Author: Benjamin Trotter

All Around Brussels and Köperwelten

This morning we got up and took a driving tour of all the main sites in and around Brussels. We saw the Atomium, Manequin Pis, the Royal Palace and more. Delphine met up with us and we went to a flea market to look around. We also stopped by for some lunch near the Grand Central Plaza, and had some coffee at the café that I really liked. “la vache qui regarde passer les trains”

That night, Jürgen and I went to Köperwelten. This exhibition was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was in an old butchery that gave such an eerie feel to all the exhibits we were seeing of the human body. Really really interesting. We then went home to meet up with everyone and go out for Pitas and french fries.

Saaburg & Luxembourg

We got up early to drive to Saaburg for a small visit. We went up to the fortress that overlooks the entire town, and it was definitely gorgeous. The snow covered houses and the quaintness of this town really made such a charming impression. It’s like, ‘this is what winter is’ type of feeling because it’s completely what you think of for a cold winter day. Smoke stacks puffing little clouds of smoke, complete quiet, and a small wind of chill blowing in the air.

Judith’s House!

This morning, we drove to Judith’s town of Greimerath near the Luxembourg border. From there we went around her area, to the Villeroy & Boch Factory (really famous German China Company). We then drove to Trier, the oldest city of Germany. Here, the Porte Negra stood–a huge Romanesque building. We walked the promenades, went to the Cathedral of Trier, and then ate dinner at a nice restaurant on the river in Saaburg.

Frankfurt Sightseeing

Today, we went to the airport to see Joann and Tim off. We then drove to Frankfurt and did a little city tour around all the sights of the city. I saw the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Opera House, famous street of Fressgass, the River Main, where the 1st Congress of Germany met (Paul’s Kirche), the Cathedral of Frankfurt. I lost my hat on top of a tower though=(

We also went to a bank to use the ATM to get our first look at the Euro! It was really cool, because all the banks had little ‘starter’ kits of Euro that you could get to start being acquainted with the money. The money was really nice and I liked being able to witness the change in a region’s currency over night!

New Year’s Eve Festivities

Today we went to the grocery store, and it was complete madness. Not to mention my purchase of 40+ Milka items on sale! So, we planned for the evening’s festivities, and welcomed Judith, Joann, and Tim to Jürgen’s. So, that night, we had a really traditional German dinner with a little oven, that you mix different ingredients: (potatoes, ham, etc,) and top it with cheeses. It was SOOO good. Then, towards midnight, we went out to the snow covered hills behind Jürgen’s to watch and set of fireworks. It was so beautiful. The night was so clear, and from every point in Frankfurt, you could see fireworks going. It was such a peaceful sight, I really really was so thankful for being with such great people for New Year’s. That night, we sledded a little down some hills, and just had a great time. We also found out that if you put a raisin in wine, it will continuously go up and down like an elevator. If you get a chance, try it. It will provide lots of laughs of disbelief. We also played a “lead” game. You boil lead on a spoon, and then throw it in water, and everyone tries to see what form it has: bird, plane, snake or what not, and get a fortune from it. It was funny too.