Just another week

Welcome to another week here in Germany!  And Happy Friday to Everybody!

Currently another nice warm day here in Germany.  Birds are chirping and the streets are alive with the shoppers and beer gardens.  Seems like literally around every corner you find another Beer Garden.  AKA an outdoor restaurant type place that has a huge focus on selling beer.  They are incredibly popular here......Actually had a professor recommend going to one when we he let us out early this Wednesday!

Sitting at my desk munching on some delicious German chocolate

Decided it was about time I experimented in the foreign sweet department. So I went exploring in a candy store this week!!  
Apparently they have a chocolate that you are required to be 18 years old to buy.  So naturally I had to try it.  Apparently each piece has a liquid shot  of rum,whiskey, or baileys inside!! Definitely bringing some of these back with me. =)



 Decided it was about time to buy into the European fashion since I still have another 3 months here.  I was told that wearing tennis shoes is a dead give away for pointing out an American so I got a new pair that seem a little more European.  They all seem to where plain colored, pointy, leather shoes =/  seems weird to me in comparison to the bright basketball shoes you see all over America.

The fashion really does not seem that different over here in my opinion.  I may not be the best judge in the world considering I normally couldnt give a hoot about "fashion sense".  Seems to me like everyone wheres polos and tight jeans just like in america.  They dress like college students not like Europeans.
I have noticed one strange fashion thing since  ive been here.....Guys like to wear scarfs.... =/  not a fan of the idea myself but apparently, especially in France, it is very popular.

So other then my few shopping excursions this week, I have had all kinds of other adventures!

I was originally planning to spend the weekend at the festival they had in town for St. George....
However, didn't actually end up happening.  I was invited by some French friends to spend the day at a local lake!  After helping get the fire started in the barbeque we all grilled our own food and spent the day laying in the sun.   Nice and relaxing day all together.

As for Sunday.... I was planning to go to the festival this day since I missed it on Saturday but.......
My American friend Michelle invited me to go with her and her tutor to see castle neuschwanstein.
This castle is about an hour from ingolstadt and is situated right in the foothills of the Alps.
This is also the castle that the Disney cinderella castle is based on!!  After stopping a couple times and asking for directions we finally found our way to the castle.  My first look of it was amazing!!

Driving through a country valley, surrounded by the beautiful white capped Alps on both sides.  The sun reflecting off the snow, the fields blanketed in yellow flowers.  then suddenly you see it......This huge stone structure sticking out of the mountain side.  Like straight out of a movie almost

We were originally planning to go inside until we saw the 2 hour waiting line for the tickets.  We were still able to walk right up to it and take pictures inside the main courtyard so was well worth the trip.
A little bit on the history of the castle.  It was built by king Ludwig who nearly drove Bavaria bankrupt with the three castles he had built.  This one was never finished due to the kings early death at around 40....no one knows exactly how he died.... but thankfully within 6 weeks of his death his castles were opened to tourist to come and view for a small fee of 30 euro.  much cheaper now, but I think they made all there money back plus some.  Funny considering these towns would have nothing if it wasnt for the tourism.  Doubt King Ludwig saw that one coming though, would have made a great argument for building the castles.   "Just wait 50 years and these giant mansions I'm building for myself will pay for themselves, now give me more taxes"


Anyway after visiting the first castle we decided to visit the private mansion of King Ludwig.....Also considered one of his three castles but seemed more like a fancy house then a castle..

First had to stop for some delicious danish like pastry thing.....really wish i could remember what this was called though....

See really reaaaally fancy house...with a lot of gold!

The tour guide explained that the castle contains 500 kilograms of gold plating.  no wonder bavaria almost went bankrupt....

fancy gold plated statue that shoots water every 15 minutes.

The tour guide was very insistant upon getting the point across that this was a private mansion.  Meaning only King Ludwig stayed there....no friends, family, or anybody else.  Seemed to me a bit extensive for only one person to ever live there.   It was extremely secluded though....The mansion sits between two huge peeks in the Alps, with nothing anywhere near it, no houses or anything.  Just a hidden mansion in the Alps.

Finally ended the day by drinking a cold beer in the beer garden near the mansion.  before heading back to Ingolstadt for some well needed rest.

This week in school was also fairly interesting.  We had a holiday on Tuesday for May 1st. so decided to go to the pool with my French friends and Michelle.
I find it easy to classify people as for instance "my french friends"  but really it was Thomas, Niki, and Sofie.....see french friends is just easier.
Anyway though...This pool was amazing!!!  had three pools actually.  1 kids pool with two huge waterslides in it.  1 olympic pool for swimming laps, and 1 for the massive diving boards they had.  I promise to put up pictures next time I go, but didnt remember my camera this time =(
Had 1 diving board that was literally 40ft high!!  unfortunately was closed this time but im hoping they open it later in the year.

As for actual classes.... they went well this week.  I have come to the conclusion that the one master level course is definitely master level for a good reason though......=(
I didnt think any class could make me hate economics but omg this class is ridiculous!!  I got the book for it from the library and I have heard it helps a lot to read it....will pass one way or another but dont think it will be easy.

OHH fun fact!!  At the end of every class here they have a german tradition.  Instead of just getting up and leaving or applauding at the end of a lecture or anything like that,  every student knocks on there desk to say thank you to the professor.  I guess kind of like saying "Danke" german for thank you.

Welp thats all for now folks
Happy Friday and have a good week!!!

Auf wedersehen for now world!!