Spain and such

Just a few pics of my weekend trip in Cardiz, Spain. Journal entry coming soon...

10/21/05 Chocolate Fountain at the Imhoff Stollwerk Museum. To the left are the wafers that a worker dipped into the chocolate to hand out.

10/16/05 FC Koln vs Hannover 76. This is the stadium where the World Cup games will be played in Germany.

10/16/05 Tiffany, Nathaniel, Myself, Maxi, Megan and Denise at the FC Koln vs Hannover 76 soccer game. Unfortunatly our team lost in a near shutout game of 1-5. In Germany there are two leagues, a lower and upper level. Each year the winner of the lower championship moves up to the upper level- which was Koln this year, so they are at the bottom the upper league.

Adam, Mat, Zack, Mark, Myself and Nathaniel at the Chocolate Museum. 10/21/05 This museum even had it's own mini-chocolate factory- but alas, no Umpa-Lumpas!

New updates!!

Well as usual, it has been a struggle getting posts up online. The Woyton Cafe where I can use my laptop has a really crappy wireless connection- but at least it is free! The pictures are out of order but I will be going back tomorrow or Tuesday- I just keep getting disconnected every 15 minutes or so. I also enabled comments so feel free to leave any. Enjoy!!

Chris

Random bar after dinner with the group of Canadians and Austrailians I met while at the Sachsenhausen tour. This bartender was really great, even giving us all a few free shots each!

The Catholic Church in Berlin... Only 5 Euros to get in, wasn't worth it to me...

"Enter caption here"

Our Irish tour guide in Berlin. This was set up as a free tour, but he was so animated and so knowledgable we had to tip. We covered a lot of ground in Berlin in the 4 hours with him. I also met two older women from Ireland that I subesequently met at another tour the next day at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near Orienburg.

The original "Checkpoint Charlie"

A shot of our hostel room... shared between two guys and four girls... Only 22 Euros a night with a free buffet breakfast.

Our hostel... I always thought that hostels were reserved only for student travelers, but here the residents mainly consisted of families and elderly couples. It was kind of a disapointment because I was hoping to meet a few people my age.

Berlin Wall marker embedded in the sidewalk.

US Army Checkpoint between East and West Berlin. "Checkpoint Charlie"

A recreation of the sign each West Berlin vistor saw upon arrival. The Checkpoint Charlie museum is to the left, but our tour guide said that it wasn't worth the money to visit.

Nathaniel and I at Checkpoint Charlie. This has really just been turned into a tourist destination, but it was worth the picture. Nothing of this site is original, and we even had to pay to get our photo here with the actors dressed in the costumes.

Berlin: "Topography of Terror"

Berlin: A view of the canal just around the corner from the Berlin Youth Hostel. There wasn't really much within walking distance, so we had to take the bus everywhere.

Berlin Wall....artwork devoted to the preservation of history and not just forgetting about the past.

Berlin Wall....artwork devoted to the preservation of history and not just forgetting about the past.

Berlin Wall....artwork devoted to the preservation of history and not just forgetting about the past. I'll try and get a translation soon.

Berlin: Topography of Terror. This portion of the Museum follows the procession of the Nuremburg Trials from start to finish. Above, the speakers had actual recordings from the trials. Fortunately, this was in English as well as German.

Berlin: A portion of a free outdoor museum exibit titled "Topography of Terror". This museum documents what lead up to the war and the subsequent Nuremburg Trials. Two points that have really rang clear to me while touring the museums in Germany; the personalization of the victims- not just numbers, and the effects of blindless following and the disasterous results that follow. This portion was only in German, so I mainly went through by looking at the pictures.

Berlin: A view of the canal just around the corner from the Berlin Youth Hostel. There wasn't really much within walking distance, so we had to take the bus everywhere.

Berlin Wall....artwork devoted to the preservation of history and not just forgetting about the past.

A mother and her teenage son that she couldn't save from the ravages of war... he was 15 when he wanted to join, much to the displeasure of his mother, and was killed 2 weeks into it. This monument signifies how she was unable to protect her only son...

