Amsterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium

Amsterdam is all along
 the water, it's beautiful!

This weekend we had a birthday celebration for Miss Amy Kelly!  Our celebration consisted for heading to Amsterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium for the weekend.

We left Friday night for our first overnight train, which was quite the experience. The night was off to a rough start as our cab never showed up. We ended up piling in with another group, putting ten people into an eight-person cab- crammed to say the least! Since our cab came late, we missed our first train and had to catch a regional train at a different train station. THEN (yes, more transportation issues) our train stopped somewhere because we were stuck behind another train. We were freaking out because we were stuck on a train and didn’t think we’d make our transfer train in time. As soon as the train stopped, we SPRINTED to our next platform and found out that our train was 15 minutes delayed so we all let out a cry of relief and did a dorky group hug. Needless to say, we got a few stares. 

I'm definitely my mother's daughter:
I can sleep ANYWHERE!

After celebrating making it on time, it was time to “cuddle up” and sleep on the train. Luckily for me, I can sleep ANYWHERE (thanks for the skill, mom!) and sleep on every train we’ve ever gone on. This ride was even more comfortable as it was an overnight train equipped with little pods for everyone to sleep in. They also keep it dark and quiet (except for the old lady snoring in front of us). Luckily I'm used to people snoring (Dad during movies! haha)

Our names signed in the Guest
Book at the Anne Frank House.

We made it to Amsterdam around 9:45 and headed to the Anne Frank House. Our plan was to meet up with the beautiful Miss Kelsi Stevenson (who is studying abroad in Amsterdam) to see her and have her help us navigate the city. Unfortunately we were late getting to the Anne Frank house and then we had no way to communicate with each other, so we kept looking for each other with no success. Left to navigate our own way, we decided to start out with the tour of the Anne Frank House. It was such a cool tour and very moving to see real artifacts that have been preserved for so long.

Our next stop was the famous “I Amsterdam” sign. We stopped for a while and took pictures, despite the crazy weather. It was ridiculous! It would be sunny and warm one second, then dark and raining the next. Odd.

Me in the "I AMsterdam" sign

After eating lunch and doing a little shopping in Dam Square, we headed to the Red Light District. We were warned not to go at night, and boy am I glad we didn’t! The street was sketchy enough during the day!

We left Amsterdam around six, ready to go to Brussels. Unfortunately we got kicked off the train because our Eurails were not “activated”. Although this had never been a problem before, the man was very persistent and kept telling us that we had to get off the train and get them activated or he would charge us 50 euro each! Being the poor college kids we are, we chose to get off the train! Well it turns out the train station we got off at doesn’t activate them, so we had to take a bus to a different train station that would do it. After a few wrong busses, we got our tickets activated. The dumbest part about this whole thing was that the activation was a stamp that literally took a second to do. The lady at the train station even rolled her eyes when we told her and said that the man on the train took his job too seriously. By the time all was said and done we got to Brussels around 11 and had a few drinks at the hostel for Amy’s birthday. Probably not the way she wanted to celebrate, but we were waaaay to exhausted to go out!

Me on the bus tour of Brussels

After sleeping in a very odd hostel (with “mats” to sleep on) we decided to wake up early and see Brussels. And for us, of course, that meant another bus tour! Although the bus was cold and it was gloomy weather, it was still a good way to get around in the city. The one place we stopped was at the statue of the peeing boy in the town square. I guess the story behind the statue is that there was once a bomb in the middle of the town and a little boy walked by and peed on it, destroying the fuse and saving the town. They now have this funny little statue and dress it up on special occasions.

To end our day we sampled some Belgian chocolate and had Belgian waffles at a local restaurant. Our waffles were covered in vanilla and chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce, fruit and whipped cream! It was DELICIOUS and definitely a good way to end a long weekend!

