5/7/2023 0 Comments FrühlingsfestFrühlingsfest is the spring carnival fest alike Oktoberfest, but less touristy and apparently attended more by Germans. We all spent a ton of time getting ready, curling hair and picking out outfits. It was tons of girl time and absolute fun! We then took two trains to get to the festival. It wasn't what I expected, it felt a lot like a smaller version of the state fair but with a few of these huge wedding tents with rows of benches for eating, drinking, and standing up singing! We started in one of the booths with a really cool band and sat towards the back so we could eat. We all split two halves of rotisserie chickens which were delicious. Then Leah and I each got a mas of beer, the large glasses of beer. It was definitely watered down/less alcoholic but still very tasty. After a bit we all got up on the tables and danced for an hour or so. The girls had headphones in to keep the noise from getting too much for them. We danced on the tables for awhile, then went out and grabbed some chocolate covered fruits. Then the girls went on a high swing before we headed home. The whole experience was so cool and it felt like something you see in the movies with German party culture. A total blast!!
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5/6/2023 0 Comments Water parkThis was some of the most pure fun I have had in a long time!! Leah, the girls and I went to a water park for the afternoon/evening. We went on a Saturday where the park and spa pool area was 'textile required', aka swimsuits required. We kept joking about their use of textiles and lack of textiles. The water park was sooooo much fun!!! We started in the wave pool to get used to the water, then I took the girls on the big indoor slides. Unfortunately there was only one slide where the three of us could go together, but there was also one where we could race down on our stomachs (which yes did hurt when we got smacked in the chins)! The slides were all pretty intense and we had so much fun going down the slides. One had a half pipe you fly down and then go up the pipe. It was a ton of fun going down the slides with the girls, I felt like a big sister (cousin I guess) and so young again. I haven't had experience with little cousins before and I really enjoyed getting to know them more. After the indoor slides area we went to the large pool and spa area. Within it as well was an bar inside the pool. Leah and I each had a fun drink and chatted while the girls swam. There was also a rotating door inside the pool that led outside which was so cool! It was really hard to push through but we all enjoyed it. After sitting outside for awhile in the pool we went back inside where an instructor came out and led a water aerobics class that was tons of fun!! It was getting late so we grabbed dinner at their restaurant which had surprisingly good food. We didn't get home until 10:45 and I think we were all crazy exhausted from such a fun day!
5/6/2023 0 Comments Black Forest cakeWe started the day by heading to the town of Titisee in the Black Forest!! I did take a screen shot of one of the exits because I thought the name was funny haha. The town was beautiful and had tons of flowers blossoming around. We stopped there for lunch where I got this great Germany style potato layered pasta dish with potato salad. Then we walked towards the river and sat down for a piece of traditional Black Forest cake. Wow was it delicious! The kirsch in it was perfect and lifted the whole cake. It was gorgeous views and yummy dessert!
5/4/2023 0 Comments Goodbye BelgradeDear Belgrade, Serbia.
This city has been so incredible. The people are some of the nicest I have ever met with kind hearts. I have made wonderful friends here and hope to continue those friendships long after this trip. I wish I had more time here to continue growing the friendships I’ve made here! It was exciting getting to live in a walkable city, and dangerous with how many bookstores they have!! I swear there wasn’t a week that went by where I didn’t walk through a bookstore. I loved walking by a bunch of mini grocery stores on my way home everyday and just pick up some small things I need. I swear these past few months are the healthiest I’ve ever eaten. I never thought I would be someone who likes going on long walks, but I thinks it’s because I just never had anywhere that interesting to walk to. Here, I have loved going on walks after class or on the weekends to different parks and reading in the shade. People watching has also been a big thing for me here and just taking in the beautiful scenery. One of my favorite things that I got to do here was go to the theater. That I was a 7 minute walk from the opera house and could get $4 seats for operas and ballets, truly something I will never forget. Theater is very important to me and truly feeds the soul. I’m really going to miss this country and hope not to be too far from it in the future! We are leaving after an awful day in Serbia with the school shooting that took the lives of 8 children and a security guard. After another shooting over night, the president pledged a 'disarmament' of the country and stricter gun laws. It is a very sad day in the country and was felt in shockwaves throughout. I am very sorry for the people and hope that they can come together as a country in these policies to prevent future events. My hearts goes out to the country. With so much love, Mary 4/23/2023 0 Comments TurandotMy last opera of Serbia. I got a seat in one of the lodges again which was so fun and badly setting myself too high expectations for future theater seats because I don't think I will ever get $4 seats again. This has been such a special experience for me having the theater so close and affordable on a student budget. I did decide to dress up a little more for this show as it was sunny and warm outside so we could get nice pictures! This show was interesting, based on a princess in China whose hand in marriage will only be given if they answer three riddles, and if wrong get beheaded. The opening to Act 3 has I think one of the most recognizable songs, Nessun Dorma, that has been put in many movies and sung by many. It was a beautiful show! I was excited because this time one of the boys from the program came with me, though we didn't get seats together, but it was fun during each intermission when we met and discussed our thoughts. I enjoyed getting to share this experience with someone. I am really going to miss these shows, and hope that I can find similar experiences in the future!
