Day 14 - Last Day in Europe

This will be my final day entry of my trip in Europe. For our last activity, we took a tour of the Bauhaus in Berlin and a short tour around town to see some buildings and a chocolate shop. The Bauhaus of Berlin is actually an archive museum and holds most of the remaining works from students who attended the schools from the 1910s to the 1930s. Unfortunately for us, photographs were not allowed. This rule was enforced by two old ladies that reminded me of hawks and literally stalked us the entire tour.

I really love the simplicity of the art and design created at the Bauhaus. Seeing things in their barest forms and the strong visuals of squares, triangles, and circles has strengthened my respect and interest for the shapes. It was neat to see the pre workshop artworks and their exercises with minimum materials.

Things got a bit off course later when a student started having an allergic reaction to something he ate. Unlike last time he was taken to the hospital to be checked on. He's okay now but won't be flying back with us. However, with our professors gone to the hospital with him and the last tour of the city being optional, we all debated a bit on what to do. We all ended up going on the tour and were thankful. We stopped at a chocolate shop which belonged to one of the first bittersweet chocolate makers. Inside we were able to purchase some and I got a small box for my grandfather and family.

Day 13 - Free Day but Sick

My entry for today isn't very lengthy, considering I only went out once and spent the day feeling terrible.

I woke up around 4AM and spent a half hour laying on the tile of our water closet, trying to cool off and feel better. But by 9AM I wasn't feeling much better so I trudged down to breakfast eventually. Santi gave me suggestions on what would be safe for me to eat and drink (he theorize that my body isn't used to the food and water here and that's what is making me sick. Emma added that travel can do it too). Ended up drinking 2 1/2 cups of hot tea and about 20 min later I got sick, so my stomach had primarily been empty today.

A group of us went to the aquarium, but thanks to the tiny sticker on my card that said "Fall 2012" they wouldn't give me the student discount. It wasn't too much more expensive, but now I am down to coins left, and not many at that. I stayed at the aquarium for a while, disappointed that the Internet was misleading about them having whale sharks and belugas (apparently all those articles and pictures were linked to other aquariums, but Berlin was also mentioned in them). There were four floorrs to the aquarium, fish, reptile, amphibian, and insect, but I only made the first two floors because of how sick I for again. Taking the tram back, i have been in my room since sleeping and drinking Powerade I spent my last euros on at a grocer. Not how I wanted to spend my free day, but k really did need the rest. Tired of being sick because I'm on day five now, and dreading the flight back...

Day 12 - Berlin Tour, Sea Life Disappointment, and Höfbrauhaus Delight!

I'm loving Berlin more now after the tour and my appreciation for graffiti and street art has really amplified. Although I was rather concerned at first with our tour guide (I told Santi that my thoughts were "we are going to be taken on a tour by a stoner surfer dude") but after speaking with the guide, Jason, it turned out he was a pretty cool guy. He might smoke pot (we met him at the meeting point and that's what he was doing. Also he's from California if you're interested; has been living in Berlin for 15 years now.) but he really knows the history of the area and showed us places that no typical tour in Berlin would give.

We went down to a run down area by the tracks that was filled with graffiti and street art, a small flea market, a skateboarding classes warehouse, and climbing wall school. It was really neat to see all this artwork with meanings and history to it. The area had once been here original train station, but during WWII it had been heavily bombed to rubble. After cleaning it up, people began to look at what was left as canvases and began to graffiti the area.

One of my favorite things in the area was by the climbing school. A thickly concreted building erects out in the middle of this area that once served as a bomb shelter for the locals and railroad workers of this area. Today, it is no longer accessible, but the climbing school now uses it for practice.

The end of the tour brought us to the East Side Gallery for the Berlin Wall. It was incredible to see the largest section of wall that remains and to reflect on what my German middle school teacher told me about the wall and its hardships on the people of Berlin. Our guide handed us a marker to write our names on the wall like many others still do today.

Max also got a guest appearance at the wall~

When the tour was complete, we all split ways and journeyed into the city. I took off with Santiago and Jeff for the train station to buy a day pass. I had heard the the Berlin Aquarium had whale sharks, manta rays, and belugas, so I really really wanted to go (also to document aquarium design and graphic arts). However, I was fooled into believing it was called Aqua Dom and Sea Life Aquarium. As cute as the place was, it was a tourist trap. Very small and simple to pass through in 45 min or less, not many animals besides small turtles and fish, and rather pricey for Germany. I should have realized based on its location alone, but the elevator that ascends into a large tank was tempting and I will give them that for excellent experience. Also their tunnel was nice to walk through, very leisurely.

