Lots has been happening in Leipzig. The German Bundestag elections took place over the week, and the Friday climate strikes swept over the city. However, while all that happened some of our students took the time to visit some of Europe’s natural spaces.
George Kendall went on a hike in Salzburg Austria, in search of beautiful Alpine views. He seems to have found them. He was kind enough to give a brief interview to us about his experiences.
- Where did you go, and for how long?
- “I went to Salzburg, Austria, for three nights. It’s a city of about 150,000 people in the northwest of the Alps. I went with four other people from the Roanoke group”
- What drew you to go here?
- “I had been wanting to see the Alps, and I’m an big hiker so I wanted to get out and see the mountains. It’s very flat in Leipzig. Salzburg is also a beautiful city with interesting history, and was worth seeing in itself”
- What was your favorite part of your trip
- “My favorite part of the trip was spending a day climbing Untersberg, a large mountain just outside Salzburg. It was a tough and steep hike, but absolutely worth it for the view from the top. I’ve never been anywhere like it”
- Did you learn anything fun or unusual while you were there?
- “I learned some new words in Austrian German, and some of the folklore about the mountain. Apparently the emperor Charlemagne is said to sleep inside the mountain until he returns”
- Is there anything you want to tell the students back home?
- “Study abroad!”
George has been making the most of his time in Europe so far, and we hope he will have many more fruitful hikes.
George wasn’t the only student to take advantage of Europe’s green spaces. The same weekend Britt and Kay Belcher took another hike. Kay Belcher answered our interview as well.
- Where did you go, and for how long?
- “Britt and I traveled to the Bastei [A natural rock formation near Dresden, Germany] which took a three hour hike to get too and 6 hours total for transportation to the area. So we were gone for most of the day”
- What drew you to go here?
- “We discovered the Bastei in a book of places in Germany that was given to us by a friend from Berlin. The rock formations is what drew us to the location as I have never seen them before”
- What was your favorite part of your trip
- “My favorite part of the trip was going through caverns up the mountain as it provided me with a different experience compared to the hikes I have been on in the US”
- Is there anything you want to tell the students back home?
- “Germany is full of life and nature, it has a vast amount of forests and mountains to explore. The differences I’ve seen between nature in the US and in Germany is worth seeing with your own eyes”
We hope you all enjoy the pictures and stories of our Study Abroad students, and we will continue to document their adventures. Remember, if you or someone you know is interested in these experiences the Study Abroad Office runs a number of programs similar to the Leipzig program. As always, have fun and Auf Wiedersehen!
