What a long day it's been! It was our last planned day, and we spent it in one of the cutest cities I have ever been to, Ulm. It started off early as we took the tram to the main train station in Augsburg. It was already starting to rain, and having lost my umbrella at Dachau, I knew that I was in for a long day of trying to escape the rain. We then took the ICE which is a super fast train. I tried and tried to stay awake on the train so I could talk with my German friends Manuel, Katha, and Patrick, but I knocked out almost immediately after we started moving. Before I knew it, I was being tapped on the shoulder by Patrick to get up because we were there. Even through the downpour, I could tell that Ulm was absolutely beautiful! We were given an extensive tour of the city. We spent a lot of the tour in the Ulm Münster, which is the tallest church tower in the world! It was absolutely stunning inside, as well. Looking up at the tower, I was getting a little nervous, because I knew that I would be climbing all 768 steps of it later that day. Also, I had made a bet with my friend Patrick that I could beat him to the top, so I was in for quite a workout! The city of Ulm was spectacular with its canals and beautiful architecture. It reminded me of Venice, which makes sense as the tour guide explained that a lot of it was modeled after the Italian city. As the rain picked up even more, we had finally reached our lunch destination, a German pancake house. I did not even think pancake houses existed in Germany, so I was very surprised when we had come upon it! This was unlike any pancake house I have ever been to, though. Not only did they serve sweet pancakes, but they served pancakes with almost anything you can imagine on top of them! The pancakes arrived, and they were the size of an extra large pizza! I ordered one that had creamed spinach, bacon, and a fried egg in it, and it was really good! I can honestly say that I've never had anything like it in my entire life. I did not come close to finishing it, so I was amazed when I saw that my friend Patrick had finished every bite of his and then moved on to finishing mine! Even though I was so full, some friends and I decided to order a dessert pancake. I cannot believe how much food I've already eaten on this trip! I am definitely hitting the gym as soon as I get back! After lunch, I explored the city and did some shopping with Patrick and Manuel. After some fun looking through the shops, it was time to climb the tower. As I looked up from the base of the tower, I immediately regretted my decision to race Patrick. We then set off to start the climb! At first, I was a close second to Patrick, but before I knew it, I had completely lost sight of him as he ran up the steps! I was starting to becoming a little dizzy and claustrophobic as I made continuous loops up the stairs. As I made it to the first platform, I thought I was done, but my heart nearly dropped as someone informed me that there were still four more platforms to go! So I kept on, breathing heavily with each step. After perseverance and some pep talks to myself, I finally made it to the top, where I was greeted by Patrick who had already been there for probably 10 minutes! Even though my legs were a little shaky and I could barely catch my breath, the view was worth it entirely! It was spectacular! After taking in the view for as long as I could, I realized that I had to walk back down. I slowly walked down, making sure not to lose my balance. When I finally touched down on ground, I was so happy and proud of myself! After our exhausting climb, it was time to head back to Augsburg for our farewell dinner with the German students at the Ratskeller, which is a really cool restaurant in the basement of the Rathaus in the city center. I could not believe that this would be the last time that we all would be together. I could already feel myself getting emotional, but I enjoyed the night talking and laughing with all of my new friends! We then exchanged gifts with the German students in our groups. They loved their Pitt t-shirts and even proudly put them on as soon as they got them! Overall, it was an amazing ending to a great day and an even greater two weeks with the amazing German students who treated us so nicely and became our friends so quickly. I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity to work with all of them. I was definitely sad this night, but I knew I would be seeing a lot of them the next day for breakfast and then a barbecue later that night, so I tried to save my emotions for the next day. The thought of having to say goodbye to all of them made me so sad, but I knew I would be returning with so many stories to tell!
Bis Später!
Lindsey
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