ARRIVED IN KONSTANZ!

DAY ONE

Okay, so I'M HERE IN KONSTANZ!! And let me start from the very beginning. So, 12:30 pm I leave my house to head to the airport, say my teary-eyed goodbyes to everyone not coming with me to the airport, and even more teary-eyed goodbyes once I'm there. Check in was actually really quick because I had already done it online, and all I needed to do was pick up my boarding pass. So, my baggage was weighed, and I was allowed 50lbs but wound up only having 40lbs (go me!) and off I went through security. So, let's fast-forward to me on the plane. I was SUPER impressed by the pilot, he spoke German, English AND French, and when he made his announcements he made them once in each language and said THE EXACT SAME THING!!!

There was no deviation! We arrived a full HOUR EARLY (absolutely amazing timing!) and we fly from NY up north way past Maine and way up into Canada, then east, and we were actually a little south of Iceland & Greenland, over England, France (we actually passed over Normandy) and then on into Zürich. Let me tell you, this pilot not only amazed me with him language skills, but his landing ability is equal to no other. We touched the ground and that was it. No bounce back up, no feeling of being pushed forward and like bending over because of super hard braking. It was like we were in a helicopter and he just hovered on down from 40k feet. I was SO amazed. Everyone on the plane clapped! It was amazing. Here are some pictures from the plane!

these are all pictures heading into Switzerland. This one is of the country side outside of Zürich and if you look really close you can see the Swiss Alps!
These were some clouds when we were still over France that I thought were lovely!!
Look at these colors. It looks like cotton candy in the sky! So beautiful to see, this was the sunrise heading into France

Okay, so I get my bags, go through customs, all that un-fun stuff, then, get a 2nd class train ticket from Zürich to Konstanz, and let me tell you, this second class was like first class on the LIRR....if it existed. There was such ample room, every seat was a two-seater facing another 2-seater, like booth style in a restaurant without the tables, and the sights were AMAZING.

this is one of two sunflower fields we passed going from Zürich into Konstanz on the SBB.

So, We get into Konstanz, we get picked up by Bastian (Bass-tee-on) and he takes us (I was traveling with two other girls, Brianna and Charlotte) along with our massive and heavy luggage THROUGH THE CITY OF KONSTANZ ON FOOT, to show us around a little bit and how to get to the dorms. So after that trip, which Bastian said would be about 10 minutes, and was actually about 20-30, we were all dead. So at this point we're super excited to head into our dorm's and unpack and hang out, however, the elevator was not working. Bastian said it must have something to do with these two kids who were moving out last week putting a couch in it and riding the elevator up and down all day for hours. So we had to trek...again...up the stairs. Now mind you, in Germany the first floor is really our second. So I was on the second floor and had to trek my luggage up a good, long 3 flights of stairs. Not fun at all. This is the dorm:

After that we all walked around and explored and had quite the adventure trying to order dinner at a Spanish restaurant that they only spoke Spanish and German in. We struggled but managed to pull through with dishes that were totally not what we were expecting! Oh well, every day is an adventure that's for sure! her are some places I thought were very pretty and blog-worthy!

this place was built in 1913

foot/bicycle bridge going over the Rhine to the other half of Konstanz

the Rhine from across the foot/bicycle bridge "the other side"