Getting the Hang of Things

As one may assume by the title of this blog post things are finally starting to feel like a real home over here in good old Bonn, Germany. This weeks adventures included taking on the grocery store, lots and lots of walking, and a last minute trip to Belgium. When Monday morning rolled around, we started the day with a class on Neurophysiology of Music where we dove more into the neurophysiology aspect of it all. After class we got to go to Koblenz, this trip started out with a hardy Italian lunch soon followed by a back stage tour of a theater where plays, puppet shows and even little workshops take place. We got to see the stage, the makeup room, the prop room, the carpenter garage and even the dance studio. After this tour we ventured across the river by gondola to see an old castle which housed a room with perfect acoustics. Although we didn't get to go into this room due to an ill timed party set up we did get to experience a magnificent view of the city from the top. After riding back down we also took a little hike up a statue which provided us a view just as cool. After our adventuring we boarded are train back which ended up taking an extra hour to get back to Bonn resulting in a late dinner and arrival back at home.

Tuesday was a very relaxing day which was much needed considering all the walking from Koblenz. The morning consisted of a German class beginning bright and early at 8:45 and then a few lectures from Dr. Wasser on some of the greats of history such as Hildegard and Paracelsus. After these lectures Sarah and I got to go on our own adventure known as the grocery store! This daunting task seems easy but considering everything was in German it proved to be a little overwhelming but in the end we made it out and even got a hardy meal of roasted chicken, roasted carrots, and cooked potatoes all seasoned with our own herbs from our garden conveniently located on our patio. This meal and adventure were both amazingly successful if I do say so myself. Wednesday was another busy day filled with neurophysiology lectures and adventure. This time however we got to go the Cologne! In Cologne we got an exquisite lunch and then a tour around the city. Some beautiful sites were the Cathedral smack dab in the middle of it all, some comic humor of mooning statues, and a conveniently themed cologne shop. After this adventure we got to go back to AIB and enjoy a welcome BBQ with all the other students. There was live music, great food, and even greater beer. Host families were invited so I got to meet some of the parents that others have been living with. After the BBQ our program group even went out to a bar with another program from TAMU just to get to know each other some more.

                                                         

Thursday was another bright and early day for German and history of medicine but calming because of the lack of walking everywhere. This was though the day that our Brussels trip got planned making the day all the more exciting. Friday was a late morning meaning more sleep for me so I couldn't complain. We had a few lectures and then got our itinerary for our fun week in Norderney that we leave for tomorrow morning! 

Friday afternoon a group of 11 of us embarked on our journey to Brussels. On this 4 hour bus ride we had laughs, naps, and plans occur. We decided on that bus that not only would we be go to Brussels but that we'd be going to Brugge. When we arrived the two groups, one of five and one of six, split up to find their hostels. Amazingly, the hostel was a beautiful place for us 6 girls and was located next door to the Grand Place and all the cities hot spots. After we dropped our stuff we ventured out for dinner where we picked probably the perfect restaurant. Not only was the food delicious, the waiter very attractive and flirty but we so happen to be seated and talked with a famous poet?? William Cliff anyone?? The man was cool, and gave very good drink recommendations, I now give him the credit for finding my love of cherry beer. After this dinner we explored some of Brussels night life. This night life consisted of a drag shop sign we saw walking to dinner and just couldn't not go, it definitely continued the amazing night. When Saturday morning rolled around we all got ready and sought out the restaurant notorious for the best breakfast waffles in Brussels, and I definitely think the title still stands cuz those honeys were good! You could choose toppings and your girl got whipped cream, strawberries, some chocolate drizzle and this wasn't including the powder sugar that already came with it. After that glorious breakfast we all met up and made our way to the train station to go explore  the elusive Brugge. What started as a kind of cold morning soon turned into a beautiful afternoon in Brugge. We explored until we found a spot to eat, which I will say had a fantastic steak, and then embarked on a walking adventure through this costal town. We stumbled upon beautiful landmark, made our own photoshoot on the canal and got in quite a bit of exercise. The steak we had for lunch was to die for, along with their French fries and of course you guessed it cherry beer. During our walking we stumbled upon a beautiful cathedral, a quaint little garden where we took over with our photoshoot, and one of the oldest known hospitals still standing from the monk times, talk about history of medicine. Upon arrival back in Brussels we firstly made our way for some dinner where we somehow swindled a table for 11 at a great restaurant. After devouring some spaghetti bolognese we headed back for a little rest. This rest though somehow got detoured into dessert waffles and visiting local night life once again, nothing to complain about of course. The waffle aspect was amazing and the night life aspect was...interesting...fun to watch but definitely like watching a car crash unfold in front of your eyes. But now I know, techno/disco music is not my scene. After the long day we had Saturday, Sunday morning was quite a fight to get up. But thank goodness we did. We started with pastries at a little bakery, soon followed by shopping for chocolate and tour de France gear, where we learned the tour de France starts in Belgium??, and then making our way to the beautiful royal palace followed by one last meal in Brussels before we headed back to Bonn. The trip could not have gone smoother, there were minimal hiccups and the traveling worked out perfectly, everyone got along flawlessly and the experience of Brussels and Brugge were had to the fullest potential. Overall the whole week was a good time. I'm currently packing and trying to figure out how not to over pack for our next trip with our whole class to Norderney! Stay tuned for the most zen blog post to come as well as an interesting weekend to follow because OUR FAMILIES ARE COMING! The whole Stevens' gang takes on Europe coming at you next week. Until next time, Santé!