Week 5- Vienna & Prague

 When I look back on this trip in 5 years, the time I spent in Vienna and Prague with my great friends on this trip will almost certainly be at the forefront of my fond memories. Each city was uniquely beautiful in telling its stories of past glory and present splendor. To chronicle this week's events, I am going to provide a rough outline of key events and the lessons/takeaways from each moment, whether an educational experience or just an important memory.

Our stay in Austria began on Tuesday afternoon and ended on Friday afternoon. I'd categorize my time in Wien into 3 different categories: official study tour events that highlighted pieces of the history of medicine in Austria, time spent on our own exploring the city, and miscellaneous time spent having fun. Some key stops that we made in our academic adventures included the Michaelerkirche catacombs, the Drogistenmuseum (a former drug store that was among the first of its kind in Europe), the Narrenturm (Europe's oldest building for the accommodation of psychiatric patients), the Freud museum, the Natural History Museum Vienna, and the St. Anne’s Church classical concert. Each experience was very unique in its own way, and I was able to learn quite a bit about the history of subjects such as pharmacology and psychiatry that I was not previously aware of. On my own time, I was able to visit Schönbrunn Palace, the main summer residence of the Hapsburgs during the family's reign over the Austria. This estate was beautiful and provided an excellent view that overlooked the entire city. We were also able to visit the famous pastry shop and chocolaterie, Demel, as well as the magnificent Votivkirche cathedral. Some of my fondest memories from this week in Vienna will be from the movie nights and meals we shared together as a group. Vienna was a special city that remains one of my favorites within Europe.

After Vienna, our entire group of students in this program spent the weekend in Prague, a beautiful and historic city that carries many medieval characteristics that distinguish it from most of Western Europe, where my time has primarily been spent this spring. Our day of exploration began at the Prague Astronomical Clock, the oldest astronomical clock in the world still in operation. We continued to the Prague Castle, the largest medieval castle in the world, and then to the Dancing house. The architecture and views of the city were simply stunning throughout, and I think I took another 200+ photos while in Czechia. I wish I had another 24-48 hours to spend in Prague, as it's a beautiful city that has done a great job of retaining its history while advancing into the future.

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna

The rooftops of Prague

Colby Wilkens

04/05/23

Week 12: March 27–April 3

France!!!

On Monday, there was a massive strike on all modes of transportation in the entire country – crazy. My host mom offered to drive me to class as she usually does, but I decided to take the 8:12am bus and get to the aib early to do some homework. The bus was super packed, but it was nothing compared to the bus on the way home. On top of the travel chaos, it snowed… on March 27^th – crazy! Anyways, we had a double session of pharmacology, an enmodes session, and our pre-departure meeting for France. Afterwards, Elizabeth and I went shopping for snacks to have during the upcoming week. I got caught in a sleet storm walking to the bus and then was squished for the majority of the ride home, but I saw the Haus des Döners guy on my bus and he said hi so that was fun.

On Tuesday, Erin, Peri and I left at the bright and early hour of 5am to make it to the Hofgarten bus stop to leave for our study trip to France. We had a 7-hour bus ride that included a rest top in Luxembourg. When we got to Beaune, we only had time for a quick grocery store lunch before we headed to the  Hôtel-Dieu, which is a hospital that was built in the 14^th century and was functional until the 20^th century. Afterwards, while walking around the town, we all ran into a Class of ’98 Aggie and got to talk to him for a minute. So cool! I had dinner at an Italian restaurant with Erin, Elizabeth, Amy, Colby, and Mason, and then I went to bed early.

On Wednesday, we were up early and on the bus to Colmar. There, we visited the Unterlinden Museum, which is an art museum housed in a 13^th century monastery. Dr. Wasser explained the history and medicine behind the Isenheim altarpiece, which was really neat. Afterwards, we got lunch and explored the town. From there, we drove to Strasbourg to catch the train to Paris. By the time we got to Paris, Erin, Elizabeth and I were so tired that we just grabbed McDonald’s for dinner and went to bed.

