Hotel An Der Gruga Essen

... will find the name of later(I know it started with a B) and ate some ice cream. We also stopped at a bookstore to look for postcards but they were all really meant for Germans with jokes we didn't quite get. Dad found some at a different bookstore later. We left Werden around 3:30. Mom, Dad, Kevin and Annette drove back in Annette's car. Amelie and I went back on the train because she had practice for the vaulting team she coaches ...

... to Karneval in Düsseldorf in my costume. We had fun. It was crazy! There were so many people there!!!! And broken beer bottles all over the ground! It was my last night with Trevor. I have some great pics but prob wont be able to add them to my blog til I come home.

So, I might go and visit a castle. If I have the chance I will add one more entry. If not, see u all soon

Sarah

... it really works.

I am kinda sad that there's not much time left here, but I am happy that I have fulfilled all of my cultural aims. My last one was fulfilled Monday night when I went to the Essen Philharmony. I didn't see Mozart, Bach, Beethoven or anything German but it was FANTASTIC... I saw the Chinese Orchestra. It was there to welcome the new year of the pig.

The instruments were not what u would usually find in an orchestra, but similar. They had ...

... between 1100 and 1280 and was left in ruins in the 1900s before being recently restored in the last 20 years. The cool thing there was the weapons room. We were allowed to play with the swords and shields and take as many photos as we liked. Also a point of interest was the old tower. It was used as the city's jail ( I would not want to be a criminal!) They got lowered down into a dark hole and although food and water (only a small amount) was provided for the criminals, they ...

... from Berlin via Hamburg in 2 weeks, which I may consider doing if it is not too expensive... We'll see.

So, not much has happened since my last email. I went on an excursion to the old Synagogue in Essen. I have a photo of it from my first day in Essen. I called it the Dome Kirche! Whoops. I should have called it the Dome Synagogue! Oh well.

I have bought a couple of tickets for some culture in the coming weeks. I am seeing the ...

... singers were superb. The overture and the orchestra were amazing!
After the Opera, I made a snack for tea and then went to bed.

Monday morning we had language, and then in the afternoon we had IKK where we looked at prejudices, stereotypes, cliches and jokes. Most of them were quite funny, however all written in German. If I get the chance I will try and translate a couple to post on my next blog.

After class I went into ...

... for others. The music was so different to Rent that it was hard to appreciate it. But at least I knew what was happening.

After the Opera we managed to get back to the hotel with 2 trains, one bus and one tram (and 20 mins of walking). I really hope that the train sytem comes back soon!

Yet again I must depart. In my next installment I will tell u about my trip to the Opera on Sunday night to see Der Zauberflöte.

Tshuss!
Sarah

... the north coast along the sea quite fiercly, winds of up to 150km are blowing across the country. Planes cannot land, train stations have been closed, trees have falled on cars and houses...

Silence fell over the crowd... " Was soll wir tuen?" We were so bored...

It was decided that a party should be had in the cellar, to celebrate the fact that we were all safe. So we went downstairs, played South American music, danced, drank wine ...

... and girls have to dress up in costume and cut men's ties and shoe laces. It sounds like fun and I won't miss out on everything so I am happy!

After I had looked at the costumes, (there was a really cute frog prince that said 'kuss mich' on the front) I went to a call shop to call home and speak with mum and dad. Then I walked with Lucia to the uni to go on our excursion, a bus tour of the city of Essen. For the first time I saw trees and green and ...

... then, she had the best surf instructor in the world by her side (Thomas) and the second best surf instructor in the station (Andi). On our last day, we tried the tandem again and almost started gliding. Unfortunately, time was not yet ripe for Thomas' front loop, just too many days with too little wind at the end. So, we must go back to Dahab! Tuesday, we waved goodbye to Alex, Sandra, Markus and Robert who had all walked us to the bus. We ...