Everyone attending Plus 3 Germany all met up in our old classroom where professor used to quiz us with facts about Augsburg the day before we took off on our flights. We had a nice dinner where we went over final details and all got a good nights rest for the travel that was about to come. At 9 am we all piled into a bus that took us to the airport and after 12+ hours of traveling we finally landed in Munich on Sunday! It was 7 am in Munich when we landed (1 am in Pittsburgh time). After going through customs we finally got on the bus for our one hour ride to Augsburg. The trip there was so pretty and we saw the beautiful fields that went on for what seemed like miles. One thing that stuck out to me was how they have a lot of solar energy farms and professor said that Germany is a very innovative country when it comes to technology.
We arrived at what would be our home for the next two weeks, which was a hotel close to central Augsburg. Here we met our two program coordinators: Elsabeth and Niko. They gave us a brief introduction and gave us everything we would need in the city like bus tickets and euros. They were very welcoming and we all clicked with both of them fast. Even though we were all jet lagged we made our way down into exploring the city. First we got a brunch which was a sandwich; honestly it was so much better than anything I have had in America like it. After that we went on a walking tour and saw many beautiful Cathedrals and the town hall. Everything about this city looked like it was out of some German folk tale. This city is SO much different than Pittsburgh. It is a lot cleaner and there’s a lot more green. All the drivers seem nicer too and are not always beeping and getting mad at each other. We took a trip into the town hall, not really expecting to see much other than rooms with chairs and desks until we went up to the third floor and saw a gorgeous room with paintings on the walls and ceilings and figures covered in gold. The group all sat in chairs and just stared for a while.
A note to keep in mind is that in Germany water is not free and if you just ask for a water it will come with bubbles. Personally I am not a fan of bubbles and will ask for tap water and sometimes they will give it to me for free. After all the running around looking at everything in the city, it was finally time to go back to the hotel, get into our rooms and settle down until dinner. Everyone was fighting over who got to shower first, long travel really makes you feel gross. Once everyone was ready we gathered in the hotel lobby and walked to an authentic German restaurant: Zeughausstuben. There we met all the students from Germany. I sat at a table with three girls who were all duding international’s business. They were extremely nice and everyone was asking them questions and they were asking us questions as well. Finally it was time to order and again this was traditional German food. I am not familiar but I read the description of a Schnitzel and it is close to a chicken/ pork/ turkey cutlet. I decided to get the Turkey Schnitzel served over a Swedish type of pasta covered in creamy mushroom sauce. I thought it was so good and would definitely order it again.
During the dinner some of my friends and I met one of the students who offered to show us what we did not see the first day in the city. His name is Maxi and he actually used to go to school in Wisconsin. It was nice to get a tour from someone who lived in this city full time and he helped us learn some German phrases too! After all the travel and the long day oof exploring we decided it was time to get some well deserved rest and get prepared for the following day. Overall I had a great first day and I am so excited to see what comes next!
See you back here for day 2 tomorrow!
Lauren McCay