When in Berlin Week 1: We're Actually in Heidelberg

Welcome to my first weekly blog post from Germany, which I've titled When in Berlin because I did my first load of laundry today and had a little trouble finding the laundromat. As I was struggling to carry a laundry bag and an umbrella at the same time, I had to look for paths that could lead to the Kaufland grocery store near the laundromat. I was on the lookout for areas where people were walking and walked that way, even if it meant walking in the street. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and when in Berlin, walk in the street as long as there are no cars around. Without further ado, here is how my first week in Germany went.

June 2 and 3

I've decided to lump these into one day because you know how international flights are. Once we arrived at the airport, we met up with Jake and Hugh, two other students with the program. Our parents kissed us goodbye, and we made our way to the gate, where we met up with Edward, Slaten, and Matt. The flight arrived and departed on time. I didn't think I'd be using the little in-flight screens on the back of the seats, but then I saw the name Encanto. I had been wanting to see it ever since I heard "We Don't Talk About Bruno" at Miscast, and this would be the perfect time! Long story short, 10/10 would recommend. I went to sleep after dinner, or the closest you can get to sleep on an international flight with economy-class legroom.

I woke up to find that the crew had served breakfast while I was asleep, and I didn't get any until a few minutes later when one of the flight attendants returned to me with one. I ate a granola bar and a fruit cup. A fruit cup that was 75% pineapple. Quick note on pineapple: the first bite is a punch to the face, but you get used to it. The flight to Frankfurt landed, and I found that our connecting flight to Berlin had changed gates. We waited at the gate. And waited. And waited. We didn't get on until a while later, but the flight was never officially delayed. We landed in Berlin and grabbed our baggage to find that the first shuttle to the hotel was delayed because so many other people's flights were delayed that they wouldn't be able to catch a 10:55 shuttle. We had some time to get settled in our rooms. They're really pretty, but they fold the sheets in the weirdest way, and you have to put your room card in a slot in the wall to activate the lights. At 4:45, we walked to the IES center were we had our orientation. I might have nodded off, but who can blame me? I was jet-lagged. Then we went to dinner at a German restaurant. I had a roast chicken breast and spaetzle with dried tomatoes and arugula. It was while we were at dinner that more people joined us, including my roommate, Gabriella. After dinner, we went back to the hotel, and I finally got some sleep.

June 4

Since I started taking pictures on this day, I'm going to use fewer words and more pictures. The first event of the day was a morning walk around the local area. We got to see the nearby grocery stores and laundromat (the one I forgot the directions to) as well as Museum Island and this really nice building I got a picture of. I've already forgotten what it is. Is it a cathedral? An opera house? A museum? The world may never know.

We also went on a walking tour of Berlin in the afternoon. A three-hour tour of Berlin. Basically, I did a lot of walking that day, and my feet were tired.

June 5

Today was the day that we were going to leave Berlin and head for Heidelberg. We were supposed to be in the lobby at 7:15. My plan was to wake up early and pack in the morning. That plan went out the window when I woke up and heard Gabriella say, "Uh, Daphne, it's 6:48." I sprang out of bed, rushed to microwave some oatmeal, did all my packing in the span of 30 minutes, forgot my umbrella, and arrived at the lobby at 7:25. Luckily, we were still able to make our 8:30 train to Heidelberg.

We arrived in Heidelberg at 1:30 to find that some of the hotel rooms weren't ready, including mine. We decided to explore the old town, and a few of us got linner at a small Asian restaurant. Then dinner was moved from 7:15 to 5:45. We ate at a German brewery. The meal of the night was chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce for the entree and ice cream with strawberries for dessert.

On the way back, I got this picture of Heidelberg Castle.

June 6

We spent the morning at Heidelberg Castle, pictured above. It was super pretty and full of history, but the most photo-worthy part was the cellar, which contained the world's largest barrel of wine!

We also had a walking tour of Heidelberg scheduled for the afternoon, but then it started raining, and I had forgotten my umbrella. Luckily, there was a gift shop nearby.

I bought a spare umbrella. The tour went ahead after the rain went away.

June 7

The day started with a walk down Philosopher's Way. The walk started with a trek up the 10-minute super-steep path. I was already spent wen I got to the top. The Philosopher's Way was the walk down.

For lunch that day, we went to a famous brewery that brews beer on-site. The food was delicious! Here it is:

That afternoon, we stopped by the Student Prison, where students from the University of Heidelberg would go if they had been partying too hard. Hugh said that it looked better than Thomas.

June 8

After three days in Heidelberg, it was time for us to go back. Mom asked for a picture of the inside of the train, so here you go:

Our train was behind a train that was delayed, so ours was delayed more and more until we arrived in Berlin an hour late. Aiden found a pizza place that some of us could go to for dinner, but the pizza was six euros a slice, and the pictures on Apple Maps were ten years old. Luckily, there was another pizza place across the street were the pizza was six euros for the whole pie.

June 9

We started our first full day back in Berlin with a bus tour. We got to see the German Parliament building, the World War II memorial that the Soviets had built after taking Berlin, and the former headquarters of the Stasi, shown below.

This afternoon, I did my laundry for the first time. I was able to make it to the laundromat. Apparently, washers and dryers come in different sizes, and the washers come with detergent already in them. I guess I didn't need to buy my own. Mom snapped me a picture of the lawnmower, so I sent her this:

And that's been my first week in Germany. Tomorrow, we're going on a day trip to Wittenberg. I cant wait!