2026 Germany and Switzerland
DAY 6 Afternoon by George and Sophia
We started off our afternoon with a small orientation of Vauban, the neighborhood we visited in Freiburg.
Vauban is special because of its energy efficient buildings and environmentally-friendly habits. From the
start we split into groups and went to explore the city. With our tour guides, we explored how Germans in
Freiburg reduce carbon emissions by riding bikes, taking the tram, renting cars, or walking. Many of the
streets in Vauban are quiet because of the low presence of cars, since the goal of the neighborhood is to
fully avoid the usage of automobiles. To further explore Vauban, we did a scavenger hunt around Vauban
to study the lives and cultural practices of the citizens that live there. Then, one of the groups went to a
small park where they relaxed and had fun. In the end both groups met up to have drinks and cool down
at a nice cafe.
Then we took the tram to the center of the city, where we had free time for 2 hours. Some
people played frisbee with Patrick (and got destroyed), while others explored the city.
On the bus back to our hotel, we sang karaoke, which included songs such as Toxic, Hotel
California, and Piano man. We had dinner at a buffet at the hotel with Black Forest Cherry cake for dessert, which is named after the Black Forest, the forest at which we’re staying.
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DAY 6 Morning by Amtej and Bonnie
Today, we had a breakfast buffet at 7 AM and left on the bus at 8. Patrick told jokes on the bus and we
talked about the Brothers Grimm stories. These tales originated from the Black Forest, and some of
them were Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel.
We also sang along to Sweet Caroline and arrived in Freiburg just when it ended. Here is a recording of us singing!
Our first guide for the day was Hans, who was a karate master. He showed us some of his moves and
we did a short workout with him. Our second guide, Luciano, then arrived.
The odds went with Luciano, and the evens went with Hans.
On the tour, we learned about the history of Freiburg and how the city and the rest of Germany used
energy. Luciano had us divide into three groups, which were named Sunscreen, Group 2, and Group
Name. In these groups, we would play a game where we would answer questions and get the question
cards if we got it correct.
We were shown a graph of the worldwide consumption of energy with a peak at the discovery of fossil
fuels. Luciano then explained Germany’s use of gas as their main source of heat and energy.
Luciano then told us that the water streams, called bächle, stretched 9.9 miles in the city and came
from the Dreisam River in the Black Forest, where our hotel is. The water in the bächle was not for
drinking, but rather for washing clothes, cooking, putting out fires, and other uses.
For drinking, there were 57 fountains around Freiburg. We went to one and some students helped
water a nearby tree with that water.
We went farther into Freiburg after that, entering a market where the teachers bought fruits, and where
they returned later for more. Luciano told us there were 16 markets across Freiburg with local
businesses selling fresh produce.
Then we went to the cathedral and learned how a pulley system was used for building. On some bricks in the cathedral, there were shapes carved in to represent the sizes of bread loafs, for
people in the past to see if they were getting what they paid for.
Unlike now with all our technology, muscle power was used in the past. Back then, 1 calorie of labor
made 3 calories of food. Now, 12 calories of fossil fuels only produce 1 calorie of food.
Hans and his group discussed the impacts that a recent heatwave had had in the town. For example,
grass surrounding the train tracks meant to dampen the noise had all died, and a large tree in the
center of town was estimated to have lost over 400 Liters of water per day when the temperature was
above 100 F. We also discussed methods to reduce the impacts of rising temperatures, for example
painting the roofs of buildings white, or by creating “living walls” by having vines grow along the outside
of walls which, along with other vegetation being placed on the outside of and around buildings, helped
to absorb heat from the air. Hans also demonstrated how soil in the shade vs concrete in the sun can
have a temperature difference of nearly 20 C or 70 degrees.
Luciano stressed the importance of supporting local food since our energy from fossil fuels and growth
of crops with fertilizer wouldn’t last forever, and reducing the use of cars. More environmentally friendly
options for travel were taking the train, taking the bus (or tram in Europe), walking, and biking.
Later, we took the tram to Freiburg’s town hall, which Luciano said was the most modern building in the
city in terms of energy. It was covered in solar panels, ventilation systems, and was able to keep itself
cool during the summer and warm during the winter. In groups, we learned about its regulation systems
like heating and cooling with pipes below the ground and presented them to the others. We also
learned about the Law of Thermodynamics, which stated that 1 degree of global warming equaled a
7% increase in humidity.
After this was our 1 hour lunch break.
DAY 5 by Georgy and Chanie
Today our journey led us to leave Berlin and continue to the city of Freiburg. Checkout from the hotel
was very early, between 6:00 and 6:15, so we were given bags with our breakfast rather than using the
hotel's amenities. The plans were slightly delayed as multiple students overslept, so we ended up
leaving at 6:25.
We then had a new bus driver take us to the train station from which we would travel to Freiburg. At the
train station the chaperones watched our bags giving us time to explore the nearby floors of the station
and get some proper breakfast before the train had arrived. Considering that the breakfast bags were
unsatisfactory to put it lightly this was a blessing - there was a lot of food in the bags but little was
appetizing to us.
We were back on our platform by 8, and by 8:30 the train had arrived and our journey started. Here
there was a bit of a derailing from the original planned time once again. Partway through we got stuck
behind a malfunctioning train, then the crew switch at another station took ages, and other
inefficiencies led to an intended 7 hour train ride to take a whopping 9 hours. This may have been a bit
of a blessing in disguise however, as most of us passed the time by listening to music, catching up on
sleep, or using the train's wifi for media entertainment.
Upon arriving in Freiburg, the contrast to Berlin was immediately obvious. As we walked its medieval
style streets and squares in a walking tour it felt like a jump to the past. Along the paths clear water ran
in a brick ditch in which children played and adults cooled their feet while sipping wine, all the while
petite trolleys slid past lazily. The city gave a serene feeling of Europe, the opposite of Berlin's buzz
and sprawl.
After a brief lesson on Freiburg's history of merchants fighting for their sovereignty and freedom
against oppressive barons, we made our way to the tallest structure in sight, the city’s towering
Catholic Cathedral, called the Freiburg Minster. We learned that it was actually the only authentic old
building left. The rest of the city had been bombed during ww2 and was rebuilt to resemble a historic
city. The cathedral had been spared because bomber pilots used churches as landmarks for
navigation.
After that we were given from 6:05 pm until 8:00 pm to free roam and get dinner.
After which, we finally boarded our bus and headed to the hotel. Which I must say definitely outclasses
Tomorrow we will be back in Freiburg, so look forward to the next blog about our adventures.
4 AFTERNOON by Matthew and Yahli
After lunch we split into two groups and alternated between activities, the Air Lift Memorial and
a talk led by Restlos Glücklich. The Air Lift Memorial, is a decommissioned Nazi air field that had
been converted into a public park.
There, we walked around the urban garden and also found a dog, which roamed around with
us for a few minutes before returning to a German man with a bike.
We were then given 20 minutes to explore the surrounding neighborhood, with most people
spending their time getting ice cream. While they waited in line, I (Yahli) walked around and
met a lady named Grete who showed me around her shop, which sold silk painted scarves and
handcrafted corsets. We had a really fun conversation, and she invited me to her fashion show
on Saturday. Overall, the neighborhood and public park were both lovely, and I’d be happy to
see more places like this one on the trip.
When we arrived at Restlos Glucklich, we were led down into a red bricked basement where
Food sustainability is a method in which food waste and the resources used to prepare food are
reduced. A simple way to ensure food sustainability is to reduce the use of meat and animal
products, as well as making sure that food is stored properly. We also played the “positioning
game” which was where we stepped in a position scale from one to ten on sustainable food
questions.
Finally, we performed a workshop where we attempted to manage our imaginary food items in
an attempt to mimic sustainable food choices, which wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,
only required a little consideration.
Overall, I would rate the entire experience an 8.5 out of 10, and the most important takeaway I
learned is that sustainable living is not complicated, it just requires determination and dedication.
