This past week was relatively low-key, as the semester is starting to come to an end. Friday afternoon Reid, Ryan, Kelsey, and I all went to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory that’s about 45 minutes away from campus. Kelsey and I probably bought the most, I personally got 11 chocolate bars to use as souvenirs for people back home! There was also a chocolate fest going on in Tübingen this past week that several of us visited. Sunday I visited some Christmas markets in Cologne while seeing a friend who lives there for a last time this semester, which was a great time! It’s hard to believe we’re down to almost just a week left here!

Reid and Ryan being excited about the cacao exhibit.

Ryan reading about Ritter Sport chocolate.

Ryan getting his free piece of chocolate!

Earlier this week we went took a “field trip” on a hike and then to our German teacher’s house to make Gluhwein and eat cookies. It was a chilly morning but we all warmed up quickly once we started hiking! Then, on Thursday night we got to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner provided by the Reutlingen International Office for Americans and some German students interested in studying in the U.S. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and apple strudel and chocolate mousse for dessert, it was delicious!

Reid trying out the swing.

We managed to fit all 16 of us on the seesaw!

Adam preparing the Gluhwein (spiced and flavored hot wine)

Thanksgiving Dinner!

This past week was a busy one, with Monday starting out with making Spätzle at Professor Springer’s house. He lives a short train ride and then walk from Reutlingen, so he invited us over for lunch and then to go up in the tower of the cathedral in Tübingen. Wednesday night Professor Hanson organized the group to go bowling in Reutlingen and then to the pancake house. I personally had a delicious tiramisu pancake but some of the other flavors included tomato and mozzarella and tuna.

Then on the weekend I went with Jon Cisneros to Galway, Ireland to stay with one of my friends from high school who is studying abroad there this semester. The best thing there by far was going to see the Cliffs of Moher, they were breathtaking because of more than just being cold and windy!

Reid helping Professor Springer make Spätzle at his house.

Eating Spätzle at Professor Springer’s house this past week, it was very good!

Looking at a statue in Tübingen.

Group bowling in Reutlingen.

The Valpo Pin at the Cliffs of Moher.

Jon peeking over the edge at the Cliffs of Moher.

Great picture (that my mom may also be using for our family Christmas card)

This week started out as pretty low-key compared to the two when I was on vacation. On Tuesday we went on a class trip to the Mercedes Benz factory in Sindelfingen. I like cars quite a bit so enjoyed it a lot! They have 35,000 employees at the complex that has its own fire department, five restaurants, and a daycare. They assemble the S-Class, E-Class, Maybach, and GT sports coupe, as well as some bullet-proof cars. On Friday Reid and I went to Strasbourg, France for the day. Luckily we got back to Reutlingen before the attacks in Paris, and it was also lucky that other Valpo students who were in Paris were safe during that time. Yesterday a few of us went to the Hohenzollern Castle for a few hours. It’s only a half hour train ride away from Reutlingen!

A racing game they had setup at the Mercedes tour.

Talking about cars with Professor Veit and a few others. (Notice Professor Hanson getting fingerprints all over the car!)

Reid and I stopped for a few minutes to hear this band in Strasbourg.

Hiking on the trails around the Hohenzollern Castle.

The Reutlingen Opera House was lit up like this Saturday night after the Paris Attacks.

Reid, Ryan, and I attended a small student-led vigil for the Paris attacks on Saturday night.

I was with Jordan and Mackenzie for most of my two-week break. We started out in Barcelona, where we rented bikes for a day, saw the Magic Fountain (a fountain that “dances” and changes lights to music), went to the beach, to Park Güell, and even to a Barcelona Football/Soccer game!

The bike lanes in Barcelona are the best I’ve ever seen in a city!

The Valpo Pin on the bike lane. I can’t say I didn’t get some funny looks from people in cars when I was on the ground taking this!

Skipping rocks in Barcelona (Valpo Pin in foreground)

After Barcelona we flew to London where we saw all the classic sites like Big Ben (actually the bell inside of the tower), the red payphone booths, double-decker buses, taxis, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road (where The Beatles famously crossed), Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station,  went up the Tower Bridge, and rode on the Tube. We also got to meet up with a friend from our freshman year at Valpo, Jen Ehr! It was great to see her again and to have her show us around Oxford University where we also got to see the dining hall they modeled the one in the Harry Potter movies after.

One of the many stereotypical London things we saw while there.

It was nice to meet up with a friend from Valpo, who now goes to Oxford. Jen gave us a great tour!

Crossing Abbey Road, complete with a London taxi waiting for us!

Rome was our next stop, where we went to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill, the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps (both under construction unfortunately), and also got to see Pope Francis give a blessing on Sunday at noon! It was really cool seeing what humans were possible of doing 2,000 years ago. I could have personally spent a whole day at just the Colosseum and Palatine Hill.

