Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

September 8th // Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Germany

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

I have always been interested in the Holocaust. Interested meaning wanting to learn more about how humans could treat others so horribly. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around these devastating times. I have read countless books and watched many documentaries, but I still lack the understanding behind the Holocaust. My heart breaks every time I think about those directly affected and their loved ones who had and have to endure their pain. But since I was visiting Germany, I vowed to visit a camp, try to get more of an understanding in order to empathize better with those affected, and to give my condolences and prayers over the camp. Dachau was the closest camp to the flat we were staying at, so we chose to take the train and a bus over to the memorial site.

When I visit historical grounds, I try to image exactly what it was like years ago and the people who stood there. I basically play a little movie in my head to attempt and put myself more into the moment. This is exactly what I did when I stepped foot on the grounds. I could see the prisoners being forced into the walls they may never leave and the officers who were yelling and demanding control. I got the chills when we enter the building of the special prisoners who were more on the high-risk scale. Those included people who tried to murder Hitler, outspoken men, and more. You could read on posters of the men who were forced to stay in these small cells with little sunlight and the poor conditions of the cinderblock prison. This area was also used to torcher prisoners and even murder them buy faking a hanging scenario. Just disgusting. When I was in one cell, a breeze of cold air rushed past me and sent chills down my body. I break out in tears and couldn’t stop. I will never know what it’s like to be forced to live in a tiny cell with hardly any food, water, human interaction, and necessities for life, but I have never felt so devastated, cold, and heartbroken as I did in that cell.

We then moved onto the museum where we read posters and furthered our education of Dauch while seeing more of the camp. The rooms were so quiet even though they were packed with visitors. Everyone was experiencing what it was like to be in a concentration camp and nobody could say a word. At some points, I began to feel sick just thinking about how scared the people here must have felt as well as the torture they endured. Many people think I’m crazy for even visiting a place as horrific as this, but I see it as a history lesson. After reading books and watching documentaries, I wanted to go and see a camp in person. I feel that this experience has helped me realize how blessed I am and opened my eyes to how depressing this time was. I hope to empathize better with those affect by the Holocaust.

Street Festival

On our way back to Imogen’s, Fae and I jumped off the train and began walking to our bus stop where we then heard music and saw tons of people walking around. We decided to go check it out since we haven’t seen anything like this so far in Germany. It looked like a street fair with live bands, food, and shopping. The strange thing that we noticed, however, was that the streets were full of people, but it still seemed to be quiet. We could walk next to each other and have a normal conversation without yelling. Not something that usually happens in America. In the distance, we could see a group of people walking into what looked like a furniture store with music blasting from the inside. Furniture store party? We’re in! We pushed our way towards the front but got stuck behind very tall Germany men. We poked our heads to the left and right to catch glances of six young Germany men in tradition outfits slapping their body and jumping around. Everyone seemed to love this as they began clapping and yelling. We stayed for a few performances and then headed out and back towards our bus stop.

Watch this video below to get a full understanding of what I’m talking about!

munich

munich

September 4th // Munich, Germany

This morning, Fae and I headed to the Munich airport to have breakfast with her uncle. He was about to fly back to San Diego when he heard that Faeln was actually in Munich. With a couple of text messages sent, it was set that we would meet up for an hour since it’s not every day that you get to meet up with your uncle in Germany. After many hugs, cups of coffee, and lots of catching up, we sent Ed on his way and hopped onto the train heading for downtown Munich. Here we walked around and enjoyed the giant buildings decorated with the most detail and sculptures built into the top and side of them. Fae and I both had a craving for some warm, vegetable soup and set out on a mission. Most restaurants were either closed since they were on vacation or didn’t have soup, let alone vegan options, well at least that’s what we could translate from the signs on the doors. We didn’t give up though! After walking blocks, we found the perfect little Italian restaurant where we ordered vegetable soup and a glass of wine (Visit my post “Lago Di Garda” under the Study Abroad –> Foreign Eats section of my blog).

lunch

bikes

Full and happy, we walked over to Imogen’s work and waited for her to finish up. A couple of minutes later, we jumped on some bikes and followed Imogen as she gave us a tour around the city. This tour included a stop to an ice cream parlor where we bought some vegan raspberry, chocolate chip ice cream (Visit my post “True & 12” under the Study Abroad –> Foreign Eats section of my blog). Next, we biked over to the park where people were laying out, enjoying the warm sun on the grass. But I knew where we were going next, the river surfers. I had seen videos of them on social media and I was stoked to finally see them in person. We parked our bikes and walked a few feet into a giant crowd. There were about four to five surfers on each side of the river and one person in the center of the water, shredding back and forth. They made it look easy. They being professionals of course.

