What a week. It is wild to think that a week ago today, I was getting back from a week long trip to Berlin and Prague, with my first full week of classes, and another weekend of skiing ahead of me! Sorry in advance for the lengthy post, but let’s recap:

Berlin

Berlin was exactly how I had always imagined it would be. When we arrived it was overcast and grey, and the city was modern, graffiti-laden, dark, and honestly, a little depressing. What saved Berlin for me was the history. Although most of it is a very sad one, Berlin is a hotbed of history, especially within the past century. Walking through the streets was like every lazy Saturday documentary about the Nazis I’ve seen come to life; I could easily imagine what life would have been like in a militarized capital like Berlin. This hit home especially hard during our city tour, where the guide took us to places like the Lustgarten, where Hitler delivered many of his speeches, and a square behind the library which was the site of many Nazi book burnings. Lots of chills seeing these places in person.

One of my favorite things that we did in Berlin was visit the Reichstag, where the seat of the German Parliament is. The Reichstag was not used during the Third Reich due to a huge fire of mysterious circumstances that made the building unusable for most of Hitler’s time in power. What was interesting was that the building was taken over by Russian occupiers of Berlin after World War II. Most of these soldiers left their names and messages scrawled on the walls of the Reichstag, and through years of modernization and reconstruction, the Germans have decided to keep these there. A very interesting move in my opinion, to keep such a lasting reminder of those who came in and took over your government.

Among the other sites we saw in Berlin were the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and a former East German prison (terrifying). With our time in Berlin coming to a close, we were off to Prague by 8am on Friday morning!

Prague

If Genovia was a real place, it would be Prague. There was a time where I had no idea what to expect when I stepped off the train and into the Czech Republic, but Prague was beyond magical. Imagine going on a city tour at dusk, walking through winding cobbled streets with gorgeous buildings surrounding you, and church spires looming overhead. Then, suddenly, you’re in a huge square, with facades lit up around you, a clock tower chiming in front of you, and soft piano music floating through the air. Just when you think it can’t get any more surreal than Prague’s old town square, you walk over the Charles Bridge at twilight, when a flock of doves flies off into the waning light, as the lights from the castle on the hill twinkle in the reflection of the Vltava (river which runs through Prague). Absolutely magical.

Whereas Berlin was everything I had anticipated, Prague was everything I had not. It was truly a storybook come to life. We ate dinner in the Old Town Square, outside, in January, thanks to space heaters and wise outfit choices. While in Prague we enjoyed some traditional Czech cuisine, which is not too far off from my familial Polish roots, so the sauerkraut was a welcome familiarity on the plate.

One of the best but most confusing things about Prague was their currency. They are not on the Euro, so converting Czech crowns into Euros proved to be a bit of a hassle. This hassle was well worth it however since Prague was so cheap! Inexpensive, I should say, Prague was too beautiful to be cheap. Most meals we ate in Prague amounted to less than 10 Euro for a good amount of food. Although It was bizarre paying 100 of anything for a coffee and a sandwich, 100 crown was equal to about 5 Euro. Prague was a tough one to leave, but one that I will definitely return to ASAP.

Schule

Back to school this week! Classes finally started, and this is why my post has been delayed. A lot of reading and writing assignments already, but I’m enjoying being back in school mode and having a schedule here in Freiburg. Up until now, everything felt a bit like an extended vacation. There is truly nothing like a 24 hour deadline for a 5 page paper to force your thinking cap back on. This week we also took a day trip to Strasbourg, France for class to visit the European Parliament! For a political geek like me, watching the deliberation about Syria and meeting an actual MP (Member of Parliament) was surreal. Oh, and Strasbourg was pretty beautiful too.

Ski!

This wekend was our last weekend of lessons before the Alps, and boy was it a good one. Skiing has quickly become my sole reason to love the season that is Winter. Yesterday the weather was perfect, sunny and warm, and from the top of the mountain we had fantastic views of the valley and the Alps in the distance, all pointed out to us by our trusty instructor and aficionado of all things German, August. Today the weather was “nicht so gut”, as it was foggy and windy, with a persistent icy rain which eventually turned to snow. We skied down a lot more trails through the Schwarzwald today rather than the beginner slopes, and it was incredible gliding in between pine trees as snow fell around us. Everything smelled like pine needles, and I finally understood what everyone meant when they said that skiing was as close you’ll get to flying. I cannot believe the progress that I’ve made in 3 weeks, and I cannot wait to continue skiing for the rest of the trip and when I get back home!

Another week of adventures starts tomorrow, let’s see if I can stay awake for the Super Bowl, or if skiing knocked me out! Tchüss!

Picturesque Strasbourg, France: home to the European Parliament!

Hitting the slopes!

View of the valley from the top of Feldberg!

Sunset in magical Prague

Beautiful dusk facades in Old Town Square, Prague!

Hello from the other side… of the Berlin wall!

Brandenburg Gate

Reichstag

Soviet scribbles in the Reichstag

Lustgarten, where Hitler delivered many of his speeches

Location: Freiburg, Germany