High School Reunion in Florence

I have one quick story to share with everyone before I show you pictures from my trip to Florence. On Thursday, I took Mia to see the Reeperbahn during the day, since I was definitely not feeling well enough to go to a bar at night. When we got off the train, this deranged old lady started yelling at us in German and began to push Mia with her umbrella. I started getting somewhat annoyed, because this woman would not stop pushing us. So, I may or may not have said something nasty to her. After we crossed the street, this woman stood in front of us holding her umbrella horizontally - as if she was going to stop us from crossing the sidewalk. When we tried to walk by, she grabbed my arm and screamed that she was going to get the police to arrest me. Then, she started stabbing me in the butt with the tip of her umbrella. I once again may or may not have said something nasty to her. We started walking away, and she scurried off, presumably to talk with a police officer. I have no idea what her problem was, but now I'm completely freaked out every time I see an old lady walking towards me with a closed umbrella.

Mia and I left for Florence Friday afternoon after my language class got out. Unfortunately, because we had to wait for my language class to end, we had a pretty crappy connecting flight (4.5 hour layover) into Florence. This normally isn't a huge deal because you can just sit and talk and listen to music, but there was absolutely no food in our terminal. Most of the food was behind the passport checkpoint, which we didn't have to go through. Thus, we ended up eating these nasty sandwiches which left us slightly nauseous and completely dissatisfied. These are two things you never want to feel on a super long layover. We got to Florence around 11pm and made it to our friend Alex's apartment by midnight. What made this trip to Florence really special was the fact that I got to experience it with my two best friends from high school. Even after 5 years apart, we are still close friends and can talk as if no time has passed at all.

On Saturday, Alex took us around the city and showed us all of the touristy sights. First stop: The Accademia to see David (Michelangelo). The statue of David was created by Michelangelo from 1501 - 1504, and it is a representation of the Biblical hero David. The statue was incredible to see in person. It was unbelievably realistic, with bulging veins evident on the hands and strong, perfectly chiseled backbones. As soon as I turned the corner and saw David facing me, I got chills down my spine.

David Michelangelo

After visiting David, we walked up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which provided us with a birds eye view of the city. One thing about Florence is that it was built in a large valley, so once you're out of downtown the terrain slopes upward very quickly. Thus, going slightly outside of downtown provided us with amazing views of the city. On the way to the Piazza, we walked over the Ponte Vecchio which is a Medieval stone bridge filled with many stores and shops.

Ponte Vecchio

Birdseye view of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo.

Birdseye view of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo.

Next on our miniature tour was San Miniato al Monte. San Miniato al Monte is a large basilica in Florence which was constructed in 1013. Many claim that this basilica is the best example of Tuscan Romanesque architecture. Inside, a man was playing the organ. This helped add to the spiritual feel inside the great room. At the basilica, I was able to light a candle of prayer for each of my grandmothers.

San Miniato al Monte

The ceiling and head alter in San Miniato al
Monte.

After we visited the basilica, we walked to the top of the Belvedere Fort, which was used to protect the city in the 16th century. Unfortunately, I was still not feeling 100% after my bought with bronchitis, so the walk up the fort was a somewhat painful experience. But, in the end, it was still worth the trip to the top of the hill.

A view of Belvedere Fort from Piazza Michelangelo.

Finally, after walking all morning, we stopped and had pizza. An Italian friend in my language class had recommended I try a particular type of pizza while in Florence. Thus, I went off of his recommendation and ordered a Caprese Pizza, or pizza made with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. The buffalo mozzarella was  so delicious - unlike traditional mozzarella, it seemed to just melt away to nothing in my mouth. It was easily one of the best pizzas I've ever had, so obviously I ate the whole thing :)

Caprese Pizza - cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella

Afterwards, we spent some time walking around the city and getting a feel for Italian life. I got to see the house of Dante and go shopping at a bunch of street vendor booths. Just before sunset, we climbed up the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, or more commonly known as the Duomo. The stairs up the Duomo were really neat. They varied from your typical square staircase, to a more spiral staircase, to ones that bent and sloped under the curve of the roofline. Walking to the top was an adventure in itself just because of the intricacy of the stairs. When we arrived at the top, we were once again gifted with amazing views of the city. We were also witness to a protest or riot happening in the streets below. It was really interesting to experience the chanting and screaming from 500 stairs above the action. People were carrying flags and banners, one of which said

No to war. Peace and Democracy. 

