Gregorian chants greeted us as we piled inside a
nearly one thousand year old Benedictine monastery on our first Sunday
morning in Germany. Despite the early wake up call on the weekend, all
of us were still in awe at the sight before our eyes. We attended a
Sunday morning service in the monastery that is still performed in
Latin. Having studied Latin for four and a half years, I can honestly
say I was lost from almost start to finish trying to follow the program.
If it weren’t for the fact that I was Catholic, I would have
thought we were all singing about “Bratwursts”. It was still really
amazing to be part of a tradition that has been going on for centuries.
The grounds where the monastery was located left me awe struck. Once we
left, the scenery only continued to get nicer.We stopped in a little town to grab some lunch before heading to our final destination, Monreal in the Eifel region of Germany. Once there, we proceeded to immediately hike up to the castle on top of the overlooking hill. The bribe of real gelato at the end enticed everyone to join in. I already had gelato three of the last four days and was glad to eat more. The hike was a little challenging at times with our bags and at times slippery terrain, but the view from the top was well worth it. After getting settled in our hostel and apartments in town, we gathered for a dinner and then a night hike with torches followed the good bread and cheese from the Eifel. Should AIB really have given us fire while walking through unfamiliar woods? Probably not, but thankfully we didn’t light the town ablaze. Throughout the trek, people’s torches would dwindle and go out, but we made it to the top of the castle with a good amount of flames. It was definitely a unique hiking experience that I’ve never had before.
The next day we had some directing class with Andrew Hood. Everyone was split into pairs, given an emotion, and had to convey that emotion and a narrative through 12 still photographs. To be honest I think Lia and I lucked out when we pulled the emotion ‘love’ because Monreal was such a picturesque place, it was hard not to see love through the beauty surrounding us. After that assignment we had another group lunch and then more free time to wander around the town and grab a nap. That evening we came together again to pitch and vote on the narratives we would be shooting later in the semester. Eight of the scripts were chosen by the professors to be pitched in front of the class and then there was voting to determine the final four. Hanna’s, Andre’s, Megan’s, and my own scripts were chosen in the end. After another delicious meal with a cheese tasting, we were all exhausted for the day.
Our final morning in Monreal was spent a little in class time and a little resting. In the end, the Eifel retreat was a really nice excursion to get away at the beginning of the semester. It was a nice class environment and helped everyone become acquainted with the teachers in a less formal setting. If you’re ever looking for some beautiful country side to explore, Eifel is the place to go.
Written by: Sarah Bush
