Joe Werthan: Germany



This is Martin's, my host brother, room

My trip to Germany this summer was amazing. When we first got out of the airport in Munich, I could feel the heat, much like the heat in Nashville, and it only got worse when we piled into a bus without air-conditioning. Actually, this set a standard for the rest of the trip, because only certain things in Beilngries had air-conditioning.I should add that the Germans countered the lack of air-conditioning with large windows in their homes, which they could open. That reminds me of a conversation that I had with a man at the swimming pool about the air-conditioning. He said that he visited Atlanta, and he did not like the air-conditioning, because he thought that it was wasteful. On the bus ride to Beilngries, I noticed that the environment of Southern Germany was not what I expected. I expected it to be very industrial with massive cities like Munich, but what I saw from my seat window was acres upon acres of open fields and farms. After traveling for about 16 hours, we finally arrived to the school, which my group would attend for the next three weeks. My host brother, Martin, and mother were there to pick me up and drive me to their home for my trip, which was in Greding, which is a nearby town.

One of Martin's friends, Samuel, and me at a barbeque

Most days I would go to school, which is much different than the school system in America. Most kids take the school bus because gas is so expensive, and riding the bus to school was a new experience for me. Before the first day, Martin told me that there was some pushing to get a good spot on the school bus, but I was not prepared for the free-for-all that ensued. It was a good thing that Martin was small, so that he could sneak to the front and get a good spot. The school day is only 8am until 1pm, and the students have the rest of the day off. Also, before their fifth grade year, all of the students in Germany must take a test, which determines whether they go to a good school and then go to college, or go to a school which is not as good and become an apprentice. Along with learning German, I had the opportunity to learn Bayerish, the dialect of Southern Germany. The Bayerish phrase I used the most was “Ich bin satt”, which means, “I am full.” Not only was I learning German from the Germans, but the Germans were learning English from me. Martin was good at English, but his friends were not as good at speaking English. The food in Germany was really good. I had less Wiener schnitzel (Fried veal) than I thought I would have. A lot of the time we would have what they called, “Brotzeit”, which was rolls and meats. At first, it was difficult to adjust to the German diet, but I think after three weeks, I could handle it. Barbeques were also pretty common in Germany.

Sausage on a roll next on the Donau

          What I enjoyed most about the trip were the small day trips that I took with my group. Over the course of the three weeks, we went to the largest cities that are near Beilngries: Regensburg, Nuremburg, and Munich. In Regensburg, I had a Brot und Wurst (Sausage in a roll) on the bank of the Donau (see photo). 

The restaurant where we had the Brot und Wurst was over 500 years old. Our group chaperone said that Christopher Columbus could have eaten at this restaurant before discovering America. Then my host family and I went to Eichstaedt, which was a nearby city. In Eichstaedt, we saw buildings that were from the 1300's.

This building is from 1301

Surfers surfing on a river

        In Munich, my group took a tour with our host siblings, and after the tour, the host siblings gave us our own individual tour. Martin and I went to the U-Bahn (the subway), and went to the Bayern Munich stadium, which is called the Allianz Arena. Even though it was the off-season, there were so many people there. I bought a jersey for me and one for my brother. Also while in Munich, the group visited the largest park inside of a city in the world, called the Englischer Garten. Also, in a part of the garten, there is a river where surfers can surf.



This photo is from the Holocaust Museum.

    In Nuremburg, I went the Holocaust Museum. I was surprised how much information they had on the actual politics of the Nazi party. Two things were constant everywhere I went, there were huge castles and cathedrals. Because of Germany’s extensive history, there are many buildings from the Middle Ages. 

The view of Tegernsee from the restaurant in the Bavarian Alps

      On one of the last days, we were scheduled to go on a hike, which Germans are accustomed to do. What I did not realize was that it was an actual hike in the German Alps. The hike took over two hours, and in the end, we had hiked to an elevation of about 500 meters. At the top of the mountain was a breathtaking view of the nearby Tegernsee and a restaurant where we ate lunch.  



I am riding the roller-coaster in this photo

 In addition to the trips I took with my group, my host family and I took weekend trips to some places nearby. One weekend, we went to a huge indoor spa/waterpark in Erding. It had over 20 slides and several pools and hot tubs. Another weekend, we went to an actual bat cave, which was said to be present during the Ice Age, and a rollercoaster, which was only available to ride in the summer. The rollercoaster was really jsut a bunch of go karts attached to a track. Riders could control how fast or slow the karts went down the mountain.

Overall, this trip was so much fun, and I would like to thank the Wilson family for giving me this opportunity. This trip was really a once in a lifetime experience, and I am so grateful of the Wilson family.