This weekend we’re headed off to Berlin, which should be a good time! And even more exciting, I am OFFICIALLY caught up on all of my blog entries! As you’ve probably noticed, I did not post these as the weekends passed, but I decided half way through the summer to do it. It has been a long and exhausting project (I think I’m developing carpal tunnel) but I will be happy to have it in the future! J

Interesting things about Europe

One interesting thing I have noticed while in Europe is the fact that you have to pay to use the restroom in public areas. Actually, scratch that- it's not a restroom or a bathroom, it's a water closet (WC). Our first experience with the WC was on our way to Munich. Brittany & I to use the WC in the train station. At first we couldn't get it to work because it was broken. But go figure, we didn't know. Apparently there was a sign that said "out of order" but I guess that's what you get when you can't read German! After navigating our way to the other gate we each had to pay ,50 cent to get in the gate to go to the bathroom. Apparently they usually have people or cameras monitoring ot make sure you pay and don't try to cut in line without paying. I guess this is just part of experience that makes it fun! And it certainly was fun-ny, especially at 7 in the morning!

Another thing I have noticed while in Europe is that dogs go EVERYWHERE with people! The first time I noticed this was at the Frankfurt airport where people were just strolling through the terminals with dogs. At first I thought it was a little weird, but I just shook it off. Now I’ve been seeing them everywhere! In the streets, at the train station, etc! And most of the time the dogs are off their leash, but walk along their owners just fine- it’s kind of cool!

The last thing I've noticed about Europeans, and Germans in particular, is that they like to stare. A lot of times when we’re on the train we notice people staring. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re loud or if we’re speaking English, but it seems that everyone is always staring. Even when you pass people on the street, they stare at you. And unlike the US where you make eye contact with someone and they smile at you, Germans just stare. I guess that’s just part of the culture… Hmmm.

Christmas in July!

Last week we were told that us camp counselors had to attend a mandatory mid-summer meeting, or so we were told. It turns out that when we got to the meeting place, our directors had planned a big party for us called “Christmas in July”. The room was complete with Christmas lights, decorations and even a tree with presents under it! After eating a HUGE meal that was donated to us, we chatted briefly with some of the people running the centers and then we played a game.

The game was “Christmas Song Remix” where each group was given a Christmas song to “remix”. My group got Jingle Bells and this is what we came up with:

(Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells- obviously)

“Running down the halls,

Stop come back and walk.

Positive redirection,

Let’s sit down and talk.

Throwing snack on the ground,

that means you’re all done.

It’s not what we expected,

but we’re having fun! Hey!

Jingle Bells, our uniform smells,

But we’re here anyway.

A kid threw up and lost his shoe,

and another got away- HEY!

Jingle bells, our uniform smells,

But we’re here anyway.

Oh what fun it is to run

on the playground everyday!”

Not so bad for only having five minutes! After performing our songs to the rest of the group, the directors judged us “American Idol Style”. Our group took a close second to “Aaron the Camp A Counselor” sung to “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.

Our Apartment 

After we were finished singing our hearts out, we found out that the packages under the tree were from us! When we were told earlier this summer to provide “emergency contact information” it turns out they used it to contact our parents to send us gifts! I got a present from my mom & dad and from my sister & BJ! It was such a nice surprise and getting stuff from home definitely put a smile on my face, so thank you!! J Amy and I were also surprised to see that we were the only ones who got gifts from our center! It was so nice of them to think of us and make it such a special night!

This was such a perfect ending to a tough and tiring week of camp, so thank you to all of our directors! This was such a fun idea and definitely boosted our group’s morale! 

Salzburg, Austria: Where the hills are alive with The Sound of Music

This weekend I accomplished yet another life goal: going to Salzburg, Austria for The Sound of Music Tour! It was an amazing weekend and definitely something I will never forget!

Friday night after camp we quickly packed and headed to the Macaroni Grill on base for dinner! Brittany, Joan, Amy and I went and it was a nice way to relax and catch up after a long week of camp! Then Saturday morning we left bright and early and got to Salzburg around noon.

On the train we ended up sitting by four other Camp A girls who were living and working at a different base and who were also traveling to Salzburg.  They, however, are doing a fifteen-week camp, and have already been in Germany for TEN weeks.  As fun as that would be, I’m glad I’m only here for ten.  Upon arrival, we checked into the hostel, which was surprisingly nice and very close to the meeting spot for the tour.

