Well this brings me to the end of my blog. Just left the IES Center for the last time. Had the rest of today and tomorrow in Freiburg then head to Frankfurt for the night and fly home on Wednesday. It is a bittersweet end to the program. The friends and experiences of this semester will stick with me for the rest of my life. Freiburg will always remain a special place to me and one that I cannot wait to return to in the future. I can look back 4 months and know I am leaving this place much better off than when I came here.
I soon get to return home for the holidays and get to attempt to begin sharing this semester's stories.
I now leave behind a family of 53 students who came to Freiburg not knowing what to expect and leave knowing we made the most of it and leave with a bond that can never be broken.

Amazing weekend in Venice with 5 friends. Pictures and more details will come as soon as this last paper is finished. Just felt the need to take a break from writing for a few minutes as I got reflecting on this semester as I notice my countdown calendar at 16 days left here. We were talking in between classes today and were talking about reuniting with our friends and families and realized at the same time we will be leaving behind friends, some of which have essentially become family and leaving Freiburg which has given us a home feeling since the day we all arrived back in August.

What an amazing 9 days in Rome, Madrid and Barcelona. Each city was amazing and very different from the rest. We started in Rome, my first trip to Italy. Was very excited to see many of the historical sites and of course feast on Italian food. I was somehow able to resist any Italian soccer jokes for the 4 days we were there, a big feat for me. Really got to see a good amount of the city in the time there. Was able to see the Coliseum, Forum, Pantheon, Catacombs, St. Peter's Square, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Truly was an amazing city, but never would want to go during tourist season, already enough Americans there in November. I did have one of those "wow, this is a small world" moments in Rome. Standing in the ticket line for the Coliseum, I hear my name called and turns out to be a friend that lived next door to me in the dorms at Loma who is studying in Paris. The food, and wine, was a major highlight. And yes Debs, I did only consume red wine. Make sure you let Rick know next time you're in there. Breakfast was always at the hotel and then usually grabbed a small sandwich or slice of pizza for lunch to save up for dinner. Too many good dinners there. Veal saltimbocca, pasta carbonara, bruschetta, prosciutto, artichokes, mixed meat plates with chicken, veal, lamb and beef. Not to mention dessert every night. Ate at an amazing restaurant one night called Taverna Parione, hands down the best meal I have ever consumed. Can't wait to get back to Rome at some point.

After a few days in Rome, we headed off to Spain and started in Madrid. We arrived on Sunday, the night of the elections, creating an interesting atmosphere. Madrid was a nice city and very comfortable. Our class group was able to have a tour of the Spanish Parliament building and the Spanish Royal Palace. Got to try a variety of tapas, including a bull's tail dish and various types of Spanish hams. We consumed countless tapas and plates of paella, but the highlight of Madrid came on Tuesday, our last night in town. We were able to get tickets to see Real Madrid play in a Champions League match in the 1500th game ever played in Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid won the game 6-2 against Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia. The atmosphere was amazing and the soccer was even better, at least by Madrid. Better yet, we were only around 50 feet from the riot police barricade surrounding the away fans corner. We sat in the covered and heated second row of the top section directly above the goal where 6 of the game's goals were scored.

Next came a final few days in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain. The weather was perfect and felt a little like home due to that. We spent a decent amount of time in meetings there, so I did not get to see as much of the city as I would have liked to. I did get the chance to go to the Camp Nou experience at the stadium for FC Barcelona. The experience included a museum, walk in the stands, the press conference room, locker room, walk through the player entrance to the field, and along side the field. The museum was full of trophies and touch screen media on the history of the club, a really cool aspect. We also were able to spend some time on the beach and had a guys night at the casino the last night in town and actually managed to win some money even as we sat at a poker table with a Scottish guy that played in the World Series of Poker this past summer. Unfortunately, the FC Barcelona game on Wednesday was in Milan, so we had to settle for watching it in one of the official team restaurants and bars near our hotel. Barcelona also was where we got to spend Thanksgiving, my first away from Jeff and Debs. The 17 students and 2 faculty members with us at least got to have a Spanish restaurant's attempt at a turkey dinner, actually exceeding my expectations. Being in Spain, of course we started with various tapas, but then came turkey, corn, mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy, champagne for toasts, and local wine. It was a great experience for us and really was a great bonding moment when you could tell many of us missed our families that day. I was at least able to call Debs, Jeff, and the gang in Tuscon real quick and say hi, which was very nice.

