La Fin.

I feel like this blog has reached it's natural conclusion.  I've enjoyed writing about everything, but now that my life is a little less foreign, I think I've reached the end.  But that's also how I felt about my final days in Montpellier.  I would wander down the streets, enjoying the sun (just as I enjoyed writing this blog), but feeling ready to go home.

That is not to say that I was ready to leave.  Wanting to go home and wanting to leave are completely different things.  Wanting to go home for me meant that there were parts of my life at home that I was really starting to miss versus wanting to leave would have meant that I was unhappy with life in Montpellier, which was very much not the case.  It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to say good bye to my host family and I always feel a little sad when I wonder if I'll ever see that beautiful city again.

Being ready to come home, in contrast to being ready to leave, just means that I missed the familiarity of home.  I would not say that I was tired OF Montpellier, but that simply existing in a foreign culture is exhausting.  It is hard being a foreigner and, for someone who has never been a foreigner, it's hard to suddenly become one.  But this challenge is what made my time great.

So for my final reflection, I can say that I'm proud of what I did.  I did more than survive in a foreign country.  I lived.  And I hope that I'll never take that for granted.

I don't think I'll blog about the details of my final trip with my parents because it was a family vacation, not a part of my study abroad experience.  But there were two things that made it more than just a normal family vacation for me: 1.  I was translator.  I got to use my French in a very real way and that was really awesome.  2.  I was navigator.  I'm never navigator, but I navigated a lot of the trip and really proved a lot to myself.

And that's what this experience has been to me: a self assertion that I can do it.  I can live in a foreign language, take classes abroad, navigate, live independently, and meet new people while simultaneously maintaining important relationships at home, finding a paid summer internship, and winning two essay prizes.  I did it.  This isn't bragging.  It's self-declaration and I hope that everyone can find this in their lives.

Bisous,
Julia

For pictures from my last trip with Mom and Dad click on the flowers from Monet's Garden:

It Ain't Over til It's Over

I have officially left Montpellier.

That sentence takes a minute to sink in for me.  First, I had to say good bye to all of my friends.  And getting thrown into a completely foreign culture can really bring you close to people.  And I had some really great friends.  We traveled, studied (or rather, pretended to study), ate lunch, shopped... things that seem really normal, but when you do it in another language, it's never that simple.  So we bonded and I'm sad that I really have no idea when I'll see most of them again because most of them live in Minnesota.

Then I had to say good bye to my host family.  They were so friendly and welcoming that I'm leaving way more than just a bed behind.  The wonderful conversations we had that were not only fun and interesting, but really pushed and stretched my French; the food; and the overall feeling of having a family who was there to help me, but also to give me my independence (a rare balance for sure) will all certainly be missed.

Hardest of all, I had to say good bye to my host mom, Marie.  This makes me think of one day that I came back from class.  Everything had gone wrong and nothing was making me happy.  On top of it, I felt worse because I had just come back from break the day before and was super exhausted.  So I hear someone downstairs and I figured I'd see who was there (and check on my laundry in the process).  And there's Marie unpacking groceries.  And she offers me a coke and it was probably the most well time glass of coke ever.  And then we sit and chat for maybe an hour, maybe more.  And we talked about a lot: my past trip, Bin Laden, the Royal wedding... etc.  But more than what we talked about, just having someone there to talk to who was interesting, interested in what I had to say, and patient when I couldn't quite get it out right, made me feel so at home.  Not just that I was at ease, but I felt true support, even though the subject of my Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day never even came up.

So my real parents came into Montpellier yesterday and things have been kind of bumpy sailing.  They like to get lost at every chance they get and unfortunately, real Mom is sick.  But we had a really nice breakfast with host Mom.

Then we packed up and headed out.  Of course, about an hour and a half into our all day drive, I realize I left a coat at my host family's house.  Didn't go back for it so hopefully it'll show up in the states one day.

But this mini-vacation at the end will be an interesting wrap up and (as soon as mom feels better) we have a lot of cool things on the itinerary. 

Stay tuned for... A Merz Euro Tour (sponsored by Rick Steves)

(Note: I arrive back in the states on the 25th, so keep an eye out then for posts from this trip and a final wrap up about being home and such)

Munich

Day 9... in Munich this time:

So we arrived and checked into our LOVELY hotel (not that the hostel wasn't fine, but a hotel is definitely more comfortable) before going out to dinner.  We had one Rick place in mind, but it was totally packed so we went to another on the same square.  Only outside seating, but we found a spot under the heaters.  And halfway through our dinner, a nice older man sat down and talked to us (in decent enough English) about the city.  The food was amazing and it was such a welcoming start to the trip.

