Chocolate Wasted

I've visited my fair share of museums these past few months,

but nothing compares to the one that we visited today.

A group of us took the train to Cologne to tour Schokoladen Museum

A Chocolate Museum... now this is my kind of museum!

The second we stepped in, my mouth started watering!

The chocolate aroma that fills the air is delectable.

We were immediately given chocolate upon entering

& the sweets just kept on coming.

A tour through the sections of the exhibition 

is like a journey through the cultural history of chocolate,

from the Aztecs right up to the refinement of the top-quality chocolate products of today.

It was fun walking through the Tropical House!

The recreation of the Amazon region featured the cocoa tree

 surrounded by other exotic vegetation.

The best part of the museum is the chocolate fountain!

It is kept constantly filled with 200 kilograms of fresh Lindt chocolate

& you can have unlimited wafers dipped in it... YUM!

It was fun seeing all the machines used 

& the entire process in creating chocolate bars.

I loved the chocolate studio, too!

Everything is done by hand and you can have your own chocolate made up.

We could not leave without eating at the Grand Café

Everyone ordered hot chocolates, one of the richest & most delicious I've ever tried,

We shared a slice of chocolate and berry cake, too!

What a fun & scrumptious Sunday!

Butzjes & Kamelle!

Before going abroad, everyone told me that I had to go to Karneval...

this fun-filled celebration definitely lived up to all of its hype!

On top of our trip to Switzerland, 

we had the time of our lives celebrating Karneval over the long weekend!

It's a festive season that occurs immediately before Lent 

& the main events are held prior to Ash Wednesday.

The name can be translated to "farewell to meat," 

a phrase embraced by Karneval celebrants 

who encourage letting go of your everyday self 

& embracing the carefree nature of the festival.

Karneval is celebrated around the world and typically involves a parade,

combining some elements of a circus and public street party.

People often dress up or masquerade, which marks an overturning of daily life.

Thursday is referred to as Weiberfastnacht or Women's Day

& is the beginning to the fun festivities!

A group of us girls slept over at a friend's host house the night before.

It was fun to get ready all together!

In the morning, we met at the new AIB with all of the study abroad programs

before crossing the bridge to Beuel for a local parade.

Everyone was decked out in fun and creative costumes!

Bright colors filled the streets and candy wrappers were scattered all along the ground.

As the parade participants passed through, they threw kamelle (candy) 

& other fun things at the crowd.

I was lucky and got a bottle of champagne!

After a few hours in Beuel, we went to Köln Sud for more festivities!

People filled the streets dancing, singing Karneval songs, 

giving lots of butzjes (kisses) and having a great time!

Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) is the highlight of the Karneval period.

Nearly two million people fill the streets of Köln (Cologne) 

to watch the parade & join in the festivities!

We returned to Köln Sud on Monday

& watched the parade for as long as we could bare in the freezing cold!

After a few hours, we warmed up in some clubs ;)

and then headed back to Bonn.

We met up with the rest of our group 

& this was my favorite part of the entire day!

We danced the night away in the streets of Altstadt with the locals

and sang along to the traditional Karneval songs.

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend in Switzerland and celebrating Karneval!

Swiss Bliss

We had five days off and took full advantage of the long break.

In between the Karneval celebrations, we headed to Interlaken, Switzerland!

After a 7 hour train ride, we arrived in the beautiful city 

surrounded by the snow-covered Swiss Alps.

The views here were breathtaking & I was in total awe.

We made our way to Balmer's hostel where we settled in before gearing up for night sledding.

Decked out in snow boots, pants, and multiple layers, 

we joined a group of others who had signed up for the activity

& took a bus high into the Swiss Alps.

Once there, we enjoyed the starlit winter panorama 

while zipping down the 1 hour long sled run.

It was so much fun!

Afterwards, we were taken to a restaurant where we served traditional Swiss foods,

including Swiss cheese fondue to end the meal... YUM!

Interlaken is one of the best spots in the world for outdoor sports,

so we knew that we couldn't leave without trying out one of the fun winter activities!

While a couple of our friends went paragliding, 

Carly & I thought it would be fun to jump off of a cliff!

Along with a group of other thrill-seeking students, 

we experienced the rush of jumping & swinging through a glacial canyon!

It was one of the greatest experiences I've had in Europe thus far!

Check out more pictures and a video of the jump in my previous post.

Before heading back to Germany on Sunday,

we explored the town & walked to the most breathtaking lake!