A little time....

Just sitting in an internet cafe for a bit before I head over to my first fitness class at the Köln University. Looking to make a few new friends in the area, I just hope I can find the place tonight! Not much today, went to class as usual, had a german meatloaf with a fried egg on top and hash browns at the student cafeteria and did a little homework in Woyton Cafe. I tried a bannana chocolate yougurt smoothie today mixed with ice... quite disgusting, so I will stick to my black coffee when I go back next time.

Just a few observations and random thoughts... everyone seems to smoke, and as soon as someone stops another lights up another. It is also getting darker much earlier, which is also kind of a bummer, it would be nice to sit out in the park longer to do my homework.....looking at my lonely planet book on Italy I am starting to wonder how I am going to pull of back packing alone for a few days given that I don´t speak Italian...I miss my cds at home every time I hear a store playing something I have.... I wish I could get online anytime I want.....Reisdorf Kölsch is the best beer....Bannana Weisen is too heavy to even finish....Mango and Pilsner actually tasted pretty good....I am still going back and forth on whether to come back to Germany for an intensive language course.... I am glad it looks like that I will have a job when I get back....I wish the exchange rate was better....I get to move into a larger room tonight with my own kitchen and bathroom...and lastly, I wish Rochester had public transportation like they have here in Köln.

Chris

ctytin23@yahoo.com

Berlin...

http://www.deviantart.com/view/10628183/

Berlin updates coming soon as well as a few more older blogs... time has been going by so fast that I have been here and it is sometimes hard to sit back and write down my experiences. Postcards coming out soon too, email your addresses ctytin23@yahoo.com if you would like one! Things are going great so far and I will probably start my first fitness class today to meet some new people.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."--T. E. Lawrence

Updates....

Updates are coming soon, they will be placed chronologically. Check back Wednesday....

http://www.koeln.de/tourismus/en/

Bonn and Blues

Samstag 15. Oktober 2005

Today I ventured for the first time out of Cologne and traveled to the next Southern city on the Rhine, Bonn. It was just myself and the five girls- Megan, Brittney, Melissa, Christina and Denise. Nathaniel was also supposed to have joined us, but he had overslept. Our main goal was to go see the Harribo candy factory and check out the Birkenstock outlet center. I had also wanted to go to the German history museum, but no one else really wanted to go. However, we weren’t able to go to the Harribo Factory because tours stopped at 2pm, about the time we finished lunch, and the Birkenstock Center ended up being located in the next town over. This is probably one of the last times I will just tagalong on a trip without personally having my own agenda just in case something like this happens again.

So after finding out that the plans would have to be abandoned, the girls decided it was a great time to go shopping. It was a beautiful historic town with nice little shops, but since I only like going to stores with the intent of buying something, I toured the center of town on my own.

Along the way, I heard a blues band playing somewhere in the distance, so of course I had to find out who was playing. It didn’t take long to find out the source, because there was a huge crowd gathered around this band that was promoting themselves as a garbage can blues band. The lead singer played the drum (he had a garbage can for a bass drum, and nothing for snares) and sang into a megaphone. He was accompanied by an amazing harmonica player as well as a gentleman on a steel guitar. They used these tiny amps to amplify there sound, something that you would expect out of a junior high garage band- but the sound was just enveloping- I was quite surprised at the sound these musicians could wring out of their limited instruments. I took several photos, and even took two short videos- although Germans don’t seem to mind walking right in front of the camera. Just before I was ready to leave they noticed that I was trying to get them all in one picture and stopped mid-riff and posed for my camera. Unfortunately the picture didn’t turn out, but that was the deciding factor in me buying their CD.

The songs they have on their CD are the typical blues classics, with only one original song- which was kind of a disappointment- but none the less, still creative. I have been going through music with drawl since I have been here and every time I pass by a store that is playing a song in my collection it makes me yearn to just grab it off my shelf- but it isn’t there. It is going to be hard to not go home with a ton of CDs while I am here, but maybe I can get some recommendations from some Germans about good European techno while I am here.

