Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland!

Wow. Some how three weeks have passed and it's already time to say goodbye to nutella with every meal. Before reflecting on the whole trip, I'm sure everyone wants to know what we've been up to since Thursday.

Friday was an unplanned day, but a lot of us embarked on a journey to the Bodensee, the biggest lake in Germay, bordering Switzerland. Though it took three hours to get there, changing trains several times and sleeping throughout, the journey was well worth as we set our eyes upon the bright blue waters of the lake. As we arrived at the beach, more of a grass park as there is no sand, we staked out an area to spread our towels and relax. We enjoyed spending a few hours just hanging out, talking and soaking in the sun (it was about 90 degrees and full sun). After swimming, eating some ice cream, and playing life size chess, we headed back home. Others spent the day by going to an amusement park or even enjoying a baby shower.

Saturday was another unplanned day. I think it's safe to say that just about everyone enjoyed sleeping in before going out. A few of us headed in to Stuttgart for a few hours, shopping for scarves and ducking for cover from the rain. Others enjoyed a day in a town in France, some shopping in another town, and a classical music concert.

Today is also a mostly free day. Tonight we will have a grill party at the school, giving us one more chance to hang out and enjoy Germany.

So. Three weeks. I think I should start by thanking Frau Fraser for organizing an amazing trip, from day one to tomorrow. I don't know who else could have put together such a cool trip. Also, thanks to Mr. Meyer. We have all enjoyed extending junior year to get more time with him, and the time he has put in to making sure we are all okay is very appreciated.

Looking through pictures I couldn't believe everything we've done, from the frauenkirche to the Olympic Stadium, to Tübingen. Not only have we all had an incredible experience, for which we must thank you parents as well, but we have also gotten to know each other much better and grow closer as a class.

While we are happy to come home, we will definitely miss the beautiful country of Deutschland.

Well, it's lunch time, so I have to cut this a little short---One more day!!!!

Austin Bream

 Getting ready to eat!

Last chats

Goof Balls

The sunsets on our evening and our 3 weeks...It's been a wild ride!

As you all know, we have been with our host families since Thursday night. Although there were no more planned class trips, we continued to experience all Germany has to offer. 

On Friday many people went to the Bodensee. It´s the biggest lake in Germany and borders Switzerland, so many took a boat across the border. Others went to Strasbourg in France or to Europa Park (a popular amusement park). I went with a few others to Herr Herr´s wedding. We just dropped by to stay hello and congratulations during their champagne toast, which comes in between the ceremony and the reception. As we experienced this German tradition, it was clear that the weddings here can be very different than at home. The newlyweds got married in the town hall and had a full day ahead of them at a museum followed by a party, all after the champagne toast of course. After the various day trips, many Germans and Americans met up at night to play cards or watch a movie. 

More adventures were to come on Saturday. Some crossed the border to France or Switzerland, while others shopped in Stuttgart or experienced the view from the TV tower. I went to Essling, a quaint town about twenty minutes from Stuttgart. There were plenty of shops and cafés to keep us busy for a few hours. Saturday night many attended a small garden party while others met to play games or go to dinner. 

Today was our last planned activity, a farewell grill party at the school. Beforehand, some visited Stuttgart one last time or took a hike in the black forest. I saw the spectacular view from the TV tower near Stuttgart and headed home to prepare some food for the party. We met at around 6 and stayed for a few hours, eating and enjoying the company one last time. Tomorrow we will say one final goodbye to our new German friends at the airport. While we are all sad to leave, I think the majority of the Americans are ready to come home. We miss our friends and families at home, and will be seeing all of you tomorrow night! This trip has bonded our class closer than I ever imagined possible, and I am confident we will return to our Senior year not only as classmates, but close friends. We have learned and experienced a great deal during our time in Germany. Having experienced the German culture and speaking the language for the last three weeks, we will all return home brighter than before, some of us even inspired by this wonderful country. Each and every one of us is beyond grateful to Frau Fraser for making this trip possible, and to Mr. Meyer for coming along. They are both truly selfless for volunteering to practically live with 23 high school kids for three weeks. A big thank you also goes out to the parents for not only paying for the trip, but for allowing us to experience this rare opportunity. 


We will see you all tomorrow! - Molly Cunningham

Hi Heidelberg Hei

We began the day by singing happy birthday both in English and in German to the birthday boy, Rohan. We then boarded the bus for a two-hour ride to the city of Heidelberg. Most of us slept until we arrived at around 10 am. The class was given about 15 minutes to go grab some coffee or croissants from one of the cafés in the area. After getting some much needed caffeine, the class headed out on "Philosophenweg" or "Philosophers' Way" to walk the path the great philosophers of the town took when they were deep in thought. After a bit of a hike and some photo shoot breaks, we arrived at the top of the hill, where we had a wonderful view of the city. Next, the class split up a little to get lunch and explore the city. A group of us went to a café where many of us enjoyed enormous hamburgers. We then walked around the city a bit and went in some different stores before setting up camp at the park on the water. We spent about an hour there, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. At 3 pm, the class met up again to take a short hike up to a castle. The view of the city was great, and the castle provided for some cool pictures. We took our final class photo together with a view of Heidelberg in the background, and then made our way back down to ground level to board the bus back to Filderstadt. We have family time for the rest of the trip, and I know everyone is looking forward to enjoying their last days in Germany. 

-Zoë

Last group picture (unless we do an airport shot)

The old bridge...and the curvy path on the right is the path up to the Philosophenweg

The teachers with the birthday boy

Heidelberg from the Philosophenweg

Mind-sweat

Tübingen & Rittersport MMM...Chocolate!

Today we went to tubingen, a beautiful college town not too far from filderstadt. When we arrived we quickly searched for breakfast and met up later for the first small adventure of the day. We split into two groups and took a pontoon tour of tubingen. We were able to see why tubingen is such a popular city: a great combination of historic and college atmospheres. 

Tübingen from the bridge (admittedly taken last time there)

On our Stocherkahn ride with the city in the background

Mr. Meyer steering the ship!

Tübingen from the castle's view

We spent the second half of our day at the Ritter Sport factory (located just 15 minutes away from Dietrich Boenhoeffer)! Now, Ritter Sport is my favorite chocolate, so this has been something I've been looking forward to the whole trip. We were first directed upstairs to watch a short video about the production of the chocolate, which featured the owner of Ritter Sport in what I can only hope was an outfit purposely modeled after Willy Wonka. (And, my word, the hair.) We were then given a complimentary chocolate bar and reccomended to take a stroll through a small exhibit about the history of the company. After we politely ignored this reccomendation, we made a beeline for the main attraction of visit: the outlet store. Stacks on stacks and literally sack fulls of chocolate for bargain prices. If you are hoping that your child did not go absolutely insane and buy five pounds of candy, then I have good news for most of you, but bad news for a select few (including my parents... sorry. Although I doubt this is a surprise.) Anywho... after buying our cumlative 16 kilograms of chocolate some people headed off to the cafe where I spied a few people purchasing what seemed to be a „frozen chocolate.“ While we waited for the group to rally I made my way over to the bus where I made friends with our very friendly coach bus driver for the day. While I didn't understand a lot of what he said, our friendship became close enough for him to offer me use of the bus's refrigerator, so that my six pounds of chocolate wouldn't melt. (Mom, Dad, I swear it's not all for me.) After this we made the brief return trip to school where we were picked up. As I write this many people are deciding what they are doing for the night. Among other things, I've heard about some attending a movie showing at an open air theater (Shawn, Frau Fraser) and classical music concert (Rohan, Tim). Nevertheless, despite having done a lot already today, in typical German style the evening has not even begun! - Faith

Mercedes/Stuttgart

Unless one’s host family brought them there in the free time, today
presented the first chance to explore the city of Stuttgart for most
Americans. Most students were dropped off at the school, though a few
walked. Either way, we met at the train station and rode the S-Bahn to
Stuttgart, and walked from there to the Mercedes Benz museum. Luckily,
we had a little time to spare before our tour began to drool over the
150,000 EURO’s (about $180,000) automobiles. At our own pace, we were
able to explore the relatively modern museum, which began with an
array of the company’s first products, including a horse drawn
carriage, a primitive flying machine, and a fire engine. As you
descended from the top floor, both the cars and the historical
information became more and more contemporary. I personally had the
luxury of exploring the exhibit with the knowledgeable Mr. Meyer, who
was able to contribute interesting tidbits of wisdom in addition to
the all-encompassing museum descriptions. Some made a stop in the gift
shop, and we were on our way. We rode the S-Bahn once again, this time
closer to the city center, and declared a meeting place. From there,
students were free to roam the city; eating, conducting research,
shopping, seeing the sites, and most especially, eating. Among the
landmarks of the city were a 197 meter TV tower, the first of its
kind, and a former imperial palace. Returning to the meeting place
around 4:15, some Americans’ host students had come to the city to
meet them, while others rode the train back to Filderstadt and were
promptly picked up by their interim families. From my understanding,
there were two main events that occurred in the night’s free time. One
group of kids (myself included) picnicked at the lake, where we swam,
played cards, ate (sausages mostly), and machte spaß. Another group,
from what I was told, had a group over to someone’s house and ate
fruit salad. I do miss fruit salad. And that was Tuesday. We are past
the two-thirds point! See everyone at home very soon –Declan

