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.