Weihnachten in Deutschland

Christmas in Deutschland 
Callan Mantyvirta

Servus!

We are now into the last week here in Deutschland and it couldn't be more busy and exciting. I couldn't be more happy to see lots of snow falling in the past week and the Christmas spirit has began already as the 1st of December marks the first day of the Adventskalendar. I have been lucky enough to go to a lively Christmas market on the Fraueninsel which is an island on the Chiemsee and to see the very popular FC Bayern. Australia is coming very fast now and it is a bit sad to only have a week left.

Culture is very common in both Australia and Deutschland but there are differences and one of the biggest is Weihnachten (Christmas). Even though we both celebrate Weihnachten, Deutschland celebrates it very differently. They have all kinds of fun traditions that they do in the weeks before Weihnachten like the famous Christmas markets and St. Nicholas.

It all starts off in Deutschland at the beginning of December when the Christmas markets, also known as Christkindlmarkt, begin to be set up. Many wooden huts can be seen all over Deutschland which attract thousands of tourists from all over the world. Most of these huts sell handmade Christmas crafts and the many lights above the huts really lift the mood of the event.

Also at the start of December in Deutschland many children get an Adventskalendar which is a box with many doors with all kinds of chocolate or sweets. They are a very popular gift at this time of year and children get to open one door every day until Weihnachten.  Each day, they can't wait to open the next door.

On the evening of December the 5th a man named St Nicholas visits all the children in Deutschland and brings with him a sack full of chocolate, nuts and mandarins. He is very similar to the Weihnachtsmann as he wears a red suit but he looks more like a bishop or wizard because he carries a big decorative staff (crozier). 

The Christmas tree is one of the most special things about Weihnachten and many families do it differently in Deutschland. Most families put there Christbaum up on Christmas Eve.  Only a few families put them up before then, anytime in December. In Australia many families have non-traditional plastic trees but here in Deutschland they do it the traditional way and use real pine trees. A similarity is that they also decorate there Baum with tinsel, baubles and lights.

Heiligabend is one of the biggest nights of the year in Deutschland with many families all getting together to enjoy a nice warm meal as the snow falls outside. Once the family dinner has finished, the children all run straight to there presents before anything else and enjoy the surprise of their favourite gift. At 11:00pm when all the children are asleep the adults go out to church and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Finally Weihnachten day starts with an early morning Mass where they sing and everyone fills themselves with Gutsle (Christmas biscuits). Many families have their own traditional lunch and spend the day celebrating and enjoying each others company.

Deutschland's traditional Weihnachten is very special to them and is very different in many ways to the hot Australian Christmas.

Roma

Greetings all,

Another 3 weeks have flown by, and believe me, they are flying. With them many adventures and many great experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. I have been Mountain bike riding in Austria, climbed up to the peak of Kampenwand and Spitzstein, been to the

Salzbergwerk in Berchtesgaden and sheared off my lovely locks of hair. With each one and in-between there are many stories that have been made. But in this blog I am going to focus on my host family's trip to Rome. The most phenomenal weekend.

 

It was Friday the 30th of October and their was excitement in the air. I got up at the crack of dawn, 5:30, made my tea, ate my breakfast and caught the bus to school as per usual. The day seemed to take forever, as all that was on my mind was in 12 hours I'll be in Rome, in 9 hours... in 7 hours... the final school bell sounded through the halls at last and Alina and I waited with anticipation for her parents to pick us up on the way to the airport.

 

As we flew over the Austrian Alps into Italy, there was for me a sense of extreme exhilaration. This was going to be the 5th country I've ever visited. Movies, TV shows and books all lay setting to this great city. You watch and see them your whole life, but to think I was actually going to be there was just amazing.

 

We arrived in Rome at around 8:00 pm and immediately went to catch a taxi to our apartment. The first thing we notice as we stepped out of the plane was the warmth. It was around a perfect 17 degrees. For a second time on my exchange I was glued to the windows, giant monuments and marble churches wizzed past. I was in in complete awe. "I'm in Rome!!!!" I kept thinking to myself.

 

One the first night their was a mix up with our rooms, but it all ended up well, as we found a place to stay with a roof Terrace. A roof terrace! Now I'm not sure if all you readers have played, or even heard of the video game "Assassin's Creed" but let me tell you, it looked exactly like it.  

 

The morning came in a flash and I was woken up to the smell of fresh Panini bought from a little shop just around the corner. It was delicious, with zingy salami, some traditional Italian prosciutto, fresh tangy tomatoes and the best mozzarella I have ever tasted. We set off out into the beautiful little winding cobble stone streets. Lining the thoroughfares were wonderful quaint shops ranging from Cafes, gelato stores and pizzerias, to general stores, butchers and delis. Clothes shops filled with exotic and trendy apparel were in plentiful supply. It was a shopaholics dream. Every turn was something of excitement, as you would never know what was waiting for you. You could literally turn a corner and there in front of you be a square with picturesque Restaurants, street performers and magnificent marble fountains to take your breath away.