After walking around the city for a little while I met back up with the girls and we toured the medieval church which predominates Bonn’s skyline. From there we went home and I called it an early night.

Consul General, Fiffi Choo

Freitag 14. Oktober 2005

Well just like every Friday, we had our weekly tour. Meeting at the usual 9am point at Bath and Body Works in the Dom Haupt Bahn Hof we toured some of the side streets of Cologne. I am slowly beginning to understand how to get around from certain locations, but mainly just the shopping areas and bars. The tour kind of dragged today, it seemed like we were stopping every few minutes to point out random tidbits of information so small to even remember. But our program director is so enthusiastic about his city that I can understand why he points out everything.

From there we went to the Amerika Haus which was set up after WWII to spread American culture throughout Germany. The Cologne public affairs section also works with educational and cultural institutions to provide information about American history and social values. Because this was a formal meeting, we all dressed up today.

We spoke with the Consul General George Knowles and the site director Constance Colding Jones who both offered their services in helping us locate scholarships within the Embassy or Consulate General Offices. They also have a program set up that allows American students to go to local high schools as almost an informal student ambassador to answer any questions students have about politics, culture, etc. When I get to a computer later this week I will be emailing the Consul to get more information- I am really excited about the opportunity to get a better understanding of how young Germans view Americans, outside of the typical stereotypes. At the end of the presentation we had a group picture taken inside the Amerika Haus which may be up on their webpage soon- I’ll provide links if I get them.

Later that night we went out on the town without any place in mind. As our group was deciding where to go, a DJ stopped us for a local bar, Voodoo Lounge, with a buy a beer get a free shot special. So of course we made that our first stop. Maybe it was still early, but the place was dead. The bartenders were even eating their dinner at the table! I was kind of taken aback by this, but then again, there wasn’t anyone there. We stayed there for a little while and I got the DJ Penny’s email to get some of the songs she plays. It was a mix of everything from 60’s to 90’s, funk, house etc.

From there we tried our luck at a popular nightclub, Diamonds. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes we were turned away. Zach had a friend from Munster visiting who tried to talk us in, but it didn’t work. Not quite sure why we couldn’t get in, but it must have been because the guy/girl ratio was imbalanced- 5 guys to 1 girl, or some of us just didn’t fit in with the dress code.

Fortunately, across the street there was another popular nightclub, Fifi Choo. This time we were able to get in, although today I found out they don’t typically allow Americans in. The club was nothing compared to back home, although Rochester doesn’t really have much going for it anyway. It was a multi level club with the dance floor on the bottom level. There were several bars on each level, with the strobe lights pulsating and colored lights going back and forth. The DJ’s were surrounded by a wall that also served as a fish tank. There were two chill rooms with leather chairs and couches were you could relax after dancing. Drinks were very expensive, so I kept it to one, although between the entry fee and drink it still cost me close to 10 Euro. It was a great place to hang out, but not something I want to do weekly.

Student Night at Flanagan's

Dienstag 11. Oktober 2005

Today a new resident arrived at the house. Her name is Maleka and she originally came from Holland but has been traveling on cruise ships for the past few years. She brings the total count to 7 additional people living in this house with the Weber’s.

Tonight we went out to Flanagan;s for the first time, an Irish pub near by the cathedral. Every Tuesday is student night and they have half price drinks. They even check student IDs at the door just to keep out anyone looking for a cheap drink. Mark and I arrived late, around 11pm or so and the place was packed. You couldn’t walk more than a foot without bumping into someone. For some reason American music, especially rap, is extremely popular here- so, for better or worse, I listened to it. I also decided tonight to start collecting the Kolsch glasses that they serve the beer in. Since this is a local type of brew, I have about 23-28 different types of glasses to collect from each of the different pubs. Tonight I grabbed a 0,21 liter Gaffel Kolsh to begin my collection. I think our group is going to make this a weekly tradition to come here every week.

