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!

Campus for Finance

Every January the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management hosts one of the leading conferences in the international financial community.  This event, Campus for Finance, took place on January 13 & 14.  It hosts academics, corporate representatives, politicians, and selected students from around the world and offers a platform for discussion and networking.  In order to attend the event, students must apply and only a few are accepted.  A lot of the exchange students applied for it, but no one got accepted.  Some of the guest speakers included, Dirk Notheis (CEO of Morgan Stanley Bank), Heiner Flassbeck (UN Conference on Trade and Development), Joe Kaeser, (CFO of Siemens).  On the last day of the conference, WHU hosted an evening reception for all the guests.  A few of the exchange students and myself, snuck into the reception.  Since the ratio of men to women was 15:1, I didn't have any trouble getting in.  I am extremely happy that I went because it was neat networking with students from all over.  For more information on this event, click here.   

Koblenz Exporation



Flooding



On Saturday, I traveled to Koblenz on the bus.  It is about a 20-minute drive along the Rhine.  Much of the city is closed due to construction.  They are getting ready for the annual Rhine Valley & Koblenz Flower Festival.  It attracts nearly 1 million people from all over.  I plan on going in April.  The sidewalks on the Rhine are also closed because the Rhine is flooding.  It is the worst it’s been in 10 years.  The citizens put sandbags out to protect their houses and stores.  Today I am going to check out the damage.

After enjoying some delicious German bakery, we left Koblenz and headed back to Vallendar.  For dinner a bunch of exchange students met up and someone made a traditional Mexican dish for dinner.  Trying to find the ingredients for it was a bit of a problem, but we improvised.  Instead of using tortilla shells, we used crackers.   

Welcome Week Tauschies

On Tuesday, members of the WHU faculty and staff welcomed all the foreign exchange students to the program and the area.  There are 81 students from 30 different countries.  It is a very diverse group of students.  In my short time here, it has been extremely interesting speaking with them and learning about their culture.  Majority of the students do not speak any German, but the school offers a free German class to help learn.  I am enrolled in a German III class.

There is a student group on campus called Vallendar Integration Program (VIP), and they plan events for the exchange students.  On the second day, they planned a Welcome Reception and International Dinner.  They asked each exchange student to bring either food or drink that is popular in their country.  The students introduced themselves and explained the importance of what they brought.  Afterwards, they planned a party in the basement of the school, where they served a typical German dish, rolls and sausages, and free beer.  It is a lot like the Rathskeller in Union at Madison. 

Exchange Students at a Bar on Campus.

VIP also planned another event called Koblenz Rallye.  We took the ferry ride on the Rhine from Vallendar to Koblenz, which lasted 20 minutes.  Then once we arrived, VIP placed us on teams.  A VIP member was stationed at 10 spots around the city.  They gave us a map, and we had to find each VIP student and complete a challenge.  Some of the challenges included being able to distinguish different types of beer, or asking a local to teach us a very popular song, “Wir Waren Kolonien.”  We got points for completing each challenge and the winners got Haribo and beer. 

I have not started my classes yet, but on Monday I will have my first one.  The scheduling is a lot different compared to the States.  We do not have a set schedule; it changes each class.  Some weeks I do not have any classes.  It will be a bit strange but will allow for a lot of travel. 

Everyone, students, faculty and locals, have been extremely welcoming.  It is really nice to have such a large support system when I am so far from home.

Bis Dann!     

Arrival

Here is Michael wearing his new Badger hat.  J

I arrived in Germany earlier than expected.  Lufthansa provided such wonderful service; it was the best flight I have been on (most likely due to the empty seat next to me).  After I went through customs and got my baggage, I pulled out the Kirsche family picture to help locate Michael.  I found someone who looked a lot like Santa Claus and sure enough, it was him.  It was very refreshing seeing family after a long day of travel.  We left the airport and drove on the autobahn towards Koblenz.  It was a very scenic route with snow covered rolling hills and trees.  Once we arrived in Vallendar, we found the landlady.  Michael was a HUGE help because my German is not the best and the landlady does not speak fluent English.  When we were leaving, she said, “Your name is German.”  We explained that my Dad was born in Germany and moved to the states at a young age.  She seemed thrilled that I was studying abroad in Germany and getting back to my “roots.”