The First Two Weeks

It has been a whirlwind two weeks, let me tell you.

Freiburg is a pretty intense place. It's actually much bigger than I imagined it would be. It has sort of a central downtown core known as the Alt Stadt (Old City), but the whole area is probably about the size of Brampton I would guess. Maybe a bit smaller.

I cannot get over the landscape, though. Freiburg is nestled right at the foot of the Black Forest, near Basel, Switzerland. My friend Shannon and I hiked 8 km through the southwestern section last week and it really lets you appreciate nature. We ran across a very old tombstone deep in the forest. We couldn't read the year on it since some the numbers were worn away, but we are pretty sure it is around four centuries old.


Other than the hikes around the Black Forest, most of my time has been spent in immersion classes with the other people who are on the trip with me. School doesn't officially start in Germany until October 20th, but I've been spending a lot of time in these classes. My German is horrible. I can write it and I have the grammar down, but I am utterly and totally lost when it is spoken to me. I know it'll get better and I shouldn't worry about it, but it's frustrating because I am impatient and it isn't getting better fast enough for my liking.

I attended Oktoberfest in Munich last weekend. THE Oktoberfest! It was pretty unreal. I wasn't really sure what to expect, except that liederhosen and beer were involved. It was actually much like the CNE, with games and souvenirs, and rides and food galore. There were, of course, the beer tents as well. It is a battle to get into one, but Shannon, Marisol, and I managed to get into three over the day. After you get into one, then you have to get a seat. Again, you have to fight your way through some 1000 people to get anywhere. But we managed to get seats and beer was had. They serve it to you in 1 liter glasses, it is pretty intense. Germans really don't mess around when they throw a party!

Things that I have noticed:
- Cyclists run Freiburg, and will not hesitate to run you down if you accidentally wander on to the bike path
- Germans like everything to be carbonated. Apple juice, water, you name it, it's fizzy.
- They are not nearly as forgiving with their language as we English types are of ours. A small grammatical error will cause them to get slightly indignant.
- Beer and cigarette machines are everywhere. The beer machine in my residence costs a euro. So a $1.50 Canadian will get you a half liter of Ganther pilsner.
- Turkish kebab places are everywhere. They make awesome pizza.
- Freiburg has North American candy stores, but they are incredibly pricey. Anyone who knows me, knows I absolutely love Pop Tarts. So imagine my delight when I run into a place that sells them. For $3.00 Canadian a PACKAGE. Not a box. A package. Needless to say, I don't love them THAT much.
- The phrase "Ich bin aus Kanada" is an instant friend maker.


That's all I can think of for now. I'm trying to rack my brain, think of what else I've done since I've been here, but it's late, so I'll save it for another time.

Here are some pictures! The first one is the view of the southern most part of Freiburg. The second picture is the Alt Stadt. The third picture is a commemoration design thing in front of the original city hall from the 12th century, when Freiburg was founded. The fourth picture is inside a beer tent at Oktoberfest. The last is yours truly and my friend Shannon, enjoying a liter of a beer. I'll put up more later as I go!

Viel Spaß!

- Matt