No to slavery! Freedom. 

No to the death of life.

Front entrance to the Basilica di Santa Maria
del Fiore.

Ceiling of the Duomo

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo.

A protest that was happening in the streets
below.

Alex, Mia, and me at the top of the Duomo.

Proof that I was actually in Florence.

Afterwards, we went to a small Italian restaurant where I was able to try genuine Italian pasta. Unfortunately, I was under impressed. While it was good and I enjoyed it, I thought it bordered on being dry and lacking in flavor. This was a bit disappointing because I expected it to be overwhelmingly delicious. Luckily, the pizza from earlier that day more then made up for it. After dinner, we went and got genuine Italian gelato. And ohhh wowww was it amazing! One of the flavors I tried was Biscotti, and it really tasted like a cold, soft version of an Italian biscotti cookie.

Italian pasta

Italian Gelato

That night, Alex took us to a bar where we were able to sit and talk with one of her roommates and a few of her Italian friends. It was a really enjoyable night, and I will always treasure the time I got to spend in Italy with two of my closest friends. Unfortunately, I had to leave pretty early the next morning, but I was really satisfied with my time spent in Florence. I was able to see a lot of the city, and I really got a feel for the Italian lifestyle. I cannot believe how different it is from Hamburg. While Hamburg has a more industrial and modern feel to it, Florence is much more a city dedicated to preserving its history and retaining its quaint, Renaissance Age feel.

We ended up flying over the Alps on my flight back from Florence. It was a truly awe inspiring moment to see the Alps from an airplane and just soak in the enormity of the mountain range. There was also a really beautiful sunset on my second flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg. The moment I saw this sunset, I knew that it was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend. Tschuss.

The Alps as seen from the airplane.

A random mountain peak in the Alps.

Beautiful sunset on the way back to Hamburg.

Snow leads to Strep?

Last Friday, I saw my first snow of the season in Hamburg. It didn't snow for long, and it didn't stick to the ground, but it was still a beautiful sight to see snow falling outside.

Snow falling outside the classroom window.

Of course I had to go out and play in the snow during our
break. The flakes were enormous!

Mia was very proud of her artistic
medicine photo, so I told her
I'd put it on my blog

Although the snow was a lovely surprise, it's weeks like these that remind me how running around in the snow is not such a smart idea after all. After two weeks of unhealthy eating habits, irregular sleeping patterns, and improper attire for the weather, my body finally shut down. I went to the doctor today and found out that I have a really bad case of bronchitis, and after the blood work and throat culture come back tomorrow, I'll know for sure whether or not I have strep throat. Knowing how I feel though, I'm 99% sure I'll test positive for strep. The doctor gave me a ton of medicine, so hopefully I'll be back on my feet by tomorrow. Unfortunately, this illness could not have come at a worse time. Mia, one of my best friends from high school, arrived in Hamburg yesterday evening and will be here until Friday! Thankfully, her jet lag successfully complimented my illness, so neither of us protested to an early bedtime or a relaxed evening. :)

After my doctors appointment, we took a tour of the Rathaus. The Rathaus is Hamburg's City Hall and houses both the Senate and the Parliament. The building has been destroyed multiple times, but the current Rathaus was built in the 19th century. It luckily remained intact during WWII after the fuse to a 500lb bomb failed to ignite. I have included a few pictures of the Rathaus below.

Front entrance of the Rathaus.

Too sick to impersonate the door, but you
get the idea.

The Parliament and Senate meet here every Wednesday
afternoon from 1pm - 11pm.  

Meeting Hall

One of the rooms had a carved statue representing each
continent that Germany considered a major trading
partner. This carving represents The New World.

