Monday, July 22, 2013

Week 2, Part Zwei


My first full week in Bonn was a blast! I'm really loving the size of the city. It has all the perks of a large city, such as great public transport, yet it isn't too overwhelming. Everything seems so laid back, very go with the flow.
Monday night
, we went and sat in the park, listening to a Santana concert. Tuesday, I had some bonding time with my host sister, Simone. We took the dog for a walk, then went to the store to stock up on snacks. We had a movie night, watching The Notebook, in German (with English subtitles). It was a fun night, and it's great getting to spend time with my host family! Wednesday, we went on a tour of the Old Town, which was really interesting! Thursday I spent more time with my host family, and also packed in preparation for our first weekend trip!
Our first adventure traveling around Europe took us to Munich. Although we almost didn't get there due to some miscommunication at the Frankfurt train station. Nevertheless, we made it to Munich just in time to enjoy the atmosphere of our hostel. This was my first hostel experience, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. 
We spent all day Saturday and Sunday just checking out different things in the city. Saturday, we woke up and wandered around for a while, just taking in the change of scenery. We eventually made our way to the Deutsches Museum, which was incredible. We literally spent hours there, and there was still so much I didn't get a chance to see. I did really enjoy the exhibits of musical instruments and pharmaceuticals. We also met a man working there, who talked to us and showed us pictures of water bears for a while, which was really interesting. After the museum, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, like any good tourist should. 
Sunday, we visited the BMW museum and Olympic Park. The BMW place was nice, but I'm not really a car buff. However, Olympic park was really beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better weather! It was really cool to walk in the same spots where Olympic athletes had walked.  After that we went to the English Garden, where it seems like everyone goes to just hang out and relax. We saw some river surfing, which I didn't even know existed. 
Overall, I am absolutely loving it here! One of my favorite aspects is just the incredible scenery all around. I have taken a ridiculous number of pictures, but I just don't want to forget anything! My German is getting a little better. I was able to order a döner without tomatoes successfully. Learning how to get around using trains is a little nerve wracking, but it is so much nicer than having to drive. I'm a little sad that we left Bonn right when I was getting used to everything, but I am so excited for this week in Vienna that I think I'll be fine!

No comments: