2 days, 1 post

It's been a busy two days.

Yesterday, we visited the KZ Gedenkstätte Dachau, where we learned a bit more of the history of Germany between 1933-1945.  The film they show in the Kino is very moving and dare I say, disturbing, when you see the footage of not only prisoners who died there but also of the survivors taken by the US 20th Armored Division after the liberation of the camp.  I asked the GAPPies for their impressions and the consensus was somber and sad.

On our way back to München, it began to rain in earnest, so we opted for an indoor lunch at Opatijia ( a restaurant I discovered in 2009) where we feasted on pasta and German-style pizza served with a knife and fork.  After lunch, we headed to the Deutsches Museum and an afternoon of exploring all kinds of things. Olivia and I both decided that the mine is creepy if you go down there by yourself and the mannequins look like they might talk to you at anytime, which freaked both of us out, but at separate times.  Jess, Anna and Jordan discovered clackers in the museum shop and we decided we could use them as nunchucks if the kids sharing our hallway at the hostel were overly loud after 10 pm again.  Sadly, none of us purchased any.

Today, we began our day in the Kunstareal and visited both the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Alte.   I was excited to see the brand-new Kirchner exhibit at the Moderne (it has been open for less than a week) while the students explored on their own.  Favorites included the "cheerio" chairs, the Adidas shoe display, photography exhibits and Picasso.  Several of us wondered how two pieces of string and a nail called "Flamingo" can be called art.  Standing in juxtaposition across the street is the Alte Pinakothek which covers art from the 14-18th centuries, including Holbein, Dürer, Ruebens and more.  Unfortunately, half of the Pinakothek is closed currently for renovation, so our jaunt through the museum mainly took us through religious pieces, such as altar triptychs.

We walked through the area around the Technische Hochschule (a university specializing in science) to find a suitable place for Döner.  We found a great hole-in-the-wall on Arcisstrasse filled with students.  Everyone, except me, had their first Döner experience, complete with fries and salad all piled high on the plate, covered in a tatziki-style sauce and something orange, spicy and delicious.  After lunch, we descended on the nearby Lidl to check out the cheap but authentic world cup apparel.

We returned to the Marienplatz, where we went dirndl and lederhosen hunting, with mixed success, followed by 4 hours of shopping time.   I personally took a Kuchen & Kaffee "time-out" while the students searched for souvenirs and other treasures.

Tomorrow, we head for the hills and King Ludwig's most famous castle.

Bis bald!

Frau S.

München

We arrived in München yesterday at 1:30 PM .  The first thing the kids noticed was the distinct lack of air conditioning while waiting for our luggage in Franz-Joseph Strauss.  After 36 hours (or something like that), we all agreed that a shower and a change of clothes were our first priorities.  We hustled out to the S-Bahn station and rode into town.  Somehow there was construction on the tracks and we breezed past the Hauptbahnhof in central München without stopping. 1st challenge, get everyone off the train and across the platform and go back in the correct direction.  Next, get off the subway (obviously we found the Hbf and the U-Bahn) at Rot-Kreuz-Platz and figure out which direction to walk in to the DJH München-City.    After handing out keys and explaining  how to put the crazy sheets on the bed and the comforters, the GAPPies all disappeared to freshen up.  A mere 60 minutes later, we were back on the subway to the heart of München, the Marienplatz.

When we emerged from the subway and walked around the corrugated metal construction barriers, I was treated to a chorus of "wow, Frau" and "awesome".  All I could think of was "winning!". It is so nice to be able to introduce students to a new place and new experiences.  It certainly peeled back the "I -am-slightly-jaded-been-to-München-a-few-times" scales from my eyes.  The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing and all of the sudden, our stomachs were growling.  We hustled back to the hostel for supper and then turned right around and went back out again.  I treated everyone to their first Eis.  I guess Smurfs (Schlumpf-Eis) taste like Froot-Loops and Mozart (Mozart-Kugeln) is delicious.  We then continued on to the Olympic Park, where we drooled over BMWs parked outside at the Welt and shot up to the top of the 291 m Olympiaturm and marveled at the panorama of München at our feet.  It was a bit windy and clouds obscured the view of the Alps to the south, but selfies were taken and graffiti was scribbled (all legal, of course) to prove we were there.  Finally, heavy heads and tired feet prevailed and we went back to the hostel for some shut-eye. I cannot vouch for the kids, but I will say I slept like a rock and was ready for today's adventure.  

Today, we spent most of the day on beach-cruisers and toured around München with Ben of the Beautiful Voice (he was from Dublin) and Mike's Bikes Tours.  Our Mike volunteered to bring up the rear of the pack (I think we had 22 total people in our group).  Ask him about his new job title!  Lunch at the Chinesischen Turm in the English Garden was an adventure, ranging from chicken wings to full-on bayrische Traditionen, such as Schweinehaxen and Obatzta mit Brezn.  After finishing up the bike tour, the kids took off on a "scavenger" hunt while I hunted up a new SIM card for my German phone.  Mike and Olivia finished first and earned bags of Haribos which are not available back home.  By then it had started to rain and we were very glad the poor weather held off until the end of the day.  The walk from the subway to the hostel was a bit damp but I, for one, am very glad the thunderstorm never materialized.  

Tomorrow we are off to Dachau and the KZ Dachau Gedenkstatte.  I will ask a few students to post their reactions to this very powerful place when we return. 

Bis bald!  Frau S

Reisefieber! Almost...

As per usual, I haven't started packing yet.  It's Friday and our group leaves tomorrow at 2:30.  But first, I need to panic.  I must finish my grades and submit them, write out sub plans for next week, make sure the bank releases our travel funds, get the blog up and running (done, I can check 1 thing off my list), make sure I have passport copies, tickets, emergency info sheets, Kleenex and hand sanitizer, figure out my host gifts for my partners in Germany, feed my kid, write him a chore list, clean the house, attend some graduation parties, attend graduation...I could go on and on and on.

I work better under pressure.  Give me a deadline and I will ignore it.  I vow every year not to procrastinate about important things but here I am, T-minus 31 hours and I haven't done any of it (well, except the blog thing).   I have to have that last-minute panic, so that I know everything will work out all right.  But I have to wait just a few hours more.  Right now I am strangely calm, waiting for my "Reisefieber" to kick in.

If you look up the definition of "Reisefieber" in a German dictionary, it states "travel nerves", "wanderlust", "travel bug".  I am still waiting for all of those to arrive.  Maybe it is because this is my third trip with students and in the back of my mind, I know everything will turn out fine.  I have planned and planned, thought of all the possible scenarios and run through them over and over again.  Each trip is a little different and there will be things that happen that are out of my control, but that is part of the experience, right?  It might rain during our bike tour, we might miss a subway stop.  I might leave my new copy of " Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch" in the seat pocket on the train again.   But it is all part of learning and travelling and experiencing.
I know this trip will be a great one.  I am calm and ready.  Come by my classroom at 1:30 this afternoon and see if my "Reisefieber" has arrived yet.  I hope so.  This Frau is ready to roll.  Right after I pack my suitcase.
See you tomorrow!