Hallo!
Today we went to school in the morning and every group gave at least one presentation (in English over America stuff). We then ate our packed lunch, but a small group also went to the bakery down the street. After a nice lunch of sandwiches and desserts, we went back to school and got on a U-Bahn filled with adorable German kids. We travled for about 30 minutes until we arrived at the Fernsehturm. After a relaxing walk through the woods we played on the playground meant only for children under 14 while we waited for Frau Abt to buy the tickets. We were then taken on a tour of the building. First we went into the basement and saw the floorplans of the building, and learned that it moves 30 cm in the wind like the arch! Luckily today it was not windy! We then went back upstairs and climbed a little bit to look at the tower from the inside. It was nice, and many people wanted to climb the entire way up, but I'm glad we did not because it is a VERY tall building, and I think most people would have been sorry. However the world record for climbing it is 4 minutes, and it would have been interesting to see how long it would have taken us. We then travled half way up (in the elevator) and climbed a little more and stood very close while we watched the two elevators speed past. We then got back on the elevator and went up to a room that controls the tower (and smells HORRIBLE). And then climbed to the lookout rooms and spent about 20 minutes enjoying the beautiful weather and taking pictures of the area. (It was also very clear today, so we could see for miles!) When we were back on the ground we played more on the playground before a grumpy old woman told us to go away because we were too old. We treated ourselves to ice cream (not Penguin as originally planed - there was too long of a line) but we walked to the city and ate at the same ice cream parlor as we did on Monday. It was nice, and when all were finished with their ice cream we happily 'Formed the Corn' in the middle of the city :)
Claire
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The first part of our day was spent, once again, at school. As I have heard frequently pointed out, there's something wrong about attending a facility of learning during our spring break, but I guess it's really just all about the experience. Everybody gave their presentation today at least once, and I learned how adorable our president was as a child.
Anyway, at about 1:45, we departed for the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The building itself looked incredibally modern, and the interior was no different. The elevaters which took us to the top of the building (and the beginning of the museum) were like futuristic travel pods. Anna said they looked like something from The Day the Earth Stood Still, but I wouldn't know. The change from this space-aged setting to the earliest motor vehicles was a little surprising. It was fascinating to see examples of the earliest cars. The rest of the museum didn't dissapoint either. In addition to displaying Mercedes cars through the ages, there were also little exhibits providing some information about the times during which the cars were made. I saw exhibits which were even more descriptive than some history books. I loved how the museum also discussed the influence of certain major events on the Mercedes -Benz company. I'm not particularly interested in cars, but I still found the museum fascinating. The Merceded-Benz Museum is definitely not just a museum for German automobile lovers. It has something for every interest, and incorporates it into the history of the company. It was a truly fascinating museum, and I would recommend it to almost everybody, regardless of his or her interest in cars alone. So, that's my brief overview of our day, both at school and at the museum.
Hayley
Anyway, at about 1:45, we departed for the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The building itself looked incredibally modern, and the interior was no different. The elevaters which took us to the top of the building (and the beginning of the museum) were like futuristic travel pods. Anna said they looked like something from The Day the Earth Stood Still, but I wouldn't know. The change from this space-aged setting to the earliest motor vehicles was a little surprising. It was fascinating to see examples of the earliest cars. The rest of the museum didn't dissapoint either. In addition to displaying Mercedes cars through the ages, there were also little exhibits providing some information about the times during which the cars were made. I saw exhibits which were even more descriptive than some history books. I loved how the museum also discussed the influence of certain major events on the Mercedes -Benz company. I'm not particularly interested in cars, but I still found the museum fascinating. The Merceded-Benz Museum is definitely not just a museum for German automobile lovers. It has something for every interest, and incorporates it into the history of the company. It was a truly fascinating museum, and I would recommend it to almost everybody, regardless of his or her interest in cars alone. So, that's my brief overview of our day, both at school and at the museum.
Hayley
Monday, March 22, 2010
City of Stuttgart
Today after our time in the school, we got to take a tour of the city. It was great weather for a tour, about 20 C (68 F) with lots of nice, warm sun! We got off the train at Stadtmitte; the station is under the Koenig Straße. On one side of Koenig Straße is a shopping mall called Königbau (King's building?), to another could we see the main train station with it's rotating Mercedes logo on top, and opposite the Königbau was "The New Castle". "The New Castle" was from when Germany was particularized (Mr. Nicholas likes) and had many small states ruled by kings. The castle was quite big but I'm not sure the size in comparison to the one in Munich. From the street could we also see the Stuttgarter Zeitung (local newspaper), high-class restaurants and a fairly new, modern art gallery and houses on the hill. Frau Reuter, the teacher who joined us from FPGZ, told us that Stuttgart was in a bowl with hills surrounding and a river, the Neckar, flowing through. These houses on the hills are where everyone wants to be living because they are much larger and have better views.
As we continued on we saw a pond area that had been drained. We were told it normally has water but was drained because of the abnormal winter. From the pond we saw a bridge were you could bike from this park we were in to another park. Frau Reuter said that all of the parks are interconnected so, if one knew their way around Stuttgart, you could bike everywhere quite easily. Also, was the capital building for the state Stuttgart is in, Baden-Württemberg.
