Last day in Berlin/Back to Porta

Last day in Berlin!

We took the European version of the Subway into Berlin to the Museum of Berlin. At the museum we got a little cell phone like thing that was a guided tour. Thank god they had an option in English. I could spend my whole blog writing sbout the history in there but it would take way too long. It was just over when Germany was separated and the berlin wall.

Just a cool picture i thought I would put in here.

Then Herr Mundt let Courtney and I have 2 hours on our own by the KaDeWe. Otherwise known as the most expensive department store in Europe. I'm pretty sure it cost to breathe in there. So we left to do something worth our time. 

We went and ate some Pizza and we saw this next to where we were sitting. 

(Shout out to Kinsey)

Another piece of the Berlin Wall.

Then it was back to Porta on the train in 1rst class again.

When my ost mom picked me up she had their White Russian exchange student with them. How cool!! She could only speak Russian and German. So when I talked to her it had to be in German.She was so nice!! She gave me Russian chocolate. I have no idea what is in it because the whole package is in Russian. It looks really cool though.

Potsdam/Berlin day 2

We went to Potsdam and on our way we saw the Grunewaldturms (the green forest tower),and of course we had to climb to the top. I mean why not.

I think it was about 180 steps just going up. But it was worth it. The tower overlooks the green forest(hints the name),and was built in a memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm. But to the Prussians who built it he was just König Wilhelm. (Kaiser = emperor / König = king)

Here it is!! The view from the top. The picture doesn't even do it justice.

Then Herr Mundt took us to see a bridge along the line of East and West Berlin. (symbolized by the white line) Here is where the East and West exchanged their spies.

And of course there were locks on the bridge again right along the line of East and West Berlin.

Then to San Souci. Fredrick the great's weekend get away. The house looks over a huge garden covered in green along with a fountain at the bottom.

Here is where he is buried. You can't see it very well but the three stone like things on his grave are potatos on his grave. He introduced potatos to Germany.

Another Palace....I don't really remember what it was called though,but it looked pretty cool!!

After all of that walking in the heat we went back to Herr Mundt's daughters house for some cake and a little nap. The cake was AMAZING.....it was covered in black current YUM!!! Later on after our nap we went out with Herr Mundt's daughter(Suzanne) and her husband. They took us shopping a little bit. Then to eat at a Vietnamese food (not sure if I spelled that right or not)

YUM!! Loved it!

Then we went to see the remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall.

This piece was the only piece that didn't have loads of gum on it. Nasty!! The others were coated in gum on both sides. I guess it is just a tourist thing to stick your gum on the Berlin Wall. Gross!!

Here it is the best ice cream in the whole wide world. I don't know if I will be able to eat american ice cream.

I had peach and strawberry. YUM!! After that it was getiing late so we just went back and went to bed.

Off to Berlin!!

I left for Berlin on the train at about 8:15ish. My host parents took me to the station where we met up with Courtney and Herr Mundt.

( view of the Kaiser-Wilhelm statue from the train station)

(my host dad at the train station)

We had to change trains from the local one to the ICE train.......I have no idea what that means I just know it goes really fast. On that train we had 1rst class tickets!! Thank you Sister Cities!! Leather chairs and cold AC that is my kind of train ride.

 When we got in Berlin it was about 12. When we got there we locked our bags in a locker and went out to walk around in the city for the day. On the way out of the train station we aw a movie poster for Dispicable Me 2.

Looks weird seeing it in German doesn't it.

We saw the German Parliament(Deutcher Bundestag).

It was in West Berlin barely separated by the Berlin wall.

You can really tell in this picture because the building it on the right side and the wall was right on the thick line of a different pavement.

Here we are at the Brandenburg Gate. (photo by Herr Mundt) There were random people that you could take pictures with including; Darth Vader, Nazi Soldiers,A big bear,and many others. But you had to pay and that is just rediculous. There were also alot of street performers dancing to alot of Micheal Jackson. Speaking of MJ, the hotel that he held his baby out the window was right next to the Gate.

