Skiing

At the beginning of the semester, we hosted an exchange student from last semester named Charlotte.  My roommates, Tammy and Cima, were good friends with her, and she did not start her school in France for a month so she decided to visit.  At the beginning of February, she contacted us with an amazing opportunity, to go skiing with her in the Alps in France to a place called Val d’Isère.  All of us jumped at the chance and quickly looked at how we could travel there.  Much to our chagrin, we learned that it would cost over 250 € to get there and back with airfare, multiple trains and buses.  However, we kept searching for a solution and decided on renting a car from CampusCar, which is a car rental service at WHU.  A PHD student is researching how consumers react in certain buying situations and is using CampusCar for this research.  The only problem was that none of us knew how to drive manual, and I had the only license that would work in Germany.  Luckily, I made friends with a student here, and he painstakingly taught me everything I needed to know.  Just imagine, him trying to explain how the engine worked when pressing the clutch in Danglish.  With his patience, a few hours, and only killing the engine 8 times, I finally got the hang of it.  However, we were going to need another driver because the road trip to France was about 10 hours long and with lots of mountain passes.  We invited another German named Tobi, and he was nice enough to use his car for the trip.  We departed on Wednesday in his little Golf VW packed with ski gear, food, and good company. 

                We drove through Germany, Switzerland, and when we got to France, Tobi let me drive.  In the parking lot, I killed the engine a few more times, but finally got it to work.  We arrived in France pretty late, and woke up the next day and skied for half a day.  Tammy and Cima have never skied before, so we spent some time on the bunny hill teaching them the basics.  After skiing, we went to the grocery store and made a delicious pasta dinner with Rosa wine from southern France.  The next day, we awoke to a huge snowstorm.  We could not even see 50 feet out the window, so we waited for the blizzard to stop.  A few hours later, we hit the slopes again.  It was wonderful skiing in a foot of powder.  There are a few differences between skiing out west and the Alps. 

·         They do not groom many runs.

·         The mountains are a lot more jagged and above tree level.

·         Trails are not marked as well, and avalanches occur more frequently.

·         They have an electronic gate system that checks your ski ticket and allows you to enter the chairlift line.

·         They categorize the runs from easiest to hardest with green, blue, red, and black.

·         There are no lines to organize everyone to get on the chairlift, making it a free for all.

After enjoying a wonderful day on the slopes, we went out to dinner and enjoyed some delicious cheese and meat fondue, raclette, and foie gras.  It was amazing!  After filling our stomachs, we went back to the apartment and got some sleep before our last day of skiing.  The next day, we got up early and went skiing at the top of the mountain.  We took a break midday and enjoyed some hot chocolate and crepes.  After our last day of skiing, we enjoyed a homecooked meal before going to a bar for a few drinks.  The next day we left early for our return trip.  We even stopped in  Geneva for a quick visit.

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Family Visit

My Zeil

This weekend, I traveled by train to visit the Kirsche family in Frankfurt and the Günther Family in Mainz.  I took a bus to the Koblenz Haupbahnhof and then the InterCity (IC) train to the Frankfurt Haupbahnhof.  Once, I got there Michael, and Matty (son, 18) greeted me ironically by the Starbucks.  We then drove 15 minutes to their home, which is right outside the city.  I met Claudia and Mike (son, 23).  Their daughter Sabrina (26) is studying marine biology abroad in Australia; she is coming home in July.  It felt so good 
to be surrounded by family, even though it made me miss my parents and brother A LOT!  We sat around the table and caught up.  This was the first time since arriving in Germany that I spoke German for more than 5 minutes because all my classes are in English, and many exchange students do not speak German.  Even though I struggled to find the right words and use the proper grammar, it was nice to practice and learn new vocabulary. 

After, I went with Mike to the city to meet up with a friend.  They showed me some of the highlights of the city and then we went to Zeil Straβe.  Since the end of the 19^th century, it has been one of the most famous and busiest shopping streets in Germany.  Before WWII, it was also known for its grand buildings, but most of them were destroyed and not rebuilt.  There is an impressive shopping center called My Zeil, and it has the longest escalators in Europe.  Afterwards, we enjoyed some Italian food and went back home for a nap.  We then left to go meet up with some more of Mike’s friends at a cocktail bar.  By speaking a mix of English and German (Denglisch), the communication barrier was minimal. 

The next day, we enjoyed a typical Germany breakfast.  When I came downstairs, the table was set with plates full of food: meat, cheese, rolls, vegetables, pretzels, fruit, and hard-boiled eggs.  It looked like it was right out of the Food Network Magazine.  After breakfast, they drove me to the Günther family in Mainz.  We left to go tour Mainz, which is the located in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.    Mainz was previously a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Roman Empire.  We started in the Altestadt (old city) and toured the Mainz Cathedral or St, Martin’s Cathedral consecrated in 911 by Archbishop Hatto I.  It is primarily Romanesque, but additions in later centuries have resulted in the appearance of various architectural influences seen today. 

