Day 9 – CM

May 21, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

5-21-13

Today the group visited the BMW (“Bayern Motor Works” for those of you who don’t know) headquarters today, and learned about their plans for a sustainable future.  Having recently written an article on sustainability for Point Park’s The Pioneer, I appreciated this trip very much.  The lecture focused on the company’s advances in electric car technologies, and included a tour of the company’s museum.  I loved taking photographs of the bicycles and cars, as you can see below.  I enjoyed this visit much more than I expected (or at least, much more than the NASCAR museum), and will certainly look into American car companies’ plans for sustainability the next time I look to buy a car.  This may not be for a long time, but the discussion today piqued my interest.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Munich and Germany, and I hope it will be as enjoyable as the past 11!

Filed Under: Blogs, Connor Mulvaney ·

Neuschwanstein Castle

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Today we visited Neuschwanstein Castle. Last time I was in Germany Neuschwanstein was an optional excursion, but we had to pay 80 Euro out of our pocket to see it. I turned it down because I didn’t want to spend that much money and I figured I would come back to Germany in my lifetime and get the chance to see it again. Little did I know, I would be returning in three years and would get the chance to visit the castle for free. I regretted not seeing the castle then, but now I’m pleased that I didn’t spend the 80 Euro on tickets!

Just like for our trip to Salzburg, we took a train to the town that the castle was in, Hohenschwangau. The town literally translates to “High swan area.” It was beautiful making our way to the small town. It was very scenic. There were snow covered Alps in the distance and it was very picturesque. It was breathtaking.

The climb up to the castle was ridiculously long and the incline up was very steep. My calves and thighs were aching. We also had to climb in the rain. Needless to say, the climb didn’t make me too happy, but it was all worth it in the end. I got some amazing pictures up at the top and the castle was really something. It was gorgeous inside.

The castle wasn’t even actually that old. It was less than two hundred years old. Whenever I think of castles, I think of medieval nights. Neuschwanstein was actually the castle on King Ludwig, “The Crazy King.” He lived in it for a very short time, before he died of suspicious circumstances. Going back to being surprised about how young the castle was, I was equally surprised when the tour guide said that King Ludwig had a phone connecting to the post office. That really put the age of the castle in perspective for me.

I am an artist, so my main take away from this experience has to do wish all the very detail oriented lavish artwork that you are able to see on the interior walls of the castle. It was beautiful, and surprisingly all done in the same style. (Naturally I assumed that because it was all done int eh exact same style that it was one person. Painting styles differentiate from one person to the next.) I was wondering how one person could paint all of these rooms with so much detail in such a limited amount of time. I asked the tour guide what artist painted the walls. She told me that the paintings were all done by 7 different unknown artists, who were students from the academy in Munich. It surprised me that unknowns were painting for the King, but when the tour guide explained why, it all made so much sense. No famous well-established artists wanted to work for Ludwig because Ludwig had all the ideas and would tell each artist specifically what to do. There was no room for creativity. As an artist, I understand why the well-establish, well-known artists wouldn’t want to work for the King. I paint for my creative freedom and pleasure. Without creative freedom, there is no pleasure. Those artists were painting something that they wouldn’t even be able to claim as “there own.” This was very thought provoking for me.

-Andrea.

Filed Under: Andrea Karsesnick, Blogs ·

Alexa’s Blog – Day 9

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/20/13.

The adventure to Neuschwanstein Castle has arrived. We took a two-hour train, much like the one we took yesterday to Salzburg. The train ride was highlighted by the stunning view of the snow-capped Alps, an image that eclipsed yesterday’s limited view on the Salzburg train. Unfortunately I was unable to fix my camera so I missed out on the entire day! Luckily that’s what social media is for.

There were actually two castles in the area that we were in, with one being the real deal and the other being a remake. Neuschwanstein is the remake of the Mad King Ludwig’s palace. It’s gorgeous, extravagant, and accessible by a long walk up the mountain. It rained very much today – of course the day that we were outside forever!

