Fränkische Schweiz Hike

On Saturday we went hiking in the Fränkische Schweiz. Our friends Johannes are Claudia are going to Africa on their honeymoon and are going to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, so they wanted to get in some practice. The 11 km trail that we set out to hike was closed, but I was kind of glad because Claudia said that there was a very low cave that we had to duck to get through at one point on the course and I don't think I would have liked that very much.

Claudia is a teacher in the German school system, which I am in the process of learning a lot about for my paper 22-30 page paper on education in Germany that I am writing for my Comparative International Education course. Since I have been reading up on the different types of school at the secondary level, it was really interesting to talk with her about her job to get an insider perspective. She works for a Hauptschule/Realschule (which are normally two different schools). The Hauptschule is the lowest level of secondary school intended for students who are less academically gifted, which prepares students for a manual trade. The Realschule is the middle level school which prepares students for students for a commercial trade or a job in the medical profession such as nursing. Although students can supposedly select the school they will attend, depending on their interest in a particular career, Claudia said that social status is a large contributing factor in which students go to which school. Claudia is currently trying to get a transfer from her state to Bavaria because she and Johannes are now married, but this is proving difficult because each Länder is a separate entity with regards to education. She said that because she was trained in a different state, it is difficult to switch. The government has to find another teacher willing to go to her state in order for her to come to Bavaria.

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Back to hiking....
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There was a lot of snow on the ground and at some points we were trailblazing through more than a foot of the white stuff. Luckily we had some good adidas outdoor shoes to get us through.... :0)

When we finally got to the highest point the view was great. Until we stopped, I was barely able to take in the beautiful surroundings because I was so carefully watching my feet and my foot placement so I would not fall down in the snow. We took a few snack breaks and Claudia broke out a yummy rum cake that she had made the night before.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

Notice the difference in our rest time snack selections?

We hiked for about 2.5 hours and we were all ready for a nap by the time we were done! Luckily, we got in our outdoor fix before the freezing cold weather hit! Today was a real chiller.