We made our way through the bustling morning streets and finally arrived at the colossal Saint Peters Square.

Inside the Saint Peters Basilica was just dumbfounding. I know that in a previous blog I said that I would probably never be in a building more lavish than Schloss Herrchiemsee, but I think I just found the exception to that rule. This Church is the largest in the world, at 220 metres in length and 150 in width. 220 Metres!!! At its highest, the dome peaks at 132 metres high. These are all just numbers and you may have seen photos, but it is extremely hard to truly grasp the enormity of it until you are there looking up at it. To give you an idea, you could fit 2 soccer fields end to end and still have room for a basketball court.

Forum Romanum was a sight to behold, a vision into the ancient Rome of 2000 years ago. massive marble blocks strewn across the land like a giant toddlers playground. Pillars still stand to this day. It was amazing.

The Colosseum was just as you would imagine it to be, crazily insanely cool.

During this Trip to Rome, I have identified an item on my bucket list. Something I have do before I die. As you walk up the 551 stairs to the top of St. Peters Dome (One of the best views I've ever witnessed), you come to a point where you are on a path about 60 metres above the ground floor of the church. My life fulfilling dream is to get someone to drop a tic tac off the top level and catch it in my mouth (Or break my teeth trying). I'm looking for volunteers for this role so hit me up with your resume people.

Rome is an amazing place to explore and I could spend my whole life just wandering the streets, taking in the atmosphere, listening to the buskers, watching the spray paint artists on the sidewalk or the fire twirlers in the piazzas. I could spend forever just staring at the luscious pinky-orange sunset, or watching the colossal flocks of birds swarm overhead. Just listening to the vibrant dialect and meeting new people from all over the world.

I love Rome. I love its picturesque narrow streets and its colossal buildings. Its monumental ties with a past world through its rich history. I love witnessing the flocks of birds soaring through the twilight sky on their way south for the winter and the mopeds and old Fiat 500's that are to be seen everywhere. I love the mouth watering food and the quirky people. I love the sensational sunsets and how the city feels alive. I love Rome.

 

2 years ago I would never have thought that I would be in Europe experiencing all these wonderful adventures. And I hope again that I have no idea of the wonders that are to come in my life. This exchange has opened my eyes to so many new things and has helped me become a better version of myself. It is not over yet and I'm strapped in and ready for all the challenges, exploits and good times yet to come. Again, it has been an awesome 3 weeks,

Yours Sincerely,

Clyde

PS. My German is coming along quite nicely too!

PPS. Don't tell the Pope about my Tic Tac aspirations #ourlittlesecret

Almost died Free Solo rock climbing #donttelltheinsurancecompany

The hero Gotham deserves

My Favourite Ice cream place, and believe me, I sure did visit a lot.

Austria (Österreich) - Arrive and Revive

Servus!

What a busy three weeks it has been here in Germany!! Well not only Germany but Austria!  I have been to the lively city of Berlin, climbed up the rocky Wendelstein and my favourite, a week in the stunning mountain ranges of Austria. Every day of the past three weeks there has been something new and exciting that I have experienced.  

In Australia, you might want to think about buying a plane ticket to get to another country but here it’s completely different where all you have to do is drive ten minutes down the road and you’re in a whole new country. Last week we did just that as we crossed the Austrian border and drove up into the beautiful Austrian Alps. We drove for two hours through the jagged mountains seeing many old castles hidden among the trees up above. We drove through several tunnels that weaved through the mountains and came across endless lakes that glistened in the sunlight until we made it to the top of Mt Feuerberg and our ski resort, home for the next five days. The resort looks over the Alps and the many lakes down below.

When we walked into the lobby of our resort, I was surprised to see everyone, even little kids, walking around in bathrobes and even when we went to lunch we were the only ones without robes on.  The first thing we did was have lunch and we had a large banquet which had a mixture of Austrian, German and Italian foods.   After lunch we went to our chalet (which was like a small house) and we picked our rooms. The chalet had two storeys and from the second storey you could see out over the valley.

Once we were set up in the chalet, we went off to explore the resort. We went to the beautiful gardens at the front of the resort and enjoyed the magnificent view from sun lounges.  It was so relaxing, we almost fell asleep on them so we got up and continued to explore, finding five outdoor swimming pools that were spread across the resort. My favourite one was the Bergquell pool that was 35 °C and it had panoramic views of the valley and the massive mountains on the horizon. For the rest of the day we relaxed in the pools and took in the spectacular views.

