Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Hallo zusammen!

As we've now moved onto December, I've been really excited to get to experience my favorite holiday, Christmas, in a different country. Even though I am living in a rather small town in Germany, we still have our own Christmas market, complete with an ice skating rink, hot chocolate, and other delicious food!

Some of the more special Christmas markets, however, can be found in some of Germany's larger cities. This past weekend, while one of my CBYXer friends was visiting me, we decided to take a trip to Dortmund to meet up with some of the other CBYXers in the area, and got to experience the Christmas market there. The coolest part was a gigantic Christmas tree, one that was about fifty feet tall, just sitting there in the middle of the city. On the streets, stands for food, drinks, and little trinkets gave everything a really cozy feel, even if it was freezing outside!

Later in the day, we went to surprise one of my friends in Cologne, which had an even prettier setup! The cathedral in the background was also a really cool sight, and going inside of it was also very beautiful. The cathedral is one of the best-known attractions in the country, and it certainly didn't disappoint. 

So far, one of my favorite things to do has been to explore different cities with my CBYXer friends. This year, a few of them have become some of the best friends that I have ever known, and I am extremely thankful for each and every one of them. Hopefully I'll be able to make more memories with them for the rest of our exchange. Bis bald!