3 days in

So it didn't start as smoothly as I'd hoped. My flight from Gatwick to Basel was delayed by about four and a half hours; something about needing some tape and gel to fix the front of the plane. We ended up getting on another plane in the end, one that was scheduled to go to Manchester. They gave us a free drink and snacks, which was clever because people's grumpiness definitely decreases significantly if you give them (1) free stuff, and (2) something to eat. The whole episode reminded me of the scene in Come Fly With Me where Taj, who works for the airline, tells a customer it was their fault that the plane was delayed 'for being a cheapskate and booking with a crappy airline' (Jack, Adam, you know the reference). The delay had a huge knock on effect on my plans. Basically I needed to collect my room keys from the Language School office by 9pm, when they closed. When I realised there was no way I could get there before 9, I sent an email to the office, and in ever-efficient German fashion they replied quickly explaining that they'd give the keys to the Hauptbahnhof (main station) office, which closed at 11.30pm. Relief. Until I worked out that the delayed flight would arrive at 10.15, and I'd need to catch the 10.30 coach from Basel to arrive in Freiburg for 11.30. I got through customs really quickly, and made the coach by the skin of my teeth. In fact I think I got on at 10.34. The journey to Freiburg is 55 minutes, so again it was going to be very tight as to whether I'd get to the Hauptbahnhof before it shut. I arrived in Freiburg at around 11.25, and after a few minutes of running around the large station with two big suitcases I found the office and luckily it was still open. I collected my keys and took a taxi to the address stated on the envelope.

Getting in the building was a challenge, even. Nowhere in the pack did they state that you have to scan the keyring to get into the building and your flat. So I just waited until someone came out. One guy could tell I was confused and helped me find my room, the numbers written at the top of the envelope. Why couldn't they have put 'Raumnummer' or something next to it? I arrived in my room and pretty much went straight to bed after such a stressful afternoon and evening. My flat is quite nice, 7 rooms and two bathrooms, but so far I've only met one housemate as uni term doesn't start until mid-October and the others won't arrive until nearer the time. Apparently they're all German which I think is awesome.



View of the city from the top of the Cathedral

Language school is 3 hours every morning and then we're free to do whatever afterwards. Everyone in the class seems very nice, including the teacher who makes crude jokes every so often that no one is quite sure how to react to. So far I've met lots of Americans and Canadians, and also people from all over the world; Nigeria, Japan, Slovakia, Ireland, Italy... With the guy from Japan I chatted in German about football for a good ten minutes or so. For all the stick football gets in the UK, no one can deny that it's a great unifying force for different cultures all over the world.

 



There are little streams on the streets called 'Bächle' which are unique to Freiburg. If you step in one by accident, legend has it that you'll marry a Freiburger.

There are lots of organised activities and excursions for students, so far we've already been to the top of the Freiburger Münster (cathedral), on a small hike which ended with a great view over the city and a short guided city tour. There are some great things lined up in the next week and a half; a trip to Basel, Switzerland, a vineyard tour and a hike to the Black Forest (which is tomorrow at 8.30am, which could be interesting seeing as there's a Kneipentour (bar crawl) this evening).



One strange thing is the Germans' tendency to not cross the road unless the little man on the traffic lights goes green. I wonder how much of their lives the Germans waste waiting to cross a road even when there's no car nearby.

Overall, though, everything is going pretty well and I'm practising German quite a lot (even with native English speakers which is a bit bizarre) and the city is absolutely beautiful, as I hope you can tell from the pictures.

George x