park

biking

biking

Check out this video below of what river surfing looks like! 

palace

river

September 3rd // Munich, Germany

Not your ordinary title for a blog post, you might be thinking. Well those three words were the best ones to describe today’s adventure. I’ll start from the top.

palace

palace

palace

The Palace

Staring off our morning by relaxing and drinking coffee was just what we needed. After enjoying the morning from the porch, Faeln and I headed out on a walk with Imogen’s dog. This isn’t just an ordinary walk though, this was a walk in Germany which included lots of greenery, rivers, many other dogs, friendly faces, and of course, the palace. It’s not every day that you get to take a stroll to the palace. There were many people visiting, taking photos, and walking around the front of the beautiful palace. We walked in front of the pond where swans were posing for photos and even coming up onto land. The combination of these elegant birds with a giant palace behind them is something you would never see in California. We kept walking around until it started to rain, which we were not expecting. This lead to a spring back to the house with our jackets over our heads.

The Museums

On Sunday’s, certain museums in Munich are only 1 Euro. We decided to take advantage of this opportunity and do a little art hop. We first started out by going to a museum that had a special exhibit on Egypt, which is one of favorite area to study in history. There were so many items in the museum that ranged from pottery to statues to coffins to paintings and even more. I couldn’t help but run around with a giant smile on my face, reading about every item and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that these items were hundreds of years old. I could ramble on and on about the Egyptian’s, but I’m sure I’d bore you. After we finished up at this museum, we headed down the street for the next, and last museum since it was already close to 5p.m., and that’s when all the museums close. We hustled inside to make sure we could see a few pieces before they closed. When we went up to buy our ticket, the man said we could just go in for free since it’s silly to pay for only 30 minutes (Thank you sir!). This museum had some walls painted bright pink while others were white and blue. All were paintings of sizes ranging from 2×2 pieces to full, wall length paintings. Not only were the paintings unreal, but the golden frames were captivating as well. I’ll let you check them out for yourself through these photos below.

church

streets of germany

spaceship

The Spaceship

After museum hopping, we decided to walk around this part of town that we’ve never been to. Even though most shops had already closed, we decided to window shop and appreciate the cute decorations inside. We ended up going into a church and having a look around. Before we headed out on our study abroad trip, Faeln and I vowed to check out as many churches as possible since people always rave about how detailed and astonishing churches are in Europe, they were right. Legs tired and bellies empty, we headed back to Imogen’s house. On our walk to the bus stop, we spotted a spaceship in the middle of a grass area. Being the children we are, we ran to it and noticed it was an art installation. It looked as if you could go inside of it, but it was closed now. Maybe next time then! I have always wanted to go in a spaceship.

Side Note: Cathy is now my Germany name according to the Starbucks baristas

Ending Note: Look at this cute elderly couple playing catch in the park. I hope this warms your heart just as much as it warmed mine.

So, not technically this isn’t a foreign eats as we have 7/11’s all over the place in the United States, but I did find these 7/11’s to be different. They were very fancy 7/11’s. You could even buy transportation tickets in some. Fae and I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to get cheap, yet really good, vegan food. We both bought prepackaged “Couscous” and ate the whole thing for lunch. When we went to another 7/11 the next day, we bought smoothies, mentors, and a fruit cup. This is going to make coming back to American 7/11’s very difficult. An unexpected eat, but a delicious one.

Grod

Grod

Grod

September 12th // GROD // Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen day II called for a local breakfast. Here I got the “Chia Porridge” made with organic almond milk, acas powder and topped with banana, peanut butter, roasted nuts and organic skyr (be sure to ask to make it vegan). Faeln got the “Skyyyyyyr” made with Icelandic yogurt with fresh fruit, GROD’s granola and apple compote (be sure to ask to make it vegan). Imogen got the “Glutenfree 3 Grain Porridge” made with water and organic almond milk, gluten free oats, quinoa, and chia seeds with three more topping of your choice. Not only was the meal delicious (even though I only had three bites because I dislike breakfast but really try liking it), but the shop was also full of plants, food, and candles. What a great start to our morning!

