Hey everyone, this will be one of my last posts, since I come home in ONE WEEK!!!
Germany was literally amazing. No part of me wanted to leave there. First of all, it's Christmas time and what better place to be than Germany to see Christmasy things; so, naturally I was so happy. But also, the food is amazing and the people are SO nice, even though it sounds like they're yelling at you when they speak :) Thanks to my parents and the sound of music, the only thing I knew before I went there was nine, frauline, and that the hills are alive.
So, we left Valencia last Friday (the 2nd) at like 9. We got to Frankfurt (Hahn) airport around 11 and had to take a 2 hour bus ride to Frankfurt Main Station. Our hostel was a 5 minute walk from the station, but hilarious experience, our hostel was in the MIDDLE of the red light district... So, 6 American girls walking through the red light district at like 1 AM, seems very scary and weird, but actually it's not unsafe at all. Our hostel "warned" us before we got there but they were right in that it was amusing and not unsafe. We all didn't really believe them before we arrived that it would be a big thing, but after we turned the corner, we all stared in shock at how obvious of a red light district it was. Very interesting and funny! Anyway, so after we checked into the hostel, we went out to grab some food and then came back and went to sleep.
The next day we woke up and went to breakfast at a little cafe down the road from our hostel. Then, we walked over to the Christmas markets, and didn't leave until like 5 PM. The Frankfurt market was HUGE; it took up like 6 blocks, and it was really crowded the whole time we were there even though it was pouring down rain. None of us cared, it was a winter wonderland full of Christmas goodies and spirit. Naturally, I was ecstatic :) We ate lunch in one of the shops, I got a crepe, obviously. We also got hot chocolate because you get it in a Frankfurt Christmas Market mug...we got one from each city we went to! They're really cute! Anyway, after walking around the Christmas market all day, we walked across the Mainz River (beautiful view from up on the bridge) and went to dinner at a German restaurant. I split a pizza with one of my friends; pizza, in Germany? you ask...well it was AMAZING. I don't know what they did, but it was so good. Anyway, we walked back to the hotel after we ate and got ready to go out. We were going to go on a pub crawl with the hostel but because it was raining, it got cancelled. But, when we were sitting in the lobby, a group of German guys came over and started talking to us. We ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night and went to a disco with them--so easy to get around when you are with people that know where they are/the language! We stayed out pretty late so when we got home we all went straight to sleep.
The next morning we got up and ate breakfast at this great cafe. Then, 4 of the 6 of us got on a train to Heidelberg and our other 2 friends went to Berlin. The train ride was around 2 hours and we got to our hostel around 3. This hostel was literally the best place I've stayed in since I've been in Europe. It's called Lotte the Backpackers and it was at the bottom of the Heidelberg castle.. It was just adorable, and it felt like I was in a little cottage. The walls were actually wallpapered and the whole place was decorated very well. The living/common room was awesome. There were a bunch of comfy chairs and a couch with blankets all near by; there was one computer to share for free; there were tons of books on the bookshelves and games. All in all, it was just so cozy and great! We had only planned on staying there one night but within 30 minutes of arriving we decided to add another night to our stay. After we got settled in the hostel we just kind of walked around and looked at some of the Christmas market. It was pouring down rain and freezing, but it was just such an awesome town that none of us cared. It's a relatively small town but it's a university town so there's tons of students. I never felt unsafe there and it really just felt so homey because the food was good, it was decorated for Christmas, the people were nice, and it was just a great place in general. Anyway, after we walked around a little, we went to dinner at this amazing traditional German restaurant. The four of us that were there decided long before we went that our main focus was the Christmas markets and enjoying great food. So, we were at this restaurant, like all the restaurants we ate dinner at on our trip, for about 2 hours just enjoying our 3 course meal :) We all split tomato soup and an appetizer of these cheese filled flat bread rolls, both delicious. Then, one of my friends and I each got chicken in a feta cheese sauce and a baked potato, which was phenomenal! Our other 2 friends got steak and potatoes which was also amazing. Then, naturally for desert I got apple strudel! Oh, and hot apple cider to drink :) Clearly, after this we were in a food coma so we headed back to our hostel and on the way we ran into the University library which was HUGE and a gorgeous building. When we got back to the hostel, we hung out in the common room for a while but then all went to sleep--the beds were SO comfy.