Throughout the week I spent many hours in all the pools and playing soccer with Rebecca’s brothers.  We also climbed to the peak of the mountain, which was 1,911 metres high and enjoyed a 360-degree view of Austria. There was no snow which was a shame but there is always next time. ☺ Everyday Rebecca’s two brothers woke me up early and we went to either the stadium to play soccer or the gym.

On Wednesday we went to a small lake called the Felsenseen which was hidden away on the side of the mountain.  A little bit further up from the Felsenseen was an Asiatischer Garten (Asian Garden) which is a small rock garden designed by Johannes Matthiessen during the summer of the Olympic Games to commemorate the 2008 earthquake in China. On the way back to the resort we came across many little hunting huts which were scattered around the mountain.

On Thursday night we all went and sat around an open fire near the lobby of the resort and we met some new people who we found came from Bavaria. That night the whole family got together and watched Bayern Munich play and they ended up winning 5-1 so everyone was happy.

Friday was our last day in paradise and we all had one last swim in the Bergquell pool before we jumped in the car and headed back to Germany.  Our trip back home took an hour longer because every car was being checked for immigrants trying to cross the border illegally into Germany.  

I have seen, done and learnt so much in the last three weeks!  In particular, I have learnt that Austria is a country where their slogan is true because you certainly do ‘arrive and revive’.

Callan

Blog No.4

Servus All,

Wow. Simply put, Wow. This past 3 weeks have been amazing. Absolutely and incredibly amazing. I have visited two luxurious Castles (Luxurious is a serious under statement), explored the islands of the beautiful Chiemsee; had a great time at the cultural tradition that is Wine fest and hiked up Austrian Alps, visiting a glacial cave.
When you think of Germany you think of Beer, of Dirndls and Lederhosen, of jagged snow covered mountains, and of castles. And when you think of such castles or "Schlӧsser" auf Deutsch, one certainly comes to the forefront of your mind. One that "little princesses" dream of living in, the same one that Walt Disney visited all those years ago, inspiring the Disney Castle.
Arguably the most well known building in the whole of Europe and the most visited castle in Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle, nestled between the Bavarian Mountains near the village Fussen, is a sight to behold. Gaping in awe I stood, staring at the spires carving their way up into the sky through the early morning fog that was still thick in the valley. A light peppering of snow on the mountain behind could be seen, like icing sugar on a German Krapfern and Autumn leaves just beginning to colour made the scenery seem so much more alive and vibrant. It was the most beautifully awesome experience. Although many would believe it to be older, this castle was built only from 1869-1886. It was however designed to be middle age style.


Last Wednesday Alina and I got home from school, dumped our bags in our rooms and set off with Johanna my host mother to the great Chiemsee. At Prien, the town right on the edge of the lake, We bought a ticket on one of the Ferries, and off we went across water with the relatively short 5-10 minute boat ride to the Island of Herrenchiemsee (Very creative I know!) This is the biggest island in the lake, and holds the second of 3 Castles that King Ludwig the Second had built, Schloβ, or castle Herrenchiemsee (Even more creative)  the first being Schloβ Neuschwanstein. This was without a doubt in the world, the most luxurious building I have ever, and probably will ever be in.

Its hard to explain just how extravagant this palace is without actually showing you. As we walked into the entrance hall I gave an involuntary gasp. A giant white marble staircase dominated the room, coloured marble with golden inlays lined the walls and Sistene chapel (Which I go to in 2 days!!!!!)like paintings were portrayed on the ceiling. Many beautiful sculptures were strewn throughout the immense room. It was just incredible. All completed rooms in this colossal Palace were Sumptuous to say the least. There was a theme of King Louis the 15th of France throughout the castle, he had replica desks, cabinets, paintings and even entire rooms made in honour of the man. The great hall, "The hall of Mirrors" was 98 metres long, and had over 1800 candles that took 25 servants half an hour to light them all. King Ludwig had a private bath that had a capacity of 60,000 litres and took a whopping 8 hours to heat. Mind you, everything in this castle was private and reserved just for him. An entire castle. He only spent ten days there.

Fords (Not Fjords)

German people don't prefer Fords! "That's a very bold Statement", I hear you thinking, and I agree, to someone having not experienced Germany that would sound like a big generalisation. As I walk from the Bus stop in Rosenheim to the gym after School (got to work off all those sausages and Sauer Kraut somehow), I happen to by chance pass a used car dealership or "Autoverkäufer".  Now these are certainly no spiffy cars, with some up to 40 years old. In this specific car seller, they have all the Prices displayed on the windscreens, and as I speed walk by in my rush to get as much time in the gym before the next bus comes, I read all the Prices. Citroen 1,600 € Opel 2,200 €; Mercedes Benz 2,700 €; VW 1,200 €. Ford 500 €
Every single ford was half the price or lower than competitors cars, same age, same style. Again and again I observed this phenomenon. And again and again I wondered why so. A light bulb lit up in my head and it hit me. No one in Germany wants a ford.
Your move Holden.

