We are young…

In the noble words of former Britpop band Supergrass (and no I’m not referring to keeping our teeth clean, although dental hygiene is important), “see our friends, see the sights, feel alright. And that’s exactly what I intend to do… make the most of my youth, in fact the most of my life. :]

You never know when one may just kick the bucket…

So quite recently I took to seeing those upbeat lyrics in action and rounded up a few friends and explored Augsburg’s amazing alleys, main streets, christmas lights, and cinemas… (yes, that’s a plural). Photos can be seen below. ;]

So get outdoors kiddies, and I don’t mean kick around a football… try something new…
because we are young, and before arthritis and wrinkles kick in (I hear it happens sooner than you think), we seriously need to live the true meaning of being a fun-loving teenager.

Ryan
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The second Christmas Dinner

Legit. I didn’t realise how big christmas was in Germany until Christmas dinner… well, the second one at least. Last night I visited my former host family in Zusmarshausen and we nibbled on a delicious goose with traditional Bavarian cuisine such as blaukraut (red cabbage), knödel (potato dumplings) and even a christmas salad as entrée. It was a delicious [second] feast…. it was surely worth a couple of photos. ;]

An amazing Christmas was to be had! I hope everyone feels the same way. :]
Ryan
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The feast begins…

It’s not every day that a family sits around the table and gorges over a hot stone….
So is the tradition in my lovely current host family… we devoured the most delectable treats grill-able, ranging from salmon, prawns, beef, calf and lamb, to capsicum, mushrooms and beans.

Not to forget the other bowls of food which required no grilling whatsoever… ;]

Here are just a few shots of our evening (it did start off rather traditionally by attending church at St. Ulrich’s).

Even more joyful Christmas love to come.
Ryan
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P.S. My Christmas adventures (much like those fine moments in my every day exchange life have inspired recent sketches for the ANIMAILS collection).

A Feast for Fourty? No, six. [Animails #8]

One part of my year on exchange in Germany that I’ll never be able to forget is Christmas Dinner. With lashings of food decorating the dining table, I believed we’d be accompanied by a bunch of guests… I was wrong.

It’s something else that I find quite humorous. :]

This picture is highly inaccurate; double the amount of food on the table for an estimate of the amount food that was splayed out before me on Christmas Eve.

Ryan
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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree… [Animails #6]

For people living in countries where having a christmas tree is completely normal, they might not see the novelty in choosing a christmas tree from a number of hundreds…

For me, it was a rather amusing outing… spending 30 minutes trying to find the perfect tree, despite the fact they all look the same to my untrained eyes.

I also found it amusing that the trees came pre-packaged , as if freshly off a factory conveyer belt, and were then repacked for transport home.
Strange as hell…

Hope everyone had an AMAZING christmas. :]
Ryan
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Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

So yesterday I was singing in the rain snow. :]

Two shots of my street blanketed in a fresh layer of fluffy white snow and two of Munich’s Marienplatz in the evening… gotta love living in Germany. <3

Ryan
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Rainy ol’ Regensburg

This past weekend was a tough one for me…
it was officially the last time I would be with all the other exchange students before my return home in January. Saying that, it was a rather emotional outing to Regensburg for our Christmas weekend, and I tried my hardest to keep in the tears when we had to say our “goodbyes”, or as I preferred it, “see you soon’s”.

Thankfully I will see some of them again soon… namely the english speakers and those living in my town. :] I’ll definitely try to visit the others all around the world!

Here are some of the photos I took over the weekend. The main sights included the Regensburg Cathedral and the Turn Castle, where we wandered through the stalls of the lovely Christmas Markets.

Christmas is getting closer! :]
But I really don’t want my time here to end. :’[
Ryan
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Feuerzange…what?

Celebrating Christmas with a traditional Feuerzangenbowle….
you’ve got to love Germany. ;]

Many thanks to my amazing host family for showing me the spirit of the festive season so far. :]

Ryan

 

Interested in Innsbruck?

Not so much as I am, for sure. I have a little crush on Austria, I’m not going to lie. Ever since wandering by in April, I’ve craved a trip to one of Österreich’s gorgeous cities.

A country of culture, Innsbruck certainly doesn’t let down that reputation. Heading off with my host mum, Sam and that gorgeous French girl from the day before, we stopped numerous times on the way to take in the gorgeous views of the Bavarian Alps. :]

Some of the lovely little stops included Ettal Abbey, Klais and Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal World).

We eventually made it to Innsbruck’s centre just before sunset, and had enough time to head up to Hungerburg with a cable railway, where we visited a tiny little Christmas Market claiming to be at the highest altitude of any in Austria. From that point, we could peer over the vast valley that was Innsbruck.

Here are some of the photos from our adventurous day!

Lots of love from snowy Europe,
Ryan
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We’re off to see the market, the wonderful market of Nürnberg.

The title of this blog entry was meant to be sung. I hope all the Wizard of Oz fans out there figured that out quickly enough.

The past weekend was one of my most special to be had during my entire exchange year… and why? Because I saw the world famous Nürnberg Christkindlmarkt with two lovely people; a classy French VIP and a crazy girl from Washington, USA.

With a whole bunch of mischief up our sleeves, we headed off to Nürnberg early Saturday morning and returned later that evening…

Whilst there, we wandered the streets of the old town, ventured into towering churches and ate the most delicious lebkuchen and Nürnberger Würstchen.

Here are some of the photos I captured on our day out. :]

Is everyone enjoying the festive season?

Ryan
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