It's been a while

 It's funny how spring break can either thrust you forward into the next part of the semester or act as a real chill pill. All I know is that I'm taking it slow this weekend to prepare for Vienna that approaches in two days. Spring break was full of adventure with getting stuck in the mud, hiking (and finding detours), looking at castles on the hill, and drinking good beer. This past week felt like a stripping off of my college years and a step into the direction of my next adventure. With all the chaos around me sometimes I forget I'm in Germany so hopefully now that the storm has passed I can focus all my passions on the final month in Europe! While here in Germany I recently accepted admission to George Washington University for my masters. I started panicking about where to live, what job to get, how can I afford to live... when I had to take a step back to remind myself that I am here, not there. And that I have time, about 5 months to be exact, to figure it all out. So with that in mind I am all the more excited to go to Vienna. I have been dreaming of going there ever since I was 17 so it better live up to expectations!! We shall see in my next post...

Heidelberg

02/26-02/28/2022

Emily, Tati, and I spent this weekend in Heidelberg. We got an Airbnb right in the center of the Altstadt that was in some family’s attic. We had to walk through their apartment to get to the ladder that led to our room. The couple who owns the apartment explained to us that usually they house exchange students from India, but they went home for holiday, and were able to rent the place to us for the weekend.  We spent the rest of the first day exploring the castle gardens and climbing up to the lookout over the city. To get to the castle gardens, we had to climb up a hill. There were lots of trees with ivy and fallen leaves, which made me think of the album cover of Evermore by Taylor Swift. The view from the lookout was beautiful and made for some very pretty pictures. The castle ruins made it feel like a movie set, and the sunset only added to the effect. That night for diner we decided to go to the German restaurant right next to our Airbnb. They only had one very large table left empty, so they gave it to the three of us. But later on in the night, a large group of international students from the University of Heidelberg were seated there as well, and they pretty much ignored us the entire time, which made for a slightly awkward environment. However, they did speak English, so it was fun to listen in to their conversations about their majors and classes.

The next day, we hiked back up to the castle ruins so we could explore the inside. Upon walking in, there was a giant wine barrel. It holds about 60,000 gallons of wine and has a staircase leading to the top of it, where there is a dance floor. There was also an apothecary museum in the castle that had exhibits pertaining to the history of European medicine. A lot of the information there was familiar to us, because we had covered most of it in our lectures with Dr. Wasser! There were panels with information on the four humors, Paracelsus, and the medical school in Salerno. After we were done at the castle, we crossed the river and hiked for about an hour up a hill to reach the ruins of a Greek-style amphitheater. We also found a biergarten right next to it, so we had dinner there. It was near sunset, so we were planning on taking a bus back down to our Airbnb, but after looking it up, we realized the buses were no longer running. This wouldn’t have been a problem had we not been informed by our waiter that wild boars roam around the area at night. So, our only solution was to eat quickly, and hurry back down the hill in progressively darker surroundings. Luckily, we didn’t run into any wild boars. When we got back to the city, we passed by a small crystal shop. So I stopped in and bought a couple matching opal necklaces for my little sister and me.

Spring Break!

    Wow I can't believe spring break is already over. The week passed by fast, but the time was well spent and I definitely made the most of it. I was very fortunate to have my mom come visit me, and I didn't realize how much I needed to see her. We got to enjoy visiting Berlin and Dresden together, and it was truly a unique experience. I was a little unsure of how I felt about going back to Berlin, since we already went back in February, but the city managed to surprise me and amaze me more than I could have ever expected. A fair amount of COVID regulations have been changed since my last visit, and the affects were clear from the first day. The streets were much more lively, restaurants were packed, and the nightlife was a night and day difference from back in February. As soon as the sun went down, the streets were packed, music was heard all over, and every bar was full of people both inside and out. I was glad to get a glimpse of Berlin closer to it's truest form, even if I didn't participate in any of the night time festivities. There was also a fair amount of monuments and museums I missed out on during my last visit, so I was glad to be able to go this time around. We went back to the Pergamon, which can never disappoint, we also went to the Alte Nationalgalerie, and the Museum für Naturkunde. We spent more time walking around and exploring the city, and even went on a little bike tour! As much as we did in February, I didn't realize how much I missed out on. I loved walking through the Tiergarten, it was beautiful and very peaceful. My favorite part of the trip was eating at the Sky Tower restaurant. I was hesitant because of the price, but the view and experience was worthwhile. 

    The second part of spring break and my favorite part was our trip to Dresden. I had read about the city and how unique it is, but I was absolutely blown away. The baroque architecture was very impressive and really gave a sense to the historical significance of the city. We weren't sure how to spend our time between the museums and all the palaces and monuments. I will say, I was definitely more appealed to the massive mansions and palaces and finding all the very captivating statues plotted around the town. I'm glad I was able to see the Dresden Frauenkirche, and I wish I would've planned for more time in Dresden. I'll definitely want to make a return trip. 

    This was the first major vacation I've ever been on since I was a kid, and although it was so much fun, it was weird not thinking at all about school. It's strange to think we really only have a month left here in Bonn, and I have very mixed emotions about that. It'll be a hectic month, and probably pass by in a flash. I'm going to do my best to live in the moment and really take every possible opportunity to appreciate the rest of my time here. 

Two posts from February that I forgot to post

 

Galentines Day (02/12-02/17/2022)

The other day, Emily and I discovered a very cute café with free Wi-Fi near the university and spent several hours there. They have really good chai lattes, snacks, and are even open on Sundays! I haven’t found many places to do homework so far, and I don’t like doing work at home, so I do plan on frequenting this café for the rest of the semester. We discovered this place after trying to study at the university library and getting confused by the locker system, and also realizing that we definitely would not have Wi-Fi if we were to try and work there.

Valentines day was coming up, and BMEN had an exam planned for the day after so we studied instead of celebrating. To fix this, we had galentines day on the 15^th, and all the girls came over to mine and Katie’s apartment. We all brought food and wine and had a nice break from studying and a stressful week.  

I also got on zoom with my friends back home and planned out my entire spring break this week. The current plan is to spend a full day in Kassel and the rest of the time in berlin, with a day trip to Potsdam. The next step is to book train tickets, which might confuse me, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Karl Marx, Margaritas, and general mayhem (02/18-02/20/2022)

Today Rike mentioned that we’ve already been here for a month and a half. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long at all! I feel like this semester is moving so quickly, where usually spring semesters feel like they drag on forever. I just got back from Trier yesterday, where I spent the weekend with Emily and Avery. I think Trier is one of my favorite cities I’ve been to so far, although the trip there had some minor complications. On Friday night after classes, we took a train to get there. We had one connection in between, where we’d stop at Koblenz HBF. Unfortunately, we got off at the wrong stop, and had to walk (rather quickly) in stormy, windy weather to HBF. Upon getting on our next train, a tree had fallen into the tracks, blocking our way, and delaying us almost an hour for our arrival in Trier. To add on to this lovely evening, when we arrived at the apartment we rented, Avery realized she had to send pictures of her passport before receiving the check in code. However, the pictures she was trying to upload wouldn’t cooperate with the system because they were in the wrong format. We then proceeded to sit on a bench in front of a Holiday Inn Express to try and convert the passport photo to the correct type of file, or worst case, to get a room in the Holiday Inn. We ended up being able to convert the photo from Avery’s iPad, then airdrop it to Emily to upload it onto the check in form. This whole check in ordeal took us about an hour, and by the time we made it into the apartment it was nearly eleven o’clock. The only thing open for dinner at this point was Dominos, so we ordered for delivery, only to realize that they were not, in fact, open. But all this was definitely a struggle worth experiencing because the pizza place we found instead had the best pizza I’ve had since being in Germany.

We started the next day by going to see the Porta Nigra, which is a large roman city gate. After this trip to Trier, I have realized how badly I want to go to Rome and see all the ruins. We walked through the gate into the Altstadt, where we went to a café in a historical building. The old front door is located on the second floor, because the wealthy people would use ladders to get into their homes to prevent criminals from entering. On our way to the cathedral, we stopped by a statue of Karl Marx for pictures, as Trier is his birthplace. The Cathedral was so pretty, and very unique compared to other cathedrals I’ve seen so far because it was a mix of several different architectural styles throughout history. Part of it was gothic, another part was baroque, and other parts were Romanesque. This was also the first cathedral I’ve visited at exactly the right time of day for the stained glass to project colors all over the interior walls. My favorite part of the day though, was exploring the ruins of the Roman Imperial Baths. It was especially exciting when we realized that we could walk around in the underground parts of the excavation and explore the various tunnels and halls. It was so intricate and advanced for the time it was built in, with running water, and drainage systems, and heated flooring. On our way out, we stopped for pictures with a replica of the foot from the colossus of emperor Konstantin. This brings me to our next stop: the home of Karl Marx. This was a museum dedicated to Karl Marx’s life and teachings. We saw his birthplace, the chair he allegedly passed away in, as well as original printings of The Communist Manifesto and his personal annotated copy of The Wealth of Nations.

