We had about a 2.5 hour bus ride to get to Konstanz, which I endured with a chocolate croissant from the local bakery, but it was worth it. It helped that I took a little nap on the way there. :)
When we arrived in Konstanz, we started off the day with a city tour. Well, more like a view of the city. Max, our "tour guide," had only been to Konstanz a few times and did not know too much about the city. It was fine, though, because we had fun just wandering.
The beginning of our tour in Konstanz.
We made our first stop at a fountain in one of the town squares. We took a bunch of pictures and ended up getting separated from Max and the other half of the group.
The fountain in Konstanz.
Some of us ended up going on our own way for a little bit once we realized that part of the group had left us. Max ended up calling us and we met him at the Rathaus, or town hall, which was a beautiful, brick building with ivy.
The Konstanz Rathaus
We also got the chance to see the beautiful church in Konstanz. There were some amazing nooks and crannies within the church.
The Konstanz church
At one point I wandered off from the rest of the group and found a nearly empty room that was a lot plainer than the rest of the church, but was just as beautiful. It was in that moment that I felt this amazing connection to God and the wonders that he helped create.
Inside the Konstanz Church
It was only when I showed Allie and Sarah this part of the church that they mentioned it reminded them of the set of Harry Potter. Two of my loves, traveling and reading, becoming one!
Max also took us to the top of the church's tower, which offered us a fantastic view of the city and the lake.
The view of Lake Konstanz from the church.
View of the city of Konstanz from the church.
At the top of the church of Konstanz with Allie and Sarah.
Once we were finished at the church, we all went on our own way. Lineke, Tammi, and I ended up going into a fair trade store that we had passed on our way to the church. The coffee from the café looked great there, but we needed to grab some food for lunch.
We ended up finding this café down the road with a great atmosphere and some great food. I got a quinoa salad which was delicious. Tammi ended up getting a chocolate lovers muffin, which was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life.
It's a good thing we had Lineke with us, because had it been up to me to get us to the meeting point, I would have most likely gotten us lost! We made it to the ferry boat meeting point a few minutes late, but all was well! We boarded the ferry to take us across the Bodensee to Meersburg.
Tammi, Alejandro, Lineke, Allie, Chris, and I on the ferry from Konstanz to Meersburg.
View of Konstanz from the ferry.
The statue in the harbor of Konstanz.
The wind was a little intense on the ride over to Meersburg...
We started off our adventure in Meersburg by walking down the main road in the city. It was a small town with two big castles (an old and a new) up the hill. There were cobblestone roads, ice cream parlors, and Weinstuben throughout the main stretch, and I got to experience all of them. :)
The main street in Meersburg with Weinstuben!
First, Max took me, Tobias, and Augusto to the meeting point, as well as the rest of the group. We got this great picture by Lake Constance together:
Candid by the Bodensee.
Okay, so this is actually the good picture:
Members of the RIO team by the Bodensee.
Then, it was ice cream time. I got a waffle cone with chocolate and chocolate chip ice cream in it, topped with whipped cream. Yum.
We then walked up the hill and just wandered around the city in a small group. We ended up in front of the new castle up the hill, which overlooked the lake and awarded us a beautiful view of the old castle. Allie and I were the only ones who decided to go into the castle. It is Germany's oldest inhabited castle and was really cool!
The Meersburg Castle, founded around the 7th century.
Me with the Meersburg Castle and Lake Constance.
Meersburg Castle
Meersburg Castle
The Hall of Arms of the Meersburg Castle. The armor dates back to the 16th century!
The Hall of Knights was where people took their meals beginning in the 13th century. On the table there is an elkfoot drinking cup. Yes, this is real life.
Once we were done in the castle, Allie and I went back down the hill to check out the Weinstuben back in the lower part of town. We ended up sitting down in one of the tables outside with a view of the street and both decided to try one of the local white wines.
Once we were finished, we met the rest of the group in our meeting spot and headed home! I ended up talking to one of the students from Sheffield named Chris for the ride home. As we were talking, a few others overheard that I was going to make some chicken tacos when I got home. Others wanted to join, and there ended up being me, Tammi, Allie, Sarah, Joe, Julia, Lineke, Alejandro, Emma, Ava, and Chris (people from all over the world!) heading to the Pennymarkt to get some ingredients. We split the costs and it ended up being really reasonable to make a big meal for all of us. :) Oh, and it was delicious.
After we ate, we hung out on the 2nd floor, and then in the Wurm-Haus basement. A few people decided to go to Mexcalitos in town, and I was not one of them. It was then that I realized I did not have anywhere to be on Sunday - why not continue my night! I was awake, despite having an exhausting day, and we headed downtown after we hung out for a while in the basement.
Mexcalitos was hopping when we got there. Everyone was dancing to Mexican music and the line to get a drink was ridiculous. Despite having a crappy waiter, the night went well. I danced a bit with Alejandro and the rest of the group.
Allie and I headed home after a fun and busy day.
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