I Think I am in Love

So here we are after our two week long excursion living out of our backpacks while travelling throughout the continent of Europe, and we finally made it back home. It is funny that home has become a relative term because we all have parents' homes, and homes in College Station, but for now, our home is Bonn. And just like the first time in college, or the first time studying abroad, leaving home is hard to do.

Upon departing our early arriving train at 520 am, the air seemed a little bit crisper, the sparce amount of people people a little bit friendlier, the döner shopps a little bit more delicious, and the streets a lot more familiar. So my initial deep breath of relief that we made it back from our sixteen hour trian ride was both comforting and realxing in that I felt at home once again.

The fifteen minute walk through the early morning, dew covered streets of downtown Bonn was an eye-opening experience for me and gave me a new perspective on the town. Despite the fact that I had on my spine-deformingly heavy duffle bag across my shoulder , the pain seemed to vanish when I was able to reflect and see the city in this way. I was virtually the only person in the streets, and the solitary walking helped me to see the essence of little Bonn. From the Beethoven statue and Münster cathedral in Münsterplatz to the Sterntor and the quasi-deserted Friedensplatz, the atmosphere seemed to calm any nerves that I had from the two week excursion and our subsequent arrival in Bonn. It made me appreciate and cherish the memories that were made in these locations across the city. With the formation of eternal friendships in our first days, pictures with complete strangers during the scavenger hunt, pizzas at the snack shop behind the Sterntor before the train departed for Amsterdam, innumberable stops to the T-mobile store, frequent ice cream cones and fun-filled trips through the Marktplatz, how can this be forgotten? So there I was, half-way home in the early hours of Monday morning contemplating if going to class was still an option (which I think was a side-effect of the long train and the early awakening haha), schlepping my deceivingly heavy duffle bag through the quaint cobblestoned streets, when I realized that this was the start of my last week in Bonn.

So after the existential fog cleared from my head, I was promptly in class at 8 am for our fun-filled first day back. We started with a Rhine Cruise from Bacharach, which was very relaxing. The warm sun and the gorgeous landscapes was a great way to spend the afternoon. The hike up to the Marksburg was long and quite the contrast from the relaxing cruise atmosphere. I thought that it was very interesting how the tour guide was an actual resident of the estate! It brought a strange modern sense to the medieval architectrue of the castle. To end the day, we had a fantastic evening with the wine tasting at the Arwheiler. The endless wine, cheese, and bread was a perfect end to the first day back.

Each day that passed brought me a little closer to the realization that I would be leaving Bonn for what very well could be the rest of my life...this hurts to think about. Friday morning arrived and I had to part ways with my host mom. This was sad, but I thinnk that the experiences that we had were great memories, and I think that the host family experience is one that should not be taken for gratned on a trip such as this one.

Anyways the week went by fast and before I knew it the end of the week had come and we were sitting in the Köln zoo. I thought that this was a great day excursion because the zoo was always one of my favorite places to visit as a child. The guide was also informative on the different types of animals and their individual characteristics. There was a baby elephant that was born recently at the zoo, and although I didn't see it with my own eyes, Stephanie got a picture of it in between the other elephants. It was neat to see how small the baby was when compared with the mature elephants in the group. After this exhibition, we made our ways and actually left for the weekend and our excursion in Berlin.

Bonn, I will miss you and I will always consider you my home away from home.

Matt