Honestly I think that Herr Mundt could lead his own tour around Berlin. He knows it like the back of his hand. He could go on and on telling you everything you ever wanted to know about Berlin.

Berlin is where they have different country's embassies. Right now they have alot of security by all of the embassies because they are afraid of a terrorist attack.

Great Britian's Embassy.

And of course the most important Embassy to see the USA Embassy.

 Of course I bet you are wondering why I put a polar bear in here. I mean it is just a regular polar bear.......but not to Berliners. The polar bear is a symbol of Berlin. After the war Berlin gave out a lot of theese bears (originally white) to stores and other places to decorate and display. You can find them just about everywhere in Berlin. They are all painted different and not one bear looks like another.

The Amplemann (the stop light man) another popular thing in Berlin. It is just the light to let you walk across the street but it is a big deal here. They even have stores with different clothes and other things with The Amplemann on it.

We climbed all the way to the top of the French Cathedral. A total of 254 stairs one way. Herr climbed it like it was no big deal. He is just like an energizer bunny he just keeps going and goin gand going. I was really impressed.

 Here is where the Nazi students burned all of the books because the books were against the Nazi propoganda. The little glas in the ground shows the empty bookshelves where all the books were in the University that were burned. 

Now this guy was cool. he was playing really hard and imprssive songs just by using the glasses. How cool!!

Here he is Herr Mundt in action! I still don't know how he was able to walk so much. I am really impressed. We had to of walked all the way around East Berlin in one day. We walked for 4 or 5 hours at least. 

Around 4:30 we heading all the way back to the train station to get our bags and meet his daughter who was picking us up at the station. When we got to her house we had a BBQ and then Courtney and I went downstairs to our room and passed out. What a long day!! But it was worth it because we got to see a lot of cool things in Berlin.

Segway Tour in Minden

 Today we went on a segway tour in Minden.

Here is the guy in charge of the segways.

Of course when he explained how to use the segway it was in German. Luckily,I have already been on a Segway so I kid of had an idea of how to operate it. They taught us one by one how to use it. Lucky me again the lady behind him who was also with the company could speak English. What a relief! It wasn't that hard. As soon as I was on it I was going strong. It was so much fun. We rode around Minden and the Tour director  (a different older guy wearing bright green pants) showed us around for 3 hours. He explained everything in German. It wasn't too bad because my host mom asked him to talk slower so I could understand. Then if i didn't get it at all then she would explain it to me in English. We couldn't take pictures while we were on the tour thought, because they wanted you to be paying attention to your Segway the whole time which is understandable. So after the tour my host family took me back into Minden so I could take pictures.

Going back to Minden they had a bridge over the Weser only for people to walk on.

On the bridge couples put locks. It is a European thing. To them it is a symbol of love because they lock it on the bridge forever with both of their names on it and throw the key in the river. Symbolizing that they will always be together. Awwww :)  How cute!! 

They are every where!! Any where there is a bridge there are several locks. My host mom said that sometimes they get too many and there are ads in the paper telling people they need to take their locks down or they will be cut off and thrown away.

When we were past the bridge we saw this cute little car again and I just had to take a picture of it. You won't find this in America.

It looks like a little matchbox car!!! 

Then my host parents let Caro and I explore Minden for a little while. We got some Shrimp Scampi yum!

I think they were having some kind of festival or something. Because they had food tents set up everywhere and live German/French music playing.

Then Caro and I looked around at all the little shops in Minden and then we went back to Porta.

Later I went Bowling with Annika, her boyfriend, and their friend Florian.We bowled for a solid 2 hours. I have to say I was kicking some butt at bowling.I did alot better than I did mini golfing. I even got a strike!! Go me!! But Annikas bf did the best because he is so strong he could almost knock them all down every time. 

My day with Caro!!

