Germany- Last European Adventure

An extended weekend that was planned last minute, was just a HUGE blessing from God! A & I, good friends from college and former roommate, were celebrating a belated anniversary trip to Europe and would be stopping by to see his brother who was studying abroad in Germany. I had never been to Germany, so in the midst of saying goodbye's (my first hard one was right before I left),just two weeks until I leave for good, I boarded a plane for a last minute adventure to Germany! With the help of R, the brother, I knew what train station to go to to get a train to his city, but little did I know how eventful the day would be!

I left on a Saturday morning, and arrived to Dortmund, caught the correct bus to the main train station only to find a large sea of people wearing yellow and black jersey's, drinking beverages while singing off-key chants in German. Then my mind was jogged, oh yeah, he mentioned something about a big soccer game.

I purchased my train ticket and confirmed the platform number, and then headed into the center of town a little to grab some lunch, to kill time. It was all lovely, Germany, a new place to explore! I arrived at my platform in plenty of time but not too early, and boarded the train with the rest of the people waiting. Little did I know I made a classic mistake, I didn't pay attention to the train number I was boarding. When the conductor came by the first time, I could understand that I was on the wrong train, but I didn't understand him telling me that I needed to transfer in 2 stops.I started to sweat a little, but thankfully I had a similar experience on a train in Italy last year. The 2nd time he came around, I would tell I missed me stop. He spoke a little more clearly, and I knew what I need to do. So I got off a the stop, and boarded another train, that took me to Dusseldorf (which I wanted to visit, and can now say I at least stopped over there), then boarded a 3rd train that got me to my final destination only an hour and a half later than I should have been. To make a long story short, R was waiting at the station for me, and in my last message to him I gave him my phone number, so the whole time I was finding my way back to the correct place I was hoping he would call so I could tell him I was going to be late! Thankfully he was still waiting when I finally arrived, and that is when I found out he didn't have a cell phone in Germany. So, we went and got me checked into my hotel and then went back to meet I & A as they arrived!

Now onto the actual trip! :) That night we cooked dinner at R's dorm/apartment, and I was reminded of how good I's cooking is! Then we went to the student center where we enjoyed cheap beverage and a game of soccer. It was the championship game between Dortmund and Munnich, both teams from German, BIG Deal! I was excited to go back and talk to some of the boys in my class who are HUGE soccer fans, about the first soccer game I have watched and actually understood (Partially).

Sunday was a cold and dreary day and thankfully R asked two of his friends to join us as we toured an old mine, that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum was almost a natural history museum of sorts. It was really interesting.

It was an enjoyable time by all! :)

The last day there, R had class so the three of us decided to venture to Koln, which was a short train ride away. I got to spend at least 4 hours there. Thanks to my Space Saver Bags and awesome backpack, I spent as much time as I could in Koln and then caught a train back to the airport.

 The main attraction was the Cathedral, in which we climbed the bell tower (with my backpack).

OH, I forgot to mention that before we left for Koln, I had to ride the Schwebebahn, the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. I spend like $3 and only rode it 1 stop, but I can say I did it!

Overall, the trip was such a breath of fresh air! It was a totally planned by God, it just took us awhile to see the logistics, but on the train ride back to the airport I found my heart overflowing with thankfulness. God is so awesome! :)