The story continues…

Last time you heard from me I was writing from Brussels, and now I am home already. I explored Brussels for a few days, took a train to Frankfurt, and then I flew home about two weeks ago to surprise a friend for Independence Day.

While I was having a great time pursuing one of my biggest dreams of traveling Europe, I was quite ready to return home. Three months is a long time to be away from friends and family. The crazy thing is that I planned originally to be gone a whole month longer. Homesickness was not expected at all.

Anyways. Brussels and Frankfurt.

Brussels had yummy waffles and delicious chocolate but not much else. The “touristy” zone was quite ‘hoity-toity’ and pretty small. If you went a block outside of this area you were in streets covered in trash and safety would not be a choice adjective to describe the area. I was reading Rick Steves though and it seems like Bruges, Belgium is more Flemish and would be a better place in Belgium to visit. Hopefully that can happen someday for me.

The best part of Brussels was the food.

I was thrilled to be leaving Brussels and so excited to be back in Germany. The train ride was nice and smooth until they made us transfer trains half-way through. Everyone on the train had to leave with their baggage and wait until another train came that would continue us on our way. We only waited about ten minutes. Unfortunately the train came in ‘backwards.’ Trains can go either direction, but the direction this train came in messed up all of the reservations. Most of us were calm and just waited patiently. An American woman was complaining loudly about people being in her family’s seats. This frustrated and embarrassed me. I just pretended to be German. Genau.

The Römer

Some Kafka by the river on my last day.

Frankfurt ended up being an excellent place to end my trip. It is one of the major financial centers of Europe so it is modernized and reminded me much of Seattle. I mean there are Starbucks on every corner! Also though, it has some old world charm. The Römer is a cluster of Bavarian-esque buildings in the city center. They were gorgeous. Two days is probably all you need to see Frankfurt, but I highly recommend visiting it.

General reflections on my trip?

I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for the world. Yeah, I was homesick at times and yes, there were times over there with many inconveniences. But I feel that I learned so much.

My German ability increased for one. I was taking fifteen hours of German class a week so that was kind of a given. [Although I still am terrible at speaking German with the Viennese because their Dialect is so wack].

I grew in my general understanding of the world. Central Europe is a fascinating place with a deep history which has shaped the thinking of the people. I knew the American view on things, but now I have a wider grasp on past events and even present events.

I learned to be confident in my values and beliefs. People in my group knew who I was and what I stood for. I had some great conversations where I was able to just put on the table my belief in Christ, redemption, and love.

I have cultivated my travel ability. Part of this journey was conquering traveling alone as a woman. I believe I have proven myself. I was smart and safe. I saw amazing sights and ate delicious food. The fact that I was alone did not hold me back. But, I honestly do not want to travel alone. This was sort of a personal challenge that I conquered. I proved that I am not crazy but instead courageous. I would love to travel more of the world-- with someone though-- because having someone to take in the experience with you makes it sweeter. And after the fact the two of you share a special bond and can always relate to your specific experiences.

You know the best part of my travel experience is though? The story doesn’t end here.

Iceland Autumn 2013.

While in Vienna I applied to another study abroad program on a whim. I got in. It was a really tough decision because I did not know if I wanted to study abroad back-to-back, but in the end I went for it. So for one, my blog will continue in the fall on that experience. I am studying the fishing industry so my stories will probably be pretty excellent.

Also though, like I said before, I ate a ton of delicious food while I was gone. I am going to attempt to recreate some of it! Roughly each week I will be trying to recreate foods I tried while I was abroad and posting the recipes here. And you better believe that Apfel Strudel [Apple Strudel] is first! I will be posting in the next few days.
Okay. So this didn't end up happening. I did make Apple Strudel and Hungarian Goulash. However, I struggled keeping to a recipe and instead did my own thing. That made it hard for me to have a concrete recipe to share. I also have been way busier this summer than I planned so not much cooking or writing. Sorry!

Stacie Marie

**Also my camera started to die towards the end so not many pictures. Sorry!