or Fairs held in America around the Fourth of July. It was really an experience and I met some more German friends in the process!

Click! Here I come!

September 29, 2011 / Stephanie Volz / 0 Comments

Lichtenstein

Last weekend was the weekend of palaces, castles, and fortresses for me. It’s been one of my favorite parts of traveling so far, being able to see all the cool sights and beautiful nature of Germany. On Friday, our class ended at noon, so we decided to spend the afternoon at Lichtenstein Castle, only a short bus ride and a steep hike away. Lichtenstein Castle, not country. And in no way related to Heath Ledger as Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein. Sadly. But the hike was incredibly beautiful, like walking through a Tolkein novel, with moss-covered rocks and castle ruins on the way up. The castle itself was also beautiful. It was built only a few hundred years ago, and was based on the description of a castle in a book. Even though it was fairly small, it still held all the awesomeness of a castle. Really, they’re pretty dang cool.

When we got back to Reutlingen that night, I decided that I really wanted to go somewhere over the weekend, because we have German Rail passes that expire next week. Since it was the night before I needed a hostel, reservations were hard to find online, and I tried several cities before finding one that would work. The first one I found was in Würzburg, a town in northern Bavaria, so without really knowing what the town had to offer, I decided to go for it! And then after reading about the town and being there, I’ve decided that randomly picking a city on a hostel website can turn out to be an amazing weekend. Even if you do have to go by yourself because the rest of your group is lazy.

Residenz

After wandering the city for a bit, I headed to the Würzburg Residenz, the palace constructed for two prince-bishops and finished in the early 18th century. The largest fresco in the world is located there, and actually is pretty funny. It depicts the four “continents” of the world, with Europe as the most modernized, and the Americas as this backwards place. Each nation had its own symbolic creature, and I found it amusing that the American scene depicted a native American woman riding an alligator. Pretty interesting stuff right there. But it was also a beautiful palace inside and out. It even had the typical palace mirror room, a room made entirely of mirrors with paint and embellishings on them.

I also hiked up a hill covered in vineyards for wine to the old Fortress Marienberg. I didn’t take a tour, so I didn’t get inside the buildings of the fortress, but even being on the grounds and in the courtyards was impressive. It gave a full view over the river Main and the downtown area of Würzburg. I also got to see the outsides of beautiful churches downtown and relax on a really old bridge over the river that had huge statues of religious figures.

The old bridge, the Main river, and Fortress Marienberg

By then it was getting dark, so I tried to find my hostel. Try being a key word. The map online definitely led me to the middle of a park. Across the river from where the hostel is. I have no idea how that one worked out. But eventually I got directions and made it safe and sound. And the benefit of traveling alone kicked in when I met another American study abroad student, because we felt a little safer walking around town and comparing our experiences so far and drinking wine with at least a hundred others on the old bridge. I think that’s one of the best parts really, getting to meet people from all over the world, or who are studying all over the world (this girl was in Luxembourg).

The next day I headed out to stop at Dachau to see the concentration camp before getting into Reutlingen. But since that didn’t have the same exciting emotions as the rest of my weekend, I’ll save it for another post. Moral of this story: travel wherever chance takes you, because you’ll never know what and who you’re missing out on if you don’t!

Language Retreat! A Week in Blaubeuren

September 24, 2011 / Zach Nelson / 0 Comments

First of all, sorry for not having posted anything in an extremely long time! Our German course here is really starting to pick up, and lately we’ve had more tests, projects, presentations, and homework than we’ve known what to do with. Other than all of the work (which is really helping our German skills very much), the course itself has been very enjoyable.

The best part so far, in my opinion, was definitely last week. On Sunday, September 11^th we departed for a weeklong “language retreat” of sorts in Blaubeuren, a small town in the Alb mountains about an hour away from Tübingen. The University of Tübingen has conference/retreat center in Blaubeuren, where we were housed in single, double, and triple rooms. Our accommodations were comparable to a pretty nice hotel, and the food they served us was amazing – absolutely no comparison to the cheap groceries we have become accustomed to here in Tübingen. Because I am gluten intolerant, they would even cook me special meals and place them out on the buffet line with a little sign that said ,,Glutenfrei” (Gluten Free.) Our classes and tutorial sessions continued as normal with the exception of a three-hour midday break, which we often used to explore as much of the city as we could before running back. Although the workload didn’t decrease, we still all found time to be social and expand a little bit beyond our regular friend groups that have formed over the past few weeks. In Tübingen we typically only spend time with the other students in our class, but I really enjoyed having more opportunities to branch out and meet some people from the other two classes.

A view of the "Heinrich Fabri Institut" where we spent a week in Blaubeuren. (The three tan buildings in the back are where we stayed and took classes.)

Anyway, the city of Blaubeuren is named after its most famous landmark, known as the “Blautopf,” which translates literally to “Blue Pot” (or “Blue Bowl”.) The picturesque Blautopf is a crystal-blue spring that feeds the Blau River, which eventually flows into the Danube in nearby Ulm. The vibrant blue color is the result of a high concentration of limestone, and it reminded me instantly of the bright-blue Caribbean water on the beach in Cozumel. The spring itself is approximately 70 feet deep, and serves as the entrance to an extensive underground cave system. Unfortunately, these caves have only been explored a handful of times by experienced scuba divers. There have been a number of fatalities and accidents while exploring, so permission to scuba dive in the Blautopf is seldom granted.

