Hey guys! Sorry Ive taken so long to send an update but they keep us pretty busy over here and any free time we get is devoted to exploration or academics. Anyway, we just got into Prague last night after an incredibly scenic train ride through the countryside and it is one of the most beautiful places Ive ever had the pleasure to experience. But before I get to that, I want to retrace my steps a little bit. We have visited so many different sites and seen so many things in Berlin and Dresden that it will be impossible to recap it all in this short email, so Ill try to hit some highlights. Last week we visited our first concentration camp near Berlin, Sachsenhausen. It was truly surreal standing within its walls and looking around imagining the horrors faced by the prisoners who once stood on the very same ground. As part of the memorial, they had a book of the dead containing the names of all the victims who passed away in the camp, many of whom were from Poland. I think when we were in the Holocaust museum dad said our relatives were the Kowalskis back during WWII? Well anyway, I looked through the book and one of the victims was named Stanislaus Kowalski and he was from Lodz in Poland. If one of you can do a little digging and find out if theres a connection that would be awesome!

After leaving Berlin, we spent two days in Dresden. Dresden was once one of the culture capitals of Europe, known by many as the Florence of the North. But despite having little military significance, the Allies firebombed 90 percent of the city to the ground and killed tens of thousands of civilians to break the will of the German people. As a result, most of the beautiful building and cultural significance were lost, but theyve successfully rebuilt some of it. These combined with the few original buildings which survived the bombing make some parts of Dresden simply breathtaking, and I took plenty of pictures! It was interesting to learn about the atrocities of war from the German perspective and explore the horrors from a different angle.

Today we had some free time to explore Prague, which has most of its old buildings intact after the war. According to our tour guide Gabe, most of the cities in Europe looked very similar to Prague before WWII, but those cities were bombed to the ground during the war. The architecture and artwork is absolutely astounding, and the unique cultural aspects just add to the appeal. There is so much history and things to learn, I feel like it would take a lifetime to explore everything.

I definitely think that Berlin and Prague will hold a special place in my heart for quite some time, and its going to be very hard for me once this trip is over. But, at the same time I cannot wait to come back and see you all to share my experiences. I truly feel like this trip has produced profound changes in me that you cannot possibly put a price on. This abroad experience has totally blown me away more than I could ever possibly imagine. I could honestly see myself escaping the craziness of America and settling down here someday, at least for a little while. Ive come to realize that the world is such a huge place with very distinct people and things to explore, and I hope to expand my horizons as much as possible.  It really is great over here in Europe, especially for me.   

I love you all so much and I will talk to you again soon. I hope everyone is doing well and I cant wait to see everyone!

Love,

-Patrick Ryan

Sachsenhausen

Hey guys, sorry I haven't sent another massive update in a while. We've literally been going non-for the last several days leaving little free time, but as a result I have A TON to fill you guys in on. Monday we have a free day so after spending the day exploring the city I will try to give you guys something good to read. Today we are going to our first concentration camp: Sachsenhausen, and I am excited but bracing myself for the inevitable emotional impact. We went to a dinner at an authentic Turkish restaurant then went to a  karaoke bar with our entire classes, teachers, and tour guide. I had lamb and everything else at the restaurant was beyond delicious and very filling! After getting very little sleep the night before and being on my feet the entire day, I turned down the opportunity to get on stage at the karaoke bare but am planning on a return visit when I'm fresh. Hopefully video footage will be forthcoming. This morning, our teachers decided to let us sleep in since we won't be leaving for Sachsenhausen until 10:30, but one of my friends and I on the trip decided to wake up early regardless. We explored a little bit yesterday at a local market in town and discovered that Berlin's largest flea market is taking place this morning, so we want to check that out before catching up with the class and that's where I'm heading now!

I love and miss you all so much and will try to keep you updated!

Love,

-Patrick Ryan

Update: Berlin!

Hey guys! So yesterday we visited an American cemetery where one of our classmate's great uncle is buried after passing away in the war. Then, the main part of our day consited of traveling and spending time in Mont St. Michel, which is an incredible piece of architecture located in a truly unique position on an island and only accessible when it's surrounding tides permit. Here's some info and pictures about it, but needless to saz I had to conquer my fear of heights to participate in the tour! https://owa.dm.duke.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=8347d477863f408a8f32645f12a30347&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fMont_Saint-Michel. Today, we left France and flew into Berlin on the scariest flight of my life, and possibly one of my scariest experiences ever. I'm already shaking when it comes to planes, but we flew right through the middle of a storm with HEAVY turbulance and lightning striking all around us. We all applauded the captain when he landed us safely!
   
