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.

Heading off to Berlin and Prague in the morning for 6 days. Will have plenty of pictures to upload once I return. Found an Irish pub that shows college football on saturdays and nfl games on sundays. Needless to say we are regulars already (just have to pretend to be a bears fan for a few months) and the owner loves us. Had drinks there with the Freiburg rugby team last night and that was quite the experience to say the least.