On Thursday, we met our guide for our time in Paris, Julien. He took us on a city tour to see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Seine River, and the Louvre, among many other landmarks. We had a quick lunch at a café and then had a tour of the Louvre. The Louvre was super cool, but I definitely need multiple visits to truly experience and appreciate everything it contains. Until I can go back one day, our quick two-hour tour will have to satisfy. My favorite room was the Galerie d'Apollon, with its gold walls, incredible paintings, and gorgeous crown jewels. I also really liked the rooms modeled after the Palace of Versailles (especially since we didn’t end up getting to go there). Seeing the Mona Lisa was also cool, but it was so crowded that I didn’t even try to get up close. Afterwards, I went to see the Notre Dame. We had a group dinner at a creperie, and then some of us went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night (so much better than the Eiffel Tower during the day, by the way). We decided to go to the top of the tower, which I was scared to death to do since I’m afraid of heights, but it was so much fun, and the view was amazing. Until it started raining harder and the wind practically blew us against the inside wall… But we made it safely to the ground before embarking on our hour long journey back to the hotel.

On Friday, we went to Montmartre instead of Versailles. We saw the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, walked around the village, and had group lunch, where I ate gizzard and tried foie gras (disgusting). Then, Colby, Matt, Elizabeth, Erin and I caught our train to Nice.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast at a creperie in Nice before heading to Monaco, which was probably my favorite place I visited this week. We walked along the harbor and saw the incredible blue water of the Mediterranean Sea and the huge yachts. We ate lunch at the fanciest Steak ‘n Shake ever, saw the prince’s palace, and looked at fancy cars outside the Monte Carlo casino. Elizabeth, Erin, and I went into the Prada store, but we left pretty quickly since they didn’t really want us in there anyways. Back in Nice, we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant and then went to another creperie for dessert. They actually had Nutella and strawberry crepes in Nice… revolutionary!

On Sunday, went south to Antibes. We spend a couple of hours on the beach. Colby went swimming, Matt, Elizabeth, and Erin dipped their toes in, and I just sat on a rock and took in the incredible views. I have never seen so many shades of blue in an ocean. We found a subpar lunch place and then wandered around the town for a few more hours. Then, we went back to Nice, picked up some dinner foods at the grocery store (mac and cheese & strawberries for me), and watched Mamma Mia.

On Monday, we got pastries (I got raspberries too) for breakfast and sat along the beach to eat. Then, we packed up, and the girls and I went to a French restaurant to hang out until going to the airport. We finally got fully cooked scrambled eggs. Once at the airport, I got a sandwich from Pret a Manger, which is one of my favorite places (I missed an opportunity to get it in Berlin and Paris so thankfully they had one in the Nice airport). Our flight was delayed but only by about 15 minutes. We still landed on time. Elizabeth and I took the bus back to Bonn hbf, and then I made my way home. At home, I unpacked, talked to my host family, ate dinner, and called my grandparents, parents, and boyfriend.

Overall, this was a really fun week! The highlights were definitely the Eiffel tower sparkling at night & seeing Paris from the top, Monaco, Nutella and strawberry crepes, and packs of fresh fruit. The week was super tiring, though, and I got a bit overwhelmed thinking about everything I have to do in the coming weeks. I’ll just have to work hard in the three days I have before I head to Antwerp and Amsterdam this weekend.

Week 12: Move Over Emily It's Peri in Paris

     Okay, I will fully admit that I actually really enjoyed going to Paris even though I was not a huge fan of the French. Paris charmed me with the weather, the architecture, and the frequency of the trains. It was so nice in Paris and I could just imagine myself sitting on one of the numerous balconies with an espresso just observing the people passing by on the street. Erin and I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and you want to talk about the best view in all of the city. We were the last group to go up so it was so easy to get a good spot along the railing. It did start to rain on our way down and we ended up getting pretty soaked on our way to the train stop. Getting to see Paris at night was worth it though. We also made a point to visit the Paris Catacomb which has been on my bucket list for years. We also went to the Louvre with our program and got to see some of the sculptures and painting on display. I will say that we were moving way to quickly to be able to really enjoy all that the museum had to offer. Long story short, I would definitely go back to Paris if the chance ever arose.

    After Paris so of us continued on to Lyon for part of the weekend. We got to see a smaller French city and just walk around with nothing we absolutely had to do. We did end up having to visit the police station after Vic's phone was stolen. Needless to say, that phone will never be seen again. It was a cool little city but it wasn't really anything special. I did get a piercing though so I got my souvenir from France. 

    After Lyon Erin, Kass, and I went to Freiburg im Breisgau to do some hiking in the Black Forest. It was raining cats and dogs when we decided to go but we had less than 24 hours in the town and wouldn't have had another chance. We were absolutely drenched by the end of our trip. We took some amazing pictures and got to get outdoors for awhile so there wasn't too much to complain about. We also went to a restaurant that night that had the best schnitzel that I've ever had in my life. It was Viennese style with french fries and oh good lord I've been thinking about that meal since then. 

The Best Country in the World - FRANCE!

 

            This was by the far the best week trip we have taken apart from Spain, mostly because we were in France. And, as most people know by now, I love France with its history and culture, mostly culinary culture. The first city/town we went to was Beaune and it was incredible. As a little city located in Burgundy, the wine was incredible. The towns cobblestone streets and old buildings added a character to the atmosphere that made it a lot nicer and interesting. Jackson and I actually ended up going to a wine store to buy some wine considering we were in what most would consider, the greatest wine province in the world, which after trying the wine, I can say that I agree. The bottle was only 20 euro and the man who helped us was amazing. So amazing in fact, that we had to go back with Peri, Erin, Kass, and Mason. Ended the night with watching a romcom and I can confidently say that I hate them. Or I at least hated the one that we watched. Complete garbage in my opinion.

              After Beaune, we headed to Colmar and it was beautiful as well. However, I didn’t like it as much as Beaune although it was similar. This is most likely due to the fact that we didn’t spend a lot of time there and therefore we didn’t get to see a lot or explore as much as I would’ve liked. After seeing some of the art, we took the bus to Strasbourg. Literally stepped off the bus and stepped into the train station, so we didn’t get to see anything which sucked a little since I know that there is a very big German-French culture clash going on there. Oh well, more to see for the next time I stop by.

              When we arrived in Paris, I was happy like most of the time, because how could you not be happy stepping into Paris. Emiliano and I agreed that our room smelled like absolute ass and had to open the windows, hoping that somehow the smell would leave or that somehow a miracle would occur and the horrid stench would turn into the smell of a pile of roses or McDonalds McNuggies. Since Peri had her interview which sounded phenomenal, we waited till she was done to go out and eat. Erin found a place that had gluten free options and we started our walk to the restaurant. Once we were there, I was sent in as the sacrificial lamb and got a table for the 7 of us which is honestly is tough to do in small restaurants. Luckily, they had space for us and we got to sit down and eat. Ended up getting some wine after the dinner and headed back to the hotel where I was told to give romcoms another opportunity. This new one was interesting and not as bad. It definitely had some cringy moments but overall it was a good movie. The next morning was pretty good and we got to visit the louvre. Something that I enjoyed but felt rushed in doing. Not enough time to see everything but I didn’t mind since I had the opportunity to see it before. After the louvre, we had some time to explore Paris and I went to eat with Celeste and Victoria to a taco place of all places. However, on the way over I saw a cooking store and I took a picture to return later. We got to the restaurant and had some good tacos and conversation. On the way back, it started to rain a little but nothing crazy. When we got back to the store I was amazed by how amazing and cheap the place was. It wasn’t like the things were bad quality, but they were just a lot cheaper than I expected considering everything was French-made. I ended up buying 2 carbon-steel pans and a Sabatier knife which will be interesting to move back home. Best store I’ve ever been to and someplace I hope to revisit someday. Once we finished that, we made our way back to the group and had some crepes. Nothing too special since some of them were burned but definitely fun to eat and taste. Ended the night with wine and beer and the sparkling Eiffel tower. Can’t complain about such a sight can you? Next day was normal and we got to go Montmarte and the infamous Sacre Coeur. As always, it was beautiful and I had a blast eating a typical salad lunch which I did not think I would ever enjoy. However, this one was insane, and I would order it again for sure. Next stop Lyon!

              We got on the train to Lyon and it was a pretty good ride over. Once we got to Lyon, the group split up and Jackson and I headed to the hotel where we had to choose Five Guys for dinner due to the time. Once we woke up the next morning, we headed up immediately to Old Lyon to see the Cathedrals, markets, and bouchons. We got beautiful weather and had a blast just walking among the locals and city. After seeing everything, we decided to sit down and enjoy a traditional Lyonnais lunch. Can’t say I’ve had a better lunch in all of Europe because it was freaking amazing. The man who worked there ended up talking with us and our lunch conversation went on for 2-3 hours, something amazing as I got to meet someone new and enjoy the culture. We also got to see the girls which was fun as they stopped by to say hi before some of them went to the cathedrals and others went to see Lyon and then head home for a movie. Once we finished eating and the girls got back, it started to pour with everything getting soaked including the procession of the local carnival which was fun. At the same time we noticed that Vic was missing her phone and long story short, we ended up at the police station filing a report with the police for a stolen phone. After waiting for a long time, Jackson, Kass, and Vic headed out to find a place to eat while I filed the report. One of the weirdest experiences ever since the cop did not speak English but understood it, the exact thing with me but in French. The entire report was done with her speaking in French and me responding in English and so on. Very fun and interesting. We found a Brazilian place and sat down to eat. It was freaking phenomenal, and we ended the night like that.

