Rome

Last week, I went to Rome as a chaperone teacher with Latin students from the school I teach at. It was a great experience (albeit a little tough on the old wallet...), and I'm really happy that I had the opportunity to see it, especially with other people and not alone for a change.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was definitely warmer than the weather in Berlin, where it had been raining when we left. On Monday morning I got up at 4:30, and walked down the street to be picked up by another teacher. It was dark, wet, and silent at the time, and I had the feeling that I was waking up the whole neighborhood with the wheels of my rolling suitcase bumping along the cobblestone roads. However, it was also cool to be out at that hour, especially with the rain.

It always takes forever for groups to get through all of the airport stuff. There were 36 of us: 32 students and 4 teachers (myself included). Luckily though, everybody made it there on time and no one was detained.

It was so sunny and warm in Rome that everyone was sunburnt by the end of the first day. It seemed that no one had even considered bringing sunblock.

We did a TON of walking. This was hard on me because I just had a minor surgery on my little toe the week before leaving. The doctor had to remove a tiny corn that had developed from the constant rubbing together of my toes as a result of walking everywhere. It wasn't a big deal, and had mostly healed, but between that and the two big blisters that formed, I started to limp by Tuesday night like an old, old woman.

One of my favorite things that we saw was the Colosseum. It was awesome! You see it in pictures, but don't really realize how massive it is until you actually go there. It's hard to believe that this has survived for thousands of years.


The Colosseum.


We also saw the Spanish Stairs, which lead up to the Triniti de Monti church and obelisk at the top. This is a popular place for people to meet up and hang out. It was crawling with tourists and street vendors when we were there, although I'm sure it's like that year round. To be fair, literally EVERYWHERE we were there were tourists, which was annoying (although we were also tourists). It's funny, because everyone hates tourists, but everyone wants to be a tourist. Guess we're all just a big bunch of hypocrites.


Spanish Stairs.

Anyway, on Wednesday morning we went to the Vatican and got to see the Pope deliver his weekly sermon in 4 or 5 different languages. It was cool to be so close to him, although I'm not Catholic so he's more like a celebrity figure to me. He was perched up on a little go-cart and his men drove him through the crowd so he could wave at the people. At one point I looked up and he was literally right above me, and we made eye contact for a split second. Of course, by the time I took a picture I only managed to get the back of his head.


At the Vatican.


The Pope.

Next we visited St. Peter's Basilica, which is directly next to St. Peter's Square in Vatican City (where we saw the pope). It is a spectacular cathedral, and pictures cannot convey how marvelous it is...it is something you simply must experience in person. It's the same thing with the Sistene Chapel, which is completely breathtaking. There is so much visible stimulation. Michaelangelo really did a wonderful job...although the famous "Creation of Adam" painting was a lot smaller than I expected!


"Creation of Adam."

For lunch that day, the 3 other teachers and I went to an average-looking street cafe to grab a bite and relax. I ordered a coke, and the next thing I knew the waiter slammed this massive 2-liter-sized, Oktoberfest-style mug filled with coke and half a lemon! I couldn't beleive it, and the other teachers got a good kick out of it (and I'm still mad at myself for not taking a picture of it). The food was so-so, and when we got the check we were shocked: for our small pizza and salads plus drinks it was 115 Euro ($160)! We thought there must have been a mistake. When we asked the waiter, he informed us that part of it was the massive tourist tax in the Vatican City. However, they also charged me TEN EURO ($14.50) for my coke, as well as 10 Euro for each regular cup of coffee!!!!!! We couldn't believe it. Talk about highway robbery!! We were all in a bad mood after that and snapped at a few students...oops. :(


The Pantheon.

A few other highlights we saw include: the Roman and Imperial Forums, the Museum of the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Vittorio Emannuale II monument, Piazza del Popolo, a farmer's market, Piazza Navona, and many others.

All in all, Rome was pretty cool to visit, and I'm glad I had the chance.

German Weeds

Spring has more or less sprung in Germany, and a few weeks ago when the weather first started turning nice, I noticed that little purple crocuses, as well as cute little white and yellow flowers, started popping up all over the place. They are so beautiful that at first I thought they were planted, and I didn't understand why someone would plant these little flowers right square in the middle of the yard (they've got to mow at some point, after all!).



