May 10: Friday already! We took the train to Landsberg am Lech and heard about its historical significance. We were joined by a couple of the German students who are so nice and helpful. I really liked sitting next to Giulia and Sven on the train rides and hearing about their life experiences. The prison where Adolf Hitler was arrested and sent to is in this city – Landsberg is roughly 900 years old. The river that runs through Augsburg also goes through Landsberg. Zimmerman, the painter of the church from yesterday also did work in this city and it was so interesting to see his design in the sunlight on the outside of the building. We entered another church, the Church of Ascension, and were once again amazed by the attention to detail and complexity of the artwork inside.
The local shops were so nice, and I got a few gifts for myself and my family. The entire group is all getting along so well; I really enjoy hopping around and talking to everyone to learn more about them as individuals.
I entered a tea shop to find a gift for my mom – the sales lady was so kind and asked where I was from. She knew of Pittsburgh and then asked me if I knew who Johnny Cash was – I said yes, and she told me that he was actually a soldier here and Landsberg is where he bought his first guitar! This is the reason why I love talking to strangers, I always learn something new. The town was busy because of the beautiful weather, but I enjoyed sitting and people watching with some friends. I am still practicing my German but was able to order a sandwich without using English :).
On a day like today, I imagine how pleasant it would be to live here and spend warm weekends going to places like Landsberg. The culture shock has not been bad at all and I have had great experiences with locals. Since we are done early today, I spent some time in the Augsburg Park next to the fountain. Just by listening I can hear people from different cultures just going about their day. I am going to try to learn some more German over this next week, so it is less embarrassing to order food. I will try to enjoy every moment and take in as much of this beautiful place as I can.