Alright, here's what I was up to last week:
Montag (Monday) - I was a farmer! After hiding out in my room all morning to write my last blog post, I told Barbara to put me to work. So she handed me a shovel and I sifted the compost soil from the last year (or two). Fun stuff! Lutz was very thankful that he didn't have to do it ;)
Dienstag (Tuesday) - I voted! That's right, I'm way ahead of all of you :) I printed and mailed my ballot for the next President of the United States and voted NO on the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in MN. Hooray! Then I went on a bike ride with Lutz, and it was nice to chat with him to really challenge his English and my German (we are both beginners). After the bike ride, I met Anne and her friend at the gym for a quality workout. When I got home, I watched Hangover 2 with Jakob - what a relief to hear English on the TV! I fell asleep on the couch before the end of the movie (surprise, surprise).
...Don't worry, it gets more interesting I promise...
Mittwoch (Wednesday) - Happy Tag der Deutschen Einheit! Like I said in my last post, this is a national holiday to celebrate the unity of Germany as one nation. Lutz, Barbara, Jakob, and I headed to Berlin to experience the many festivities in the big city! First we visited a Berlin Wall Memorial, including a train station that was formerly known as a "ghost station" since it was completely blocked off to East Berliners during the time of the Wall. Of course we also had to go to the Brandenburg Gate to see all of the hustle and bustle there - it was just like the MN State Fair!
We visited the Schlossplatz (which I had already seen with Anne) which is all decked out for Berlin's 775th birthday this year :) We had some drinks at a bar on the river,
Posed in front of the Reichstag,
and the Fernsehturm (TV tower)...
And walked through Oktoberfest at Alexanderplatz.
It was a busy day of walking and site-seeing. And then Wednesday night, I went out to a club with Jakob! We got home at 6:30am - I'm so proud of myself for staying awake :)
Donnerstag (Thursday): Alright that brings me to Thursday morning, bright and early (I only slept for 2 hours), we were headed to Dresden! Dresden is a beautiful city about 2 hours away from where I live. It has amazing reconstructions of old churches and castles that were destroyed during WWII air raids on February 13, 1945. I felt like I was in a different country - it's very different from Berlin! It was stunning.
After an impressive visit to the "green vault" where an old king kept all of his precious jewels/artwork (described as one of the richest treasure chambers in Europe) and a few church walk-throughs, we had dinner at a cute, authentic German restaurant in the cellar of a castle.
After our hearty meal, we hopped back in the car to drive to Pirna - the town we would call home for the next 3 days. Our flat was honestly too good to be true. It was so adorable. Here's a panoramic view of the living room (where Jakob and I slept).
We finished off the night with onion bread (apparently it's a staple German food) and cards. It was fun :)
Freitag (Friday): It was windy and rainy, but we were determined to make the day count! We visited a mountain fortress called Festung Königstein that dates back to the year 1233. It was fascinating to read about and see things that are so old and yet so majestic and intimidating.
After the fortress, we headed back to Pirna to check out our cute little town.
Pirna is located on the banks of the river Elbe, and was majorly flooded in 2002. We found signs on various buildings showing the water level from past floods (2002 is at the very top).
Barbara and Lutz went to the theater (there were only 2 tickets left and I wouldn't have understood it anyway), while Jakob and I enjoyed the running race and competitive relay that were taking place by torchlight throughout the cobblestone streets. I even bought us both ice cream cones for the special occasion :) We laughed at the cheerleaders, and I danced to Nicki Minaj.
Samstag (Saturday): Probably my favorite day of our holiday! We hiked for 3 hours in the Saxony Switzerland (the name of the region where we were staying), which is famous for its fantastic climbing rocks and scenic hikes. We even encountered a group of blind hikers - amazing. I could barely manage the steps and ladders and crevices, I simply can't imagine how a blind person would perceive the hiking experience. Nevertheless, it was breathtaking (both literally and figuratively). I loved it!
I have way more pictures (thanks to Jakob and Lutz for sharing theirs!), but it is nearing midnight, and I want to go to bed - this is super late for me :)
Sonntag (Sunday): We visited more castles in the area and then headed home. I promise I will post more pictures at a later date (and perhaps share my perspective of the hilarity of driving and constantly being lost with my host family). All in all, it was a holiday to remember. Once again, I am so grateful for my amazing host family. They are so welcoming, generous, kind, and patient with me. I love them.
And good news - my iPhone finally works here! I got it unlocked (thank you Ryan!!!) and bought a SIM card and the whole shebang, and now I am officially a smartphone owner and user.
This week I am back at school, and it is harder than ever. I really need to devote some serious studying time to get to where I want to be with this complicated language. SO - it's bed time. Thank you for reading!
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