Routines and Castles

It has been really good getting into a normal routine and focusing a bit on everyday life before heading off on new adventures. School is going really well and I am finding ways to be useful in all my classes. I had to show my scary side to the year 12s with positive results and the year 10s have finally figured out that I can speak German. I commented on their "private" conversation when they should have been doing their work and they were horrified to learn that I could understand them! I have been enjoying my Spanish course at Düsseldorf Uni even if it does take me two and half hours to get there. The Spanish it at the right level but I've had some issues when asked to translate it into German - or vice versa. My third language into my second language?? Um, slight problem right there. It has been getting easier but I'm glad I am not trying to pass the course. I bike along to symphonic band every Tuesday night and apart from the fact that I need earplugs to hear myself playing, it is going really well. We have a concert on Sunday for the first of Advent which will hopefully go really well. Choir every Wednesday evening is also great fun and we'll be singing in Christmas markets over the next couple of weeks.

Over the weekend I went down south to visit the Franks. They used to live in Dunedin when I was in year 9 and I practised my German with their toddler. They now have a total of four kids and I had a very intense weekend keeping everyone amused. I hadn't realised how much I missed having little people around although I very nearly went hoarse from book reading! The train ride there was mostly pretty boring but there is one stretch along the Rhine where every corner reveals a castle on a hill. It's like travelling through a fairytale!

Hambacher Schloss

The Franks took me to see their local castles as well which is always a win situation with me. I don't think I'll ever get sick of visiting castles. On Friday we went to the Hambacher Schloss which is where German democracy originated and they have a very good exhibition all about it. Very interactive and we could all get dressed up as well which the kids loved.

The Franks dressing up (Alena, Kilian, Esra, Marit and Pavo)

Castle Trifels from below

On Saturday we went to Castle Trifels which has to be the coolest castle I've been in. It's located in the hills and sits out on a big cliff. For anyone who know what Gondor looks like, it has a jutting out rock formation exactly the same. What was great was that we could explore all over without a guide or anything and you really get the proper feel of being in a castle. Oh, and Richard the Third (the Lionheart) was imprisoned here after his third Crusade. Pretty cool huh? I certainly had a fantastic time!

The throne room

Breslau, Poland

Buildings in the main square

Far out what a full on holiday. School was definitely a shock to the system this morning! On Thursday Manuela and I flew to Breslau, Poland to see Vera. Her friend Ariane and her mum came too and so did family friend Claudia. It was a new experience to be travelling as part of a big group and I found flying with other people way more enjoyable than by myself. my first impressions of Breslau weren't that great and I felt like we'd stepped back into post-WW2 Eastern Bloc. The houses are all grey and run-down and the place just has an un-looked after kind of feel. But the centre city has been beautifully restored and rebuilt and was an incredible place to visit. The other thing about Breslau it that food, accommodation and culture are ridiculously cheap. We stayed in an awesome apartment in the middle of town and payed less than half what we would in Germany.

Our first day we checked out the main square in the evening we went to a Bach concert. Sadly the Bach was pretty average (very poor choice of pieces) but the random Polish composer was worth going for. The next day was All Hallows and a national holiday so nearly everything was shut and the entire Polish population in church services or visiting graveyards. We strolled around the Cathedral island, saw where Vera is studying and living, looked at more churches (it's incredible how many churches there are in one place) and waited until evening. Then we also visited the main Breslau cemetery which is HUGE. We seriously walked around it for over an hour and a half. But every grave had massive bunches of flowers and coloured lanterns so that the place looked incredible in the dark. There were families out with their kids, couples, widowers, friends, all visiting family graves. Definitely something I hadn't ever seen before.

Breslau from the Elizabeth church

Saturday it rained so we slept in a bit and then visited the main Uni which had some amazing rooms that have all been restored after the war. Breslau has around 135,000 students over 30 universities and students come from all over Europe to study there. We also climbed the Elizabeth Church tower to get a view over the city. 300 and something steps and my legs were like jelly by the time I got back down. My physio would be happy! Claudia and I had a look around the city hall which is one of the oldest in Europe and then we all went to a cafe in the evening. I had a mint hot chocolate which was literally just melted chocolate with a mint syrup.

I could nearly stand my spoon up in it! Very yummy but a lot of sugar and I didn't feel like moving afterwards. We flew back to Frankfurt early Sunday and I came home rather exhausted. Thankfully school wasn't too strenuous and it was nice to be back in the classrooms. I hope everyone at home is enjoying spring and the students are looking forward to freedom at last!

Ritchie with some of the gnome statues which are all over the city. I have no idea why they are there!