Tag: town

Travel Diary: Tubingen, Germany | French Californian
Hannah Wilson

Making Memories in Tübingen, Germany

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Once upon a time, I traveled through the Black Forest region of Germany with my dear friend Katie. If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember our visit to Heidelberg and Freiburg, but there’s a third town we visited that I never actually talked about: Tübingen!

I was in the shower the other day, reminiscing about past travel memories – as one does in the shower – and remembered our comical adventure in Tübingen. It’s one of those travel experiences that was uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden in the moment, but turned into one of the best memories ever.

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Hannah Wilson

Travel Diary: Freiburg, Germany

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My friend Katie and I took a 5-day jaunt through Germany’s Black Forest region, visiting three towns: Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Tübingen. Here is an account of what we did while in Freiburg. Check back later for the other towns! 

After a few hours on the train with some pretty countryside views flashing by the window, we arrived in Freiburg. It took us a little while to get our bearings and find our accommodations for the night, which were slightly removed from the city center. I won’t bother recommending the airbnb we stayed at, since in my opinion, it was lacking. There was no wifi (GASP) and when we brought groceries home that evening to make dinner, we discovered the kitchen wasnt even equipped with a pot to boil our pasta in! After some nervous debating and creative thinking, we improvised and used the electric kettle instead… and it worked out perfectly! So take this as a lesson: if you need to cook pasta, but you don’t have a stove or a pot – just shove it into the electric kettle. ;)

But let’s backtrack to earlier that day…

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Mont Saint Michel
Hannah Wilson

Road Trip Day 3 – Mont Saint Michel

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My best friend Natalie and I decided to take a quick 4-day road trip through France, more specifically, Normandy.  What follows is an account of the events, sights, and stories that took place.  This is the final instalment – you can see day 1 HERE and day 2 HERE.

After waking up in our cute and comfortable Airbnb room, we decided we couldn’t leave Bayeux without seeing the famous Bayeux tapestry, which is recognized as an official piece of world heritage by UNESCO, and for good reason.  It’s a major source of historical, cultural, and artistic information.  I strongly recommend following the free audio guide because it guides you through the crazy (and sometimes funny) story being depicted.  I usually bypass the audio guides at museums, but this one was truly entertaining, and essential in my opinion.

Next, we hopped in our car, and headed toward MONT SAINT MICHEL!  After getting lost, of course.  My favourite part of the drive was seeing little glimpses of the mont from a distance.  The land leading up to the fortress is mostly flat grassy land, so the Mont really stands out on the horizon.  It was incredible, really.  The closer we got, the more it made me feel like I was headed towards Hogwarts!  Too bad I didn’t get sorted into a house upon arrival… (I was hoping for Gryffindor).  I wouldn’t be surprised if Hogwarts was inspired by the Mont.

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Hannah Wilson

There’s more to France than Paris

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Yesterday, the Paris area saw some of the worst air pollution… ever. At least that’s what the news articles keep saying, and judging by the visible haze suspended in the sky, obscuring trees and buildings, I gotta believe them. It didn’t stop me from having a lovely little walk through a village outside of Paris, however. Villennes-Sur-Seine, complete with weeping willows over a river, adorable stone houses, and a charming garden on the side of a hill. The atmosphere felt pleasantly warm, thick, and cozy, probably enhanced by the dense smog in the air.

I wouldn’t have made the trek out there if it weren’t for some official business to take care of – I was picking up some official translations of documents needed to apply for a residence card. I’m glad I did go, because it made me realize that there’s more to see here than Paris… small villages and towns with medieval churches, ivy-covered walls, small, quiet streets, quaint cafes, and stone fountains. This short afternoon trek has inspired me to branch outward, see what lies outside of the Paris grandeur.

Here are just a few things I noticed while waiting for the next train back home:

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