One of the many times we got gelato over the two-week break.

The Roman Colosseum as well as the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill were absolutely amazing! Crazy what people could do 2,000 years ago.

The Valpo Pin overlooking the Colosseum.

On our way to Venice we stopped in Florence for the day where we found this awesome market area! I picked up some dried fruit and Mackenzie and Jordan got some uniquely shaped pasta and a couple random things for Christmas gifts. Upstairs they had a large piece of truffle that was listed at 330,000 euro!

A friendly old Italian man started talking to us (in Italian) while in Florence. It was hard to understand but cool nonetheless!

Next stop, Venice! We did a lot of just walking around there, going over bridges and getting lost on the side streets. What would normally be a questionable alleyway in the U.S. was a perfectly normal place to walk there, just had to be careful for the random dead-ends that only led to water!

Venice was a beautiful city. We spent hours just walking around getting lost in the maze of roads and canals; there’s nothing quite like it in the world!

Mackenzie scaring Jordan next to the water!

The end of my trip was spent with Nick in a small town called Wengen in the Swiss Alps. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to end the two weeks! We went on a 2-hour hike when we first got there and that night our Airbnb host made cheese fondue and had wine for us. Although Switzerland is very expensive, it was well worth it!

The Swiss Alps in Wengen, Switzerland were breathtaking!

Nick trying his hand at chopping some wood at a little campsite area on top of a mountain.

We found snow!

Although it’s only Thursday (and my last post was Sunday), I will be leaving for our two-week break with Jordan and Mackenzie tomorrow morning and won’t be able to post while on that break, so I’m squeezing one post more in! This past week was nice because the German 101 class met in the evening versus at 8am, so was a nice week to sleep in!

Tuesday afternoon I rode up to the top of the hill visible from my dorm room. We went up there as a group in the first week we were here, but the colors have changed quite a bit!

Wednesday morning the group was invited to a reception with the city of Reutlingen at an art museum downtown. We went on a short tour before the reception that has occurred for every group of Valpo students who have come here. The 50th anniversary of the partnership between Valpo and Reutlingen University will be during the 2016-2017 academic year. It is potentially the second longest U.S.-Germany university partnership.

Our study abroad group (plus Jon Cisneros, the intern from Valpo, our Economics professor, and two city employees) after the reception.

The group went ice skating with our German teacher Wednesday night before going to a Mexican restaurant later that night!

I have done a lot of traveling over the past week! Friday, September 25th was the start of our group portion of the trip that began in Leipzig. Over the next few days we saw several places related to the Luther and Bach class we are taking back in Reutlingen. Kennth’s blog will include all of the details of the group trip, but on Wednesday morning Mackenzie, Jordan, Kelsey, and I went to Prague. It really is a beautiful city and very cheap too. At the restaurants we ate at beer was actually cheaper than a Coke or water of the same size! Finally, on Saturday the three of us took a day trip to Oktoberfest in Munich which was definitely an unforgettable experience!

It was a great time touring the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, where Martin Luther hid for a period of time during the Reformation.

Kellie enjoying the stunning views of the countryside from the castle.

Later that day, we all toured the Bachhaus Museum where we had an opportunity to listen to several of Bach’s compositions in cool hanging chairs!

Nick checking out the printing press at the Augustinian monastery where Martin Luther became a monk.

After the tour of the monastery most of the group (including Professor Hansen!) took a ride on the spinning pendulum ride at the Erfurt Oktoberfest. Everyone made it without getting sick!

While exploring Erfurt later in the day the group I was with came across this swingset on top of an old fortress. The views of the city and distant countryside were beautiful!

Jordan, Mackenzie, and Kelsey enjoying the famous Charles Bridge Band in Prague.

The first full week of classes went well, but as you will see the weekend was even more fun. It was a very busy three-day weekend for me in Germany! Between the castle ruins and waterfall on Friday morning, Lake Constance and live bar music on Saturday, and then biking and boat ride on Sunday I was ready for bed that night!

Aaron found a great place to read a book for a few minutes at the castle ruins!

Finding our way around the ruins bright and early!

The incredible waterfall at Bad Urach that we saw after the castle ruins on Friday morning!

Just visiting Switzerland for the day, you know, it’s casual.

Nick being braver than the rest of us at Lake Constance on Saturday!

Nick got some great German practice in on the ferry ride across Lake Constance!

The Valpo Pin overlooking Lake Constance from the small city of Meersburg, Germany.

Mackenzie and Jordan enjoying the view of Lake Constance from Meersburg!

The ever-majestic Lauren trying her hand at punting on the river in Tübingen.

Reid posing with the Valpo flag on the end of the punting boat in Tübingen.