2nd Trip Up Pfaender

For my German language class, we took a gondola ride up Pfaender Mtn.

The skies were clear and the view was great on this day!

Like Adam and I did before, we went and checked out the little Alpine animal park.

The Bodensee (Lake Constance) and Bregenz. From Pfaender, one can see Austria, of course, Switzerland on the left of the lake, and Germany on the right of the lake.

The 300 level German language class from left to right: Tyler, Felicia (my roommate at home and abroad), Taylor (one of our housemates), and me!

This is a picture of the Hirsch, which is where KIIS program students have pre-paid dinner each day except Tuesdays, which is a rest day in Bregenz. The restaurant is historic and the food is traditional Austrian cuisine. We start with a soup (usually the cream of some vegetable), then have a main course, and lastly, dessert! And pitchers of free water, thank goodness!

Tour of Bregenz

This is the Herz-Jesus-Kirche, or Heart o f Jesus Church. It was built in the 1800s but designed to look gothic. The inside is a mix of gothic and baroque. I pass it every day to get to school.

This house is the only structure on its block to not have been destroyed during WWII. The window décor and base stone blocks are all painted in baroque fashion.

(From left to right) A little chapel, the post office, and a clothing shop.

A lot of “marble” seen in these old churches is actually just a really good paint job.

Inside the little chapel.

You know you’re in Europe when…

The pedestrian area is only a few blocks or so but it has everything I need! Spar-the grocery store, Pinnochio’s-the ice cream café, Bipa-a place like Walgreens, Café Wunderbar-wireless internet and good food and drinks, and another internet café and some very delicious bakeries!

An overview of Bregenz and the Bodensee.

As if the main area of Bregenz wasn’t old enough…we walked up into the very beautiful Alte Stadt, or old city, which Adam and I happened to wander into when we were here. The city wall and some buildings date back as far as the 1100s.

No one really knows the story behind this thing, but it hangs above the entrance to the old city. Driftwood or mummified lake beast? You decide…

Looking out of the old city into the “new” city.

I think I mentioned before, that Bregenz is the proud locale of Central Europe’s largest onion top.

So many roses!

These kids were having fun making water balloons out of doggy-pick-up bags, haha. Side note: Children in Bregenz run a muck all over the place, unsupervised. The other day I saw a girl, who looked to be about 8 years old, walking by herself with her instrument to music lessons…It’s very strange to me, to see such young children walking around alone like this.

Bregenz is also home to Europe’s narrowest house (of course it is wider on the indside). Funny thing, I walk past it every day and did not notice until it was pointed out on the tour! It’s just that narrow…

“The narrowest house of Europe is only 57 centimeters wide.”

After the tour and dinner, some friends and I met at the carnival going on this week. Enten=ducks!!! “Jede Ente gewinnt”=every duck wins!

I don’t like carnival rides, but I enjoyed taking pictures and was happy holding my friends’ stuff! Haha.