Berlin Baby

Back in my favourite city in the world (apart from Wellington, of course). So exciting -all four PAD groups are in a hotel together. Breakfast is rocking but apart from that..

First few minutes in town and we got stalked and questioned by a very drunk man and saw a group of people from Anonymous protesting a scientology stall #Berlin

Had lunch in an Aussie restaurant -walked up the left hand side of the stairs #rebelwithoutacause

Kangaroo salad

It's funny in Germany how people wear bikinis in the parks to go sunbathing. I think just generally people are really keen to get it all off in Summer. There are a lot of parks in Berlin actually -I think something like 30 or 40% of it is green or blue (water).

Sitting in the Bundestag listening to an incredibly boring presentation waiting for Angela Merkel #Iwishforit #notgoingtohappen

The one interesting thing I learnt is that Germany once had a 19-year-old MP (in the Green party).

Would love to say I'm fluent in Swedish, Indonesian and Spanish, but I'm not as talented at languages as some here (some have learnt sentences in almost every language!). I think both my Australian and American accents have improved (the latter so any English words I say can actually be understood!)

German fashion, I take back anything bad I ever said about you #Berlin

On that note, where do they get all their fab sunglasses from? Couldn't find any nice ones, even when we were released into an air-conditioned mall for 4 hours one hot afternoon. #Geniusidea someone who made cool sunglasses cheap (not necessarily copies) would make a lot of money. The cheap ones are always so ugly though. In saying that, I'm probably going to buy a 5 euro pair from next to our hotel that are cool. Pia found a really cool pair in the toilets somewhere #luck

Read on for less sunglass-related stuff:

Work on the opera house in Berlin started in 2011 and won't be finished until 2016 (because it's an old restoration project). Not used to that in NZ, since all our buildings are new! #3yearsmax

Missing strawberries after eating so many in Konstanz -luckily though there's enough to go round here -most German eis cafés have a separate menu just for strawberries!

One of our current jokes-which-is-not-really-a-joke is how Germans always say 'Achtung' (watch out) and 'Vorsicht' (caution) when you bump into one on the street (not 'sorry', or 'excuse me') #notthatfriendlytostrangers

Actually, a random group of 20-something-year-old guys did teach us a hand game in the U-Bahn today though #nice #strangers

Had to go through airport-level security to get into the Jewish Museum today.

Disregarding the whole emigration thing that makes people lose perspective, the problems of racism were really well-defined today at the Jewish museum. I really enjoyed that today (though it probably helped that I'd slept for more than 5 hours for the first time last night!) The tour guide was amazing -the best yet- and it made such a difference that she spoke slowly so we could understand it! Like a lot of Jewish-related art and architecture in Berlin, the building was so well-thought-out. The building is shaped in a zigzag to show the Jews' highs and lows, but a straight (but not continuous) line also runs through, with empty spaces in the middle to show where traces of history have been destroyed. You have to decide which direction to go in, just like the Jewish people, and the floors are weirdly sloped (as is the garden) so you come out feeling sea-sick, just like you should after hearing the history of the Jews in Germany. 

Although, most of the Jews killed in the Holocaust were not German.

Learning not to judge a book by its cover in the #JewishMuseumBerlin

This is the garden, which is also very architecturally-confusing (though you can't really see how steep it is in the picture)

Nothing like learning about something that never happened though #AtomicBombColdWar #BerlinsAtomicBunker

Would be echt cool to have a party there (you can rent it out) #addthattoothebucketlist

For example a party for 3000 for 2 weeks #practicefortherealthing

We spend just about as much time talking about topics as we do in the museums, which is good. I was reminded today just how tough it was for Germans after the war #everybodylosesinwar

#BombedOut

Don't usually have time for shopping so when we were given an afternoon specifically for shopping I was quite the enthusiastic shopper.

The Ampelman (traffic light men only in East Berlin) is the most intense souvenir shop I have ever seen -it has literally anything you can think of, with the traffic light men on of course. Here is pasta but believe me it got crazy (and yes, I did buy stuff)

Also tried a massage chair for the first time during a much-needed break from shopping (with the Argentians). It really did feel like a little man was in the chair massaging your back! #creepy

Also, technically, this is mostly a food blog, so if you don't like eating, stop reading here.

This is a fabulous frozen yoghurt chain here

-you get to choose your toppings :)

 The lovely Cande from Argentina

Thai soup -actually I could only get away with this when I bought it myself -Germans cannot stand anything remotely spicy -it's actually hilarious! (Ruby you'd fit right in!) The tub on the right is straciatella yoghurt I bought from the supermarket -the dairy desserts from the supermarket are so good here -wish I had more time to enjoy them!

