Madison Michelle

Madison Michelle

September 29, 2014

Dresden & Freiberg, Germany


So, not going to lie, when I first looked at our itinerary and saw how much we were going to be in Germany, I asked myself, WHY. Germany sure surprised me! I loved it, it was absolutely beautiful. All of the old buildings are so spectacular, the architecture in Germany is amazing. Germany was probably one of my favorite places, probably because I was not sure really what to expect.  On this part of our trip we stayed on the grounds of the Freiberg Temple, which was amazing. Then during the day we traveled down to Dresden, where we walked around a little town market, toured cathedrals, and traveled the city. After walking around for awhile we decided that gelato was a must, I mean when is it not? Gelato was definitely a theme for the whole trip, and I wasn't even mad about it. 














The next day, we woke up early and went to the Freiberg temple. It was such an amazing experience being able to see that the temple ordinances are the same wherever you go. After attending the temple, we went back to Dresden for round 2. We were able to tour the Semper Opera House, which was so beautiful! After the opera house, we took a trip to Pfunds Dairy,which The Guinness Book certified as the 'world's most beautiful dairy shop'.  The inside of this shop had such a unique and intricate design. I am so glad that we decided to take the long trek to this famous dairy. Once we got back to Freiberg for the night, a couple of us decided it was a perfect night for a run, and let me tell you it was beautiful. On this run I was able to talk and get to know some people I hadn't really gotten a chance to ever get to know. As we were running the sun was setting, it was spectacular. We all were super bummed none of us brought our phones to capture the beauty of the sun setting over the fields of yellow flowers, but don't worry I took mental pictures for myself. Once we got back, it was a pretty chill night were we all sat in the hall just talking and being on our phones/computers(we voted this place with the best wifi of the trip). 






September 22, 2014

Tropical Island Resort.

In Germany, we took a little visit to a tropical resort. It was insane! This resort was created out of a blimp that used to be in airport hanger, so saying it was kinda big is definitely an understatement!  This resort is no filled with water slides, a beach like lookout, volleyball, restaurants, tropical rainforest, and various different types of sleeping accommodations.  We were traveling so much up to this point, it was nice to take a breather for the day and get to play in the water with some friends.  After we were done playing in the water, we decided to get some grub, but everything was closed!  Luckily, there was a bar open that was serving drinks and desserts, so of course a dessert is exactly what I ordered.  I mean I am on vacation right? I can eat whatever the heck I want to.  I ordered an absolute amazing Chocolate Hazelnut Sundae.  It was to die for.  We had a little bit of a photo shoot with this wonderful sundae, I mean it was THAT good. Mmmmm...I miss that hazelnut so much from this trip!  After we ate it was time to get to bed!  In this resort you can sleep in either cabin suites or tents, so obviously we were in the tents... This is where it got a little bit uncomfortable.  When it was time to go to bed we all got ready in our tents, but realized it was WAY too hot to even function. So everyone in our group ended up pulling our mattresses out of our tents and onto the sand.  This sleeping arrangement was a lot more enjoyable, and it was really fun to bond with everyone by just being able to talk and ask questions about their lives.  I love all of the friends I have made and the special bonds I have created with them in such a short amount of time! 
















September 15, 2014

First Stop: Berlin, Germany.

Berlin was amazing! Being able to see all of the different sites in person has really brought history to life. We arrived in Berlin in the afternoon, so we had time to explore and look around before calling it a night. I was able to try a famous German dish, a Doner, which is a pita pit filled with some lamb meat and some extra goodies inside. After dinner, we went to Brandenburg Gate. It was absolutely beautiful! We were so mesmerized by the beauty that we did not realize our professors had left us..so my first few hours in a new country a few of my friends and I were lost. It was a crazy experience, but we got through it. After walking around exploring Berlin, we went back to our hostel(which was a new experience for me) and I passed out. I was exhausted. The next day, we went to Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. It was crazy to be at the Berlin Wall and to think that this wall was torn down 25 years ago. That long ago, this country was divided by communism, but now it has come together to be united as one country. I loved being able to stand in front of history that I have learned about for so many years. Traveling around the world with thirty random strangers was an experience that I would not change. I was a little hesitant to begin this journey not knowing anyone, but everyone in my group was so welcoming and friendly.  My study abroad group is filled with some life long friends. All in all, I think my first few days in Germany were a success! 

My very first Doner!

Checkpoint Charlie.
Berlin Wall.
Brandenburg Gate. 
Graffiti Berlin Wall. 






September 8, 2014

Madison Michelle: This is me.



Hi. So this is my first time blogging, I never really thought I would enter the huge blogging world. I have never considered myself to be a blogger. Honestly, I am not really sure what is that important/interesting in my life to write about, so we will see how this goes! First things first, my name is Madison Michelle Zylstra, I am 21 years old, I absolutely love sports, and am currently just loving life while going to school. I attend Brigham Young University, studying Recreation Management with an emphasis in Experience Management. I just recently went on a study abroad, for my major, all over Europe, so you will probably be hearing a lot about that in my first few posts, but it was just TOO AMAZING not to share. So there will definitely be a lot of catching up to do with my six week European adventure. Well. That's it for my first post. As you can see I am going to be really good at this..so here it goes.