Luckily, the hike up to the castle wasn’t too bad and the view of the town below is stunning. The castle itself is monstrous up close. The inside is so intricate and detailed, from the walls and ceiling to the furniture and accessories. King Ludwig certainly seems like he was a particular man. I had to laugh when I learned that he loved sweets and was quite obese. Arnoud told us that he drowned when he 40, but evidence suggests that he was murdered. Now knowing that he was obese I could definitely see him drowning. But then again, I’d prefer to think he was murdered – it seems much more kingly.

After touring the interior of the castle, we went exploring for a rickety bridge we had seen in the distance full of tourists. It had the most amazing view of the castle with the town in the background. On the opposite side of the bridge there was a waterfall. It’s something out of a fairy tale – huge and white nestled in the mountains. This is exactly what I expected a castle to be like.

After we had seen what we came for, we made the trek back down the mountain and waited in the rain for our bus to take us to the train station. After we got back to the Munich, Arnoud pointed out a place to exchange US dollars. Finally, with 2 full days of Germany left, I can get to work on spending my money. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

We had our group meeting on the Z floor where I usually pick up wifi. By the end of our discussion I was starving and craving American food.

Carson, Marina, Zack, Connor and I decided to take a break from German food and took a trip to Marienplatz to go eat at Hard Rock Café. I feel like every time I go to a new place I need to go to the Hard Rock Café there. It’s sort of like a compulsion.

Zack pushed Carson in her wheelchair and it’s possibly the most entertaining transportation I’ve ever witnessed.

All in all, it was a very rainy but fulfilling day. Tomorrow we start back with our media visits and are on the go until we leave on Thursday morning. I’m not sure what to think – I’m going to miss Germany very much!

Filed Under: Alexa Blanchard, Blogs · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

5.20.13 The “Mad King’s” Castle

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

5.20.13

Screen Shot 2013-05-24 at 4.37.40 PM

Today we took another excursion outside of Munich for that last day of the holiday. We journeyed to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which sits on the mountainside about a small village called Hohenschwangau near Füssen. As we set out we hoped for a less rainy day than the last. We groggily headed for the train and as usual I quickly fell asleep as the rumbling of the train lulled me into slumber.

 

When we arrived in Füssen we got off the train and onto a bus that would take us to the bottom of the hillside that the castle sits on. As we get off the bus we notice the clouds rolling in and realize that it will be another rainy day. We set off to explore the restaurants and souvenir shops for the tourists before heading up the mountain for our tour.

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Sadly, we were not able to take pictures or video while inside the castle and I don’t think that I could accurately describe the beauty and genius of the castle even within a thousand words. I can tell you though that almost every room was decorated with murals and the walls that depicted and individual story. Every room has a different theme and every room had incredible detail in the architecture and woodwork. Imagine royalty, wealth and extravagance and you may be close to what castle looked like.

 

We learned from the tour guide that seven unknown student artists painted the murals through out the castle and that professionals would not work with King Ludwig II. The king who inhabited the unfinished castle for 172 days before his mysterious death was said to be hard to work with because he wanted what he had in his mind to be portrayed in his castle. He wanted the painting and the carvings to be from his ideas and not those of the artist.

 

We then made the trek back down the mountain, back onto the bus, train and then finally back here to the hotel. Now we prepare for more media visits after a short hiatus from them.

 

Guten Nacht!

Filed Under: Blogs, Johnie Freiwald ·

DAY 8 – Salzburg

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Carson and I in the garden used in the film Sound of Music

Carson and I in the garden used in the film Sound of Music

DAY 8 – Salzburg

From what I had so far experienced only in movies, now that I have visited the beautiful old city of Salzburg, the world seems a little smaller.

Tourists, tourists and more tourists – I heard a great deal of different languages spoken around me today. The whole experience was like stepping into a movie – almost literally as we saw many scenes from the Sound of Music up close and personal! But after Dachau, the contrast of solemn and bright, lively landscapes were very intense.