All of us Camp A girls
 on the Sound of Music Tour

If you don’t like the Sound of Music or have never seen it, I would stop here, as the rest of my blog will be filled with information and sights from the movie! Ok… now that I have my true Sound of Music fans reading, I will continue! The tour itself was four hours long and was worth every euro spent! They take you around Salzburg in a giant tour bus and give facts about the city and the movie along the way. They even played music from the movie, but more of that later!

Our first stop of the tour was the Salzach Lake where Maria and the children fall out of the canoe. We got to see Leopold’s Crown Palace, which is what they used to shoot all of the balcony/lake scenes from. An interesting fact about this is that they shot all of the terrace/patio scenes facing the house at one location, and all of the ones facing the lake at this location. Then, they just edited them together- cool, huh?

I also learned a lot about the real Von Trapp family. For instance, the way they got famous is quite different than the movie. In reality, the captain had invested all of his family’s money into a friend’s bank, that eventually crashed. When this happened the family went bankrupt and resorted to renting out rooms in their house for money. In one instance they had an opera singer staying upstairs who thought their singing (that was done for fun) was really good and that they should go professional. And the rest, they say, is history.

On the way to our second stop we drove past Nonnberg Abbey the Abbey where Maria is from, and also the location where she gets off the bus and sings, “I Have Confidence” (my favorite song!). Then we arrived at our second stop, the world famous Gazebo. Apparently you used to be able to go into the gazebo until an 80-year-old lady got a little too excited about dancing and broke through the glass… Bummer. This gazebo was actually just used as a background and in the song, “Something Good”, but the dancing for “16 going on 17” was filmed in a different gazebo made larger for the dance.
The entire time we were at the gazebo I kept thinking of my dad as “16 going on 17” was “our song”. I kept thinking of all of the times I used to make him dance with me or hold my hand as I leapt around pretending to be Leisel. Thanks for the memories dad, you’re the best! J I even took a picture pretending my dad was there as he would have loved it! Miss you dad!

Pretending my Dad was with me!

Doing the "Weeee" like in the movie

After driving around the city and seeing different scenes for the introduction of the film, it was time for a scenic view of Salzburg. Although it was not the mountain Joan and I were expecting (we wanted to run up the hills and sing “The Hills are Alive”) the view was still breathtaking! The water was bright blue and the whole town was surrounded by mountains- a place I’ll never forget!

Our fourth stop of the day was a longer break where we had time to view the church in Mondsee where they filmed the wedding in the movie. In reality, Maria and the Captain got married in Maria’s Abbey, but they used this church in the movie for some reason. During our break we had time to see the church, shop, and have some Apple Strudel (some of my favorite things).

Outside the Church

Inside the Church

Apple Strudel!

After our break we re-boarded the bus for a long ride including a short video and a quick sing along session! They played a lot of the songs from the movie as we drove around and encouraged the bus to sing along! Joan and I definitely didn’t hold back and let the bus hear our own rendition of many songs! I think the older gentleman across the aisle was glad we did as he started joining in. He knew all of the words to all of the songs, but his wife chose not to sing along. It reminded me of how my parents would be if they were on the tour as my dad LOVES the movie and my mom likes it, but not as much as we do! As she says, “I like it once a year, not once a week!” haha.

Joan & I were definitely 2 of the
most excited people on the bus!

Our final stop on the tour was the Mirabell Gardens where several scenes from “Do-Re-Mi” are shot. We walked around the fountains, the steps, and the ivy-covered archways trying to re-enact the movie and got a lot of funny pictures out of it.

Once the tour was over we were ready to re-fuel with some dinner. We stopped at a small Italian restaurant in Salzburg where they make three dishes everyday and those are your only choices. The workers barely spoke English so it was another struggle to communicate- always entertaining. We decided to end our night with a few drinks back at the hostel and then it was time for bed!

Sunday was my only disappointment of the trip so far. Our plan was to wake up early and to go Eagle’s Nest which was built as a place for Hitler to vacation and work from. It is on the top of one of the Swiss Alps and is supposed to have an amazing view. However, they never mention how long it takes to get up there so we only got about half way up by the time we had to turn around and catch our train. Oh well- if this is the only disappointment so far, I’ll take it! Especially since I got over it pretty quickly!

