Frankfurt, Castles, and more!

 I realize it has been over a week since I last posted... Oops! So here we go, I will fill you in on what's been going on!

For the most part, last week was spent just catching up on sleep and adjusting to life in Germany. I can't complain, I've been able to sleep in quite a bit which is amazing. I don't think I've ever had this much relaxation time! But, I have been making big efforts towards working on my research paper, so I can at least feel a little productive about that! Also, I've kept up with running while here, which makes me feel good and not quite so lazy! Me and the girl I'm living with, Marie, went running a few different times now. The past 2 times we ran in a wooded area with lots of trails, and its such a beautiful area to run. On one of our runs, it started raining. Not pouring, but enough to get us pretty wet. But of course it stopped right when we got back to the car. To our surprise, however, there was a bright, vibrant double rainbow that arched over the woods and a field. It was so beautiful! 

 Last Friday I took a train into Frankfurt. I was walking around and ready to take pictures, but when I went to take out my camera,  I discovered my camera battery was dead. So I spent the first hour of my downtown trip trying to figure out a place where I could by a new camera battery. Not part of the plan but oh well, it happens! 

Sunday was very fun, I went to my first Castle! It belonged to Prince Philip, and the Grimm Brothers grew up in this castle. So there was a whole section of the castle dedicated to them and the stories they wrote. There was even a 'theater' room where they would host plays that were put on with paper dolls and paper settings. It was pretty funny, actually. They were kinda creepy looking, but made me laugh. It was interesting, I'll just leave it at that. And, almost every room in the castle had a chandelier. Each were unique and gorgeous! 

That night I went with Marie and some of her volleyball teammates to the men's national volleyball game, Germany vs. Brazil. I had no idea volleyball could be so exciting! I loved it! And we sat right by the court, front row seats. At the time we were taking our seats, the German team had just come out to start warming up and stretching. A few of the players came over to the railing, like right in front of were I was sitting, to use the railing to stretch. It was so hard to keep a straight face! I was blushing, haha. I could have reached out and touched them, but I thought that might have been a little weird... I also thought of taking a picture, but that might have been even more weird. So I refrained myself, but still took some pictures of the game. Even though Germany lost, it was still a fun time. 

Today I went to Hanau, which is a city closer to where I live. I couldn't help but splurge a little while shopping.  There are a bunch of bakeries and cafes around though, so I can imagine that I'll be returning, even if its not to shop, but just to have a relaxing afternoon enjoying life in Germany :)

Ok, a few more photos and I'm done... I live in a village that is kind of out in the country. Back behind the neighborhood is a large field with paths that the farmers use to take their tractors into the fields, but people also use them as hiking and biking trails (and also horseback riding trails! I've seen lots of horse riders out there, too). These fields are up on a hill, and when you get to the top, there's a nice view of the village and surrounding area with big foothills in the background. The pictures aren't enough, you can't really tell, but I think it's a beautiful area and have made it almost a daily habit to walk around the fields. Its so lovely :) 

Next time I won't wait so long to blog so that the blogs don't get really long! 

"There will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path... But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." -Sir Winsten Churchill