Alexa’s Blog – Day 11

May 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/22/13.

Sadly, today is our last day in Munich. We depart bright and early tomorrow morning for the airport to go back to Pittsburgh.

But, just because it was our last day doesn’t mean it wasn’t busy. We started off by heading to Ketchum Pleon, an ad agency, for the morning and listening to an overview on Ketchum and their work. I had never been to an advertising agency before so I wasn’t really sure how one would operate, though I had an idea of what it was like. It must be so empowering to have a huge number of talented, created minds housed together under one company like that. They had some very funny content that I could appreciate as well as a lot of work that was extremely compelling.

After visiting Ketchum, we came back to the hotel for a bit to grab lunch and a quick nap before boarding the train yet again to visit Suddeutsche Zeitung, a southern German newspaper. I feel like we spend most of our time on public transportation!

Suddeutsche Zeitung already had expectations to live up to after we heard how much they compete with Axel Springer for awards and honors. They talked to us about their history as well as the transition from print to online. The showed us some of their ads, which were so interesting and creative. There was one tactic they used called multi-sensory ads in which some elements of the ad are UV coated or have a certain texture that feels like something else. For instance, the multi-sensory ad they showed us was form BMW and showed the front of the car and the road ahead from the driver’s perspective. The dashboard of the car and the driver’s coat all had textures reminiscent of the real deal.

The ads they showed us we so engaging and expensive, but that’s how they make their money, other than subscriptions. After showing some other examples of creative advertising, we walked across the street (it was freezing today!) and took a tour of their printing presses. I had never seen anything like that before! Everything is so intricate and complex. How do things not crash and burn here? The process is so streamlined and monitored. I was impressed and mind-boggled by the process that it takes to produce all of these papers for one day. They said that these presses produce 35,000 papers per hour, but they have to keep up with the ridiculous circulation. I couldn’t believe how massive and amazing this place was.

We arrived ravenous for dinner at the Ratskeller in Marienplatz after our very packed day. We devoured our food, sang happy birthday to Johnie, and presented cards to Helen and Arnoud for all of their hard work for us. Now, it is time to pack and get ready for our long journey home tomorrow. Auf Weidersehen, Muchen!

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Alexa’s Blog – Day 10

May 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/21/13.

The day was exciting before it truly began. I went to breakfast early so I could get a quicker start to my day, as I finally had the chance to change my US dollars to euros. We were going to BMW that day and I knew that the only time I could shop for souvenirs would be in the afternoon after we got back. I was very frustrated with the exchange rate, which I knew would be tough. But, I was sickened to learn that my $300 only came out to 200 euros. I will never come to Europe with American cash again.

On our way to BMW, I pushed Carson to the train station in her wheelchair. I gave her my purse to hold because I did not want someone to steal it off of me while I was distracted and using both of my hands to push her. This seemed like a smart idea at the time.

Then it happened. As the train arrived at the station, Arnoud took the reins and pushed Carson’s wheelchair into the train car. But, her wheel got stuck in the gap between the train and the platform and my bag flew out of her lap and down into the abyss. We all looked down in horror to see my poor bag, out of my own hands for safety reasons, nestled on the grown next to the tracks. The door began to close but we managed to pry them open and I jumped inside.

I forced myself to be calm. No need to freak out yet. We took the train up one stop and the rest of the group stayed put while Arnoud and I went back to the previous stop to see if we could save my bag. On the train, we agreed that I would locate where my bag had fallen and he would go look for an attendant to see if we could get an apparatus to retrieve it.

However, as soon as I found my unharmed bag, Arnoud had a different idea. He checked both ways for oncoming trains and dove down onto the tracks, snatched the bag up, and climbed back onto the platform. The other train stationers and I stared in amazement. Arnoud seems to have a particular set of skills. Skills that make him a nightmare for accidents like this.

We got on the next train to head to the next stop where the rest of our group was patiently waiting. Arnoud signaled for them to join us and I relayed the story of how our guide had just gone rogue and nearly sacrificed himself. He explained that it would have taken too long to find an attendant. Despite this adventure, we still managed to make it to BMW on time.

After we arrived at Bavarian Motor Works, we listened to a lecture on their innovative tactics with social media, apps, and their new electric car models. I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. I thought that it would boring and irrelevant to me since I’m a girl. I don’t know a thing about cars, but I was happily surprised to find everything we talked about to be quite interesting. I loved the variety of apps that they had for finding parking in various cities, finding transportation, booking parking places, etc. It’s so different and effective. It makes me wonder if any American car companies are on their way to be as groundbreaking as BMW.