Montag, 10. Oktober 2005

What a long day! Today was my first day in my International Negotiations and Conflict Resolution class. Our professor, Patrick Schmidt was originally from the United States, Las Angeles to be exact, but he has been in Europe for the past 15 or 20 years. Most recently he was working as a free lance instructor for Daimler-Benz on the same subject.

As it stands right now, it looks like most of these classes are going to be review from what I have learned in previous classes, just with a international twist on the way the information is presented. At least this will give me more time to focus on my German class, and every class I take fits in with my degree. Suprisingly enough, a semester through this program costs as much as going to RIT and living on campus for the same length of time.


I also had my first day of German today with our program coordinator, Hartwig Prüßmann. The entire class is taught in German which should make it a little harder for me to follow along at all times. However, only half the students had prior German language experience at all, so they were placed in a level 0 beginner course to go over the core basics. Because of the lack of students for an intermediate class, they have combined the intermdiate and advanced together which I am in at present. For most of the class we went over tounge twisters to get the German vowel sounds down, such as „Walter Weichweber wanderte wenigstens zwiemal, wenn das Wetter warm war, wochentags von Würyburg via Wolenhausen nach Wemelswingen“. For the most part I was able to pronounce the sentences without problem, but there were a few that I got hung up on.

I am really looking forward to this class to expand my knowlenge and vocabulary so I can carry on a full conversation before I leave. I am also considering coming back, later next year possibly, to study at the Goethe Institute in Bonn. Everything is still up in the air at this point, but it is always an option!

My schedule is as follows;
Montag
9-10:30 and 11-12:30 International Negotiations and Conflict Resolution
2-3:30 German

Dienstag
11-12:30 German
2-5:30 European Culture and Institutions

Mittwoch
9-10:30 Managing Organizations
11-12:30 International Marketing

Donnerstag
9-10:30 Managing Organizations
11-12:30 International Marketing
2-3:30 German

Fridays are reserved for city tours put on by Hartwig. This week we are going to the Amerika Haus in Köln. I have never heard of it before, but I will have to look into it. There is also the possibility we will meet up again with the US Consular General for Germany, George Knowles. We were also requested to attend a party or get together by the US Ambassador to Germany later this month. (We had just happened to meet them while we were touring the Cathedral last week and they knew of Hartwig from his past endeavors)

I also purchased tickets with a few of the students (Denise, Melissa, Nathaniel and Kristina) in our program to head out to Berlin for a long weekend, Oktober 27th until November 1st. Any suggestions on what I should do while I am out there? I am hoping to head out to Scotland and maybe meeting Angela in France, England or Germany.

We also had an amazing dinner from our host mother. I am staying with 7 other students in this huge house, mansion almost with the amount of rooms, and one is leaving soon and it was Kazahero´s birthday. To start off the night one of the Weber's former students played a few classical pieces on his clarinet as we sat around the fire. With the fire crakling before us, good friends all around in a candle lit room, we were serenaded with the likes of Mozart and other compopsers. For dinner we had beef with a rich sauce, rice, sauerkraut, warm red cabbage and an almond topped kuchen- oh, and as usual, a bottomless cup of wine. After desert we listened to some more classical music followed by some opera singing by another current Japanese student, who's name escapes me at this moment. All in all, the night lasted over 2 hours, but it was absolutely amazing!

Lastly, I should be able to post my older blogs once I buy a new power adapter and get my wireless working at the school (I must have lost it while trying to use it at school) I have also taken a ton of pictures that I am hoping to get up online soon!

-Chris

Trouble with Internet access

Just a note for everyone... I am having trouble getting online here with my laptop so I havenät been able to update. I have however been keeping a journal in Word that I can post up once I get online with it. Things are going great, Iäm having a blast and I am looking forward to visit wherever I can! Classes have been a review so far, but I have only had two days so hopefully things will pick up. Today our group went on a tour of the Köln Cathedral and it was absolutely amazing! It was originally started back around 1230. Unfortunatly my time is almost up on the computer, so I will update more as soon as possible!

Chris

Future plans in town?

