Not Gonna be a Debbie Downer

      This weekend we got to enjoy what a beautiful place that Heidelberg, Germany is. I was lucky enough to be able to share this experience with my boyfriend. He came all the way to Europe to spend Thanksgiving with me, as well as getting to do some traveling himself. I was thrilled to be able to share with him some of the experiences that I get as a study abroad student. Also, I got to show him what goes on during my days in Europe. This is when I realized how boring my daily life here is, it is just how it would be back home in West Virginia, except in France. And before, I hear anyone nag at me about "You're in France, you're not living it up to your fullest potential", here is my reply, France has been here for thousands of years. I'm sure it will be here for thousands of more years. I will take more opportunities when  I have more cash. So give it a rest.
     Heidelberg, on the other hand, was a wonderful change in that monotony. I had plans to take my boyfriend to Stuttgart or Paris, but didn't count on how expensive both plans were going to be, so I just showed him around the Chateau park, and Strasbourg itself. Heidelberg was a gorgeous little city that sits around the Neckar river. It also hold Castle Schloss, a gigantic ruin of an old castle. Me and my boyfriend walked around the city going through the various Christmas markets. The best part of going through the Christmas markets there was the food. Bratwursts, steak sandwiches, roasted almonds, gummies, Gluhwien, and beer were the highlight of the trip for us. However, you had to pay cash for everything there. This city is not a fan of plastic. And in the city with the longest shopping street in Germany, you would think that there would be more ATMs, but  that was not the case. It took forever to find a bank or ATM in that damn city. We also noticed a large quantity of English speaking people there due to the large army base located in Heidelberg. The Castle Schloss was another wonderful aspect of the city. It had a perfect view of the city and the river. I love castles because they hold so much history and culture all rolled into one building. I always have some interest in seeing castles because of what details they contain.
     Unfortunately Heidelberg was the end of my boyfriends stay. Only three more weeks left of the semester though. After Heidelberg we went to Frankfurt for his flight the next morning. However, we woke up an hour and a half before his flight, causing him to almost miss it. Talk about a tense time. It worked out ok though and the rushed goodbye to each other kept me from breaking down in tears in the middle of the Frankfurt airport. I am very happy and THANKFUL that I got to share a little slice of my new European life with someone from home.