Our tour guide was very informative about the area, especially with fun facts about the Sound of Music and Mozart’s life. I did not know that the von Trap family actually existed. It’s been so long, but that movie is such a classic that young people today still know the songs. And I saw proof as a group of tourists bounced on the steps used in the movie as they sang “doe, a deer, a female deer…”

I liked learning about the different types of architecture from different eras in history as well. I thought it was interesting to know that in order for people to pass through buildings in Salzburg, they had to make little tunnel-like passageways (which make for the best pictures, by the way). Among many things, this is what gives Salzburg its distinctive look.

The gardens were so flawless and they were perfectly framed below the fortress in the distance. It was interesting to know the meanings of the Greek statues but that they were actually fake. It was unfortunate that some people still had disrespect even among all the beauty to try to find money in the fountains.

When we came across the main area of Salzburg before the bridge, the view took my breath away. Suddenly, the rain didn’t matter anymore. We learned that the locks on the bridge were symbols of love for couples promising to stay together. It seemed to be such a romantic city.

So much has been kept in that city as it has been for a very long time. The signs for the chic and local shops in the bending narrow streets were in the same style as they were ages before, fancy, elaborate and featured pictures of what the store offered.

The cemeteries and the churches have also been preserved very well. I was surprised though that the one church that our tour guide said was rebuilt and renovated about three times had very strange purple club-like lighting.

We also passed Mozart’s home that he grew up in. I found myself wondering what he would have created if he had lived longer. He was such a genius and he is honored everywhere in this town.

The tent shops were expensive, but Connor, Zack and I found our way to a beer garden. This was the first time I had ever been in one. Everyone was so happy and the beer was flowing. I never saw such an efficient operation of paying for beer, picking out mugs, washing them and having someone fill them all in one room.

A great end to the day was the really unique restaurant we visited at the very end. I heard it was extremely old and it was obvious with the curling staircases, the skinny hallways and quaint rooms. I had a fantastic view from my window of the river.

Salzburg is a place where people walk their groomed and behaved dogs. Passerby drop Euros into street musicians’ cans. Tour guides speak in several languages about Mozart’s hometown. Salzburg is such a cultural place to be. And I hope to go back someday because there was so much I didn’t have time to see.

 

 

Filed Under: Blogs, Marina Weis · Tagged: , , , , ,

DAY 7 – Dachau

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Jewish memorial in the Dachau concentration camp

Jewish memorial in the Dachau concentration camp

Today we visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial. It was the most chilling thing I have ever experienced.

Throughout our lives during education we, as Americans, are taught what happened in the Holocaust not only because it is history, but also because it is important to recognize genocide so it doesn’t happen again. Besides the history classes and research projects, I also have seen the movie Schindler’s list. I thought I had a full picture in my mind of World War II and especially the Holocaust. I was wrong. Dachau, was the first concentration camp and was initially a prison for political opposition. It was an example for the other camps. It was also famous for the medical experiments that were performed on the prisoners, which often resulted in death.

It put me right there where I could touch the trees the prisoners touched, walk the road they walked and see the barracks they slept in. Nothing could be more up close and personal then the incredible memorial we toured.

Having Arnoud as a tour guide was also very enlightening. He told me something very touching that I will use in my story – he never ceases to be emotional whenever he visits the camp, even though he has visited more than one hundred times. He was also very adamant about taking photos so that it can never, ever happen again. But yet fascism still exists in our world and that is depressing.

Touring the barracks and walking the main drag were great introductions to the religious memorials. It refreshed my mind so I could truly immerse myself in their symbolism. Arnoud gave us some very interesting side notes about life in the barracks while we were there, such as if there was so much as a coffee stain on the floor the whole barrack would be punished. It was hot in the summer and freezing in the winter, not to mention extremely overcrowded.

