Munich With Meredith

So one of my favorite things abroad was getting to visit one of my best friends, Meredith. Meredith and I met through PASSPORT.  We worked out first summer together as Bible Study Leaders, and ultimately worked again together as Director and Assistant Director.  Although she lives down South, she is from Lexington, so we always make a point to hang out when she comes back to Lexington to visit family.  Meredith and I have always remained close, and when she told me she was going to Germany for a year, I promised her I would visit.  I am all about visiting friends who are around the world, and I knew Meredith would be a blast to travel with in Germany. 

So, Meredith has been in Germany for the past year.  She lives in Munich, and loves it.  She was such a superstar guide.  We went to a lot of great places, had great food, and she speaks Germany so that was extremely helpful.  

The New Town Hall, essentially the city hall building.  It is home to the Rathaus Glokenspiel which you can see in the middle.  It tells a story that last about 10 minutes about the marriage of a Duke from Bavaria complete with a joust where the Bavarian knight wins, obviously.  It was beautiful and fun to watch. 

Listing to some singing, complete with traditional German clothing.

Meredith made me climb to the top of a church to look out over the city.  I am so scared of heights, but with her encouragement, I made it to the stop.  It was a beautiful place to look out at the city.  And a beautiful clear day too.

Nymphenburg Palace--The "summer home" for the Bavarian King.  We went to the Palace with a few of the girls that live in Meredith's dorm.  We wandered the Palace and then ate in the cafe.  At the cafe, we ordered three different desserts and shared.  It was a fun day getting to explore and know some of Meredith's new friends. 

Posing in from of Nymphenburg Palace.  

One of the desserts we devoured.  Clearly we liked it :) I think it was chocolate cake with raspberry. 

Old Medieval Gate in Munich.  The City was beautiful, and there were beautiful things to photograph around every corner.  We spent a whole day just walking around and taking pictures.  

Rubbing the lion for good luck.  It's funny to just watch people walk by, they instinctively stick out their hand and rub the lion's shield.  It's a superstitious act, but tourist and locals alike rub the shield.  Hopefully I'll have good luck now!

St. Patrick's Day in Munich.  We walked by the celebration.  There was some Irish music and Irish beer.  However, true to their custom, Germans believe their beer to be far superior, so there was plenty of German beer to celebrate with as well. It was fun to celebrate the Irish in Germany.  

Meredith and her boyfriend, Julius at a beer hall.  The last night in Munich we met my friend Christina who was a fellow intern at the UNICTR in Tanzania with me.  I also needed to drink some German beer and taste some more traditional German food before leaving.  It was a fun night of drinking, eating, and singing (yes, our German friends sand the US National Anthem with Meredith).  It was a great night with great people. 

Baby beer?  Haha, I don't think it was actually beer, but it just looked hilarious. 

Reunited with my pal Christian.  Christian was one of my closest friends at the UNICTR.  It was wonderful spending time with him in his country.  He always told us how amazing German beer was in comparison with Tanzanian beer.  So I was glad to finally get to share a drink with Christian.  It was fun to end my last night with all my German friends!

Too much?  Maybe.....

Last day in Germany.  One last stop, visiting the markets and buying last minute souvenirs. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Germany.  It is one of my favorite countries now.  I got to see so many parts of Germany, that were so different and unique.  It's a place of great beauty and powerful history.  I hope to return some day!  And thanks Meredith (and Julius) for showing me around, sharing your home, and allowing me to spend some time in your German life!

The Nuremberg Trials

The only "must-see" during my time in Germany was Nuremberg.  After spending four months in Africa working for an international court, I wanted to go see the one that started it all.  The town of Nuremberg was so beautiful and quant.  The medieval city center is still very much intact.  There is a huge castle on the hill and a beautiful wall that surrounds the old city.  We walked through the city, explored, had some sausages and pretzels, then Meredith and I parted from our group to head to the judicial building.  Below are some of the pictures from the day, and of course, the main attraction.

Loved the little town and its narrow streets.

Heading into the market and city center.

The beautiful river.  Such a gorgeous day to explore.

Turning the lock to ensure my visit back to Nuremberg :)

Castle

Medieval Castle door.  I thought it looked very "Harry-Potter-ish."

Inside the Courtroom.  It was amazing.

How the Courtroom looked during the trials.

Talking about the ICTR!

Dachau Concentration Camp

We decided to go to Dachau Concentration Camp which is located just about a half hour outside of Munich.  It was the first time I'd ever been to such a somber place, literally you just felt the need to be silent when you stepped inside the gates.  This was actually the first Nazi concentration camp opened to hold political prisoners and eventually German Jews. It served as a prototype and model for all future Nazi concentration camps.  It was crazy to see because it was completely surrounded by a town, so it was just hard to imagine people living right outside the gates of such a horrendous place.  Below are the pictures that I took on the tour.

"Work Sets You Free"--The gate to enter the camp.

The Yard.  On the left, you can see some model barracks.

Memorial at the Camp

So sad.  We said, "Never Again."  But it's happened again and again and again. 

Model Barracks, illustrates the living conditions of the camp.

The barracks are no longer there, only their foundation.  On the right is a picture of what the camp once looked like.

Where Barrack #5 once stood.

Jewish Memorial

Crematorium

Although never used, there were gas chambers on site.  

Berlin, Germany

I cannot even explain how late I am to finish posting all of the pictures from my European adventure.  But better late than never.  So here I go. 

After finishing up my time in Finland, I headed to Germany for a week of fun.  As soon as I arrived, Meredith and I packed a small bag and headed to Berlin.  We stayed for around four days, but I think, thanks to her fantastic German boyfriend who served as tour guide, we saw all the "must-see" sites.  We rode the train from Munich to Berlin and arrived late afternoon.  As soon as we arrived, we hit the ground running, almost literally.  There was a lot to see and no time to waste!  I loved Berlin, it was such a modern, edgy city.  While there, we stayed with Meredith's boyfriend's Aunt and two daughters.  It was so lovely to have a nice, warm, homey apartment to return to every night and rest our weary feet. We were so appreciative of Julius and his Aunt for allowing us to stay, it definitely made the trip much more affordable.  Overall, it was a great few days in Berlin.  Below are some of the highlights from the four days! 

Reichstag Building...German Parliment

Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe.  Very interesting.

Again, the Memorial.

Meredith and I in front of the Brandenburg Gate, very historical site in Berlin

I can't remember what this building was, but it sure was pretty :)

Berlin Wall Memorial.  These are pictures of all who lost their lives while trying to cross the wall.

In front of a portion of the wall that still remains.

Preserved portion of the Berlin Wall with the watchtower and dead space.  It was really interesting to see what it looked like back in the day.  Hard to believe this really wasn't too long ago in world history.

Being super scholarly at the museum. 

Ishtar Gate...Babylon/Mesopotamia.  Probably the oldest thing I've ever seen in my life.  It was huge and beautiful. 

Night view of the Brandenburg Gate

Loved the art that was scattered throughout the city.

Divas

Lovin' Berlin :)

Late night walk past the President's home.