Prost Muncih!

So this trip just gets better and better. I have just returned from Munich where I got a little taste of German culture...mostly in the form of local food and drink.

We got on a train Friday afternoon after classes and arrived in Zurich after about 2.5 hours. We had a 2 hour layover at the train station before we had to be on our train to Munich. I haven't ridden many trains in the states, but I can imagine the stations are very different at home than they are in Europe. Because the train station is located in the center of most of these cities, and are used more regularly than trains at home, they tend to be an entire city center. The Zurich station had several grocery stores, a bunch of shoe stores, some chocolate shops and a really cool beer/liquor store that had beverages from all around the world.

We jumped on the 4 hour train to Munich, and got in around Midnight. The hostel was located about a block from the station, and after figuring out which direction we had to walk in, it was pretty easy to find. Wombat's Hostel owns several youth hostels in Europe. They are voted number one in cleanliness and atmosphere and it was immediately evident why. The rooms had 6 beds and a bathroom ensuite. The doors had automatic key cards that also controlled the provided lockers. There were big windows and a large shower/bathroom. Downstairs, the bar was hoppin with a live band and there were hammocks and swings in the atrium. We used our free beer passes that we received at check-in, watched a little Karaoke and hung out downstairs for an hour or two. We wanted to get up early the next morning to see the city.

We got up, showered and ate breakfast at the Hostel bar. For 3.50 Euro we got a full breakfast with fruit, yogurt, meat, cheese, nutella and panini sandwiches. I ate more than I normally would for breakfast, because I knew I wasn't going to want to pay for any food until dinner. A few of us walked around the hostel surroundings. I got a black and white scarf at a street vendor down the street. We met up in the Hostel lobby to go on a FREE walking tour of Munich.

A young man who grew up in Munich met up with about 11 girls from Virgina Tech and a group from Miami of Ohio to show us around the city. We walked through the city center and went to the Frauenkirche church. It boasts the tallest towers in the city, but an old folk story says that it is haunted by the Devil, who makes the wind blow really hard on the outside. We continued walking through the city and made it to the New Town Hall in time to see the Glockenspiel play at 12:00. The life size figures re-enacated a famous wedding scene and tournament as the music from the Carillion played.

We continued to the Viktualienmarkt, an open air market that sells local goods and groceries. We had some time to grab a snack. Some of my friends got a glass of honey wine and we split a pretzel. We met at the Maypole in the middle and learned about the tradition of stealing maypoles from neighboring towns. We ended our tour by walking through the royal palaces and residences and stopped at the Bavarian Memorial. We rubbed the noses of the lucky lions near the palace, and hopefully will have good luck the rest of the time we are here. Bavaria is represented by the Lion and known for their beer. The Monks of Munich were the first to brew beer, and drank it during religious fasting as a way to recieve calories...that is where the image of a fat monk came from.

We lucked out with clear skies and sunshine, but after spending the morning walking around the city, we needed a place to warm up. We found a coffee shop that sold regular American drip coffee in large mugs and indulged. It is very difficult to find coffee in Switzerland that is bigger than a shot of espresso, and every drink is much smaller and more expensive than we are used to.

Some of our group decided to go back to the hostel to take a nap, but Katie, Cheryl and I continued to walk around Munich. We climbed the top of the tower at the Alter Peter and took in the amazing views of the city against the clear background. We walked down the shopping streets and picked up a few souvenirs. We ran into a peaceful march protesting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in front of the New Town Hall.

We met up with the rest of our group at the Hofbrauhaus to eat dinner and drink up the German culture. I had a sausage platter, a liter of Beer, a liter of Radler (which is a mix of beer and lemonade) and a pretzel. We stayed for a few hours listening to the German band and talking with some people who were visiting from Berlin.

We went back to Wombat's, who was hosting a ska/reggae band and spent the rest of the night at the front of the stage. We went to bed around 2 because we knew we had a big day ahead of us.