A view on our way to Eagle's Nest

Well this blog post has definitely been LONG ENOUGH! So I’ll call it quits! Tschuss! (a.k.a See ya! in German)

A Day Trip to Trier, Germany

As our weekend plans for Switzerland fell through, we decided to do a day trip to Trier, Germany and spend the rest of the weekend hanging out in the apartment. Friday night we hung out in the apartment and made breakfast for dinner! We had a feast of pancakes and home made fried potatoes! Yumm! It was a nice way to hangout with friends and relax after a long day of work!

Trier, Germany

Saturday we left on the 10am train for Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany. When we got there we found the tourist building and made plans to do yet another hop on, hop off tour. These have become our “go to” way of seeing the city as they are usually pretty cheap and provide you with a good view of the city you are visiting.

Before embarking on our tour for the day we stopped at the local Biergarten for lunch. I got a cup of French Onion soup and a beer, which reminded me of a lunch my mom would love! It turns out that ordering a beer at a restaurant is a lot cheaper than ordering a pop or water as another girl got that and mine was cheaper. Another thing that is interesting about German dining is the fact that when you pay, they do your change right in front of you as soon as you hand it to them. It’s actually pretty nice!

Brittany and I at the Biergarten

After fueling our bodies for sightseeing, it was time to hop on the bus! A lot of the city is old Roman ruins like Roman baths and Colosseums where they used to battle each other and animals. The tour said that if you stand in the middle of the collosseum and light a match, the sound can be heard all around the arena! It was cool to see but there wasn’t a lot of time to “hop off” so we just rode around and took pictures. 

Looking like true tourists!

Since Saturday proved to be such beautiful weather we took advantage of it and walked through town. The town square is filled with lots of people, lots of shops, and lots of ice cream! There was seriously an ice cream store every 2 buildings (Leah- you would've been in heaven!). So we decided to do just that: walk around, shop, and eat ice cream! To top off the perfect weekend we grabbed some beer for the train ride home! What a day!

Sunday we hung out on base and my roommate Joan & I went to get coffee. The walk was a good workout, a good time to chat & I even ended up getting a little tan! It was the perfect way to end a great and relaxing weekend!

Reminders of Home

While I was in Paris I saw a couple of things that reminded me of my family! Hopefully you’re all reading this and know that I’m always thinking of you!

Mom- I saw this shop called ‘Cycles Jean’ it was a motorcycle shop so I’m not sure if you would ever own this, but still!

Dad- A guy on the tour bus was wearing a gopher colored hat & a t-shirt that says “Old Guys Rule” not that you’re an old guy, but it reminded me of something you’d say to a “butt-head” like me! :)

Leah & Beej- There are a lot of people who play instruments on the Metros to try and earn some money… Maybe you guys can try it next time you’re on the light rail? Also, a lot of bachelor/bachelorette parties here consist of walking around trains or cities and trying to get people on the street to buy things from you to earn money for your wedding/honeymoon—why didn’t you guys do this?!

Anyways, I just wanted you to all know that I miss you tons & am always thinking of you guys!! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Paris & the 4th of July

This weekend one of my life goals was accomplished: I got to go to PARIS! It was amazing! Since this weekend was the 4^th of July everyone on base had Monday off of work, including us! We all thought this meant a 3-day weekend so we planned on going to Paris. Unfortunately, we were wrong. It turns out that on Saturday there was a 4^th of July celebration on base that we were volunteered to work at…

Saturday: After getting a chance to sleep in (which is heavenly after a week of working with 1 year olds) it was time to work at the celebration on base! It reminded me of a typical celebration you would find back in the states with lots of fried food, carnival games, and live entertainment.  At the celebration I was signed up to work at the face-painting tent, which was HUGE! We worked from 5:30-10:30 and there was a never-ending line of children wanting to get their faces painted. Most were easy things to draw- butterflies or 4^th of July colored stars, or the flag- but a few things were not. One child asked me if I would draw a Chinese lake & sword…. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I gave it my best... I don’t know if he was impressed, but that’s what you get for having a difficult request!

