Heidelberg Castle

I have finally made it to my destination! Heidelberg, Germany :)

On Sunday, after meeting everyone and recovering from jet lag/exhaustion on Saturday, we all decided to visit the castle! It was beautiful- it was a sunny day and had some amazing views of our new home! It was free to walk around- and only 4 euro to go inside the museum, gardens, and castle which was a pretty good deal!

While on the hill top of the castle, I had my first German Bratwurst! It was amazing. The food here so far has been incredible. My favorite? The bread. Every single piece of bread I have tried here has been heavenly. It makes every sandwich that much more delicious. The beer is not too bad either!

Sunset in the Altstadt

Literally the view from outside my classroom

The castle from the Old Bridge

Lucky Monkey Statue

What else would we do on a large statue of a naked man?

View from the castle hill! Amazing!

Castle Ruins

This bench shows just how steep the hill to climb to the castle was!

Our first night out!

Pre-Travels

So I have been in Heidelberg just about one week now. I have internet, I have the lay of the land, and  am starting to not feel like an outsider anymore. While I was removed from the outside world (aka in the dark ages of nein internet) I traveled for a few days in Dublin, Ireland and Brussels, Belgium.

Ireland:

St. Patricks Cathedral

Inside St. Patricks

St. Michans Crypt Mummies- I TOUCHED A CRUSADER

My first legal drink- of course it would have a shamrock and be Guinness

Malahide Castle

Malahide Gardens

Dublin Sunset

Clock in a mall/greenhouse!

Hill of Tara

New Grange- Older than Stonehenge!

Kilmainham Gaol

Arriving to Ireland at 5:30 am was certainly an experience. Jet lag really is just as fun as everyone says it is. The most memorable parts of the trip were the live singers in pubs every night of the week, the amazing archeological history, and HOW GREEN EVERYTHING REALLY WAS. It was shocking. Enjoy the video of some street performers- I thought they were very good!




 Belgium: In Belgium we toured around both Brussels and Brugges. Both were amazing cities! So full of architecture and cobblestone streets :) Oh- and of course everything chocolate was to die for!

La Grande Place

The obvious- Belgian Waffles

Mannequin Piss

Brugges: The bells of the Belfry

Brugges

View from the Brugges Belfry

Brugges Belfry

Adorable chandelier in the place we got sandwiches for lunch

The most fantastic organ I have ever seen- Brussels

So it begins...

          Tomorrow night my sixth semester begins. It begins a month later than all previous semesters and with some noticeable changes. The car is not packed, there was no goodbye Sunday roast dinner, and there will be no Matt Mellin hug waiting for me upon my arrival. Instead of my usual pre-semester rituals, I have been patiently waiting while on the longest winter break of my life. I have been waiting in anticipation of my five month European adventure. Packing my life into two TSA approved bags has proved more challenging than most of my exams, but tomorrow the challenge will pay off. Arriving in Dublin will finally make this feel real (I hope!). After a long, overnight flight I will be in the city of Guinness and roast potatoes kicking off the European adventure I have been waiting for.
          Here's to being on the other side of the Atlantic. Ready or not, Europe, here I come.