Started really getting into desserts in Berlin. We have 15 euro per meal, so we often share a dessert. Have to admit I had tiramisu (and pizza) two nights in a row though..

The salads are mighty so they serve as their own meal..

By 'eis' (ice cream) Germans can mean your average magnum or gelato (and they don't seem to care about the difference) but the ice block type are generally more available so I think I've tried pretty much every one there is to try now!

Actually don't choose many things with meat here, because the portions are so big! Also since we eat out twice a day (and often have meat with breakfast) it gets a bit much! There are lots of vegetarians in the PAD groups.

Tschüss!

Munich!

So that is Munich over -didn't take many notes because we have been doing so much! On the train to Berlin this morning though so I thought I'd better give an update.

So I'm kind of used to the whole thing about always drinking bubbly water, and having to pay for it at restaurants.

The only problem with drinking bubbly water is when you open it in public there's a good chance it's been shaken up and will go everywhere..

Also, drinks in restaurants come in small and large sizes (300mL or 500mL) and mostly it's Szorle (fruit juice with mineral water) -I've tried mango and rhubarb (below) here in Munich!

Went up to the Zugspitze (Germany's highest point) and it was funny seeing all the old traditional chalets with solar panels on their rooves.

Got to go sledding -was oddly warm even in the snow though -had a fantastic snow fight at the top though (I swear snow fights are just an opportunity to blatantly flirt though)

Visited the old concentration camp in Dachau today (no, Mum and Dad, they're not trying to hide from their past). I've often tried to imagine it from the point of view of the prisoners, but seeing the Germans get so emotional made me wonder what it would be like to feel responsible. Some of the German students hadn't been before and it was difficult to see the actual location of so many events they'd learnt about. Really though, all of us humans are equally responsible for the way we treat other humans. I was happy to hear that my group leader didn't feel at all guilty though -we always hear about how guilty Germans even today feel and I don't see why.

Looking at this sculpture, at first we thought it was a representation of the close living conditions in the camps, and the dignity prisoners lost -after watching the video, I saw their bodies actually were so thin, and the dead were really tangled together like branches.

This is the door prisoners had to walk into for what they thought was a 'shower' (it even says it above)

It would be fun to have your birthday during the PAD scholarship -had to wrap Tim's present up with dental floss though haha #resourceful #newnumbereightwire

We're all pretty tired, and you get some great comments (okay, some of them might not be due to tiredness) like Cande (Argentinian) said when we were by the Olympic Stadium in Olympia Park "Is Olympia a football team?" #hahahah

Went to an outdoor night market/festival in Munich (heaven?) and we sat on the hill watching these male comedians/acrobats from Barcelona perform

Did see NZ taonga-like necklaces being sold???

Not so good to get 'I believe I can fly' as an earworm (song that's stuck in your head) when you're standing on the edge of Munich's tallest building!

Most days we have surprises, which is fun. So far they've included going summer bobsledding, getting to eat at traditional restaurants of some of the nationalities in our group and disco bowling. Technically though, everything we do is a surprise #livingthehighlife #cornyhashtags

If variety is the spice of life, then I must have a very spicy life

Although it is fun having so much new stuff on offer, on the whole with German restaurant fare it's a 'no, we couldn't be in a long-term-relationship'.
I mean, 'is it yum?' in German is literally 'can you taste it?'
They've got a tradition of eating (and they do the entrée thing which is fun and healthy) but I can think of other countries I'd rather eat out every night in.

(Isn't it beautiful though) this is dinner at a beer garden (Biergarten) at 8.30 after swimming at a park with a fast-flowing canal flowing through it.

That is taking it into account it is high Summer, and maybe in Winter a whole leg of pig, Käsespaetzle (cheese egg noodles) and so much bread every night would be more palatable.
We don't eat German most days though, and everything else has been much to my satisfaction (Indonesian, Italian, Döner Kebabs)

This was noodles and bubble milk tea for lunch yesterday -Chinese on the go!

And the breakfasts make up for everything -can't wait for tomorrow's first breakfast in Berlin -I've heard it's fantastic! Also plz don't judge me when I come home weighing 100kg..

Had a grill on the beach with all 4 groups last night -was absolutely magical..

Also -a few last things from our last weekend in Konstanz

Tea party (well, mostly cake party) in the sun. Climbed a cherry tree and ate cherries from it, then had a stone-shooting competition.

Grillen erry night (since the Abitur exam is finished)

beer and smoking (also every night)

Sofia (Swedish) and me hanging out (our guest sisters are best friends)

And saying goodbye to our host families -was a lovely time!

