Germany, Switzerland, and France....OH MY GOODNESS

So where do I even begin?  My original plan was to venture off to Frankfurt, Germany to visit the residence of Sharon and Klaus Schmitt.  Well, little did I know, they had SO much more in store for me. They took me under their wing as if I was their own.      :-)

My flight left Vienna on October 21st at 6:40am.  The night before my flight, I began packing and planning how I would get to the airport.  I quickly realized that there was a huge issue- public transportation to the Airport doesn't start until 5:30am.  So after some heavy research, (I DID NOT want to take a cab for 30 Euro) I was able to find an alternative that included a cab and then a private train company. Needless to say, I got little sleep (about 1.5 hours, actually).  I had to leave my building at 3:45am!

Once I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany around 8am, I was greeted by Sharon! We jumped in the car and got right down to business. Because they live outside of Frankfurt, we thought it would be best to explore Frankfurt since we were in the area. After a couple hours seeing a cathedral, Roman grounds, a trip to Starbucks and a walk through the Kleinmarkthalle Market, we were ready to head back to Weinheim, Germany (their home).

City Centre of Frankfurt, Germany

Roman grounds we stumbled on!

After meeting the cats (who by the way love me) and Klaus, we ventured off to explore Weinheim.  First, they took me to a little local restaurant that had some great food. I was a little skeptical as to what to order, because I knew that Klaus and Sharon love food and enjoy all types of food. I decided to order a salad (which is VERY strange for me).  It was literally the best salad I have ever had: A bed of mixed greens topped with balsamic, grape vinegrette, pan fried perch, jumbo shrimp, and a salmon filet. 

Shortly after lunch, we explored a little bit more. We visited a church, beautiful green grounds, small delis, the mall to buy a hat and gloves, the pet store, the grocery store, and much more.

It was a beautiful day!

After a nap in the early evening, Klaus made dinner that I wasn't so sure I would enjoy. The dish contained pasta, bacon, and cream sauce, which in a normal situation, I would love, but there was one ingredient that I was VERY skeptical of: MUSHROOMS...and in particular, Porcini mushrooms, which is a type of mushroom that is quite large and only available this time of the year.  Cooked right, and sliced thin, they happen to be really delicious!  To my surprise, I really loved the pasta. 

Delicious Meal

Shortly after dinner, Sharon and I escaped to Heidleberg, Germany for Pub Quiz Night. It was a very cool experience, because it was at an Irish Pub, the quiz was in English and included a lot of American knowledge, and our team got 2ND PLACE!!!

The ladies of the team!

The 3 men of the team!

So as you can imagine, we had a pretty full day, and I slept like a baby that night! We got up at a decent hour the next day and had breakfast (Food Note: I ate Wild boar's liver, raisin, and honey pate for breakfast and LOVED it). After packing and getting ourselves situated, we packed the car up and headed for Strasbourg, France.  I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got to France, but after walking around for a little bit, I fell in love with the atmosphere. 

Klaus and I

We visited Petit France, Notre Dame Cathedral, and had a snack at a small cafe where I had a French pear tart topped with pistachio nuts....another surprising item I enjoyed.

Notre Dame Cathedral

After fully exploring Strasbourg, France, we jumped back in the car and ventured off to Ribeauville, France along the Vin de Route. We walked through the old town, took a look at the famous stork's nest, found lots of funny outdoor cats, and then ended with dinner where I at the French dish, Coq au Vin. This dish included chicken in a wine and cream sauce. It was very good.  After dinner, we left for our hotel (Schwarzwaldasthaus Goldener Engel) in Germany in the Black Forest region. The hotel was cuter then cute.  It had a very homely layout, but very modern, comfortable rooms.  

After enjoying some BBC WORLD NEWS (in English, obviously, which was AWESOME), I headed to bed.  In the morning, we had breakfast in the hotel where I enjoyed some Black Forest Ham.  We went outside to see the Black Forest in daylight, and it was a site to see. 

The Black Forest region!

With a tight schedule, we headed out of the Black Forest to get to our last two destinations: Freiburg, Germany, and Lucerne, Switzerland.  First, in Freiburg, we were able to enjoy the city market, The Historical Merchants Hall of 1520-21, cool shopping streets, and Black Forest Cake and a cup of Jasmine Green Tea! 

Nom Nom!

Cake and Tea!

Jasmine Tea

After that nice little snack, off to Switzerland we went!! New currency, exiting the European Union...It was a bit different. Our first stop in Switzerland was actually to Burgenstock Mountain. Driving up the mountain was a lot scarier then I had expected, but the view once we got there was pretty amazing!  (Normally, I would have made these pictures smaller for space reasons, but these pictures are very beautiful, so enjoy!)

After coming down from the mountain, we went into the city centre of Lucerne, Switzerland.  We walked around for a good amount of time and enjoyed the city.  

By Night

By Day

Chapel Bridge

After a very eventful day, enjoying the culture, enjoying lots of food, and enjoying the weather, we hopped back in the car, to drive back to their home in Weinheim, Germany.  It was getting pretty late, but we were able to have a light dinner, and Skype home to my Mom. They really enjoyed being able to see each other!

Mary Poppin's, I guess :-)

The Fourth day: Day of departure, but stand assured, we fit the exploration of one more town in.  We headed back to Heidelberg, Germany (where the Pub Quiz was), but this time we were able to see the city by day.  First, we took the Funicular to Heidelberg Castle.  

We enjoyed the Old Town quickly, before it was time for to head back to Vienna.  Overall, these four days that I have just written about were the quickest, most eventful, and most fulfilling four days I have had here in Europe. It was amazing to see such great places with to very kind and giving people. Trips like these help me realize more and more why this is such a once in a lifetime opportunity that I need to take full advantage of.  Needless to say, I slept like a baby for the next 2 days after the trip.  School that following week was stressful, but so worth it!