Website: http://groed.com/en/

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

September 2nd // Salzburg, Austria

A 5a.m. wake up call. Do you know what the means? Yes, a long day, but one to remember. Imogen’s parents insisted on us doing the Sound of Music bike tour in Austria, and how could you say no?! We woke up early, washed our faces, and headed to the bus stop where we would then go to the central station and jump on a two-hour train ride. This doesn’t seem too bad, but when you’re jet lagged and get hardly any sleep, the journey can get tiring just in the first hours.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

We arrived in Salzburg and immediately began walking around before our cycling tour started. Imogen’s dad looked like a child in a candy shop showing us all around while we slowly began to recognize scenes from the movie. But now it was time for the tour!

cycling tour

cycling tour

The tour was about three and a half hours long, but you’re not on the bike the whole time. Our guide was a sweet, younger lady who made the trip worth-wild. We stopped at about seven different locations where she would then set up a scene from the movie and begin singing a song, which we soon all began to sing as well with her. We stopped in the town and had a little lunch break as well as bought a few postcards and magnets. Back on the bikes, and the tour continued. I don’t want to give all the details, so I’ll let you go on the tour for yourself. But I highly recommend going to Salzburg and taking the tour! Their website can be found here: http://www.mariasbicycletours.com/index.php

Post Sound of Music Cycling Tour

We traveled all this way, so we thought we’d wander around the city more. Imogen’s dad showed us THE most beautiful church I’ve ever been in. It was huge and so detailed. I lack the best words to describe it so i’ll just show you instead…

Mozart’s Home

We also passed by Mozart’s home, which I would’ve completely walked by if Imogen’s dad didn’t stop us and point it out. The bottom is used as just a regular convenience store. I’m surprised they were allowed to do this on such a historical site. Overall, it was cool to stand where the great, Mozart used to stand and walk the same street as him.

After a cup of coffee, it was time to head home. Thank you Salzburg for your beauty, Sound of Music, Mozart, and new memories.

Munch Day I

Munch Day I

Munch Day I

September 1st, also known as Imogen’s birthday // Munich, Germany

Today we celebrate Imogen. Even thought I just met her, I feel so close to her and can’t wait to see this friendship blossom. So, today is all about this amazing girl.

We start our day by first, exchanging our dollars to Euro’s which is where I learned that I know absolutely nothing about currency and the way money works. This will be a work in progress. Then, we head to Imogen’s favorite vegan pizza shop. When we got up to the door, we saw the lights off and the door locked. We didn’t let this ruin our day though! Down the street was a small restaurant named “The Holy Burger” where we decided to eat instead (Check out my blog post “The Holy Burger” under the Study Abroad —> Foreign Eats section for more details). After, full and content, we headed to the bouldering gym. I have never been bouldering before nor really seen anyone do it. I expected it to be similar to rock climbing, but I was shocked to see that I was very wrong. Okay, quick side note. I am very doubtful of myself when I try something new because I have idea what the expect. Continuing on, I began doubting if I could even do this. It seemed so difficult and I didn’t want to embarrass myself. But today is about Imogen, not me. It was astonishing watching Imy go to town, climbing up, down, and all over. I could tell by the gleaming smile on her face that she was having the perfect birthday, doing what she loved with good company. Realizing we should head home for dinner soon, we returned our climbing shoes and chalk. Since Fae and I were running around yelling, “It’s her birthday!” the workers at the bouldering gym took noticed and offered Imogen a free coffee!

Imogen bday

Imogen bday

Back to the story, we took the train back to Imy’s, changed, and headed back out the door to a healthy, vegetarian / vegan birthday dinner. Imogen chose to go to “Prinz Myshkin” which was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to (For more details on this dinner and what I ordered, be sure to check out my article “Prinz Myshkin” in the Study Abroad —> Foreign Eats section of my blog). Stuffed, we all headed home to enjoy the last hours of Imogen’s birthday in sweatpants.