After leaving the Marx Museum, we went to get margaritas at Coyote Café, where we received paper straws that didn’t work on the blended margaritas because the ice chunks were too thick. After returning back to the apartment, we ordered pizza again from the same place we had discovered the other night and watched Star Wars dubbed in German.

February Recap

Week 6-8:

After a full week of traveling in Berlin and Rugen, we finally got back to Bonn for classes. I dedicate the school week to staying on top of my studies, so I have the weekend free to travel and relax. Jules and I went shopping at Primark and each got new pairs of jeans for way cheaper than in the States! The weather is slowly warming up and I have been appreciating the sunny days and occasional sunsets that remind me of Texas. My weekends are filled with train rides, art museums, hikes, and coffee. Some of the best traveling moments happen when I slow down to take in the city. Like walking along the Rhine at sunset after a busy day. The girls celebrated Valentine's day at my apartment with a potluck! I stayed in Bonn for the weekend to study for the first physiology exam. Nate, Jules, and I hiked to Drachenfels Castle on Saturday and frolicked in a huge, green field. We took in the view of the Siebengebirge (Seven Hills) and will have to come back when the castle is open. During the school week, we had our phys exam and last in-person class with Dr. Fajt. On Thursday, February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine and it was also the start of Karneval here. With COVID, celebrations were limited to drinking in pubs with a negative test, so a group of us went out in costumes to be a part of this local tradition. February went by quick and I can't believe how fast time flies here, but the memories will last a lifetime. 

2 Months In????

 Things are getting sticky. We're over the precipice but still have a fair amount to go. It's weird being abroad while there is a war brewing in the Ukraine and COVID is still a very real threat. This past weekend I went to Munich with Isabelle and Emily. The city itself was a lot different from what I expected. The layout was hard to grasp at times but it still was very pretty. When we got off the train in Munich we saw a group of volunteers in red puffer jackets with the Ukrainian flag on the back around tables of supplies and information. It appeared they were helping to collect and guide the Ukrainian refugees that just came into the country by train. It was more apparent this was the case when we walked through the train station the next day and saw how active and full the volunteer station was with people with multiple bags and children. 

Other than the impending doom and angst of the world around us, I enjoyed Munich very much. It was a hodgepodge of gothic architecture, baroque palaces, and Neo-classical structures. We spent most of our time in palaces in the city and around it in Nymphenburg. It was a dizzying experience looking up at the grand murals above you. It's hard to grasp how people, royalty, walked these halls before you as a daily and normal experience. What kind of a world view must one have to live in such an ornate building, separated from the typical life of the times. I couldn't fully grasp the idea of it. 

When we were on the train home I decided to watch a movie called "Munich: The Edge of War" which was basically about Nazi Germany and the British in 1937. Watching that movie on a train in Germany was certainly a choice, and the whole time I had a weird feeling. One that I was watching a part of history most germanys would rather forget while in a public space, but also, that I was in a country where atrocities like this had happened. I'm reminded of that everywhere but every time I walk in a new, small town, I think of what it was like during that time. Were the people there fearful or did they believe in the "New Germany." Just some light things to contemplate on a ride home. 

-Avery

Week 8- halfway through- in Munich

 Wow, it is hard to believe that I am already halfway through my trip. It has gone very very fast! This weekend I went to Munich with Avery and Isabelle. This was one of my favorite cities and I loved it. This week in terms of school was not as hard as some other weeks which was nice but it did come with a lot of homework. I am finding through my BMEN 211 class, for one of the first times every, that doing the homework actually prepares me for the exams. That will be useful for next week when I have three exams but I have a signals and systems exam (BMEN 211), German final, and we get to retake our physiology exam to keep the higher grade. I was only expecting the German final which is why I chose to go to Munich but that is okay. Not about my week:

On Monday, it was the last day of February already. Besides this, it was a normal day at school. Tuesday, I had an early morning as I had a meeting with Latifah about how I felt BMEN 211 was going. I told her how I liked the style of learning that involved worksheets. We then got our math tutorial cancelled as we really did not need it and so I got an unexpected break in my day and went home and took a nap. On Wednesday, we had a normal day. Thursday, we had a normal day also and this is the day we headed off the Munich. This was quite stressful as I had about an hour to go from AiB, to my apartment, and back to hbf. I did make in time and grabbed a sandwich at Rewe for my journey. Our train ride had one transfer which we only made because the train we were transferring to had a broken door which delayed it. Our train got delayed over 20 minutes but so did our connecting train. We made it to the train and therefor to Munich. We then checked into our hotel which was right by the hbf and grabbed dinner and went to bed.

