During the month of February, I focused on adjusting to my class schedule, particularly putting emphasis on learning the content for my ICS 470 and TAX 470 classes since those would be tested first among all my courses. However, studying abroad wouldn’t be complete without the many travel adventures! Having stayed a few days in Munich the weekend prior, I decided to explore closer destinations by taking day trips!! Here’s where I went:
Speyer, Germany
On February 13th some of us in my cohort took advantage of not having Thursday classes and traveled to Speyer, a city about 25 minutes from Mannheim. It was a charming city with quiet streets and beautiful churches, clocks, and buildings to admire. We walked through the Altstadt, or old city, seeing the Altpoertel, Speyer Cathedral, Saint Joseph Church, and the Memorial Church. It was so lovely to walk around because of how clean and peaceful the city felt. We ate at a delicious Italian restaurant called Picco Bello. I tried Johannesbeereschorle for the first time and had lasagna with bread for my meal. To top off the trip, on our walk back to the train station, it snowed! We all got to witness our Brazilian friend see snow for the first time and it was so wholesome. To capture the feeling of each city I visit, I have started to write down 4 adjectives to describe each location. Speyer, to me, is peaceful, lovely, respectable, and quiet.
Weinheim, Germany
On Saturday, February 15th, one of my German friends from my cohort and I explored Weinheim, also a small city about 25 minutes away. This city had a traditional German aesthetic with shops, restaurants, and churches, along with opportunities to hike and visit a castle! It reminded me a lot of Heidelberg. We spent a few hours walking around the city, hiking up to the castle, and eating kaesespaetzel, salad, and Mezzo Mix at Cafe Florian. My 4 adjectives to describe Weihnheim would be quaint, welcoming, picturesque, and serene.
Bickenbach, Germany
On February 16th, I reunited with old German friends, with whom I had not seen in about 5 years, for church in Bickenbach. The town itself is small with just a few houses, restaurants, and a church. The church was incredibly welcoming and it was helpful to be able to practice my German both in speaking and in comprehension. When I lived in the Rheinland-Pfalz state from 2015-2020, I went to an international church where the sermon was preached in 3 languages, so I appreciated the opportunity and the challenge here in Bickenbach since the sermon was only in German. It made me so happy and included in the church body when a twenty year old German girl came up and invited me to their young adult group on Saturday nights! Bickenbach is only a 30 minute train ride from Mannheim, making it a convenient place to stay connected with other believers. The church was welcoming, warm, loving, and inspiring.
Frankfurt, Germany
After church, my German family friends took me to Frankfurt to explore the city! Although I have flown out of Frankfurt Airport many times since it is the biggest one in Europe, I had never actually visited the city. Since Frankfurt is the closest German city in style to Manhattan, NYC, given its tall skyscrapers, it is often referred to as Mainhattan. To enjoy its beauty, we took a boat ride on the Rhein River and shortly after went into the city center to observe the traditional buildings called Fachwek Haeuser and enjoy the sunshine. I have been collecting zero Euro bills in each of the big German cities and I was pleased to find out I could purchase one there! Frankfurt can easily be described as urban, social, modern, and vibrant.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
To wrap up the weekend, a Moroccon friend from my cohort and I visited Luxembourg on February 17th. I have fond memories going to the mall there as a kid but I had not particularly explored the city before. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that all public transportation in Luxembourg is free, not just for its residents! We spent the majority of our day in the Altstadt, overlooking parts of the city and old ruins. There were so many plaques on display to read about its history. Luxembourg has so much history and quite a few national languages because of the many nations who have taken control of the country over the years. For lunch we had classic pizza (which was not my favorite because I was unfamiliar with the type of cheese and greens on it as well as it cooling off faster than I was expecting). Other than that, the day was nice and peaceful. We walked arond and saw the Fondation Jean-Pierre Pescatore, Saint Michael’s Church, Notre Dame Cathedral, and a little town called Pfaffenthal by taking a huge see-through elevator down to it. On the way back to the train station we witnessed the fire department fighting a fire on one of the buildings within the modern part of the city, which was crazy, but overall, Luxembourg was clean, friendly, sprawling, and multicultural.
I have loved getting to travel and experience so many new cities!
Comments