We met our Dacahu tour guide, Jamie, at the train station at 10 the next morning. He was an Irishman who has been living in Munich for several years. He guided our group of 12 to the Dachau concentration camp and gave us a fantastic introduction to the history of the concentration camp. He told us about how the Nazis gained power in Europe and their methods revolving around the prisoner work camps throughout Europe. I never realized the intensity of everything until I looked at a map with the numbers from each area who were slaughtered in the Holocaust.

Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp to open and the last to be liberated, so Jamie explained the various transitions that it went through and how it has been memorialized since it was liberated. The entire experience was very moving and I am very glad we decided to hire a tour guide for only 4 Euro more than an audio guide. We were able to ask questions and receive information that pertained to the thoughts we were having.

We had a quick break in the train station on the way home to grab a bite to eat, then it was 6 hours back to Lugano. We arrived pretty late, unpacked and went to bed.

We had Italian class Monday morning and were told that our exam that was scheduled for Thursday would be moved for Tuesday, so we only had one night to prepare! There was a written portion and a few minutes of one-on-one conversation with Magda. I think I did pretty well on the written part, but I was pretty nervous for the speaking portion and I definitely think that showed.

The next day we had a lecture with Julian, a USI student who does research with David. He told us about Swiss culture and some of the history of Switzerland. At the end of the lecture we had a Wine tasting where we sampled wine from the German, Italian and French provinces of Switzerland. I took down the names of the wines we tasted and am planning to bring some bottles home.

Today a man from the non-profit organization NoWomanNoLife spoke to us about social entrepreneurship and how their organization functions. Afterwards, Katherine gave a lecture about the history and culture of Ireland. She live there for a year and many of us are heading to Ireland and England next week.

We have a big research project and presentation the week after we return, so we are working on gathering information for that. Six of my friends and I are going to London and Dublin next week, so look out for some great information about that. I am so excited!

Ski Heaven

I just returned from a weekend trip that will be very difficult to top in the next few months that I am here. I don't know if any sights or activities will compare to the amazing majesty of the Swiss Alps and my opportunity to ski the fresh powder and wide open slopes.

A large group of our students caught a 2:00 train to Interlaken after class on Friday. We booked rooms at the Balmer's Hostel, a pretty famous spot for backpackers in Interlaken, a city located in the German speaking part of Switzerland. Cheryl and I were sharing an 8 person room with a group of girls from South Korea. We didn't spend much time in the room, but It definitely made me appreciate the clean and well kept facilities at the Montarina, our home in Lugano. The beds were steel poles, particle board and a thin foam mattress. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was fairly cheap..and that mattered more this weekend.

I grabbed a bite to eat at the gyro/pizza place next door, then went to the club below the hostel for happy hour. The hostel was crowded because the World Cup downhill ski race was at the mountain we were going the next day, and a bunch of fans were using the inexpensive rooms for a place to stay. We met a bunch of different people at the bar downstairs, many of them were American.

I had a long conversation with a group who are nurses in the US Army and stationed in Germany. One girl went to UVA and she introduced me to her favorite drink. It is called Strongbrau and is a cider that looks like beer but tastes somewhere between champagne and apple juice. It was very interesting and not that expensive.

We went to bed early so that we could wake up and hit the slopes. Cheryl and I were awoken at 7:00 by the people sharing our room (thats hostel life for ya!)...but we had planned to get up by 7:30 anyway. Katie, Alexis, Brittany,Whitney, Sarah, Katherine and I grabbed breakfast (it was included!) and walked next door to rent our gear. We caught the bus at 10 and after finally getting situated on the correct train were were on the slopes by 11:30. The choices fro slopes seemed innumerable, but we decided to go the the Grindlewald area to avoid the crowds.