Germany with all the bells and whistles

Last week in Konstanz. It's actually ridiculous how much stuff we get to do, even with our guest families in Konstanz.
To write, and put pictures of all the things we actually visit (museums, castles, history) would take a whole other blog, as would talking about the my wonderful PAD group, and the people in Konstanz. And travelling is one of those things you kind of have to experience for yourself anyway. For now you'll have to make do with these general conclusions/things that struck me the most.

I am certainly not used to getting all the frills (ie expensive tourist traps) when we visit places (probably because I'm used to travelling with Mum haha -we both like to keep it cheap)

At the Rhein[water]fall, for instance we got to take a boat out through the rapids to one of these islands in the middle of it to get a better view. Because of the floods the rapids were really big.

It's a strange thing, being on such a small island, with water all around you where only birds can come and go on their own steam #ohwait #IliveinNewZealand

The Rhein is the longest river in Germany which both Bonn and Konstanz are on, so we feel like we know it now.

Why do tourists always wear white shorts? #notpractical

The Rheinfall is actually in Switzerland. There were a lot of Swiss flags around to remind us of that fact. One gets the feeling they definitely don't want to be confused with Germany

Crossing the border into Switzerland (5 minutes from my house -one of the other host sisters rides her bike from Switzerland to school every day) is such a small deal here. 

Quicker than a McDonalds DriveThru.

Europeans don't get how exciting it is to cross another country's borders. In New Zealand we have to fly for 3 hours and 3 hours and pack for a whole other season.

Saw Europe's biggest waterfall, had my first wurst (sausage) in Germany and went to Switzerland #notbadforamorningswork

NB that's sausages down -I tried sauerkraut and it wasn't actually that nice.

At school we have lessons with just our PAD group of 12 most days, and then we go to classes with our guest siblings (or whoever's free). Most days though we have an excursion either in the afternoon or the whole day -a lot of that involves visiting other towns and islands in and around the Bodensee (lake Constance), which is gorgeous because the weather is so hot!

Learning about the French declaration of rights in history -the awkward moment when Germans have the same word for same and equal #thinkIjustfoundtherootofalltheirproblems

Hahahaha I'm in a class with a whole lot of 16-year-old boys. Half of them are 6 foot and the other half look 6. Good times.

Germans say 'genau' (exactly) a lot, esp at school. Whenever I say that to a teacher, I always feel a little bit cheeky #thereisnowordforpatronisinginGerman

#Fakts Robbie Williams is still big in Germany

Also people still wear those singlets with lace at the bottom, and they use OHPs and blackboards #what #isGermany2006

I keep forgetting this isn't a private school. Can't believe German education is free -the government must spend so much money on it #thesefacilitiesareHIBSquality

At a school concert -the concert has it's own logo and the kids are all wearing t-shirts with it #onlyatHIBS

7.29 and the concert is starting

That awesome moment when one child performing in a concert actually smiles #:)

This concert is a lovely reminder that music transcends all languages (taking into account they were actually singing about that in English)

I take that back -there is a ridiculous amount of English being sung at this concert -the singer in the jazz band introduced every song in English!

#Fakts 99% of guys look more attractive with dark glasses

At the summer concert they give a rose to all the people they want to thank, including the students performing that are in their final year #suchagoodidea

If they didn't clap for so long, this would be over by now #parents

The senior orchestra look like legit orchestra players #ThePlayingsNotTooShabbyEither

What kind of mother would let a 9-year-old get a side cut? #goldilocksfromtheleftcancerpatientfromtheright

#RoadTrip passed an indoor 'free time park', 'Sensapolis' -a giant atrium for humans filled with couches #what

Heard someone say 'New Zealand' on the radio today

Germans drive like they own the road #NotGoodWhenTheresTrafficAndYouFluctuateBetween0and200kph #PleaseImTryingToSleep

Apparently you can ski on long grass #sights

There's nothing more inspiring than watching things grow #summer #not #thinspiration

German number plates start with the letter code of the city they come from. If we had that in NZ I would continually judge people on the city they came from #AucklandDrivers

The Intouchables (French film -watch it) has solidified Earth Wind and Fire as the best road trip music ever

If your car only fits 2 people and you're driving across the country, you should probably just take the train

We are currently moving at 200km/h #scared #speedkills

*Plz slow down to 100 for road works* #hahahaha

Long car trips are great for working out the important things of life, such as how to make each of your toes move separately

Muriel's Oma's house where we're staying for the 50th is full of hunting memorabilia and cool old furniture

and every wall looks like this:

8 Viszla puppies at my guest sister's cousins' house #puppies

At a 50th birthday party #SittingAtTheKidsTable #KinderSwag

Regional dialects make family ties important #battlingtheeffectsofglobalisation

What's the point of going to other people's family gatherings if there aren't any cute guys?

