Duesseldorf Digest and Bonn Blog: Would it really be a trip if I didn’t forget something?

Monday, June 17, 2019

Would it really be a trip if I didn’t forget something?

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - this week was the longest week of my life. We started out on Monday sleep deprived from getting home late from Paris and having to meet early at Bonn HBF for our train to Norderney. The only thing more difficult than waking up so early was trying to pack for 7 days. The trip to Norderney wasn’t that bad and we got there at a decent time, picked up our bikes, and headed to the hostel for the night and then had some amazing chili. The next morning I got up at 6 am and worked out with about 20 others before running into the cold North Sea. Each morning I was there I did this (with fewer people showing up each day) and even though it was early I knew that I would never again have the chance to do it so I made myself get up. By far my favorite part of the trip was the badehaus. We got a tour of the facility and learned more from some of the most educated people on thalasso. We got to try a Schlick peel and use the spa for a few hours, and laying in the lavender spa I think was the most relaxing moment of my life - so much so that I paid to go back the next day too. That afternoon we did Chi Gung on the beach during the sunset and have people walking by and watch which was very cool. One of my other favorite parts was the barbecue. The food was good but just listening to music and getting to know everyone better really made the experience for me.
After Norderney we headed off to Frankfurt to fly to Dublin and stayed the night in the Frankfurt airport which was not the most fun I’ve ever had. We sat down in a lounge area to sleep and got kicked out and told to go to the McDonalds. I never thought I would sleep in McDonald’s but this trip is all about new experiences right? We got up that morning and flew to Dublin, checked in, napped, and then did a walk through the city and stopped to listen to some live music and enjoy good food and company. The next day we toured a boat that made 16 successful voyages to North America to Dublin without anyone ever dying and we got to learn about some of the people who left during the potato famine. After that, we went and had toasties which I would eat for the rest of my life if I could, and then wandered around until ending up back at our hostel. Today, our final day, we woke up and went to Trinity college and saw more of the city - and had another toastie. As I sit in the Dublin airport writing this I truly wonder how crazy it is that this trip is over in less than two weeks. In such a short time I’ve seen so much and can’t believe how lucky I’ve been to be able to come abroad. These next few weeks will be so jam packed but I’m just taking things a day at a time.