- Mathew
After we left Restlos Glucklich, we arrived at an Indian restaurant named Amrit, where we
also celebrated Sophia’s birthday.
Our group had breakfast in the hotel dining room between 7:30 and 8:15. The morning started with a rock paper scissors tournament. George was titled the champion. Afterwards our tour guide Patrick talked to us at the front of the hotel about culture in Berlin and his own experiences with the evolution of culture in neighborhoods that he lived in. Patrick talked a little bit about Berlin’s gentrification and Ms. Maggio made connections to gentrification back in New York. We then walked to the nearby neighborhood of Holzmarkt, where we met Ben and Hannes.
We learned about the history of Holzmarkt, which was a timber market 300 years ago because
of its location by the river, Spree. The area was originally full of techno clubs but the city
planned offices. This made the rent skyrocket and caused the gentrification of culture. Eventually,
Switzerland bought and leased the land for 75 years. The land was developed by the people.
Our group split into two separate groups and took different tours of the property. First we did
a scavenger hunt on different businesses found in the Holzmarkt and made guesses on the
workforce and yearly visitors number of the place, which were 200+ and 1.5 million.
It has a bar, restaurant, bakery, physical therapy office, kindergarten, beach bar, club, offices,
and many artist studios. Holzmarkt was created by 2 cooperatives; the 11 founders have one vote
each and the financial planner has one. The goal of the cooperative is to keep the land public for
the people, preserving their connection to the river and the cultural history of the area.
Then we walked over to a club on the property and were briefed about the strategies of abstract construction that the owners of Holzmarkt used. Then we went to the waterfront and our tour guide told us about the story of how they changed the law in Berlin that the waterfront had to be tall walls rather than natural banks. Next we gathered on a balcony and discussed ideas about the use of available space by the water and what it could be used for.
We then had a short workshop in which we created urban development plans for less undeveloped plots of land adjacent to the property. Those were then presented to the tour guide and a popular idea seemed to be bowling alleys and housing although the best one was an urban garden/ nature classrooms. After that we gathered in the Holzmarkt for some free time and a bunch of people descended the slide that was there.
Some of the boys participated in the teledisco - a mini club inside a phone booth!
Ms Maggio and Ms Lindemulder did as well.
DAY 3 AFTERNOON by Kory and Mariam
After lunch we went to see how gray water from apartment buildings (water from sinks and
showers) is processed in an urban center and being used in order to produce crops. Our tour
guides were Amy and Anya, two landscape and urban researchers. Based on our numbers,
half of us went with Anya and the other half went with Amy. No soil is required for these farms,
only water. They mentioned gray water is water that's not from the toilet, but is recycled to use for
toilets. This gray water is recycled almost up to drinking quality, their research of ten years allowed
them to figure out that this was usable for farming and is safe to use. They get their water sources
from the neighborhood and processed using solar energy. 70% of waste water from buildings is
just grey water so this recycling will be deemed very helpful. The idea of roof water farms is in order
to help and develop ways to use all water in an effective way. These farms use very little energy.
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This roof water idea was created in order to test if recycled water is able to be used to create
foods. Another main reason for why this research started was because during the time of the
Berlin Wall, West Berlin would be given all the sewage water, hence where recycled water came
to be an idea.
This idea is also very cost effective and requires little space, for 70 people only 7 cubic meters
is needed. The gray water treatment follows in these steps; Firstly two filters for larger pieces.
The tanks have microorganisms inside to decompose organic compounds within the water. Then
it’s a sand filter which removes the microorganism, then UV light cleans out any bacteria left
within the process.
After learning all of this information, we visited the greenhouse and learned about the vertical
hydroplane farm system. Some of us got to try the basil, proof of how fresh and trustworthy
the ecosystem is.
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After this lecture we went to the Futurium Museum to think about what the future is going to
be like. Unfortunately, a private booking got into our way so we instead returned to the plaza
where we got delicious ice cream.