Now, I am back in freezing Freiburg with only 2 more weeks of class, then finals and our Model European Union simulation. Next weekend, I get to return to Italy for a weekend in Venice (thank you Easyjet for having 46 euro roundtrip flights!) Only 23 more days until I land at LAX and celebrate Christmas with the family. Have a few busy weeks here that will be nonstop like our first few weeks as we balance classwork with making sure we spend time with everyone before heading back to the States.

And now for some pictures:

St. Peter's Square in Vatican City

This picture was requested by Jeffy in front of the Pantheon in Rome, Grandpa's favorite.

Coliseum in Rome. One of the most amazing things I have seen.

Trevi Fountain at night. Probably the most crowded thing we saw in Rome but quite worth it to see at night.

                     Up right next to the field at Camp Nou, where FC Barcelona plays their home matches.

                      Just us taking in the moment at Santiago Bernabeu during the Real Madrid game.

 La Campana tapas bar in Madrid, Spain. Unfortunately I didn't see any Campana signs in Rome.

      Thanksgiving Barcelona style with other classmates. A Thanksgiving most of us will never forget.

Temperature just dropped below 32. Thankfully its a short week and then Im off to Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona for 9 days. Time is slowing down here with papers and exams coming closer and closer. Cant believe the time here is almost coming to a close.

Looks like fall has arrived. View I get sitting at my desk. This was a grassy area with trees full of green leaves when I arrived. 

Thought I would go ahead and throw up some pictures of us just out and about doing things.

 Proof that yes, I have worn a suit at some point in my life.

 But apparently the youtube video for learning to tie ties wasn't good enough to meet Henry's standards.

IES put on a 5 on 5 soccer tournament for us, which brought a lot of trash talking throughout the week between the different student teams and especially with the staff team. Instead of teaming up with the best players, a few of us decided to try and take them down. We breezed through the pool play and all the way to finals, which came down to each team having to take 9 shots in a penalty shootout, and like most events in my life, I came out on top and we won the championship and free tickets to a future SC Freiburg match.

Well its been a few weeks since I updated this. Got to spend a week in Luxembourg, Brussels, and Paris for the EU Institutions trip. In Luxembourg we visited the European Court of Justice and got to walk around the city (which only takes 45 minutes). Following that we headed to Brussels for meetings at the European Council and European Commission, the two main institutions for the European Union. We did get free time one day and had the nights off, giving plenty of time to explore the city and feast on Brussels mussels, waffles, loaded fries, and of course Belgian beers. Conveniently, one of the top rated beer bars in the world, Delirium, was located only a 45 second walk from our hotel. Aside from brewing the Delirium Tremens, the bar offers over 2000 different beers from around the world in sizes ranging from a small bottle to 2 liter cauldrons, but of course the house special comes in a 1 liter boot. After both business and pleasure it was off to Paris for only 2 meetings in 3 days giving plenty of time to explore the city. The first day was spent at the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. No day in Paris is complete without a nice dinner and bottle of wine, so escargot, french onion soup, and creme brulee were a must. Those became the daily eats on top of cheese and bread and a variety of meets ranging from lamb to duck to steak. Day two featured meetings and a sunset boat tour down the Seine River to see many of the Paris attractions. Following the boat tour we all grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to Sacre Coeur to look over Paris at night. The last day included a quick final visit to the Louvre then a nice 8 hour bus ride back with 52 other tired students in the program. The trip did feature two birthdays for friends in the program which was another experience to really bring us together. The kids in the program are slowly becoming a family and once again returning to Freiburg really brought a sense of feeling home. 

 Yes, Luxembourg really does exist!

 The main chamber of the European Court of Justice

 Waffle stand in Belgium. One of the finest inventions in the world.

 The Mannequin Pis. A foot tall baby peeing statue that is beyond famous across Brussels.

 Just some art museum in Paris. 

 Classic.

 Best piece of sculpture in the Louvre

 Just us being us on the boat tour on the Seine in Paris.

 Parisian wine by the bottle (They didnt have glasses on the boat.) Classy, I know.

The Eiffel Tower at night.

