The last week of school was average. My classes are going to be okay, but only German and my EU Seminar seem like they'll be really good. By Friday, I was definitely ready for a break. We ended up doing dinner a friend's place on Friday night. She and one other girl cooked while the rest of us supplied bread, salad, and drinks. It was great to just relax and hang out with good people. We saw some other IES students while we briefly checked out the scene at Vaubar (neighborhood of Vauban + student bar = Vaubar). I didn't end up staying out super late, but that was more than fine since we were getting up to go hiking the next day.
We took the train into the Black Forest to go hike the Feldberg, which is the tallest mountain there at about 1,500 meters. You can also ski and snowshoe there, but since we're all being cheap and hiking is fun, it was the best way to go. We had a fantastic time and got some good pictures, which you can find here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=153601&id=599810215&l=ffff0835eb
Here's a shot that we took with a timer:
I'm definitely not the shortest one in the group, but some of us are knee-deep in snow. It's been a big snow year for Germany and there were untracked fields of powder all over the place.
After the hike, we decided to get ice cream. Germans are really big on ice cream and toppings and there's a cafe devoted to it right near the main train station in Freiburg. I had some delicious Spaghettieis, which you can see near the end of my photo album. The indulgence was totally worth it. Afterwards, we went back to our rooms with plans to meet up later. We hung out for a while that night and then went dancing at a place in town that plays 90s rock music. It was a good time, although it seems like one of my flatmates had an even better night. He went to a Fasnacht (carnival) celebration and ended up covered in purple body paint and drunk on traditional carnival Gluehwein. It seems that the time of year for crazy drunk German festivities has nearly arrived. Fasnacht is happening in Freiburg soon and I will be sure to take pictures of the costumes (truly a sight to behold).
This week, we're going to Strasbourg to visit the European Parliament. This should be a fantastic trip, and I'm especially excited because we get to visit the Debating Chamber. I do miss debate here in Germany and watching parliamentarians in action should help with that problem. Then, on Saturday, we're going to the Swiss Alps for some sledding fun. Can't wait.
All for now - bis spaeter!
No comments:
Post a Comment