The sun was out and the houses reflected upon the beautiful turquoise blue water.

It was a perfect way to the end our trip!

Hanging out in Switzerland!

This past weekend was one of the best & most memorable thus far!

Here's a sneak peek into what we did...

 On Saturday, Carly & I went canyon jumping in Interlaken, Switzerland!

Attached to a long rope with a harness at the chest and waist,

we jumped nearly 295 feet & swung through a narrow canyon filled with frozen waterfalls.

It was the most invigorating, serene, and peaceful experience.

I loved every second of it!

Eau de Cologne

We took a day trip to Cologne & boy, was it amazing!

We are lucky to be only 20 minutes away from Germany's 4th largest city

& as soon as we exited the train station,

we were welcomed by a grand cathedral, Kölner Dom.

My jaw dropped at the sight of it!

It is the city's emblem, and with six million visitors every year,

Germany's most marvelled monument.

It took 600 years to build and is still under construction today.

It is quite a beauty, inside and out!

We were blessed to have such great weather today-- nearly 10°C

(a 20° change since last week)

The snow is melting & blue skies are beginning to emerge!

 It was perfect for a guided tour through historical sites of the city,

which was originally settled by Romans. 

We later visited the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, 

which featured many paintings that we are studying in my Modernism class.

It was cool to see the art up close and personal!

After a delicious slice of a sweet apple dessert,

Ariel and I went to check out the locks of love that cover the Hohenzollern Bridge.

Strings of padlocks stretch from one side of the river to the other,

creating a rainbow of colors.

Couples from near and far have affixed padlocks to the railings 

& tossed the keys into the river as a symbol of their everlasting love.

I love this tradition & wonder the story behind each lock!

My favorite part of the day was the guided roof top tour of the cathedral...

Yes, we were on the roof of the church & it was unbelievable!

The views of the city lights were spectacular

& definitely worth the nauseating feeling in my stomach 

as we reached extreme heights!

We walked alongside the exterior of the façade,

and even got to see behind-the-scenes of the interior.

It was such a fun day!

Belgian Waffles, Chocolate, & Fries!

 We planned our first weekend getaway & it was a success!

I love how quickly we can travel to other countries...

It took only two hours for us to arrive in Brussels, Belgium.

After checking into our hostel,

we sat down for a classic Belgian dinner--

Moules frites or mussels and fries.

It was delicious!

We had fun exploring the nightlife,

spending the majority of our evenings at Delíríum Café,

The bar is known for its long list of beers.

In 2004, it was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records

for having the "most varieties of beer commercially available."

What better thing to have for breakfast than Belgian waffles in Belgium?

I ordered a waffle with bananas and chocolate...

Nom, nom, nom!!

On Saturday, we acted as true tourists

& enjoyed the Hop-on, Hop-off City Sightseeing bus tour of Brussels.

It was a perfect way to explore the snow-covered city.

We visited many attractions, including the Royal Serres and Atomium.

I loved climbing throughout the nine spheres of the Atomium.

Reaching the top was magnificent & it offered beautiful panoramic views of the city!

We could not end the day without visiting the famed Manneken Pis & eating more treats...

This time, I had a waffle filled with chocolate! YUM!

On our last day, we took a quick train ride to Bruges.

The adorable city has many canals, quaint houses, 

& there are chocolate shops on nearly every corner!

It is sometimes referred to as the "Venice of the North."

We rented bikes for the day and had so much fun riding around.

We even saw sunshine & blue skies for the first time in three weeks!

It was a perfect way to spend the day

This weekend was filled with fun, friends,

and a few too many waffles, chocolate, & fries!

But I loved every second of it!

Eifel Excursion

Our group took an overnight trip to the Eifel region of Germany.

The first stop was a Benedictine Monastery in Maria Laach.

We attended an all-German mass here!

Next, we toured Schloss Bürresheim,

a castle that withstood the wars of the 18th and 19th century.

It can even be seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!

For lunch, I tried my first wiener schnitzel,

& I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was!

I did not know what to expect,

but knew I had to try this popular German dish!

We spent the remainder of the day in Monreal,

a tiny village within the region.

We had so much fun sledding (sometimes into trees)

and exploring ruins of castles!

The village is quiet and quaint...

It reminds me of something out of Disneyland!

I loved taking a special nightwalk!

All we had were torches to light our way,

but it was a perfect way to end the night!