Day 27- June 14

 (the lion monument)

 (new best friends on the dessert cruise)

             This is the last daily journal that I will write from Europe!  We leave the hotel tomorrow at 5:30 am to drive to the Zurich, Switzerland airport.  From there we have about a two hour flight to London, a short layover, and then approximately a ten hour flight back to Houston, Texas.  I’ll be arriving at 6:45 pm Texas time, for all those who are wondering. 

            Today was a great last day of the trip.  We began the day with an early breakfast and then immediately settled in to our hotel’s conference room for our last two professional visits (this time the companies came to us).  First we heard from a marketing director of Bucherer, a luxury Swiss dealer of fine watches and jewelry.  We discussed how Bucherer is taking its company legacy, which dates back over 100 years, and is transforming it into something new and modern while still staying true to the company’s traditional roots.  Our second presentation was from the copy editor of LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.  During this presentation we learned how a print advertisement for LifeScan is carefully edited in order to comply with all laws, regulations, and codes of ethics, in order to present safe, fair, and accurate information to the customers.

            After a short wrap-up session and a quick bite to eat, we set out for some last minute sightseeing and shopping in Lucerne.  First we made our way to the famous lion monument.  This sculpture depicts a lion that has died from its wounds, and serves as a memorial to the Swiss soldiers who died protecting the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution.  This was an incredible work of art to see in person, and one of my favorite parts of Lucerne.

            We then made the rounds to several chocolate stores and Swiss Army knife stores so people could stock up on last minute souvenirs.  After walking around the city one last time, we headed back to our hotel room to shower, get ready for our last group activity of the trip, and to begin packing (for good this time).

            After having our last expensive Swiss dinner, all eighty students, three professors, and one professor’s wife piled on to a boat for our dessert cruise around Lake Lucerne.  This was such a fun time of good food, great new friends, and making even more memories of our European Extravaganza.  We took tons of pictures and even had a little dance party on the boat.  We were all a bit sad to see the night come to an end, but I know everyone is happy to see their family and eat some good Mexican food tomorrow.

            My bags are packed once again (weighing in at about 49 lbs- prayers for no overage fee would be appreciated!) and I’m ready to be up and at ‘em at 4:15 tomorrow morning!

Day 26- June 13

             

             Today turned out to be one of my personal favorite days of the whole trip.  This morning we left the hotel at 7:30 am in order to catch an early train to the town of Engelberg, about an hour away.  From there we took a series of three gondolas up to the top of Mt. Titlis, a beautiful snow covered mountain in the Swiss Alps.  When we arrived at the top of the mountain, we were super excited to discover that it was around 0’ Celsius and we were in the middle of a snowstorm!  Since almost everyone in our group is from Texas, we are not even accustomed to seeing snow in the middle of winter, much less in June, so we had an absolute blast playing in the snow like little kids.  We were able to sled down a large hill at slightly terrifying speeds, have snowball fights, and most importantly, take a group “whooping picture” on top of a Swiss Alp.  It was such a fun morning, but when we decided to break for lunch we realized that our Texas version of snow clothes had not served us very well- our jeans were all completely soaked, our tennis shoes were squishy, and our hair looked like we had just gone swimming. 

            After having lunch inside the warming hut on top of the mountain and discovering how cold we really were after we stopped running around, a group of us, along with Dr. Chuck, decided to head back to Lucerne.  Again we rode the three gondolas and the train back to our hotel, where I had one of the best hot showers of my life.

            After recovering from the day’s adventures, a group of girls and I set out to find dinner and explore Lucerne.  We ate at a place that served mostly Italian food and, although it was good, paid an exorbitant price for it.  After dinner we patronized a few chocolate stores at which I may or may not have purchased some yummies for mom, dad, and Matt. ;)

            We spent much of the rest of the evening walking around the city.  Lucerne is a beautiful little town, complete with picturesque buildings and a river with swans swimming around.  Then some girls came over to our room and we played the card game Apples to Apples, followed by an ice cream run to McDonalds.

            I’m so exhausted from the day, so my plan for tonight is to get in bed early to rest up for my last full day in Europe... I can’t believe it’s already here!

Day 25- June 12

Happy birthday to my wonderful, beautiful mother!!  Can't wait to go to Paris for your 60th and my 30th!! ;)

            Today was our last day of traveling from city to city!  We left Munich this morning to move to Lucerne, Switzerland, the final stop on our study abroad trip.

