From Yorkshire to Munich and a visit to Dachau

Another fairly normal week in school again. I have a (rough) weekly routine now which I quite like. In School on Monday I was doing the usual stuff, checking work and just being there for any English-related questions. Before leaving I was asked if I would mind helping one of the teachers out with some marking of students' work. I genuinely want to help out as much as possible, so I agreed. I took a selection of students homework and brought them home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited (sad, I know) but it made me feel like a real teacher with responsibility. The red pen came out when I got back and I began correcting. This is the same red pen that I just to fear during my time at school, but now it was in my hand and I had the power -Muhahaha.

Back in on Tuesday and I was working with a particularly excited class. They are really friendly and I really enjoy working with them. I got high fives and handshakes from some of the pupils, which was really nice. According to one boy, I have lots of 'fans' in the class. They were revising for a test, which was going to be taken the following day (which was 'very nicht cool' according to one boy), so I didn't have much to do. A few pupils asked for my help with some questions, so naturally I helped them and gave them the answer. I was particularly embarrassed to find that that wasn't the same answer as the teacher had, so in fact they had got it wrong. But the answer I gave was still correct English - This is the difficult thing with Language; There is often several different ways of saying something and therefore several different possibilities as a correct answer. I hope the students appreciate this and my 'fans' don't turn on me!

On Wednesday I was at my second school. I had a particularly good day here. I began the morning with the year 5 class who are so sweet and are learning about time. As always I was impressed with their level of English and like I've said before, I enjoy working with the younger classes. My next lesson was a lesson where I was playing 'teacher' again. I had been asked to prepare a lesson about where I come from in England. I spent the previous few evening planning it. I began with giving some information about Yorkshire and comparing it with Bavaria (Although Yorkshire is the biggest county in England, Bavaria is still almost 7 times bigger than Yorkshire - That's right, Germany is huge!) Next I showed a video from the Yorkshire Tourist Board, showcasing the beauty of Yorkshire. I actually felt really proud as I showed them the video and when Halifax was shown, I felt a jolt of excitement and although it may sound silly, I felt a lump in my throat. They seemed impressed and I asked what they thought of it and they said how nice it looked. (Damn right!) One boy was convinced he saw the Golden Gate Bridge, but I assured him it wasn't and it was in fact the Humber bridge. (Not quite as spectacular). We talked a little bit about vocabulary and we listed some outdoor activities that you can do in the beautiful Yorkshire dales. My next task was one I was particularly looking forward to working through with them. I had spent quite a lot of time preparing this. It was a text that I had cut up, muddled up, put in envelopes and the students' task was to remove all the little strips from the envelope and put them in the right order so that the text made sense... The text was a recipe... The topic was Yorkshire... As Rolf would say "Can you guess what it is yet?" (OK. Maybe I shouldn't mention Rolf and school children in the same post).... But that's right. It was a recipe for Yorkshire Puddings! They worked through it and then I gave them the correct form. I was surprised when some the pupils asked me if they could take the recipe home as they wanted to try it! "Of course" I said. If I can introduce just one German to the splendour of the humble Yorkshire Pudding, then I consider my duty here in Germany complete. I can't wait for Grandma to hear about this - That's right Grandma, I taught Bavarian school children how to make Yorkshire Puddings.

All the schools here also have a 'tanoy' system - like the kind of the thing you would expect in America. It allows the secretary / headmaster to speak to the entire school at once, as there is a speaker in every room. They are used very frequently and students are always being called to different offices for whatever reason. On Wednesday I got my first 'shout-out' (That's not what they call it, but it is what I'm calling it) It was nothing exciting, it was just informing the students about the room of one my classes for the following day, but non the less, it made me feel good.

On Thursday, I taught three separate classes. I prepared well for all of them and I feel comfortable whilst teaching. However, I find myself worrying a lot beforehand. Worrying if my tasks will fill the lesson, whether the students will find it too hard, stressing whether the students will revolt and I will be injured by a barrage of flying stationary. I worry too much and I fear it takes the enjoyment out of the whole experience. I breath a sigh of relief after each lesson and then begin worrying about my next lesson. I need to work on this and just relax a little more.


On Thursday evening, Lois came to Regensburg. I suggested going out to a local Bavarian Restaurant for tea, as it had been recommended to me and I was feeling particularly German. The Restaurant was nice, but since it was a German restaurant the only tables available were big long tables, that seat around 10 people. No romantic, cosy little tables for two in the corner. Oh no. In German restaurants you often find yourself sharing tables and eating with complete strangers! It wasn't too busy, so we found a vacant table and enjoyed our meal in privacy. We both took the opportunity to try something new. I opted for Schweinshaxn und Kartoffelknödel mit Krautsalat (Pork knuckle with potato dumplings and a salad) whilst Lois had Käsespätzle mit Salat (Cheese covered egg noodle dumpling things with salad). We both really enjoyed our meals and would definitely choose them again.

 

On Friday we travelled to Munich to explore the city, which is actually very close to us. It was a little overcast, but we enjoyed looking around the city before going on a walking tour where we learned about the history and culture of the city. Its a lovely city with a real mix of old and new. Lots of old buildings and history but equally many modern shops. Signs that Christmas is fast approaching were everywhere, from huge shop window displays to Christmas market huts being set up. You can feel the German Christmas buzz in the air! It was however very cold, so we following the tour we made a quick dash back to the train station and returned to Regensburg.                                                                Getting in the Christmas Spirit












You can't go to Munich and not have a Riesenbreze (Giant Pretzel!)