Once we were done with face painting it was time for FIREWORKS! I was really looking forward to them because I didn’t get to see them last summer and man, these fireworks did not disappoint! I can say hands down that this was the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen! The entire show was like a normal show’s finale with non-stop fireworks! After watching the beautiful fireworks, we headed back to the place where we thought we were all getting picked up… Unfortunately we missed the memo that if you stayed for fireworks, you were responsible for your own transportation home. Oops! After waiting in line for the free shuttle for about an hour- we decided to call a director from one of the centers. Her and her friend were so sweet- they drove out to get us and take us home even though it was midnight! To make it up to her we decided to buy her some brownies and make her a card. Seems like an even trade, right?

Sunday: After a VERY short night of sleep, we woke up Sunday morning ready to hop on the train and head to Paris! Apparently we weren’t the only Camp A counselors were heading to Paris- there ended up being about 15 of us on the same train! The train left at 6:05 and after a long ride, we finally got to Paris at 1:45! The reason our ride was so long is because by the time we went to make a reservation for the non-stop train, it was completely full. I guess we learned our lesson for next time!

By the time we made it to Paris we were all ready to go out and explore! As soon as we left the train station we were greeted by beautiful old buildings and a gorgeous sunny day- what a way to start the weekend! After wandering around the streets of Paris for a while decided to call it quits and get a cab to our hotel. By the way, I learned in Paris that hotel is French for “large house”- you learn something new everyday! Our hotel was a ways out of the city, but later that weekend we found out that a metro would take us right there!

Our “home” for the weekend would be Hotel Cheap Beds. Leave it to me to book this place… It actually ended up being a pleasant experience! When we booked a 3-person room we expected 3 beds (as I assume anyone else would as well), when in reality that is not what we got. Our room ended up being a queen bed on the bottom, with a lofted single bed over it. Not your typical room, but it worked!

After getting settled into our new “home” we ventured into the city! Our first stop was McDonalds for some coffee and pop. I ordered a medium drink and to my surprise, a medium drink there is a child-size in the U.S. No wonder we struggle with obesity problems! After a long walk trying to find the train station (and someone who spoke English) we found our way to the Metro! It was only about a 5-minute train ride so definitely worth staying out of the city and saving a little money.

Our sweet ride

Just enjoying the audio tour

After a venture into the city we decided to look for maps & tours that we could take around the city. Well, we must’ve looked like total tourists or like people who really needed help because a lady stopped and offered us tour tickets. They were for the local “hop on, hop off” tours that take you all around the city on a double-decker bus. Her tickets were good for all day Sunday and Monday for the bus tours and the boat tours! She had originally paid 44 euro for each ticket, but gave them to us for 10! How lucky were we?! She was even kind enough to walk us to where the bus picks you up and to explain the whole system to us. It turns out you could stand at any of their signs around the city, and they would stop to pick you up! It was a GREAT way to see the city and I would highly suggest it to anyone traveling to Paris, as there is so much to see! The bus even had a little place for you to plug in earphones and they would explain the history of the buildings as you drove by! It was awesome!

Joan, Kayla & I outside of the Louvre

After riding the bus for a while we decided to get off at the Louvre where we heard admission was free for the day! Unfortunately we missed the memo that the museum was closed, but it was still fun to walk around and see such a famous sight! I was amazed at how big the museum was, it’s no surprise that people said you could go into the museum and spend a whole weekend there! After looking like total tourists (snapping picture after picture) we decided to mosey on our way! By this time the open-air bus tours had stopped for the night so we decided to “try out our sea legs”. By this, I mean we decided to do a boat tour as the Seine river is right behind the Louvre. Before boarding the boat we stopped at a local café for a bottle of French wine! The three of us split a Chardonnay and it was amazing! You can definitely taste the difference between real French wine and the stuff I (slash my parents- thanks mom & dad!) get at home from Trader Joe’s! haha

After experiencing our first of French wine, we boarded the boat to the Eiffel Tower. The ride along the river was so beautiful as we went as the sun was setting—how romantic! Speaking of romance, as we passed under one of the bridges we noticed it had locks on it. It turns out couples come to this bridge, put a lock on it & throw the key into the river signifying that they’ll be together forever. As luck would have it, right when we drove by we looked up and saw a couple getting engaged! Needless to say, us three girls let out an immediate "awww"

With our luck we got to the Eiffel tower at the perfect time, as we were able to see if while it was light out, and also at night when it is lit up. The Eiffel Tower is truly breathtaking and definitely a sight to see! It’s also definitely a tourist trap as there are venders walking around trying to sell miniature statues of the Eiffel Tower & also key chains. Truth be told, I was one of the sucker tourists and bought a few. Hey- you’re only in Paris once!

