Bonjour!

 This is a couple weeks late, but it deserves documentation.  On the weekend of June 22 Elizabeth, Kelly, Keaton and I travelled to Paris.  The girls arrived by train Friday evening, we checked into our hostel and went to dinner at a fantastic restaurant. Thanks to Kelly of course.  After our late dinner we headed to the Eiffel tower to meet Keaton.  You know just the typical meeting place.  We found him on the grass, bags in hand and then watched the tower twinkle at midnight. On Saturday we woke up after getting 4 hours of sleep to go to Versailles! We wanted to get there when it opened so that we could have time to see everything.  The palace is beautiful but the gardens were even more amazing.  We probably took too many pictures but had a lot of fun exploring.  We headed back to the city and got lost a little.  The subway system is very efficient but 3 non french speaking tourists navigating was not ideal. Elizabeth mistakenly though sortie was the train stop, not the word exit, common mix up : )  so it took us about 30 min longer.  It's always more fun when you get lost though. 

We soon met Kelly and started our 3 1/2 hour walk around the city.  Kelly showed us everything between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dam.  We stopped to take pictures of all the sites and saw so much in such a short time!  I bought a book from Shakespeare and Company bookstore, got some souvenirs and awed over the beautiful buildings.  After meeting up with Kelly's friend we went to walk along the Champs d' Elysee and saw the Arc de Triumph.   

Delicious dinner number 2 was followed by ice cream from Le Flore L'ile.  We sat along the canal and watched the sun set while looking at the water complete with swans and the Notre Dam in the background. Perfection.  After ice cream we walked to the Latin District and saw the Pantheon and the church from Midnight in Paris.  We got there at the perfect time because we only had 15 minutes to wait until midnight.  We were slightly disappointed because there were no bells that chimed and a car with Hemingway didn't show up.  Exhausted, we went back to our hostel.  We woke up the next morning and went to visit Mona Lisa at the Louve.  She was much smaller that I imagined and the amount of Chinese tourists standing in front of her listening to audio guides was ridiculous.  In 2 hours we managed to see all the highlighted paintings and artworks.  To do this we walked through most of the museum at a brisk pace.  Ready to go back to Germany we said our goodbyes to Paris in the rain.   Paris is a very beautiful and romantic city.  There is just so much to do and we had such little time.  I hope I can go back someday to put my own lock on a bridge and throw away the key.

Already Halfway!

 

I am so sad that my study abroad experience is halfway over!  But at least I will be able to spend two more weeks in Europe when my family comes.  After three weeks we were rewarded with a long weekend.  Ten of us took a trip to Amsterdam and Brussels. Let me start off by saying, Amsterdam is as crazy as it is known for.  All the stereotypes are true and we experienced it all.  I have never seen a city with so much night life for young people.  We arrived on Thursday and made it to our hostel (which looked like a green jail cell) then headed out to the city!  The first thing that we noticed is that everyone speaks English! This was a little bit of a culture shock and we all spent at least the first night still saying Danke (thanks) and Entschuldigung (sorry/ exuse me) to people.  We walked around the Dam Square where I bought too many souvenirs and then headed to a coffee shop before our Canal Cruise.  It stopped raining just in time for our cruise and we even saw a rainbow!  I didnt know that Amsterdam had canals so this was a great experience.  We saw alot of the city and it helped us for future navigating.

After the cruise we went to a the oldest cafe in Amsterdam!  It was beautiful and looked like something from a movie.  Even Bill Clinton has been there.   We got coffee and an apple tort that was amazing.  

Other fantastic things  that I did in Amsterdam include: Anne Frank House, a book fair, secret garden (behind the door below), I am amsterdam sign, and walking around the city at night.  Yes, I even wandered through the Red Light District.  Lets just say i am never going there again. Ever. Very sad. 

On Saturday we headed to Brussels, Belgium.  As soon as we got off the train we could smell the waffles and fries, no joke.  We checked into our much nicer hostel and set out for the town.  We went to a restaurant by LDs recommendation...holla!  It was a very cute and delicious.  This is where I got my Belgium Waffle, as seen below.  There also were 1 Euro waffles sold on every street, which I didn't see until after I ate my 7 Euro waffle, Im just assuming it was more delicious since it was the only one I ate.  We saw the first Godiva Chocolatier, the peeing boy statue (very odd, our group is still not sure why so many people want to see it) and walked around for a bit.  Later that afternoon, Emily and I adventured to the northern part of town on our own.  This was a huge accomplishment for us because were not forced to navigate until this point.  We took a subway to Mini Europe and Atomium, but when we got there it had closed 30 min before.  It was so sad, especially because Mini Europe was the only thing I had looked up about Brussels before we left.  You can google it and see how cool it looks.  After our failed attempt we decided to walk around a nearby park.  It was beautiful and I took a lot of pictures, an afternoon is never wasted because Europe is so pretty!

Our night in Brussels was spent at a series of bars called Delirium Village.  This place had over 2000 different beers to try and my personal favorite was Raspberry!! I think it was one of the best drinks I have ever tasted.  I even kept the bottle because it still smells so good!  Each bar was decorated differently and had a unique atmosphere.  My first weekend out of Bonn was amazing and I am so glad  to have spent it with my little group of 10! We even had matching knitted bracelets thanks to Briana, no big deal.  