                                           I made a new friend on the walking tour

                 This watch was spotted on Munich's wealthy Maximillian Straße - The price tag 227,900 Euros - Wow! And you're right - It doesn't even look that special!

Back in Regensburg, we went to the supermarket to get some food for tea. As I already said, signs of Christmas are everywhere - which definitely includes the supermarket. We spotted some Glühwein, and couldn't resist. The fact we were cold seemed the perfect excuse to buy it. The Glühwein came in a 1 litre bottle and cost a mighty 1.29Euros. I bet you have your suspicions about the taste and quality of such a cheap bottle of alcohol but let me tell you now, the Glühwein was delicious. So delicious in fact, that at the time of writing this blog, we have indeed gone through 2 bottles. When you look at what you would pay at a Christmas Market for a small mug of Glühwein, buying it by the bottle is a no brainer. We will certainly miss this next year when we're back in the UK.







The next part of my post may be a little depressing, I'm afraid. On Saturday, we decided to visit Dachau Concentration Camp. Dachau is located just north of Munich and is just a 30min train journey from the main train station. Dachau was the very first Concentration Camp built by the Nazis. It was built just two months after Hitler came to power in 1933. Although first a camp which mainly housed political prisoners, it soon housed Jews from all over Europe. The camp was designed to hold 6,000 prisoners. By 1945, 32,000 people were imprisoned there. The name Dachau became infamous as a camp of brutality, cruelty and death. Over 40,000 people died here.

The day was once again overcast and foggy. It was also once again very cold. This created a very atmospheric feel to our experience. Entrance to the entire camp is free, which is a good thing, as it means there really is no excuse not to come and learn about such an important bit of history. Walking through the gates and past the sign 'Arbeit macht Frei' (Work brings freedom) which is synonymous with Nazi Concentration Camps, was, even now, a frightening feeling. The bleak openness of the grounds was depressing and you really got a feel for the horror that went on there. We explored the several parts of the camp. The Bunker, where acts of torture and punishment were regularly carried out was a really scary place to be in. The Crematorium and gas chambers (which were incidentally never actually used for mass extermination - People were either worked/starved to death, or killed by gunshot - Therefore Dachau is a Concentration Camp and not an Extermination Camp like Auschwitz) were equally as eerie and shocking. The Barracks were small and obviously basic and the thought of hundreds of people in these cramped conditions was not pleasant. The Museum on site is vast and has masses of information. We found it really interesting to read about all aspects of the camp and thought it was very well presented. A film was shown, which although at times difficult to watch, gave an informative insight into the camp during its time of operation. No one can say an experience like this is enjoyable, but it was interesting. And we feel that it is an important part of history that should be recognised and learnt about.

Barrack blocks













These are the foundations of the former barrack blocks













































The Crematorium
















The Gas chambers



I would hate to end my post on a sad, depressing note, so here is some more, positive news! Ahhem. I have finally found a flat for next year! Wahoo! It is a really lovely single apartment, in a quite area just south of Regensburg. Yes, the location isn't ideal, as it is a way out of the centre, but apart from that, it really is ideal for me. I cycled there to sign the contract and it's not too far at all. Besides, you all know how much I enjoy cycling, so I actually look forward to commuting into school. (I reserve the right to change my opinion on this matter. I figure that after a few early morning commutes in early January, with fingers frozen around the handlebars and icicles hanging off the end of my nose as I fight through bitter German snowstorms, the enjoyment factor may seriously diminish) But I'm really happy with it and relieved to have somewhere to come back to after Christmas. I've struggled for so long to find somewhere, so this really is big news! I propose making Tuesday 12 November (The date of the signing of the contract) a national holiday where everybody celebrates the fact that Marcus finally found a place to live. Not sure if it will catch on....

Anyway...another week ahead, so better plan some lessons!

Tschüß!

Back to school and a trip to the doctors (Don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds)

Going on back to school on Monday, after a lovely week off, was not a nice thought but as always, once I was there, it was all fine. Besides, I really can't complain considering how many hours I do during a whole week! In my first couple of classes, I did a short talk on Halloween and Bonfire Night in England, in the hope that the students would find a little bit of English culture interesting and a pleasant change from English language. They don't celebrate Bonfire Night in Germany (obviously - Guy Fawkes, Houses of Parliament, King James, duh!) but they know about Halloween. All the students laughed when I asked if anybody did anything for Halloween because, as I learnt, in Germany only the very young children go knocking on doors and asking for sweets. (They say "Süßes oder Saures" which literally translates as "Sweet or Sour" instead of "Trick or Treat") For anyone over the age of say 8, it's just a normal day/night. Whereas in England where Halloween had become another excuse for teenagers to go out and party and get drunk, in Germany, the older students don't really care. I guess it makes sense - I mean what does Halloween even celebrate anyway?! It's another American thing that we have stolen and just turned into one huge commercial event. My last lesson was with the year 10s and involves me taking around 15 students for 45mins and basically practising English for their oral exam. This week, I had prepared a lesson about the Internet which involved them reading some articles, giving opinions and then a little discussion at the end.

In the morning, I had a chat with one of the teachers. I speak German with most of the teachers and I was a little worried that my German may have 'disappeared' after a week of mostly English (Although Lois and I do make an effort to speak German with each other regularly) but I soon found I slipped back into it. Additionally, I was ecstatic when the teacher told me how much my German had improved since my arrival in September. Normally when people say "you can speak good German" I don't tend to believe them, but I genuinely felt she had seen an improvement. I can't say I've noticed an improvement and I'm still frustrated that I struggle to say exactly what I want. I still can't hold a 'normal' conversation, but it is really, really encouraging to know its going in. On Monday afternoon, I met with my tandem partner in a café in the town centre. We spoke German for 45 minutes and then English for 45 minutes (as she wants to improve her English.) It was good and we understood each other throughout. It does give you a good feeling when you can switch between languages, so I cant wait to continue improving my language skills!

