June 19, 2009
After a very long and active week, today was simply a day at school - that ended quite early (normal schedule) for many of our students. The
rest of the day and evening were free to spend with host families. Some of our students went to a party, others saw movies and others were
involved in family outings. Below are a few more photos from within the school.
June 20, 2009
We met up early afternoon at the train station and traveled to Augsburg. Herr Puritscher gave us a guided tour of Augsburg (he was born there).
We saw the famous red gate, city hall, many canals and the Fuggerei. The Fuggerei was the world's first social housing project started 550 years ago.
Afterwards everyone had the opportunity to go off in small groups and explore the city on their own for an hour. Then it was time for
Die lange Nacht der Fugger -- the long night of the Fugger --. This was a city-wide cultural event that involved everything from Marionettes
to Choir to an exhibit at the Planetarium to guideded tours of Museums. In small groups everyone took the opportunity to see, hear, listen
and learn (although there was one group that simply explored the joy of sitting in an outdoor cafe, eating ice cream and watching people!)
On our way back to train station we stopped to watch a group of fire dancers. They were incredible. When we returned to Guenzburg around midnight
everyone was understandably tired.
June 21, 2009
Today was spent with host families. In talking to the students it sounded like a number of plans were underway including trips to Nuremburg, visiting
the Steif (Teddy Bear) factory, bike rides and more. Regardless of what they did, I am sure they had a great time with their host families. All of the
GAPPers have told me how great their host families are. Below are just a few photos of our group on the train yesterday.
June 22, 2009
Today we took a day trip to Ingolstadt. It was just our group -- our partners had school. The day began cold and rainy, but by the time we got to
Ingolstadt it had mostly tapered off. In Ingolstadt we began our day with a fascinating, but rather long tour of the Audi Factory. It was interesting
to see how the cars were assembled. For example we saw a piece of metal pounded and cut into the roof of the car. The tour was maybe a bit longer
than everyone would have preferred! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos in the factory or during the tour itself.
Afterwards we visited the Audi Museum and saw some cars dating back to the early 1900s on up to modern race cars.
Everyone really liked the museum. Then we had a bit of time to explore the city. Some of our group took advantage of a self-guided tour provided on a
map from the tourist office, while others took advantage of the opportunity to buy souveniors. Towards the end of our visit to Ingolstadt many of our
group tried their first Doner Kebab for dinner. A Doner Kebab is the original Turkish fast food of Germany. It's a bit like a Gyro. At the end
of our trip as we boarded the train back to Guenzburg, the rain started up again. We had a lot of luck with the weather today!
June 23, 2009
Today in Guenzburg it is cold and rainy and we had school. However it gave us a perfect opportunity to spend some time with our host families, and
prepare for our trip to Munich and Regensburg. We will leave for Munich tomorrow early afternoon and return to Guenzburg on Friday evening in time
for the Abitur Ball. We are all looking forward to this upcoming trip! Below are more photos from the day spent in Ingolstadt yesterday.
June 24, 2009
After school we set off for Munich! Upon arrival in Munich we unloaded our bags at our youth hostel (much nicer than expected) and headed
into the city. It was a cold and rainy day, but we still saw a number of sights including the old and new Rathaeuser (city halls), Viktualien
Markt, Frauenkirche and more. Then we stood with hundreds of other tourists to watch the Glockenspiel at 5pm. Afterwards a bit of shopping
was done. Several dirndl's were bought. Then it was off to the Hofbraeuhaus for a traditional German meal. It was a long day, but exciting.
There was so much to do and see in Munich. Munich is the biggest city we`ve been to in Germany.