Was slightly dubious of the drinking age of 16, but now I'm here I would trust 11-year-olds with alcohol. There's just something in the language that makes them sound so in control!

Taking a night ride in a soft-top mini listening to the Wise Guys #doesntgetmoreGermanthanthat

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (black forest cake): pretty sure that's the fastest I've ever eaten a piece of cake #caloriesdontcountwhenitsnamedaftertheplaceyoureat

Okay -calories probably do count when you eat a slice of every type there is.

#Milka #ComeAtMe

Why do we not drink spirits made from sugar cane in NZ? sounds like the perfect drink to me!

Who runs the world? shaved ice #IllHaveAMartiniOnTheShingle

Taking notes for my blog on my phone when the others are texting their friends #aw #popular

Every emotion is stronger when you're overtired #drunkforamonth

Limited vocabulary. #waddupswearwords

Have worn my Birkenstocks nearly every day here, even to parties #yea #canuhandlethesandal

Flicking channels and I hear the word 'Neuseeland' -turns out it was a talk show featuring a guy who was really enthusiastic about NZ #nearlywetmyself

If you ever need a self confidence boost, wear red lipstick #workseverytime

Just remember, when you're wearing shorts, your legs are part of your outfit

#Overheard on #German tv: "I was so drunk I didn't know if it was half past 10 or quarter to 11"

#1 tip for getting locked out of your house without a key: go for a wee in the garden and somebody will definitely come home and see you in action

The only bad thing about NZ is we don't have squirrels.

Tweets about Konstanz

Okay so it's much more interesting for you and I if I keep these short and sweet (I'm sure I'll talk enough details when I get back!)

There are so many things that make me so grateful I did my French trip first

Eg I would never have gone to class if I'd been here first #playingcardswiththePADstudentseveryperiod

playing cards is so much like life #nowIunderstandallthemetaphors

Most places in Germany have automatic, blinds -this is really helping me nap during the day #3hours

Waking up from a deep nap feels like time travel

We have ambrosia for breakfast here (except it's quark and yoghurt and fruit, so it's healthy)

There's a ball dress shop in Konstanz where you have to register your school when you buy a dress, and they won't sell it to you if someone from your school has already bought the same one #SHCneeds

Not being sure whether the small town you're docking into is in Austria, Switzerland or Germany #boatholiday

#Argentinianhandgames

Dat feeling of satisfaction when it's cold and rainy in the morning and you're the only one wearing shorts then it turns ridiculously hot and sunny in the afternoon and you're still fabulous #yea #thatsright

Eis

Alcopops are illegal in Germany #fakts

I've decided boys dress better than girls here

Painting my nails everyday #summer #nouniform

Love how some English movies have different (simplified) English titles in Europe #Hangover #VeryBadTrip

At the movies in Germany.. 20 minutes later, still watching ads #ads #didntthinkitgotanyworsethanNZ

Make that half an hour later..

What?! They show you ads for ice cream then turn the lights on and bring them round -isn't that covered by some sort of brainwashing law?

Bought one anyway #notpaying #youonlygotoGermanyonce

Any movie that ends with Michael Buble is my kind of movie #BigWedding

What could be better than a nap, a movie then a summer night market?

Beer, beer everywhere, but not a drop to drink

Apparently lots of people get headaches in Konstanz from the winds that come down from the alps #firsthand #fakts

The very wet then hot weather is great for #Mosquitoes #didntthinkitgotanyworsethanNZ

Sad that one of the 3 sentences I can actually say in German is 'excuse me, could I please borrow some mosquito spray?'

Do I scratch it because it's red and puffy, or is it red and puffy because I scratch it?

Spent 4 hours at an adrenaline forest-style climbing park in the forest today #tired

There happened to be a wedding there at the time -slightly odd but cute. We were literally flying-foxing over them while they were saying their vows

#Fakts Wedding in German is 'Hochzeit' and high is 'hoch' #punnyweddings

The thing about German is they put foreign accents on all foreign words -I am soemtimes taken aback when they come up with random French or German words in the middle of a sentence! #champignons

Saw a few people wearing dresses in town today #thereshopeforGermanyyet

Europe: where everybody wears bikinis, regardless of body type #meforinstance

So lucky to be on the road for a month without any worries or cares #exceptmyblog #butILYblogreally

Having to delete photos off my camera for once #problemsofsightseeingforamonth #goodtoknowwewontbelackinginphotosforRubys21st