On Tuesday, I did 2 more lessons on Bonfire Night and Halloween. This was a little more in depth and involved taking the lesson. I had worksheets for the students to fill out and a few other activities. I was working with the year 7s, who, despite being very good English speakers, are naturally still improving their English skills. They particularly enjoyed trying to say the Halloween themed tongue twister I had prepared for them - "If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch" - which of course in German is - "If two vitches vere vatching two vatches, vich vitch vould vatch vich vatch." The fact that Spider is pronounced "Spider" in English and not "Sch-pider" also took a bit of getting used to, but I was impressed. Some of them even knew about Guy Fawkes!

Something else I thought was particularly interesting was the punishment for forgetting homework. If a student forgets their homework on three occasions, they must bake a cake for the whole class to enjoy. Cool, right?! I'm sure many students actually encourage one another to 'forget' to do homework, in the hope they will get some cake! One girl who received this punishment in Tuesdays class explained that she couldn't bake a cake this week for her English class, because she already had to bake two cakes for her Biology class! - I guess one positive we can take from this, is knowing that 'The Great German Bake Off" won't have a problem in finding future competitors and the standard will definitely be high! I'm not sure if it's a 'punishment' (I suspect Lois would forget a lot of homeworks just so she has an excuse to bake!) but I like the idea.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was again with a year 10 class, but this time just spending 10 minutes with small groups outside of the classroom and practising English. It was basically just small talk, but it was really good, because their English is so good it was just like having a proper English chat! We chatted about the weekend, about shopping and about parties and they seemed to enjoy it. I try to make them feel as at ease as possible, because I know that speaking a foreign language can be an embarrassing and nerve-wracking experience and I'd like them to see me as more of a friend than a teacher.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty standard days at my other school. I enjoyed them non the less. On the Thursday I helped one of the teachers with the writing of an English assessment for the year 10 class. In order to check how challenging it was, I actually did the test. It certainly made me think, which just goes to show how good the students' level of English is over here. I also did a little German test just to challenge myself a little more. Safe to say, I really don't miss German exams.

On Thursday evening I made my way to Eichstaett on the train to see Lois. One thing I would like to mention is the ticket system on German trains. On German trains you HAVE to buy a ticket before you board and unsurprisingly everybody does this. In England you SHOULD buy a ticket before you board, and unsurprisingly not everyone does this. I have to admit, that that used to be me. There was always a chance that you wouldn't be asked for your ticket, so you might be able to have had a free journey. And if the ticket inspector were to come round, you can just buy a ticket from him anyway - so you have nothing to lose. Here in Germany, I can't remember ever not being asked for my ticket. And if you don't have one here, then you pay a hefty fine - no excuses. I've never seen anybody who doesn't have a ticket. I think this is such a good system. Everybody knows what they need to do and they just accept it and do it. So many people in England get away with not paying for journeys (myself in included) making it very unfair for those who do pay. Over here it just seems a lot fairer and I have no issue with a buying a ticket each time I travel.

Another German observation I wanted to share occurred when Lois visited the doctors. Lois hasn't been feeling too well this last week and we visited the doctors together on Friday. The Germans have this slightly odd 'tradition' whereby anyone who comes into the doctors, greets the entire waiting room before approaching the receptionist. Like I said, it's a little odd but really it's actually very friendly and polite. As to be expected, the system of seeing a doctor is fast, smooth and efficient - standard Germany. The doctor suggested Lois give a blood sample and have it tested to make sure everything was ok. I saw Lois' face drop at the thought of having a German nurse stick a needle in her arm and take some blood. This is an unpleasant experience in the UK, never mind a foreign country! Everyone knows this process in England - Following this recommendation, you would go down to the local hospitals Hemotology department, between specific hours and join the queue to have your blood taken. It is likely that this would be either a day or two later and that you would have to wait any length of time when you got there. Once you've given your blood, this would get sent off and tested. Again, this would likely be a few days later. These results would then be sent to your doctor. You would then ring your doctor and either receive the news over the phone or often, make another appointment, a week or two later, to see them and be told about your results. So all in all this process takes a matter of weeks - I know. I've been there.

Here in Germany, the process is again, as to be expected, fantastically simple. Lois went into a neighbouring room, where a nurse was already waiting. The nurse pricked her finger (which Lois described as completely painless) and took a few drops of blood. Lois then returned to the waiting room. Five minutes (and I'm not exaggerating here) later and the doctor called her in again. Her blood had been tested and the results were fine. The doctor gave her a few more tablets to take (straight over the counter of course. No faffing about with prescriptions) and that was done. I was startled at the simplicity of this process and again found myself asking why in Britain this has to be so different.

Due to Lois not feeling great, we had a fairly chilled weekend. But on Saturday, with a desire to do something, we made to a trip to a local city called Augsburg. It's about 90 minutes away on the train and there really is quite a bit there. I would describe it as more of a 'shopping city', with lots and lots of good shops. There is also the 'Fuggerei', the oldest social settlement in the world (it's basically an old medieval village) and the father of Mozart was born there in Augsburg. As we were there, we saw the stalls for the ever nearing Christmas markets being set up and Christmas decorations were even appearing in shops and shop windows. We are both absolutely buzzing for Christmas and can't wait to explore some 'real' German markets. That being said, it's also getting very cold, so it's not as if we need reminding that winter is almost here.