One of the many fireplaces in the Rathaus.

One of the rooms was made entirely from carved wood. The
wood was carved by 80 orphaned boys who were hired as
apprentices for 5 years. In return, they each received a free
education. Each boy signed his name to the wood marking
the spot that he carved. This is just one of the 80 examples.

During The Great Fire of 1842, extreme heat
caused cinder blocks to melt together. 

A breathtaking chandelier in the Great Hall

Update to Lüneburg, Germany:

I must have been half asleep when I wrote my last post, because I forgot to mention the most important memory from Lüneburg! On the way back, Daniela decided she wanted to sit on the top level of a double decker train. Why? I'm not sure, but we did. Enter story: About 10 minutes into the train ride, a woman came by to look at our tickets. Now, our experience with German transportation up until this point had been strictly limited to the subway, so we weren't quite sure how the entire train system worked. Before we left for Lüneburg, we talked to a representative at the desk and asked how to buy tickets. He handed us two sheets of paper, and told us we were all set. So, silly us, we thought those were our tickets!! Apparently, it was just our itinerary. The woman started to get really angry at us, claiming we didn't pay for our tickets etc, etc. She was technically correct, we didn't pay for the tickets, but the man behind the counter told us we were all set! Unfortunately, she didn't speak great English, and our German is less then perfect ;). After about 5 minutes of a somewhat intimidating scream session, we finally showed her our student IDs which turned out to be our real train tickets. Ahh, silly us! We knew that the student IDs got us part of the way there, but we learned in those few valuable minutes that it got us all the way there for free! So, with the woman no longer accusing us of not paying for the ride, she informed us that we were sitting in the first class cabin and had to move. I figured we would just go downstairs, but apparently the entire car was only first class seating. She wanted us to jump trains while it was moving!! It seriously freaked me out because I was in the front of the line and didn't know what to expect when I opened the door. But, when an angry ticket person tells you to jump, you jump! How brave of us :)

As a side note, for those of you who were having trouble commenting before, I changed the settings on my  blog so you should be able to comment now without hassle!

Lüneburg, Germany

On Sunday, I had a strong desire to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hamburg, so I took a day trip to Lüneburg, Germany with Daniela. Lüneburg is a very old, quaint town located approximately 30 miles southeast of Hamburg. The town itself is over 1000 years old, and signs of human inhabitance dates back 150,000 years. What makes Lüneburg unique from many other German towns is its preservation of history due largely in part to its survival during WWII. I really enjoyed visiting the town because it made me feel as though I had stepped back in time and left the modern world behind.

Wasserviertel or "Riverside Quarters"

An old cobblestone street

The "Old Crane" is mentioned in documents dating back to
1346.

A Renaissance building constructed in 1548.

The Rathaus (Town Hall) - the oldest part of this
building was constructed in 1230.

There are three major churches in Lüneburg: St. John's Church, St. Michael's Church, and St. Nicolai's Church. Johann Sebastian Bach not only learned to play the organ in St. John's Church, but he was also a member of the school choir at St. Michael's Church.

St. John's Church

The organ upon which Johann Sebastian
Bach learned to play.

St. Michael's Church

For all of my meteorology friends: At the top of Wasserturm, or water tower, there was this random room dedicated entirely to water conservation and water usage. In this room, there was a machine that allowed you to create a tornado by turning a lever and displacing the water. Needless to say, Daniela and I thoroughly enjoyed this contraption!

Creation of a tornado with the simple turn
of a lever!

On Tuesday, I found a travel brochure in Dr. Schatzmann's office and went, as Kaitlyn called it, all "psycho-tour-guide Barbie" on them. We ended up in a very industrial part of town where old market halls had been converted into contemporary art and photography museums. The museums had a really creepy vibe about them. They had stark white, insane asylum walls and were playing music that you would expect to find in a really bad horror film (or, for those of you who know what I'm talking about, music similar to that from Introduction to World Music). Either way, the place gave us the creeps - my bad! On the way back to the train station, we stumbled across these really tall, skinny sculptures of a man and a woman. Such a strange part of town....

