On Friday I taught a lesson to my third-graders on American classrooms! It was so much fun to teach them about school busses and school cafeterias. However, it resulted in me losing my voice thanks to this lovely cold that our entire group seems to have contracted by this point (#hamburgcoldepidemic2014). My voice was gone most of the weekend, but I made the most of it anyways!
Friday afternoon started with a trip to the oldest bakery in Hamburg and shopping downtown!
Friday afternoon started with a trip to the oldest bakery in Hamburg and shopping downtown!
Next, we headed to the Hofbräuhaus to meet others from our group for dinner. The atmosphere was meant to replicate Southern Germany's many biergartens (beer gardens). We enjoyed live music, bratwursts, pretzels, and of course, beers!
The next stop on our agenda for the night was DOM. DOM is a huge fair that comes to Hamburg four times a year. On Friday nights they have a big fireworks show at 10:30 PM, which was exciting to see! We enjoyed the German version of fair food, such as little funnel cake nuggets, potatoes, and pommes (french fries) and hopped on the "Wilde Maus," (Wild Mouse) which we were told was a must ride. It didn't disappoint, and I managed to lose any remaining voice I had left.
The next stop on our agenda for the night was DOM. DOM is a huge fair that comes to Hamburg four times a year. On Friday nights they have a big fireworks show at 10:30 PM, which was exciting to see! We enjoyed the German version of fair food, such as little funnel cake nuggets, potatoes, and pommes (french fries) and hopped on the "Wilde Maus," (Wild Mouse) which we were told was a must ride. It didn't disappoint, and I managed to lose any remaining voice I had left.
Saturday was a wonderful day. Gabrielle, Leslie, Amy, Jennifer, and I woke up bright and early to hop on a train to Lübeck for the day! The weather was AMAZING (which is unusual for Hamburg in April), and we spent almost the entire day exploring the port city, famous for its salt and marzipan industries! Jennifer's host parents joined us in the morning and gave us a tour. They were SO knowledgable about the city, so it was nice to have them there! They left shortly after lunch, giving us the chance to do some shopping and enjoy a relaxing drink by the river before heading out for the day. Some snapshots from the day:
I brought some marzipan chocolates back to my host family and was able to enjoy dinner with them at a Greek restaurant in Bergedorf before heading back out for the night! Dinner was delicious, and at my host sister's suggestion, I enjoyed a chai tea with my food to help my cold.
After dinner I met up with Gabrielle and Kelly for a night out in Hamburg! This was our last weekend night in Hamburg because we will spend next weekend in Berlin and head to Italy the following Friday. Time is passing too quick. Although our plan was originally to go to Night of the Museums, in which all the city's museums stay open until 2:00 in the morning, most of our group decided against this after the day's activities. We still wanted to make the most of our last weekend night in Hamburg, so we decided to visit a local pub then meet up with some of the other students in our group in the Reeperbahn. We had a good time and finished the night earlier than last weekend's Fischmarket adventures... but still late compared to NC! The night life here is unlike anything I have ever seen before.
After dinner I met up with Gabrielle and Kelly for a night out in Hamburg! This was our last weekend night in Hamburg because we will spend next weekend in Berlin and head to Italy the following Friday. Time is passing too quick. Although our plan was originally to go to Night of the Museums, in which all the city's museums stay open until 2:00 in the morning, most of our group decided against this after the day's activities. We still wanted to make the most of our last weekend night in Hamburg, so we decided to visit a local pub then meet up with some of the other students in our group in the Reeperbahn. We had a good time and finished the night earlier than last weekend's Fischmarket adventures... but still late compared to NC! The night life here is unlike anything I have ever seen before.
Sunday consisted of a boat tour of the harbor. It was beautiful! Afterwards, Gabrielle and I got hamburgers... because when in Hamburg, you must eat a hamburger, right? Yum! Halfway through eating our hamburgers, we realized that people in the restaurant were looking at us strangely. After looking around, we realized that people in Germany use a fork and knife too eat their hamburgers! They were looking at us because we were eating them with our hands! Oops... American mistake.
The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing and catching up on some much-needed sleep for the week ahead! On the agenda for the week: math lessons, my students' music concert, a trip to the zoo, and a weekend trip to Berlin! Can't wait! :)
The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing and catching up on some much-needed sleep for the week ahead! On the agenda for the week: math lessons, my students' music concert, a trip to the zoo, and a weekend trip to Berlin! Can't wait! :)