Missing Marburg

It's been pretty much a week since I left Europe. Adjusting back into American life wasn't hard, but I'm still not used to being able to order things in English and having people around me speak and understand English. I guess I got used to being the American who stood out like a sore thumb in every city I went to.

In the spirit of Marburg, my dad and I tried our hand at making Auflauf (a dish popular among students in Germany - oh how I miss it) and sort of succeeded. It was good, no doubt, but it didn't really capture the Marburger Auflauf that I long for. We plan on trying again with some changes - we'll figure it out eventually!

Yumm Auflauf

So... After 38 days throughout 2 months I visited 10 cities, had 16 days of class consisting of 80 hours of German, ate food of at least 3 different cultures, adapted to the minimalist European breakfast, took a 40-minute bus ride into Marburg about 4 times a day, spent at least 37 hours on a train traveling throughout Germany and Europe, cheered on the Deutschland Fußballbund (German football team) wholeheartedly throughout their admirable World Cup run, experienced quite a few different cultures, and had an amazing time.

Throughout these 38 days, I became quite acquainted with an adorable town in Hessen by the name of Marburg. I took a weekend trip to Munich and experienced my first Biergarten as well as Ludwig II's beautiful castle, Neuschwanstein. I visited Berlin for a day and saw the Reichstag, remaining parts of the Berlin Wall, and the Berlin Zoo. In Potsdam, I visited Sans Souci, a palace modeled after Versailles. I went to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, and Sacre Coeur. I visited the town that I did my exchange program in four years back - Göttingen. It was great to see the city that first acquainted me with Germany again. I took another trip back to Munich to give my parents their first real Biergarten experience as well as see Neuschwanstein again. I stepped foot into Austria to see Salzburg - and the Alps for the first time. I crossed the border into Italy to experience the magical (and peculiar) city of Venice, where I saw Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. I ended my European travels in Rome, where I found myself at the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, Villa d'Este, and Pompeii. From there I hopped on a plane and landed in good ol' Newark, NJ.

The US was greatly missed - and Europe will certainly be (and already is) missed. Here's to an amazing experience - one I will certainly never forget!