On May 10, we got on the bus at around 9 a.m. to leave Enschede and the University of Twente. We took a one hour bus ride to Germany, more specifically to the small city of Münster. Our trip guide, Enno, gave us a short walking tour where we learned that about 25% of the city’s inhabitants are students. We visited a really impressive castle that once belonged to a nobleman but is now used as a university building.

We also learned that Münster was almost completely destroyed by the end of World War II because of the bombings carried out by the British and the United States. The city had to be rebuilt from the ground up, and they decided to recreate many of the facades to look as they did before the war. We visited the main church located in the city center. We learned that the dominant religion in the area is Catholicism. The church began construction around the 1100s, making it an extremely important historical landmark. It was one of the few buildings that was intentionally not bombed, so it could serve as a reference point for targeting the surrounding areas.

After the tour, we were given around five hours to roam around. At first, we were not really sure what to do with so much free time since almost everything was closed because it was Sunday, which is considered a leisure day in Germany. We decided to visit the Picasso Museum, where we observed some of his paintings. Later, we strolled around the area and stumbled upon a really pretty trail for running, walking, and cycling. I was really impressed by the amount of greenery and biodiversity present despite being so close to the city center. It made me realize that Münster values sustainability and maintaining a balance between urban infrastructure and nature.

To conclude, I had a really good day because it was nice to walk around with no care in the world and not have such a packed schedule like we normally do. It allowed me to truly enjoy my short time in Germany by soaking in the cuisine, sights, and history.