After our long journey from Pittsburgh to Munich, we touched down around 11:00 AM. Before leaving the airport, I got a cup of matcha from Starbucks and a yogurt bar from a small grocery store. One thing I noticed was the fact that their cup sizes are smaller than in America and I remembered that it is something I have heard from people before. I also noticed the difference in menu options. I was shocked to see cheesecake and other baked goods at the coffee shop, but it is common for them to pair a coffee with a slice of cake. When we got to the hotel in Augsburg, we got to meet Elizabeth and Nikolas, our coordinators of the trip here in Germany. We wasted no time and took a small walk through the city where Professor Feick gave us some history and a mini tour of the area we are staying. I noticed that there a way less cars and a lot more bikers and people walking. Also, the bikers will run you over if you do not pay attention. Public transportation has a much bigger presence here than in America. The featured photo is the town center. We also got a snack from a bakery nearby, a pretzel cut through the middle and filled with butter, a very popular item here.
Afterwards we had a moment to go back to the hotel to check in and freshen up from traveling. Then we took a guided tour in Fuggerei, which is a housing community that only cost 88 cents a year. It is for citizens of Augsburg that cannot work and are low on money. It has been around since 1521 and there are certain qualifications and conditions required to live there. On our walk to dinner, we got caught in the rain, but it cleared up quickly. Dinner, at Zeughasstuben, was our first time meeting the University of Augsburg students we will be working with for our company presentations. I got stranded at a table where I was the only American, so I was pelted with questions. I barely ate dinner, but it was worth it because getting to know them was great. Three of the students are in my group for the company analysis, while the fourth student sitting with us is an exchange student who will be studying at Pitt this fall. We all got along well and I was happy to answer their pressing questions about the states.
After dinner on the way back to the hotel we stopped for Gelato I was able to order a cone for myself in German (after asking one of our German friends what to say). Once we got back to the hotel we were all exhausted after a long two days with little sleep. I usually have some trouble falling asleep but tonight I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow. I am excited for what the rest of the week has in store for us.