The crystal-blue Blautopf

The picturesque Blautopf and Mill

The surrounding landscape is not only beautiful, but historically significant as well. In addition to the underwater caves, there are also many caves in the surrounding mountains where ancient artifacts have been found. Among the most notable of these artifacts are the oldest piece of artwork ever discovered (a small sculpture called, “Lion Man,”) and the world’s oldest known musical instrument, both of which date back approximately 40,000 years ago. These and many other artifacts are housed in Blaubeuren’s “Urgeschichtliches Museum” (Pre-history Museum) – a small but interesting museum full of exhibits about the caves and the ancient neanderthals who inhabited them.

The world's oldest known piece of art. The Löwenmensch. (Lion Man)

Another one of our day excursions was a hike to the ruins of an old castle in the mountains that overlook the small, pastoral town of Blaubeuren. After a couple hours of hiking we finally reached the tiny castle, and the view was breathtaking. It vaguely reminded me of climbing to the top of Yosemite falls in California and looking out over Yosemite Valley, however, the Alb Mountains are not nearly as high.

A view of the Ruins

"Inside" the Castle Ruins

The Castle (to the right on top of the rocky cliffs)

The next day we all took the train to nearby Ulm, where there was also no shortage of picturesque views. Ulm is a small city of 105,000 that is famous for the church located in its city center. Construction on the “Ulmer Münster” (The Minster of Ulm) began in 1377, and it became the world’s tallest church tower upon completion in the late 1800’s, a record it still holds today. It was constructed in the gothic style of architecture, so gargoyles and flying buttresses are in no short supply. Many of us took advantage of the opportunity to climb the hundreds of stairs to the top of the tower where there is a very small observation deck. So small, actually, that we were stuck for about 25 minutes at the top because the influx of tourists caused a traffic jam in the narrow spiral staircase. Afterwards, we crossed the river into Bavaria where we ate dinner at a nice Biergarten before taking the train back for the night.

The Ulmer Münster

A closeup view of the Flying Buttress architecture

Minster Interior

Looking up towards the staircase column and observation deck

Traffic Jam! Rachel and Jake stuck in the staircase waiting to get to the Observation Deck

View from the tower. Ulm (Baden-Württemberg) and New Ulm (Bavaria) separated by the Danube River

Our last night in Blaubeuren was concluded by a visit to an “Internatschule” (Boarding School). The school is attended by students from 9^th to 13^th grade, and is housed in a Monastery that was founded in 1085 by Catholic monks. The Monastery is yet another truly historical landmark in Blaubeuren, and became protestant during the height of the Reformation. The architecture was absolutely stunning – I was really jealous of the students who get to live and go to school there!

A view of the Monastery

The Blautopf with the Monastery in the background

So after we had made our way through the touristy part of the monastery and into the boarding school, we were welcomed by the students into their bar. That’s right – their school has a bar. We were explained that the “Internatsbar” is somewhat of an experiment, for the purpose of teaching kids how to responsibly enjoy alcohol at a young age. The more I thought about it, the more I actually really liked the idea. There was no hard liquor – only beer, wine, champagne, and soda, and it is only open on Thursdays until 11:00 PM. In Germany, the drinking age for beer, wine, and champagne is 16, while the age limit for hard liquor is 18, so the younger students are of course not allowed to have alcohol. This was a pretty stark contrast to America, where “Alcohol” is a forbidden swearword in public schools, not to be uttered by a single underage soul. I think our high drinking age presents many problems, in particular, the fact that many people don’t know how to responsibly enjoy it once they are old enough because alcohol is such a taboo subject in America. I have no idea how well the experiment is working for them, but I think it’s a very interesting concept at any rate.

We spent a couple hours visiting with the students, and had a lot of interesting conversations. Some were more interested than others to meet the “international college students from Tübingen,” but the questions they asked us about our home countries were interesting, and good conversation starters. We, in turn, got to learn about their experiences living at a boarding school away from home, which was also very interesting. A few lucky members of our group were even offered tours of the students’ living quarters.

I think that pretty much sums up last week! I have a couple more things I’d like to blog about, which I’m hoping I can get to on Tuesday night. On Monday I have another big grammar test, and on Tuesday I have to give a presentation (by memory) about German Wine. I guess I know what I’ll spend all of tomorrow doing! On Wednesday we are taking a class trip to the Bodensee (“The Lake of Constance”) in the south between Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Today, Hannah, Rachel, Emily, Jake and I walked to the home of the Brixners, longtime friends of VU and former professors for the VU Reutlingen program. There we were very hospitably served with one of the best dinners I have had in a long time. My next blog will be about our experiences there, and our 3.5 hour walk through the woods. Needless to say we got hopelessly lost.

That’s all for now!

Bis dann!

Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World