Day 10:

The sun was shining, it was a walkable city, and the metro system can be crazy cheap if you figure it out right.  Already I liked Munich more than Berlin.  Also, since it's smaller, there are more people and shops to look at when you're walking (we realized that walking with nothing to look at gets very boring... we started singing the theme song to the Odd Couple in Berlin).

 

We started in the historic part... The New Town Hall and the Clock Tower, Marienplatz, and the Three Main Churches (St. Michael's, Frauenkirche, and St. Peters... Martyr Bones and All!!).  It all kind of felt out of a fairy tale.

Then (passing the Hofbrauhaus) we went to the Residenz, home to the Wittelsbach family.  It was so beautiful.  Think Versailles, but fewer pictures of Louis.  Paintings and fabric walls, big grand halls, and amazing furniture.

I really loved Shell Grotto with the Mercury killing Medusa fountain (apparently, there used to be red wine instead of water... what an effect!).

 

Plus there were two tiny rooms right next to each other that I think were my favorite.  One was COVERED in mirrors and gold and had tiny (think like 4 inches tall) pottery everywhere!  The other room was no bigger than a walk in closet, was totally red, and was covered in mini reproductions of famous works of art (again, each mini painting was about 4 inches).

Next we took a nice beer break at a cafe and enjoyed the sun (have to say, I love the Augustiner wheat beer).  Unfortunately, we missed our reservation (at the place that was too crowded for us to get into the night before) because the buses were way off schedule.  So we went to a cool, artsy cafe/restaurant.  Still delicious.

Day 11:

First we went to the Deutsches Museum.  Kind of like the German version of the Smithsonian (smaller, because it's only one museum, but still very large).  Some things weren't in English, so we just kind of perused by.  Some real highlights were the boats, the planes, and the clocks.

 Next we went out of the city a bit to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  Dachau was created in 1933 for political prisoners but would later become the model for all other concentration camps under Hitler.  It's maximum capacity is 6,000 people, but when it was liberated by US troops in 1945, it was found with 32,000 people.  Of the 200,000 people who came to the camp over the 12 year period, over 43,000 of them died.

 

The front gate says "Work Brings Freedom" and the slogan written on the roof of the maintenance building read: "There is one path to freedom.  Its milestones are: Obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland."

Every day they held roll call and if one person was missing, everyone had to stand motionless until that person was found (death was more likely than an escape attempt).  Torture and work to the brink of death were a way of life and those who couldn't work were used for scientific experiments.  The food was barely enough to survive and had little to no nutritional value.  And on top of all of this, the camp was hit with a typhus epidemic.

A little out side of the main camp was the crematorium.  A gas chamber was built but never used for mass exterminations.  (Brausebad means shower in German).

 

Walking through Dachau is quite somber.  From the barracks, it's clear that there is no comfort and one can barely imagine what it would be like to live with no protection from neither the elements nor the guards.

Luckily it was a warm and sunny day and the museum exhibits, while they do stress the horrible injustices, were not horribly graphic.  After we came back to the city, we treated ourselves to a much appreciated rest before a great dinner at the crowded restaurant that we had tried to get into for two days.

Day 12:

Castle day!  It was nice to end the trip on such a cheery day trip (not that Dachau wasn't important, but clearly it's not the most uplifting place).  We went to Neuschwanstein, the castle built by "Mad" King Ludwig (note: Ludwig is German for Louis).  He was "Mad" because he was obsessed with the Middle Ages and built tons of story book castles.  He died under "Mysterious Circumstances" ... ie found dead with his psychiatrist next to a lake.

But the Castle and the woods around it are so beautiful (and just made me realize how much I'm going to miss working at camp this summer)!  You hike up a mountain and get rewarded with amazing views of the castle and the valley below.

 

Inside, photos aren't allowed, but I did my best anyway.  Thing is, it isn't an especially pretty castle.  In fact, because it's Faux Middle Age style done in the 19th century, it all looks kind of phoney.

 

We decided to call it an early night because we each had super early travel arrangements the next day.  I had 12 hours of train trips... Munich to Paris and Paris to Montpellier.  But, for half the ride to Paris, there was the cutest pug next to me!  What a great way to end the trip :)

 

Overall, Lez and I really enjoyed our travels.  It was really great to see her (it's so hard to see her much during the year anyway when she's in NY and I'm in PA) and we had a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for... good byes.

For more pics, click on the bejeweled skull:

Berlin in Three Important Lessons

Quick note on Prague - I forgot to mention that we saw 7 individual weddings on the first day.  SEVEN brides!  Crazy!

Day 6:

Tuesday was a little dull.  We took a fairly looong train from Prague to Berlin.  We arrived and checked into our hostel (Lette'm Sleep).  Nice, clean, basic.  Then we went to the Jewish Museum.  The more abstract representations were really cool, but we were a little too tired (and hungry) to enjoy the historic exhibits.  After (finally) finding an place to eat (and consequently eating), we went out for a nice glass of wine.

