Easter week has started!

As per a last minute notification from my host family, I am writing this post from Muenster, Germany. My host family informed me that they would be gone for the week preceding Easter- two days in Legoland and the long weekend in Bawinkel, which is where Andrea’s parents live in North Germany. They invited me along with them, but my host father’s argument for Bawinkel being “fun” was that they had an indoor pool I could swim in… I opted to stay behind and make my own trips. Earlier, when I was in Cologne, I met a group of people from Muenster that told me I should visit sometime- so, I called them up, and they told me of course, and I found a rideshare that left Frankfurt yesterday and am now here today. For Easter weekend, I found a bus ticket from Munich to Prague for 9 euros, which I immediately bought, rather than spending Easter weekend by myself in Frankfurt. So my week is going to look something like this: 

Yesterday: Frankfurt --> Muenster (via rideshare)

Today: Muenster

Tomorrow: Muenster --> Frankfurt (via my friend Yannic driving on his way home from Amsterdam)

Friday: Frankfurt --> Munich (via train)

Saturday: Munich --> Prague (via bus)

Sunday: Prague

Monday: Prague --> Frankfurt (via rideshare)

(A little about rideshare: when someone decides to take a trip, they put up the “ride” online on the rideshare website, along with their starting city, cities they’re passing through on the way, time they’re leaving, final city, and their low fee of riding along with them.) 

So! A lot of travelling – but I am excited. I feel like I have done a good job making my plans to see as much as possible, in the smallest amount of time, for the smallest amount of money. I left Frankfurt yesterday around 2:30 and got into Muenster around 5:30. The ride itself – a little scary! (On the Autobahn) The roads here are much more narrow, few side lanes to speak of, and many guardrails and semis imposing into your lane. The people I was riding with, however, were really great. It was a couple driving from Frankfurt to Bremen to take a cycling tour along the river for their Easter holiday and another ridesharer that had just arrived at the Frankfurt airport after a 30 hour journey from the Phillippines, where he had spent the last 2 months on a type of job helping teach the kids there and build buildings – now going back home to Bremen, where he studies sociology. Needless to say, we were able to share many stories and have a ride that passed quickly for the 3 hour trip. They dropped me off right in Muenster, where my friend Christoph met me on his bike to start showing me around the city. 

The first thing I noticed right away: BIKES! Everywhere! Lined up on the sidewalk like sardines, people biking everywhere, bike shops galore. It was a great day and we still had 5 hours of light left, so we grabbed a couple beers from the market, a picnic blanket, and went to the park to meet up with his brothers and friends. It was really packed, students grilling everywhere, people playing soccer, sailing on the lake, paddle boating, walking dogs, jogging, etc. The weather was so nice, and it seemed every person in the city was by the lake to enjoy it, along with us. The city itself is basically a university city, so the population is mostly comprised of students and the ones who teach them – so it reminds me a lot of Gainesville. 

Today, woke up early, had a typical German breakfast (freshly baked rolls, meat slices, 3 different types of cheeses, Frischkaese, Quark with kiwis and bananas, and jam). Then Christoph and his brother needed to work on their other brother’s bike, so I went for a run around the lake- really nice, despite getting shat upon by a duck! I couldn’t believe it! It was disgusting. It went all over my hand and I really just had to laugh to myself, especially since last week my friends and I had been discussing who had ever been shat on by a bird and who hadn’t  - me being in the latter group. It seems I am now a proud member of the former. Anyway, I washed off my arm in the lake and kept jogging. Now I am just waiting for the boys to finish up their bike work so that we can go explore the city! Tonight, they will be hosting a small house party here before going to an Indie bar to watch some music- I am really excited because in Frankfurt, there aren’t very many “Indie music” followers, and it will be nice to get to see again! Hope everyone is doing well! Miss you all! Will write more about my past weekend later!