We walked back to the Koenig Straße and all had some ice cream. Yum, I had a scope of raspberry on a scope of strawberry. We sat in the warm sun as we ate and discussed some funny stories of the trip. Then we walked around some more to look around Stuttgart. We went by city hall and a large square. In the winter, just before Christmas, people set up small stands and sell gifts and food. Some of us went to a toy store with a lot of cool, little kid toys. The others went to a store across the way, but I don't know what it was (help!). Next we bought some post cards and Sophia bought a nice pencil case with pencils and eraser. Some of us then returned back to the school to get picked up by our partners with Frau Reuter while others stayed with Frau Russell to shop.
Guess who also made it three hours without speaking and gets a free lunch in Berlin! Yeah, I did! I love betting (and food and free i.e. having more money)...
This street is also the main shopping area for the people of Stuttgart so there was a lot of people walking around the shops (also a lot of shops). With all the people, we saw a lot of cool street performers.
PS (Unrelated Stuff) Robin had a Handball game on Sunday... The refs cause them to lose with 5 seconds left 32-31. They didn't respect the coach's request for a timeout. Handball was still really cool to watch. Also enjoyed my first trip on the Autobahn; we got to 190 km/h which is around 120 mph!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Schwimmen in das Leuze
Hi!
Yesterday we went to school, as usual, in the morning. Claire and Grace gave their presentation on a day in the life of a Burroughs student (much differnent, i must say, than that of a Ferdinand Porsche Gymnasium student) to a ninth grade english class. Then Will gave his presentation on sports in the US. We spent the rest of the class hour in the back of the classroom, giggling about the students's british vocabulary. After grosse pause (a twenty minute break in which the germans eat one of their many snacks for the day) we gathered in another ninth grade english class and presented again. This time we stuck around for questions and Grace got invited to a birthday party.
After yet another set of presentations, I went to art class with my partner Alina. We listened to american pop music; i suppose to inspire our "colors in motion" theme. After that, school ended for the weekend!
Together, we trekked to das Leuze, mineral water pool with saunas and tanning beds. Of course, a McDonalds run was factored into our commute. Swimming in bubbles was über fun. Frau Russel chillaxed poolside with her sunglasses on and a phone in her ear. So glam. Frau Abt walked around the pool snapping photos. She was wearing wintry clothes, in what Sophia called, "the most opposite of a swimsuit." After getting really crinkly, Sophia, Grace, and I went to the saunas, despite the Fraus warnings that they were naked saunas. With our towels on, we entered the naked zone and explored the many saunas available. One was lemony-scented, one was finnish style (?), and one was 100 degrees Celcius.
Upon exiting one of the hotter rooms, we stumbled across what could easily have been a hallucination from high temperatures. AN ICE MACHINE. By this time, the majority of us have begun to feel the effects of drinking only carbonated beverages, water included. One of the only things i miss from home is still water (no salt!) in a glass with ice cubes.
After a relaxing day in das Leuze, we headed home to eat dinner. I had a southern specialty, spaezle with lentils and some kind of wurst. I learned that I love German food. Then a few of us went to a discotheque and cut the rug. I went home and dreamed about ice.
Yesterday we went to school, as usual, in the morning. Claire and Grace gave their presentation on a day in the life of a Burroughs student (much differnent, i must say, than that of a Ferdinand Porsche Gymnasium student) to a ninth grade english class. Then Will gave his presentation on sports in the US. We spent the rest of the class hour in the back of the classroom, giggling about the students's british vocabulary. After grosse pause (a twenty minute break in which the germans eat one of their many snacks for the day) we gathered in another ninth grade english class and presented again. This time we stuck around for questions and Grace got invited to a birthday party.
After yet another set of presentations, I went to art class with my partner Alina. We listened to american pop music; i suppose to inspire our "colors in motion" theme. After that, school ended for the weekend!
Together, we trekked to das Leuze, mineral water pool with saunas and tanning beds. Of course, a McDonalds run was factored into our commute. Swimming in bubbles was über fun. Frau Russel chillaxed poolside with her sunglasses on and a phone in her ear. So glam. Frau Abt walked around the pool snapping photos. She was wearing wintry clothes, in what Sophia called, "the most opposite of a swimsuit." After getting really crinkly, Sophia, Grace, and I went to the saunas, despite the Fraus warnings that they were naked saunas. With our towels on, we entered the naked zone and explored the many saunas available. One was lemony-scented, one was finnish style (?), and one was 100 degrees Celcius.
Upon exiting one of the hotter rooms, we stumbled across what could easily have been a hallucination from high temperatures. AN ICE MACHINE. By this time, the majority of us have begun to feel the effects of drinking only carbonated beverages, water included. One of the only things i miss from home is still water (no salt!) in a glass with ice cubes.