However, it turns out that these grow wild here and are more or less considered weeds. NO FAIR! Why don't we get these kinds of weeds in Montana? All we get there are thistle and crappy dandelions that invade the entire yard and spread their nasty seed all over everything. (I feel like I should write some sort of punch line here, but I'll leave that to you, dear reader).



It's funny, because although these weed flowers grow wild, they still manage to have a certain orderliness to them. It's almost like they choose to grow in the most logical places possible. Apparently even flowers follow the social order here that Germans are known for.

What perfect parallelism!

What Not To Wear!

Last weekend I visited my friend Nicole and her parents in Eisenhüttenstadt, my "German family". I see them quite often, and it's really nice knowing that I have a place to come "home" to on the weekends.

Anyway, Nicole and her boyfriend Adrian both needed a new pair of shoes, so we went to the mall.



At one point, Adrian asked me if I knew about New Balance shoes.

I said, "Yeah, I've heard of them, but I don't own a pair."

"Well that's good, because those are Nazi shoes."

"Uh.....what?"

"Yeah, the big 'N' on the side is taken for an abbreviation for 'Nazi', and the shoes are popular in Nazi groups. So don't wear those."



They also told me about "Lonsdale", another clothing brand that is extremely popular within neo-Nazi groups. It started when someone noticed that the shirt could be partially covered so that all that can be seen is "NSDA"... the short form of the no-longer-existant Nazi party's official title (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei). These days, however, people don't even really need to cover up part of it because the message is sent simply via the brand name and the new association that people have with it.





So yeah, don't wear that stuff, like this a-hole:



Remember...no one likes a Nazi confrontation!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only in Germany

Fulbright Conference- Berlin

This week I didn't have to work because of the international Fulbright conference that was happening in Berlin! All Fulbrighters in Europe gathered at the 37-story, five-star hotel named "Park Inn" at Alexanderplatz (directly next to the radio tower; this was the main center of East Berlin during the GDR-era). Those who had to travel had their expenses paid for, and room and board was included. I was even able to stay since I technically live in the state of Brandenburg (although Neuenhagen bei Berlin is still connected to the city). Score!

Of course this meant that my high school friend and fellow Fulbrighter Margie was also there for the week, and we had a ton of fun together!! She flew in on Saturday morning, and I took her out to Potsdam for the day to visit castles and other fun things (Potsdam is the so-called "Versailles of Berlin"...something like a twin-city). We got there in the morning, and walked around the city for basically the entire day. It was my second time there; back in the summer of '06 Nicole and her parents took my mom and I out there one day during our stay. It is so beautiful though...I'm kind of mad at myself for not going out there more often since I'm so close!




Anyway, we went to Sanssouci Palace (Schloss Sanssouci) and the New Palace (Neues Palais), taking tours of both. The weather was absolutely beautiful. There is also a huge park here, a Chinese tea-house, an orangerie, and a massive windmill. Totally gorgeous. Afterwards, we walked to the other side of the city and across the large river to the idyllic woodsy area where Babelsberg Palace (Schloss Babelsberg) is. We got there in the late-afternoon or early evening, so everything had this magical glow to it. There was basically nobody around either, so it was like we were walking around in the woods and just stumbled across this centuries-old, fairy-tale castle. It was wonderful. We were so mesmorized!




The whole week was awesome, and I really felt happy hanging out and catching up with my closest friend. We did so much. Other places we went include: the DDR-Museum (or GDR Museum), Potsdamer Platz, the Film/TV Museum, Charlottenburg Palace, the Memorial for Murdered European Jews, the Museum of German Resistance during WWII, the Victory Column (Siegessäule), the Tierpark (where 7 of us altogether went for a picnic), the Gedächtnis Kirche and Glas Church, White Trash Fast Food (best American restuarant in Berlin!), and countless other small places along the way.



We pretty much had every meal covered by Fulbright at the fancy hotel restaurant. The food was awesome. However, I have to say that the meatballs at the reception after our briefing with Berlin's mayor were my favorite! (Gotta learn how to make those).