    Upon reaching Berlin, we met up with our tour guide Gabe who has a VERY unique sense of humor and is a huge personality. I know dad has always joked about Germans and how their cars were nicer than their homes, but I was definitely taken aback by the poverty and dilapidation in what was once considered the future center of European growth. With a gray, rainy backdrop similar to Western Pennsylvania, Berlin and it's people cast a much more intimidating spectre compared to the French who simply seemed annoyingly tolerant of us at the worst of times. So far, Berlin is an incredibly interesting city unlike anything that I've ever experienced or could possibly even imagine. Most of the buildings are run down and covered with grafitti. According to Gabe, the problem with Berlin is that it has no middle class. With a 20% unemployment rate There is an overwhelming lower working class but with no work to do. As a result, the East Berlin area in which we're staying has become a haven for the unemployed, college dropouts, druggies, and young hipsters. But, with cheap rent and even cheaper prices to go out and have a good time on the town, it is a paradise for young people trying to take a break from finding their way. When we entered the first floor of our hostel we were greeted with a main room full of young people of all nationalities, and I could see why many students take time off after graduation to travel the world and stay at places like this. Dubstep and club style music blares out of speakers and a 24 hour bar completes the spectacle. As for our rooms, the living quarters are actually very nice and the rooms feel quite secure featuring an electronic lock system and electronically secured lockers for valuables and other belongings.

     Tonight, Gabe invited us over to his apartment for dinner. He had his Italian friend and her Brazilian husband over and they cooked us the most delicious authentic Italian dinner I've ever tasted! The previous sentence clearly illustrates the unique cultural makeup of this distinct city, and I can't wait to explore the rest of what it has to offer. After dinner, we were treated to fine wines and a special private concert in Gabe's apartment! His friend Susannah, a local young musician, sang and played guitar for us and sounded almost exactly like Adele! I cannot believe no one has signed her yet but I bought her CD from her and will be bringing it home. The thing that struck me the most about Susannah and this city in general is that the young people don't seem to care about money or superficial things but rather their culture, creative ability, and self-expression which I found very refreshing coming from today's dog eat dog world.

     Well, that's all I've got for now. Since nobody here works apparently, all of the bars were packed so most of us just came back to the hostel bar to hang out. Since this is the only computer with Internet access, I need to let some other people use it! Tomorrow we take a foot tour of Berlin with Gabe. I love you all, miss you, and will talk to you soon! -Patrick

Greeting from Across the Pond! January 3, 2012

Hey everybody! Sorry that it's taken so long to get to you, but we've been going practically non-stop since we stepped on the plane and I've just now gotten some free time. I only get Internet access for 20 minutes until the hotel server kicks me out so I'll try to be brief. The flight was fun and filled with excitement and Tanner yelling Bonjourno in a thick Southern accent amidst a multitude of French speakers. When we landed, we promptly had to wait several hours for every one to recieve their baggage from baggage claim. After a four hour bus ride through the most uninteresting, run down part of Paris and some beautiful French countryside, we arrived at our hotel in Bayeux on the coast near the Normandy beaches. One of the guys on our trip compared the quiet country setting of Western France to his homeland of Southern Virginia, but I don't consider that a bad thing. It's very peaceful out here and there's such a tremendous amount of history, and we've all tried our best to power through the jetlag and take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to see as much as possible. On our first night several of us went to a pub in town to socialize and write in our journals over some quality brews. While the majority of us behaved ourselves, one in our company proved unable to hold his two beers and started opening up to the whole restaurant as loudly as possible.... Sooooo we're not going back there anytime soon. Today we hopped on the bus for a truly surreal day full of history and I got to put my new camera to use. I took so many that I ran out of battery halfway through our daytrip so I'm going to steal some pictures of the later sites from my classmates! We started at the German military cemetery which was as eerie as it was beautiful. Next, we braved intense winds to explore the Allied invasion beaches at Point Du Hoc and the famous Omaha Beach. many remnants of the fortifications and battle remained, and it was surreal imagining all of the brave souls who gave their lives on the very soil I stood on today. We wrapped up with the museum and cemetery devoted to the U.S. military who gave their lives, embodied by nearly 9000 graves and accompanying monuments. Well this is the only computer in the lobby and m classmates are nipping at my heels to email their families so I'll leave you guys off here. I love and miss you all so much and I'll try to talk to you again soon!