Happy birthday to my beautiful friend. I am so glad I got to share your 22nd with you.

traveling

traveling

August 30th – August 31st // Chicago —> Iceland —> Germany

Oh boy, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I have never flown overseas, so I was clueless as to what it’s like to travel for more than ten hours, but I was soon about to find out. So here is the layout of the journey to Germany:

1. Get an Uber from downtown Chicago to the airport (1 hour)
2. Fly from Chicago to Iceland (6 and a half hours)
3. Quick layover in Iceland (20 minutes)
4. Fly from Iceland to Germany (4 hours)
5. Take the tram from the airport to the bus station (30 minutes)
6. Take the bus to the closest drop-off near Imogen’s house (15 minutes)
7. Then finally, walk from the bus stop to Imogen’s (10 minutes)

flying

flying

flying

During the first flight, I tried to get some sleep since this was my only change. But of course, I just couldn’t fall asleep. I shut my eyes, which felt magical, but sleep was not an option. I listened to a couple of podcasts, and when I got sick of listening to people talk, I switched to music. I journaled a little to kill some time where I wrote something that inspired my “Dear Future Me” post under the Travel –> Study Abroad section of my blog. Before I knew it, I heard the pilot come on the speaker and say, “We are starting our decent. Make sure you’re buckled, your seat is in an upright position, and all laptops are put away.” Sweet, sweet sound to my ears.

Afraid we were going to miss our flight from Iceland to Germany due to delays, we ran off the plane and straight for our gate. What we would soon learn is that we still had to go through the long line of customs. We waited impatiently in line, thinking we were going to miss our flight. Front of the line, stamp in the passport, and a full sprint to our gate, but we made it just in time. Embarrassed because we felt as if we were the last ones to get on the flight, we got comfortable and attempted to sleep, again. But nothing. This flight seemed even longer than the first! I tried to do anything to keep me busy and from dying of boredom. I read part of a book, listened to a podcast, then switched to music, played with my president flash cards, looked at old photos, and watched a television show curtsy of the airline, until finally, we touched down in Germany.

This is a side note, but I found it so strange. We headed to baggage pickup where there were bags everywhere. No I am not exaggerating. Piles of bags in corners and all spread out as if the airport machines broke and spit bags everywhere, but nobody else seemed to notice. This was random, but maybe you can explain this to me if you know why this happened or if this is normal.

Bags grabbed, hugs exchanged between us and Imogen, and then we were off again. Now for the 30 minute tram ride to the bus station. I tried very hard to stay awake, but found myself staring out the window in mix between a daze and a nap. Thirty minutes passed and we jumped from the tram to the bus. “You’re almost there,” I kept telling myself while I dragged my bags behind me everywhere I went. Fifteen minutes up. Now for the short walk to Imogens, which felt like hours because my bags weighed so much and my body was weak from the lack of sleep. Once we made it to the front door, all I could see was stairs. Almost. There. We heaved the luggage up the suitcase, dropped it on the ground of the flat, and collapsed. Germany, be ready because this is just the start.

A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park

August 30th // Chicago, IL

Fae and I had a couple of hours to kill before we needed to head to the airport, so we chose to adventure around the city one last time. We started our journey to Faeln’s favorite cafe that sells the best orange juice, however, when we got there, we read the small “Closed” sign in the front. Still wanting something to drink, we headed across the street to grab some coffee and toast (Read more about this on my “Coffee, Cupcakes, & Airport Food” in the Food section of my blog). After, we continued our walk to visit Fae’s old house, but my nose led us to a cupcake shop where I HAD to get a vegan chocolate cupcake. Now that I had drinken my morning coffee, eaten some toast, and picked up a cupcake, I was ready to see the old Naughton house.

While turning the corner to Fae’s street, we ran into her old neighbor who welcomed us with open arms, even though I had never met him before. He was such a sweet man, talking endlessly about how much he missed Faeln and her family. My heart was full, and to top it off, he made the adorable comment, “Seeing you right now has made my whole entire day. No, not just today. My whole week. Your smile brings light into the world. I will miss you.” To see someone so overjoyed by the pressance of another human was eye watering. We said our goodbyes, checked out the house, then headed to Lincoln Park.

Whenever I hear the words “Lincoln Park”, I think of the band. Bad habbit, I know. But you see Lincoln Park in lots of famous movies so I thought I might as well take a stroll in the park on this perfect day. Bonus, I even got to see an Alexander Hamilton statue that I screamed about in my little girl voice. We sat on a bench, I ate my vegan chocolate cupcake, and enjoyed the view of the lake with tall building in the backround. Perfect, relaxing day before we jumped on plane heading towards Germany.

Stay tuned for crazy adventure in different countries to come!