Day 7:

The next day we started with a nice breakfast in our room.  We found a nice grocery store for some croissants, cheese, jam, juice, etc.

Then we made our way to the Bauhaus design museum.  And despite the fact that the sing was huge and brightly colored, we still managed to walk right past it.  It was also at this point that we learned lesson number 1: distances are long in Berlin.  Walking a metro stop or not taking a bus is a very bad idea.

Lez loved the Bauhaus museum.  The Bauhaus was a design school that emphasized funtion and design over tradition.  For instance, the desk lamp with the cup-shaped metal (or now plastic) lamp shade?  Bauhaus.  Those chairs that don't really have legs, but more of a square loop of metal pipe (here for example)?  Bauhaus. 

Next we realized that not only is Berlin big, it's also quite cold. (lesson #2).  We walked (and bussed) along to the Brandenburger Tor.  It was too cold to really wander around and enjoy the Pariser Platz so we moved on to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  What is especially interesting is that the designers drew inspiration from cemetery we had just seen in Prague (click here to compare).

Then we moved onto the first museum district of Berlin (Berlin is so big that it practically has two museum districts).  We started by passing by some historic buildings: Humbolt University, St. Hedwig's Church (or "The Upside-down Tea Cup"), the Neue Wache (an old guard house transformed into a national memorial), and the Opera house.

Finally we went into the Pergamonmuseum, which houses some really amazing ruins.  The main Pergamon Alter depicts Gods fighting the Giants.

Next we went to the German History Museum (no photos, sorry).  If I had a full day, I could have spent it here.  They literally track history starting from the wandering Germanic tribes all the way through to 1994.  It's cool because they explore history through the artifacts.  Some things that they fail to highlight but do exist in the museum include: the Gutenberg Bible, a painting by Bosh, Napoleon's hat and sword from Waterloo, The Triumph of the Will, and some parts of the Berlin Wall.  Yeah, really awesome!

Then we went to the Berliner Dom and climbed out to the top of the big dome.  Rewarding views of the city!

At this point we learned lesson #3: There are no ATMs ANYWHERE in Berlin.  We searched for forever and ended up having to ask three people before we could find one.

Our evening plan WAS as followed: Dinner near the Reichstag (because, wouldn't you know it but all there aren't many restaurants near the historic sights because NOTHING is near anything because Berlin is so big) and then a tour of the Reichstag.  Well, part one worked wonderfully.  We had a really great meal at a place called Café No!  Lovely meal, good prices, wonderful atmosphere... perfect.

Unfortunately when we got to the Reichstag, we were turned away because apparently they changed their policy in November (so recent that none of the guidebooks have been updated yet): Now you need to make an appointment to get in THREE DAYS in advance so that they can do a background check on you.  Yeah.  So we didn't get to go in, only take a few pics from the outside.

Day 8:

This day was a little sunnier so a little bit warmer (as long as the sun stayed out).  We started at the Deutscher Dom.  This used to be a cathedral, but when it was bombed flat in the war, it was rebuilt and turned into a museum about the evolution of German Government.  Kind of interesting, but a little dry because it's all in German, so the best you can do is the English Audio Guide (makes skimming a little difficult).

I did find this picture especially interesting.  It's a map of Europe depicting the reactions to the revolutions in the late 1840's.  England basically ignores her starving, France has sent all it's rebels elsewhere and is telling Germany to do the same, Germany is kicking out the rebels (many of whom go into hiding in Switzerland), Hungary isn't doing so well, and then there's this silly guy dancing in Denmark.



Next we went to Check Point Charlie, a museum at the old Berlin Wall gate.  Inside were some really cool stories of escapes (like the man who built his own hot air balloon, or the woman who was snuck out between two hollowed out surf boards on the top of a car).

After lunch, we went to the OTHER museumy part of town.  I was a little museumed out, so we spun through the Gemaldegamerie and the New National Gallery (not to be confused with the Old National Gallery, the New Museum, or the Old Museum... really, Germany?  You couldn't be a little more creative?).

Of course our bus took so long that we gave up and ended up walking (oy) to our metro to get to dinner.  I will say though, I did like the neighborhood our hostel was in.  Smaller, more people, more shops.  The problem with Berlin is that it's SO big and SO spread out that it feels empty!

Day 9:

This was mostly a travel day, but we did get to go into the New Museum and see Nefertiti's head and other Egyptian stuff.  That was kind of cool.

Stay tuned for... I feel like Munchen on some pretzels and beer (sorry for the terrible pun guys)

For more pictures, click on The Berlin Bear:

Prague: Blending the old, the nouveau, and the down-right bizarre!