The most fascinating religious memorial was the Jewish one. The architecture created such a chilling effect. It is very difficult to explain the structure, but what I felt was darkness and cold all around me, closing in on me until finally when I came across a solemn beam of light leading to hope

The Jews were hopeless for much of their time at the camp. Many committed suicide by running into barbed wire. There is a structure in front of the main tourist building that is made up of skeletons contorted together to look like barbed wire as a memorial to those who chose to end their suffering.

Everyone was quiet and avoided eye contact when we toured gas chamber and crematorium. I felt so uncomfortable because what I had heard and what I had seen in movies was real. It was here. Death occurred right where I was standing. But Dachau didn’t use the gas chambers to execute mass murders because it didn’t have the power and according to Arnoud, prisoners heard what was happening in Auswitch and started to break what was used in the chambers.

We also watched an older movie on concentration camps in the tourist building. It tied everything together, and was especially powerful because of the real video and photos they used of what the Americans saw when they came to liberate the camps.

I wish we had hours to read the rest of what was available in the building because it was all so much. I love reading about the lives of the people who were involved, what brought them there as well as their stories. I tried looking for the names of my relatives who lived in Poland at the time in a big book of prisoners’ names. I found a few, so I took pictures, and I plan on showing them to my grandma to see if she can recognize any of them.

I know from now on I will be even more sensitive to genocide – because I know it occurs in many areas of the world, especially Africa. It is not much different from the torture these people went through. It was a solemn day, but it was a necessary day. I just wish that the world could see what I saw.

Filed Under: Blogs, Marina Weis · Tagged: , , ,

Hard to pronounce, easy on the eyes

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Another interesting aspect of German history compared to the United States is that with our country being formed in rebellion from monarchies, we don’t have any royal history. Today we explored a little bit of Germany’s royal history when we visited Neuschwanstein castle a couple of hours outside of Munich.

We travelled by train again to the small mountain village that the castle is located in. At this point, the castle is so much of a tourist attraction that the village sort of lost some of its charm for me, but it really is beautiful scenery. Mountains and sprawling farmland speckled with trees, cows and the occasional lake are the most distinguishing factors. The sharp mountain peaks frame the ornate castle as it presides over the lush green valleys below. It is most assuredly something to behold. From below, the view just takes your breath away. It can only be matched by the view of the landscape from the windows of the castle. King Ludwug definitely chose his land for its location, location, location paying extreme attention to curb appeal. It is stunning.

It was quite a hike through a somewhat wooded area to get up to the plateau that the castle sits on, which was right up my alley. The inside of the castle to me wasn’t as interesting, possibly because the whole time we were taking the tour all I wanted to do was go be outside in the mountains. As a kid growing up in Kansas, my parents and I were always doing things outside and at least once a year we took a trip to Colorado to ski or camp or both. The Alps are kind of like the Rocky Mountains on steroids so I was just eating it up, and as a result, not particularly interested in the interior design of this castle built in the 19th century. After the tour a few of us walked over to a bridge that overlooks the castle and valley below, which was simply breathtaking.

After all of that incline hiking, a long train ride was a welcome respite for my fatigued body. Definitely helped me to recharge.

 

More to come,

Michelle

Filed Under: Blogs, Michelle Graessle ·

Alexa’s Blog – Day 8

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/19/13.

We were up early to catch a train to Salzburg, Austria for a day trip. The train ride took around two hours. Compared to all the travelling I have been doing recently, between planes and buses, two hours on a train seems like cake. I had my iPod with me and was able to jam during the ride and enjoy the lovely Austrian scenery. The Alps are so beautiful! It’s so weird to realize that there is actually snow at the tops of these mountains.

After we arrived in Salzburg we had lunch in the train station and departed to meet our new tour guide for the afternoon. Salzburg is iconic because it is the location of the Sound of Music film as well as the true events that inspired the musical and movie. Our tour guide had plenty to tell us about the film and the Trapp family as we frolicked about the grounds and gardens. Everything about the garden is stunning, from the architecture to the flowers to the landscaping. There is a huge fortress in the mountains beyond the garden that is so noticeable that it’s almost distracting.

