Excursion Reflections
London Parks Reflection
In your Program Portfolio, please post 3-4 photos from your excursion, along with a reflection of about 200 words discussing the experience.
Our group visited the Hyde Park which was was not too far from our hostel (The Generator). We took the underground, or the "tube", to arrive at the far end of Hyde Park. We walked through the park which was very large, and I noticed a lot of people using bikes and electric scooters to get through the park. There was a memorial to Princess Diana which we stopped to walk through and read about the princess. Furthermore, there was a pond with lots of different animals such as pigeons and swans. Our park location was not too far, so we did not experience much difficulty traveling through the tube. We all worked together to use our oyster cards, naviagate the elevator and locate the correct direction. We were able to stop for coffee before our excursion with another group, and we had ample time to complete our walkthrough of Hyde Park. There was a beautiful garden full of many different types of flowers we were able to walk through and observe. My group worked together to navigate Hyde Park and walk at a pace where everyone could explore the aspects of London they were interested in. Our main modes of transportation included the tube and a lot of walking.
London Transport Museum Reflection
In your Program Portfolio, please photograph 3 posters for the Underground and explain the following:
What attracted you to this poster?
The first poster attracted me because of it's traditional style and suburban motif.
The second poster attracted me because of it's intricacies and use of blue light and oranges.
The third poster attracted me because of because of its narrative style and emersion into the underground.
What service or destination does it depict?
The first poster depicts the underground reaching all parts of the city including urban and suburban.
The second poster depicts the populated areas the underground reaches including work, home, recreation, etc.
The third poster depicts the crowded nature of the underground system itself.
What emotion(s) does it evoke? Why?
The first poster evokes emotion of nuclear family, comfort, and carefree living.
The second poster evokes emotion of chaos and clutter in a system which reaches any destination the user desires.
The third poster evokes emotion of intellectual curiosity and reading a novel because of the text and limited reliance on images.
Who designed it? When?
The first poster was designed after WW2 when the desire for suburban living was desired.
The second poster was designed when there existed a need for transport to many different places, and more modern than the first.
The third poster was designed by the government before the other two posters to depict the message of courtesy while using the underground system.
What audience do you think the poster was intended to serve? Why might that have been important in the development of the Underground?
The audience of the first poster intended to serve those who returend from WW2 and young families.
The second poster applies to the working citizen who would like to use the transit to go to many different locations.
The third poster applies to an audience of any individual wanting to use the underground system and would like to be respectful to others using the system.
Also in your Program Portfolio, please photograph Harry Beck's Map of the Underground and explain the following:
What made this map so innovative? How was it different from earlier maps of the Underground?
This map is so innovative because of it's ability to show the different public systems coming together and the way in which the various trains interact with eachother.
How do color, shape and/or line assist in wayfinding?
The color, shape, and line assist in differentiating the different public train systems which interact with each other, and these aspects aid the user in reading the system increasingly quicker.
Borough Market Reflection
In your Program Portfolio, please include photographs and/or a brief observations of the market:
How are the following foods packaged? What containers or wraps are used? Is the food pre-portioned or made-to-order? Are there labels? Signage? Prices?
- Baked goods- not packaged, bins used, made-to-order and pre-portioned
- Produce (Fruit or veggies)- not packaged, bins used, made-to order and pre-portioned
- Cheeses- observed packaged and unpackaged, made-to-order and prepackaged
- Meats- packaged, pre-portioned or made to order
- Spices, sugar or flour- packaged, pre-portioned
*observed all goods to be more expensive and signage and labeling if made to order
How are shoppers carrying their purchases? Are they visiting multiple booths, or just one?
I observed shoppers to carry their purchases in various bags. Shoppers seemed to roam around to multiple different booths if buying goods, or one to buy a meal for the day.
What are the demographics of the shoppers?
- Gender- all genders
- Ethnicity- all ethniticies
- Age- all ages
- Individuals? Couples? Families?- mostly couples or around the age of our group. I did not observe many families.
- Local? Tourists?- I observed a mix of tourists and locals at the market.
Olympic Park/ BMW/ Christof Mauch Lecture/ Herrmansdorfer Farm Reflections
In your Program Portfolio, please document two of the following four activities in Munich:
Olympic Park
BMW
Christof Mauch lecture
Herrmansdorfer Farm
Write two separate 200 word reflections on 1) what you found interesting, and 2) how the activity/experience applies to the program themes and your group project. Include 3-4 photographs for each activity if possible.
Olympic Park- I found the Olympic Park interesting because of the many different parts of the location and how large the space was. Firstly, the park was built when the Olympics were hosted in Munich, and the city decided to keep the facilities and allow the public to have access to the space. There is a swimming pool and housing from the original use that are being maintained for the public into current day. Furthermore, there is student housing students from different universities utilize at a cost of around $400-500. This experience relates to our program's discussion about sustainability because of the city's reuse of the space and student housing. Furthermore, the student housing does not consume much space because the spaces are very close and stacked on each other. The space was also built upon the rubble which occurred from WW2. There are bikes paths individuals use to get around the park. In addition, the space is very open so one person can see another from far away because of the park's design. There is also a lake in the middle of the park located next to the swimming pool and bike paths individuals can view while they leisurly stroll through the park or excercise.
Hermmansdorfer Farm- I found the trip to the farm highly interesting because of the tour and pretzel making activity. Firstly, our group took a coach out Hermmansdorfer Farm early in the morning. When we arrived at the farm, the location did not smell the greatest, but I adjusted and eventually did not smell the animals anymore. We were greeted by a tour guide which informed us about the animals and the ways the different workers prepare our food. Hermmansdorfer Farm prides itself on giving the animals the best quality of life and preparing our food sustainably. This activity/experience applies to the program themes and our group project because Hermmansdorfer Farm prepares their food sustainably and treats the animals as living creatures. Our group project was "Eat" so we were able to observe the process our food goes through in order to have access in many different parts of the city. Furthermore, the market was highly applicable to our project because this is where the fresh produce, bread, spreads, etc. were placed and we could relate this to our project on convenient access to quality food. I would suggest anyone to take a trip to Hermannsdorfer farm for the pretzel making because this was one of my favorite activites of the entire trip.
Isar Schlacthof and English Garden Bike Tour Reflection
In your Program Portfolio, please discuss the experience cycling today.
Consider the physical experience, traffic, other cyclists, etc.
The physical experience of the bike was carefree and easy. The factors which inferred with the ride included traffic and when the bike line would suddenly stop.
What makes Munich a better cycling city than Cincinnati?
Munich is a better cycling city than Cincinnati because there are marked bike lines and there is a larger culture surrounding the community.
What could make Munich better?
The bike lines can be painted a different color, and the lanes which suddenly stop should be fixed.
Could you imagine commuting to school/work every day on a bike?
Yes, I can imagine commuting to school/work every day on a bike because the experience connects you to the Earth, and the community would be fun to join.