Less than a week after I returned from Greece, I picked up my boyfriend, Kyle, from the airport after his long flight from California. He stayed for a total of two weeks, during which time we explored Tübingen and the surrounding area, visited some friends of his in a neighboring state, and made a trip up to Amsterdam.
Hoho, I got you with the title, didn’t I? Bwahaha.. No, I didn’t actually return to California… but I did feel much more at home than I had so far during my stay in Germany!
For the first two weeks of my winter break, I was graced with the presence of my amazing mother. We went on a whirlwind of adventures around Europe, beginning with a few days in my hometown, Tübingen, where we attended several Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas Markets) in neighboring towns and visited an impressive castle, Schloss Hohenzollern, in nearby Hechingen.
I have been getting a lot of questions about where I am and what’s going on, so I decided to write a brief summary of what I’ve been doing, what I will be doing, what the CSU IP program really is, and how it works here in Germany. I have also included some photos at the end to make it more interesting.
The day that I returned from Istanbul was the same day that my dad and brother flew in to visit from California. I was lucky enough to have them for a whole week, and we managed to get up to all sorts of shenanigans during that time. I showed them around Tübingen on their first full day, which was really fun, and the next day we took a day trip to Stuttgart. We spent three full days in Munich, Bavaria, where we took a bike tour of the city, went on a day trip to some of Mad King Ludwig II’s castles, and, of course, spent a day at the Oktoberfest.
Photos and recap from Freiburg and Konstanz. Also, I have figured out how to make a slideshow, but it is taking a little while to load on my end, but I don’t know if it’s just me, so if you have to wait for an unreasonable amount of time then please provide feedback, and I will adjust the settings.
Enjoy (and thanks for your help)!
It is my last week in Horb-am-Neckar, and I don’t think time has ever flown so swiftly past me. It is outrageously difficult to express my feelings for this captivating town, this beautiful country, and these unforgettable people. I have made some memories here that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I am sad to see the end of these short six weeks fast approaching. This town will be a home to me for as long as I have the ability to foresee.
I have been posting mostly photos of locations and things, so I thought I’d post some photos of myself and the people that I have been studying with!
On Saturday, we journeyed three hours by train to reach Heidelberg, one of Germany’s traditional University towns. This gorgeous city is also known as one of the most romantic in all of Germany, and that was proved by the multiple couples we saw hiking around for engagement photo shoots.
So much activity lately for such a hidey creature like myself! I have spent much of the past week curled up on the couch with my studies, blog, or Netflix. My batteries can take a while to recharge sometimes, especially when I’m working my brain so hard, so I’ve been spending a lot of time relaxing lately. I’ve also developed a serious problem with consuming chocolate, and have been on a violent rampage eating everything from Nutella to powdered hot chocolate mix. I know that sounds super interesting, and I’d love to share the details, but for now, here’s an update on what I’ve been up to when I’m not on the couch or stuffing my face. Continue reading “Cars, Castles, and Chocolate”
