Although each place we visited was unique and interesting in its own way, I would say easily that my favorite part of the trip were the seven days we spent in Germany. Although we didn’t make it to Berlin on this trip, we saw cities in the Southern and Western parts of Germany, known for their historic medieval architecture and delicious Bavarian cuisine (Bavaria is the name of the region in Southern Germany). Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to go back.
Later that Fall, I started my Bachelors degree at the Syracuse University School of Architecture. One of the best parts of this program is that we were able to spend a year studying abroad in London, United Kingdom and Florence, Italy in our third year of school. When I was studying in London in early 2019, I was ecstatic to learn that we would be going on a class trip to Berlin for the weekend. I was excited to finally visit the city that I’d heard so much about. It was as amazing as I imagined it would be, and five years (and a global pandemic) later, I had the opportunity to come back with a Fulbright grant! (More on this later.)
In my first two months of living here, it became clear to me that visiting and living in a city are two very different things. I don’t feel the pressure of seeing and doing as much as I can (as I would have if I were here for only a couple of days), so I can take it easy and enjoy the smaller things. It’s also a lot cheaper because rent for my apartment and a monthly train ticket are significantly less expensive than booking a hotel or Airbnb and paying for individual tickets. Berlin is infamous for its weather (or so I’ve been warned) and so far it’s been a bit chilly, but sunny, which has allowed me to explore the city comfortably.