Day 4:

After a good nights sleep, Lez and I were ready to take on Prague (well, after a really nice free breakfast at our hotel... yum!).  Prague is litterally something out of a fairy tale!  Beautiful buildings in pretty colors, tile roofs, etc.

We started at the Jewish Museum, which isn't one location, but six separate synagogs within a short distance of each other.

The first stop was the Pinkas Synagogue (no photos allowed inside).  What is so amazing about this synagogue is that there are 77,297 hand written names of Czech Jews who were sent to Nazi death camps written on the walls.  Actually there are 77,297 names RE written on the walls after the communists erased them.  Each name was probably about a half an inch tall and written in simple calligraphy with the first letter in red and the walls were completely covered in names.  Floor to ceiling covered.

Outside was the Old Jewish Cemetery.  It was the strangest, most interesting cemetery I've every been to because all the tomb stones were piled on top of each other.  It looked like a mouth that was badly in need of some braces and teeth pulling.  (Keep these photos in mind for my next post on Berlin).  Kind of eerie, but also really cool to look at.

Next was the Ceremonial Hall, which had a really interesting exhibit on Jewish medicine and funeral practices.  One thing that stood out to me was that, according to the museum, the rich and the poor were buried exactly the same.  There was no difference in dressing the body or other rituals.  Another fun fact was the reason why so many Jews became doctors: they didn't see medicine as interfering with God's plan, but rather illness as a sign from God that that person needed help.

After the Ceremonial Hall was the Old-New Synagogue.  To be honest, I was kind of "eh" about this one, but it was built in the 13th C, so that's kind of cool.  Fun fact: in the 13th C, only Christians could build buildings and they were really good at building four ribbed ceilings.  Only problem is that this makes a cross (not the best in a Jewish building).  So they tacked on a random rib.  It looks really awkward, but at least it's not a cross any more.

Then we went to the Maisel Synagogue, which contains the treasures of the destroyed Jewish communities of WWII.  Hitler planned on turning this into a museum: "Museum of the Extinct Jewish Race."  Next was the Spanish Synagogue, designed in the Moorish Style (don't believe me?  Compare pictures from Spain!)

We really wanted to make sure we got all of the Jewish museum done the first day because it would be closed the next day (Saturday).

Next, we went to the Old Town Square.  It's bustling with food vendors selling sausage, churches, and the really cool Astronomical Clock.  Not only did we get to see it ring (yes, see... it' a very elaborate CooCoo clock!), we also got to go up it and see the town square from above.  Oh, and did I mention that every hour a trumpet plays!

Then we saw the Powder Tower, the Municipal House, and the Mucha Museum.  Really cool to see the old, Gothic Prague of the Tower next to the Art Nouveau Prague of the Municipal House.  And the Mucha Museum was AMAZING!  I love his work... so romantic and whimsical.  And the swirly bits are just so cool!  We ended our touring at the Tyn Church, just off the Old Town Square.

That evening we saw a Black Light show.  The theater is completely pitch black.  I mean COMPLETELY dark.  And the performers (dancers/gymnists) are wearing body suits that are black in some places and neon in others, so under a black light all you see is the neon.  The effect is so cool and the way they use this illusion is really creative.  (Czech out the website here for an idea of what I'm talking about).

Day 5:

On the second day of Prague, we crossed to the other side of the Vltava River, going over the Charles Bridge.

We started at the Strahov Monastery and Library.  I LOVED the library (of course the English Major loves the library).
 

 Next we had lunch (ok... so maybe we had a bit of a late start this day) and had an amazing view of Prague. 

After lunch, we went to the Prague Castle.  The main highlights were the Old Royal Palace and the St. Vitus Cathedral.  The Cathedral was HUGE and really cool.  The stained glass was kind of modern looking and there was a window that Mucha designed (I recommend you click on the photo so you can zoom in to see the faces)!  I think Mucha's window the best stained glass I've ever seen.  The Royal Palace was cool too and Lez loved taking pictures of all the awesome ceilings.  Fun fact about the Royal Palace: the 30 years war started here at the Window of Defenestration.  In 1618, 3 men were thrown out of a window and survived!

We ended our day with the Communism museum.  It was very informative and easy to understand (except when the time line jumped around).  What I found really interesting was Communist Propaganda.  They said that they were good because they were against the Nazis from the beginning, unlike the other parties.  Also, they had their own witch hunt (like our McCarthy Trials), except their trials could end in a lot worse than just being black listed.

Overall, I really loved Prague.  It was so cute and a really interesting city.

Stay tuned for... Gorbachev, Tear Down That Wall!

For more pictures, click on Segway Batman: