With it currently being 10 PM here in Augsburg (or 4 PM in Pittsburgh), I can definitely say that I am drained from the last (almost) two days. Yesterday, we left the University of Pittsburgh at 9 AM, and travelled from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, North Carolina around 12 PM. Post-arrival in Charlotte, we had a layover of about 3 hours… leading us to our second and last flight to Germany!
This flight was nine hours, and I wish I could say it felt shorter than nine, but unfortunately it did not. I slept for most of the flight, with some abrupt wake-ups when the flight attendants came by with snacks and drinks (pictured below).
After the long travels, we finally arrived in Munich this morning around 7 AM, and to say the least I was TIRED. Although I slept on the plane, I still could have slept for hours more. After getting our bags from baggage claim, the Plus3 Germany group all took a bus to Augsburg, which was about a 1.5 hour drive. Once again, the sleep got the best of me, but I was able to stay awake for some of the drive, and it was interesting to see the different driving signs there were. For example, the speed limit signs here are in the shape of a circle with a red outline, and it has the number in the middle. To be even more specific, the number differs from the United States because it is in kilometers per hour instead of miles per hour. Additionally, on the bus ride, I noticed how spacious houses were from each other, as well as how much greenery there was. In Pittsburgh, you don’t see a lot of “greenery”, so it was refreshing to see for once. Adding on to that, we learned in class how Germany is much more eco-friendly, and I witnessed that when we drove past a field of solar panels:
We finally arrived to my hotel, and almost all of us just wanted to crash and sleep. Unfortunately, (just like in America) check-in for rooms happens in the afternoon, and we got there at around 10 AM. We were able to put our suitcases in a conference room, and we met our partners at the University of Augsburg: Elizabeth and Nico! They were very kind and helpful during our day. We proceeded onto a tour of the city, and stopped at a shop called Isle!
Walking around the city of Augsburg, I got the quick sense of homeyness in the town. Additionally, on our tour, we passed by a lot of historical structures, including three fountains. We also passed by the dome, and we learned that it can only be deemed a cathedral if it has a bishop, which it does. We are supposed to tour the dome tomorrow, so I will share more information about that tomorrow! After walking around for some more, we stopped at a restaurant for water, and got to know each other a little more. Before heading back to the hotel, we took a pit stop at the townhall of Augsburg, and got to see the top floor. I have to say, it was stunning:
We finally got to go to the hotel, check into our rooms, shower and rest for about an hour before we had to get together to tour The Fugerrei (the world’s oldest public housing). It was very interesting, but my tiredness was kicking in after having walked so much. On top of walking, the temperature was so much hotter than the predicted weather had told us, so I was getting more dehydrated than I was expecting to be.
To end the day as a group, we got a group dinner with the German students from the University of Augsburg at Zeughausstuben. The food was very delicious, and I am so fortunate to have been able to get to know some of the students more. I can’t wait to collaborate with them these next two weeks. Sorry this blog was on the longer side, but to be fair today felt like two days combined into one because of the jetlag and travelling.
Talk soon!
Kaylee