 Boots of the "World's Best Beer"- Delirium Tremens.

 Under the tower.

Great week full of adventures! Went to Strasbourg, France to visit the European Parliament on Wednesday. Got some free time to wander around, get crepes and wine, visit the cathedral, and peak in some shops.

Following the day trip to Strasbourg, came a 3 day weekend due to German Reunification Day. Saturday I got to experience one of the biggest reasons I came to Germany: soccer. Went to the SC Freiburg game and watched them beat 3rd place Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0. Sat in the front row of the general admission standing section and it was everything I thought it would be. Loud and crazy for 2 hours before the game and then the entire game and an hour after. Already cant wait for the next one at the end of the month.

 View of fan section from our seats.

View of fan section from friends sitting on the side seating.

Sunday featured another German cultural experience, some festival called Oktoberfest. Since the main one in Munich is 5 times the price, we settled for the next biggest one they offer, in Stuttgart. The festival did not disappoint. It was like the Orange County Fair but with beer tents for all the major German breweries. 

Just another day in the life of Germans. Have a week of classes coming up then its off to Luxembourg, Brussels, and Paris for a week. 

Until next time.

-Kyle

Amazing day hiking in the alps yesterday. 5 hours going through the valleys and canyons (decided the peak hike would be a little much). Ended up missing the Pope this morning, but at least got to see the motorcade. Time for a day of resting my legs and doing homework then off to watch football and grab burgers (very german, I know). Unfortunately I didnt have my camera battery charged yesterday so I only have that one good picture. Ill steal some from other people and post them up later.

Bis später!

First week of a full class schedule complete. Each of them is quite interesting but EU/US relations EU and the Muslim World seem the most interesting to this point. Weekend full of adventure coming up. Tomorrow will be spent hiking the Swiss Alps and Sunday the Pope comes to Freiburg! Should be a good time and many pictures to come. Still working on getting pictures from around Freiburg but I do still have a few months to add those.

WOW! What a week in Berlin and Prague..

 View of the tv tower that dominates the Berlin skyline.

 First day in Berlin we went to a former stasi prison where the communist party held and questioned east germans that were viewed as threats to the party. This was an area of german history I was not very familiar with so this was an eye opener for sure. Following the tour of the prison, our program arranged for a lecture and Q&A session with two people directly impacted by the stasi and the prison system. One of them was caught on 3 different occasions trying to escape to the west and spent 10 months in prison and the other had her family torn apart by stasi accusations.

 The following morning we went to the Reichstag, home of the German parliament (outside seen above, inside main parliament hall below).

 Later in the day came a city tour of Berlin with an emphasis on the post-war history. 

The Brandenburg Gate (seen above) is miraculously still standing despite much of Berlin being destroyed during WWII. This was the start of many of the Nazi propaganda parades through the streets of Berlin. 

 The most disturbing thing seen in Berlin was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (seen above). The monument features over 2000 of these blocks with no significance of the number. None of the blocks are the same size. The abstract design was intended to leave much of the memorial up to personal interpretation. As you walk to the middle, the blocks reach around 20 feet in height and you feel surrounded by the dark stone. Ive seen many memorials for different events, but this is right up there with Ground Zero for the most impacting.

 Next stop on the tour was the Topography of Terror which stands just next to the Berlin Wall on the former site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters. This memorial outlines Germany from 1933-1945 and the rise and fall of the Nazi party.

 Area of the Berlin Wall by the Topography of Terror

 After the tour we explored Berlin and headed to the famous East Berlin Wall Gallery where there is around 3/4 of a mile of street art that artists were allowed  to use after the wall came down then later touched up and restored.

 The famous Berlin Cathedral which has been restored following WWII bombings.

 After a few days in Berlin we headed to Prague. Above is the statue and museum that are the main parts of the big Wenceslas Square, home to many restaurants, bars, clubs, and farmers market.

 Off in the distance from the Charles Bridge is the Prague Castle (largest in the world)

Many people gather in Old Town Square on the hour to see the Astronomical clock strike on the hour.

Not too many pictures from Prague, but both Prague and Berlin were an amazing time despite battling a horrible cold. 

Starting a full class schedule tomorrow but am hoping to get around Freiburg with my camera some more to post up some more pictures of the town.