IA State CALS Ethical Leadership Study Abroad

For our last day in Poland we took a day trip to the Zakopane mountains and saw a rural area of Poland. We visited the oldest church in southern Poland crafted beautifully of wood and painted with great detail. A cruise around a lake admiring two castles was a relaxing way to hear about the history of the area. Being so close to the Slovakia boarder, we crossed over and enjoyed some lunch which allowed us to cross yet another country off of the list we've visited.
Following lunch, we traveled to a medow and took a path leading us past some breathtaking views where we stumbled upon a flock of sheep that were part of a sheep dairy. We later got to try some of their cheese after seeing where it was made. It was neat to see a glimpse of Polish agriculture and a fantastic last day spent together in Poland.

Day 14 in the beautiful city Krakow, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We started the day off going back in history and learning how the country was run through the communist era. Our eyes were opened to propaganda, communist architecture and solidarity. After a more serious morning we followed it up with lunch at the oldest restaurant in Krakow. Our day was finished off by a tour of the Rynek Underground museum where we saw the original Krakow that had been built on top of over the years. We got to see treasures of the past and how people lived.

Bonjour! Oh wait Cześć! Well hello friends, we are on day 5 here in Poland! Exploring the salt mines was on our agenda today. We learned many different and exciting things, like how we can lick the walls because they are completely made out of salt ( but I wouldn't advise it) or how they had a fire that lasted 8 months! All the sculptures they have in the mines are all made of salt as well. This was an awesome experience, something completely different then the many other tours we have had so far!

Day 4 in Kraków:

We visited Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps today. While this was certainly an emotionally tolling day, we are fortunate to have had the opportunity to pay our respects to the millions of people that were both affected and lost their lives as a result of the Holocaust and World War II. At Auschwitz, we visited many buildings and the gas chambers and crematories. At Birkenau, we were able to see the remaining part of the camp that was not burned down in attempt to hide evidence to escape persecution.

This evening, we were able to decompress and enjoy ourselves with a nice picnic in a beautiful park with some traditional polish sandwiches from a bakery. We are getting sad as our trip nears the end, but excited for the remaining three days!

Day 11. Definitely a lot less rain, which we were all excited about. Today we had the opportunity to visit the Pracownia i Muzeum Witrażu (Witrazow Stained Glass Museum), where they create windows for churches. Students had the chance to learn the process of glass making, how stain glass artist select the colors, draw the outlines, & finally put it all together. We even had the chance to make our own pieces where we learned it's a lot harder than the professional make it look! In addition to the stain glass museum, we toured the Wawel Castle and learned about the prestigious architecture. Did you know part of the castle is original & survived the war? We are having a great time in Poland & are looking forward to what the rest of the week will bring.

Day 10: More rain. But that didn't stop us from getting our steps in by touring through the city on a customized tour of Jewish and Holocaust Krakow led by our awesome tour guide, Nika! She pointed out many prominent streets and buildings that were used in the filming of Schindler's List. We saw several Synagogues and even got to go inside the youngest one in Krakow. We toured the site of the Plaszow camp and saw many monuments dedicated to the people who lost their lives during the holocaust. We also went through the part of the city that was once the Jewish Ghetto, even getting to see parts of the original wall. Nika also pointed out that people are actually living in the houses that were originally part of the Ghetto. Looking forward to our adventures tomorrow!

Day 9: The weather didn't stop us from having a great time on our first day in Krakow! We started the day with a tour of the city and all of the wonderful buildings. While trekking through rain and dodging puddles we saw centuries of history in castles and beautiful monuments.
After Lunch we toured Oskar Schindler's museum! The guide explained the hardships that led up to the war, eventual take over of Poland and how Schindler was able to save over 1200 Jewish citizens.
Finally, when we finished the museum we headed to a folk show and dinner! As you can see by the video Luke really enjoyed the festivities that followed.

day 8: We made it to Poland! After a long day of train travel, we have arrived at our hostel in Krakow. Throughout the day we made stops at Vienna, Austria and Katowice, Poland. We are all excited for the week full of sightseeing and tours!

Day 8: We made it to Poland! After a long day of train travel, we arrived at our hostel in Krakow. Throughout the day we switched trains in Vienna, Austria and Katowice, Poland. Everybody is excited for the week full of sightseeing and tours!

