Oktoberfest

The Tilt-A-Whirl

When we realized that our first weekend in Trier was going to be the last weekend of the 200th anniversary celebration of Oktoberfest, the other international students in my hall and I decided we had to find a way to get ourselves to Munich.  We discovered a weekend special pass that would let us ride regional trains to Munich for a meager 8 Euro per person.  The catch was that the journey would last 14 hours on the way there, starting at 12:05 am.  We took turns sleeping to make sure that we would all catch each of the 6 different trains we had to take on the way there.

Hanging out in the Biergarten
(back: Stuart, Nicole, and Eric; front: Me, Sage, and Bree)

Dazed and confused, we stumbled off the last train in Munich, accompanied by a crowd of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Bavarians donning their dirndls and lederhosen.  The crowds of people were impressive, as we forged our way toward a brewer's tent, hoping to find seats inside.  After getting shoved around for about an hour of standing in the same place in line, we decided to just enjoy our Maß (liter mugs of beer) in the Biergarten.  After draining them and chatting with some Brits, Americans, and one Swedish guy who looked like a stereotypical viking, we stashed our mugs in our bags and snuck them past the security guard.

Techno Power
The best name for a German carnival ride.

Outside the Biergarten, there was a weird combination of family-friendly fun on the carnival rides, and debauchery to the tune of alcohol poisoning and fist fights.  We had a great time, but it probably would have been better if we had gone on a weekday to avoid the crowds.



The ride home was a little more stressful than trip to Munich, mostly because of sleep deprivation.  Despite some snarkiness toward one another, we managed to arrive in Trier only slightly worse for the wear.  I had a great time and I'm glad that I went, especially with the people I've met here.  I wouldn't mind making some more weekend trips with them, as long as the train rides are a little shorter!      

Luxembourg

My travels have gotten off to a pretty good start in Luxembourg.  I'll be here for a few days until I can move into my apartment in Trier, which couldn't be soon enough.  I like seeing different places, but doing that with my luggage for the year has been a little taxing. Luckily I'm getting some muscle definition out of the deal! 

Luxembourg City History Museum -
They had several of these wooden maps showing the
city's growth over time.

My first day, the city of Luxembourg definitely lived up to its reputation of being friendly. At least five different people helped me with my luggage, everything from getting on and off the bus to carrying it up slippery, urine-coated steps in the train station.  I love it. When I was locking up my luggage at the train station, I met a couple from Boston, who then treated me to lunch and let me tour around with them a little.  They were very nice, and the husband talked to me about grad school and my plans for the future.  We parted ways and I went to my hostel.   Even though my traveling went smoothly, I was worn out.

A weird exhibit at the Bank Museum,
featuring a man weighing gold.

The following day, I met two girls from UPenn at breakfast and we went to the Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg (Luxembourg City History Museum), which was way cooler than I expected it to be. The building itself was a great example of how Europeans manage to combine new and old architecture, plus the exhibits did a good a job of including a lot of cultural information that kept all of the timelines on the walls from getting too dull.  Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures (even though I did snap a few before the guard told us to stop). 

The Castle in Bourglinster, which houses a
restaurant and a small art gallery.

The hostel in the city filled up, so I’m now staying in the lovely town of Bourglinster, about 30 minutes north of the capital.  There are no shops, and I’ve seen a total of two restaurants in the area.  I walked about 2 miles to get to the nearest grocery store in the next town over, passing a corn field, 3 horses, and a woman driving a tractor along the way.  Needless to say, I haven’t been doing a whole lot since I’ve been here. The area is beautiful, but the rain has kept me inside.  I’ll be happy to move into the student apartments in the next couple of days, which is when the real adventure will start!

P.S. This is what jet lag has done to me.