I’ve always had a fascination with art and things I would consider picturesque, and Germany is filled with some of the most beautiful landscapes and works of architecture I’ve ever seen. The most breathtaking buildings I’ve seen was the Cologne Cathedral. Even looking back, I still can’t comprehend just how enormous the cathedral was; additionally, the cathedral looked comical in the center of the city. It was definitely shocking to see the Cathedral and turn around to see a McDonald’s directly across the street. To make the whole experience better, the train ride from Wattenscheid to Cologne was incredibly scenic, passing through rolling hills, windmills, and the German countryside.
Another breathtaking drive was the ride to Altena Castle. The Castle is nestled in a mountain range, and driving through the valleys between the mountains was a memorable moment. Seeing as there aren’t any mountain in Florida, suddenly being surrounded by mountains was shocking. To add on, my German exchange partner’s parents had a sunroof in their car, so being able to look up and see trees growing over the car was almost magical. The castle itself was a work of art, located towards the top of a mountains, and it looked like something out of a picture book.
Not only did Germany surprise me, but I had the opportunity to go to Brussels in Belgium, both the capital of Belgium and the European Union. The architecture in Brussels was unlike anything I had seen in Germany, especially after seeing the Triumpal Arch in the Cinquantenaire Park and the Royal Palace. What surprised me the most, however, were the parks in Brussels. Going from an urban city to getting lost inside the Brussels Park (Parc de Bruxelles) was extraordinary. For a moment, I could’ve convinced myself that I was in a forest rather than the capital city of the EU. Brussels also was not short of Cathedrals, the best one I saw being the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, which has it’s own mini park just outside the front steps.
In all, travelling through the European cities and seeing the magnificent landscapes has left me wanting to travel all across Europe and seeing every country. I’ve been speechless more times in this trip that I have in my whole life, and I hope that I could come back one day to see everything again.
David C.