Lois has just treated herself to an iPad. It is so cool! We watched a film on the train to and from Augsburg and it makes the journey go so much faster. It's definitely going to make train travel, which we will be doing a lot more of, much more appealing.

Sunday was spent in typical German fashion - Doing very little. The weather was very miserable, so we stayed inside, practised some German using a cool app on Lois' iPad, and watched some 24 (we've got the new series, as we figured we would be spending quite a bit of time inside as the cold, dark evenings approach.)

Bis zum nächsten Mal!

3 days in Prague

We didn't have much chance to be sad about the departure of Lois' family, as on early Wednesday morning we set off to Prague. Prague, for us in Bavaria, is actually closer than Berlin and after a 4 hour train journey we found ourselves in the capital of the Czech Republic.

I'm not going to beat about the bush. As we travelled through the Czech countryside, we weren't exactly filled with excitement. The Czech Republic is largely a pretty bleak looking place. We passed through many poor, run-down villages and it clearly showed signs of a country that had spent almost half the last century under communist rule. However the sight of a Tesco supermarket (That's right, Tesco!) was refreshing. It was the first Tesco we'd seen for over 2 months and despite its shabby appearance, there was something sentimental about seeing a British company, as we travelled even further from home.

We had obviously heard about all the 'negative' aspects that we would expect to experience on a visit to Prague. As we got off the train, we ensured bags were tightly closed and wallets were secure. It wasn't long before we were approached by two men offering to change our Euros into Czech Koruna, at a rate that was considerably better than the official currency exchanges. The man wasn't stupid and first of all tried to strike up a friendship by asking about London and saying how much he likes it there (I bet he's never even been!) He was pushy but not 'forceful' and we made it clear that we weren't going to be exchanging any money with him. We had done our research and found the best place to exchange money before we went, so we promptly found the shop and exchanged our Euros. Czech currency is very odd. Despite being in the EU, and being surrounded by countries that use the Euro, they've decided to keep a national currency just to be awkward (saying that, it's just occurred to me that the UK is exactly the same - I take it back) We both exchanged 100 Euros which gave us 2,750 Czech Koruna. 2,750! We both felt rich as we stuffed our two 1000 Koruna and several 100 Koruna notes into our wallets. We soon found out it's not as much as it sounds, when we visited Marks and Spencer (they like their British brands do the Czechs), which was a very surreal experience and found bread costing 37 Koruna (it works out about 1.50 Euros, so not as expensive as you first think) As you can see, the money took a bit of getting used to.

Our first impressions of Prague were not good. We felt uncomfortable at the sight of many of the dodgy looking characters hanging around the old square, there were lots of beggars, there wasn't much to see apart from the odd nice building and the shops were all tacky, souvenir shops. We checked into our apartment, which was just ok, but in a great location and went for a little wander. Our impression of Prague didn't change that much throughout the afternoon and we were left feeling a little disappointed that it hadn't quite lived up to expectations. As we were in an apartment, we decided to make the most of having cooking facilities and we cooked Spaghetti Bolognese for tea. We bought breakfast for the following, plus all the necessary ingredients for our evening meal and it cost the equivalent of 4 Euros - now that's cheap! Seeing as though it wasn't too late after tea, we decided to see what Prague was like in the evening - You may think we're either very brave or very stupid, but we were only going to be in Prague once! I'm really glad that we decided to do this, as it totally changed our opinion about Prague. We literally fell in love with the city after seeing it in the evening. The atmosphere was just so much more friendly and the way the buildings were lit up was spectacular. We went to the famous Charles Bridge and it was a hive of activity, but since many were also tourists, we felt safe. The city had totally changed and the small little back alleys were buzzing with people and people sat out enjoying drinks. A lot of the shops were still open and we discovered a different, nicer area of the city which we had missed before. It was cold so we didn't stay out long, but we returned with a new excitement and were looking forward to spending the next full day in this beautiful city.











Prague by night is beautiful





The next day started with a free walking tour of the city. We had discovered this online and it sounded great. We met at about 11 in the old town square and set off in a group on a 3 hour tour which took us around the whole city and showed us lots of points of interest. It was really interesting learning about the country of the Czech Republic, it's early history and how Prague became such an important city in Europe during this time. I found the more recent 20th Century history very interesting, especially the Nazi occupation, the resistance and the communist take over. We saw some wonderful buildings and monuments and it ended with a view of the castle (which is the biggest castle complex in the world, I'll have you know! - So big you can fit 87 White Houses within the castle complex! - See. I was listening) After a quick return to the apartment to warm up, we set off to visit the castle. This involved a walk and a tram journey as its right on the top of a hill, but once we got there we had a great view of the city. It really was a massive area and we didn't get chance to see a lot of it, but we had time to appreciate the amazing view of the city down below. It was early evening and the city was beginning to light up as the sun went down and it was just a perfect time to be there. We descended from the castle and on our way back to the apartment, we climbed the clock tower in the old town square. This again gave us a great view of the city, but from a much closer angle. It was scary looking down, but seeing any city from above at night time is pretty special. As it was our last evening in Prague, we decided to go out for our evening meal, so we found a lovely little Mexican restaurant (obviously!) and enjoyed some really tasty food washed down with a Czech beer. Perfect.





































































The view from the Castle


























The famous Astronomical Clock. Installed in 1410 and it still tells the correct time!
This is also the clock tower we climbed to get a fantastic view of Prague at night





























On Friday before it was time to leave, we were able to visit some of the market stalls in Wenceslas Square that had been recommended to us by our tour guide. We sampled some Medivina (honey wine) which was lovely and warming on what was such a cold day. We then grabbed a quick lunch at Bohemia Bagel, which consisted of delicious home made bagels and some soup - again very warming. You can tell it was cold! After this we got our train back to Regensburg and another place can be ticked off our list of places to visit.

