Back From Fall Break (Herbstferien)- LOTS TO REPORT

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Hello Everyone!
Things here have been pretty exciting- I've just returned from a week in Dresden (Eastern Germany) and Prague (Czech Republic) and a week ago from Malmö (Sweden). I have a new appreciation for the size of europe- pretty much wherever I want to go on the continent or in the UK, the plane ride takes approximately an hour. Seriously. To Prague it was an hour. To Dublin its an hour. To Copenhagen its an hour. I really really like the travel capabilities.

Sweden

Irmela and I stayed for five days with a good friend of hers , Lotta Hamfelt , in an apartment complex extremely near to the ocean. Malmö is a very beautiful city and I even had the chance to attend school with one of her sons, Thomas who also spoke german and english. Hearing Swedish was very interesting and I enjoyed German class as well as meeting some Swedish students. I highly recommend Malmö because of the low amount of tourists and the proximity to Copenhagen (20 min by train) Both cities were a pleasure to visit.

Dresden

The Ditterts and I spent three days in Dresden and I could have stayed a lot longer :-) The City Center boasts many many beautiful Renaissance (and older) buildings with countless museums and cultural opportunities. We visited the Castle, the Treasury Museum, as well as the Frauenkirche and the Zwinger museums. This City on the Elbe is extremely beautiful as well as quite modern- with multiple shopping centers and a new movie theater which we visited one night ( we saw Pope Joan-which i thought was well done). During these few days I learned quite a bit about the D.D.R. and the effect that this had on the German culture still today.

The Beautiful two hour train ride along the Elbe River between Dresden and Prague was captivating- I didn't read at all!

Prague

When one walks through the streets of Prague, one is not only struck by the beautiful facades and fall foliage, but also by the international nature of the city- i don't even know how many different languages we heard! It was truly startling and awesome. Prague has many, many picturesque paths along the Mosel, over the Charles Bridge, up to Castle Hradcany, along the hills to the Monastery, and even through the old Jewish Quarter. I greatly enjoyed our time there and plan to return soon :-)

Things in Germany are going pretty well, and I hope that things where you are are too
~Hannah

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