            About mid-morning we stopped to see the castle of King Ludwig II, also known as the Neuschwanstein Castle.  Ludwig was king over Bavaria, a state in Germany, from 1846 until his mysterious death in 1886.  Ludwig is known for being slightly eccentric (some people say crazy), and was sometimes called the Mad King, the Fairy Tale King, and the Swan King (for his love of this type of bird).  The castle was designed by Ludwig himself and is one of the world’s most recognizable castles because many Disney fairy tale castles are modeled after this one.  In order to reach the castle we had to take a city bus halfway up the mountain, then take a short hike up to the base of the castle.  We then had a tour through all the finished rooms of the palace- only some rooms are finished because Ludwig died before all the rooms were completed and construction on the castle was halted immediately.  This castle was easily my favorite of all the castles and palaces we have seen in Europe.  Everything was so ornate and immaculate- from the murals on the walls and ceilings to the millions of tiles that made up the mosaic floors.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the castle so everyone will just have to take my word that it is beautiful. 

            After our castle detour, we continued on to Lucerne.  At about dinnertime, we drove through the small country of Lichtenstein, bringing the country total on this trip to eight.  We arrived at our last hotel of the trip at 7 pm, then had our last orientation meeting!  It’s strange that our trip is coming to an end- it has all been such a whirlwind and I can’t believe I’ll be back in Texas in just a few days.

            For dinner we went to a restaurant near our hotel, which was pretty expensive for a piece of pizza and a drink.  Supposedly this is the most expensive country we will visit (I’ve heard it could be around $15 for a meal at McDonalds), so I’m glad we won’t be spending very many nights here.

            Now I’m sitting on my bed, eating German gummy bears, looking forward to my hot shower, and about to go to bed.

Day 24- June 11

              Today was another early morning because we had a professional visit to BMW Welt (BMW World).  BMW Welt is the exhibition and delivery center for all of BMW- customers who have ordered cars can come to this location to pick up their brand new car and drive it for the first time.  This center also serves as a showroom, and there are many beautiful car and motorcycle models displayed for all visitors to see.  On our visit we were able to go behind the scenes of the company to see what happens when the new cars are delivered and how they are prepared to be in perfect condition for their new owners.  We also learned about the new technology and various features that BMW includes in its cars that keep the company on the forefront of the luxury car market. 

            After our visit, a group of girls and I rode the U-Bahn back to the center of Munich to go to the Deutsches Museum.  This museum is said to be one of the best in Munich, containing various airplanes, space technology, and robot and computer technology.  The museum was interesting but I think my brother and dad would have had more of an appreciation for the displays.

            After having a quick lunch, I went up to my hotel room and took my first nap of this whole study abroad trip.  This is quite an accomplishment, because I really, really love naps.  After my nap we had our last bike tour of the trip, a tour around Munich.  This tour was actually my least favorite of the bike tours we have taken, partly because it was raining and cold.  Because of the weather we did not see as many sites as we probably would have if it had been sunny.  After about an hour on the bikes we stopped at an outdoor place to eat dinner (thankfully the rain had stopped), then pretty soon after we headed back to the bike shop.

            Since we were freezing, we stopped on the way back to our hotel for coffee, hot chocolate, and tea.  Then Jessica and I spent the rest of the evening hanging out in our room with a few other girls and getting ready to leave for Switzerland tomorrow!

Day 23- June 10

 (I picked out a few cars...)

             Today began early in the morning with our departure for the Audi manufacturing facility in Ingolstadt, Germany, which is about a two hour drive from Munich.  When we arrived, we had some time to look around at the finished cars that were parked in the building and outside on the lot waiting to be transported to their new owners.  Then, we had a two hour tour of the Audi manufacturing facility, which was really interesting and different than any company visit we have taken on this trip so far.  We were able to see almost all stage of production, from the raw materials, to the building of the frame, to the assembly of parts, to some of the finishing touches.  I enjoyed seeing how much personal care goes into the manufacturing of each of these luxury cars.  Some of the actual explanations about what was going on in the factory were a bit over my head and outside my area of interest, but it was a great learning experience nonetheless, and we were able to see some beautiful cars. 

