Aufwachen kinder!  Wir sind in die Alpen! 

As you know, Germany was my first trip abroad.  I went with my German class my senior year of high school for two weeks.  I stayed with a family for five days I think, maybe six, and we traveled around Bavaria the rest of the time.  We went to Munich, Rothenberg, Garmisch, and Ravensburg.

I learned a few things while I was there, like try all the candy, and was a little more prepared for future trips abroad.  I sort of knew what to expect, but didn’t at the same time.  I decided to share some thoughts on my first trip, eight years later.

It was my first trip abroad

I think you get that now.  I had traveled a bit in the US with my parents (Hawaii a couple times, Georgia a couple times, Seattle a couple times, New York for choir) but this was different.  It was a whole new country!  I was pretty excited to finally go.

We got a little lost in Munich

One night after a group dinner a few of us were taking the subway back to our hotel.  We stayed out doing something, I have no idea what, a little longer and went back on our own.  We weren’t paying attention to subway exits and went up the first one and had no idea where we were.  At night.  We knew it was the right stop, so we weren’t that far from the hotel, we just didn’t know where exactly it was.  Someone recognized a church that was down the street from the hotel and we made it back fine.  I wasn’t terribly worried.  It was just the start of me getting lost on trips, but later all on my own.

I ate my weight in Nimm 2

Ugh, these candies are so good.  It’s like a Gusher was combined with Laffy Taffy.  Imagine a Laffy Taffy ball filled with Gusher insides.  They are sooo good.  I found them when I was in Slovenia, too and bought a ton to eat there and bring home.  There are hard versions, too, but I liked the soft ones.  I can’t even guess how many of those I ate.  I tried to find them online, but they were just stupid expensive.  If anyone knows where to find them cheap to get them in the US, let me know!  Always try foreign candy.

I only have one picture of Neuschwanstein

That’s right.  Just one of probably the most well known landmark in the country.  I don’t know how.  I have one with me and my friend in front of it, but just one of the castle alone.  I just don’t get it.

And most of the rest are fuzzy or hazy

My photography skills were not great back then.  I have so many blurry and hazy pictures, it’s ridiculous.  The pictures from the Zugspitze turned out pretty good though.  I’ve come a long way since then and all of these have been edited.  Not re-edited, I never did that with these, so this is the first time.

I cannot remember what the other castle we went to is for the life of me

I want to say Ludwig something, but I don’t know why.  Do any of you know which castle this is? (The one above)

I was super intimidated by customs in Amsterdam

Obviously, I packed my own bag, why wouldn’t I have?  Of course, I’m just carrying my stuff, why would I have someone else’s stuff in my bag?  Well, I get it now.  I’ve seen enough Locked Up Abroad to know.  I thought I was going to go to a Mexican prison, I get the questions now.  It was very intimidating back then, though, and I just couldn’t figure out why they were asking us all that stuff.

I learned to explore in all directions

In Garmisch, we only walked right out of our hotel.  We always went that way.  We stayed within a few blocks of the hotel but pretty much only to the right.  On our last night, a few of us went dinner and were walking around town after.  We went left out of the hotel and it was like a whole new world.  There was so much that direction that we didn’t get to see because it was night and everything was closed.  So I learned to go in all directions to see everything.

Ich spreche nur ein wenig Deutsch

We were told to remember this, so I did.  I only speak a little German.  Even more true now.  Good thing I still remember it.

I took German because I wanted to go on the trip

Our teacher also didn’t give homework, so that was a big reason, too.  But I wanted to go to Germany more than Spain.  There was never a big part of me interested in learning Spanish (until I went to Central America and now), but I didn’t have much interest in German either.  The homework won me over and the trip locked me in for five years.  Totally worth it.

What was your first trip abroad?  What about your first domestic trip?