Has it really only been 3 weeks?? It honestly feels like I've been here for a couple of months at least! I've already gotten so used to the house I'm living in, being greeted by my host mom's dog Sophie every time I come in, and getting to know more about my host mom every day. My German, however, can definitely use a lot of improvement. I'm still hesitant about using the phrases I've learned in class out in the real world, even if it's just ordering a simple Berliner at a bakery. I'm still trying to work on my pronunciation and being more confident in that!
It's such a weird feeling to be able to casually travel to a different country on the weekends, but I definitely appreciate being able to! Two weeks ago, after a class excursion to Aachen on Friday, where we learned more about its cathedral and were introduced to the Enmodes device design project we'll be working on this semester, some friends and I traveled to Maastricht, Netherlands for the weekend. We visited and toured Fort St. Pieter and the caves underneath, both of which were really interesting and cool to learn about!
Then last week, we went as a class to Cologne. My absolute favorite part of this entire experience so far was getting to tour the rooftop and tower of the Cologne Cathedral. This was something I had learned about in class and only dreamed about seeing one day. I knew the cathedral was big, but I wasn't prepared for how enormous it actually was. After stepping out of the hauptbahnhof, my jaw dropped when I saw it as I tried to take in all the exterior details. Seeing it in person, I definitely believed it took over 600 years to build! I honestly can't believe a place like this exists. There's something beautiful in knowing a spirit exists that inspires people to create and build monuments of this magnitude and beauty. The elevator ride up to the scaffold on the side of the cathedral was a little sketchy, however, and traveling up towards the tower involved a very narrow and seemingly never-ending staircase. The view from the top was so worth it though. Being able to stand on the rooftops and looking down on the intricate architecture of the structures below was incredible. The interior of the cathedral is just as beautiful with its large, vibrant stained glass windows. More stairs were climbed and just as I thought my legs were about to give out, I stumbled out into the tower. We were greeted by the most beautiful sunset, coloring the sky behind the two spires of the cathedral and the cityscape below. It took my breathe away. Being 70 meters up is not a bad place to be to watch the sunset! It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen or experienced in my life and something I'll never forget.
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