4/22/2023 0 Comments The peace of montenegroThere isn’t too much to say about our trip to Tivat, Montenegro, because we happily did nothing but sit by the water and read! This was a very well-deserved and much-needed vacation as we headed to the end of the semester. We were scared looking at the radar because it had said it was supposed to rain the whole time, but it held off really well! We were on this adorable airbnb right by the water and not in a busy area so it was so nice to just walk up and down the street to enjoy the sounds of the water. Our first morning there I woke up early, made a cup of coffee, and brought my kindle out to read by the water. I was then visited by an adorable kitty friend who laid next to me the whole time then moved into my lap. She was so sweet and obviously well taken care of (most cats we saw were). We did this each morning, me with my coffee and her in my lap by the water as I read for about 2 hours. It was fun one morning as she hopped off my lap and wriggled down the ledge and tried catching fish!! Unfortunately one morning some dogs came by while my kitty friend was in my lap, and when the dog went to sniff her she scratched him and me, but it was tiny and healed quickly. We did walk further into the main town/shopping area which felt like an instant switch in income to the very rich people area with all these designer stores. But it was nice walking across the water front and grabbing drinks and dinner two nights. This trip was just exactly what I needed, of no class work, and getting to just relax by the water. I am such an ocean/lake/water person, I need to be near it or I go crazy. One day I just set up on our porch because it was raining, got out some wine and read for like 3 hours. I loved Tivat so so much and genuinely wish I could live here longer term some day!!! 4/13/2023 0 Comments Bosnia BeautySarajevo is a beautiful area with wonderfully kind people! We were there during Ramadan which felt very special getting to see people happily coming out of the mosques at night and taking photos with the decorations put up throughout the city to celebrate the period. The cobble-stone streets were fun to walk through and going on the bridges over the lake to sit in the park was my peaceful morning activities. We didn't have activities until 10am so it was nice to get up and sit by the water and read. On the way to the bridge, you can stop by the building and stand in the footprints where the Archduke Ferdinand was killed (which was interesting and eerie). The food was all incredible, with more chivapi that is mouth-watering and some great local wines. Because we drove across the border, we also stopped in this cute jam shop and got two jars of raspberry and strawberry jam that was locally made. It is very important while you visit these cities and places that have experienced such horrific events to see the beauty in them as well and in that the resilience of the people to continue on to lead happy lives. I am grateful that we were able to go to Sarajevo and experience a piece of their lives. 4/12/2023 0 Comments Galerija 11/07/95Galerija 11/07/95 is "the first memorial museum/gallery in Bosnia and Herzegovina – exhibition space aiming to preserve the memory on Srebrenica tragedy and 8372 persons who tragically lost their lives during the genocide." Going to the museum, you pay a small entrance fee and extra for a guided headset (highly recommend as it is all photographs without explanations next to them). It was very high-tech with the headset connected to this pointer that is tuned into your language, and then as you go through the gallery you point it at a sensor and it pulls up the next set of audio connected to the photographs. This museum is not for the light of heart. It is a collection of photography from the the war and the genocide in Srebrenica, and the aftermath of discovering the bodies in the mass graves and secondary graves. The first room you enter is the Portrait of Victims with 640 personal photos compiled by the mothers of Srebrenica ranging of all ages. It is a small demonstration of all of those that were lost and ability to prevent the denial of what happened. You proceed then into the main room with photos chronologically through the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a man walking past one of the concentration camps, mothers at home awaiting the return of their husbands, sons, and brothers, most of which would not return. The further you go into the room, you are guided with the audio of the events of the genocide, and the discovery of mass graves with images of bodies, skulls, and graves. It is very difficult to see, yet necessary for us to witness and remember what has happened. At the end of the room are stools and a short documentary of the events of the war leading to the genocide in Srebrenica and the crimes against humanity that occurred in the concentration camps prior to the events in 1995. Nothing is hidden in the film, be prepared to see clips of the killings and discovery of bodies. It is a very powerful and educational memorial, and different from many others as it is all told through photography. 4/12/2023 0 Comments War Childhood MuseumI didn't know what to expect coming to the War Childhood museum. My experience with the Rwandan childhood section of the National Genocide Museum made me wary of coming as that one is very sad with the stories of the children who were killed in the genocide against the Tutsi. However, this museum was different, as they're objects and stories of the children who survived the events in Srebrenica and Sarajevo. It is important seeing the events through the eyes and experiences of children and how they experienced the war and genocide. The museum includes photographs, objects, and video recordings of now adults talking about their experiences. It is very somber seeing and listening to what these children's lives were like, but also demonstrates the resiliency of children in war time. There is also a book with a collection of stories and quotes from children who have survived war which I bought and am slowly working through. If you go to Sarajevo I highly recommend coming to this museum.
4/11/2023 0 Comments Sarajevo Lectures
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