Munich - The Last Week

Monday, August 1 

Today we met at the train station at 8 in the morning and caught a Train to Munich. We were on the train for 5 hours and arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon. Upon arrival, we had to navigate our way through the train station and get to the hotel. After getting to the hotel we went to an open air market and found something to eat, we were able to split into groups and find exactly what we wanted. After eating we went back to the train station and rented bikes along with a tour guide. We spent the next 3 hours on a tour of the city. It was quite interesting we got to see many historical buildings, including many built during, or right before the war, and many built by Ludwig II. The most enjoyable part of the ride for me, however, was riding through the English Gardens. It was really cool getting to see people just laying around and playing in a park with no cares in the world. It was also really cool getting to see people surfing right there on the river. At the end of the day we all ate dinner and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.

The first sight we saw on the bike ride 

Hitters office in Munich 
 

Inside a University in Munich 

 
 

The last Bonn Excursion: German History

Thursday, July 28

Today we went to the House of History in Germany. This museum focuses mainly on German History after WWII. Our tour guide, Dr. Wasser, was also a Professor at A&M. In going through this museum we were able to see many sides of German history that I never knew. He showed us what the living conditions were like and how many of the people survived the hardships that came with living here after the war. We discussed the differences between East and West Germany and how it was a living Hell if you were stuck in the West under the USSR rule. We got to see some of the homemade things that people made to try to fit back into their normal lives, even though it was anything but normal after the war. The part of the museum that I enjoyed the most was the portion about the Berlin Wall, it was surreal to see many of the pictures on how lives were changed and how many people wanted to leave but were unable to. It was really shocking to see how everything has changed in the last 70 years. The end of the tour was pretty cool also because it showed how Germany is now, the total debt of the country and the tolerance it has for allowing refugees to enter the country.

A photo depicting an East German Soldier Defecting 

Just a portion of the records of missing Germans after the War

Soldiers taking down anything related to Hitler

A poster showing about the Marshall Plan 

Dedication to all the suffering Stalin caused in the East

A tank like the USSR would use after the war 

A Car made especially for the German Chancellor in Bonn after the War

The Community Garden

Wednesday, July 27
Today we started class later in the day because they decided to take us to a community garden and have a barbecue in Cologne. I found it quite interesting that it was fully self-sustaining and didn't receive any funding from the city. It was not what i was expecting it to look like but it was really cool to see how everyone got together and took care of the space to keep it maintainable. For the barbecue, it took us a while to get the fire going but once it was started we kept it going. The whole night was really fun and nice for it being one of the last excursions we have in this area.

Not My Image, found at https://germanysustainablecommunities.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/neuland-from-above.jpg

The Old Coal Plant

Tuesday, July 26
Today we went back up near Oberhausen to a town called Essen. This town is famous for having the biggest coal mine ever used in Germany. This mine has been shut down since the 1970's. After sitting around for a few years it was declared a World Heritage Site and was preserved. They decided to turn it into a Park and Museum. They have two different kinds of exhibits here, one that is a changing exhibit and can be whatever they decide for it to hold whenever they decide to do it, and the other is one that stays the same all the time and it tells the history of the area.I really enjoyed going to this park because you were able to go into the museum and see exactly how the coal mine worked and everything that the mine has contributed to. We learned that it was first built in the 1920's and stopped production in the 1970's. We were told that it was a key piece to keeping the Germans going during WWII. After the war, it was still used and once it closed down there was a debate on whether or not to demolish it or keep it. It was eventually kept and turned into the Museum and Park that it is today.

Today we also went into the town of Essen and saw many old Churches, some dating back to the 900's, as well as a damn and the top of a huge house that was owned by the person who use to own/run the coal mine. It was amazing to get to walk around another city that is about the same size as Bonn and get to see how they differ.