I did go across town and discover the correct Aquarium Berlin. But since it was open for less than an hour, the ticket lady told me to come back tomorrow. Disappointed but still hopefully, I went back to the hotel. Turned out my friend Vanessa had also fallen for the same trap and we picked up Emma in joining us tomorrow for the real aquarium.

The best part of today was dinner. Nine years ago my dear teacher Herr Holt told my class about the Höfbrauhaus and it has been on my bucket list for nearly nine years!! Turns out there was one located right here in Berlin and a group of us went together: me, Emma, Vanessa, Santi, and Greg. At first Santi didn't want to come because he is not a beer drinker, but after my urging for him to come along he agreed.

We had the best time, I can't even find proper words to describe the excitement I felt. My face hurts from smiling so much. There was a live band singing German songs, including Habt ein schöner Tag (which I learned my freshmen year of high school), the YMCA, Mamma Mia, and I Will Survive. We all sang and danced in our seats and watched others get up to the dance floor and dance drunken merrily. The beer was served in large glass steins and the food was so delicious it melted in my mouth!!

It was an incredible experience for all of us. Santi was so shocked and giddy that he said this must be what straight people feel like going to gay bars, haha! Just the cure shock and fun atmosphere, it was spectular. I am so so so so so glad I was able to go to one during my European visit to Germany.

Day 11 - UT Students take Berlin

An exciting moment for all us was our last train ride. I have thoroughly enjoyed using the train system here, but the rushing to get on time (with EVERYONE) and the long hours of riding, I am happy to finally be done with the process. We are now stationed comfortably in Berlin at the hotel. A lot of students went out to explore the area, while I stayed back to nap for a bit. I did go with my advisor Brooke and our guide Fran, along with several other students, to lunch at a nice café and then later adventure the streets of Berlin to look for souvenirs. I found a nice small shop (very touristy but with some nice items) and even bought a new bag for under 20 € (my backpack is so heavy now with flyers and free things from the museums I really need another bag to carry on the plane).

Although there is a lot to do in Berlin, i don't feel like we have a lot of time to do some of the things we want, not with the holiday. Stores and places will be closed because of it so I'm uncertain what I'll be doing. Also our Tuesday is pretty full too and we leave Wednesday. I know for certain that several of us will venture to the flea market tomorrow, and hopefully see the aquarium. I really need to see the wall for sure before I leave for America too.

Day - 10 Bauhaus Desu

Today was an amazing day! We got to sleep in a little before walking to the Bauhaus, one of the original schools of the origin for design. I wasn't feeling the best today, had some bad food the night before and my stomach was aching all through today, but being able to see the school was the best. It was the second astablishment for the school since it started in 1919 and ended in Berlin in 1945. Dessau was home to the school the longest until Nazi takeover pushed them out for "not being German".

For some background of the Bauhaus, it was a design school for a wide range of arts, including painting and printing, but they are well known for their furniture designs. They took the big, bulky furniture and stripped them down to light, elegant designs to make them more "modern". The origin of the steel armed chairs began here and many simplistic light and lamp designs.

To many, the Bauhaus appeared to be bizarre. Outsiders did not understand what the school was doing unless they interacted with students or faculty.

During our tour, we got to see the school in its reconstructived form, for most had been lost due to damage of the war and the items had been moved to Berlin. We also saw a staged room of a famous Bauhaus student who was female and head of the steel construction.

As interesting as the tour of the school was, I lot focus around the time we took a break and headed out to see the memorial houses of the directors. One being i was tired from our travels, and two I am not feeling well today. After we left the Bauhaus, I ended up napping for three hours or so before dinner.

Dinner was fantastic!!! We went to a place called The Potatoe House and literally most everything on the menu was potato based. I had potato soup, a baked potato that was "Hacinda" themed (and spicy) a rosé wine and Nussknacker ice cream. It was so good holy cow. I want more but I need to watch my Euros and I'm still feeling icky.

Day 9 - Train to Dessau and Delay in Nuremberg

It's very late so I will likely finish this entry in the morning. To be honest, I didn't think I'd have very much to blog about today. We woke early to catch our first of three scheduled trains. It was about 7 hours and 30 min from Vienna to Nuremberg, Germany. I drew mostly and are snacks, but then later power napped. Traveling makes me very tired.