Auf Wiedersehen!

~Lauren

Aachen und Trier

This week we went to two cities, Aachen and Trier.  In Aachen we saw the cathedral  that Charlemagne constructed.  It was very beautiful with detailed ornamentation on the ceilings and walls.

Charlemagne sat on the throne above during Mass.  This was located on the balcony at the back of the church.  We then had a  tour of the city and even tasted water that can supposedly cure illnesses.  It had sulfur in it and therefore tasted like hot hard-boiled eggs.  Not something I recommend trying.

On Thursday we travelled to Aachen.  The oldest german city built by the Romans in 16 BC.  This city is located near France and Luxembourg.  It seemed to have adapted the architecture of its neighbors because the buildings looked more french than german to me.  We visited a Roman Gladiator Amphitheater, Roman baths, and ruins from a Roman city wall.  So I guess I don't even need to go to Italy because Germany has it all!  But the best part of the day was a trip to a local winery.  It produces Riesling wine and we tasted 9 different wines.  The tour took over 2 hours and I can now say that I can tell a difference between wines.  The first one we had was actually my favorite but was also the cheapest.  So I guess I like cheap wine, which may not be a bad thing?

This was my favorite city by far!  I loved all of the sites we went to.  They each were very different and had thousands of years of history.  

Oh! I almost forgot, the best thing about Germany is the dogs!! They are everywhere and are extremely well trained.  Most go without leashes and are allowed in stores.  Today we saw the most outrageous example of german dog love.  

YES that is a lady pushing her dog in a stroller. Not a small dog, a fully capable of walking, middle

sized dog.  I LOVE IT HERE!! 

Das ist alles für heute. 

Guten Nacht!

~Lauren

 

First Weekend!

My first weekend in Bonn consisted of class on Friday, then a welcome party at the AIB.  All of the host families came with their students to the AIB for a barbecue.  A barbecue in Germany consists of sausage and other types of meat along with many, many side dishes.  No burgers or bbq sandwiches of course.   We met students from other universities and got to spend time with our families.  On saturday we went to the Haribo factory where we all got way too much candy.  It was overwhelming but very cheap and so good!!  In the evening I had another barbecue at my host families house and we watched Eurovision.  This was a concert, kind of like American Idol, where each country in the UN has a singer.  It was pretty entertaining, russian grandmas and all.  The best day was today (Sunday).  We started our day by going to Eifel where we attended Mass in Gregorian Chant.  

After mass we headed to the castle Buerresheim.  The ride to this castle was beautiful.  We travelled by hills, villages, and fields.  When we arrived at the castle we toured the inside, but we were not allowed to take any pictures.  They had furniture dating back 100s of years and had portraits in every room of noble family and friends.  The portraits kind of looked they could be in the Haunted Mansion, but it was incredible to see how nobility lived back then.  

Last we went to a a town called Monreal.  It was a small village with castle ruins.  We hiked to the top of the hill and took pictures of the town and surrounding areas.  It looked like a post card!  

My experience so far has been more than I could have ever asked for, Germany is very beautiful and I am so thankful to be on a trip like this!  

Tschuss!

Lauren

Sehr Grüne!

Phrase of the day:  Everything is so green here!
It's amazing, compared to Texas everything is picture perfect green.  They say it is due to their rainfall, but it is so pretty.  Today was relatively warm, mid 70's. Above is a picture of Bonn University.  We study at the AIB which is down the street.  This area has a park and is close to the Rhine River.  It is beautiful.  Today was a perfect
day to walk around, we went on a historical tour of the city and went to the city center, which is full of stores, restaurants, and Eis (ice cream).  I had my first European Gelato!  It was delicious, I
want to try all the flavors : )  We also went to a Biergarten, where I had my first german beer.  They make you pay for the glass, but if you return it then you get a Euro back.  I will probably keep a glass one of these days.  An old man also came to our table and drew a Caricature of us by the river.  He said very strange and funny things, but apparently he is famous around Bonn.  Tomorrow morning we have our first day of class, so I need to read some before bed.   We have class in the morning 2-3 times a week and the rest of the time we go on excursions to different cities or to sites around Bonn.  Today, I also figured out the Bonn public transportation system.  It is extremely convenient and efficient.  I wish we had more of it in America.  Luckily another A&M student rides the same street car as me, so we found our way home together.  I am picking up German phrases fast, but people can tell we are from America.  As soon as they realize it they start to talk in English. The accents here are so cool and our tour guide today even sounded like Arnold Schwarzennager if I closed my eyes.  I love my host family, especially my 12 yr old host brother.  He is so funny!  I am currently enjoying quiet time in my own room to unwind from an amazing first day!

Guten Nacht,

Lauren

Start of My Study Abroad Adventure!

After traveling on 3 different planes I have finally arrived in Bonn!  Germany is beautiful from what I have seen so far, and I am so excited to go explore!  The time difference hasn't thrown me off yet, it just seems like the day has gone by really fast.  Because Bonn is about 8 hours ahead, I am about to have dinner with my host family-my first german meal!  I am looking forward to this week's activities and discovering what all Bonn has to offer.  I hope to get a lot of photographs tomorrow, we already drove by the Rhine River and a beautiful park as we came from the airport.  Well thats all for now, I'm going to go unpack!

Bis Später!

This is the view from my window in my Host families house.