Day 7: today we visited the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. We also learned about the White Rose Resistance Movement started by students the same age as us in 1942. They heard about the murder of Polish Jews and wanted to stand up for their freedom. They made anti-war/anti-N**i leaflets that were distributed to the public. They ended up getting caught and convicted of treason. They were executed in 1943. These brave students showed a great example for young people and standing up for what you believe in. There are many memorials throughout the campus in honor of these students.

Day 6: Today we took a train followed by a steep hike to see the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle at the bottom of the German Alps. This castle was designed for King Ludwig II. He was so particular in how he wanted it to look that it is only one-third of the way finished. This castle inspired Walt Disney's castle in Orlando,FL.

On the hike down we tried quarkgebäck which is a sweet donut with powdered sugar. The two hour train ride allowed us to see some of Southern Germany's countryside.

Day 5 here in Munich was nothing less than exciting. We traveled to the Olympiapark München where the 1972 Olympics were held and, we didn't just get your "average" tour. Climbing above the stadium on the plexiglass roof gave us the perfect birds eye view from above. We also got a thrilling ride off the roof by zip lining across the stadium back down to the ground. We are proud to say that all 17 of us took the leap and made it safely down.
Later in the evening we went on a culture of beer tour, where we learned how beer in Munich is a part of their lifestyle and runs deep into their history. Another truly awesome day!

Guten Tag!! "Hello"

Day 4- Today was a busy day! we boarded a train and traveled to Nuremberg! In the morning we were able to look around town and visit a lot of gift shops as we first arrived in Nuremberg!

This afternoon we were able to visit some of the N**i Rally Party grounds and were given a tour by Kevin, Nuremberg Tours in English! We visited the Luitpold Arena, Zeppelin Field, March Field and Congress Hall in the Rally grounds! We learned the significance of how Nuremberg played in the war trials and how they also played a role in the N**i Rally Party grounds before the war! The Natzi Party held rallies here in 1927 and 1929! Albert Speer one of Hitler's major architecture friends was assigned to build a major sports complex that only lasted from 1933- 1939 because WWII officially started in 1939 so it was never finished because the Natzi Party believed all resources and efforts should be put towards the war effort!

We finished the day off at the "Block House" where we had amazing hospitality!

Day 3 in Germany: Today we had many tours! On the Third Reich tour from SANDEMANs NEW Munich Tours we learned about how the N**i party used intimidation and violence to gain power. Our group photo shows us standing by the golden path that commemorates the common people and their resistance to the N**i party. We also enjoyed tours of the Royal Residency, Theatre, and Opera and learned about past rulers and the history of Germany and Bavaria.

Day two in Germany consisted of a walking tour of Munich. Students had an awesome tour guide name, Giorgio with SANDEMANs NEW Munich Tours. George taught the students about the history of the city & how it became so big. Fun fact: Munich has both a new and old town hall!
Later, the students enjoyed a traditional Bavarian lunch at Schneider Brauhaus and ended the day with a walk in the English Gardens. Stay tune for more adventures as the week continues!

Welcome to Germany! After traveling all night we arrived in Munich, all of us and all of our bags. We had a chance to practice our metro skills, do a quick walk around Marian Platz and ate at the famous Hofbrauhouse. Sleep is the priority tonight so we are ready for tomorrow.

Welcome to Germany! Everyone AND all of our bags made it to Munich. We spent the day practicing metro skills, walked around Marian Platz, and ate at Hofbrauhouse.

Leaving on a jet plane in 6 days! Get the bags packed, we are ready to go to Germany and Poland. Thanks to Agriculture Study Abroad Office (Iowa State University) for the great luggage tags!

That's a good-looking spread! had a meal with authentic German and Polish foods during class this week to get an idea of what they can expect during the trip. On the menu (R to L) were brats with sauerkraut, honey glazed carrots, potato salad, apple strudel, and rhubarb cake. They also received some travel tips from Mr. Jodi Cornell, Agriculture Study Abroad Office (Iowa State University), to ensure their experience is headache-free.

Students learned about In Group/Out Group Dynamics this week. In three different groups, teams were told to use what they were given to construct the tallest tower possible. Then we drew some parallels with feelings and attitudes the activity brought out to real life situations.