Back to Germany..

I bought any Dr.Pepper I found.

On my trip I had really come to love Germany! All of the cities we traveled to were amazing. After we left Austria we traveled to three different cities in the span of 48 hours. The first stop we made was to Dachau Concentration Camp. This place was eye-opening. It was such an interesting learning experience for everyone in the group. Walking around the camp and seeing the prisoners sleeping, eating, and working arrangements was unreal. This experience was unlike any of our other venue visits, it was eye opening to see what went on to the prisoners during World War II. Dachau was very emotionally draining for everyone. But we had one more business visit stop to make that day.

The next stop for us was the BMW Plant.  This venue was seriously so awesome.  I am not even really into cars that much, but it was so cool to see the evolution of the BMW cars from the past to now.  I mean who wouldn't like to look at the Roles Royce limited edition? 

After touring around the plant we went to our hostel in Munich. Which was by far THE sketchiest place we stayed. I saw some things on the streets of Munich that I will not go into any detail about.. let's just say Munich in my mind was quite "dirty".

The next morning we woke up and went to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Garmisch. This castle is the castle that Walt Disney modeled the Cinderella castle after. It was absolutely beautiful, I wouldn't mind going back in the future!

After these crazy past 48 hours, we were able to take a break and we stayed in a nice American resort in Germany. The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is owned by the U.S. Department of Defense, so everything in this resort was American! It was a nice break to be able to pay with American dollars, have American food and be able to understand everyone that spoke to me. I mean they even had Dr. Pepper on hand, so to say I was excited is a huge understatement. While staying at the resort we had a few venue visits lined up throughout the first day. One of the visits during that day we were able to go to the Partnach Gorge. Let's just say it was absolutely "gorge"ous! Seriously this hike was amazing, the whole time I just loved being able to look around and appreciate the beauty of this gorge. There is beauty all around us and we need to be able to take the time to recognize and appreciate it. We went on a lot of hikes on this study abroad and this hike was by far my favorite.

The next day at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort was very low key, which was much needed for everyone in the group. We were able to relax and just enjoy the day without being stressed of having to be somewhere at a certain time. That night we had FHE where we went to a karaoke party at the resort. Let me tell you this karaoke part was wild..we have videos to prove it. I would definitely say our group was the hit of the karaoke show! A couple of us girls got together and sang "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child. The whole crowd was loving it. After finishing up with karaoke there was a firework show that we all went outside to enjoy.


All in all Edelweiss was good to us all.

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). 

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.