Lois with Medivina

On thing that must be said, is that because we don't understand the language, we both felt very rude when we spoke in English. I firmly believe that if you're in another country you should follow their customs and speak their language. This hasn't been an issue so far, since we can get by speaking German here, but in Prague, I did feel rude that I couldn't say anything in Czech. It wasn't an issue as most people can also speak English, but I wish I could have at least attempted to speak their language. It also made us appreciate just how cool it is to be able to speak another language. All in all, despite our initial doubts, we both came to love Prague by the end. It is a lovely city with some lovely sights and definitely worth a visit. We must also add, that contrary to it's reputation, we didn't come across any 'seediness'. I think it's one of those places that if you look, you can find whatever you want to find, but if not, then you wont come across it. It is very touristy and we heard lots of American accents. It's obviously a very popular destination for city breaks.

The weekend didn't really consist of much. We both have quite a bit to prepare for a busy first week back, so we helped each other with some lesson ideas. i.e. Lois helped me plan a lesson. We're both sad that half term is over already (it always goes so fast!) but we're already planning a few more trips away before the year is out. It is also now November and December is therefore only around the corner, which we're both super excited about. We're looking forward to experiencing some real German Christmas Markets but most of all, we cant wait to go home for Christmas.

Now it's back into German mode!

 

                                                      We had a great time in Prague

A visit from home

On Saturday morning Lois and I caught an early train to Nuremberg to meet her family as they arrived. We bought some pretzels so that we could welcome in typical German fashion. We didn't have to wait long until they walked through the arrivals gate. It was so great to see them and also a little surreal, as we were still obviously in Germany, but it felt like we were back in the UK. We hopped into the hire car and made our way to Eichstätt, where Lois could show them her 'hometown.' We successfully navigated our way to Eichstätt, which is impressive since we none of us have any experience with German roads and had a wander through the town and to Lois' flat. The weather was beautiful and it showed Eichstätt in its true beauty. Following a tasty cake stop at one of the bakeries, we made our way to Regensburg. It was an interesting experience driving down the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Town, as Tony did his best to avoid gormless pedestrians and suicidal cyclists, but eventually we got to the hotel where Jenny, Tony and Georgie would be staying.

We went our separate ways and arranged to meet later on for our evening meal. Regensburg was buzzing (it was a Saturday night), so our first choice of restaurant was completely full, however we managed to get a table and enjoy some tasty Italian food at one of the pizzerias Lois and I had already discovered.

Sunday was to be an epic day. Seeing as though most of the cities close down on Sunday, we figured it would be best to visit somewhere else. One of the places we all wanted to see was Neuschwanstein Castle which is on the border between Germany and Austria. After debating the best way to get there, we ended up agreeing that travelling by car would be best. Although it was a lengthy drive, we had actually forgotten to turn our clocks back (end of German summertime) so we had an extra hour to play with. Decision made, we set off. As I said, the castle is located on the border between Austria and Germany, in the Alps, so our first 'checkpoint' would be Munich and then from there, we'd carry on south towards the border. Getting the Munich wasn't too bad. It's around 1.5 hours from Regensburg. However getting to the castle was a different story. You would have thought the Germans (what with their 'efficiency' and all that) would make huge, clear road signs and that they would be regularly spaced out with relevant places signposted on them. As we soon found out, this is not the case. We couldn't find any signs towards our destination and when we did, the roads were closed. The signs were small, difficult to read and often not relevant to our journey. If you want to travel the 600km to Berlin, you'll be fine - this is sign posted. But if you want to travel the 50km to Füssen, you're going to struggle. Even diversions around the closed roads suddenly ended, leaving us in the middle of nowhere.

Despite getting very lost, the journey had taken us on some beautiful roads and one observation we all made, was just how good the German roads are - considerably better than British roads. Even the roads in the middle of nowhere were very well maintained. Also, we must mention one particular highlight on the epic journey to the castle. As we travelled down the Autobahn we were all eagerly looking for any indication as to which direction we should be going in. In Germany every exit from the Motorway is signposted - Ausfahrt (Exit). After seeing many, many of these signs, Jenny said "It's a shame we're not going to Ausfahrt. I've seen loads of signs for that place." Lois enlightened her, through fits of giggles, on what she had just said, and the whole car laughed. It was particularly funny and cheered us all up after hours of travel.

Finally, following the purchase of a much needed map we reached our destination. We were all soon of the opinion that our long journey had been totally worth it. Unfortunately due to our late arrival, the tickets for the castle had sold out, but that didn't mean we couldn't go up to the castle and see it. We made our way up the long, steep road towards this picturesque, fairy tale castle. From the viewing platform you could see the castle and turning around, you could see the fantastic most southern Bavarian landscape. Again the weather was on our side and the view was simply stunning. We made our way behind the castle and up some more and walked over a bridge which gives an even more amazing view of the castle. From this point you see the countryside behind the castle and its breathtaking. We ventured even higher into woods and enjoyed the view from there. Neuschwanstein really is as spectacular as everybody says it is. You can certainly understand why Walt Disney based the magical castle of Sleeping Beauty on it. It is a must do for anyone in Germany and I really don't think the castle can look bad. Rain, shine, snow - the castle always looks good. There is so much to see too. You can see a beautiful Alpen lake behind the castle, as well as several other majestic buildings close by.

