The Walloseum

May 28, 2011

Today we visited the Walloseum. It was so fun seeing the aquariums full of interesting fish, including my favorite, the Seezung, found only in the North Sea. Also, the whale skeleton was absolutely amazing, and it is hard to imagine an animal so big. Additionally, it was so interesting to find that whales actually exhale before submerging in water and that they can hold their breath for up to two hours.

Norderney

May 27, 2011

Today we arrived in Norderney, and it is much colder than I had imagined. I was a little scared to go outside in shorts, especially since I knew we would be getting into water, but I knew it would be necessary, and most practical, for the Wattwanderung. Even though towards the end of the mud walk my skin was numb from the cold, it was still interesting learning about the mud worms, seeing the shed of the small crabs, looking at oysters, and understanding how fast the tide comes in (and how dangerous it makes the area).

After dinner, it was also nice to walk on the beach. Though it was super cold, I am glad we did it, and I was able to collect shells, take a lot of pictures, and have fun with friends.

Finding our hotel in Berlin

May 21, 2011

Diana and I got lost today trying to find our hotel in Berlin. We thought it would be a simple place to find because it is located right next to the tram station, but we accidentally read the map wrong and ended up getting turned around. To ask for directions, we went into several different hotels; the first one told us to take three lefts and that we would then be there (she made it seem very close-by), but, somehow, we got even more lost following these directions. Finally, after walking around lost for 45 minutes, we found another hotel, asked for help again, and we were finally able to walk in the right direction. After a couple minutes, we were even able to see our hotel's sign, which was a relief, and, after that adventure, and after checking into the hotel, we took a long break before going to the TV Tower. Had it not been for several nice patrons at the Wittenburgplatz train station however, I am convinced it would have taken us even longer to find our hotel.

Badersleben

May 26, 2011

Today we went to Badersleben to see the instrument museum and water mill. The owners were so eager to show/explain everything as well as so gracious and giving. I was extremely impressed with the innovations Mr. Kuchenmeister created for his practice during the trying times of communist rule, and it was easy to see from the old pictures that they both worked very hard to repair the water mill, which was so exciting to see.

On our bus ride back to Hannover, I was also able to see an old East German guard tower. It was interesting to see since I had not ever really thought about the separation between East/West Germany outside of Berlin, and it made me realize the intense isolation East Germany was forced to endure for so long.

Getting Lost in Hannover.......

May 24, 2011

So I got lost today on my way back to my host student's flat. I was supposed to take the Nordhafen tram but instead got on the Messe/Ost. I wound up getting off at Feldbuschwende, called Henni (my host student) who did not even know the tram stop until I texted it to her. Once she found where I was on the tram map, however, she was able to tell me which tram to get back on, which was easy since there was only one choice in the opposite way, and I quickly found the right stop, Freundallee, with which Henni was waiting for me with Piatja, her sweet dog.

A busy day

May 20, 2011

Yesterday was such a busy day! We went to the research institute, two zoos, and had a bike tour of Berlin. I was exhausted at the end of our dinner, but, at the same time, I am grateful to have been able to have seen so much.

While at the Berlin zoo, I found it interesting to learn that King Pinguins have little need for an immune system because their environment is so cold, and, because of this, the zoo must take extra precautions to ensure that their habitat at the zoo is stable. I was also suprised to learn that many of their animals are trained to better enable the zoo veterinarians to care for them. Before learning this, I had always assumed animals at any zoo were "wild" and thus needed sedation to be examined.

Although the bike tour of Berlin was exhausting, and very scary at times, I thought it was exciting to see so many important historical sites in such a short amount of time, including Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, part of the Berlin Wall still in place, and the governmental building. I was also so grateful for Lena who helped me with biking throughout the tour.

As this first week ends, I find it hard to believe a week has passed, and I feel I have learned/seen/done more than I had imagined I would. One important piece of information worth noting is that wild bees are actually solitary and thus do not pose a risk for outdoor organic bee farms (which I learned from the organic farm).

First Eurail Tram.......

May 18, 2011

Today we went on our first Eurail train. It was a fun experience; I enjoyed watching the scenery from the tram, including the forests, farmland, and various styles of buildings from each city on every stop. The train was cleaner and more comfortable than I had imagined, and I had fun sitting next to Jenny and Bucket.

Yesterday, we had our rooftop tour of the Cologne Cathedral. It was an amazing experience, and I made sure to take a lot of pictures. I will admit that I was very scared in several places of the tour (especially the stairwell descent in the end), but I am very grateful for several new friends who helped me through it.