On Friday, we found a brauhaus that we found online was a must try for breakfast. It was also located perfectly in town in the Marienplatz. This area also had the New City Hall and a lot of shopping options. After breakfast, we wondered into a lederhosen store where the lady stared us down the entire time. We then left this store and headed into a few shops. Me and Isabelle ended up buying some dresses at EU Urban Outfitters. We then headed into a few churches including Peters church. At this church, there was a tower that we could pay to go up that had views all over Munich. Little did we know, it was 14 stories (15 American ones). The views however were quite worth it. We then headed down and wondered around the town some. We stopped at a boba shop and I had a donut. We then found some fields of yellow and purple flowers. I took some really cute pictures here. After this, we found a wine bar that was in the Munich residence. We had a very full glass of wine that they filled to the brim and then headed to a brauhaus for dinner. We accidentally ordered a Liter each of beer as they told us the sizes were just a stein. We did not know they were this big. I was however determined to finish it and was the only one to do so. We then went to our hotel where Avery did homework and I immediately fell asleep.

On Saturday, this was our palace day. First, we went to a café near the Munich residence. We then went to the Munich Residence. This building was amazing. We spent a lot of time travelling through these rooms and it now has a heavy presence in my camera roll. The art all over the ceilings and everywhere was beautiful. We were then determined to make it to another palace, the Nymphenburg Palace. We got inside right at 3:30 when they were selling the last tickets as it was closing at 4:00. We were barely allowed in but we raced through the rooms to see them all. We then went walking around the palace grounds for a while. Towards the end of our walk, it got very windy and cold and I started to not be able to feel my fingers. We then found a random Balkan food where we were the only English speakers. We were in the basement and our waiter spoke Serbian. It was however, very good. We then headed back to our hotel.

On Sunday, we went to the Schleissheim Palace. Here, there were three different palaces built on the property. The first we went into was the New Palace which actually had rooms set up to mimic how the palace once was. While it was missing a lot, it was still gorgeous. It had an amazing staircase and beautifully painted ceilings. We then went to the back palace which housed an extensive collection porcelain. This was cool to look at but was quite a far walk back and after this we got hungry and we had the walk back to the front one. This was the old palace and in it were two very different exhibitions. In one side was some old clothing and trinkets to look at which was interesting. On the other, was a collection of Jesus and Christian figures from all over the world, including New Mexico. It was odd. After this, we had Greek food. The food was amazing and we had all been wanting Greek the entire time that we have been here. We then had to speed walk back to our train stop (because google maps lied to us about the time) and I ended up tripping up the stairs and hurting my knee. We however made it back, grabbed some snacks for our journey back and waited for our train. Our train was delayed about 10 minutes but since we were the first stop, we got a set of seats together with a table so we could do our homework. However, the outlets did not work which turned into a major problem and I barely made it through my homework on my computers life but I did it. Me and Isabelle ended up working the entire six hour train ride on homework but, we got it all done. I then got home, got a much needed shower, and went to bed.

I really loved travelling to Munich. It is definitely on my top cities I have ever been to list. The architecture was gorgeous and there was so many interesting things to look at. I loved the shopping scene. I loved the vibe of the people and people seemed very happy here. The city was amazing to travel to.

Week 7 in Heidelberg

 Week 7 I spent the weekend in Heidelberg! This trip we took as a bmen girls trip. This town was one of my top places I wanted to visit coming into Germany. We booked an Airbnb that we knew would be in the older part of town but we were not aware that it would be the perfect location. The Airbnb was on the same street as the old bridge was really cool and made it extremely easy to find the house. We also were staying inside of some ones attic apartment which was also another unique experience. I will talk more about Heidelberg later but first I will discuss my week starting off with Monday.

On Monday, we started off with a normal day of class. Tuesday, we again had a normal day of classes. Wednesday, was again, another day of normal classes. Thursday, quite literally sucked. We had a physiology exam in the morning right before lunch. This exam was just draining. We then had yet another exam with a class in between this. This, was the absolute worst. This exam was much easier as it was a math exam and I find these much easier to study for. After this, me and Isabelle went to find comfort food at a Mexican restaurant. We then barely used any effort to try and dress as astronauts to go out in Bonn for Karneval. On Friday, we caught a morning train out to Heidelberg.