We timed our departure perfectly, as the heavens opened as soon as we reached the car park at the bottom. Although it only lasted a short time, water was pouring down the steep hill from the castle. We decided to head home, but this time, with the help of the map, we thought about it carefully. The journey back was a lot more successful (forgetting getting a little lost around Munich) but we were back in Regensburg just in time for some great burgers at the American Diner. We were all tired out but had a fantastic day. It was definitely worth the journey and kudos to Tony for driving the 550km there and back.

Monday was to be spent in Regensburg. We visited the cathedral, the Arcaden shopping centre, the old town, the stone bridge, we climbed the church tower and enjoyed more wonderful views and enjoyed delicious ice cream in the afternoon. Again the weather was beautiful, and it was great that Lois and I could talk a little bit about Regensburg, as we are getting to know it pretty well now and the fact we have also done a city tour. The evening meal was again delicious and in one of Regensburg's best restaurants, where they serve the biggest pizzas I have ever seen! We said an emotional goodbye on the stone bridge and went our separate ways, due to an early departure in order to catch a morning flight.

The three days went super fast, but it was such a lovely three days. It was very easy to forget we were in Germany at times because we were all there together. We had some fantastic experiences, the weather was perfect and I really don't think anything could have gone better. It was sad to say goodbye, but Christmas will be here soon and Lois and I are looking forward to our next adventure which begins tomorrow...Prague!

1000 Views!

This is a very short post just to say Thank You to everybody who has been reading my Blog. There have been over 1000 views on my Blog so far, and it's very encouraging to know that people are taking an interest in both my and Lois' experiences here in Germany.

I hope you all enjoy reading my posts and I hope you continue to catch up on our adventures!

A busy school week and a VERY important day!

As I'm becoming more accustomed to the schools and the way they do things, I'm beginning to play a bigger role and on Monday I found myself in my most active role yet! I had been asked the previous week, if I would like to teach the year 8's about the difference between American English and British English. I thought this was quite an interesting topic and was keen to get fully stuck in, so I agreed. I prepared some bits over the weekend and then it was time for Mr Begley (Cringe!) to get to work! The pupils were excited at first to have a totally new teacher. They were very well behaved but in terms of contributions from the class - well, the phrase 'blood out of a stone' comes to mind. They were very quiet and even when the teacher prompted them from the back of the classroom, it didn't really have much of an effect. I played the song 'Lets Call The Whole Thing Off' to try and illustrate the differences in pronunciation of certain words and they seemed to like that. They struggled with the worksheet that I gave them, but that's understandable, as it was pretty hard! It looked at two different passages, one in British English and one in American English, and it had gaps which the pupils had to fill in. So on the British English sheet, the missing word would be petrol, whilst on the American English sheet, the missing word would be gas. Other words included Motorway - Highway, Taxi - Cab etc. We didn't manage to check all the answers as I ran out of time, but of course I still had time to give them some homework - He's a mean one, is that Mr Begley! The teacher said she thought I was very natural and I did enjoy it. It was a good experience for me.

After that lesson, it was time to speak with the year 10s. I had prepared the classic 'Who Am I?' game to do with them. This worked well but the only problem was, was that they were too good! They played several games and only 15 minutes had passed. I hadn't prepared anything else, so the last 15 minutes was filled with very small, small talk and lots of awkward silences. I told them they could leave early as we had done everything I had planned, but they were too scared that they would get told off, so they stayed! This is something that would never happen in my previous school, so I was very surprised. If someone gave me the chance to leave a class early, I would have leapt in the air, fist pumping and crying 'Yiippeeeee' and then ran out of the door in a flash. They did seem a little annoyed that I hadn't been as prepared as maybe I should have been, but next time I will make sure I have lots of extra activities to keep these super-clever, English learners busy!

Tuesday was a particularly short day at school, as it was the day of annual Teachers Trip. I was a little nervous, as I didn't really know many teachers going. At times it was a little awkward as all the teachers had already established friendship groups, so I found myself flicking between for a while. We went to a nice restaurant in a small village close to Regensburg for some delicious lunch and then walked to a castle where we were going to have a tour. The walk involved lots of hills and forest tracks and the weather was lovely and the scenery was equally as nice. We then reached the castle, which wasn't really as spectacular as some of the other castles I've already seen here in Germany and it's now used as an old peoples home. As we arrived we met our tour guide. As it turned out, this old-ish man was appropriately named Fritz Jägdl - He couldn't have been given a more German name if his mother had tried. And to go with this über-German name, he spoke with a thick accent and spoke in dialect. For those who don't know, there are lots of different types of German spoken in Germany. The German that we're taught is the standard German or 'Hochdeutsch'. However, each region has it's own particular accent and often, dialect. The accent situation is comparable to England - Scouse, Geordie, Irish, Welsh - All accents, but accents that everybody can (usually) understand. The thing with dialect, is that it's almost a totally different language. So much so, that someone from North Germany would not be able to understand someone from Bavaria, if that person was speaking in Bavarian or 'Bayerisch'.

So back to the tour - Fritz spoke in Bavarian. I don't speak Bavarian. Therefore, I couldn't tell you anything about the castle I spent two hours being told about, other than he said something about the year 1800 and that for a short time it served as a prison. Doing a two hour tour in a language you don't understand really isn't much fun, just to let you know. I was however, encouraged by the fact that many teachers also struggled to understand him, and I thought it was really thoughtful that some of the teachers even attempted to translate some of the things being said. It was a long afternoon and by the end I was pretty fed up. My brain actually hurt from trying to decipher the weird, mumbling, utterances that Fritz spoke in. But on the positive side of things, I really feel like I got to know a lot of the teachers a lot better and I did speak a lot of German, so I guess I'm glad I went.

