The Dinner took place in the Havana Lounge in Bremen. After welcome speeches by Club President Ulf-Brün Drechsel and special guest Prof. Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt (Director of the Overseas Museum in Bremen), it was time to cut the turkey.
We rounded our orientation week off with a visit to the Weser Stadion, the home stadium of Bremen’s soccer team Werder Bremen. We watched the first division highlight game between the women’s team of Werder Bremen and the women’s team of the Hamburger SV (HSV).
It was the first “Nordderby” (“Northern Derby” – that’s how the rival games between Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV are called) in the Women’s Bundesliga history, since the team of Hamburg was promoted to the first division for the first time this season.
The stadium was nearly sold out, and we had tickets in the “Ostkurve”, the fan block of Werder Bremen. It was a good game, and Bremen ended up winning 2:0.
On Sunday, we did a spontaneous little trip to Bremen-Vegesack, which lies in the north of Bremen, where the Lesum River meets the Weser. Around 400 years ago, Germany’s first artificial harbour was constructed here, and today Vegesack is still known for its Harbour. The bronze statue of a whale jaw as well as the “Whale fins in the waves” sculpture that can be found on the Weser promenade of the “Vegesacker Hafen” (Harbour) are a memorial to the historical whaling tradition and the “whaling town” of Vegesack.
Bronze statue of a whale jaw
We explored the promenade of the harbour as well as the “Vegefest”, a neighborhood festival in Vegesack that takes place every year at the beginning of fall. We explored the artistic flea market in the city center, tried some traditional “Schmalzkuchen” and listened to a local band playing American bluegrass, country and blues Music.
The weather was – in a typical Bremen way – a bit rainy, but that did not stop us from having a fun afternoon.
With a very generous donation from a Dickinson Alum, six Dickinson students were able to afford a weekend trip to Tübingen, Germany. While there, we were able explore the city and visit Professor McGaughey, a Dickinson Professor currently on sabbatical.
On Friday afternoon after we finally arrived, Professor McGaughey gave us a quick tour of her favorite places to grab a drink and helped get us oriented with the city. We ended our evening with Professor McGaughey at the Neckarmüller Biergarten, which sits right along the bank of the Neckar River.
from left to right: Ellen, Professor McGaughey, Crosby, Olivia, Isabel, Delaney, Makayla
We started our Saturday by taking the Regional Tram to Bebenhausen, a small village just outside of Tübingen, famous for its rich history and beautiful Klöster (monasteries). Naturally, we toured the Klöster and learned lots about the local history.
from left to right: current Dickinson in Bremen students Olivia, Makayla, Delaney, Isabel, Ellen and Crosby
Afterwards, we met with Professor McGaughey and her Stepmother, to learn about the Tafel in Tübingen, a foodbank where young people often volunteer. Next, we moved onto a city tour. We hiked up a large hill to the University of Tübingen, where we got to look over the city and take in the sights of some of its most important and historically significant locations.
from left to right: Crosby, Delaney, Isabel, Professor McGaughey, Olivia, Makayla, Ellen
Sunday morning, we took one more turn about the city and explored the Hölderlin tower, a building famous for being the place of residence of famous poets, most notably Friedrich Hölderlin. Although the trip was short, with the help of Professor McGaughey we received an exclusive look into life in Tübingen and had a ton of fun in the process.
Thanks to a generous donation to our program, Crosby and I had the opportunity to travel to Berlin for a long weekend. Despite the very hot weather, we were able to see many of Berlin’s important buildings and museums. We did many of the “traditional” things to do when in Berlin, like visiting the East Side Gallery or the Brandenburger Tor. But we also visited places like the Schwules Museum and even climbed to the top of the Berliner Dom! Our trip was rich in history and culture, and we hope we can go back to explore Berlin again sometime in the future.
Crosby and I at the Brandenburger Tor, the first monument we visited. East Side Gallery: It was moving to think about the East Germans who were shot at that Wall when they tried to overcome it to flee to the West.Berliner DomCrosby at the top of the Berliner Dom.Crosby “shaking hands” with the SED at the DDR Museum.Me in front of the Spree and the Alte Nationalgalerie!
Mid-June, Dickinson-in-Bremen Alumnus Liam Pauli ’19 came to visit us in Bremen. Together with our current Dickinson-in-Bremen students, we had a delicious dinner as well as “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) with amazing cakes.
enjoying our wonderful dinner
Our students and Liam shared their experiences and favorite moments and places in Bremen, and Liam also provided our students with valuable insights on how it feels returning home after a semester abroad, as well as on possibilities after graduation.
We had coffee and delicious cakes during “Kaffee und Kuchen”
Thank you so much for visiting us, Liam, it was a pleasure to have you here and we are looking forward to your next visit!
At the beginning of March, we spent seven days in Vienna on our academic excursion.
At the United Nations in Vienna from left to right: Crosby, Olivia, Nina, Dr Ludwig, Delaney, Naomi, Ellen, Isabel, Walker, Makayla, Antonia
Our Full year and Spring students shared some of their impressions and favorite sights.
“The best thing about Vienna was the vast number of art and cultural museums to visit, especially with the student discount!” – Nina Grafton ’26
Gustav Klimt – der Kuss (the Kiss)
Inside the Imperial Treasury
“I really liked seeing all the beautiful architecture in Vienna, from the castles to the cathedrals. If you’re not looking up in Vienna, you’re really missing out. Furthermore, the art we got to see at the museums we visited was really special. I particularly liked the art of Gustav Klimt we got to see. And, of course, the Falco musical was a classic.” – Crosby Wilkin ’26
in front of Schönbrunn Palace: Olivia, Nina, Makayla, Delaney, Naomi, Antonia, Ellen, Walker, Isabel, Crosby
“This trip to Vienna was a great opportunity to see things that I probably wouldn’t have done if I had gone there alone. My favorite thing was definitely the Rock Me Amadeus musical because I’m already a big fan of musicals and it was a very fun way to practice my German!” – Delaney Bright ’26
Rock Me Amadeus – das Falco Musical
“Wandering through Vienna felt like I was walking through a history book of classical music. It was fascinating to see how spaces occupied by great composers are now occupied with more modern musical productions, like when we saw Rock Me Amadeus in the historical Theater Ronacher.” – Olivia Ammon ’26
“There was so much beautiful art in and out of museums, and I loved getting a peek at the fancy horses at the Spanische Hofreitschule!” – Isabel Ames ’26
historical books in the National Library
the National Library
“I liked walking around Vienna and visiting the Vienna Actionism Museum (WAM) and Leopold Museum. But my favorite part overall was visiting Bratislava and learning more about Slovakia.” – Naomi Mathewson ’26
Bratislava Castletraditional Slovak cuisine for lunchCity center of Bratislava
“Vienna is a beautiful and historically rich city; even over the course of a busy week, there are too many fascinating sights and museums to visit in one trip.” – Ellen Boldt ’26
Inside Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
“I loved visited Vienna because it was exciting discovering the similarities and differences between German and Austrian culture.” – Makayla McCloskey ’26
“I definitely appreciated Vienna’s history the most, from medieval structures like Stephan’s Dome and crypts to more modern ones like Schönbrunn palace.” – Walker Green ’26