Donnerstag 6. Oktober 2005

Today was more of the same in class, so nothing of consequence to really say there. For our first day of German we toured the city and sampled some of the local cuisine. Hartwig provided samples for our group from Turkish bakery and a Bratwurst vendor- which I swear tastes just likes white hots back home! We also walked through the medieval gates in town and went over the rich history of Cologne. There was also this restaurant tucked away on the side streets called the Unsicht Bar, literally the invisible bar. I’m not sure if you have heard of the restaurants were you are guided to your seats in the dark and you have dinner in utter pitch blackness. I’ve always wanted to experience this, so just maybe I will have to swing by before I leave!

First Day of Class!

Mittwoch 5. Oktober 2005

Well today was the first day of classes, bright and early at 9:00am. The morning was frigid, just like home around this time of the year. But it warms up as the day progresses. The foliage is changing just like back home, with the trees changing colors. My host family lives about an hour from the Carl Duisberg Centren via public transportation, so I had to be out of the house at 7:40 to catch the bus a few blocks down the street. From there, I took the #135 bus to the Rodenkirchen Bahnhof to catch the #16 S-Bahn. After almost half an hour I arrived at Ebertzplatz to walk another 10 or so blocks to get to class. With all this walking, it is no wonder that Europeans are in such great shape- even in Germany, where it seems that beer and bread are the staple foods. I myself walk for over an hour each day!

Unfortunately it looks like classes might be a review of what I have covered in past classes, but there are only 15 students so the participation will be much greater. Today was a short day, only two classes- International Marketing and Managing Organizations. It looks as though we will be doing a lot of case studies of companies and analyzing different aspects- which is always fun. After class we were free to go out to lunch and wherever else we wanted. After today, I am going to start packing lunches to save a little money during the week for going out on weekends.

Just a few more hours left...

"Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before."



Erich Fromm

23 days left!!

Well today I recieved my informational packet regarding my stay in Germany, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I was hoping for more information about my host family rather than just a name, address and phone number- but maybe that will be a little later? Anyway, for any who want to write I will be staying with Frau von Weber, Bonnerlandstr. 95 50996 Köln, Deutschland. I'm not sure yet exactly how the phone numbers work out there, but my number will be 02236/61430. I don't believe that has the international exchange attached to it, but I'll get that information soon.

There are a total of 15 students going, almost entirely made up from Oregon State, so I will be the only one from New York. I'll be staying with another student with my host family, Marek Zbyszewski who I also don't know anything about. But this is what this whole experience is about- just diving right in without knowing everything.

I can't wait to travel to Germany, and at the same time I am nervous about how much I have learned and accomplished at RIT and this past summer studying on my own. At the same time I realize that I shouldn't have any concerns at all, but it helps me stay focused on my studies while I work.

I will be arriving in Köln around the afternoon on September 29th and for the first night I stay at the Hotel Allegro. Thurnmarkt 1-7 / Ecke Rheingasse Tel: (011-49) 221-82-60. The website states: " Im Herzen von Köln mit Blick auf Dom, romanische Kirchen, Rhein und Altstadt liegt unser 3-Sterne Superior-Hotel." Which roughly translated states that the 3-star hotel lies in the heart of Cologne with a view of the cathedral, romantic churches on the Rhine in the old part of towm. Here is the website; www.hotel-allegro-koeln.de. and a few pictures of the rooms...

Doppelzimmer (moderner Stil)

Doppelzimmer (bayerischer Stil)

Around 6:30pm I will meet my Program Site Coordinator Hartwig Prüßmann and go out to dinner at Paulaner im Roten Ochsen. Again, the website... http://www.paulaner-cologne.com/ and I can't wait to try an authentic German dish (Check out the menu under Essen & Trinken {Food and Drinks})! Here are a few pictures I found in advance of the pub.....

Well anyway, it's time to get back to studying my German. Feel free to contact me whenever you wish or leave comments and I will respond as quickly as possible- ctytin23@yahoo.com and ctytler@rochester.rr.com.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Chris