Journal Entry 8 Berlin

This morning we departed for Berlin.  When we arrived I was very excited to see the Berlin wall.  Nearly the entire remains of the wall was covered in grafiti with anti communist writing and symbols.  We were located in east Berlin with the Polish border 30 miles away.  Later that day we visited the Berlin Cold War museum.  It was very insightful because it showed the entire history of the Berlin wall from the late 1940's up until the fall of the soviet union in 1989.

Journal Entry 7 Prague

Today in Prague we arrived at a wonderful hotel and walked around the city.  The city was very nice and fancy.  The cathedrals were very big and almost reminded me of Italy.  Then we all walked over to the town square, and split up from there.  Later on I went to a pub.  and relaxed there with a few friends.  I visited the museum of communism with Lucien.  It was very interesting to learn about the history of socialism and how it spread through Europe.

Journal Entry 6 Slovakia/ Czech rep.

Today we departed from Budapest from Budapest and drove to the Czech republic.  It was very snowy the entire trip so we had to drive very carefully since there was a lot of ice on the road.  We stopped in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  We walked around for about an hour, had lunch and took pictures and then continued our drive.

Journal Entry 5 Budapest

Today we arrived in Hungary. I noticed that there were buildings that looked like they were remnants of the Cold War. We took a walk around Budapest and visited an old Cathedral. Afterwards we wandered around looking at shops, and small bakeries. We also passed by a large monument depicting the many Kings and warlords that once ruled Hungary.

Journal Entry 4 Austria

Today we took a tour around vienna and lookedat a very nice art museum which had an enormous garden. Then we dined at a fancy restaurant that delicious soup and Crepes.

Journal Entry 3 Munich

Today the entire group went to Munich. It was about a five hour bus ride, but we also stopped at the famous Dachau concentration camp. It was very interesting, but at the same time had a very dark vibe since many people starved. Surprisingly Dachau was just a camp unlike Aushwitz where people were exterminated, but more like a containment facility for opposers of the Nazi regime. The scenery during the drive was very beautifulbecause of the white snow covering the hills.

Journal Entry 2 Heidleburg

Today we went to Heidleberg. We took a tour of an old castle, and had about four hours to wander around and hiked up a mountain. The hike was very exhausting, and we had to watch our step since the pathways were covered in ice. I got a chance to to admire the wonderful view from the top of the hill.