Wednesday:
We went to visit Cologne and then had the AIB barbecue later that night. I really feel like I got to spend more quality time with people today outside of the classroom. It was one of the hottest days so far, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time. In Cologne, we marveled at the Cathedral once again. You never really get tired of looking at it. The amount of detail on this building is so incredible and I have no idea how people were able to build this massive church without modern day technology. After walking by the cathedral, we went and ate at a German restaurant. I ordered jägerschnitzel and potatoes, which was amazing. Soon after, we had a really great tour guide take us around Cologne. She showed us a famous statue, a couple museums (including a framgrance museum that smelled wonderful), and we walked around the city learning more about its history. After grabbing a quick gelato, we hopped on the train home and went to the barbecue. Food, music, friends. It was sweet.
Thursday:
Today was a typical class day. We heard Dr. Wasser lecture about history of medicine and World War II. It amazes me how he is so knowledgeable on every topic - from saunas to birds to ancient medical techniques. You name it. His lectures always keep me entertained (even though I may have dozed off once or twice from pure exhaustion) and I’m learning so much. After class, me and Suji took a walk from our host family house to the Rhine to watch the sunset. I never get tired of seeing that either.
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| Rhine |
Second weekend woo! Today we heard a couple lectures from Dr. Wasser to prepare us for Norderney, a tiny spa island off the north coast of Germany. I honestly didn’t really know much about saunas, but after hearing Dr. Wasser, I think I know a lot more than most people. Thanks to him, I had “Baby Break A Sweat” stuck in my head for a solid two days. After class, we hopped on a train to our house to grab our suitcases, and then caught a bus to Brussels. Even though Suji and I ran into some hiccups along the way, we made it to Brussels eventually. Our hostel was located right in the heart of Brussels, and we were shocked when we walked 10 seconds and stumbled upon the Grand Place. After walking around some, we went and at dinner at a Belgian restaurant, where we sat next to a famous poet. Casual. After exploring town some more, we made our way back to the hostel.
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| Grand Place |
Saturday:
We decided to get an early start today, but we were surpised to find out that many of the shops and restaurants in Brussels don’t open until 10 AM. That was alright, since we were first in line to eat at a famous waffle place. I got a Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Oh boy that was a little taste of heaven. After wandering around Brussels some, we trained to the small town of Brugge, Belgium. This was the cutest place I’ve ever seen. All of the doors were painted vibrant colors, the buildings were so cute, and there were great restaurants at every corner. Despite the 25 mph winds that day, it was great to just explore, eat, take pictures, and go into a couple cathedrals. We returned back from Brugge just in time for dinner and another waffle. After enjoying some delicious Belgian beer, we finished our day with happy bellies.
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| So. Many. Waffles. |
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| Brugge |
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Our last day in Brussels. I really liked this place and I hope to come back one day. We finished our weekend trip by walking around more, seeing some churches, shopping, and visiting the Royal Palace. We got home Sunday evening, and had to unpack and repack our suitcases to leave for Norderney early the next morning. Norderney deserves its own blog post, so I’ll be sharing more about that in the next few days.
What a week! I am truly loving my time here and I am trying to appreciate every second. Although I am usually tired, hungry, and disoriented here I am living my best life. Caio!
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