The first thing I noticed was the local market and grocery stores that were actually inside the airport. This was very unique compared to what we have in the states. The prices also didn’t seem to be that outrageous in the airport as well. Which again is very different from what we have in the states. During our travel day, a water and a protein bar cost me 14.99 in EWR. In comparison, a coffee was 4 euros and a 10 piece of fresh sushi was 7 euros. This seemed a lot more reasonable and not gut wrenching when handing over my credit card. When driving to the hotel I was able to see a number of cars with branding I’ve never seen before. This caught me off guard at first just after such a busy day. I soon realized I was in Germany not Pittsburgh, PA. The gas prices being around 8 dollars per gallon was unique to see how other countries are affected by our own decisions and involvement with the Iran war. The hotel upon entry was kinda unsettling with how small it was, but at the same time I have been in dorm rooms around the same size so it wasn’t a crazy adjustment to make.  The city seemed very clean and well-kept in comparison to back home and around my apartment in North Oakland. Another quick thing I noticed within my first couple hours was how the average person here seemed to be a lot more in shape looking in comparison to back home in Pittsburgh. I was able to go on a run. This also reinforced the idea of seeing how clean the area was. It was very unique to be able to run in a city and 3-4 miles later be in basically farm land. I was also very surprised to see a golf course. In comparison back home I have my apartment in Oakland. So I’m used to running in a city setting, but my parents’ house 20 miles outside the city is right by farm land so it wasn’t unique to see both styles in one run/location. It was hard to go immediately on the tour after traveling all of the day prior, but it kept me moving and away from taking a nap. The most unique statement I remember from the tour is hearing how Augsburg had more bridges then Venice. The impact of the unique cheap housing option was very cool to see and question why this structure isn’t implemented everywhere. It was also unique how the people who live there and give back and do what they can to make up for the privilege of the housing. The housing location being in the middle of the city was also really cool to see and how it was designed to be gated in. It seemed to be a community inside of a community with its own values and morals. One question that I was immediately asking is why the grocery stores are closed at 8 in Augsburg and why the room doesn’t have a fridge or a safe?

Authentic Bavarian food

Picture from my run around 4 miles south of the Hotel