Alcohol

You know that strange little social rule in Australia and most of the world that says its unacceptable to crack open a bottle of sparkling, or pour a frothy before high noon? Yeah... Simply put, this does not exist in Bavaria.
Many traditional Sunday breakfasts of Sausage and brezl are had with a nice cold one. So there you go, from it being baked into cakes and chocolates, to being consumed at Oktober fest and even at breakfast, alcohol is undoubtedly  a major part of the Bavarian culture.

Kangaroos

Recently this weekend, I attended a party with Alina where their were many young people. Word got around that I'm from Australia and people were crowding round asking questions like, "What do you like better, Australia or Germany?" and "What's the hottest it's been in summer where you live". Now one of the guys inside the circle decided to go out on limb and yelled over the music "Have you ever ridden a Kangaroo?" I replied in the true Aussie fashion of "Well of course I've ridden a Kangaroo, how else would I get to school mate".


Again, there is so much that I could write about. About Wine fest, the glacier inside a cave, and my Rambo-like skills in Laser tag, but I'm afraid I can't, as I've already almost doubled my "word guidelines". If you would like to know more, message me. I'm having an amazingly incredibly astonishingly awesome time here in Deutschland and I can definitely see my German dialect skills improving. I can almost understand what's happening in class now (good or bad? #homework) Thanks for reading, hope I didn't bore you and as Ron Burgundy says, "Stay Classy Australia"


Yours Sincerely

Clyde


PS. This weekend is Rome! I am so pumped

Many Wonderful Experiences

Servus!

Where to start, this trip so far has been a real eye opener for me and I can‘t wait for what‘s going to happen next. As soon as I got out of the plane I can not describe how strange it felt having everyone around me speaking a different language. There have been many highlights to my trip so far, like going to the bustling Oktoberfest and going to a few of Bavaria’s stunning lakes. I have met some really nice people and I have fitted into their school life really well. I am finding that the language barrier is beginning to become smaller and smaller and I am learning more and more about the diverse German culture.

This week has been very busy and I have seen and done many new things. On Saturday we went to a place they call a Rodelbahn, (tobaggon train). It was a huge metal slide that was made for a toboggan. The slide took over 3 minutes to get down and the first time I did it (not realising how fast I could go) I had Rebecca’s mum stuck behind me in her toboggan because I had my brakes on most of the way down. The second time I went down on a double toboggan with Rebecca’s sister, Victoria and I don’t think she put the brakes on the whole way down!

After I had survived that we got tickets to go on a zipline that was 700 hundred metres long! We took the chairlift up to the top and that’s were we got an unbelievable view of the town we were in called Flintsbach. We got our harnesses on and I watched the people who went before us disappear into the distance. When it was my turn, I was clipped in and off I went. It was the best feeling flying down the side of the mountain at 80km per hour!!

After I did the zipline, I went on the Rodelbahn four more times and then we left to go to the Flintbach Castle which had just been opened to the public for the first time. There was only one tower left of the castle which was from the middle ages, but they had renovated it into a home and I met a lady who was born in the tower. I walked inside and it was very dark as it only had a few lights. We climbed to the top of the tower and we got another amazing view of Flintsbach and you could see the remaining stone walls down below. Once we left the castle we went back to Rebecca’s grandparents house for the night.

On Sunday we had planned to go up to the top of a mountain but it was too cloudy, so the family decided to show me a couple more castles. First we went to a huge castle that was on a hill in the middle of the Austrian city, Kufstein. That castle was also from the middle ages and the only thing different about it was that every part of it was still standing. We took an angled elevator up to the courtyard of the castle that had been turned it into a museum. We learnt about the torture techniques of the middle ages and we found a well that was 60 metres deep! The second castle we went to was a ruin with only one mossy wall left standing. I saw a drawing of what it used to be and it looked like it was as big as the one in Kufstein. As we were walking back down from the ruin we ran into a couple of lamas and also say a donkey.

My weekend was definitely the busiest part of my week but I also started soccer training on Monday and Wednesday and I went and watched Rebecca’s brother play. School has been the hardest thing to get used to so far, but I feel my new friends have made it easier for me to fit in. This weekend I go to Berlin for Rebecca’s birthday and I cannot wait to go and learn more about the German culture. 

Callan