Me in Germany-2014

Hallo, I'm Kym! I'm a senior Film major from Ramapo College spending the summer in Germany. Follow my adventures with my CIEE friends this month in Berlin and train travels with my Mutti next month. Pictures, stories and insights to German culture!

[kym-in-germany]

And Away I Go

Leaving my last hotel room here in Germany for the airport. 17 hours until I get home.

[kym-in-germany]

Day 14- Furth im Wald. A tiny town on the border with Czech Republic, Furth im Wald is best known for its Drachenstich. This dragon play is the oldest 'people's theater' in Germany, held every August since 1590. Our room, in one of the only three hotels in town, was our biggest room yet, with practically a second room of space in front of our closet and separate rooms for the toilet and shower. Our lunch at the local Biergarten was delicious and included a visit from cat number 6 in all of Germany. The play itself was all in German, but the acting and battle scenes were still amazing. I lost count at twenty horses and at least a town's worth of actors.

[kym-in-germany]

The world's largest quadrupede robot as the main attraction at Furth im Wald's Dragon Festival, a yearly festival since the late 1500s. It breaths fire, blinks and is easily conquered by shish-kebabing its head. It even bled too!

[kym-in-germany]

Saw a great film at a little art house in Regensburg. Original English with German subtitles, so I had to translate the French language section from the German on the screen. Difficult, but worth it for such a well composed documentary.

[kym-in-germany]

Days 12 & 13- Regensburg, Pt 2. The German national monument of Walhalla was conceived by Crown Prince Ludwig I in 1807 and inaugurated in 1842 with 96 busts and 32 plaques of great Germans in history. A short 45 min ship ride, ten minute walk, and 251 marble steps from the base of the monument lead you to your final destination. The building is almost a replica of the Greek Parthenon and surrounded by glorious goats. Approximately 30 more bust have been added since the 19th century, but it remains virtually the same.

[kym-in-germany]

Days 12 & 13- Regensburg. Bavarian shipping city on the banks of the Danube. The Romans first built a fort at the meeting point of the Regen and Danube river in 90 AD. It then became notable again for its stone bridge built in the 1000s, which provided he only crossing over the Danube for miles and made Regensburg a central hub for shipping across the Germanic region. Our apartment in the Altstadt let us easily walk to the main sites of Regensburg, including the old stone bridge and the Wurstkuchl. The bridge was sadly under construction and covered in scaffolding, but the 900 year old Wurstkuchl was busy with waiters rushing to fill all the demand for the sausages and mustard made with the same recipe since the building was created. A stop at the oldest coffeehouse in Germany included Sachertorte and schwartzwälder kirschetorte.

[kym-in-germany]

Day 10 & 11- Nuremberg, Pt 3. The Sinwell tower at the Nuremberg provided beautiful views of Nuremberg city below, as well as some corresponding photographs taken from the tower in 1945. The paired images show how the city looked after the bombings versus it's current state in 2014, almost 70 years later.

[kym-in-germany]

Peculiarities: I can ride the u-bahn almost all day without having anyone check my ticket. I can order a slice of pizza at cafe and not pay until after I finished it. BUT the lady at dunkin doughnuts will not listen to my order until I've paid for all four of my doughnuts. The funny part is that she could just not give me my doughnuts if I don't pay. Still, look at that amazingly colorful spread of doughnuts!

[kym-in-germany]

Day 10 & 11- Nuremberg, Pt 2. We finished our tour of Nuremberg sites by visiting the Hauptmarkt, the central marketplace with the gothic Schöner Brunnen, a replica of the original fountain from 1385. Replica or not, we still found the bronze Nuremberg ring and spun it for good luck. Our side trip to Bamberg was cut short by rain, which cools off the air but makes the day no fun for outdoor activities. More potatoes tonight at the Kartoffelhaus just outside the old city wall.

[kym-in-germany]

Day 10 & 11- Nuremberg. The second largest city in Bavaria documented to be over 1,000 years old. With historical prominence in both medieval and recent times, the city is a popular destination site for those interested in visiting the beautiful imperial castle or the old Nazi rally grounds and trials. Today we had lunch at one of the city's three MENSAs (college cafeterias) before visiting the castle. The castle grounds include a fifty meter deep well that took four years to build by hand. Dinner at our hotels restaurant included some goulash soup that was closer to the Hungarian style I'm used to, rather than the German thick brown goulash with red cabbage.

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☆*: .｡. o First official pictures by Anh Binh Photography from Candy Day Rothenburg are up! Go check the Lacebook facebook page for more beautiful coords here ☆

[kym-in-germany]

Day 10- Nuremberg. Look where I found for tomorrow. 4 floors of comics, manga, Star Wars and other geek culture-y goodness. Wish me luck!

[kym-in-germany]

Day 8 & 9- Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Pt 4. Candy Day: Flowers and Nostalgia. We happened upon this lovely event in the city garden. Everyone looked so beautiful!

[kym-in-germany]

Day 8 & 9- Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Pt 3. The town was almost destroyed in the thirty years war and then forgotten for 300 years. Saved by tourism alone through World War Two, the town has a bustling crowd of visitors who often take the bus in and disappear by night, so the cobblestone streets are usually empty by evening. We walked the wall, which surrounds the entire city. If anyone else is reminded of Attack on Titan, please let me know.

[kym-in-germany]

Day 8 & 9- Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Pt 2. We stopped at Anneliese Friese's gift shop for souvenirs. Left with more than we expected to, but most of it was thanks to the 10% discount for those with Rick Steve's book and and some wonderful conversation.

[kym-in-germany]

Days 8 & 9- Rothenburg ob der Tauber. A quaint medieval German town almost untouched by modern times. We stayed two nights at Edith's Guesthouse & Späzle Schwob. The room was beautiful and the food was even better. The best schnitzel I've had in Germany so far, but shhh. Don't let me offend anyone else. Our first night in the village included the Night Watch's Tour, which gave a history lesson complete with a dry British wit.

[kym-in-germany]

Day 7- Eisenach. A small German town in Thuringia, home to Wartburg Castle. Eisenach is a traditional German small town with its beautiful churches, rathaus and market place, along with the Johann Sebastian Bach museum and birth house. Still, it is the UNESCO world heritage site Wartburg castle that brings thousands of visitors to the town every year. The castle retains most of its structure built in the 12th & 15th century, while the majority of its interior is decorated in a 19th century fashion. There was a group of screaming toddlers on our tour, but that didn't stop us from appreciating the residence of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Martin Luther and hundreds of other German noblemen. Make sure to take the donkey ride to the castle for 4€, we wish we had.