I think I am finally getting better I writing down my experiences now that I have so much more time on my own. Even so, since my last post I have been to quite a few cities and seen plenty of long-awaited countryside. My long train ride to Grenoble was gorgeous: I saw vineyards, French Alps and hilly farmland just as the sun was setting. I had a long wait at one train station before the final leg of the journey but met some nice Canadian girls and an American guy to chat with while we waited for the bus. They were studying in Grenoble for two months and had just been in Marseille for a day trip. We played cards for a while and they shared their M ‘n M’s. When we finally got to Grenoble after midnight, they helped me find where my hostel was and were very helpful. Luckily, the hostel I was staying at was not very full and I had a room to myself which was nice so I didn’t have to wake people up at 12:30 at night. The next morning I brought all my things with me to the train station and bought a ticket to Strasbourg, which is a pretty town right on the border of France and Germany that I had heard a lot about. I had about four hours to explore Grenoble before my train left and still had all of my things so I improvised and walked to the hotel of the Canadians and asked the front desk if I could leave my bag there for a few hours. It was a long shot, but luckily, the girl was nice and understood enough English to realize I was in distress. She graciously allowed me to leave my huge backpack in the office until I returned. We put a sticky note with my name and the time I would return on it and I was free to explore for a few hours, which as it turned out was all I really needed. The town was very pretty and surrounded by the French Alps but didn’t have too many touristy things to do. I did really enjoy the view from the old fortress that was up on a cliff overlooking the town. I took a small gondola up there and enjoyed the view in the rain for a little while before heading back down and going to the museum. It was a very nice museum with a great collection of modern art and a few nice romantic and impressionist pieces as well. Plus, it was only 2 euro to get in! I wandered around a bit more and found an adorable café to sit in and eat a Panini sandwich for lunch before heading back to the station.
My last long train ride was uneventful but also had some wonderful scenery. I arrived in Strasbourg fin late evening and was able to walk to my hostel, which was very close to the train station. Even during my short walk, I knew I would love the old French-German town surrounded by canals and filled with bike-riders and cute shops along the narrow streets. The next morning I woke up, had breakfast, then went back to my room and chatted with a couple girls that were staying in the same room. They were from Atlanta and had just finished a year in British boarding school as a gap-year experience before college. They were nice to chat with and invited me to go bike riding with them. I was eager to explore the town but riding a bike sounded very refreshing and they promised to show me around the town a bit before we continued onto the countryside so I agreed to go along. It was the perfect decision and after renting our bikes we rode over to the cathedral and explored the area for a short while before going to the tourist office and finding a bike route. Since we were so close to Germany we decided to bike over there and have lunch in the border town. It was a beautiful day and the riding was a refreshing way to get around—I felt like I was flying down those tiny cobblestoned tourist packed streets. We made it out into the countryside, finally, which was even more refreshing and beautiful, plus there was a gorgeous little park that we stopped in just before the river that bordered Germany. Once in Germany we were all overwhelmed by the adorable red-roofed houses and beautiful overflowing flowerboxes on almost every window. We careened around the town a bit then continued up the river for a while. On our way back into town, we found a nice cheap café overlooking a busy square where we stopped for lunch. I had an amazing salad with fresh veggies and local German cheese and we each had a glass of white beer, which was a very delicious regional specialty. After our lovely afternoon I walked around the town a bit on my own before walking back to the train station for yet another train. I was very excited though because the train was only two hours long and would take me directly to my location. The train was very comfortable and on time, the German people were very helpful in the station, and I was able to speak English with all of them. Let’s just say after my stressful experience with the trains in France I was happy to be in Germany!
My next city was Freiburg, and since I could tell I was getting a little worn out I decided to stay there two nights which was a great decision. I arrived in Freiburg around 7:30 and found the tram to my hostel very easily. However, once I got of the tram I was completely confused about which way to go so I was standing with all of my luggage at the crossroads of two streets holding my tiny map and looking very confused when a nice Germany girl approached me and asked (presumably) if I need help in Germany. I said “Yah” and pointed to my map and the name of the hostel and she nodded and asked if I spoke English. I said “Yes!” quite enthusiastically and she laughed and gave me perfect directions to the hostel, which turned out to be very close by. Somehow in my tiredness, though, I got myself lost by turning right instead of left (even she SAID left, AND pointed) so I randomly asked a nice guy with a bicycle who also gave me perfect directions in English. I finally found the hostel after feeling slightly stupid about my inability to listen correctly, checked in, and took a long-awaited, very necessary shower. I made myself dinner with my groceries and relaxed with my book before falling deeply asleep, unconcerned about my full day ahead of me with no travel plans.
The next day was wonderful. I left myself sleep in and leisurely got ready for the day. I took my book to the café where hostel-members received a discounted breakfast and ate two yummy buttery croissants with my coffee while chatting with the bar-man in Spanish. I felt very relaxing while wandering around Freiburg and got to see plenty of sights. I sampled some yummy cheeses in the local market just in front of the Munster cathedral and wandered up and down the streets lined with tiny ancient canals and leafy Black Forest trees. After a few hours of wandering and another fresh salad at a local café, I had strange longing to get on a bicycle again. Luckily, my hostel rented them for only 5 euro for 24 hours so I took advantage and rented one that afternoon. The hostel workers were very helpful, gave me a couple of maps and described the bike-route to get out of town. I decided to take the more flat route to ride past the vineyards and into a neighboring town since I was still fairly tired. It was a good choice and I had a beautiful ride along the river, and then right through a long stretch of tall dark pine trees. It was gorgeous. Just past the edge of the forest were miles of vineyards and several adorable towns dotting the edge of a winding stream. I explored the towns a bit, rode along the stream awhile, and then stopped for a glass of local white wine in a café nearby. It was delicious and I was tired after the 14-kilometer ride out there. The ride back was also gorgeous and I knew the way so I didn’t have to stop and check the map at all. I stopped to pick up some groceries on my way back and took another refreshing shower before making a huge pasta and vegetable meal to refuel for the next day. I went to bed early with plans of hiking up into the mountains of the Black Forest before my mid-afternoon train to Constance.
Even after my long bike ride the previous day I was up early to start my hike up the mountain. I talked to the hostel worker again and found an esy route that would take me directly into the forest without having to take a train or gondola ride. I took my bike to the start of the path and was hiking up the trail through the gorgeous wilderness by 9:45 am. It was soooo beautiful and I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. All of the birds were singing and the trees were so tall, gorgeous, and impressive. I was in the mood to hike and for some reason kept wanted to get up higher. So, I kept going UP. I saw some wonderful views of the city, as well as the other mountains in the distance. I quickly ran out of water in my bottle but the Germans are very smart and have water spigots of fresh mountain water strategically placed on the well-marked trails so I filled up and drank deeply. It was very fresh and cool and I felt much better. The best part about the area was that even though it is a popular hiking area, there are so many trails and paths that I only saw three other human beings the whole three hours I was out there. I was in heaven. It was the perfect way to spend the morning.
After yet another shower at the hostel I made my way back to the train station and took a train to Constance, where Kirsten is studying for the semester. For some reason the trains went through Switzerland, which was exciting to discover when I had to wait for a connection at the station in Basel and walked past the Swiss guards with their big guns. Upon my arrival in Constance, Kirsten was waiting for me and we had a great time chatting on the bus; it was nice to have someone to share stories with in English.
Well I will continue my stories about Germany and my adventures with Kirsten in the next blog. I am still having a wonderful and I hope everyone is enjoying summer at home!
Love, love, love
Maia Jo
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