I visited my friend Peter in a town near Olpe two weekends ago. Peter and I are friends from high school and he is participating in a program like mine right now. I had a great time hanging out with him during a wonderful experience of rural Germany.
Water break during a bike ride.
Peter and Lauren.
Peter and I at the Biggesee in Olpe.
Last Saturday I went to a Fortuna Düsseldorf soccer game. This was my first real exposure to European soccer and I was pwnd by its awesomeness. The crowd was roaring and singing nonstop and the game was a thrill. Düsseldorf won 3:0, which made for an awesome experience and a fun day hanging around town.
The Ryans
On Tuesday our class visited the famous Drachenburg castle, perhaps known by some as Drachenfels (random trivia: Drachenfels is the name of the mountain on which the castle sits. Drachenfels is also the site of Siegfried’s slaying of the dragon in the Nibelungen Ledgend). We went halfway up the mountain to the Drachenburg castle then to the peak to explore the Roman ruins there. Both structures were amazing.
Roman Ruins atop mt. Drachenfels
Another castle visit on Thursday, this time to the Augustusburg in Brühl, the 18th century palace of Clemens August. It’s really too bad we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside—the murals and all-around grandeur was something to behold. The garden outside was absolutely beautiful.
Group photo in the garden
Peter stopped by Bonn for a visit this weekend. I got to show him around town some and we hung out on Friday night with some friends. He also joined us for our Rhein river trip on Saturday, which was a blast. This trip included taking a train to a little town called Bacharach, exploring Bacharach for a while, then taking a river cruise north to Braubach where we toured the Marksburg castle (yes, another castle) after a delicious meal of Wienerschnitzel and fries. I would say it was an all-around great day.
The Rhein
