Gahh! Its still hard for me to fully process that we’re in Germany!! I mean, I knew it was coming, and I thought it would get more real after we booked my ticket but its still just a bit surreal! I definitely have had a few reality checks though when sitting in a coffee shop or at a restaurant and I have a hard time with the simplest tasks, like ordering food or trying to follow signs to the bathroom! These are definitely mini adventures inside one massive adventure!
This past weekend we went to Cologne to not only visit the beautiful city, but to hang out with some awesome people!! Ben’s family helped host an exchange student back in the day, and we’ve all kept in contact since! I’ve met Julia before when she was in the US visiting, but this was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting her husband AND twin girls! I don’t think they quite grasped that we REALLY couldn’t understand them. At times they would realize and(apparently :P) started saying crazy things about eating off the floor (to which many giggles followed)!
We visited the Cologne Cathedral and were blessed with the most beautiful of light streaming through a new window!! It is crazy to fathom the thought and detail that went into these old structures, absolutely stunning. We spent the rest of the day Saturday discovering Cologne with two wonderful guides ;) We put a lock on a bridge to “lock in our love” and even got to eat at a traditional Brauhaus! Julia recommended her favorite dish and I have no idea what it was, but it was absolutely delicious! Luckily we even stumbled upon an Christmas market that was open early (Its a definite must to visit one if you’re ever in Germany this time of year!). I’m sure I’ll have an entire post just on the christmas markets themselves!
My one requirement of visiting Germany was that I got to see at least one castle and we did on Sunday! It may not look like a traditional castle, maybe more like an estate, but the inside was SO beautiful! This upcoming weekend we have even more castle visits planned :D
While in Darmstadt (this is where we’re staying) I’ve had the chance to wander on the not-so-rainy days and have found some adorable parks and gardens!! All in all, here are just a few snippets from our travels thus far :)
At the Cathedral :)
Seriously though, this light!!
Our lock on the bridge :)
Schloss (Castle) Augustusburg in Brühl
Back in Darmstadt I discovered this little (well actually big) garden called Prinz Georges Garten
On the other side of Darmstadt is the Mathildenhohe Darmstadt, which was an artists colony. Its definitely beautiful!
A Christmas Market in Darmstadt!