After we were done in the gardens and had exhausted ourselves singing Sound of Music songs we crossed the bridge into the main part of Salzburg. On the bridge there are thousands of locks fastened to the chain links. Couples purchase and initial these locks, attach them to the bridge fence, and toss the key into the river to symbolize their never ending love. Which is great for them, I guess.

The new tour guide gave us a walking tour of Salzburg with Arnoud following at a distance. Salzburg is officially now my favorite place that I have been to so far. It’s the perfect little city, complete with cobblestone streets, fountains, gargoyles, a huge, gorgeous cathedral, horse-drawn carriages, beer gardens, river cruises, street vendors, cheese shops, gelato and ice cream, expensive chocolates, souvenir stores, an incline, the fortress, and above all, an amazing view of the Alps! I wish that I could just move everything from my life in Pennsylvania and bring it to Salzburg.

After the walking tour was over, our group split up and Carson and I decided to explore. We saw quite a lot, which is great considering she is still on crutches. We got a little too zealous and started climbing a steep road that actually turned out to be the path leading up the fortress. We turned around as soon as we figured that out.

The day started out sunny and warm, but it quickly turned chilly and rainy. We didn’t let that deter our spirits as we stopped at street vendors, got ice cream for a euro per scoop, and took in the Austrian atmosphere. It felt like we had just set out to roam the city when we realized it was time to meet back up with the group for dinner. We could have probably used at least another hour. Even though I have limited money I was able to get my mom a souvenir. She is into old-timey home decorating and cooking so I bought an oven mitt that can be used as a decorative item or for real cooking. It has a recipe for apple strudel written on it in German. The woman I bought it from thought that it was silly for me to be buying something not in English, but my family has German background and my mom may or may not have taken German in high school, so it’s close enough.

We had dinner on the third floor of a quant little café near the birth house of Mozart. Here, we experienced chicken for the first time since leaving the United States. It was magical.

After dinner we departed for Munich on the train and made it back to the hotel exhausted but fulfilled. I’m ready to look at the photos I took today and see what edits I can do – the fortress is all but washed out in a few of them. My camera is having some kind of lens issue and won’t work so it looks like I’ll be up taking care of that tonight. Hopefully all will be better by tomorrow because we’ve got the biggest photo op of the trip – Nueschwanstein Castle!

Filed Under: Alexa Blanchard, Blogs · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Two trips through the countryside

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

We’ve spent the past two days visiting the countryside — a journey to Salzburg, Austria, and to Neuschwanstein Castle. We planned this trip with the goal of showing the students the urban and more rural side of this lovely country. And we kept in mind its history and close allegiance to countries like Austria.

To keep the costs low and to show the student how the average German citizen travels, we decided to take the trains to both locations. That meant we had to mind schedules and take some extra time, but both journeys were quite comfortable and permitted great scenic views for us and the chance — if we took it — to talk to other tourists and German residents (which I always try to do). The Alps and the countryside — just lovely. My small camera won’t do them justice. I’m relying on the students to provide this.

Ursula, our guide in Salzburg, whisked us through the beautiful streets there, pointing out “Sound of Music” shooting sites (and some insider information), Mozart’s birthplace and homes, beautiful concert halls and cathedrals, and more before she left us to shop and enjoy an Austrian dinner together. Despite the constant rain, Jan and I walked along the river and the  artists’ tents, talking to a number of them and admiring their wares. We had a long conversation with a musician who created some very special CDs, and we both bought one as gifts.

It’s amazing to look at a city such as Salzburg, with so many beautiful buildings, cathedrals, monasteries and castles built into the hills and rock. And the pride of its citizens. Many couples, dressed in traditional Austrian clothes, walked the streets on their way to dinner or to Mass or a concert. Ursula says this is very common and a show of cultural pride. Just beautiful.