My day started off getting picked up by the one and only Caro!! She took me back to her house in another part of Porta for breakfast with her family. Her family that was there (her mom and brother)are just as tall as her!! (she is 6ft) She also told me that her uncle is 2.11 meters tall (7ft tall)!! I don't feel so tall with her :). Her best friend Christiane was there as well....but she is not so tall. She is about as tall as I am, maybe a little shorter. She was awesome though!! Caro,Christiane, and I all sat around talking for a couple of hours after breakfast. The good thing is that Christiane can speak fluent English almost as well as Caro can. I really wish I could speak two languages as fluent as they do.....maybe someday it will come. It was really cool though they would be talking in English and then the next thing you know they are talking about the same thing but they switched to German. After breakfast Christiane wanted to go on a hike so we went on a hike. We hiked for about 3 hours ish. It was so beautiful!!!! Everything was so green!! I loved it!!! Afterwards we went for ice cream and of course I got this flavor.

(Rocher the chocolate one)

It was really rich and it had nuts in it. Im not sure what kind though but I loved it!! Then Caro took me back to the Homeier's. Then my host mom invited Caro to go with me the next day on a segway tour of Minden. Of course Caro said she would go! woooooo!!! :) After Caro left we had a BBQ. My host dad made grilled veggies and some beef kababs. YUM! (just figured out how to post pictures with the computer SCORE!!) Veronica:1
Computer:0

Official Welcome to Porta Westfalica

Ok just kidding in my last post about it being my last day of school. I keep forgeting to write in my journal so I know what I did. I went with Annika again to school and we ate again. But this time it was in her English class,and they were watching a slideshow of pictures from their class trip to Dublin. Most of their pictures were of Guiness beer. Pictures from the museum,and brewery,and pictures of them drinking them. Weird!! That just doesn't seem right drinking on a school trip. That would never fly in America. EVER!! hahaha I don't really remember the other classes that she had that day. Later on in the afternoon my host family took me to the Rathaus (city hall). All of my host families were there and Frau!!! haha! I GOT TO SEE CARO!!! I haven't seen her in a year. For those of you who don't know Caro stayed with me her first week in America during her exchange. I get to stay with her next! Ok so after I talked with my host families Frau,and Caro, Herr Mundt talked about the exchange for a while in German......I couldn't really understand it. It was Ok because he explained it in English if it was really important for us to know. After he was done talking he gave us each presents from their side of sister cities. They gave us a book about the area of Porta Westfalica in bothe English and German. Along with a small pin and a light up keychain with the Porta Westfalica symbol on it,and 50 Euros!! Thank you sister cities!!! Then my host mom from my last host family said that she wanted to take Courtney and I on a trip with her daughter to an island in the North Sea sponsered by their bank only for young people!! How cool!! I can't wait!!

3rd day of German school

I went to school again. The teachers were pretty much done teaching for the year so all we did was watch movies in German all day. But her first class Biology we had some food. Bread,bread,and more bread. haha :) It is all really good though! Then she had Erdkunde (Geography) and we watched a movie in German,but it was originally in French so they talked a lot faster to try to match up with mouths speaking in French. It was really hot in there,because they dont have air conditioning they just open the windows. Normally it wouldn't be a problem,but there wasn't a breeze at all. After that she had Religion. Yes that is right I said Religion in a public school. Weird right?? At home they wouldn't even think about having Religion in school. We just watched a Monte Python movie the whole time. The next class (social studies) we watched a german war movie in german. Then school was done for the day for her.When we got home my host mom took Annika and I shopping at the mall.We had some Pizza for lunch and of course I got it all over my white shorts. Where was Hannah Finnerty when I needed her?? Every time on my English Isles trip when we sat down to eat Hannah always got on me about putting my napkin on my lap. Ok so continuing on with my day. We did a little shopping at the mall. I bought some stabilos for mom. ( really amaying german pens) I noticed at a book store that the book's spines are printed different. Instead of having to turn your head to the right to read the spine you have to turn your head to the left to read it.  Later on after we had been home for a while we went mini golfing. I was awful,but it was my first time and a lot of fun!! When we finished the course we went to a little restaurant on the river and had supper. I had schnitzel!! It was SOOO good! Loved it!!