Memorial for Murdered Jews of Europe

Fulbright really outdid themselves for this conference. We listened to speeches from American and German ambassadors alike, as well as many other "VIPs". We had great banquets with unlimited food and drinks. One night the Fulbrighters here on music scholarships performed for the rest of us in a gala, and it really made me wish I had double majored in music AND math. They were excellent. One violinist and his pianist-wife even played my Saint-Saëns piece, Introduction and Rondo capricciosso. (And it never gets old, no matter how many times I hear it! Hear Heifetz play it).



On Wednesday evening we had our farewell party at the Alte Kantine, a club in Prenzlauer-Berg (a district of Berlin). At one point this was a church, and then it turned into a brewery. Somewhere along the way it stopped being a brewery and became a club. We had a DJ and everyone was given two drink tokens, which I used for some delicious cold apple juice (go ahead and call me lame, I don't care, lol). Margie and I left early as she had some serious tooth pain, and we had to find something. Luckily there was a pharmacy open 24/7 in the main train station!

I am really thankful for this week. It was a great change-up from my normal routine, got to see some old friends and meet some new ones, and go do some fun stuff that normally gets pushed aside. Also, nothing compares to quality time with someone you love and don't get to see very often! :)



I LOVE BERLIN!

Christmas: Märchen

One of the coolest things about being in Germany during the holidays is that classic fairy-tale movies, called Märchen, play almost every single day on TV. Many of them were made in the DDR*, and a few were even made in some other eastern-block communist countries during the Cold War era, so they've got an added nostalgic element to them. Originally filmed in black-and-white, they have now been restored in technicolor, and the effect is really cool. Think of "The Wizard of Oz".



These Märchen are extremely rich in German culture, particularly since many of these stories are derived form those of the "Brothers Grimm"**. Although they may seem a bit cheesy at times, they definitely appeal to the still-innocent inner child. Fairy tales will always be fascinating to me. They're timeless.




A few of my favorites include Das singende klingende Bäumchen ("The Singing Ringing Tree") from 1957, and Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart) from 1950. However, I haven't seen one Märchen that I didn't like! They're simply impossible not to love.



Surprisingly enough, someone has put the entire "Bäumchen" film on youtube. Even if you don't speak German, I still recommend watching it (or part of it) just to see how cool and nostalgic it is. Check it out!
Bäumchen

I also found the trailer for "Das kalte Herz." It's only about 3 minutes, and it's definitely worth checking out as well: Herz



*DDR is the German abbreviation for "Deutsche Demokratische Republik" (German Democratic Republic, or GDR in English). For those of you not up on your German history, this was the communist East Germany during the Cold War era, before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

**The Brothers Grimm were two brothers who collected German folk and fairy tales in the early 1800s to form the very influential and well-known "Grimm Fairy Tales", which include Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty, among many others.

Christmas: The Food

Continuing my "Christmas series", I'll now move on to everyone's favorite thing about holidays...the food!

As I mentioned in the Thanksgiving post, turkey is not as popular on holidays in Germany as it in the US. Rather, on special occasions, they are more likely to eat duck, rabbit, or ham. I had actually never eaten either duck or rabbit before coming here, and I was pleasantly surprised by both. Once I got past the psychological hindrance of eating "the Easter bunny", that is. After discovering how tender the meat is though, I decided that rabbits get eaten by things all the time anyway, and I might as well claim my share.



The meat is most likely to be served with mashed potatoes, Rotkohl (literally "red cabbage"; this is rarely seen in the US, so imagine a combination of pickled beet redness and taste, and sauerkraut, and you'll have it), a gravy made from the meat, and maybe another vegetable. It's also quite likely that there will be some kind of salad of shredded lettuce, cubed apples, and special musturdy mystery sauce.



On Christmas Eve, we went to Nicole's grandparent's house for dinner. I thought it was funny because they also had sausages and potato salad! Very German! Hehehe ^^.

Of course there is also a lot of candy and sweets. Christmas cookies, or Plätzchen, are always a nice treat.