              After Lyon, Jackson, Vic and I headed to Annecy where we found a local market and walked around taking pictures and exploring the city, cathedral and castle. Like always, it started to rain and it sucked because the pics were a bit wick but hey, if it ain’t raining then it ain’t fun said no one in the entire existence of man. We decided to stick out the rain in a pub and eat there until our 6:30 fondue appointment. Once we got to the fondue place, Jackson and Vic noticed the smell of the cheese which was hilarious since I liked it and it meant that the fondue was about to hit hard. They bring it out and Jackson literally devoured it in its entirety. Vic and I took some more time to eat it but damn, that shit was great. Ended up trying to plan the easter break trip and came to two conclusions. We either go to Morocco or go to Munich.

              Went to Geneva next for some 5 hours and I ended up leaving with a watch, some expensive chocolate, and two Swiss-army knives. All I can say about Geneva is that its beauty matched its expensive nature. For example, for a box of chocolates which in all fairness are considered the best chocolates in Switzerland, the price was 26 Swiss Francs. I was shocked but also found that it is worth it considering that I will most likely not return to Geneva for a while so why not indulge in the stupidity of expensive chocolate. After all that, we went to go buy my watch which I had been waiting for about a year. It was a very quick purchase as I knew exactly what I wanted and therefore there was no need to argue about anything. We then attempted to find Jacksons watch and could not find the one he wanted, so we decided to check Cologne when we got back. Hopefully, they have it and we can purchase his watch there. The train ride was pleasant, and we continue on to the next weekend. See ya next time!

Week 12

France week! 

We did so much traveling this week. We went to Beaune, Colmar, Paris, Lyon, and Freiburg. 

Beaune was very nice. It honestly reminded me of Bonn a little bit. Touring the old poor hospital was very cool. I enjoyed seeing the her garden and the pharmacy wing the most. Dr.Wasser quizzed us on history of medicine in the hospital and we all kind of dropped the ball (we feel bad sorry Dr.Wasser, we will do better on the cruise). I think it is fascinating to see how medicine was so long ago. I also enjoyed seeing the polyptych there. I will say I find it strange that the commissioner always try to include themselves in the artwork. 

The artwork we saw in Colmar was amazing. The colors were so vibrant and I really enjoyed seeing the art pieces. I think religious artwork can get kind of repetitive always depicting the same stories and using the same colors so  really appreciated how colorful and engaging this religious art was. It was the first realistic depiction of a crucifixion that I've ever seen and I was like wow if I was a beggar in olden times and I saw that I would be like wow can't believe that guy went through that, I wouldn't want to go through that, and he lived, thats crazy, he must be the messiah. Obviously that wasn't my train of thought present day but I could see why a peasant would think that back in the day. 

Much to my surprise, Paris was very clean and I really liked the city. Seeing the Eiffel tower in the day was underwhelming but it at night was beautiful. I loved getting to walk around Paris and see all the different landmarks and learning about the history of the city. The fact that Paris still only had 2.2 million people living within its "border" was amazing, and I loved the fact that the city kept the original architecture of the city and made the business skyscraper sector build outside the city limit. I loved the Louvre. There was so much history and art there. I got to see everything from Hammurabi's code, crown jewels, Da Vinci's artwork, to greek sculptures. I would 100% love to go again. My mom told me this story about how before I was born and companies threw parties, the company my dad worked for rented out the Louvre. At first I didn't think that was that cool but after seeing the Louvre I'm super jealous. I would love to spend hours in there just by myself. We got some free time that day before group dinner so Peri and I went to the Paris Catacombs. There is an estimated 6 million Pariasians buried down there. If you ever need anything to put life in perspective, go there because it will show you how a test really was just a test when your standing next to millions skeletons. Peri geeked out the whole time so it was worth it to see. A group of us went to the Eiffel tower at night and it was beautiful. We were supposed to go to Versaille but the transportation strike prevented that so we went to another region of Paris. It was cool to see the artists quarter. There was an excellent gluten free bakery there that that a bunch of delicious pastries. The chocolate croissants were a 10/10. 