The overview of the Zollverein 

Add caption

Part of the Zollverein 

One of the old Churches we saw

A house sitting on the river that we walked by

Part of the lake we walked along

Paris, Paris and more Paris

Friday, July 22 - Sunday July 24
This weekend a group of us went to Paris. I honestly wish I had about 3 weeks longer in Paris, because there is so much to do around the city as well as a ton of history to explore. During the weekend we got to visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Pantheon, the Triumphant Arch, the Louvre, and (of course) the Eiffel Tower. Out of all of these places the Pantheon was my favorite, there are so many people buried in the Crypt, as well as all the art on the ceilings, and the statues on the walls. The Louvre was also really amazing getting to see all of the art that we've learned about since elementary school. My favorite piece of art that I saw was the Mona Lisa, it is no where close to what I imagined it would be. I figured that it would be a lot bigger and more vibrant. The Eiffel Tower and the Triumphant Arch are two other monuments that we visited, and seeing them in person was quite humbling. Both of these monuments were huge, and its amazing to imagine all the time it took for them to be built.

One of the cooler moments on the trip, so far, happened while I was walking one night. As me and Jensn were walking down the street, two men turned around and tried asking us for directions. Once they realized that we did not speak french, they asked us where we were from and when we told them we were from Texas they told us "Welcome to Paris". It was one of those moments that is kind of shocking to experience in person.

The Louvre

Mona Lisa inside the Louvre

The Eiffel Tower at night 

The Cathedral of Notre Dame 

The Pantheon

The Front of the Pantheon

The Triumphant Arch 

The Arch again

The Eiffel Tower 

Landschaftspark, biking, and the Gasometer

Thursday, July 21
This morning we met at the Hbf at 8:30 and took a bus to Duisburg and toured around the Landschaftspark. This park is made from an old industrial Blast Furnace. I found it interesting that we were able to actually climb to the top of the furnace and see for miles around. There were several levels that we could climb to and get different views, however the top view was the best. After climbing down from the furnace we went wandering around the park and got to see many of the natural aspects of the park. I enjoyed getting to see the river floating through the middle of the park, as well as all the flowers surrounding the resting areas and the kids toy areas. After getting lunch we rented bikes and took a 7 km long bike ride. The ride took about 30 minutes and we got to see some amazing scenery. At the end of this ride we were at the Gasometer. The Gasometer is an old Gas tank that has since been converted into an art museum. It was really interesting to go into the gallery and see all this modern art sitting in the middle of an old Gasometer. In all I really enjoyed this trip and though that it was one of the more fun trips that we've been on since getting here.

The Landschaftspark Blast Funrace

The Blast Furnace 

More of the Furnace 

More of the complex

The view from the top

On top of the Furnace 

The View from the top

The Globe from within the Gasometer

A view from close to the top of the Gasometer

Another view from the top of the Gasometer

The Bungalow and the Tower

Tuesday, July 19
To start the day we met up at the Hbf at 9:00 AM. After everyone meeting there we took a tram to the Chancellors Bungalow and waited for the tour guide to get there. After waiting for guide for twenty minutes he showed up and finally got the tour going. The Bungalow, in my opinion, wasn't as appealing to the eye as some of the other buildings we've been to. Although it wasn't as appealing I understood the significance, both architecturally as well as historically. The guide made it a point of emphasis that the Bungalow was made so that you would be in touch with nature the whole time you are there. In my opinion, having glass all the way around the premises is not something I would ever want to do. To me it was quite interesting to see all the different pieces of furniture or pieces of art that were added to the Bungalow during the time the Chancellor was in Bonn.
After leaving the Bungalow and bidding ado to our guide we headed down to the Rhine and met Ariane where we had a picnic of sorts while we waited to go to the DHL tower.
Upon completion of the picnic we walked to the DHL tower, it wasn't a bad walk only about 10 minutes. Once getting to the tower we were informed that we could not take pictures while inside unless we were told to. The tower is one of the tallest buildings in Germany, and is the tallest not located in Frankfort. Once we got to the top of the tower we were able to see the City of Cologne for off into the distance. We were even able to see the Cologne Cathedral. This building is one of a select few that are energy efficient. It takes water from the Rhine River to help cool the building during the summer, and it also used to help heat the building during the winter. In all this building was really cool to study and look at because of all the energy efficient ideas that were implemented.

The DHL Tower

The view from the 30th floor at the DHL Tower

Some more of the view

A Stature outside the Bungalow 

From inside the Bungalow

Another view of inside the Bungalow 

A living room inside the Bungalow