After getting roped into buying unnecessary souvenirs, we decided to venture to the Arc De Triomphe and Moulin Rouge. Both being excellent sights to see, especially at night! The Arc de Triomphe is surrounded by a giant roundabout so in order to get to it you have to go through an underground tunnel that was filled with history about the structure. Once under the Arc de Triomphe we saw the tomb of an unknown soldier honoring all that died during World War I. At the top of the tomb they have an eternal flame that is lit each night by a different veterans group. It was very moving and cool to see.
By the time we had done all of this it was time for us to venture back to the lovely Hotel Cheap Beds to prepare for another day!

Notre Dame

 Monday: As you probably know, Monday was the 4^th of July. But in Paris, that means nothing so it was off to another day of sight seeing! After getting lost for over an hour we met up with Brittany at the train station. We decided to jump back on the bus and head on our way to see more of the city!

Our first stop on the tour was STARBUCKS! Not exactly a cool Paris monument but was our first Starbucks since back in the states so it was much needed! After getting our caffeine fix we hopped back on the bus and continued our tour. When we drove by the Notre Dame, Brittany and I decided to get off and head to the top for the view! We only had to wait for about an hour for the tour and had some entertainment in line as this guy walked around in a mask scaring people. After waiting for only about an hour it was time to climb up to the top! Earlier in the day we found out that the lockers at the train station were broken so we had to climb up all of the steps with our bags. The walk up was quite the workout, but the view from the top was totally worth it. 

Crazy Notre Dame stairs

Trying to navigate the
small areas of Notre Dame
with my GIANT Vera 

Once at the top they let you climb inside the bell tower where Quasi Modo once lived! (haha) We kept joking that no wonder he was a hunchback because all of the doorways are tiny and we kept having to duck into them with our bags on our backs. By the time we were done with the view it was time to head back down and get back on the bus! Our plan was to take the bus back to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, but unfortunately we ran out of time and had to head to back to the train station. Luckily we got to the train station just in time to shop a little before we left! Brittany and I bought matching rings to forever remember our weekend in Paris! Overall it was a GREAT weekend and definitely one I will always remember! J 

The rings Brittany & I bought!

 Brittany & I in the bell tower

Camp!

As I am working on my blog I realize that I talk a lot about traveling, and not enough about camp. As camp is the reason I’m here, I’m going to try and include some random stories as I go. For this first entry, I’ll just talk about the center. As I said earlier, I am working on Vogelweh Army base in the CDC (Child Development Center). In the CDC we provide care for infants through two year olds. Right now there are only two year olds as the “intermediate care center” is under repair.

Every morning we get picked up in front of our apartment at 7:45 in a 15-passenger van. We ride with counselors that commute to Vogelweh Army Base and Kapaun Air Force Base. We’re all usually pretty quiet in the morning so our 15-25 minute commute goes by fast with reading and listening to iPods. The ride home, however, is a different story. Everyone is hyper from playing with the kids and everyone tries to tell their stories so it gets pretty loud!! In addition, the back of the bus is a ride no one could forget! The van exaggerates every slight bump so you are flying all over the place. It’s sure to give anyone motion sickness! Not exactly my cup of tea after an 8 hour work day!

The Vogelweh CDC itself is basically an ‘L’ shape consisting of two hallways with rooms labeled ‘A’ through ‘I’. Rooms A through D hold 1 year olds, room E holds two year olds, and rooms F-I hold infants. Since I’ve been in the center I’ve worked in various rooms, but mainly in room B with my one year olds. They are so adorable and totally have me wrapped around their little fingers!

