Reflection

I thought this trip was truly an experience of a lifetime. I loved every single thing about it. The countries, the cities, the architecture and the history, everything! I was fascinated by everything and everyone on the trip and wanted to take pictures of everything I could. One picture that I loved was a picture I took in Balvaria. I thought the scenery was incredible.

Another part of the trip I really liked was when we visited the concentration camp. That was probably one of the things I was most excited to see when I signed up for the trip. It was so moving and incredible to be there. It was on my birthday and everyone kinda laughed because I went to a concentration camp on my birthday but I was really looking forward to going and I am so happy that I had that experience.

I also enjoyed all the churches I saw. Before I went on the trip I was somewhat religious I was catholic because my parents were but never really thought about it. But after being in so many churches and being so moved by the architecture and seeing people so devoted to their faith I think it inspired me to become more interested in religion.

Overall I loved everything about this trip and I am thankful for the experience.

Heidelberg!

Heidelberg was the last city we visited =( It was such a beautiful city. Like Dresden, it had many new and old buildings. We visited castle that was nearly destroyed but still very pretty.

In order to get to the castle we took a cool bus ride. Inside the castle there was a pharmaceutical museum. It was interesting to see old jar and bottles and different herbs and potions people used. Also the view from the castle was amazing. You could see the whole city from there.

We also got to see the largest vine barrel in world. It was reallly big! Later that night to celebrate our last night in Europe we visited a local bar where we got listen to a men's choir practice. They were absolutely incredible.

Munich!

Towards the end of our trip we headed back to Germany where we went to Munich. It was also my birthday! How lucky am I to celebrate my birthday in Germany!

Munich was very pretty and had a more modern feel than the rest of the cities we had went to. Since it was so cold that day the tour was mostly on the bus. We saw many buildings and we also visited a university. Also in Munich we went to Hofbrauhaus which is brewery. It was so much fun! There were so many people there. It was also fun to hear people sing drinking songs.

Vienna!!

Vienna is such a pretty city. In Vienna visited the Hapsburgs summer palace. It was incredible. Every room inside the palace was dripping in gold. It was unbelievably beautiful and HUGE. We took a tour of the palace and I could not believe how much gold was inside each room. Also the outside was very pretty too. I toured the garden area and thought about how pretty it must look in the spring time.

We also visited a building that was very unusual. The architect had very strange views, one being that nothing in nature was a straight line, therefore everything must be crocked. It was very interesting and pretty. We went into one of the buildings where there was a bar in the middle and many different shops around. It was my favorite place in Vienna.

Also in Vienna I had the privilege to attend an opera. I saw the nutcracker and it was truly an experience of a lifetime.

Budapest!

After the Czech Republic we went to Budapest, Hungary. The history was so interesting. We went on a tour of the city where we learned that the city was once divided into the Buda side and the Pest side. I thought that was fascinating and it reminded me of Berlin, however the two sides did not conflict as much. We went to Heroes square where our tour guide explained to us the significance of the statues. She explained that the seven statues on the horses were pagan chiefs that united Hungary.

Also there were other statues around and she explained that those were the most important kings Hungary had ever had. I also went to many churches in Hungary too. By the middle of the trip I had become fasicinated by the architecture of churches and wanted to take as many pictures as I could of them. I thought it was so interesting how religion was such a big part of people's lives and how much money they spent decorating these churches. They were all of beautiful.

Praha!!

Next we went to Prague in the Czech Republic. The city was so beautiful. The buildings looked ancient and they were very fascinating. We took a night tour of the city when we arrived and walked through the city and went up to a castle.

The view from the castle was amazing. We walked through the yellow road and looked a medieval prison. The next day we took more in depth tour of the city and visited a church. The church was decorated beautifully and the stain glass windows were breath taking.

We also walked on a famous bridge which was decorated with beautiful statues. Overall Prague was breath taking and the architecture was amazing.

Dresden!!

Dresden was probably one of my favorite places on the trip. The city was so pretty. It was a mixture of a modern city and an old city. The cool architecture was still there but there was also a lot of new buildings. However the mixture of the two styles worked very well together.

The weather was not very good for taking pictures but I still managed to take some great ones. Dresden is known for their porcelain, so i managed to buy some mugs and a porcelain cross to give as gifts to my family. Here is a picture of a church. Most of it was destroyed in World War II. However it was reconstructed. The dark bricks are pieces of the original church.

BERLIN!!

My first night in Germany was amazing. We stayed at the Hotel Bogota which was conveniently located in the middle of the city so there were many stores and cites to see right outside the hotel. We went to a Christmas market where I tried Gluhwein, a hot wine for the first time. It was delicious an definitely kept me warm.

The next day we went on a tour of Berlin where we saw many buildings and the Berlin wall. The architecture was incredible everything looked so pretty. Also the Berlin wall was very moving and I even wrote my name on it.

We also went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum were we learned about how hard it was for people to escape from east Germany to west Germany. Overall I loved Berlin. It was filled with so much culture and history. I would love to come back again.