Lyon was very pretty. It reminded me of Porto but it unfortunately started to pour rain on us. A group of us stayed in and had a charcuterie board and netflix night which was a lot of fun. 

Peri, Kassy, and I then went Freiburg. We hiked a bit in the Black Forest and it was very nice. The first day we hiked it rained on us the entire time but it was still fun and worth it. We ate at a restaurant that had gluten free schnitzel and it was delicious. It was super fun to see the region but I was happy to be heading back to Bonn. I've gotten Peri hooked on Ted Lasso so we watched it on the train. I'm ready for the next week and traveling over Easter weekend. 

WEEK 3!

The third week was just as full of surprises as the first two, as i would describe this week as eventfull. I went to Cologne on my own for the first time and got lost on the way there but i had the chance to ate at a couple of new restaurants in the Bonn/Cologne area.

The highlights of my week include: 

cafe C’est la vie, during the week i decided to grab lunch there and they have a lot of pastries as well as a very broad menu! I highly recommend going there. In school, we worked on the special senses lab which I thought was very dynamic and fun! I had the chance to put my tasting and smelling senses to practice while I was blinded. On my weekend trip to Cologne, I had the chance to visit the "Cologne triangle"  It's a high rise building with a breathtaking panorama of the city of Cologne. 

Also, in Bergisch Gladbach not far from Cologne, I visited the Salvador Dali bar, which is housed in a castle. This hotel's unique atmosphere stems from the fact that it was once a royal palace.

Cologne/Bonn has surprised me with its uniqueness, and I am loving every minute of my time here. And I'd like to suggest that everybody take the tram and get off at any city close to Bonn. Traveling around Germany is a great way to learn about the country's diverse culture, history, and contemporary scene.

Week 12!!!