Just saw a guy with a belly button piercing #fierce

In New Zealand, one would not get away with speedos and a t-shirt #especiallywhilepushingapram #definiteundies

Looking at my sunglasses in the mirror through my sunglasses and they look even pinker #sunception

German regular salads can be veritable rainbows of vegetables #isthatsomesneakypotatoIseelurkingatthebottom #GermanSaladTweets

The main difference between French and German salads is the amount of dressing Germans like to put on theirs #likealotalot #GermanSaladTweets

Families that don't look the same disconcert me

Had strawberries, strawberry cake, strawberry punch, and strawberry jelly beans today #strawberries #summer

#fakts paprika chips taste the same as bbq

There are a lot of hairdressers in Germany, I feel

Nothing like watching Guy Williams to make you feel at home

Konstant.

I wish I could write even some of this in German, like everyone else, but I know my homies in NZ won't be able to understand #nonEuropeanproblems -luckily everyone else is super-exposed and talented so hopefully they can understand my English. Gah. I hate how everyone speaks English

Arrived in Konstanz -spent the 6 hour train ride playing Swedish card games (seem to be spending a lot of time doing that!) Was magical seeing the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) and a lot of Germany flash by -the weather seemed to get better and we moved South! It is seriously summer here, and the glittering lake made us all want to go swimming! Our host families met us at the train station -we hadn't had time to really think about the fact that we wouldn't be spending every moment together as a group anymore! We're here for 2 weeks, then it's back on the road again to Munich -strange, but cool. My host sister is lovely though -she's 15 but she could easily pass for 19. Lots of people in Germany seem older than they are, probably because they don't wear unifoms to school and they're all quite confident and continental. Their house is lovely too (they made the welcome sign for me and put it on the door for when I got there) -they have heaps of rabbits and turtles, that each have huge enclosures and roam around outside. There is so much fruit here too! Summer <3

On Muriel's door (a genius is rarely orderly, an orderly person rarely genius)

On the first night we had a potluck (of an exemplary standard, I might add) at school to celebrate us being here. With host students, as with pets, I tend to see the similarities between them and their 'caregivers' a bit too much.

The giant pretzel filled with cheese, salmon and every type of cold, sliced meat you can imagine that my host mother made for the welcome party.

Thought this part (the 2 weeks in Konstanz) might be a bit boring, but no! Just in the first 2 days we've done heaps! I have only been to one class with my host sister so far -the PAD students have our own classes -so far we've had science, philosophy and German history -it's been really interesting so far! We're all so tired all the time though!

Yesterday was an awesome first day -it was the day of the senior prank. Typically German, they had it all planned and everyone knew at exactly what time it was going to happen, and at 10.15 they said all they needed to say over the intercom (penis), then we went outside to a massive party in the courtyard.

They had filled the corridors with smoke and balloons, and outside was a stage with a live band, but they were also playing music really loud and did a few games involving the teachers.

On the ground, the students in their final year were running around chucking buckets of water (and spraying water guns) then chucking colour powder (like for Indian Diwali festivals) at each other.

Elise (die Begegnungsschulerin) and her friend 

The Argentinians -they like a party xox

Agustin (from Argentinia) getting water thrown at him

My host sister (Muriel) and me 

Wet!

The school goes all the way up from primary school, so there were lots of kids running around and having fun as well. I got completely wet but not so colourful -lucky as it apparently doesn't come off! After that school was out and we went to the lakeside -we had a picnic, played Swedish card games, played beach volleyball and swam in the lake. I got completely sunburnt! It was so nice being out in the sun so long though! In the evening we had white asparagus (a German delicacy only available for 6 weeks a year) and pancakes for dinner, then ambrosia made with quark. Later Pia and her hostsister, who is a friend of Muriel's (handy) came round and we watched 'The Broken' a horror/thriller. I'm not good with anything even vaguely scary -I still get freaked out at the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! I have also never seen a horror film before. Spent a lot of time looking through my fingers, and screaming whenever the others were, even when nothing had happened!

I don't think we have any complete days of school while we're here. Today we did a tour of the city (the weather was bad) and then we went shopping with Pia and Nina. A lot of Swiss people come to Konstanz to shop because the border is right in the middle of Konstanz (and shopping is cheaper). This also means that Konstanz wasn't destroyed in the war because bombers couldn't tell where Konstanz ended and Switzerland (which was neutral) began! Also means there's Swiss chocolate shops, with massive slabs of different-flavoured chocolate! Tomorrow we're going on a full-day excursion around the lake then up a mountain. We are actually so lucky! My German is crap, but other than that everything is wunderbar!