Herzlich Willkommen

My great-grandmother has always had a door mat with "Herzlich Willkommen" in all the houses she's lived in. I think it was a constant reminder for her of her roots, her homeland. Granted she lived in America almost her entire life, but you can never forget where you're from. Deutschland. Germany. Allemagne. However you want to call it, it's her history. And I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live here myself this summer and create my own history in this beautiful country. Germany has become like a second home to me. This is my third visit, and I'll be back in the fall to study in Freiburg with IES Abroad's European Union Program.

Panoramic View of Freiburg courtesy of Wikipedia

I have a permanent case of wanderlust, and I'm trying to see as much of the world as I can while I'm still young (and for as cheap as possible!) I've been blessed with the opportunity to see most of Western Europe from my studies abroad. Last summer I lived in Münster, Germany for six weeks and was able to visit Amsterdam, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Berlin all while I was there with my language course run through Hampden-Sydney College. This summer I'm currently living in Bayreuth, Germany (but only for three more weeks!) enrolled in Universität Bayreuth's summer semester. My German language skills have drastically improved after spending so much time living abroad, and I know they'll only be getting better. 

The city center in Münster, Germany

Springtime in Bayreuth near the Röhrensee Tierpark

I'll be posting about all of my past travels soon, starting from the beginning when I was first bit by the travel bug, my family vacation to Europe in the summer of 2010. Included in these posts will be tips and tricks of traveling and studying abroad (specifically in Germany). Because every college kid should go study abroad!