Merle's Trip to Germany

Here's a podcast on my experience this weekend.

So much to say, so little time

Germany was seriously awesome. Seriously. I had such a great time with Sara and the entire Engelmann family, and Julie took me on the most extensive tour of Berlin that one can do in two hours. (And she tried to get me drunk, I swear!) At least I was very calm at the airport. :) I have so much to say about that trip, but I will have to write more later. And I promise to write more on that later.

One of the coolest families EVER: The Engelmann's. This picture was taken in Chemnitz, Germany. I don't think they all have that last name, but everyone should have a chance to meet people this awesome. They were so much fun!

Sara and her mom dropped me off at the train station in Chemnitz. I was so sad to leave. :(


Julie lifted my spirits by taking me all over Berlin. Here we are at a portion of the Berlin wall. Thanks for the tour, Jules!

Today, however, we headed on over to Regents Park (where I alternated between wearing sunglasses and donning my rain jacket at about 5- to 10-minute intervals), and then we flew kites on Primrose Hill, which had a fantastic view of London. Michele's Tinkerbell kite flew so well, that a few of us took turns just keeping the reel in their back pockets. I had it when a particularly strong gust of wind sent it flying out of my pocket, but I managed to rescue it after it got tangled in a tree. (Enter hero music here. Wish I had a video of me tugging on the string when it was in the tree.)

A bunch of views from Regent's Park:


Primrose Hill shots:

Me and my junk with a view of London.

Megan winding the string on her kite. So pretty.

We later walked by St. John's Wood and over by Abbey Road, where we all tried to re-enact the Beatles' album cover. I think some of my roommates have better shots. Original? Definitely not, but a must-do nonetheless.

If I would have just slowed down just a bit, it would have looked a lot better - even though none of us are in step or anything. But there's so much pressure because drivers hate it when people do this.

Tonight, we're off to see Billy Elliott, which I hear is fantastic. Guess I'll just have to wait and see! Auf wiedersehen!

Greetings from Germany!

I apologize. These pictures are not in order, but I can't figure out how to move them on this German computer. FYI, the keyboard is much different as well. But I will fix them as soon as I can. I just figured I should post something while I'm in this beautiful country.

I've been in the Germany for a little more than 24 hours, and I've already visited 3 towns. Berlin, Leipzig, and now I'm in Chemnitz! I've taken rides in a plane, train, automobiles, bus, and numerous subway cars. Right now I'm sitting in the bedroom of Sara, our former exchange student who lived with us more than 10 years ago. Julie, the other former exchange student, picked me up from the airport. 

It's been an amazing experience for me to have them show me around. I don't speak German, so this would have been very difficult for me to find my way around. (I love it when people sneeze because I know the proper response, and I've also been able to dodge people asking for money because I honestly have no idea what they are saying.) But I've been picking up a couple of words and phrases, one of which is, "Where is the theater?" But the word I've learned for theater is not a term they use anymore. I still think it's fun to say.

Sara and Julie fed me and showed me around Berlin, then Sara and I went to Leipzig and visited her boyfriend Mathias, who just happens to love Wilco. (I told Sara that that automatically made him cool.) We hopped on a train this morning to come to Chemnitz, which was formerly Karl Marxstadt, I believe (even though I'm positive I spelled that wrong). Her dad picked us up from the train station, and we came to her house. It's been so great to see her family more than a decade later. The family has even expanded since I last saw them because Sara's sister, Nora, has since married and she has an adorable little girl, Helena. 

This trip has been especially great because I think it's an eye-opening experience whenever one steps into the unknown. If I did not have Sara or Julie with me, I would be so lost. I just happen to have the luxury of having awesome translators. It's also been great to watch Sara's family. They have been so kind, and impressively accommodating as far as language is concerned, but they remind me so much of my own family. This is just in German. Auf wiedersehn! 

A different sort of flower girl

Yet another crazy, yet amazing, day. We took the tube to Paddington Station and hopped on a train to Oxford. (If there are any British Office fans reading this, we had a stop in Slough!) But we walked from the train station to the university, and we got to go into the Bodleian Library, which was amazing, and walk around outside. (They also filmed some Harry Potter scenes in there!) For lunch, a couple of friends and I ate at the Eagle and Child, which is a pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would meet up to drink and talk. It was a pub with a lot of character, and the bartender was quite talkative. We also ended up going to the home of C.S. Lewis and later to the church he attended and which he was eventually buried near. To end our day in Oxford, we stopped by the public library, and may I just say they had a very nice music and video selection. I would love to work there.

Just a taste of the awesome architecture in Oxford.

The trip today has only solidified to me the fact that I am falling more and more in love with flowers. I never used to care for them. They were OK. But these English gardens are something else. My trio of random objects I've found I love include flowers, windows, and lamp posts. And they are incorporated into so much of the landscape here. And after going into Lewis' home, I'm determined to eventually live in a house with character. Can't I just live here already?

Some of the windows at Paddington Station.


Windows give this grand room a light and airy feel at Oxford. (Did that sound like an advertisement?)

Flowers and a view of the lovely garden at C.S. Lewis' home.

The church C.S. Lewis eventually attended, when he started to believe in God, and part of the cemetery in which he is buried.

More flowers and a window in Oxford.

My favorite lamp post photo from Hyde Park. (I know I've already posted this one, but it goes with my story, and you need to see it larger, in all its glory.)