Deichtorhallen - A Contemporary Art Museum

Statues of tall, skinny people standing in
front of a library.

This week has also been exciting because we booked two more trips! Florence, London, Reading, Prague, and Dublin are all officially booked! I can already tell 2012 is going to blow 2011 out of the park. Tschuss :)

Police and Pepper Spray

I have officially been in Hamburg for one week, and yet I'm still having a hard time believing it's all real! I feel like at any moment I'm going to wake up and realize I'm still stuck in lonely Oklahoma. The past week of my life has definitely been a memorable one. Hamburg is such an amazing place, and I'm so excited to be experiencing life in a different part of the world.

Friday turned out to be a beautiful day. The skies were crystal clear for most of the day, and for the first time all week, I was blinded by the northern sun. After class got out, Kaitlyn, Daniela, and I decided to go for a boat ride on the River Elbe. This large river runs just south of downtown and has allowed Hamburg to become the third largest port in Europe, earning it the nickname "Tor zur Welt" - or Gateway to the World. FYI, clicking on the photo will bring up a larger version of the picture! For those of you who have a Facebook, all of the pictures are posted on there. The following photos are just a small selection.

Harbor Ferry #62 - Our "tour" boat on the Elbe.

Sunset over the industrial port.

A portion of downtown Hamburg

Fishing vessels

A lot of beaches lined the Elbe. I'm not sure I would want to
go swimming in the cold river though.

A look back at the industrial and urban sprawl that comprises
Hamburg's skyline.

Patriotic trio from the University of Oklahoma.
AKA my fellow study abroaders!

As we were heading back to port, we happened to notice a Hard Rock Cafe not far from our stop. After a week of trying German and European food, we were all homesick for American food. We caved, went to Hard Rock, and ordered a big American cheeseburger. I even had my first German beer there - a Konig Ludwig Dunkel! It felt somewhat sinful to be eating a cheeseburger from an American restaurant in Hamburg, but what's a girl to do! There's only so much foreign food I can handle before I'm craving the ooey-gooey, heart-stopping goodness of American food.

After a fairly normal day, things started going downhill frighteningly fast. That evening, Daniela and Kaitlyn's roommates invited us out for drinks. After walking all the way to the subway, I realized I forgot my student ID, which doubles as a subway ticket. Not wanting to miss the next train, I ran all the way back to my apartment, which is normally an 8 minute walk, and ran all the way back - in heels none the less - all before the next train arrived. Out of breath and ready to throw my shoes off the train, we finally took off for downtown. About halfway there, the train stopped suddenly and the conductor said there had been an accident. After 10 minutes of waiting, our train was finally allowed to continue. When we got to the next station, there were police everywhere. German police are seriously the scariest thing ever. They dress very similar to American SWAT teams, and you can just tell they're not going to put up with anything from anyone. When we boarded our next train, the cops were filling each car with people, then holding the doors shut so no one could enter or leave. It was seriously one of the scariest things ever because it brought back so many memories of getting caught up in the riots of Hamburg last August. We later found out from a man on the subway that a police officer had pepper sprayed a child in the eye from 30 cm away after a soccer game got out. The child was expected to be in the hospital for at least 4 days and faced the possibility of vision loss.

After having a drink with their roommates, the five of us ventured down to the Reeperbahn to meet up with friends from our language class. For those of you who are unaware, the Reeperbahn is one of the most famous red-light districts in Europe. It is known for its many bars, night clubs, and restaurants as well as its strip clubs and sex shops. We ended up getting sucked into a random Pub Crawl which brought us to what I can only imagine was an American bar. We met people from all over the world, and, or course, got to sing and dance to a live band playing both German and American music.

Most of our group - composed primarily of people from
our German language class as well as Daniela and Katilyn's
roommates.

The three Americans

On Saturday, we went shopping in downtown Hamburg. Unfortunately, shopping was way more stressful then I expected since the sizes were so different! I will definitely be bringing an American/European size conversion cheat-sheet with me next time we go :) Tschuss!