Most people think of spring break as a time to go somewhere warm. Most people go to Florida or the Bahamas. I decided to do the opposite. I went somewhere that had the same climate as Indiana. It was spring break 2008 and I was on my way to Germany.

I have always loved Germany and the German language. When my German teacher started planning a trip to Germany, I knew I had to go. Germany is one of the most influential countries in the European Union. Germany has also added many new technological advances to the world.

Instead of having to stay in a hotel, we got to stay with a real family. This was awesome, because not only did we get a deeper insight on what the German people were really like but we also didn’t have to move to different hotels every other night. My family was very nice.

They took me on a tour to the Allianz Arena. The Allianz Arena was opened in 2005 for the first time. The thing that makes the Allianz Arena different from the other soccer stadiums is the fact that it lights up three different colors. It lights up red when FC Bayern München, blue when TSV 1860 München, and white when the German National Team plays there. We even got to go see the team dressing room.
They took me to a 2. Bundesliga match. The 2. Bundesliga is the second professional soccer league in Germany with the 1. Bundesliga being the first. We went to the Allianz Arena in Munich, which is where my favorite team plays, but we watched the other Munich team TSV 1860 München. They played against FC Carl Zeiss Jena, who were ranked at number 11 out of 18 teams and TSV was ranked at number one. TSV scored, but only to be answered by a stunning goal from FC Jena. After halftime it was a pretty even game until the last 20 minutes when FC Jena grabbed another goal. Even though we lost, it was still a good time.

I was in Germany with an entire group of people. We took a group tour to go and see Dachau, which was a concentration camp. We got to see all of the places where the people were kept. Jews were not the only people kept in concentration camps. Anyone who was seen to be against Hitler and the Nazi regime were thrown into a concentration camp. It was a terrible place to be. We were there 60 years after the Holocaust and you could still feel the eeriness about the place. It was like you were at the funeral for your whole family and all of your friends at once. You could literally feel the sorrow that those people had to go through.

All in all, my trip to Germany was very interesting. The food was amazing and the people were too. I hope that I will get chance to go back sometime soon. It was the best spring break I have ever had.