Kandern & Munich | Germany

Basel | Switzerland
Alsace | France

11 - 15 Dec

This was my last official trip of my abroad journey, so imagine how heartbreaking it felt when this particular trip was over </3 BUT it was something I've been planning on since before my abroad trip began. Germany was a priority for me. I purposely opened up my last week after classes so I could return to Germany. Unfortunately, it was pretty poor planning on my part. I really wish I saved more time for Germany so I could have the time to return to all of my favorite cities. It's okay. It's another excuse to return someday.

I absolutely love Germany. Anyone who knows me, knows I speak oh so highly of Germany all.the.time. It's a bit excessive (sorry, not sorry..? :P ). German's my third language, and Germany was the taste of European experience I've ever gotten. My first time was exactly four years ago - senior year of high school 2011 (now, I'm currently a senior in university). At the time, my love lied with the bigger & slightly more westernized cities. Now that I've had the opportunity to return, I'm returning with a new perspective, a higher maturity level, and deeper understandings when absorbing their culture. My German has only gotten more rusty, but I'm still so over the moon to be able to use it again. I realized that I'm not as terrible as I thought I was, but definitely not where I want to be with my speaking capabilities. "Übung macht den Meister." [Practice makes perfect.]

I flew into the Basel Mulhouse Euro Airport. The concept of this airport was so freaking cool! When you land, it gives you the option to exit into France OR Switzerland. This was the airport closes to Jenn & Aaron. I exited the Switzerland side, and got to spend a couple of hours in Basel, Switzerland before catching my bus to meet Jenn & Aaron. It was really nice seeing familiar faces in another country. I visited Jenn & Aaron. Jenn has been like my mentor since my jr. high days. I'm so grateful for everything she's done for me over the years. Jenn & Aaron are currently living in Kandern, Germany. Their location is literally at the border of Germany, France, & Switzerland. Their location is known as "Drei länder Ecke," which loosely translates to, "Three Country Corner." Isn't that cute?! haha. They are in the midst of a missionary trip. Jenn is teaching English at a private boarding school in this town, while Aaron works in the recruiting/administrative department. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to visit them. I've learned now that I'd much rather visit the smaller towns in Germany. The small towns in Germany have so much more charm and preserve the culture so much better. Being in smaller towns really eliminates the illusion of superficiality. My heart will always be in Germany & with my own personal depiction of the German culture. I think the smaller towns perfectly encompasses my romanticized image of Germany. Anyways, I spent the first 2 nights at their place. They were so generous with their hospitality. That Saturday, they drove me to France to visit a couple of Christmas markets. Alsace is moreso a county in France. We visited Riquewhir & Colmar. Colmar was the inspiration for Beauty & the Beast, but I think Riquewhir was a more accurate depiction than Colmar. Nonetheless, both towns were really adorable. I really felt like Belle, hehe.

Sunday morning, I rode the bus to Munich to meet up with Kathryn. She is also from NAU and is currently studying at NTU with me. We met in Nottingham through a mutual friend. It was so nice to return to a familiar city. It felt like, my turf, you know? Haha, seems so silly, but I loved it & really basked in the nostalgic feeling that wrapped around me as soon as I arrived. I loved everything about it, but the only downside was that this particular city has only grown more touristy. It lost a little bit of that magic for me. I think this was also a sign to encourage me to venture out to other German cities. I was so set on revisiting old cities, and I think the fear of unfamiliar territory frightened me a bit. I really loved the fact that Munich's beauty was still intact. Everything was definitely more expensive than it was four years ago. I was so ecstatic to revisit the Müller store to indulge in all the German chocolate. The Marienplatz was breathtaking. The Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) gave me the best feeling, and definitely got me into the Christmas mood I've been waiting for. Bratwurst and hot chocolate was probably the worst combination ever, but I didn't care. I've waited too long for this. The hotel we stayed at was kinda weird. It was a very convenient location, but very deceiving as far as looks go. The lobby was grand, and the photos online were quite extravagant. However, the rooms itself were kinda gross. There wasnt even free wifi. Towards the end of the night, we would just hang out in Starbucks (shamefully hiding in the corner cuz we didn't want to order anything either) across the alleyway until closing.

My only regret was not carving out enough time for the one country I loved most. I was kind of on a crunch for time, because I had to get back to England to prepare for my trip home in time for my birthday. My last stop was London [next post].

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity." - Colossians 4:5

Lieben Immer,
N.M. Chow