The Amazing Sunsets of Bavaria

I’ve done so much over the last couple of weeks.

Wednesday two weeks ago our class walked up a mountain called Wendelstein (which I can see from the window in the hallway). It was very fun and the view was amazing. One thing that I noticed while walking was a beautiful lake, then next to it a sea of orange rooves. I think I mentioned the style of the houses last time but it’s very different to Australia. Most either have a white concrete bottom half with a wooden top half or just white concrete, both with orange tiles on the roof. The forest at this time of year is very pleasant with a mixture of evergreen trees (like pine trees) and deciduous trees (trees which change colour). We stayed at a hotel near the top overnight, playing cards and eating spaghetti.

We went to a soccer match in Nuβdorf where the sun set on the field and the surrounding mountains and it was so spectacular. We’ll often go out on pushbikes to a soccer field with a ball and play games with Vinzenz’s friends.

On Sunday and Monday we went to a local festival called ‘Kirchweih’ held at the Grundschule in Nuβdorf where Vinzenz played drums in a band. There was a big swing there made from a long piece of wood. Sitting at the tables were lots of people in lederhosen and dirndls. On Monday we went back there and I was able to dress up in Vinzenz’s brother Quirin’s lederhosen and I had a try at swinging the swing. 

Last Wednesday Vinzenz and I met up with Alina Hilger (Clyde’s exchange partner from 2015) and her mum. We had lunch at her home then she showed us the town of Söllhuben including the famous hotel, Hirzinger, which her uncle owns. We were allowed to be on set as they were filming which was really special. After that we hopped onto her boat and cruised the Chiemsee and visited the Herrenchiemsee Palace (only the outside though because it was closed) where I ate the world’s smallest mandarin. It was so magical seeing the sunset as the boat waded it's way through the water. When we got back to the pier it was almost pitch black. We went back to Hirzinger for dinner and I had a traditional ‘Schweinebraten’ which is roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut.

On Saturday we were going to go to the Königsee but the weather wasn’t looking great so instead we caught a train to Munich. There we went to markets, saw the town hall, had a look inside St. Michael’s Church and visited BMW World. For lunch I ate a Weiβwurst and drank spezi.

I’m having loads of fun and can’t wait for what’s to come.

Beautiful Mountains

View from my bedroom window

My eyes are sore from looking up at the spectacular mountains every single morning. And every single morning at 5:30 I say to myself, why aren’t I sleeping. Waking up over 2 hours earlier is a bit of a challenge.

The very first thing I noticed as I smelled the beautiful fresh air, was that we were driving on the wrong side of the road. I know you’re probably thinking, yeah yeah, but really, it is kind of difficult to adjust and tell yourself you’re not going to crash. Anyway, as we headed out of the city towards the country, I couldn’t help but stare outside of the window and look deep into the green grass. Like really green grass. Picture the greenest grass you have ever seen, and now double or even triple that greenness. That’s how green the grass was. Except apparently it gets even greener in spring, and I was like what? How is that even possible. Then I looked to my left to see the most mind blowing, beautifully placed mountains, towering over the land. 

A few days later, it started to get really cold, it was about 9 degrees and it was meant to be autumn. I looked up at the mountains, and saw snow, heaps of it! We don’t normally see snow until late autumn. But here, autumn has only really started.

The first few days at school were tough. The early starts, the language, and the fact that there were no familiar faces. But everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Now, starting week three, it feels like I have known them for a lot longer than just two weeks.

On Wednesday the 11th all the classes had an excursion called Wandertag. Each class got to pick where they wanted to go, (before we arrived) and I was so excited when I found out we were going to a trampoline place called air hop. It was in Munich so it was only about an hour bus trip, but the bus didn’t leave until 9:30 so Simone and I could sleep in an extra hour. I think I was more excited about the sleep in than the actual trip. I found the day well worthwhile and so much fun.

Sorry for the late post, the website wasn't working for me.