My German Experience: A Blog by Alex Phillips

Week One

We arrived in Frankfurt at around lunchtime on a cool Saturday. Having been up for nine hours already (after a night with only a few hours of sleep), my cognitive abilities became more and more impaired each hour. Thankfully, as Holger, my host father, and Jonas, my host, picked me up, they took it easy on me. We departed Frankfurt Airport, and I was greeted with my first truly German experience - we were riding on the Autobahn! We discussed various topics, and they asked me about my life and my home. We were off to a great start. When we arrived home, I finally met Henrik, Jonas’ older brother who happened to be closer to my age than Jonas. Meanwhile, Jonas’ mother Susanne was in the Czech Republic on a hiking trip with her friends. We promptly departed for lunch after I had finished bringing my things to my room. Henrik and I drove the Renault Twizy, a small two seater, through the forests of Wiesbaden. We met up with Jonas and his father at a Germam restaurant owned by a family friend. After lunch my struggle to stay awake became a real threat. I am known for being clumsy, but it was fully unleashed during the latter half of the day. Henrik and Jonas proceeded to give me a tour of Wiesbaden. We visited Kurhaus, the theatre, and various churches.

Me at the Kurhaus of Wiesbaden

After we toured the city for a couple of hours, we returned home and had dinner. Not long after I proceeded to go to sleep. The next day we went to Neroburg, a hill overlooking Wiesbaden. Upon it was a Russian Orthodox cathedral. Later that afternoon we briefly met with Mickey and Linus. Thereafter, we went to a horse race/competition. When we returned home, we watched football and ate dinner. After the game ended, we decided to meet with Jonas’ friends and go to a party. Jonas’ mother finally arrived by the third day. That morning and afternoon we went sightseeing in Frankfurt, primarily Altstadt. When Jonas’ mother arrived that night, we were treated to Sushi. The remainder of the week was planned by Harpeth Hall’s Mrs. Vest. The week had three day trips planned. The first day trip was to Heidelberg, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. During the trip we visited some castles.

The next day we travelled along the Rhine in a river boat, and we went to small villages such as Rüdersheim. We were greeted with beautiful views of the countryside, and we got to see the statue of Germania, which once overlooked the border with France.

Germania

That week we also experienced German schooling. The Humboldt Schule welcomed us with a ceremony, and we were given an official tour of Wiesbaden by a few teachers from the Humboldt Schule. That weekend Jonas, Amadeus, Marcus and I went to Wilhelmstraße Festival twice. Wilhelmstraße is the main street in Wiesbaden. The festival consisted of many attractions, and it spanned many city blocks. After the festival we met with Jonas’ friends. That Sunday we went to a former monastery which had since been converted to boutiques and art galleries. We spent our evening at a castle with a scenic view for dinner. The first week came to a close.   

Week Two

Monday was a quiet day. We had our first full day of school, and we met all of our teachers.

Rowing Trip Along the Main River

School was almost over, and everyone had finished exams. Therefore, it was quite uneventful, but I conversed in German and learned about varying topics in German. Later that day Jonas and I went to football practice. On Tuesday we had a day trip to Mainz, Wiesbaden’s twin city. In Mainz we visited the Johannes Gutenberg Museum. We also saw the city center of Mainz and its street markets, which were located beside the Mainz Cathedral. After returning from the Mainz day trip, Amadeus, Jonas, Marcus and I went to the Opel factory and museum. We toured the production process of the cars, and we saw the history of Opel. On Thursday of that week, we met Jonas’ grandparents in the town of Hanau, known for the Brothers Grimm. Later that day we went to Schloss Philippsruhe, a palace on the outskirts of Hanau.

Me and Jonas at a Church in Hanau

The following day we went on a rowing tour along the Main river. We invited Mickey to come along. The task was a punishing one for us Americans. We ended up travelling twice the distance of Susanne and Jonas because we could not travel in a straight line. On Saturday we visited

Cologne.

The Cityscape View from the Top of Cologne Cathedral

I went with Marcus’ host family because Amadeus had an unplanned tennis tournament. On our visit to Cologne we saw the Chocolate Museum, where we indulged in confectionery bliss and saw the history and process of chocolate making. We visited churches of course, such as the Cathedral of Cologne. The 533 steps were a challenge, and we began wheezing as we reached the top. We enjoyed our final few days as we sat in a park beside the Rhine. That Sunday was full of events. In the morning Mickey, his host mother, and I went to the Art Museum and the Natural History Museum of Wiesbaden. In the afternoon, Marcus, Amadeus, Jonas and I played a German version of The Escape Game. That night Henrik, Marcus, Amadeus, Jonas and I shot pellet guns in the backyard. I used this as preparation for the Rifle Championship… That concludes the second week. 