Monday (and before that)

We left Munich Saturday morning and arrived in Stuttgart in the afternoon.  Our hosts met us at the Filderstadt train station and we all went our separate ways to our new homes.  The rest of the day and weekend was devoted to family time.  Erika and I were warmly welcomed by our host Anna-Lena and her family.  I am definitely speaking more German here than I did in Leipzig, and glad to say that I can understand more as well (the accent is also a bit easier to understand here). 

After settling in on Saturday, our host family took us to a tractor event here in Filderstadt on Sunday.   It’s really nice that Stuttgart is close by, yet Filderstadt has a bit of the country aspect to it.  People brought their tractors and attempted to pull massive weights as far as they could.  Despite living in the Midwest, I have not been to such an event before so it was interesting to see.  Afterward, our host family took us to Ludwigsburg, where we visited the Ludwigsburg palace.  All in all, it was a pleasant weekend.

On Monday, the whole group met together again.  We toured Filderstadt’s school, which is one of the more modern high schools (or gymnasiums) in Germany.  Though smaller than GBS and GBN, it is really nice.  One of the most interesting features in the school is a futuristic clock in the center of it, which tells time with various colored stripes—though it’s difficult to read.  As we toured the school with Herr Herr (Mr. Mr), we saw some familiar faces of the exchange students that visited GBS last November. 

Next, Frau Fraser took us into Filderstadt where we had a scavenger hunt.  We all formed small groups and went from store to store asking for directions, what time the stores open, the names of places, etc.  In the meantime, many of us stopped by the bakery there and had various pastries.  Upon returning to the school, we visited Herr Herr’s 7^th grade English class.  They greeted us by reading all of our names in English.  Then it was their turn to do a mini scavenger hunt by asking us various questions in English about whether we like to do certain things or not (such as watch Glee, take hot baths in the summer, if we have a German last name, if we can sing a German song, etc.).  Then we played Ninja with the group, and let me tell you, some of them were really good!  J 

After having lunch, some of the group went home with their hosts, while others joined Herr Herr and his class for an ice cream trip.  That basically summed up Monday.  Afterward we all went home with our hosts.  Erika and I got to visit the Media tower in Stuttgart, and then spent time with our families.  Looking forward to the last week now! 

bikes, a lake, alpine slide and a castle

We left the hostel on the eve of this active and hectic day at about 8:30 a.m. with a train ride to Marienplatz and then a short walk to Mike's Bike Tours, the company with which we had booked a morning bike ride around Swan Lake and two castles, a hike/bus ride up to the Neuschwanstein caslte, and a guided tour of that castle. On the way to Neuschwanstein, we were briefed on the day's activities and then watched an informative video in which our tour guide, Brad, explained the history behind the castle, the construction of which began in 1869 following orders by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, but was ended in 1886 on account of his death.

About 15 minutes after arriving at the Mike's Bike Tours facility in Hohenschwangau, Brad and his girlfriend Meike fitted us to bikes for the bike tour. There were dark blue bikes for the boys and lime-green bikes for the girls, both sharing the wide, curved handlebars, long bike frame, and wheel covers characteristic of European transit bikes. There were also 'tall men's bikes' for Mr. Meyer and a few students, which resembled hybrid bikes.
We then took a scenic bike tour around the mountain, stopping to enjoy such nature as Swan Lake (which Brad joked was the lake that inspired the classical music piece bearing the same name). At the end of the bike tour, Brad let us ride as fast as we wished back to the bike storage facility at the foot of the mountain, which resulted in various experiences, ranging from an exhilarating race to an attempt to find the correct path back to the facility. This ride was followed by a fulfilling lunch (the highlight of which was the Apple Strudel dessert--which came with custard, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream) and a very exciting optional toboggan ride. The view from the track of the mountain was gorgeous, and the ride itself was faster and more thrilling than the one we rode while in Leipzig. While some students rode a second time, Brad put on an exciting magic show in the nearby restaurant.