Mainz Cathedral

Then we went to a typical German restaurant.  I ordered schnitzel with Gorgonzola cheese and potatoes.  In Mainz, wine is more common to drink with dinner than beer because of all the wineries located nearby on the Rhine.  After a full stomach we continued on with the site seeing and toured St. Stephan Church which was originally built in 990 at the order of Archbishop Willigis.  During WWII, the church was heavily damaged and it was restored between 1968 and 1971.  The 9 Choir windows in the front of the church were created by Marc Chagall.  The luminous blue stained-glass windows depict scenes from the Old Testament demonstrating the commonalities across Christian and Jewish traditions.  After we traveled back to their home to enjoy some Berliner s which are pastries with jam filling and spinckled with powdered sugar; they are very common during the Karneval season. 

The visits with both families were extremely nice.  They welcomed me into their homes and really took care of me; it felt like I have known them for my entire life.  They taught me a lot of German, and a lot about the history and culture of Germany.  

Barcelona

Liz and I at Park Guell

After our short trip in Madrid, we flew to Barcelona.  The airport that Ryanair flies into is about an hour and half bus ride away from the city.  We drove through the  beautiful countryside and saw a lot of farms.  When we got off the bus, we took a short taxi ride to Liz’s friends place: Karrah and Aaron.  They are in the same program as Liz at the University of Florida and studying abroad this semester.  A friend of theirs, Jess, is visiting before she starts work with Accenture in Chicago.  After a long day of traveling, we were craving some more tapas.  Karrah took us to a very nice restaurant and we ordered, Greek salad, a pepper goat cheese dip with toasted bread, Spanish omelet, bacon Roquefort cheese sandwiches and a picture of Sangria.  As a foodie, I was in heaven enjoying this delicious food.  It was artwork on a plate.  When the waiter walked past with other tapas, my mouth watered.  Liz and Karrah had to drag me out of there before I ordered everything.  We walked around and learned more about the city.  Later on that night, we went grocery shopping to make dinner for Karrah and Jess. After we went out to a bar for some drinks and listened to live music.  The musician sang alternative music from the States.  He was very talented and did not even have an accent. 

Mussels

Paella

The next day we awoke and made a delicious breakfast of spinach and eggs with Chorizo, Spanish sausage.  Karrah had classes so Jess took us on a tour of the city.  We started out at Park Güell, which is a garden complex with architectural elements on the hill of el Carmel in the Cracia district of Barcelona.  It was created by Antoni Placid Guillem Gaudi I Cornet, a Catalan architect who worked during the Art Nouveau period (turn of the 20^th century).  He is famous for his unique and highly individualistic designs.  His other major artworks include Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila.  This park offers wonderful views of the city; you can even see the beach.  The main terrace of the park is surrounded by long curving benches.  These benches have a number of enclaves inviting a very social atmosphere.  There are musicians playing, children chasing soccer balls and families enjoying a picnic.  I would describe this park as something out of Disneyland.  My favorite part is Gaudi’s multicolored mosaic dragon fountain, which is at the entrance of the park. Later on, we walked down the alleyway towards; it is so easy to get lost.  Luckily, the Spanish are extremely nice and helpful with directions.  After a few hours of wandering, we made it to the beach.  We walked on a famous boardwalk and stopped at a restaurant for some more tapas.  This time we enjoyed paella, a regional Valencian dish with rice and seafood and some more bravas potatoes, and mussels with a light marinara sauce.  After two months of heavy German food, Liz and I both welcomed the seafood.  We ordered a picture of Sangria and sat outside enjoying the warm weather with the marina in the background.  Then we walked to the beach and felt the sand between our toes.  We even saw a windsurfer, which reminded me of Madison.  When we got back after a long day of site seeing, we took a siesta and then went grocery shopping to cook dinner for our hosts.  We made some bruschetta with olives, feta, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers, and a salad with a ton of vegetables.  Since we had to leave at 5 am the next day, we went out for a beer and came home early. 

Dragon Mosaic

We took the metro, got off near the bus depot, and walked the rest of the way.  Liz speaks some Spanish, so we could ask the cab drivers where to go; they were the only people out so early.  The first cab driver told us go 3 blocks straight, and once we got there, we didn’t see the bus depot.  So we asked another cab driver; he told us go another 3 blocks and by this time we had 5 minutes to catch our bus, so we started to sprint.  We didn’t want to miss our bus because we would miss our flight which was the only Ryanair flight back to Frankfurt that day and Liz had an exam the next day.  Luckily, after sprinting 3 blocks, we made it to the bus depot and caught our bus. 

