Today is my two-month anniversary for living in Germany! It seems so odd to have only gotten off an overnight flight sixty days ago when so much has happened. I’d like to use this anniversary to remember the interesting things I’ve been doing outside of the classroom over the course of my Fulbright grant.

Traveling

First, I’ve had time to see more of Germany and Europe than ever before. Outside of my training in September in Leipzig (Sachsen) and the Fulbright alumni meeting in October in Nürnberg (Bayern), I visited Salzburg (Austria) with a few friends on October 13.

There is a quick, two-hour regional train that goes between München and Salzburg which allows for easy access to the city. I talked about this in my last post, but wanted to elaborate. I visited Salzburg on the one, week-long high school trip I made to Germany, but we did not have much time to explore the city. I went alongside two Fulbrights who are also based in Bayern. We trekked up to Hochensalzbug (the fortress at the top of the city) and learned a significant amount about the city’s history.

Some interesting facts about Salzburg include:

• A group of men — known as the Bull Washers — painted a cow a different color during a peasant rebellion in the 16^th century to fool the opposition into believing they had a larger food supply then they did. The opposing side eventually gave up on their plan to starve Salzburg residents because they thought they had more food than the one cow they had.
• Salt was known as “white gold” or “weiß Gold” in Salzburg for years, as it was the good that made Salzburg and its citizen rich.
• Mozart was born in Salzburg and his house remains a monument. It’s yellow and is frequented by several tour groups. Tour leaders in the city often wear traditional Austrian/German garb, which is not frequently worn in the city.

Later in October, I visited Regensburg alone. I spent a day in the city via another regional train and received a small tour from the woman who I rent a room from in München’s son. I visited several churches and the iconic bridge the city is known for. I visited a castle and saw the only full royal fleet of carriages in Europe. The Innenstadt in the city was beautiful with stunning buildings and great views from church steeples. The city was full of green and rusty orange/red. It was a traditional German city, and I will be visiting again.

The city is also along the Donau river. I sat and read by it before attending a benefit concert for Ukrainian youth. At the concert, a choir and dance troupe preformed traditional songs and dances for the people of the city.

Some interesting facts about Regensburg include:

• The first café in Germany (Prinzess Café) is in Regensburg and opened in the 1600s.
• There are nearly 164,000 people in the city and is the fourth largest in Bayern.
• It’s Altstadt a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remains of the Roman fortress’ walls still stand around the city in several spots as well.

Herbstferien in Bayern took place from the end of October into the beginning of November. During the week-long break, I ventured with a few fellow Fulbrights in the southern part of the country to Greece. We stayed in Thessaloniki for the week and enjoyed the seaside city that showcases ruins, several museums, and many spaces of cultural importance to the country.

Our first full day in the city was the national holiday of Ohi day, when the Greeks fought off Mussolini and his attempts to take over the country. We went to a parade and got into the Byzantine Museum for free because of the holiday. We visited several churches and the Archeological Museum as well as enjoying a beach day.

Another Fulbright and I went to Meteora, another UNESCO world heritage site, to see some of the iconic and historic monasteries there. I had a museum day to myself where I ventured to the Jewish Museum and learned about what persecution has looked like for Jewish people in Greece over time and visited the photography museum as well which was split into two buildings. I learned about several active protests across the world and who are at the forefront of those fights in a traveling exhibit. I also went to the Arch and Rotunda of Galerius. On our last day, I visited the White Tower and the Olympic Museum with a few of the people on the trip. I also tried squid and octopus while in the city.

Some interesting facts about Thessaloniki include:

• The city is named after the sister of Alexander the Great who was married to Cassander of Macedon. Cassander named the city after his wife to remind people he was connected to Alexander the Great and his legacy.
• The second-largest city in Greece is where Aristotle was born and was part of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years. It was also occupied by the Nazis during World War II.
• House deeds used to be written in stone to declare who owned the structures that often had tile murals on the floors.

This past weekend I traveled to Freilassung, Bad Reichenhall, Königsee, and Berchtesgaden (a national park) to hike with two Fulbrights. The towns that are close to the German-Austria border and are stunning. We hiked for a few hours in the Alps and ate lunch before heading back to the lake and the city. The fall colors were vibrant under the overcast skies. It was a great way to spend a Sunday.

Exploring München

Beyond traveling outside of my placement city, München has become home. I’ve visited several museums, including participating in a “Night at the Museums.” Van Gogh’s second edition of Sunflowers is in die Alte Pinakothek while a Picasso painting is in die Pinakothek der Moderne. I went to an exhibition at Lenbachhaus showcasing the British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner, who is often credited as the first abstract artist.

I’ve been visiting different cafes in the city. I’ve found a few with delicious chai lattes that put the ones in the U.S. to shame. I’ve also found solitude in the state library here, even if I cannot get the Wi-Fi to work on my computer.

I’ve also taken different routes to my schools to embrace the autumnal colors while they last. I’m slowly making lists of where I need to go when the weather is nice again. I went inside Schloss Nymphenburg and walked around its gardens. There have also been a plethora of small events I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing, including the turning of Königsplatz pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The English Garden in the city is the largest park in Europe and seeing it in the fall was such a treat. People continue to surf in the manmade river there. I jumped in the river (Eisbach) in early October, and it was freezing, so I can only imagine how cold it is now.  

Extending my education

I enrolled at a local university here named Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München as a Programmstudentin (non-degree seeking student). It was nearly impossible to get the health care waiver you need to enroll and now I’m working on getting a discounted train ticket and getting into classes. The semester started a month ago, but I believe the lectures will help me continue improving my German. I received my student ID in the mail, though, which has allowed me to get more discounts at museums in town.

Alongside pursuing higher education in Germany, I’ve started working on graduate school applications so wish me luck with those!

Cultural exchanges

I also am starting my cultural exchanges in the city by volunteering to help German students participate in a battle of the books competition held by the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut in Nürnberg. I’m looking forward to helping these students read English books by American and English authors and embrace literature in their free time.

I also met with the München consulate and am starting to help report back to the consulate on the needs of Americans in Bayern.

I’m hoping to continue getting involved with cultural exchanges to enrich my experiences in the city and my time in Germany.

Simply enjoying my time

Overall, I’m really enjoying my time in München and have loved the opportunities my grant has given me so far. I cannot wait to see what else these 10 months have in store for me!