Day One: Wednesday, May 9th
After a flight from Minneapolis to Chicago, then Chicago to Frankfurt, we made it to Europe! We took a few hours to rest, and then we took the train into Frankfurt, where we went to Cafe Due Mani. We learned all about coffee and got to try some of their coffee as well. They were so kind to us, and even made us all cappuccinos! We were all jet-lagged, but we had a great time and stayed there for several hours. We headed back to town for an early dinner. From the train, we walked to a restaurant that was near our hotel. It was a great first dinner in Germany! We ate outside and the weather was so nice. I had flammkuchen, and we all tried different German food and drinks. We walked through a cute village back to the hotel and headed off to bed. It was an early night, but a great first day.
Day Two: Thursday, May 10th
To start the day, we had a delicious breakfast at the Rilano, where we were staying. We took the S-Bahn into Frankfurt and went to the square. There were actually people performing German music in the square! We also went into a bakery and then crossed the bridge over the Mainz River. Next, we walked to the Stadel Museum, where there was a Rubens exhibit going on. After the Stadel, we broke off and had lunch. Ordering lunch in German was interesting, but we did it! Afterwards, we headed back out of Frankfurt into Oberursel. We hung out in an ice cream shop for a while before heading to dinner. Oberursel was beautiful and very historical looking. We had dinner at a cute, hole-in-the-wall restaurant and headed back to the Rilano Hotel.
Day Three: Friday, May 11th
On Friday, we went to Leonid-Matthias, a fashion concept store in Frankfurt. They showed us their work and the philosophies behind it. Their designs were incredible and going there was a really cool experience. Afterwards, we walked around Frankfurt a bit and split into groups for the afternoon. In the downtown area, there was a market/festival event going on. We got lunch at some of the festival's food booths. Then we had the afternoon to shop and enjoy our time in Frankfurt. We went into a high end resale shop, the Birkenstock store, Esprit, & more. I also got German chocolate covered strawberries! After shopping, we met up with the group and headed back to our hotel for the day. Some of us decided to get dinner from grocery store, so we picked up some food and snacks and went back to the hotel. We ended up sitting outside on a patio area and having a picnic. The weather was so nice, and we ended up sitting outside and talking for a couple hours. This was our last day in Germany for a while, but we were all excited for Paris tomorrow!
six days exploring western europe...
before heading back to Germany
Day Eleven: Saturday, May 19th
On Saturday, we took the train into Mainz, where we went to the Gutenberg Museum. We saw the worlds smallest Bible and learned about things like the printing press. There was a outdoor market going on and the weather was great. We saw 2 cathedrals, both of which were absolutely beautiful. After our stop in Mainz, we headed to Weisbaden, where we saw the world's largest cuckoo clock. We had the afternoon to shop and explore Wiesbaden before taking the train back to the Rilano. For dinner, a group of us decided to grab snacks from the grocery store down the street. We had a picnic outside on the hotel patio. Overall, it was a fun, relaxing day and good to be back in Germany.
Day Twelve: Sunday, May 20th
Sunday was a really fun day. We went to the festival in the early afternoon. We took a train, then a tram, and all of a sudden there was a festival in seemingly the middle of nowhere. There was a ton of food, games, and even karaoke! We walked around, talked, ate, and had a fun time. Afterwards, headed back to the hotel, and then took the train to Nicki & Eddy's house, friends of Grit. When we got there it was all set up for us in their backyard! We had a traditional German dinner, which was delicious. They were wonderful hosts and so nice to us! We talked and laughed and ended up staying there until it was dark out.
Day Thirteen: Monday, May 21st
It was our last day! We tried not to think about it too much, this trip went by so fast! In the morning, we went to Hessenpark. It is called an "open air museum." Its set up like a little village, and we did indigo dyeing and felting. I did the dyeing first, and I dyed a tote bag. I loved how it turned out! Next, I felted and I felted a flower that was red, yellow, and black. After our workshops, we walked around and got lunch. In the afternoon, we headed back to hotel to pack and prepare for an early morning the next day. For dinner, a group of us decided to head back into Frankfurt one last time. We decided on a restaurant that wasn't very far from the train station, called Der Fette Bulle. We had fun enjoying our last meal together in Germany and reflecting back on the trip. It was a bittersweet night- we had a great time and was sad to see it go!
Off To Germany
This was my first time crossing the ocean!
Indigo Dyeing
Some examples of beautiful indigo dyed designs from the workshop.
Views in Frankfurt
The bridge over the Mainz River was full of love locks.
Frankfurt's Square
All of the buildings in Frankfurt's square had historical character.
Leonid Matthias
Leonid & Matthias showing us all about their sewing machine.
Market in Mainz
There was a bustling market in Mainz with food, flowers, & more.