Catherine's Escapades:
Every day seemed to get easier for her. Yes, she was still a little jetlagged; yes, she still didn’t understand a lot of the German being spoken to her; and yes, she still seemed to be a little out of place in the little town. However, she no longer felt like she couldn’t make mistakes; she felt less like an idiot while trying to speak to her host family; and she, finally, gave herself a break.
She realized this as she went down to breakfast that morning. She was the first one of her roommates to go down and was alone when trying to communicate with her host father and host mother. She was nervous at first, but knew that it would be more awkward to not communicate at all than it would be to try. So she conversed with them on topics from how her sleep was last night and how she liked watching her first soccer match at a German bar to the bee population dying in America. Normal conversations for eight in the morning.
Her roommates came down about 15 minutes later, right in the middle of the bee conversation, and sat down for their breakfast. Their study abroad group was to meet at 1:30 before the hour long hike to Schloss Bürresheim, the first castle Catherine would see. She had the chance to see one while travelling London, but due to a little rain, the professor decided against the idea. Who knew it rained in England!? Instead they wandered the outdoor grounds of a ruined castle. Why be inside one when you can be rained on while looking at the remains of one? Don’t think about it too much. It makes sense. Possibly.
Anyways, Catherine finished her breakfast before heading to her room to mentally prepare for not only her first castle, but her first ever real hike. This included more “Suits” and a lot of writing. This story isn’t going to write itself after all.
She put on her favorite workout outfit, which included a lululemon combo that she received as a Christmas gift the previous year, and her new hiking boots she got specifically for the hiking required in this program. Catherine then waited for her roommates before heading to school to meet the rest of the group. Once everyone arrived, they set off on their next adventure. Through the town they went until they were on the outskirts heading towards a forest. They finally found the trail that would take them through gorgeous, plush scenery.
She had never seen so much green before. She was used to buildings, strip malls, restaurants, similarly designed houses, and maybe a tree or two on the medians separating the roads. But this? This was so vivid. Alive. Roots stronger than steel were thriving and twisting through the ground, peaking through the dust in order to remind its guests of its strength and wisdom. Critters buzzed in and around her ears, whispering welcomes. Even the rocks seemed to have minds as they jumped into her shoes. Everything from America- her anxiety of not knowing what she was doing once she went back to the States, her fear of sounding dumb when talking to fluent German speakers, and her overall tendency to worry about things just for the sake of worrying- withered away, every tree, critter, and rock painting over an old idea like a tattoo covering up an old decision.
This trip took about an hour and was worth every step. Other than the beautiful forest surrounding them, the group found a quaint brewery to dream about quenching their thirst. Too bad that dream didn’t become a reality; they had reservations for a tour and still had another 20 minutes before they reached the castle.
And 20 minutes later, there it was. Bigger than anything she’s seen and more grand too, the castle was reaching for the heavens. Peaks on [almost] every tower with barock style incorporated into its design. Crossed patterns of red and beige surround the peaks and stones strong enough to last over 500 years stood on top of each other, just a hair short of actually touching the sky. Although it wasn’t the sunniest of days, the castle stood just as vibrant.
Too bad Catherine couldn’t say the same about the inside. Cold and dark, everything had a shadow detailing the jawlines of the men and women in the paintings, the stone in the parlor sets, and the colors in the tapestries. Everything was absolute exquisite, although it was more than just a tease since Catherine, nor anyone else, could take any pictures. She was tempted to when she saw some of the furniture that was displayed throughout the palace, but felt too guilty to actually do so. She actually thought at one point that if she did take a picture and post it on social media, they would find her. Who? She had no idea. But it was apparently enough of a threat to refrain her from snapping a couple pictures here and there.
After the tour of the castle where a short man with a voice deeper than a baritone singer spoke faster German than the cocaine debater from the first tour, they went back to the trails heading back towards the school. This time, however, they stopped at a small beer and food stand. It served over twenty different beers and had cakes, cookies, currywurst, and, naturally, bratwurst.
As Catherine took her first bite of her very first bratwurst in Germany, she was waiting to be disappointed. How could one hot-dog-looking piece of meat taste that good? She didn’t understand how it could mesmerize so many people. Well, she didn’t understand until the moment she tasted it, that is. With spicy mustard, she too became another victim of the bratwurst fandom. She actually thought about marrying it. That’s normal, right?