                                                   Nice Castle, but I couldn't tell you anything about it!


On Wednesday, I took another class totally alone. It was my mentor teachers class and she was away for the day. The lovely Anja had already prepared what they needed to do, so I just had to ensure they did it! It was a year 7 class and I really enjoy working with these younger pupils. They were very excited as I walked in, but at the same time they respected me and listened to what I had to say. Before every single lesson, the pupils must stand up and the teacher says "Good Morning/Afternoon" and the pupils all reply simultaneously "Good Morning/Afternoon Mr/Mrs/Marcus" (it's not Herr or Frau because these are English lessons, remember!) It felt very special and a little surreal hearing them all greet me like this. They worked through their necessary worksheets and I helped when needed. I do find it very difficult explaining why we say what we do and the grammar behind it. For example, could you explain to a student how to form and use the Past Progressive tense? What about the Present Perfect? I can't recall ever being taught these in my English lessons. I have been taught all about these tenses in German but not in English. As native speakers we just 'know' what to say and how to say it. Explaining the reasoning behind this is very difficult.

The lesson went well. I didn't need to raise my voice or tell anyone off. They worked hard and efficiently and I had very little to do, to be honest. But I enjoyed it and will feel even more confident next time I'm in this position. Towards the end of the class, some of the students asked if I could speak German. I replied that I couldn't. So they began to teach me something. "O.K. Say this...Ich" They said. "Ich" I replied, trying to sound as confused and English as possible. "heiße" "heiße" "Marcus" "Marcus" "Ich heiße Marcus" "Ich heiße Marcus" "Hooray!" They all shouted, as they celebrated teaching me how to say my name. Most of the other students in the school know that I can speak (bad) German, but I wonder how long I can keep my lack of German knowledge up with this class. It could be amusing.

Later I went to a year 9 class and just practised some conversational skills with them. Their English was particularly good. One boy asked me how old I was. "20" I replied. "20!? You look about 17!" Hmm. I'm not really sure how to take this...

On Thursday I helped out firstly with the young year 6 class. I ended up doing quite a bit with them and did an exercise where I said a number / day of the week in German and they had to write it in English. They seemed to like hearing me speak German (I told them that I had learnt just a few numbers and days of the week especially for this class) and I most impressed when they were able to spell 'Wednesday' correctly - I still have to think twice before writing it! I then did a presentation about Australia with a new year 10 class. They were really cool and I really enjoyed working with them. They also knew my name before I had even introduced myself, so it is clear to me that I'm getting a reputation around school - although I'm not sure if its a good one or a bad one. My final class involved taking students out of the classroom and talking with them in small groups. This went well, although it is difficult as the abilities really vary and some are very shy. Normally when I ask them if they have any questions to ask me, they all shake their heads. But today, one group kept asking me questions. I quickly worked out that this was a 'stalling technique' as they didn't want to go back into the classroom and actually learn! But hey, at least they were talking!

I also nipped out into the town centre when I had a free hour and when I came back it was break time. As I entered the playground where all the pupils were playing, I was literally mobbed! Everybody was shouting my name and trying to talk to me. I honestly can't go anywhere in the school without somebody running up to me and saying hello. I really do think this is fantastic and I love it! If this continues, I'm going to have to reserve an extra seat on my flight back to England next year - One for me and one for my ego!

Lois arrived on Thursday afternoon and we get to spend over a week together which is really nice. We celebrated surviving our first term in Germany by sharing a huge sundae at one of the many ice cream cafes around Regensburg. The ice cream here is just amazing and no matter what time of day it is there is always someone eating ice cream - rain or shine, hot or cold. It appears there is never a time when ice cream is not acceptable, which is something I could certainly get used to.

Friday was one of the most important and significant days of my time here so far. The event planned on Friday would have a lasting effect on me. It could make me or it could ruin me. That's right people, it was time for my first German haircut. I was pretty intent on the fact that I didn't want to return with a typical, 1980's style German mullet, for which the Germans are infamously well known for (I have seen some of these about) so Lois and I researched some useful vocabulary that I could use at the Hairdresser's. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous as we made our way to the Hairdressers in the town that I had already decided I was going trust with neatly trimming my beautiful locks. As we entered, we were instructed to take a number and take a seat. This is a very efficient service indeed. It requires no booking and it means the 'first come, first served' policy is strictly adhered to. It reminded me of when I was younger and I would visit Clarks shoe shop with Mum and Dad to get my new school shoes for the coming year. At least you can try shoes on before you buy them. Getting your hair cut is a little more...risky.

I had prepared a little description of what I wanted. I was called up and took a seat and fortunately my hairdresser seemed friendly. I explained I was English and that my German wasn't that good. I told her I wanted my hair to be 3mm long around the back and sides (Typical Germans, eh! - They want exact measurements and clear instructions) and just thinning out on top as I wanted to keep it fairly long, so that I could 'sweep' it to the side and maintain my Leonardo Di Caprio look (See previous post!) She got started and I immediately regretted opting for a 3mm length on the back and sides. I had thought, that 3mm was the equivalent to a 'number 3' in England, which is what I normally get. However, as I type this with a military style short back and sides, I now know that it is not. However, she didn't take much off the top and it turned out ok. I do like it and it does mean that I shouldn't have to get my haircut again until I'm back in England over Christmas. It could have gone ALOT worse and it was another experience that I will remember for a long time. I cant imagine there's many people who have had their hair cut in a foreign country with very limited 'haircut' vocabulary. Now
its this sort of useful stuff they should be teaching in schools!

