The Black Forest (der Schwarzwald auf Deutsch) is the largest nature park in Germany and has been promoting hiking since 1864! It is in the Bundesland of Baden-Wuerttemberg in southwestern Germany, sharing a border with France and Switzerland. The highest mountain in the Schwarzwald is called Feldberg and stands at almost 5,000 feet.

This past weekend, I visited a friend from Susquehanna University who is studying in Freiburg, Germany. Freiburg is only about an hour away from the bottom of the Feldberg, so on Saturday we decided to hike the highest difficulty trail.

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We started at around 11:15am and finished a little after 5:30pm. It. was. amazing.

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The mountain was covered in snow and we saw so many trees, little waterfalls, lakes and cabin-esque buildings that are good for hikers who need to take a rest. After almost 4 hours of hiking, we stopped in the Zastler Huette and had hot chocolate and a delicious slice of cherry crumble cake.

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We finished our hike literally moments before the sun fully set on the mountain, which was honestly pretty scary. We for sure thought we were gonna be in that forest in the dark, but fortunately not.

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We were definitely not fully prepared for such a long hike or how much snow there was, but we both had a really amazing time. Aside from taking a few photos (of course) being off of our phones and just talking all day was really refreshing. Nature and exercise are always good ways to de-stress and recognize the beauty of your surroundings. When I suggested going to see the Black Forest, I assumed we would kind of walk up to some trees and look around for maybe an hour and then be on our way. What actually happened was so much better! I will never forget this crazy, cold day. Needless to say, we slept GOOD that night.

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Til next time!

Coffee is an integral part of cultures around the world, and it is something especially appreciated in Europe. But when you go to a coffee shop, what do you order? You kind of know what a latte is, maybe what a cappuccino is, but shouldn’t you try something new? Where do you start??? Good thing I love coffee and am willing to dedicate an entire blog post to it. Next time you’re in Europe and not sure what to order, read this post and hopefully I can help you find your new favorite drink!

Major differences:

• Like cold coffee drinks? Good luck. 99% of options at coffee shops that I have been to in Europe are hot coffee. Iced coffee, iced lattes, etc. are something seen only in tourist areas. In Vienna, the only iced coffee drink I really saw was called “Wiener Eis-Kaffee” which is espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass. You’ll have to learn to appreciate hot espresso and steamed milk while abroad.
• There is almost always an option to a add a shot of rum or other coffee-compatible alcohols to your beverage. This goes for both tea and coffee and is normally 60 cents to a Euro extra charge.
• Coffee drinks are often served with a little cookie or biscuit on the side!
• The type of drink you order determines the kind of glass it will be served in. They do the same thing with different types of alcohols.
• Coffee isn’t something you order a lot of. If you order a cappuccino, it is the norm to drink that cappuccino leisurely, probably accompanied by a pastry. Locals can sit in a cafe for 3 hours, but they will only order one cup of coffee. It is something that is savored and appreciated rather than sucked down through a straw. (Don’t get me wrong, I definitely miss making my daily iced caramel macchiato during my shifts at Scholarly Grounds.)

What to order: A Quick Guide

• For the super tough people who laugh in the face of fear: straight espresso. While I do love the tiny mugs espresso is served in, I am not cool enough yet to just drink espresso by itself.
• Americano- espresso w/ hot water
• Ristretto- made like espresso but with half the amount of water used when grinding the beans, it’s a little sweeter and stronger tasting than espresso
• Cappuccino- espresso w/ steamed milk and lots of foam! In Europe it is served with cocoa powder on top
• Latte- espresso w/ steamed milk and a little foam, milk is poured in on top of espresso (there is also something in German called a Milch Kaffee (milk coffee) that I think is the same as a latte, but sometimes they are both on the menu so I’m not sure. Milch Kaffee is just espresso and steamed milk)
• Chok Mokk/Choc Moc- like a mocha, but instead of a latte with chocolate it is often half a latte and half hot chocolate, so it has more milk than an American Mocha
• Latte Macchiato- same as a latte except the milk is poured in the cup before the espresso
• Cafe Crema- served like a large cup of coffee but is made using the same method and machine used to make espresso; basically espresso but a little weaker, sometimes mixed with liquid cream
• Filter Kaffee- regular filter/drip coffee that you sweeten yourself
• Cafe au Lait- steamed milk on top of filter coffee instead of espresso

This is not even close to the amount of coffee options out there in the world, but they are the staples on pretty much every European menu. Below are just a few of the many coffees I have had during my stay in Europe, including the time I tried to brave an espresso shot and failed miserably. I hope you liked this post and learned a little bit about coffee! Until next week!