I have been going on yearly ski trips to various resorts in Virginia since I was very young, but I have never experienced ANYthing as amazing as the slopes in Switzerland. I literally teared up at the beauty of the Alps as we rode our first ski lift. I could not believe that I was actually seeing what I was with my own eyes...it felt like it should have been in an IMAX movie. We could not have asked for better weather: Blue Skies and sunshine the whole day--We even got hot after skiing the longer runs.

I was nervous at first because Kathleen fell and broke her knee while skiing last weekend and I was afraid of incurring the same fate. Once I got up there I decided I that skiing the Alps is in some ways easier than other slopes I have been on. We took the gondola to the very top of the mountain where there were no trees. The whole mountain was covered in ski slopes of varying difficulty. They were wide and there were so many options that any one slope was not very crowded. The snow was powdery and there was hardly any ice. I felt safer skiing these slopes because I never was afraid of being run into from behind or running into a tree off the side.

We skied for a few hours before taking a break at a restaurant the overlooked the slopes. There was a band playing a variety of om papa music and American marching band type music. We ate some bratwurst and enjoyed the music and the view before heading back to the slopes. The whole experience was amazing and I am promising myself I will come back and ski the Alps again.

We grabbed the train back to Interlaken when the slopes closed and got ready for night sledding. About 30 people from our group took vans to a local ski area where we took a gondola in the pitch dark night to the top of a mountain. A guide lead us down the mountain on toboggans and we weaved back and forth on paths for 4 miles. We each tied a glowstick to our back to prevent running into each other, but beyond that the only light was provided by the moon and stars. It was so clear!

The guide lead us to a restaurant at the bottom of the hill where we had a traditional Swiss cheese fondue dinner. Afterwards, we went back to Balmer's. I showered up, grabbed a drink with some of the group, and went to bed.

We left Balmer's the next day and grabbed a train home to Lugano. We stopped halfway in the town of Luzern, which is famous for its wooden bridges and Weeping Lion statue. We grabbed lunch, ran around the town to see the sites and headed back to the Montarina.

We are continuing Consumer Behavior and Italian this week. I think I will be ging to either Milan or Munich next weekend, and will be touring Dublin, London and Paris the first week of February.

A group of South African students came to speak to our class today. They are working for a nonprofit organization to promote social responsibilities in South Africa. Their stories were fascinating and I am excited to learn more about their lives and their work when we have dinner with them tonight. David will be taking a group of students Jun 24- Aug 8 from our Virginia Tech program and students from the University of Lugano to work with students from Nelson Mandella Univerity to South Africa this summer. This group would have an internship and create programs to assist South African youth in making positive life choices and creating opportunity for themselves. They would also get some school credit. I am very interested in participating, but it will cost $5,000. I am trying to figure out all the details now, but it is a once in a lifetime experience that I know would be difficult to turn down.

oh...this is a STUDY abroad?

So it is our third day of class, and I haven't really done much except go to class, read, and plan for my upcoming trip to Interlaken this weekend. Consumer Behavior is interesting. We have a chapter or two of reading every night, and three hours of class a day. It is an interactive class, and David will call on people who look like they are dozing off...so it is important to stay alert and pay attention. We have started to discuss the difference between European and American culture and how that might change the way marketers present information to the public.

We started Italian yesterday with an adorable local lady who is very energetic. She also will call on random people to respond to her questions, so we have to keep up and pay attention. We have 2 major assessments in the class, and both have a conversational component, so I am nervous about my ability to pick up the language in such a limited amount of time. We have vocabulary to study every night and we get great practice by talking with locals around town.

We are still having trouble getting our student visas. Switzerland just changed a few rules in December, and even the people at the government offices are confused about what exactly we need to do. Therefore, we are staying in Switzerland and traveling to Interlaken this weekend. I might go skiing with a group of people. I would LOVE to go skiing in the alps, but am afraid I will hurt myself. A girl in our group went skiing last weekend and broke her knee. She is having surgery today, but I can't imagine how terrible it would be to try to recover while everyone else is traveling. If I do decide to go, I will be extra careful and take it easy.