My favorite part about the CDC is their philosophy and planning. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never worked with this age before, or if it’s because this is an Army center, but there is so much planning that goes on! Every activity they do in the room ties in with the children’s cognitive and physical development. They need to take observations on all of the children stating what they have noticed and what the kids need to work on. Then, the teachers need to plan activities that correlate to each child’s need.

In addition, everything in the center is preparing children to be self-sufficient. All of the toys are at the children’s level so they are the ones to take them out and put them back. When we eat meals or snack, we eat “family style” where the children are encouraged to serve themselves and eat in a style that encourages socializing. Then, the children dump and clean their own plates. It’s fantastic! The other thing I love about the center is their use of sign language. They encourage children to use baby sign to communicate things like “more” “drink” and “all done”. This way the children can communicate clearly without getting misunderstood and getting frustrated.

Overall, I’m really enjoying our work at the center! I’ll keep putting camp updates in my blog with updates on children and activities! Stay tuned!

Munich

Our second weekend here we decided to go to Munich, Germany. Or, as the German’s would say, Munchen.  It took us about 7 hours of train rides to get there, so we got to Munich around 3! We immediately checked into our hostel (Jaeger hostel) and were ready to explore the city! My first hostel experience was a lot better than I was expecting! One of the most interesting things about our hostel was the fact that you got a “free welcome drink” which ended up being a shot, obviously this hostel is made for college kids! The vending machine in the lobby even had beer as an option. We thought this was super random, but fun so we had to try it out & I must say, it wasn’t half bad! The room itself had 2 bunk beds, our own bathroom and 4 lockers for our stuff. I stayed with two girls I knew from camp and one random girl who was traveling by herself. She was from Australia and had spent the last 2 months traveling Europe by herself! I couldn’t imagine doing this all on my own! What a brave girl!

      

Jaeger's Hostel

Our room in our hostel

After meeting our new roommate, we were ready to hit the town! We found a lot of shopping and a massive glockenspiel. We stopped for a while to watch it and it made me think of my parents who would have loved it! Apparently the area it is in is called the Marienplatz and used to be an old town hall, Marain Column.

After watching the glockenspiel and wondering about town, we made it to the Hofbrâuhaus House for dinner. It is a famous beer hall and apparently a former royal brewery of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Complete with long benches, men in lederhosen, a polka band, and giant mugs of beer, it was a very fun experience!! I got yet another meal of sausage and sauerkraut! I just can’t get enough!! Once we had finished the meal we continued walking in town to the Oktoberfest Museum. It was probably the most random & odd museum I had ever been too! It was on the top of a restaurant and was so tiny! Brittany and I (the tall girls) could barely fit through the doorways! But we had a lot of fun messing around and finding amusing things in the museum!

The Hofbrauhaus

Another German dinner: Beer, Bratwurst & Saurkraut

The "tall girls" couldn't even fit through the doors

Playing with the Beer taps in the museum

One of the most interesting things we saw in Munich were the bachelor/bachelorette parties! A tradition in Germany seems to be that the group of people celebrating dress up in matching outfits/t-shirts. They walk around and attempt to collect money for their wedding/honeymoon by selling nick-nacks or giving out drinks. Throughout the night we saw sixteen different groups- it was entertaining to say the least!

One of the many Bachelor parties trying to sell us stuff

On Sunday we got up early and went to Dachau Concentration Camp. It was one of the most unbelievably moving things I have ever done. It is so spooky walking around and thinking of this giant area being filled with people. It is so hard to wrap your head around. There was so much history in the museums and so many different stories to read, I was sad that we had to rush through it to make it home in time. This is one thing I think everyone should do at some point in their lives.

A memorial statue in the camp

The gate to the concentration camp with the words "work will set you free"

After a long weekend we were ready to get home! Unfortunately one of our trains was super packed and we had to stand/sit on the floor for the entire hour and half trip. It was brutal as it was really hot and really stinky! Us being the camp counselors we are sang camp songs and played games the entire ride, which really made the time fly by! We finally got back to the apartment around 10 and got ourselves ready for yet another week of camp!