So, Lois' family arrive tomorrow morning and we are meeting them at Nuremburg airport. We have a few ideas of things to do, but I think we will just decide on the day and see how we all feel. Nevertheless I'm really looking forward to it. I will update next week on all the happenings.

Bis bald

Two Rebels in Nuremberg

Another busy Saturday this week, as we visited Nuremberg (or Nurnberg auf Deutsch). I will get to that shortly, but of course you want to know about the rest of my week first, don't you!?

On Thursday in school, I visited a class I hadn't been to before. As I walked in, the class did the usual turning around, mumbling and staring. As I took a seat at the back of the room, one of the pupils leant over to me and said 'Bonjour'. Startled, I replied by saying that I was English. 'Ach Sooooo' (which is a standard German phrase used several hundred times a day by a single person) was the response. It then occurred to me that he, and presumably other members of the class, thought I was French! I'm not sure, if it was the Beret, the baguette under my arm or my stripy jumper that gave them this preposterous idea, but I'm glad that it's been cleared up. (That of course was a joke - I'm struggling to understand how I can be mistaken for being French!) I'm also still surprised at how amazed the pupils, specifically the younger ones, are at the prospect of a 'real English person.' One of the pupils approached the teacher after one of my lessons and asked "Ist er ein echter Engländer?" (Is he really English?) and when she replied that I was indeed 'really English' his mouth dropped open and a look of confusion appeared on his face. They really cant believe it, but I think this is good, as it means they are equally as fascinated and curious as they are amazed, and it encourages them to ask questions and speak with me.

On Thursday afternoon I travelled to Eichstätt to stay with Lois for the weekend. The last time I was in Eichstätt was mid September, so I was looking forward to going again. We went out on Thursday night to a Bavarian restaurant. We hadn't, up till this point, visited a real Bavarian restaurant, so we thought as we are both becoming ever more established Bavarians, it simply had to be done. I tried something new (Schweinebraten) and Lois had a good old Schnitzel. Both were delicious and it was good to try something new.

On Friday we went to one of Lois' schools, as they had won a competition, and as a reward, a band had come to play during the morning break. We got there and they had already started. It was like a small concert in the school play ground! There were lots of people there, most them singing along (Lois even saw some of her teaching colleagues 'bopping' along to the music!) and the music was good. We went back to Lois' and switched on the TV and tuned into 'The Voice Of Germany' (Just like 'The Voice' in England but better - you should try it!) and you'll never guess what... The person we had just watched performing at the school is one of the judges on The Voice! He's the lead member of a band called 'Sunrise Avenue' and that's the band who were performing at the school! Cool, eh!?

So as I said at the beginning, Saturday involved a visit to Nuremberg. Luckily we had picked another lovely day and we were really excited to go. A mere 90 minute train journey and we were in another major city! There is so much to see and do and lots to learn about, so we had made a rough itinerary of things we wanted to do. Our first stop took us the 'Reichsparteigeländemuseum' (Germans like these long words) This was on the site of the well-known Nazi Rally grounds - The place where huge rallies, often a 'show of force' and speeches took place. The Museum was really interesting and we could have spent the entire day there as they was so much to read, but we wanted to see the actual grounds so we wandered outside. The famous Zeppelin Field, which can be often seen in documentary footage, was really interesting to see. It was a huge area and although there is very little left of the buildings that were there, there was an eeriness about it all, especially when we imagined the place being full of roaring crowds and thousands of troops. It was a very 'sinister' feeling, as we stood on the small exposed platform which is where Hitler stood as he gave long, inspiring speeches and where he stood as he watched his troops march past. To think that less than 100 years ago, such an infamous figure was stood exactly where we were stood was both fascinating and terrifying. It isn't until you actually see these places that you realise the scale of the events you see in film. It was a really meaningful experience.





















This picture shows the Zeppelin Field during a rally. The white construction in the distance is the picture above






























After this we lightened the mood, by exploring the beautiful old town and doing a little window shopping. (I was also told I looked like Leonardo Di Caprio in Titanic by one man at a market stall - I'm definitely taking that as a compliment!) We strolled through some lovely streets up to the Kaiserberg, which is the castle overlooking the entire city. It was really nice and the view was great on such a clear day. Following this we decided to go to the Courthouse, where the infamous Nuremberg Trials were held. It's slightly out of town and it's still an active Courthouse. We walked straight in, following the signs and upstairs to the actual courtroom. It was very modern and not how I expected it. We were going to go to the exhibition above the courtroom, but at this point, we were approached by a uniformed woman, who informed us that we hadn't paid and needed to go back downstairs and do so! We were very surprised and a little embarrassed, and hadn't meant to commit such a felony! Honest! As it turned out, we weren't that interested in paying to go into the exhibition, so we left, with our pockets as full as when we entered and with the added knowledge that we had visited the Courthouse of the Nuremberg Trials for free! Ooo how cheeky!

You see - People actually wear Lederhosen!




























I think they stole the 'Boris Bike' concept - In Nuremberg they have 'Noris Bikes'









We ended the day with a beer (Obviously! We are in Germany)followed by a delicious Mexican meal ('Enchiladas' in Nuremberg is definitely worth a visit!) and got a late train back. On Sunday we had a relaxing walk around Eichstätt. Autumn is here and the trees are wonderful colours at the moment.

We're both really looking forward to doing one more week in school and then breaking up for half term, which means one week off. Lois' family are coming to visit next weekend for 4 days, and we're both really excited to see them and spend some time altogether. We have lots planned for that week so I'm sure I will have lots more stories to share soon.

Tschüß