Okay, wow. These past few weeks have been insane. I spent a week in France with my dad, flew back to the States and moved into my new apartment, visited my friend in Ft. Wayne, had a family BBQ to make up for me missing the 4th of July, and I just got back from visiting another friend in Ohio yesterday. Excuse me while I go take a nap.
Just kidding, I won’t fall asleep on you. I will, however, take some time to reminisce on my amazing time in Freiburg this summer. For those of you who don’t know, I was abroad for 5 months and was taking courses through Albert Ludwig University. Taking classes and writing term papers in German was insanely difficult, but easily one of the best experiences of my life. If you ever have the opportunity to live or study abroad, don’t let it slip by. 
Anywho, let’s start with a literal walk through Freiburg, shall we? I lived on the outskirts of the city, and I went for a walk every day along these beautiful gardens. German cities don’t leave room for yards, so people are able to rent out garden spaces to use as they please. Once the weather got warm, I saw people playing and hanging out in their rented yards every day of the week. 
My walk often took me to the edge of the Black Forest, which was shrouded in mist in the mornings. Sometimes I lucked out and had a few extra guests to keep me company while I walked…
But seriously, the Black Forest is absolutely gorgeous. If you love hiking, you’d love spending a week here. There are tons of bike trails as well, if mountain biking is more your speed. 
As for the city of Freiburg itself, it’s more of a college town at heart. If you’re a visiting English speaker, you could certainly get around Freiburg without feeling completely lost and confused. There are a number of cute boutiques, and the general atmosphere of the city is relaxed. It’s also known as the greenest city in Germany, and there’s a large vegan/vegetarian population there (mainly students). 
One of my favorite aspects of Freiburg was the Bächle, and supposedly if you step in one you have to marry a Freiburger. 
I actually took most of these photos over the course of one day at the end of my semester, because I realized oh crap I haven’t taken any pictures of Freiburg yet! I never felt the pressure to walk around with my big boy camera because I was too busy just living. My friend Flora oh so graciously agreed to be my model for quite a few of the shots, which is what led to this…
As you can tell, Flora’s a bit more athletic than I am. In my defense, the road was uneven here so I was actually jumping up (still a very sad attempt, I know). And just because Freiburg is too pretty for its own good, let’s have a few more pictures, shall we?
I know this post was photo-heavy, but I really wanted to do the city justice. If you’re ever in Germany, see if you can swing down south to check out Freiburg. The food’s great, the forest is gorgeous, and the atmosphere is relaxed. What more can you ask for in a place this wonderful?
Have any of you traveled to Germany before? What languages do you speak?
Signing off,
Claire
Comments & Reviews
This looks like such a great experience and Freiburg looks gorgeous! Yes, I’ve traveled to Germany before; I visited Munich, Berlin, Regensburg, and Dresden. We’ll actually be back in Germany later this year and we’re looking for one more city to visit. We were thinking Cologne or Heidelberg, but I’ll have to look into your city now!!
I speak Spanish, and that’s actually what got me into travel in the first place. I love visiting Spanish-speaking countries to speak the language as much as possible. I’m studying abroad next fall and can’t decide where I want to go! It’s between Buenos Aires (for the Spanish aspect), Bangkok, London, and perhaps somewhere in Australia!
Great post, Claire! I especially loved looking at all of the photos.
Munich is one of my all-time favorite German cities. I recently visited Berlin and had the chance to take the train to Potsdam, which is only 20 minutes away. If you’ve never been to Potsdam it’s worth a visit! There’s a huge park in the center that has a ton of castles and palaces that have been built over the years by various royal families.
You’ll have an amazing time studying abroad for sure! If you go somewhere in Europe you’ll be able to plan tons of weekend trips (which is what I did). And I’ve never been to Australia, but I’ve heard it’s amazing.