Back in the Homeland...

...well, at least the homeland of my ancestors. Anyway, I'm back in Germany after a whirlwind week in France and Belgium. A super huge thank you to Karli and Seb for their hospitality in Trier and to Kyle for getting us a place to stay in Paris and being a super guide.

You know what's been really awesome about my travels so far? Everywhere I have gone, I have known someone else who has also traveled there. And I have found myself thinking about them a lot while I've wandered around. It makes the world seem a lot smaller to know that all the Hamline colloquium kids ran around Trier and that Allison studied here, and that Jacob was in Paris and Amber and Pat have been in Brugge.

Architecture of the Homeland

Belgish

Belgium is my favorite. We've been having an amazing time in Brugge... It is so beautiful and peaceful and fun. We have a book that told us the 4 things that were a must to experience in Brugge were: bikes, beer, chocolate, and lace. done, done, done, and almost done!

we rented bikes for the day yesterday and rode along the river to a town called Damme and I had the BEST coffee tray ever. OMG. there was: a cup of coffee, a little thing of whipped cream with a chocolate chip on top, a little thing of cream, a little jar of sugar cubes, a heart shaped dish with a buiscuit and a chocolate, and a little spoon on a little wooden tray. I felt like Frances in Bread and Jam for Frances... you know? With her complicated lunch.

There is chocolate all over. We went to the chocolate museum yesterday... hmmmm. Its so delish!

We just went to a Flemish museum which was cool. And we have a lot to do today: belgian waffles, watching the ladies make lace, and we're going to tour a brewery later on.

Oh, and it is so cold here... we've been wearing our pajamas under our jeans. It is brilliant! And I got this awesome hat... I'm am so European.

Back to Trier tomorrow and then the next adventure begins on Monday! Keep me in your prayers!

Kyle and Rachel on our bike ride from Brugge to Damme

Worlds best coffee tray.... and it is not even an exaggeration

Kyle and Liza, enjoying the canals and the swans... on our way to more chocolate shops!

"All beer is Belgian"

American in Paris

Hi.

Paris has been unbelievable... really. There is no way to describe it unless you come here and see it yourself.

The bus to Trier, the train to Luxembourg and the second train into Paris all went well... for the most part. We were sitting in someone elses seats for part of the time and all of a sudden a lot of French was being spoken at us... but we got it figured out. Kyle was there to meet us at the train station, yippeee!! And we took the Metro right to our apartment. Oh, that's right. We have an apartment in Paris. It might just be the coolest thing EVER.

We spent the afternoon walking around, just looking. There is so much so see... my camera was in my hand but I could barely take pictures... there was just so much. We walked down the Seine to see the Louve and Notre Dame, and went inside. I can't wait until I can put pictures up... there really aren't words to describe it.


We're cooking for ourselves and last night we sat around drinking wine and eating chocolate. HELLO! I'm in Paris!

Today was busy, we spent hours at the Eiffel Tower and then went to the Mueseum d Orsay and saw the Impressionist paintings. Oh. And now we are in an internet cafe about to meet up with some Hamline Friends for dinner!

All is well... more later!

"Oo la la"

My absolute favorite spot in Paris... Sainte-Chapelle, the personal chapel of King Louis IX... over 6,000 sq ft of stained glass...unbelievable

In front of the Lourve in Paris 

The Flying Buttresses of Notre Dame

Oy

Paris tomorrow, but migraine right now.... so I'm going to bed.

Aw, man.

Central Marketplace in Trier

Karli and Me at a cafe in Trier. Complete with heaters and sheepskin chair covers!

Courtyard of the Dom in Trier where the relic of Jesus' tunic is supposedly housed

Germany Day 2

Now that my head is less dazed, I can give a little more info about where I am. Rachel and I are staying with our Hamline friend Karli who is studying in Trier for the year.

Yesterday, on the way from Frankfurt to Trier, which is about a 3 hour drive, we stopped at Karli's boyfriend, Seb's home in a little German village. It was really awesome to see a real German home as the very first thing to experience in Germany. It reminded me a lot of home, especially the knick-nacks that we have and that my grandparents have too. Stuff that I didn' really even know was German, but apparently is.

We continued on to Trier, and just as we got there I got a migraine. Not so surprising since I was going on only a few hours sleep and lotsa coffee. So I slept it off and we just hung out in Karli and Seb's rooms.

It is really foggy here and rainy, so I guess it'll get me used to Scotland. We walked around the campus today, ate in their cafeteria, and then drove around the city of Trier a little. Did you know it is the oldest city in Germany? Karli and Seb pointed out some Roman ruins to us, baths and a amphitheater.

I understand more German than I thought I would from High School. I've been thinking about that a lot and Frau Hogan!! Rach and I went to one of Karli's classes today, which was like German Culture for international students and I was surprised how much more I was remembering.

There are several Hamlinites here in Trier and the plan for tonight is to meet up with them at a Jazz club. That'll be really awesome, I'm sure!

"Too Many Cheeseburgers"

"Airplane food is yucky"

Germany Day One

So tired and confused... but got here with no problems.

Flights were good.

Germany is pretty.

Migraine was bad.

But ready for some adventures tomorrow.

Itinerary

Well today's the day! Or that's what the calendar tells me anyway. It hasn't really sunk in yet, despite tearful good-byes. But I'm packed and ready to go! Here I come, Europe. No looking back.

Sunday, January 16th:
Take off from Minneapolis

Monday, January 17th:
Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany

January 17th-January21st:
Trier, Germany

January 21st-January 24th:
Paris, France

January 24th-January 27th:
Brussels, Belgium

January 27th-January 31st:
Trier, Germany

January 31st:
Travel to Glasgow

February 1st:
Travel to St. Andrews

Commonly Asked Questions

Just so everyone is on the same page, here is some background information about my trip...

Where am I going?
I'm studying at St. Andrews University in St. Andrews, Scotland.

For how long?
I will be gone for about 5 months. I'll be a full time student at St. Andrews for one semester and travelling with friends in Trier, Paris, & Brussels for two weeks before orientation and classes start in Scotland.

Why am I studying abroad?
Hmm. The most honest answer I can give is just... because I can. This will most likely be the only time in my life where I'll have the opportunity to live on my own in a different part of the world. I've lived in the Twin Cities for 21 years and I know there is more for me to experience in the great big world. Looking back, part of me wishes I would have gone to college farther away ... but it was predestined in the stars that I'd go to Hamline. This is a chance for me to spread my wings.

Why Scotland?
The biggest factor is deciding where to go was language. In the toss-up between the English speaking schools in the UK and Australia, the UK won because of the potential for travel to other countries. I didn't want to go to a school in a large city like London, and so Scotland rose to the top of the list. St. Andrews has an awesome divinity school, the semesters matched Hamline's, and the pictures in the InterStudy books were just so pretty! And no, I'm not Scottish... not a drop.

What am I going to be doing there?
Learning about whiskey.
And knitting. Lots of knitting.
Oh, and going to classes I suppose.

More info
www.LizaStoltz.efoliomn.com
This is site I made for Crossing Borders that has info about St. Andrews and Scotland.




St. Andrews, Scotland

WooHoo

I'm going to Scotland!