After enjoying a great (free) lunch we moved on to take a tour of BMW and admire all of the beautiful cars and the rich history starting with manufacturing airplane parts, and eventually motorcycles and automobiles. They even had a model of the electric car concept that they were working on. Unfortunately, it was one of those days where it would rain at the most inconvenient times, i.e. every time we went outside.

We arrived back at our hotel in the afternoon. The train ride back from BMW was much less adrenalized than the morning commute.

I took advantage of my free time and walked down to Marienplatz to do some shopping for my family, and then a group of us took a trip to the Hofbrauhaus in honor of Johnie’s birthday. We drank liters of beer and had a jolly time eating pretzels and staring at strangers. At the Hofbrauhaus, I ended up running into a friend of mine from Pitt who is studying in Munich for a few weeks. Small world!

We came back to the hotel and planned to up to go out somewhere, but I sat on my bed in the room and just crashed. There was no way I was moving. I’m a little annoyed at myself for not going out during our last truly free night in Munich, but I knew my fresh body and mind would thank me in the morning.

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DAY 9 – Neuschwanstein castle

May 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Lake near Neuschwanstein castle

Lake near Neuschwanstein castle

DAY 9 – Neuschwanstein castle

We have just been having the worst luck with weather here in Europe. Yesterday when we traveled to the Neuschwanstein castle in Austria, it was first a light sprinkle but became progressively worse. Then at BMW today it was nice until we had to travel back and forth between the café and museum – it was an absolute downpour.

But the weather had no affect on the beautiful scenery and intellectual people we met.

The train ride to the castle was gorgeous. Bright green rolling hills with a snow-capped mountainous background made for some fantastic pictures. Excitement was high in the air as the castle peeped through the trees and some of us stood on our toes to get the first glimpse of the fairytale castle we were all waiting for.

When we got there, I bought most of my souvenirs for my family and myself. I can safely say that my friends will be jealous of my large glass beer boot that says, “made in Germany” on it!

I’ve always heard the saying, “beauty is pain,” but I never thought it would apply to a day like this. It’s more like “to see beauty, you must endure pain!” There was a lot of walking…uphill. Good thing I have all those souvenirs to prove I made the trek!

We finally reached the castle and waited for the tour. People were everywhere. Apparently around 8,000 people visit the castle every day. 8,000! That is a lot of people to be trekking through only a few rooms in an old castle. Now, I had a lot of high expectations for the castle after reading up about it, and what surprised me was how little we were able to see of it. Even as we were waiting only part of the façade was visible, and only a few rooms were finished because King Ludwig had passed before its completion.

But the rooms we did see were astounding. My hand was itching for my camera, but I knew I wasn’t allowed to take photos. Ludwig was extravagant, and he wanted everything over the top. The carvings, the paintings, the furniture, the lights, the architecture…everything screamed royalty – and for just one man. And according to Andrea, who talked to the tour guide, there were some people who really didn’t want to work for this one man. The main painter of the castle had students do all of the work.

What made it all worth it was at the very end when we hiked to a bridge behind the castle where the alps towered over it and a waterfall flowed underneath. I could finally take in the full beauty of the castle. I felt as if I was in a fairytale dream.

But the life of Ludwig is like a fairy tale in itself, which makes the castle all the more fascinating. What Aimee had said I thought really brought his whole story together. He built it to get away from the public eye because it was during the time period transition when people were starting to favor elections and political power rather than God-sent monarchs. I believe she said the castle then was built out of fear. And a fear well purposed as Ludwig only lived a short period of time in the castle before some declared him insane followed by his mysterious death. Personally, I think it was murder!

The castle has a great story attached to it, but it would be even more magical if it weren’t a copy of an architectural style years ago. Ludwig was a romantic, and he wanted to turn back the clock. If only he could’ve done it after that fateful night stroll when he never returned.

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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!

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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!

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DAY 6 – Munich adventures

May 18, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
street

A beautiful cobbled street in Munich.

DAY 6 – Munich adventures

Munich is just what I imagined. When I think of Europe, I think of what Munich looks like – there are beautiful old churches and monuments and there is a diverse collection of people crowding the cobble stone streets lined with souvenir and chic shops. But I’m planning on exploring those later. Today we focused on eating some authentic German food!

We started out our day with a very early flight to Munich from Berlin. Despite some strict baggage issues, the flight wasn’t so bad. I ended up sitting next to a young guy from Chicago. He said he is in Munich for two weeks with some friends and they are celebrating his 30th birthday by visiting 16 bars.