Then the real fun began. With an hour of free time, I checked out the eating places and tried a Wurst croissant and a Berliner (a jelly filled donut). Both were delicious!

We are a small lunch before finding out that workers had gone on strike today, so our team was not running. This meant we were to remain inNuremberg for another 4 hours until another train became available. With this time, we explored the nearby area and went to a design museum. Turned out that this museum housed a lot of critical designer works, such as Andy Warhol and many others.  

 

Day 8 - Vienna Tour and Mozart Concert

It's the middle of the week, and our trip. And today has been one of the most fun (if not thee most fun) day so far. My professor, Santiago, has fallen in love with the city, and I too have gained such a respect and awe for this place. You can see the difference of buildings in their architecture, from the originals and their elaborate statues and crests and engravings, to quickly rebuilt buildings that are plain and must have been constructed after the war, and the brand new buildings that sport today's modern flairs. This city is so rich with history, art, music, and architecture. I would need to spend at least a week or more to see everything here.

Our tour guide, Christina, was extremely enthusiastic with her job that it made the tour all the more exciting! She lead us around the older districts and explained how Vienna was once a castle with large walls to keep out invaders with smaller houses/villages outside it. Eventually, the walls were taken down and the outer ring road was built around the empire. The palace where the emporer lived has 18 wings and took around 45 years to complete. We also were able to see the area for the three museums: Museum of Natual History, the sister museum the Museuem of the Fine Arts, and Museuem of Modern Art. The first two face one another in the plaza and reflect thei likeness in their architecture, symbolizing that equal importance of art and the sciences. Later that day Santiago would visit the fine arts while I toured the history museum on my own.

From the museums our group then headed for the old palace of the emperor. As mentioned earlier, it has 18 wings and the many large copper statues outside. Next door is the office of the current president of the country now, with two flags raised to symbolize he was currently in the country: a European flag and Austrian flag. Although he does not actually live in the office like our president does, he instead lives in a flat near where our hotel is. Also another cooling thing we saw was three men dressed in all black working on the sculptures of the palace. We joked that they must be ninjas working to steal the crowned jewels, or the golden eagle at the top.

The tour was a good two hours and we got to see so much of the old districts. We got to enter two churches, an extremely baroque church with paintings covering the ceiling, and statues lining practically everything. I think Santi was literally in heaven when he stepped into that place, his expression was so adorable with excitement. I'm sure I was in sheer awe as well.

The next church we visited is the most famous landmark in all of Austria. 10,000 people pass through this church everyday and is a prime spot for pickpockets. We were all vigilant of our stuff as we walked around. There was even a mass being held during our visit! But gated off to visitors to not disturb them. I wish I had had extra time to climb the tower or go into the catacombs, but I had to take care of stopping at the Western Union to pick up money (I had lost my Visa card to an ATM in Zurich five days previous).

Our tour ended outside the Mozart Opera house that we would be attending later that evening.

Santi and I then took off to find a Western Union, crossing over roads and hiking down many blocks to find one. Unfortunately we were unaware that most of the Western Unions had been closed down in Vienna, one as recent as a month ago. After two no goes, we logged onto their app and found one just around the corner of my hotel. I felt so relieved to finally have it all fixed and done. Now I can pay people back for spotting me the last few days.

Santiago and I then returned back to the hotel to tidy up before going out to the museums. We bought a 24 hour pass at the U2 and went our separate ways at the Natural History museum.

Inside, I felt like I had stepped into an art museum rather than a natural history one, the ceiling was beautifully painted and statues of famous biologists and scientists lined the halls.

I wanted to find the dinosaurs first since they were my number one goal, but I thankfully made the wrong turn and ended up in the bird room. I swear that this museum had every single bird ever discovered, or pretty darn close to it. The cases were lined with hundreds and hundreds of animals. I was in scientific heaven. The birds were the center division between seeing the mammals and reptiles, both dividing into respected evolutionary development. From smallest to largest, it went as follows: single cell and historic microscopes, jellyfish and soft corals, hard corals, bugs, crustaceans, fish, Sharks and skates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, primates and monkeys, large land mammals, and lastly large marine mammals. I really can't describe how much I possibly saw so I shall leave photos for you to view.