Well, the next time I write, I should be in Germany, so stay safe, and I'll talk to you all later.

Parkin' it in London

Just to fill you all in, I did go to the National Portrait Gallery, which was AMAZING, but I couldn't take any photos in there. Sorry. But I highly recommend it. I also peeked into St. Martin's in the Field, which is a church that is gorgeous. I guess it was built so that casualties of the plague could be taken there instead of having to be taken past Buckingham Palace. (The only reason I know this is because we heard a tour guide explaining it to a group of young, adorable British school children - all in uniforms of course.) But I was definitely glad we stepped in, and FYI, there is a cafe in the crypt. Crazy. Later, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. (Yet again, it was another place in which you could not take pictures, so I can't show you any pictures.) BUT, the tour guides allowed us to take a pictures at the bottom of one of the bell towers - which have also been in many films, including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! Please see below.

Part of HP was filmed in this tower!

One of the greatest things about London, I think, is their use of parks. They have squares of green space throughout the city. And they really make the most of it. People of all ages just get out there and sit and talk, and children play, and friends gather and have glasses of wine, and they just appreciate life. People will come out there in their business suits and just lie down in the grass to relax. It's beautiful and simple, and I LOVE it. So here are some of the pictures I've taken in my experiences in some of London's parks. Talk to you all later!

Cute kids in Russell Square playing in the fountain tonight.

Just a wide shot of people hanging out in Russell Square.

Folks sitting on the benches outlining the perimeter of Salisbury Cathedral.

Megan getting a free hug at speakers' corner at Hyde Park on Sunday, the night of the Springsteen concert. (And yup, I got a free hug, too. They were totally free!)


Friday night outside of the Killers concert in Hyde Park.

A more trippy, festival-looking photo outside of the Killers concert in Hyde Park.

Everything's living up to expectations

This morning we all loaded on a bus and headed for Stonehenge, which is about a 2-hour drive from our flat. I was excited to see the landscape of the countryside, but not excited enough to stay awake on the drive. Stonehenge is one of those landmarks that I know is significant, yet I don't really know what to do besides look at it. It was cool and all. It's Stonehenge! But I think I was more excited about the cute sheep we saw in the field across the street. Aren't they cute? I was really glad I got to see Stonehenge, though.




Salisbury is the closest town to Stonehenge, so I was able to stay awake for that short trip. The landscape is hilly, and it was overcast today, so the greens and yellows were vibrant. If I'm pointing out colors, I think that means I'm in love. Also, Salisbury is such a beautiful town. It has a lot of little shops, and people of all ages are wandering through the streets. Once again, I love how the British take advantage of their parks. All types of people get out and enjoy them.

We also went to Salisbury Cathedral, which had some amazing views. (I hope everyone likes church photos.)

On my cultural experience: I feel like today is one of the first days I've really noticed annoyance with my being an American - not because I'm an American, but because I don't know how things run here. Even though we're technically speaking the same language, it often takes me a little bit of time to process what people are saying. And when it came to ordering lunch today, I didn't really understand how it was supposed to work. At least the food was great. Talk to you all later!

Westminster, London Eye, and Wicked!, oh my!

As you can see, it's been another long, yet awesome day. I got to have my first ride in a double-decker bus, and continued to pound on my poor, aching feet for another 15 hours. Well worth it, though. We got to see some of the major London landmarks: Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and I went to the musical, Wicked!, which was fantastic. I also got my photograph with a red phone booth and Big Ben in the background, just as Rick Steves suggested! (See below.) That was huge for me. Also, in some pictures, you might see a rubber duck, which is just acting as a mascot, courtesy of Kat. (Thanks, Kat!)


Westminster Abbey is obviously filled with so much history, but actually walking in and looking up at the ceiling and seeing all of the intricate details is the only way to capture the essence of the building in a way that photographs could never express.

The London Eye is the giant ferris wheel-looking object that has a whole bunch of pods that people can go into and get great views of the city. I thought I would get nervous about the heights, but it moved so slowly that it didn't really even feel like it was moving at all. Why does that take away the fear of heights? Not really sure, but it did.

As for Wicked!, if you don't like musicals, you're probably just not going to like it. Sorry. But if you do, check it out. But on the other hand, my roommate Alexis who did not go to the show saw Johnny Depp in Leicester Square on her way home. Yeah, I was pretty jealous.

I'm feeling much more confident about navigating my way through the city. I'm loving the tube, even though it's a bit on the pricey side. (Get an Oyster card! You get a better deal, and it works for buses, too!)

In closing, we were supposed to have our photographs focus on buildings, so you will see a lot of buildings along with some other photos. Here you go. Write more later!

I thought this was a great opportunity to make a Winston Churchill statue appear larger than life.

Thanks for the idea, Rick!

View of Parliament from the Eye. The school kids in the next pod dug it, too!

A better look at these cute kids, all in their uniforms, looking all proper and English.

Definitely not the best picture of this building, but I wanted to get the cucumber shaped building in sometime. Around here, they call it the gherkin.

Parliament ... from the back.

Love the window panes around here. If you think that's weird, I also love the lamp posts. I'm easy to please.

These were some buildings next to the Methodist Center that I thought looked cool. Thank God for air conditioning! Get excited, mom and dad. You've got a picture of a John Wesley statue coming your way!