Vienna Excursion 2026

Posted on March 27, 2026 by gablera

End of February, we went on our annual spring semester excursion to Vienna. Read some impressions our students shared about their experience in Vienna.

Vienna is a wonderful city! I am very grateful that we were able to take the time to explore the city so closely. I had the chance to see my first ever opera here, and Vienna certainly lives up to its name as the city of music!
– Kris Nguyen ’27

There was a lot to love about Vienna, the cafes, the museums, the architecture, the history, etc. I really loved getting to see all of these beautiful aspects of Vienna in different ways. I enjoyed how much free time we had as well. It was so interesting to hear how everyone spent their time in various ways.
– Haley Henderson ’27

View from the top of the tower at Stephansdom

Since my early days spent learning German, Vienna has been at the top of my list of places to visit. The trip felt, therefore, like a dream come true. While I can’t guarantee that my years-long ambition to visit the Austrian capital had no influence on my impression of the city, I attest Vienna to be truly remarkable. It’s hard to find the right–or even worthy adjectives–to describe Vienna’s opulence. The city was far more beautiful than I could have imagined; even the tucked-away side streets off the beaten baroque-palace-lined path had a special charm. I think a quote from the Vienna-based band, Wiener Blond, sums up the unique, somewhat-stuffy, and, above-all, charming atmosphere best: Wien “du bist keine Stadt, eigentlich bist du ein Museum”, they sing, Vienna, you’re no city, really you’re a museum.
– Alex Arnold ’27

Vienna was such a great city! As a group we went to multiple different museums and historic sites such as the Art History Museum, The Vienna Library, and got to have a tour of the United Nations! My favourite place I got the chance to see was the Hundertwasser Museum!
– Emma James ’27

Berlin Excursion 2025 – Video

Posted on March 17, 2026 by gablera

Throwback to our Berlin excursion in fall 2025. Get some further impressions from our trip in our short video.

Bowling with the German American Club

Posted on March 10, 2026 by gablera

In February, the Carl Schurz German American Club hosted its semi-annual bowling event to welcome our new Dickinson students in Bremen. We played three fun rounds of bowling before concluding the evening with a delicious Burger meal. Thank you to Jens and the German American Club for organizing this fun event and welcoming our students so warmly to Bremen.

Click here for the article by the Carl Schurz German American Club about the event (in German).

Exploring Bremen

Posted on March 3, 2026 by gablera

Beginning of February, Laura and Sophie from our Dickinson Community as well as full-year student Alex took our new spring students on a city tour through the center of Bremen.

We started our tour at the Bremen Town Musicians statue – and of course touching the donkey’s legs for good look and making a wish was a must. Afterwards, we explored the historic market square, visited the beautiful Böttchergasse with its unique architecture, strolled through the many cute streets of the Schnoor quarter, Bremen’s oldest district, as well as took a walk along the river Weser at the Schlachte, a former waterfront harbor.

Thank you Laura, Sophie and Alex for showing us a few of your favorite places around the city center!

Werder Bremen soccer game

Posted on February 9, 2026 by gablera

by Alex Arnold ’27

On the last Saturday of January, we made the trek out into the bitter cold and down to the Weser Stadion to watch Werder Bremen’s men’s team play against #12 in the league, Mönchengladbach. We were fortunate enough to receive two tickets to Saturday’s game free-of-charge through one of program director, Dr. Ludwig’s, contacts.

Having been to the Stadion only once before (back in October, shortly after arriving in Bremen), it was such a treat to step foot into the energetic and unique atmosphere again. As we navigated to our seats, in a section close to the west curve, the question lingered whether the cold weather would deter fans from showing up in masses to fill the 42,100 seats of the stadium. But, as game time neared, it became clear that the icy winds on the banks of the Weser river were no match for the burning passion of the Werder supporters, who continued to trickle in, filling almost every last seat. The Mönchengladbach fans, however, are also not to be underestimated. At times, their cheering and chanting drowned out that even of Werder’s own fan section, located in the infamous “Ostkurve”.

While the game did not result in a win for Werder, it also wasn’t a loss! A last-minute goal (literally) in the 94^th minute from Werder player, Keke Topp, left the game in a 1:1 tie. With choruses of “wir sind Werder Bremen” echoing in my head, I left already looking forward to the next time I could make it to the stadium.

Herzlich Willkommen in Bremen!

Posted on February 5, 2026 by gablera

On Tuesday, we welcomed our new Spring Semester students, Emma and Kris, in Bremen. We started off our orientation week with a delicious dinner at the “Bremer Ratskeller”, a traditional and historical restaurant in the old town center of Bremen, right next to the famous town musician statue.

Welcome to Bremen, Emma and Kris!

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Posted on December 23, 2025 by gablera

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from us to all of you!

We concluded the year with our annual Christmas Celebrations, during which we packed Christmas bags as part of the Christmas bag campaign by Stiftung Solidarität Ukraine (Solidarity Ukraine Foundation) for children in Ukraine, decorated a ginger bread house and drank and ate lots of punsch, ginger bread and Christmas cookies.

We are looking forward to all the things the new year will bring and are wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone that is celebrating, as well as a great winter break and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Or, as we say in German: “Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!” (literally meaning “A good slip/ slide into the New Year”). This is how we are wishing a Happy New Year before Midnight on the 31st of December – you will hear people saying this already as early as mid December, usually in combination with Merry Christmas then, and especially between Christmas and New Years Eve.

After midnight on the 31st of December, once it is already January 1st, we say “Frohes Neues” (“Happy New Year”).

Berlin Excursion: favorite moments

Posted on December 12, 2025 by gablera

by Kate Elmes ’27 and Haley Henderson ’27

Meeting B.K. Tragelehn and his wife at their apartment in Berlin. ©Alex Arnold

The whole trip was so much fun but my favorite part by far was the afternoon chat our group had with B.K. Tragelehn. He was so cool to speak with and such an interesting person. It was also great getting the chance to meet/catch up with alumni of the program! We had tons of events planned for us, but still had free time built into the schedule; I used mine to get some souvenirs of the city and see a few museums. by Kate Elmes ’27

Our annual Alumni-Event at the Dachkammer in Berlin. ©Antonia Gabler

I absolutely loved our group excursion to Berlin. I had a wonderful time getting to immerse myself into the city with everyone. I was delighted to get the chance to see alumni that had previously done the Dickinson in Germany program. My favorite activity was most definitely Monsterkabinett! The music and animatronics were so uniquely Berlin, I was really glad to have gotten to experience it. Learning about the history of Berlin was also really important to me, so getting to visit a new museum every day didn’t disappoint! I’d love to revisit the city, and I’m very excited for future excursions within the program! by Haley Henderson ’27

No pictures were allowed inside the facilities, but here is a picture of some of the postcards we bought afterwards.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on December 3, 2025 by gablera

On Saturday, we enjoyed a festive Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by the Carl Schurz German American Club.

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.