The next morning we got up and the hostel had a cereal bar so we ate there :) Then, we walked up to the Castle (Schloss Castle). It was beautiful. It was destroyed 3 times: in the 30 years war, the French War, and by lightning hitting the top tower. A lot of the interior was made of wood so during the wars, it was set on fire and most of the inside burned down; but, the stone exterior was mostly intact except for the parts that were hit by lightning. Most of the interior rooms have now been redone and redecorated though. The castle belonged to the Prince Elects of Germany. At one point when the Prince Elect who married the princess of Scotland, Elizabeth Stuart, they built a 3 story "room" for her. A really cool part of the castle was that it was home to a GIANT wine vat in the cellar of the castle that held thousands of gallons of wine. It only had to be filled three times in its history and the castle would drink, on average, 500 gallons of wine a day. Water was unsafe to drink so wine was the only other option, obviously. But, the wine was apparently gross because it was just a mix of red, white and cider wine because the peasants had to pay a wine tax so they just dumped in all their various wines in the vat. Fun story: they had a dwarf mix the wine/watch over the vat and he would drink SO much wine every day and never was affected by it but one time someone gave him a cup of what he thought was wine, but it had water in it and he died almost immediately.. Anyway, after we toured the castle we walked around the grounds and the gardens, all of which was absolutely beautiful. Then, we went to the small Christmas market on the castle grounds, but nothing was really open because I think that stuff only opens in the evening when the Castle is lit up. After we walked back down to the old town, we walked around the other Christmas markets some more; that day was very chilly, it wasn't raining but the wind just went right through your clothes. We had lunch at a German restaurant and I had potato soup and salad, both of which were amazing, and then got a crepe (banana and nutella) at the markets :) After lunch we kept walking around and I got a really funny trinket for Madisonville! Then, we were all freezing and really tired from walking around all day so we went back to the hostel to take a nap/warm up. We all slept for like 2 hours by accident so when we woke up we went back out and did some more shopping and just enjoyed the decorations. Then, once again we went to German restaurant for dinner. We split pumpkin cream soup, I got turkey in a mushroom cream sauce with German noodles, and had apple cider to drink. After dinner, we went to a pub for drinks--I got hot chocolate with amaretto...AMAZING. Mom, aren't you so proud? :) Then, after we sat there for a while we went back to the hostel and went to sleep. I LOVED Heidelberg and I absolutely want to go back there. It felt so homey, like I said, and it was small enough to walk around. The streets were cobble-stoned and there were traditional German houses but there's also a university so the crowd is mostly young. Being there during Christmas time was also just really special for me since I love it so much.
Anyway, the next morning we got up, took the bus to the train station, and caught a train to Rothenburg. The train ride was about 2 hours and 45 minutes including switches, but the train system is Germany is so efficient and the people at the ticket desks are so helpful in finding you the cheapest tickets/telling you when and where exactly you switch. At our last switch we got on our train for the 15 minute ride to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber and when we were pulling into the station, it was SNOWING!!!! How perfect?!?! So, we walked to our hostel in the snow and it was great. The train station was about a 15 minute walk to our hostel, and Rothenburg is a walled city so everything but the train station is inside the walls pretty much. It's a VERY tiny town, and like Heidelberg it has cobble stoned streets and traditional German houses, but Rothenburg literally looks like you took a town out of a storybook and dropped it down in the middle of nowhere Germany. If we had arrived earlier than 2ish we could have walked down every single street inside the walls but we wanted to focus on the Christmas markets/the Market Square since we only had that afternoon/evening there. I would love to go back and see like the "touristy" buildings and learn about the history of the town. So, when we got to our hostel, we just dropped off our stuff and headed out. This hostel was just ok, especially compared to the amazing one in Heidelberg. Anyway, we spent the majority of our evening in the Christmas markets, which fit right in the town. I feel like they should be there all year because they are so perfectly placed/look like they belong there all the time. Also, almost every store we went into outside of the markets had Christmas stuff in it too, so I'm not sure what exactly they sell in the off season, but all of it was amazing. It is a perfect Christmas/fairy tale village. But, it gets dark and FREEZING really early in Rothenburg so we ate dinner kind of early that night, around 5:30/6. And once again, the dinner was great. I had goulash soup and meatloaf in a mushroom cream sauce with German noodles--amazing. And of course, apple strudel (homemade). YUM. When we left the restaurant, around 8, everything besides a few other restaurants and cafes was closed. So, we walked around a little more and then went back to our hostel to pack, shower, and sleep.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast at the hostel, and left Rothenburg to head back to Frankfurt. It was another 2 hour and 45 minute train ride to Frankfurt main station. I had my last crepe of the trip there in the station (nutella). Then, we took the 2 hour bus ride to Hahn airport and flew back to Valencia!
Germany was absolutely amazing. Definitely my favorite (non ISA) trip; London was amazing too but during Christmas you just can't beat Germany! I want to back as soon as I can. And, I kind of want to learn a little German..I think it'd be cool.
So, as this is my last week, I'll probably write a blog post the day before I leave saying anything I did the last week--this past weekend was sad because it was our last weekend here and it was weird saying like this is the last Saturday we will be here or oh, we'll be home in 6 days.... I am VERY excited to come home, I really cannot wait. But it will be hard, as I've said on the last couple posts, to leave my friends.
Anyway, 6 DAYS until I return!!!!! :)
