It has already been six months! I am back in the states and looking forward to the next steps toward the future. A lot has happened and many things have changed because of this incredible experience that I was able to participate in.

With my last week in Europe I took another class business trip to Germany, where I was able to get a feel for what their industry works and deals with. Among the numerous company tours, time was taken out the visit the Black Forest, a brewing company, and the Mercedes-Benz museum.

The entrance to the brewery! It was located in the Black Forest near Freiburg which had recently  gotten some snow, so while we were waiting for our tour to start some of the boys decided to have a snowball fight!

The companies main beers--all of which are delicious. After the tour, we were able to have a bottle of beer with the traditional German pretzel! 

A castle that our group visited. This was a little disapointing because it was built in the 1800s and only styled after the more gothic/older castles; also, it is manly used as a museum to represent the history of the family who built it. 

The museum! Although I am not the biggest car fan, it was still a wonderful experience and  it was able to teach me some things about history that are not often thought about. This museum easily took the entire morning, but it could have taken much longer for a car enthusiast.

With all the excitement that came with coming home, my last few hours in France were mixed. As much as seeing my family and friend again is nice, I have made many more in Europe. I was able to travel to several countries and am looking forward to when I will be able to have the time and funds to travel again, to see the friends that I have made these last six months, and to make more in the counties that I hope to travel in the future. 

Would I go live in Europe? I don't think so, there are some differences that are hard to explain that are different between our two regions, but I would consider traveling long term again to other areas of the world. Understanding and learning about different cultures has been the best thing I could have done. I know that I have changed and I hope that everyone at one point gets a chance to experience a trip for however long. Never be afraid to be a tourist or try and meeting new people; understand that you are on a budget, but also on vacation and that some additional expenses are okay. 

 Now that my education is nearly at an end and with this experience under my belt, I feel ready to face what is to come. I wish everyone the best of luck and hope that you all get the chance to travel the world, as scary as it may seem at this moment. Good bye and good luck!

So many things have been happening these last few weeks! I recently came back from a business trip for class to Belgium and then went of a city hopping tour to Portugal, hitting Marseille, Porto, and Lisbon in a five day span! 

With the business trip, we stopped by one of the largest ports--Port of Antwerp and the European Commission. Overall the trip was quick with way to much driving (minimum about 4 hours a day), but informative in seeing how another country is. 

These last two pictures are from the Port of Antwerp's training center for interns and students. Mahar (above and Tomine (below) are in the front end of a truck used to transport the logs from the port. 

The infamous statue of Belgium. It was not as exciting as you might think, it was simply placed on a small street corner.  

Now for Portugal!! This was a very fast pasted trip and I would recommend doing something similar if you are to ever spend a significant time in Europe. Quick and easy travel is common in Europe, where they have a multitude of cheap travel options--some of which include: Easyjet, Ryanair (cheapest option usually), MegaBus, Blah Blah Car (this is really nice!), and the trains if you book early enough. 

Portugal was a beautiful country and just what was needed for a group of college students missing the sun. The country has a large range of cultural foods and costs are low so everyone is able to try the traditions. 

The sidewalks are all stone bricks and very slippery. Also, according to a tour guide they are from the roman era!

This was the port of Marseilles.  

This church, like many in Porto, is covered with thousands of tiles and was right around the corner of where we were staying! 

Look at the sun and coast!!

This was a small town near Lisbon and it was a great day trip to make. We were able to stop by an incredible mansion and in the area there were also multiple castles. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the town...it started with an S.... 

These were both wonderful trips and I will soon be off to my final one in Germany! This semester has been a wonderful experience, but I look forward to getting back home!! 

 Now for Poland! This was a fantastic experience and I would recommend everyone to go. When I first arrived the temperature was easily below 32 F and it didn't increase very much over the course of the next week--when I left it was -7C or about 19 F!  It was also a bit of a shock to learn that Poland is part of the EU but does not have euros--instead they have zloty. (for reference $1=3.75 zlot!!)

I was able to it to a wide range of attractions, many of which were museums. One was on the Warsaw uprising that occurred in 1944 and another was of a LEGO exhibition, which was quiet fun.  

These are some of the armbands that supporters of the uprising would wear. 

Took a picture of this for the guys--it is a modified pistol so it is able to shoot hand grenades. I thought it was kind of nifty.  

Here are some photos from the LEGO exhibition. Some of the creations were very accurate and creative. The was one that a skying lodge paid to have done as a form of advertisement, the Simpson's house, some Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Starwars, and the star of the exhibition--an 8 meter long replica of the Titanic.

I believe that this is a snapshot of Warsaw before or after the uprising and the picture below is of the city during winter during the time that Russian troops occupied the city.  

Below is the chill of Poland being represented by a small LEGO man trying to stay warm next to a fire on the side of the street.

The Titanic that I mentioned earlier--just the tip, which includes the ever classic scene with the two lovebirds; although, they are a bit difficult to see. 

The closest thing I saw for a christmas tree in Warsaw. 

Next on the list was seeing the local palace/castle. It was a much more realistic center of politics than many of the other places that you see around europe. My friend and I geeked out a little bit with the flooring. It was incredibly interact and I feel that the floors of the palace were comparable to the ceilings that can be found in palaces of France.

An impressive painting of the palace from when it was originally built. 

A small game room...I believe--the floors are incredible! 

The "Marble Room", the walls, floors and ceiling are all marble--very impressed. 

We also made it to a town that was a couple hours away. It had one of the oldest town squares and sported its own castle and watch tower. Unfortunately, we were unable to go into neither the castle or watch tower because we happened to go on the day that they were closed, but the watch tower still provided a beautiful view of the town. 

One of the oldest town squares...at least that is what my sources tell me. 

Last but not least--the food! My friend was gracious enough to take me to many of the local restaurants that gave the best traditional foods. 

This was a very popular restaurant and the food was amazing--it provided lots of food. 

I will spell this how it is pronounced--pear-rogy, meat stuffed dumplings. They were the best thing ever. Oh, I should mention that you sprinkle them with bacon and bacon grease.

A puff pastry with cream inside. I am not sure what they name of it is, but it was delicious...and a little messy. 

The coffee culture it also really big in Warsaw. Sooo many cappuccinos, but all of them were delicious!  

Last but not lease--the beer scene! Here are just some suggestions... the first three are vodkas (which I have not tried) and all the rest are beers that I tried and recommend. 

 This next week I will be traveling on a business trip with my class to Lille and Brussels, so I should have some good pictures soon! To finish off this post, I present you with a most amusing advertisement from a local grocery chain.  

MMMM, sandwich.