Today we headed to Neuschwanstein Castle, one of four castles created by King Ludwig II, the supposed mad king. It’s the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, and it is beyond lovely and well maintained. The tourists just packed into it, despite a very long walk up the mountain and then back again, and we took a mass tour through its public areas with others. More steps to climb than I want to count or remember, but it was well worth it. Beautiful artwork, luxurious furnishings and innovations for the mid to late 19th century that proved to me that king wasn’t all that mad. I am sure he had all that money could buy and could not. No wife or lover, a brother who died of mental illness himself, and a reclusive life. Marina bought a book, which I read on the train ride home. He had a sweet tooth and a large appetite, which left him with no food and 288 pounds when he died of mysterious circumstances at age 40. But he left such a marvelous gift to German citizens. A tremendous gift.

At our meeting upon our return I told the students today that this holiday weekend’s visits to Dachau, Salzburg and the castle provided them with first-hand history that can’t be learned completely in any classroom or  private reading and research. The care the Germans and Austrians take to maintain these wonderful sites and the legacy they leave for so many generations to come is no minor feat. Some may say they exist for tourism and not history, but the costs and operations to do so are immense. The revenue from tourism keep these sites alive and well, and that can’t be measured in dollars and cents.

 

Filed Under: Blogs, Helen Fallon ·

Alexa’s Blog – Day 7

May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/18/13.

Today we took the train to Dachau to visit the concentration camp. I knew that it was going to be an emotionally exhausting trip but I didn’t truly know what to expect. We were able to observe two remade barracks complete with bunkers, lockers, and bathrooms, the empty barrack markers, the crematorium and unused gas chamber, the Jewish and Christian memorial sites, and an extensive museum collection. All of it was very unnerving, but the worst part was the crematorium. It made me queasy just looking at it. I couldn’t help but imagine thousands of prisoners working, slaving, and dying on the grounds that we were walking on. In essence it was one terrible, massive graveyard.

Arnoud gave us a tour of most of the camp but let us roam on our own after we had finished looking at the crematorium. Behind the crematorium there was a path in the woods that had plaques representing a headstone, marking the memory of thousands of unknown Dachau prisoners. There were also sections that marked the location of a blood ditch and a wall that prisoners stood against before they were shot. It was all very hard to take in.

But it doesn’t stop there. After we were done outside, we went into the museum and watched a short film with real photos and clips from the Dachau camp. That was too much at times because it the camera got very close to the dead. And they were everywhere: stacked on wagons, suffocated in train cars, loading into ditches, remains in the crematorium, hanging on electrical fences…it was impossible to get away, and it was horrible.

After the film was over I went through the rest of the museum and found snippets of new things I hadn’t known about Dachau, all of which were very interesting but none the less horrific. There was one room that showcased the portraits of camp survivors called Recording Survival by Elija Bosler. Her work was exquisitely done and seemed very personal, but it was also very sad. I read the bios of each of the people she photographed and they all lost a huge part of their lives. Yes, the may have survived, but many members of their family did not. Some of them were completely alone once they were liberated. Just thinking of it is upsetting.

After we returned from Dachau, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Almost all of us decided on retail therapy to try to burn the image of what we had seen at the camp out of our eyes. I eventually broke off from my group because I’m one of those people who shops better by themselves. I ended up getting a few small things and moving on to explore. There’s a tiny shop around the corner from the Glockenspiel that sells sheet music and I was in there forever just looking at their collections. It was nice just to wander for a bit and have nowhere that I actually needed to be. Eventually, I walked back over to the Glockenspiel just in time for it to chime, and then headed back to the hotel to relax for a few hours before a late dinner. I ended the night with a quick trip to the bar with rest of the group before returning to the hotel to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s big adventure lies in Saltzburg!

Filed Under: Alexa Blanchard, Blogs · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
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