Around 7:00am we all headed down for breakfast, then headed for the bus around 7:30. After a 30 minute bus ride, we arrived at the Dachau Concentration Camp. Our tour guide, Stephan, explained to us the rules of the camp and usage of all the rooms, and then we had 1.5 hours to look around/explore more of the camp. At 11:30, most of our group went to watch a 20 minute video, summarizing what it was like when the Concentration Camps were in operation. We learned that Dachau was a work camp and not a death camp like Auschwitz. We were able to see a replica bunker where the prisoners slept, ate, and lived. It was very basic and small. It was very heart breaking and emotional to see the camp and to learn about the living conditions. We learned about and experienced a huge part of history. Soon after, at12pm, everyone made their way to the lunch room, and ordered from a wide variety of Spazel, Wurst, Sandwiches, Soup, and of course, ice Creams!!! After ordering, we all sat down and talked about our experience inside the Camp and what we had overall already seen. Then it was back to the bus for a 4 hour drive to our next destination-Chemnitz.. We had a quick stop at the super market on the way. Everyone on the bus had a new found energy that lasted for a total of 45 minutes or so before we all fell back asleep. Finally when we where 10 minutes out from our final destination Slike woke us up with her normal “guten Morgen”, even though it was far from the morning. We then got off the bus and found ourselves at the city center of Chemnitz. We met at a McDonalds, and Slike told us to be in that spot in 20 minutes so we could walk to dinner. We split in to groups and went our separate ways. My group and I decided to go wonder the mall area where we went into a kids store and a craft store. After that we had to start walking back to McDonald’s to meet the rest of our group. Once everyone was there and accounted for, Slike squeeked Squeeky (the duck that gets our attention) and we moved towards the department store in which the restaurant was located. Once we got to the restaurant we got food and talked amongst ourselves. At the end of our meal a few of the staff members asked Slike if they could take a picture with us because we where the first Americans they had ever met. Finally, we walked back to the bus where we drove 15 minutes to our hotel. We were assigned rooms and told to be down back in the lobby for a team meeting. After our team meeting our day was officially done and all we had to do was wait for the next day to bring us another fabulous adventure. Authors- Sam, Gabby, Ava, Anna, Sara, Mrs. Herzig
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Today was our first day in Germany. As not many people got to sleep on the plane, and there is a six hour (ahead) time difference, we were all very tired today. When we got off the plane, we went to find out tour guide, Silke, and she brought us to our tour bus, driven by our amazing bus driver, Klaus. The first place we visited was the middle of Munich. We saw many churches, opera houses, and other famous places. We learned that Germany had no skyscrapers because the churches were to be the highest building in a city. We then went to lunch at the Hofbrauhaus, and there were some issues with ordering, but the food was good along with the short songs they played. After lunch we went to the BMW Showroom and the old Olympic stadium where the competition in 1972 was held. Some people went up the nearby TV tower to get a better view from above of the area. Students also looked around at the different vehicles in the showroom, and a small group played a racing game and had a snack at the cafe. Afterwards we went to dinner and had beef and potatoes. For desert there were cups of applesauce and custard. On every bus ride we had today, even if it was just for ten minutes, almost everyone fell asleep. Once everyone got to the hotel and we were all set with who we were rooming with, we all went up to our rooms and fell asleep immediately. Authors- Sara, Gabby, Anna, Ava, Sam Photo credit- Mr. Cottone Before we went on our trip we had a few important meetings. The first two where more of team building exercises. We meet our other travelers and found out our "true colors" (personality quiz). Later on we had another meeting where we were given information for the trip as well as our flight times. Then everyone headed home and began to pack. I spent about two hours packing my iteams and another hour getting my things. Then on Saturday we headed to the airport.
At the airport we meet in front of the Lufthansa bag check. We waited for a while until we were all there and checked in our bags. After that as a group we went through the TSA and headed to our gate. We then hung around the airport for about an hour until we where able to board our flight. Once we boarded many of us changed our seats to be closer to our friends as it was around eight hours long. The airplane was nice with relatively comfy seats and a good slection of movies to watch. We were served snacks as well as a nice dinner. Many of us tried to sleep but many ened up not sleeping at all. In the morning we were given a small breakfast and the plane started its decent. We were now in Frankfurt, Germany. We exited the plane and walked to out next flight. We had a bit of time before the next flight so we explored the German airport and had alot of fun. After that we got onto the new plane. Most did not change seats as it was only 45 minutes long. It was smaller then the last and all the attendants spoke German to us. This startled many who did not know German. Many of us tried to sleep again but to no avail. We then landed in Munich. We got off the plane and headed to the baggage claim and took our luggage. Then we headed to the exit to meet our tour guide for the day, Silke. She then lead us to our bus and we started our first (technically second) day in Germany! From Peyton; so we start off at the airport. Where we got our tickets and went though security ( I was a little nervous along with some others). After that we went too our terminal and that’s where we all got situated to get on the plane. I might have got little bit more stuff that I need but it’s vacation. Then we went on the plane which was very big (the biggest one I have ever been on). On the seat of the plane we got a pillow and blanket (I didn’t use either one). Also we had a touch screen tv on the back of the person in front of us. And it gave you the option between movies and two tv channels. There were a ton of movies to select from. The movies I watch was the newest Thor, and Transformers The Last Knight. The meals were ok they went Anything over the top, but it was ok we had pasta and bread with a side of crackers and salad and the dessert part it was a brownie. After that I sleep and the day was over. Authors: Peyton, Rebecca, and Mr. Cottone Here is the exciting itinerary for the 2018 Rochester Community Schools international study abroad to Germany in February. AuthorMr. Cottone is a World Studies teacher at Van Hoosen Middle School. He is also a Teachers for Global Classrooms, TEACH Bahrain, and Transatlantic Outreach Program fellow. @vhmcottone cottonetravel.weebly.com |
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