After a relaxing day in das Leuze, we headed home to eat dinner. I had a southern specialty, spaezle with lentils and some kind of wurst. I learned that I love German food. Then a few of us went to a discotheque and cut the rug. I went home and dreamed about ice.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Maulbronn Abbey
Grüße Keaton!!
Hey everyone! Before I detail our exciting day, I should let you know that the keyboards in Germany are very frustrating. The y is where the z should be and the z is where the y should be! So there may be some spelling mistakes because this keyboard is making me CRAYZ!!1!
We started off the day at the Porsche Gymnasium as we did on Tuesday. First period I had English, where we learned about the history of the European Union and why Britain is adversive to the whole system. The teacher really liked my "pure English" so he asked me to correct everyone's pronunciation. Then he asked me to stand in front of class where I was told to talk about St. Louis, American vs German culture, and my political views. I ignored the last request but I talked about the difference between private and public schools in America and how everyone in Germany takes public transportation and walks as opposed to driving everzwhere. Then, I had math with Herr Schmidt who happens to know Mr. Brinkhorst (a physics teacher at Burroughs) and we learned some new algebra. For lunch we had some delicious stuffed noodles, similar to ravioli, that had cheese and pesto in it with tomato sauce and some katafersalate.
We then took three trains and a bus to Maulbronn Abbey, a really neat monastery in a small town about an hour outside Stuttgart. Maulbronn Abbey was built in 1147!!! Our tour guide, who once taught at the Porsche-Gymnazium, led us through the building and told us some interesting facts about the architecture of the place and the life of a monk in the 12th century. I really liked how from the center yard of the abbey you can see the changes in architectural styles along the walls. The first architect had an early Gothic style; his arches were very elongated and without much detail. The second architect, whose arches form the second wall of the square, had floral motifs in his work, like later Gothic sculptures, and the third and fourth walls, made in the 14th century, were even more extravagant. The life of the monk seemed pretty strict. They were punished for every single thing they did wrong, like coming late to a service or speaking in the hallways. Also we learned about some pretty friendly robbers who came to the church as it was being constructed, demanding the money that was being used to build the church. The monks asked in their kindly way to return once the building was finished, and the criminals agreed. In one corner of the room below there is an unfinished wall, and the rumor is that the wall was never finished because the monks didn't want want to give the robbers their cash.
The abbey is also a very religious boarding school; we tried to chat up some of the students there but they weren't very talkative.
After our educational trip to the church, we made the long trip back to Stuttgart. Grace and I scoped out German babies that we wanted for our own, and Frau Russell told us not to call her Мать Россия (Mother Russia). We're having über fun in Germany I want to give a shout out to my mom and my dad and my dog Wolfgang and meine Geschwister!
Auf Wiedersehen!! :)
Hey everyone! Before I detail our exciting day, I should let you know that the keyboards in Germany are very frustrating. The y is where the z should be and the z is where the y should be! So there may be some spelling mistakes because this keyboard is making me CRAYZ!!1!
We started off the day at the Porsche Gymnasium as we did on Tuesday. First period I had English, where we learned about the history of the European Union and why Britain is adversive to the whole system. The teacher really liked my "pure English" so he asked me to correct everyone's pronunciation. Then he asked me to stand in front of class where I was told to talk about St. Louis, American vs German culture, and my political views. I ignored the last request but I talked about the difference between private and public schools in America and how everyone in Germany takes public transportation and walks as opposed to driving everzwhere. Then, I had math with Herr Schmidt who happens to know Mr. Brinkhorst (a physics teacher at Burroughs) and we learned some new algebra. For lunch we had some delicious stuffed noodles, similar to ravioli, that had cheese and pesto in it with tomato sauce and some katafersalate.
We then took three trains and a bus to Maulbronn Abbey, a really neat monastery in a small town about an hour outside Stuttgart. Maulbronn Abbey was built in 1147!!! Our tour guide, who once taught at the Porsche-Gymnazium, led us through the building and told us some interesting facts about the architecture of the place and the life of a monk in the 12th century. I really liked how from the center yard of the abbey you can see the changes in architectural styles along the walls. The first architect had an early Gothic style; his arches were very elongated and without much detail. The second architect, whose arches form the second wall of the square, had floral motifs in his work, like later Gothic sculptures, and the third and fourth walls, made in the 14th century, were even more extravagant. The life of the monk seemed pretty strict. They were punished for every single thing they did wrong, like coming late to a service or speaking in the hallways. Also we learned about some pretty friendly robbers who came to the church as it was being constructed, demanding the money that was being used to build the church. The monks asked in their kindly way to return once the building was finished, and the criminals agreed. In one corner of the room below there is an unfinished wall, and the rumor is that the wall was never finished because the monks didn't want want to give the robbers their cash.
The abbey is also a very religious boarding school; we tried to chat up some of the students there but they weren't very talkative.
After our educational trip to the church, we made the long trip back to Stuttgart. Grace and I scoped out German babies that we wanted for our own, and Frau Russell told us not to call her Мать Россия (Mother Russia). We're having über fun in Germany I want to give a shout out to my mom and my dad and my dog Wolfgang and meine Geschwister!
Auf Wiedersehen!! :)
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