We took the subway again to our dinner restaurant, where we either had fries and vegetables
or sausage and mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
Afterwards, we had chocolate fudge dessert and enjoyed time together. Post dinner, we took
a scenic walk to appreciate and look at Berlin Wall graffiti.
DAY 3 MORNING by Ben and Teresa
So first we ate breakfast, which was a full buffet (had mixed reviews) and then we went on a bus
tour around Germany.
We also learned how various Fredericks and Williams expanded their empires through taxing,
uniting Prussia in 1871.
After World War 1, and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919; heavy war reparations
were placed Germany (in gold), and had to set up a democracy (named the Weimar Republic,
because they signed a constitution there).
This was not that effective, and caused the government to print more money, causing extreme
inflation. At one point, one US dollar was equal to 6.2 billion marks!
In 1929, the US stock market crashed, causing a ripple effect and recession in Germany. The
people were crushed and hopeless, causing them to vote extreme parties (enabling Hitler to rise
to power). This led to World War 2, but after, the Western powers had learned their lesson, and
split Germany into 4 sections, including Berlin split, helped Germany get on its feet again.
However, in the June of 1948, Stalin cut off land supply to West Berlin (Berlin Blockade),
the West decided to fly in all supplies.
This was obviously extremely expensive, but luckily, in May of 1949, Stalin reconnected land
supply because the blockade didn’t work. West and East Germany formed that year (Soviet vs
Western). In East Germany, over 2 million East Germany left (1/6 of the population at the time)
to go after jobs, housing and money in West Germany, causing East Germany to close its border
and build wall on August 13, 1961.
This eventually led to unrest and revolts among the people, causing the wall to fall in 1989. In
the October of 1990, Germany united again, and the federal capital moved from Bonn to Berlin
in 1999. While learning about Berlin’s history, we stopped the bus and explored the Berlin Wall
Memorial. We were able to peep inside the walls to spot “No Man’s Land” and got an overhead
view from a nearby lookout tower.
Our next stop was the German Parliament, where we learned about its history, particularly the
historic Reichstag fire, and how the Nazi party used it as a symbol to consolidate power.
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After this, we walked to the memorial for Sinti and Roma victims of the Holocaust. Students read
the stories of victims and experienced the memorial’s water features.
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We then visited the Pariser Platz, where we saw the famous Brandenburg Gate, and learned
about its history as a prize of Napoleon’s conquest. The plaza also showcased the French
Embassy and the Hotel Adlon, famous for being the location where Michael Jackson
dangled his baby.
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Our next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, where students walked
through the Memorial’s immersive walkways, and created their own interpretations of the
memorial, influenced by its intentionally vague design.
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From there we walked to the historic Checkpoint Charlie, where we learned of its significance
as the closest the Soviets and Americans got to armed conflict during the Cold War. We got back
on the bus and viewed one of the few standing examples of brutalist Nazi architecture in Berlin.
Finally, we walked to the Berlin Mall and split off to eat lunch at the food market inside.
DAY 1 and 2 WRITTEN BY GRACE AND SAM
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However, when we landed in Berlin and finally got to walking it was like a breath of
fresh air. After being stuck up in plane after plane and not being able to actually walk
for a bit, stretch our legs, and interact with each other, this was HEAVEN.
Some of the most memorable moments were when we looked at the cathedral in
Berlin and Patrick pointed out the patches that were made to cover up the bullet
holes from world war 2.
It was also intriguing to hear that kids our age were fighting and hiding behind the
same pillars that we were looking at. As Patrick said, you never realize how real
and detrimental war is until you're standing there looking at the aftermath of it.
After that we went to walk along the Spree river, which flows through Berlin.
Along the way we viewed the Fernsehturm, which is a cell tower that was built
by the DDR (or East Germany) in order to both symbolize communist power
and provide practical radio transmitters. It is also the tallest structure in Germany.
We also visited an artist district full of street art and cafes.
Then we went to Grand Bar for a dinner that consisted of curry chicken, rice, and green beans,
as well as a chocolate mousse dessert.
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Finally, we went to our hotel and settled into our rooms to end a long day.