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Last Saturday (11/9) was my 100th day abroad. I thought I would keep things simple and post 100 photos to look back on what I have done in the past few months! Enjoy!

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We have been in Marburg for a little over a month now, so I thought I would share some of my favorite places that I have found here.

Q-

Q is a café/club about a 10-minute walk from my dorm building. Three days a week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) they have free concerts starting at 9pm! So far, I have seen three bands from the US and one singer from Italy. It’s a small area and I haven’t seen more than 40 or 50 people in the space during a show. It’s a really intimate way to experience music and because a lot of the bands are from the US, I have been able to talk with them after the show! It’s comforting to meet other people from home and to see them get excited about meeting people who speak the same language. The building is built into the mountain and has parts that look very old, which is not unique for Marburg, but it does make for a unique performance venue. I am excited to keep going and hopefully see some German groups too!

Con:Text-

Con:Text is a café/store that I discovered when my Dad came to visit last week. Not only do they have coffee and pastries, but half of the store is a small shop filled with journals, mugs and other cute goodies. My Dad and I happened to go there on the store’s 5^th anniversary in Marburg and we got free pretzels and mimosas! There was also a live keyboard player and balloons everywhere. It was honestly magical. They have tables to sit and do homework and couches to just sip a hot drink and chill. They also have a basement downstairs that is a part of the building from the 14^th century. In the space are a few meditations mats and candles. Their goal with the entire store was to create a peaceful space, and I for one think they truly succeeded.

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Oberstadt-

The Marburg Oberstadt is something that is on every tourist recommendation when you search what to do in Marburg. Oberstadt directly translates to “upper city” and is the part of Marburg that requires an elevator to get to. I am lucky enough to live above the Oberstadt and walk through it every single day to get to class. If you wake up early enough in the mornings, the Oberstadt is completely empty, covered lightly in fog and so quiet you almost wonder if other people really do live there. On Saturday afternoons however, the town really comes alive. Everyone comes out to the farmer’s market in the main square and walks in and out of the shops that line both sides of the street. Everyone always looks like they’re enjoying themselves and you see old couples and families with small children and it’s very cozy.

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These are just three of the places in Marburg that are earning a place in my heart. There are others and I’m sure I will discover even more in the next month and a half! It’s so crazy to think about going home so soon. I am determined to make the most out of the last leg of my study abroad experience. Until next week, Aufwiedersehen!

Hi everyone, today I will talking about cultural differences I have noticed between Austria, Germany and the US. It’s getting harder for me to distinguish as I have grown used to the European culture, but here goes nothing!

1. Restaurants: You will not be rushed in a European restaurant. If you want to order one cup of coffee and sit there for 6 hours straight, especially in Vienna, no one will stop you. Waiters and waitresses check up on you periodically while you are eating, but not nearly as often as in the US. They won’t bring you the check until you ask for it. This is something I really like about European culture.

2. The environment: Austria is more strict about recycling than the US. Germany even more so. In Austria, trash is separated into about 7 or 8 categories. The main bins that you can find on just about any street are Weissglas (white/clear glass), Buntglas (colored glass), Restmuell (normal trash), Altpapier (paper) and Verpackung (packaging, plastic). There are also often bins for Biomuell which means organic waste- mainly food waste. In both countries there are serious fines for not disposing of your trash in the correct way. Something I have seen more commonly in Germany is glasses with a “Pfand”. This basically means you pay an extra tax on a drink because you are using a glass bottle, but if you return the glass to where you bought it, you will get the money back! The dining halls and cafes on University of Marburg’s campus all do this. It is a great way to motivate students to recycle and to use their own reusable bottles to avoid paying an extra tax.

3. Grocery shopping: One difference in Europe that is making it’s way through the US is charging for paper/plastic bags in grocery stores. Some tote bags in Germany cost a full Euro, so it’s always best to bring your own. Additionally, in contrast to restaurant culture, checking out at a grocery store is one of the most stressful things to do. You need to have your money ready as quickly as possible and be packing things into your bags almost as quickly as the cashier is scanning them. I’m not sure why this is, and I don’t think there are any official rules about it, I just know from observation that checking out is a quick process.

These are three main things I’ve noticed that are a bit different over here than in the United States! Until next week!