            After eating lunch at the Audi facility, we made our way to Dachau, Germany to spend time at the concentration camp memorial.  Throughout my years in school I have learned about the Holocaust and concentration camps, but nothing compared to seeing the actual site in person.  It was actually a very odd experience because the area itself was very pretty- green grass and bushes, birds chirping, pretty pathways through the trees- which is a stark contrast to the atrocities that happened there.  We first watched a documentary about Dachau, then were able to walk the grounds while listening to an audio guide and viewing either the original buildings of the camp or replicas of them, and memorials to those who died.  It was a very moving afternoon, more so than I can describe in writing.

            After our visit to Dachau, we returned to our hotel in Munich.  A few girls and I decided to go to the Hard Rock Café for dinner (we’ve been here almost a month and needed American food again, don’t judge), so we set out for the restaurant on the S-Bahn.  After having our fill of delicious hamburgers and interviewing our waiter for the paper we have to write, we headed in the direction of our hotel.  Along the way home we stopped for ice cream, since the Hard Rock Café’s freezer had broken and all its ice cream melted, and I had a giant cone of chocolate ice cream.  I’m going to have to do a boot camp workout when I get back to Texas.

Day 22- June 9

 

 (before the Reidel presentation)

 (tempting...)

(dinner entertainment)

            Today we made the relatively short drive from Innsbruck to Munich.  On the way, we stopped for a professional visit at Reidel, a company that produces hand-blown wine glasses, decanters, and various other glass products.  This was a fun visit because instead of spending the majority of our time listening to a presentation, we were able to actually go inside the factory and see firsthand how Reidel produces its products.  The glass-blowing process itself was an amazing thing to watch- the employees work with melted glass at a temperature of up to 1400 degrees, so they must be incredibly skilled and precise so as to avoid injury and create beautiful, one of a kind products. 

            After visiting Reidel, we drove the rest of the way into Munich.  We settled into our new hotel rooms, then went downstairs for our Germany orientation meeting and student presentations.

            After the meeting, a group of students and I ventured out with Dr. Dan to learn how to use the S-Bahn metro system and to find somewhere to eat for dinner.  We ended up deciding to eat at Hofbrauhaus, a gigantic famous German restaurant and pub.  The food was pretty good and we were entertained by live German music and dancers while we ate. 

            What happened during dinner was possible one of my favorite study abroad moments to date: My friend Lulu was in the group that I went to dinner with.  Lulu is Chinese and came to Texas A&M to study Accounting four years ago.  We have noticed throughout this trip that everywhere we go there are huge crowds of Asian tourists, and every time they see Lulu, they all take pictures of her!  Of course Lulu, being the sweet girl that she is, always takes the time to converse with them even if they are not Chinese (she speaks multiple languages), and to take a photo with them.  Tonight, the same thing began to happen.  There were well over 100 tourists from various parts of Asia eating at the Hofbrauhaus at the same time as us, and of course, as soon as they saw Lulu, they began to take pictures of her.  We all noticed an older couple first discreetly photographing her, then, as they got the courage, actually coming over to our table to take a close-up picture, and motioning for her to pose like she was drinking a beer and taking a bite off of a pork bone.  Finally, the husband ended up coming around the table to Lulu’s side and posing for a picture with her while his wife snapped several shots.  Of course, our entire table was either laughing hysterically at the oddity of the situation, or growing a bit concerned at these people’s interest in Lulu.  After the older couple had had their fill of Lulu pictures, a younger Asian man approached.  I guess the older couple had given this young man the courage to come over and talk to the adorable Lulu.  He even gave her a note written on a napkin introducing himself, complete with a variety of contact information.  At the point that the guy asked Lulu to come over to meet his (giant) group of friends at his table, one of the guys with our group stood up protectively to hear more clearly what was going on.  The younger Asian man looked quite taken aback and asked worriedly if this was Lulu’s boyfriend. Lulu said no, and politely went to meet more adoring fans.  When she finally came back, we asked her what in the world that was all about.  She told us that Asians, especially Chinese, are like Aggies- they love meeting each other no matter where around the world they may be.  She explained that all the people who had approached her were very nice, and just wanted to connect with a fellow countryman, and share pride in their country together.  Thinking about it like this makes sense, although I am fairly certain that I would not snap random pictures of another Aggie without permission. :)  The night ended with Lulu a bit embarrassed from all the attention, and with the rest of the group insisting that she must be famous in Asia and that she came to Texas A&M to take a break from a life of fame and fortune.  

  (Lulu and an admirer. I started taking pictures of them, and this one hammed it up.)