Florence

Last weekend was our group trip to Florence. We had fantastic weather and no hitches with the travel. 

We went together to the Accademia and got to see Michelangelo's David. The rest of the time, we split into groups to see different things. Many of us made it up the dome of the duomo—others stayed on the ground and enjoyed looking at the spectacular marblework. 

Santa Croce was also a popular destination. 

 And of course there was the Arno and Ponte Vecchio. Part of the beauty of Florence is that even when you are just wandering around, you see amazing things. After all that walking around, the train ride home turned out to be a good time to catch up on some sleep.

Harvesting

 By now we are starting to feel like old hands at the grape harvesting. Between Sizzo's wine-tasting class and harvesting several varieties of grapes and helping with the processing, we are getting a good combination of learning styles—and having lots of fun. The weather has been beautiful, and we've survived the bees and earwigs, and so far no one has tumbled very far down the vineyard slopes, and everyone has managed to make it back up to the castle at the end of the day. We got to stomp one portion of the grapes to make our very own Brunnenburg wine.

 And thanks to a little instigation from Nik, stomping turning into a grape fight.  

Girls Trip to Milan

We had an amazing trip to Milan. We experienced lots of firsts. First time staying in a hostel, first time traveling so much by train, and first time encountering a train strike. We made new friends, shopped, and tried to see the Last Supper--although we didn't get to because we didn't know you had to have a reservation, but Milan is beautiful and definitely worth seeing. All in all it was an amazing learning and bonding experience for the six of us.

We had a great time.Andrea, Jess, Meghan, Ellen, Dylan, Kathryn

Autumn Festival Parade

Last Sunday was the traditional Autumn Festival Parade in Dorf Tirol. This parade celebrates the traditional products and activities of the area with a variety of floats and bands. Three of our students—Ryan Kelley, Chuck Solan, and Jin-Ju Pomeroy were asked to participate as part of the float for the current exhibit at Schloss Tirol. This exhibit is about the local poet Oswald von Wolkenstein, so Jin-Ju was the wife of Wolkenstein and Chuck and Ryan were guards. 

Those of us who weren't in the parade got to enjoy learning about Tirol while we watched. There were floats depicting breadmaking, hunting, and wool processing, as well as floats to showcase apples, grapes, and other local produce. And of course, lots of bands.

 

 

Workday and Classday

Yesterday was workday again. We were in several small groups with various chores. Some were doing hand weeding, some picking bad grapes out of the bunches, and some doing extreme weeding with sickles. By now we've gotten pretty good at identifying--and at least attempting to avoid--stinging nettles. Although the mornings start out cool, it's been hot by the afternoon, so we're eager for 5:00. One benefit of workday is that Brigitte cooks us lunch and supper on those days, and her cooking is an excellent trade off for the work.

Today was back to class schedule, but our afternoon class with Sizzo was up at Schloss Tirol. I don't think anyone will complain about walking across the lake for class after we get back to St. Andrews, given that today's walk to class was 20 minutes uphill. On the other hand, it's pretty amazing to have a "classroom" that has parts built in the 1100s.

The Waterfall

A few of us girls hiked through town, between a few orchards, and up a few rocky roads and hills to get to a gorgeous waterfall. Although it took an hour, the walk was definitely worth it! The water was a lovely green and freezing cold! We all got in anyway; it was awesome!


Ellen Tobin

Our First Week (and a Half)

Castle and Croft

Here we are! Anyone who has been on the Brunnenburg trip before will understand when I say how hard it is to follow good intentions about journals or blogs because there is always something to be doing or somewhere to go or something exciting to see. Our journey here was long but without hitches. We saw the Lego liberty bell while we hung out in the Philadelphia airport, slept or pretended to sleep or didn't even try to sleep (you know who you are) on the overnight flight, and then watched the mountains get closer and bigger and more breathtaking as we traveled by bus from Munich to Brunnenburg.

Since our arrival, we have made it through the first week of classes, including our first German class; enjoyed our first Sunday tea with Mary; survived our first workday--which involved netting grapes, clearing trenches, and cleaning rocks off roadways; got back up the shortcut path to the castle after a 4-hour walking tour of Dorf Tirol and Meran with Michi; and had a tour of the museum here at Brunnenburg and the tower at Schloss Tirol. And those are just some of the things we have done together.

Animals are a part of everyday life here. Walk along any path and you could meet cats, a dog, goats, sheep, pigs, guinea hens, turkeys, geese, rabbits. Many of these animals are rare breeds, such as the curly-haired pigs. There is always work to be done with the animals, and several of the students have already started pitching in. One word of caution—apparently bare toes look a lot like small potatoes to the pigs. I learned that one that hard way. There's been plenty of individual adventuring as well.

The week ahead promises more excitement. A parade in Dorf Tirol today, a wine tasting with Sizzo, more touring at Schloss Tirol, more walking (climbing), and more of Brigitte's fabulous food. Everyone who's been here talks about Brigitte's food, but there's no way that describing it does it justice. Can you tell I'm a fan?

Auf Wiedersehen / Ciao,

Betsy