A Winter Wonderland & Other Final Moments

I spent my last week in Freiburg hiking, studying, and enjoying final special moments with friends. One hike I went on was in Triberg, to see one of the highest waterfalls in Germany. The town was dusted in snow and surrounded by snow-capped hills and pine trees. The waterfall is about a twenty-minute walk from …

Transportation in a Green City

Freiburg prides itself on being a “Green City,” and the common methods of transportation look very different than in US cities. The most popular methods of transportation are biking, riding the Straßenbahn (tram/street train), or walking. Other transportation methods in the Freiburg area include bus, train, and car. Bike At the beginning of the semester …

Feeling at Home

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I headed out on the train to go visit some friends in Bayern, the neighboring German state to Baden-Württemberg. The travel time was about six hours, and I had three transfers. I was heading to Neuenmarkt, Germany, a city in the Oberfranken region of Bayern, to see my host family …

Up and Around the Region

On some Fridays my study abroad program does excursions, and I wanted to highlight some of the day excursions I’ve been on this semester. Because of COVID, my study abroad program wasn’t able to take us on trips across country borders, so all of our sightseeing has been in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Heidelberg …

A German Christmas Tradition

Since the end of October, Freiburg has been busy setting up Christmas decorations in the town and setting up the booths for the Freiburg Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market). On November 18, the market opened to visitors. Christmas markets are the key feature of the German Christmas season, and every major town has an impressive offering of …

Fall in Freiburg

The leaves are nearly finished falling, and the Christmas season is just beginning in Germany. But before I get into the full swing of Christmas markets, Lebkuchen, and Advent calendars, I’d like to share some of the daily life and fall fun I’ve had so far this semester. The Schlossberg is an overlook only about …

FC Bayern vs. Freiburg

A German soccer game is an experience like no other: fans chanting and singing throughout the whole game, flags and team scarves waving around, and an infectious buzz of excited energy. Early last month, some friends and I submitted a ticket request for the FC Bayern München soccer game against Freiburg. Luckily, we got tickets …

Reformation Day

On October 31, I stood in the Stadtkirche in Wittenberg, surrounded by celebratory organ and choir music. 504 years ago on that day, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on a church door in that very city. This started the Reformation, a movement that was the foundation for the current worldwide Protestant church. Two days …

Basel

As I stepped off the train, I checked off another country to visit while studying abroad. Not only is Freiburg near France, it is also near the border of Germany and Switzerland. Despite COVID, it is still easy to travel among most of the countries in the Schengen Area. To enter Switzerland, I only needed …

A Walk Across the Border

Freiburg is in the southwest corner of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The city is within an hour train ride of both Switzerland and France. One Sunday, some friends from my group and I decided to take the train to the German city of Breisach. It was about a half-hour train ride, which was …