IYSO 2014 Adventures, EPISODE #4: Wittstock, Germany

Aix-en-Provence to Wittstock was a 24 hour bus ride, which wasn't bad!! The first seven hours or so, we were sleeping, waking up only for the rest stop times which, despite being extremely late or early, we still made one every few hours (which was required by law). Once we crossed the border into Germany, we discovered something interesting- the rest stops now cost money (70 euro cents to use the restroom, which wasn't a lot, it added up towards the end but it wasn't a huge deal, all in all). Also at the rest stops, we discovered our new obsession: German chocolate!!! :D Kinder eggs are amazing, anything Kinder related is wonderful, it's very creamy and sweet chocolate (not all the time, but in this case), but not overly so. GAH IT'S SO YUMMY!!!

*cough*

Anyways!

At about 11 pm., we arrived in our second host community and country: Wittstock, Germany. Same procedure as before- as soon as we totally unloaded the buses and got our luggage to it's designated spot, the chairman and our conductor called out names as the rest of us sat nearby and listened, waiting for our names to be called. Eventually, myself and three of others were called (we were the largest group of students to a host family in the entire community) and we went home with our host family. Our host parts, Sieglinde and Siegfried, were both older, but very sweet!! We soon discovered, both that night and more prominently the next morning, that Sieglinde didn't speak a lot of English (Siegfried spoke none), and none of us spoke German; however, we were able to communicate fairly easily, and they were so nice!! Sieglinde is an amazing cook, as well, which was awesome!!! Our concerts were at this beautiful church called Sankt-Marien-Kirche ("St. Marien's Church"), which was SO cool!!

We had three performances here in all - two were normal concerts (one Beethoven/Mozart and one Symphonic concert) and we also played for a church service in the church, which was awesome!!

Very early on, our host parents showed us around Wittstock, including showing us this church that they got married in!! 

We also found this beautiful courtyard... 

Myself and my Blue Lake host sisters!! We visited this super cool mini-church park, which was epic!! We found the mini counterpart of St. Marien's Church!!

The four of us and our friend, who we randomly met here, with mini St. Marien's. 

On our last day (which was also a free day), WE WENT TO BERLIN!!!! Berlin was absolutely fantastic!! Everywhere you looked was this amazing mix of history and modern life, creating this fantastic atmosphere!!

First stop in our Berlin adventure was to the Berlin Wall.

These poles (I know, this isn't a good picture of them) mark where the wall once stood.

My friend Jack and I in front of the Berlin Wall!! 

This cross used to be on top of the Church of Reconciliation, but when the church was destroyed by the GDR in 1985, the cross was rescued and kept in private ownership until the building of the memorial, when it was returned to the public.  

Chapel of Reconciliation.

Statue marking the reconciliation of Germany after the wall was demolished. 

Various statues and bells that were one a part of the Church of Reconciliation.

WE FOUND JARED PADALECKI!! ;) *wink wink nudge nudge*

After the Berlin Wall, we visited the heart of Berlin, starting with the Holocaust Memorial, also known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The concrete blocks (or stelae) were built so that, as you go further and further into the memorial, the blocks entirely envelop you, giving you an overwhelming feeling of sorrow.

After the Holocaust Memorial, we split up into smaller groups (I was in a group with two counselors and seven other girls), and we headed off to visit the Berlin Dome. On the way we found this awesome statue!! 

THE BERLIN DOME!! We found out later that there are actually several domes in Berlin, so we aren't sure which one this is... o.o either way, it was pretty awesome!! 

THIS BIKE TAXI!! I genuinely love this and I wish we could've ridden this, but oh well, it's still awesome!! 

The Brandenburg Gate!! This is my only picture of the gate, which also features Willow!! In retrospect, the amount of times pictures were photobombed by other Blue Lakers was insane o.o  

This awesome Roman statue!! 

When we got back, Sieglinde and her brother (who lived next door to us) took my friend Anne and I (Ruth and Em were napping back at the house) out for a walk around the neighborhood, which was the perfect, very peaceful end to the day. It was our last night in Wittstock, so it was nice to slow down and just chat with them about the different things we'd seen in Berlin and to hear them talk about their childhoods.

The next morning, we sadly said our goodbyes to Sieglinde and Siegfried, and, after lots of hugs and the entire orchestra singing "Lord Bless You and Keep You" to the host families, we boarded the buses again, this time to our next host community, Landau, Germany.