I really enjoyed this trip, particularly Barcelona.  I would go back to visit in an instant.  The food is extremely good (I gained 1 kilo after eating so much), the architecture is nothing like I have seen in other parts of Europe, and the culture is extremely intriguing.  After visiting, I know I picked the right place to study abroad because as much as I enjoyed Spain, I could never live there. The charm would rub off, and I would become obese! 

Madrid

At a Restaurant with Grace, Kristy, and Liz.

On Sunday, I left dreary and snowy Vallendar for Spain.  I traveled with Liz, an exchange student who studies at the University of Florida.  We took a cab from Vallendar to Koblenz and then a bus to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.  After an hour and a half flight, we landed in Madrid Spain.  It was 40 degrees warmer and sunny.  We took the metro directly from the airport to a friend of Liz’s.  It was the cleanest metro that Liz and I have ever been on.  The metro serves over 4 million people, and it has an extensive network with lines running every 5 minutes.  Once we got off the metro, her friend Grace greeted us.  Grace lives near a university with another friend Kristy.  Both of them are teaching English to local companies and students.  After we dropped our stuff off, we went to Parque de Juan Carlos I, a local park, to enjoy cervezas, olives, and bravas potatoes.  During our lunch, Grace and Kristy explained some of the Spanish culture. 

• A typical Sunday is spent eating tapas and drinking cervezas.
• 1 in 3 people smoke cigarettes in Madrid Spain.  Recently a smoking ban was passed much to the chagrin of restaurant owners.
• It is acceptable for people to be an hour or more late.
• The Siesta can last anywhere from 2 to 5 PM.   
• People complete a similar amount of work compared to Americans, it is just spread out over more time. 
• It is very typically to receive a tapas with your drink order of olives, nuts, or spanish sausage. 

After being in Germany for 2 months, these cultural differences seemed so bizarre to us and took a while getting used to.  Then we went to the Madrid International Contemporary Art Fair.  It showcased artwork from all over the world that highlighted the latest emerging trends in contemporary art.  The media ranged from painting, sculpture, installation and photography to videos, graphics and new media.  After we went to a local eatery that serves jamón which is dry-cured Spanish ham on a croissant for 1 € and cervezas and wine for 1 €.  The place did not have any seats and when you were done with your napkin, you can throw it on the floor.  After we went to a street that is very well known for their tapas restaurants.  We tasted a crab and squid one with some Spanish wine.  The places were extremely crowded with people ranging all ages.  Even though we spent such a small amount of time in Madrid, we really got to experience the culture and enjoy some amazing Spanish food and drink.

Ryanair

Before I arrived in Europe, many people told me about a low-cost airline named Ryanair.  They said it is most similar to Southwest in the States.  When I planned my trip to Madrid and Barcelona, I booked with Ryanair, and for my three flights, it cost me 60 € which a very good deal compared to other airlines and trains.  Our flight from Madrid to Barcelona was 6 €.  Their business model is pretty interesting and discussed often in classes at WHU.  They generate their revenue by charging passengers for extra services such as baggage, priority boarding, etc.  This allows passengers who do not want these extra services to travel for the lowest possible price.  They save costs on their aircrafts by having non-reclining synthetic leather seats, no seat-back pockets, safety cards on the back of the seats and life jackets stowed overhead rather than under the seats.   In the past, they have received heavy criticism for its poor treatment of disabled passengers.  For example, in 2002, it refused to provide wheelchairs for disabled passengers at London Stansted Airport.  With all this information, I was excited to experience Ryanair first hand.  When we checked in the people were extremely nice, which was shocking considering the background of the company.  When boarding the plane, they do not call out seat numbers; instead, everyone waits in line.  You can sit wherever you want on the plane.  The flight attendants tell people to hurry up so they can take off on time.  If the plane lands on time, they play a song and say last year over 90% of Ryanair flights arrived on time.  In order to increase this percentage, they overestimate the time it actually takes to fly the distance.  Surprisingly with all this, my experience was positive because it allowed me to see an entirely new culture for reasonably priced airfare.  

Bonjour

On Friday, an exchange student from France was driving back to Paris to visit his girlfriend.  Paola, Chuchu, and myself jumped at the opportunity to go along with him to spend a weekend in Paris.  We left Vallendar Friday afternoon and arrived in Paris at 8:00 PM.  He dropped us off at a major Metro stop and it was extremely busy with extremely fashionably dressed people ready for a night out.  It took a while to figure out the system and which line to take to our Hotel.  We figured it out and hopped on line 8 which took us 1 block from our hotel.

