Today instead of class, we took a day trip to the Black Forest and *pause for your image of the Forbidden Forest*…. now that you have that image, get it out of your mind! The Black Forest is absolutely beautiful and not nearly as scary as the land in Harry Potter. One of the great things about this program is the day trips that we get to embark on. We have gone to Munich, Black Forest, Strasburg, and soon Berlin. But today was one of my favorite trips and it didn’t have to do entirely with the Black Forest cake, but look how good it looks!!

Cherry, Chocolate, Perfection

And as the caption notes, it was perfection on a plate! Simply delicious. Although be aware, the cherries are soaked in alcohol…

The Black Forest is also home to some of the coolest attractions. We were lucky enough to go to a “roller coaster” park. The reason I put this into quotes is because it was not your typical roller coaster. The tracks ran along the side of a hill in the Black Forest and you were the controller of your cart. With my need for speed, I had the lever down the whole time. I almost thought I was going to fly out of the cart but I should trust the German engineering. You would think I would have learned to trust their knowledge after seeing all the amazing things this country engineers.

Location: Black Forest

Eat endless amounts of Schnitzel, sample different German beers, sleep for three hours, and repeat. This has been the endless cycle for the past week and a half I have been here and it is perfect. I absolutely love this country and the amazing culture Germany posses. The first weekend here we stumbled upon a beer festival. The whole day was full of music and trying different types of beer for different brewers. Unfortunately the perfect festival was only for the weekend…which probably benefited my wallet.

There is so much to do here though. It is fun to just walk around and see the beautiful architecture of Germany. The program here at Pforzheim is great. In the next six weeks, so much is planned for us to partake in. From visits to Mercedes manufacturer to Pub-crawls through the city, this program gives a great opportunity to learn so much about Germany. Below is a picture of the first event planned. We went to the black forest that surrounds Pforzheim University. In the trees 11 meters (sorry I meant 40 feet for all of you not living in Europe…) above us was an obstacle course that we were able to climb for two hours. It was awesome and made me feel like I was in a Survivor challenge.

Monkeying Around

The university itself only has two buildings. I think the HUB is bigger than the entire campus. I like it though. I like being exposed to a completely different atmosphere…as if being on a completely different continent is not different enough for me. I still have much more of this country to explore and I can’t wait!

Location: Pforzheim, Germany

I have roughly four hours left to cuddle with my dog before I leave for the airport. Yes my parents will be missed while I am on this amazing adventure, but leaving my dog is the real upset here. Besides the minor sadness I feel whenever I look into his big brown eyes, I am extremely excited!!!

My yesterday involved running around and doing everything last minute. Of course I have been home from Happy Valley since Thursday of last week. But rather than beginning to pack and get myself ready, I instead lounged on my couch watching countless episodes of 30 Rock for the past week. So when I realized I needed a converter, a new suitcase, toiletries, and six weeks worth of clothing I began to have a panic attack.

Luckily I slapped myself out of the stress and let the time-crunch fuel my excitement. The day was then spent rocking out to some Taylor Swift while I packed my entire closet. I kid you not… I was twenty pounds over the allowed limit. I always brag that I am a woman who does not need materialistic things, however when I weighed my suitcase and saw I was at 76 pounds, I began to reevaluate my claim. Maybe it was my seven pairs of jeans or three sweatshirts that I insisted come along that really put me over the limit, but it took me three times repacking before my bag was down to 46 pounds.  I am still trying to squeeze things in, but my mom keeps yelling at me.

Despite our slight bickering, my mom and I are off to Dunkin’ Donuts to get me a final coffee before my flight. The only bad thing about Germany is I don’t think they have Dunkin’s there. Oh well. I’ll sacrifice my dark roast for big pretzels and delicious chocolate.

Location: New Jersey