The train was the first train that I have been on to not have wifi. The train also was delayed multiple times. This normally is not much of a problem but our Airbnb host has given us some routes to be able to get to the Airbnb and by the time our train arrived, we were too late to get to all of them. We did end up catching a bus we found on our own. Arriving to the area and seeing the castle for the first time was mesmerizing. It was very cool how close the castle was to the town. We decided to head out and grab lunch and then go out to the old bridge. After we crossed, we descended some stairs down to the river bank and went for a walk along the bank. After, we decided we wanted to go to the palace gardens as it was a look out to the old town. This hike turned out to be short and beautiful. Isabelle compared it to the vibes of Taylor Swift's Evermore album. We stopped to take some cute pictures before heading up. We ended up going all around the castle grounds slowly exploring it. The day was nice and relaxing and exactly what I needed after the stressful week. We then went to a local brauhaus for dinner where I had sausage and a pretzel for dinner. The brauhuas was directly below our apartment. 

Saturday, we went to brunch which was the first brunch place I have been to in Germany. I got blueberry pancakes which where very good. We then went up to castle to go into the grounds. We got to go into a pharmacology museum which was relating to our lectures that Dr. Wasser had been giving us which was really cool. I thought it was cool to connect our class material to a museum we found on our own. After this, we headed down to try and find the university library since online it looked very pretty. Sadly, the library was under construction so we did not get to see it. We went in a little bit but a lot of the inside was also under construction. We then found a trail on the other side of the valley that lead to a well known lookout and some ancient theater ruins. At the ruins, we found a biergarten to go and eat in. We originally thought there was a bus that could take it down but it turned out we would have to go back down the trails. Worse, the waiter told us that wild hogs came out at night. We left the restaurant right at sundown and started to quickly descend down the hill. I, slightly buzzed on beer, forgot that I had the longest legs in the group and accidentally went a little bit too fast but the important part was that we got down and saw some pretty sunsets out over the newer part of the town. We then went back to the Airbnb and relaxed for the evening.

On Sunday, we headed back to Bonn. I should have had a more productive day than I did but I took a nap and did some laundry which was good. I then got ready for my next week and got a good amount of sleep that night.

Week 7 and 8

    I can't believe two weeks have already past since my last blog. Time is definitely going at full speed, and I'm trying to be as present for it all. This past weekend I stayed in Bonn which was much needed. I had a lot of work to catch up on and the weather was perfect for a run around the Rheine. The weekend prior I went back to Hamburg to visit my friend and wow do I love that city. Being back for a second time was much different than the first because I was able to go about my time very leisurely, not feeling pressed to see anything in particular. 

    Spring break is coming up which I'm beyond excited for. My mom is coming to visit me and we've decided to go to Berlin and Dresden. I would have really liked to visit the Bavarian region but I figured spending more quality time in Berlin would be worthwhile. The week before spring break will be quite intensive with tests, presentations, and the usual school work load. Balancing school, traveling, and enjoying life in Bonn has been quite the test. And I'm constantly reminded why I decided to partake in this experience, that these daily tests of life will benefit me so much in the long run, and that I'm given the opportunity to grow and broaden my perspective more than I ever would have back in College Station. Besides, any time that I get overwhelmed with school I just think back on the salmon and seafood that I had in Hamburg! 

Struggles While Abroad

 You would think moving to another country would solve all our problems, but alas that is not the case. The really struggle within this program is dealing with problems that will inevitably arise in your personal or academic life while simultaneously trying to enjoy being in another country. This has been plaguing me for the past few weeks as we get into a sort of rhythm with being here. I want to travel as much as possible because I'm not certain anymore when I can do something like this experience ever again. However, I also want, and desperately need to, hunker down and only focus on school for a while. Finding a balance for my deep desire to explore is a bit of a quandary. 

Despite the hardships I will still talk about travel. Last weekend was Karneval in and around Cologne. I have never seen so many teenagers and young people standing on a train platform as I dod ghat Thursday night on my way to Cologne. The streets were packed with people dressed up, though not in the way we Americans are used to for Halloween festivities. Apparently, from my observations, the weekend long party is about free items/food and a lot of alcohol. Not too surprising of a tradition for Germans. I go to Munich this weekend which I am excited for, hopefully I have good tales to tell. 

-Avery