Class is about to start...but below are some pictures that I have taken so far.








Ciao

Walking into a Fairytale

So much has gone on since I posted last. I caught up on some much needed sleep and got the chance to explore Lugano and some surrounding towns by day and night. On our second night in Switzerland, most of the group went to a local bar and enjoyed getting to know each other. We also met some of the locals who were going to a Reggae concert, so a few of us followed them and got to see Lugano behind all the wealthy locals and gorgeous views.
The next day I slept in a bit, I was still trying to adjust to the time (and the lifestyle) and went with Kelly, a girl who lives across the hall from me, to a cafe near the shore and we started our journals. We grabbed a bite to eat in an upscale version of a dining hall and went back to the Montarina. Most of the group went to the closest bar to our hotel where other Virginia Tech groups have frequented in the past. We made friends with the bar tender and some locals, who I am sure will be happy to have our business in the coming months.
Yesterday, Cheryl, Sarah, Ali, Mike and I caught a 30 minute train ride to the nearby city of Bellinzona. It is known for 3 huge castles that are amongst the homes and businesses of the town. It was a long hike to the furthest castle, which rested on a hill overlooking the city, but the walk was worth it just to take in the view. We got some great pictures and walked back towards the town and stopped at the other two castles on our way back to the train station. The attached picture is of Sarah and I in one of the castles.
On our way down from the 3rd castle we almost ran right into a protest about the Israeli conflict, so we decided to turn around and take a different route to the train station. We were worn out and happy to be back in Lugano, where we shared a frozen pizza. Lugano is one of the most expensive places to live in Europe, and it is evident by the meal prices. We have a kitchen and a refrigerator at the Montarina, so I plan on packing some lunch for class each day.
We had a relaxing evening so that we could get to class on time this morning. There is a 25 minute walk, so I will never complain about my walk in Blacksburg again! Consumer Behavior started today and we will start Italian tomorrow.
I was able to use the school's wireless internet so I Skyped a few people and am attempting to keep up with my blog and Facebook. I will try to post links to the websites where I am posting pictures soon, and will also post an address where you can send me packages:-) I have to leave now to get back to the Montarina in time for dinner...then read 2 chapters before tomorrow. Goodnight!

A Bumpy Ride to Winter Paradise

So I haven't slept in over a day...so I apologize in advance if this blog reflects that.

I got up this morning and finished up my last minute packing before spending some quality time with Derek and heading to the airport. We were there 3 hours early and had no trouble going through security, so our group took up most of the waiting area with all of our junk as we all anxiously awaited boarding.

We crammed the overhead compartments with all our our oversized carry on bags and got off to a rough start as the flight attendants were taping shut a broken compartment as we were lifting off. There was a large storm across the East Coast and there was a lot of turbulence throughout the first half of the flight. I am comfortable on an airplanbe, and can handle a bumpy ride to a certain degree...but we felt like we were on a roller coaster. Our heads were rocking back and forth and the plne was going up and down, making our stomachs drop. It didn't help that the only decent inflight movie was the adrenaline pumping action movie "Eagle Eye". My heart was having trouble between the movie and the nervousness.

We finally landed and traveled as a herd to gather our baggage and board a bus to the Montarina. The ride was breathtaking. It has snowed recently here and the entire countryside was blanketed in snow. We tunneled trhough mountains, passed small swiss towns, and followed along the sheer montainside till we came across the lakeside town of Lugano, and our new home fore 4 months right next to the train station.

We climbed the hill with our luggage, and then 2 flights of stair to reach our attic type room. I will post pictures because there is not a great way to describe what it looks like.

Still running on no sleep we unpacked, and walked around the town a little bit. I will post more tomorrow, but as for now....I am going to freashen up, grab a bite to eat and get some much needed sleep!

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Im on my way to the airport...goodbye America!