We arrived at our stop, Grand Boulevard, in the 9^th district, we stopped at a local bar to ask for directions to our hotel.  We waited at the counter to ask someone for directions to and the next thing we saw was the bartender trying to choke a man.  Then they started fighting in the street.  Needless to say, we were not expecting this, after we did a lot of research to find a safe district to stay in.  We left the bar and headed out to find the hotel.  After relaxing a moment, we adventured out again to visit the Trocadéro scene and a twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower.

The next day, we took the RER to Versailles Palace.  As we walked up the street towards the Palace, we were blown away by the sheer magnificence of the buildings.  It is so unreal that you have to see it with your own eyes to believe that something so extravagant exists.  We toured the Chapel and Opera House, the King's and Queen's State Apartments, and the Hall of Mirrors.  My favorite part was the Hall or Mirrors.  It was the ultimate hall of the day — 250 feet long, with 17 arched mirrors matching 17 windows with royal garden views, 24 gilded candelabra, eight busts of Roman emperors, and eight Classical-style statues (seven of them ancient). The ceiling is decorated with stories of Louis XIV's triumphs.  In the afternoon we toured the gardens and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette.  We took the RER back to Paris and walked around the Ile de la Cite, which houses Notre Dame, the Archaeological Crypt, and the Deportation Memorial.  At night, we took a boat tour down the Seine River. 

On Sunday, we woke up early and toured Louvre.  Since we are students, we got free admission.  It pays to be under 26 in France J  My sophomore year, I took an Art History class that focused on Ancient and Medieval Art.  At the Louvre, I got to see a lot of the art that I studied there such as the Seated Scribe, Code of Hammurabi, and Greek Ceramics.  It was incredible.  In the afternoon, we walked up Champs-Elysees, which is a prestigious avenue with cinemas, cafes, luxury specialty shops and horse-chestnut trees.  It is one of the most famous streets in the world, and it is the second most expensive strip of real estate in Europe after London’s Bond Street.  We even got in a little shopping; everyone store in Europe is having sales of 50-75% off.  We ended up at the Arc de Triomphe.  This Arc is dedicated to the glory of all French armies. Like its Roman ancestors, this arch has served as a parade gateway for triumphal armies (French or foe) and important ceremonies. From 1941 to 1944, a large swastika flew from here as Nazis goose-stepped daily down the Champs-Elysées.  Allied troops marched triumphantly under this arch in August 1944. 

On Monday, we headed back to Vallendar.  On the way home, we stopped in Champagne France.  This area is best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.  We stopped at the Hostomme vineyard for some tasting.  It was delicious. 

Luxembourg



Place de Metz



Background:  The city is the capital of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Petrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg.  In 2009, Luxemburg was ranked with the third highest GDP per capita at $79,000 USD.  The city developed into a banking and administrative centre in Europe.  The European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank are all located here.

  


Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin

 

Travels: Due to Campus for Finance, classes were canceled on January 13 & 14, so a group of exchange students and myself took advantage of the free time and traveled to Luxembourg City.  We took the regional train from Vallendar to Luxembourg, which is about 3 hours.  We met at the train station at 8 AM and waited for our train; surprisingly it was late.  We received many talks about "German punctuality" and the first train I took in Germany was late!!  We missed our connecting train from Koblenz to Luxembourg, which ended up working out well because we got upgraded from the regional train (slower and more stops) to the IC train (faster and nicer).  Once we arrived in Luxembourg, we found a map and the address of our hostel.  Luckily someone from Quebec, Canada was with us and could speak French to the locals.  We walked from the train station to the hostel and dropped our stuff off. 

 



National Museum of History and Art



After, we walked around the city taking in all of the amazing sites.  The city is pretty small with 100,000 inhabitants, so it didn't take very long to get around and see everything.  Some of the highlights included the  Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin.  This Cathedral has a late Gothic style and has various components and ornaments inspired by Renaissance style.  We also toured the Place de Metz which houses the State Savings Bank.  Later that evening, we had dinner at the hostel and hung out in our rooms.    



Hot Chocolate



The next day, we visited the National Museum of History and Art.  The museum has 10 floors and each floor represents a different time period.  Starting out at Prehistory and going all the way to Contemporary Art.  They also had an additional exposition called the Age of Symbolism in Latvia with 50 paintings, engravings, and drawings from the most important Latvian artists of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.   Then we went to a shop called the Chocolate House, where they sell 50 different kinds of hot chocolate.  You select your chunk of chocolate and they bring out some warm milk.  It was the best thing I ever drank!