Monday started off with another lovely transportation strike. I will not miss these. I had a few classes in the morning and then worked on our Enmodes project in the afternoon. After that, we had our pre-departure meeting for our Paris trip. They warned us about all their demonstrations, strikes, protests, trash, etc. Luckily, we did not run into any of that. After that meeting I had an advising appointment with Ms. Hoy to figure out my new Fall 2023 schedule since the BMEN department is changing. I am excited for the changes. When I got home, I packed for this week and managed to fit everything in my backpack instead of also bringing a suitcase. This helped me out later. On Tuesday, we met at the bus stop at 5:45AM. We got on the bus, and I instantly fell asleep and stayed asleep till we got out in Luxembourg for a stop. The ride was 7 hours to Beaune, but it ended up going by very quickly, mostly because I was reading an interesting book. We got to the hotel and had a bit of free time before we had to head down. At 3, we went to the Hotel Dieu and had a great tour. It was not crowded so we basically had the museum to ourselves. After that, Victoria, Peyton, Celeste, and I went to a French restaurant to get some French food. We had to get wine since Beaune is known for its wine. I also tried Escargot! It was way better than I expected. For my meal, I ate beef bourguignon and it was absolutely amazing. We headed back to the hotel after walking around for a bit. The next morning, we got back on the bus and headed to Colmar. We had a tour led by Dr. Wasser of the Munsee Unterlinden and it was breathtaking. I am so thankful I was able to go and see the Isenheim Altar. It was probably the prettiest work of art I have ever seen. After the tour, we had some free time. I went to a ton of places in Colmar. I loved the environment of the city; it was a very laid-back small town and the weather was perfect. it made for a pleasant afternoon. We then got on the bus again to go to the train station. We got on the train and basically had an entire cart for our program. It was so funny because everyone was so crammed and loud. When we got off the train, we took the metro to our hotel. Let me just say, i have a new appreciation for Germany's public transportation. Paris's metro was unbelievably crowded and i did not enjoy it at all since we also had to be constantly aware of pickpocketing. When we got to the hotel, Peyton, Mason, and I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was so good, and the pizza was heart shaped! We went back to the hotel and slept since we had a long day the following day. On Thursday, we woke up and headed downstairs for a city tour led by our guide Julian. We saw the Eiffel tower and some other monuments of Paris. We stopped in a cafe for lunch before our tour of the Louvre. We got a 3-hour tour of the Louvre by Dr. Wasser and I am just so thankful I have the opportunity to learn from him. He is so intelligent and engaging and passionate about what he teaches, I can’t believe I am part of the last set of students he will ever teach. Colby and I also had to register for our Fall 2023 classes while we were in there, which was kind of a mess, but it worked out. After the Louvre, Peyton and I went to Starbucks to get our France mugs. Then we went to a bookstore of course; i got 2 books. Then, Peyton and I went into Christian Louboutin, and she bought red bottoms!! They are so beautiful, and it was a fun experience. It was about time for our group dinner, so we met up with our program again. We ate at a creperie, and the food was alright but not filling so a couple of us went to a Thai food restaurant close by after. The food was amazing there. Then, a bunch of us met up to go to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle. We got there and within 15 minutes we were able to see the sparkle! It looks so much better at night. Then it started to rain so Victoria, Peyton, and I headed to the hotel. We were almost an hour away, so it was a trek getting back. Friday morning, we brought down all our stuff before we left for the day. Julian took us on a city tour through Montmartre, which is the region in Paris where a lot of artists began their careers. We then ate at a southwest France food restaurant. I ate gizzard which was crazy and what was even crazier is that it was good. After our lunch, we were free to do whatever we wanted. Peyton, Victoria, and I went to a nearby gluten free bakery and then to Notre Dame. After, we headed to dinner. It started pouring and the walk got very unpleasant very quickly. We made it to the restaurant, but they were so rude, and the food was widely overpriced. It was disappointing. Then, we went back to the hotel and met with our friends to go to the train station to take our train to Lyon. It was quick ride and then we ubered to our Airbnb. We all crashed since we were exhausted. The next day we had a slow day, compared to the past week. We headed to old Lyon and ate bunch. We did some shopping and lots of walking. We also ran into a random parade, and it was so fun. Then out of nowhere, it started to hail and thunderstorm, so we went into a random store to hid. I bought a quiche from them because I felt bad for being in there and not buying anything. But I got the quiche I had been wanting all week. After the weather calmed down a bit, Erin, Peyton, and I grabbed some snacks and wine from a store. I bought a bottle of wine which was so weird because I had never done that before! We went back to the Airbnb and watched some Netflix and had fun together. The next day was the longest day of Peyton and I's life. We woke up at 5:15AM and left our Airbnb and ubered to the train station. We took a short train from Lyon back to Paris; Peyton and I slept the whole time. We arrived in the train station and walked a mile to the Flixbus station to take our bus back to Siegburg. We got there and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, after our bus had been delayed by half an hour, they canceled our bus. They gave me a new bus time a couple of hours later, but only gave me one seat instead of two which was stupid. So now I was out $100 and a ride home. Peyton and I looked at the DB trains, but they were almost $300, so then we looked at flights. There was a flight leaving from CDG at 18:15 and would arrive in FRA at 19:30. We bought that flight and then ubered to the airport, which was very far. We got to the airport around 12 and were excited to check in and go eat in the terminal. However, this airport is dumb, and they would not let us check in until 2 hours before our flight, meaning Peyton and I had 4 hours on our hands with nothing to do. We wandered around the parts of the airport we could go into and found a Starbucks and a table. We sat there for a while. Then at 3:30, we decided to see if we could check in. They still would not let us, so we waited until they did. The check in was so slow with only one person working and everyone on the flight in line. They were so inefficient. After getting though that, we got to the security line which was so long. At this point I got worried we would not make our flight. They only had one system working for security and even then, it was partially broken. They also had to search both Peyton and I's bag which was annoying. We finally got to our gate. We were so tired and starving. We boarded our flight and had to sit away from eachother but luckily, I fell asleep before we even took off. The flight was so short. We landed and then a bus took us from our plane to our terminal. We went to baggage claim and got our stuff so fast. I missed Germany and their efficiency. We then headed to the train station where I regrettably got KFC for dinner and Peyton got rice. It was a struggle meal. Then we waited for our train and left FRA at 22:00. We were on an ICE Sprinter, so we made it to Siegburg in 40 minutes. Then, Peyton and I did our walk from the train station to home. I was SO glad to be home. It took us 17 hours to go from Lyon to Siegburg, when if we had a car, it would only take 6 hours. Overall, I had a fun week in France but a new appreciation for Germany's transportation and the attitude of the people here.