Me, Jonas, Amadeus and Marcus at the Escape Game

Week Three

The third week gave me an underlying sense of melancholy. I knew it was soon time to leave. Monday was class trip day. Our class advisor organized a biking tour that began in Mainz and ended in Wiesbaden. We biked roughly twenty miles that day, through parks, industrial parks, and on the roads of the twin cities. We took a break at a pier, and we enjoyed cold glasses of herbal lemonade. The following day we took another class trip to an archaeological site. When we returned, Marcus, a few Harpeth Hall girls, our hosts and I took one last time to enjoy Wiesbaden. We sat in the park as the sun set below the horizon. We talked about our time in Germany. The last day was very emotional. We went to a community pool atop a hill which overlooked Wiesbaden. Hours passed, and all which went through my mind were memories of the great times I had. That night we had a get-together at Amadeus’ house. Some Harpeth Hall girls came as well. It was all surreal. In the morning we went to the train station, and we said our last goodbyes. I was leaving behind family.

One of Our Last Meals

Munich

The Alps

The first few days outside of Wiesbaden were somewhat tough for us. We reminisced over the fun times we had with our hosts, however, we knew Herr Dougherty would provide us with many great experiences - we were not wrong. Our first day, the twenty eighth of June, was spent touring the city of Munich. Our first destination was Marienplatz, which would act as a rendezvous point. We went to other locations such as the street markets of Munich. No European city tour would be complete without visiting churches, which we did plenty of. Climbing the countless stairs in the cathedrals was excruciating, especially during the heatwave. We also saw other landmarks that day such as the Imperial Palace, and Holocaust memorials. That night we dined at Hofbräuhaus, a restaurant which dated back to the 1500s. Upon entering we saw a dining area with no end in sight. There were no doubt thousands of people within the restaurant. After dinner we were given free time to explore the city - we did so. I was excited for the following day, for that day we had planned to go to the BMW Museum and BMW World. Unfortunately, BMW World was closed for maintenance, however, this was no big deal since the BMW Museum entertained us for hours. It was breathtaking seeing all the achievements of BMW under a single roof. After visiting the museum, we went to the Olympic Village, which was built for the 1972 Winter Olympics. We had an amazing view of the city and the Alps from atop the hill adjacent to the Olympic Village. Later that day we visited the Deutsches Museum, the largest science museum in the world. We spent hours exploring the museum, and we still managed not to finish seeing all the exhibits due to its vast size. The third day was dedicated to Neuschwanstein Castle. After a couple hour train ride, we arrived to the small village of Hohenschwangau, which was overlooked by Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The hike up to the castle took roughly an hour, but under heatwave conditions the task was grueling. It was worth it. The view we had was absolutely gorgeous - it highlighted the beauty of the Alps. Our next day was somewhat somber due to our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. We reflected on the horrors of fascism and the Second World War. The rest of the day was spent at Allianz Stadium, home of FC Bayern. Thereafter, our first leg of the journey with Herr Dougherty came to a close. 

Vienna

We were finally approaching the last stretch of our trip. After traveling by train for hours, I was happy to make it to the hostel. Thankfully, the hostel provided our room with a fan. We rested for some time, and we proceeded to tour the city with Herr Dougherty. We saw many historical buildings which were the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The heat was beginning to reach intolerable levels, however, it was worth it to experience the city and its architecture. On our first day we visited the Sisi Museum which gave insight on the life of Empress Elizabeth and other royal members. Later we saw Karlskirche which provided us with a good view of the city. After sightseeing, our first day came to a close. The next day we met one of Herr Dougherty’s old colleagues. We went to explore more of the city, and we eventually went to a museum which displayed cutlery and fine china used by the Imperial family. Our group enjoyed dinner at a restaurant located within the street markets of Vienna. 

The remainder of the day was used as free-time. We decided to enjoy one of Vienna’s many parks. Our final day was filled with bittersweet feelings. We wanted to stay longer, however, we knew that we were satisfied with the experiences we had. Our first destination that day was the Schönbrunn Zoo.

The Gardens of Schönbrunn

The zoo was impressively large and it contained many different attractions. During the latter half of the day, we went to Prater Amusement Park. Being designated as an amusement park in 1766, Prater is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. After an amazing view from the top of the ferris wheel, we visited many other attractions and we had a night of fun.

A group photo from atop the ferris wheel

That night Mickey departed with his parents. Luke, Marcus and I discussed the fun we had during our trip as we packed. As expected, we left the next day, but our plane to Toronto arrived thirty minutes late. Therefore, we missed our plane to Nashville, and we had to wait six hours for another plane. As we arrived home, I was picked up by my parents, and I told them about each experiences I had and how the trip changed my life. 

Special Thanks

There are many people that I want to thank for making this trip possible. First and foremost, I thank the Wilson family for providing the opportunity to travel abroad and to improve my understanding of the German language and culture. I want to thank Herr Dougherty and Mr. Paolicchi for coordinating the trip and itinerary. My deepest gratitude also goes to the Poth family, my host family. I am grateful for the extent they went to provide me with great memories and experiences.