Speaking of bars – after listening to the Munich public relations representative talk, I was surprised as to how many tourists, especially journalist, come here just for the beer. There are millions more tourists than locals here, so then it made sense that all the restaurants have English menus and the waiters speak it as well.

She also said that her organization doesn’t work with social media because Munich hasn’t gotten there yet – or something to that effect. This relates to what I wrote about in my research paper; many Germans are still not familiar with all the Internet has to offer. It seems like Germans from Munich are technologically behind those in Berlin. It will be interesting to see if the media organizations are like that in any way.

I wasn’t a fan of what I ordered at the first German restaurant we went to. There is just something about it – must be the extra salt. I feel bad saying this, but I could really go for a nice angus burger with Heinz ketchup. I think I have eaten sausage every day on this trip so far! But I am glad I tried everything!

The tour we had today was wonderful, but I feel like it is just a prequel to the castle we are visiting later along with other parts of Munich. Our new tour guide seems very down to earth and has a “no fluff” attitude. He will tell us how it really is, which means we can get the most out of the experience.

It was interesting to know that the glockenspiel is still standing in Munich after World War II only because soldiers used it as a landmark to bomb other entities in the city. It makes me wonder what the city would be like today if 90 percent of it were still in existence.

I was happy we stopped in front of the glockenspiel for a few minutes to wait for some of the group. There is so much to take in as the building is incredibly intricate and large. I asked Aimee if the monarchs of the past stood up there to look down at their people and if the figures at the top were something symbolic of that. Of course the answer was no, and she said something else interesting – these structures are so elaborate because the monarchs wanted to intimidate people and create a sense of power and also to attract them to the churches and religion. Yes, these structures are incredible, but then again, how many people under horrible conditions were forced to build them stone by stone!

Despite the weather, today was a great introduction to the city of Munich. There is so much to handle at once! Sometimes I wish my eyes could take pictures!

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Alexa’s Blog – Day 6

May 17, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

The following events transpired on 5/17/13.

The day started bright and early. I’ve never been as tired as I was today. We were up at 4:30 am this morning for a very early flight to Munich. As soon as we got to Munich we were had met our new tour guide, Arnoud, and took a bus tour of the city before arriving at our hotel. We followed Arnoud to Marienplatz and lunch nearby. My first impression of Munich is that it is stunning. The architecture and atmosphere is exactly what I thought a European city would look like. In other words, what I thought was missing in Berlin. Not that I didn’t like Berlin, I just find Munich to be what I was expecting.

After lunch, we met back up in front of the Glockenspiel with the rest of our group and went to the Munich Tourism Office for our first Munich media visit. I liked hearing about the variety of attractions that the city has to offer. It’s all up my alley – sports, theatre, museums, music – it’s perfect. I would have loved to be here for Oktoberfest or the Long Night of Music. I think that everything here is so compelling to me. I was intrigued that the X-Games are going to take place in Munich for the next three years. Isabella had a lot of interesting things to say about working with tourism and public relations. I was impressed that she is doing such an important job a young age.

I had been pushing Carson in her wheel chair for most of the day and was getting pretty confident in my abilities. But a blow to my ego came when I tried to cross traffic and get her onto the next street: I didn’t hit the curb in the right place and she flew out of the wheelchair with all of her papers and belongings! Luckily she was able to react and stay standing but I felt so bad! Imagine if we hadn’t been that lucky. That was when I knew that I was 100% done with the day.

Our free time consisted of catching up on missed sleep. I left the hotel an hour before we were supposed to meet up for dinner to look around for a bank to exchange my American money. I wanted to put everything on my debit card but my parents recommended cash. I wish I had just done things my own way, because it has been a pain trying to find such a place. I got some money from the ATM to hold me over until Tuesday but I will have to be quite thrifty this weekend. It’s a holiday weekend and all of the banks will be closed until Tuesday morning. Arnoud has tried explaining where to go to exchange money but I have no idea what he’s talking about. I basically need someone to physically take me to get this done.

We went to a café in Marienplatz for dinner and had an assortment of very strange meats. I could handle most of it but there was a strange substance resembling spam that I couldn’t quite bring myself to eat. And naturally there was beer.

The one thing I have noticed about Munich is that it is very difficult to navigate if you want to go to specific places. Getting to Morienplatz on my own was easy but when I tried to find a certain shop or street I was completely lost! What are you doing to me, Munich?! I don’t like this feeling! It’s my one and only complaint about the city so far, but I’m sure I’ll get over it in a few days.

Also, the wifi in the hotel is sketchy. Just throwing that out there.

Reporting from the Z floor,

-AB

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