Getting to Know Marburg

5 days after arriving and I don't think I've beaten the jetlag yet. Getting between 5-6 hours of sleep a night, each following incredibly busy days.

The night before classes was a great bonding experience. The group went out to dinner and then went to a couple bars. The last bar of the night was perfect. We sat outside on their balcony looking over Rudolphsplatz, the main square the city. We scored a huge couch on their balcony and they even offered us cushions and blankets for the slightly chilly night. Sorry for the blurry photos, but my camera chooses not to agree with the evening light.

The second photo is the view of Rudolphsplatz from the balcony.  Rudolphsplatz is right next to the Oberstadt, and features some of the elevators up to the higher levels of the city. We also had some delicious Spaghetti Eis (spaghetti ice cream) there the other night.  To make it, they have to somehow press the ice cream into spaghetti-like strands and serve it like a plate of pasta.

Yesterday we took a hike to a tower overlooking the whole city. It was a very difficult and uphill hike, but definitely worth it. This is the tower we hiked to from the student cafeteria.

The hike was about 4 km long, once we finally made it through the city, which also took quite a while. The view from the top was gorgeous! The biggest feature you can see is the Schloss (castle). Unfortunately, I think the view of the Elisabethkirche, the oldest Gothic church in Germany, is hidden by some of the foliage. 

The walk back to our school (where all of our stuff was) was long, hot, and tiring... but we survived and had a great time! We went out to dinner at a bistro called Paprica and then went home for some much deserved sleep.

Tomorrow is our last day of class for the week! We leave from Munich in the early afternoon and start our Bavarian adventures. I'll blog as soon as possible after that trip with pictures!