After lunch and the ride we took our bus about 5 minutes up the mountain, at which point we were offered two options: Get off the bus now and take a bus to the Neuschwanstein castle, or get off in a few minutes and hike to the castle. Everyone on our bus selected the hiking option.
The hiking was not difficult in the beginning, but rain began to fall soon after we set out, and increased in heaviness by the second. In spite of this hindrance, we enjoyed the scenery we passed during the hike, including a waterfall that in old times was part of a hydraulic system that ground materials into cement.
Two-thirds of the way into the hike we were shown the site of the most beautiful photo opportunity, a high bridge. Some hiked the whole way there, only to find the overlook hidden beneath a blanket of fog. As the rain was penetrating through raincoats and backpacks, we eagerly made our way to the castle.
Our guided tour of the Neuschwanstein castle was relatively short but nonetheless interesting. We visited roughly 6 of the castle's finished rooms, all of which were beautifully made. We learned that the King had built the castle with the desire to accommodate his longtime friend Richard Wagner there as a prized guest, but had only lived there for about 175 days before his death. The castle was opened to the public just 6 months later. While walking through the castle, where photographing was unfortunately prohibited, I was overwhelmed with the exquisiteness of its design, including the King's toilet, the seat and backrest of which were leather cushions. The castle also had a fully-functioning plumbing system that captured naturally-flowing cool water from the top of the mountain as tap water.

After our tour of the castle, we travelled back to Munich to have dinner. We ate at a 500-year-old restaurant where the waitresses--all older women--were fitted in Dirndl, a traditional Bavarian women's dress. The food received mixed responses, but we were all happy to have eaten.

Day of contrasts and perspective...

Yesterday was a very memorable day of our Germany trip. First off, it was the first time we were given the option to do our own laundry. For those of us who didn't want to do laundry, we slept in a little longer to brace ourself for the long day ahead. After meeting in the hostel lobby around 10:15, we departed for Dachau slightly behind schedule. Everything worked out for the better, though, because the former concentration camp was less crowded. We participated in a relatively new interactive tour designed for a large group of students. We congregated in small shed inside the camp, where our tour guide began by laying out photos taken of the camp during World War II. In groups of two, we picked a photo and shared to the rest of our Academy class why we picked it. The next activity involved us placing events from the 1930s and 1940s in chronological order. Following that we took a tour throughout the camp. While we had learned about many of the things we saw and heard, there was an eerie feeling that came along with the massive yet abandoned camp. The barracks were torn down, but the space they used to occupy was marked and filled with gravel. The watchtowers were reconstructed and some things were renovated, but other things, such as the gas chamber and crematorium, were mostly intact. Following Dachau, we traveled to the well-known Hofbrauhaus for dinner. People from around the world had journeyed here for the traditional German experience. A couple performers entertained us with German dancing and music while we ate delicious food and drank (pop/juice) out of massive 1-liter mugs. On our walk back to the tram, half of our adventurous Academy class sprinted through a fountain in the city of Munich. In retrospect, that was not the brightest idea. We came out of it soaked and freezing, but with a handful of memories. Exhausted, we returned to the hostel to rest for an early trip the next morning. - Rohan

memorial at Dachau

German band at dinner

The fountain sprinters

The highlights of yesterday were going to Dachau and seeing the Hofbräuhaus. As Frau told us that morning, it was strange going to a place as sad as Dachau and as much fun as the Hofbräuhaus in one day. Upon arriving at the concentration camp, we were stunned by how large it was. Our tour lasted for 3.5 hours, and was very informative. It was focused on the history surrounding the Holocaust. Visiting the barracks, seeing the fences and guard towers, and walking through the SS bunker was a solemn process, but we were deeply saddened as we passed through the gas chambers and saw the crematorium. We were all quiet for a long while afterwards, but we all agreed the experience was enriching and touching. After two hours of free time in Munich, we were in a better mood and were ready for a great dinner. The Hofbräuhaus was festive, crowded, and loud. Between the cheering and the band/performers, the atmosphere was great. The German food was outstanding, and the most impressive sight of the night was when our waiter brought 15liters of soda at once using only his hands. While it is hard to call it "fun" (because of the morning), we had a very good day in Germany. - Tim