September 27
“Do you want to get doner?” Carly asks.
“Sure, meet you at Star Döner [& Pizza 2] then?” I replied to Carly’s message.
“Yep.”
Instead of making my own dinner, Carly and I decided to go have some doner (Döner). The doner [kebab] is a known dish from Turkey and usually consists of meat from a vertical rotisserie and vegetable fillings and sauce. A traditional doner kebab What Type of Meat Is Used in Doner Kebab? The traditional doner kebab uses lamb, but today you can find doners with chicken, turkey, and beef. When you visit Germany, doners is one of the many popular street food, and you will without fail find a doner shop at almost every corner!
Kleiner Döner, or a small doner. It’s filling!
September 28
Today’s Tuesday, that means I can visit the weekly market! The weekly market in Marktplatz occurs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, cheese, jam, and flowers can be found at weekly markets, but it may vary from one city or town to another. I was looking for tomatoes that I could use for my meals at home, and it was still early in morning, so the market was not too crowded. I passed by a flower stand and I thought to myself…
“Mom would like to buy these flowers and bring them home, that is, if she lived in Germany. But knowing her, she will stay in the U.S.. I wonder how my sunflowers, tomatoes and strawberries are faring back home?”
I headed to the tram stop to head home after buying tomatoes, but I was tempted by a pretzel stand since all I skipped out on breakfast. In Innenstadt and other cities in Germany, you can find pretzel stands. Just like the doner, you will find them everywhere! I tried out the cheese pretzel! (Käsebrezel)
Soft cheese pretzel…it’s as big as my hand!
A carton of small tomatoes from the weekly market!
September 29
What is one fact about Germany that I forgot about? It’s the weather! Once Fall rolled around, the temperatures began dropping. On top of frigid temperatures, sunny days were now cloudy days, strong winds scratching at my face, and of course, rain.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain!” I thought to myself. I should have checked the weather! I was at the Mensa having lunch when it started to rain. “It’s probably not that much, I can make it to class!”
I was outside and checked my phone to find the correct building, perhaps a 10-15 minutes walk. But make that walk into running. I was halfway towards my destination when the weather became windy and rain started to pour! I should have bought an umbrella!
So what did I learn? Stop making second guesses on deciding whether or not I need gloves and an umbrella.
During the Fall and Winter, it gets very cold and rainy!
September 30
The Rhine River (der Rhein) is the biggest and one of the major rivers within Germany, although some sources argue it is another river. I have crossed over the Rhine while I was on the tram before, but I never personally visited the river. The VISUM Get-Together event was today, and the meeting location is the Rhine terrace (Rheinterassen). Where is that?
I hopped off the tram close to the terrace, but everywhere I turned, there were only streets busy with cars, buses, and trams. I didn’t have Internet, but I could still read a map on my phone and walk the general direction of the terrace. More streets. I could see the train tracks from where I was standing! Maybe further down the road? In 5 minutes, I came across a trail leading into an area that looked like a forest. The map was pointing me towards that “forest!”
The trail leading towards the Rheinterassen
As I continued on the trail, I spotted a court used for tennis. People were running, biking, walking their dogs, and doing other sport-like activities. Up ahead I heard music and someone talking through a microphone. There are concerts here! I eventually find the meeting location, and I met a few new international students!
The ship mast along the Rhine. In the distance you can see a bridge that crosses over the Rhine.
October 1
Uh-oh, it looks like there is nothing to highlight for this day!
Bonus! October 2
Fruits! An important part of everyone’s diet! I need fruits for next week, and the weekly market is today. Around 10:30AM, I walked to the tram and heard some strange clicking and chattering noise. It didn’t sound human or robotic. Then a bird lands in the direction I was headed. It stared at me for a bit before hopping away. Come back! What are you? I’ve never seen a bird like you before!
I quickly snapped a photo of it on my phone before it flew up in the trees. This is a Eurasian Magpie. Its tail feathers is as long as its body! That’s another entry uploaded to iNaturalist!
What does a weekly market look like during a Saturday? Lots of stalls! Crowded! But happy people!
Weekly market with the old town hall (Altes Rathaus) in the background
Bonus! October 3
Why is there a Netto cart in the kitchen? How did it even get up the flight of stairs?
Other than a strange morning, I met up with my VISUM buddy today at Coffee Fellows, and she is really nice! I hope to learn more German and dialects with her!
A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:
The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.
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