(Mis)adventures in a Dresden bus station

Last Friday, I decided to spend a day in Dresden, Germany. The city is about a two-hour bus ride from Prague through the scenic Czech countryside. Ever since reading Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughter-House Five, which chronicles Dresden’s fire-bombing, I wanted to visit the city. So, I boarded my bus at 8:25 am and pulled into …

Hello Again

Hello. It has been a little while. Let’s catch up. Here is a quick little update. I roasted my first pan of vegetables, and I really enjoyed it. I then roasted my second pan and liked them a little less. I traveled to Ireland to meet up with some amazing friends. Then traveled to Zürich …

Departure Thoughts

As I sit here at Gate M24 in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I am graced by the sunlight that shines forcefully through the clouded windowpanes displaying the organized chaos that litters the tarmac. My day was filled with last minute packing, my last homemade matcha latte, a smooth little road trip to the Windy City with …

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 …