Last Tuesday, I got a message asking if I wanted to tag along on a road trip through Germany by two of my friends from my study abroad trip earlier in the summer. Friday afternoon, we hit the road.
I'm not a spontaneous person, as much as I try to be. That was by far the least amount of planning I have ever done when it comes to leaving my house. Yet there I was, sitting in the backseat of a rental car from Italy, armed with my backpack and a small overnight bag.
We drove for roughly six hours until we reached out first destination, longer than we had anticipated — yay, traffic! — and by the time we arrived, we were so ready for a chance to stretch our legs.
That night, we were gathered in the living room of my friend's aunt and uncle's house. It was a plethora of laughter, jokes being said in one language and then translated for those who couldn't speak both.
Saturday we spent the day in the beautiful city of Bremen, where narrow alleys made it feel like we were walking through Hogsmeade. We visited a beautiful church, had some curry wurst, and in general just explored the city.
Sunday we spent the day in Hamburg. We got to see the aftermath of the triathlon that was then underway. We saw another church and had a signature beer made fresh in a brewery there. We went to the Hamburger Hafen and saw the historic storage quarter of the city.
Monday morning we hit the road, traveling further up north to a small town called Neustadt, where my Oma lives. We stayed in her apartment for the remainder of the time we were up north, while she was currently visiting my house down south.
Tuesday we took the day to recuperate — in our defense, right as we were ready to go outside, it started pouring. So we played cards. For hours.
Wednesday I took them to the beach. When people think of German beaches, they automatically assume nude beaches. Well, not every beach is a nude beach. That being said, we don't care if people do decide to walk around naked. It was a beautiful beach, wonderful weather and the best five hours I've had in a long time with no electronics — save my camera.
Thursday entailed a trip to Lübeck. This included a tour of many beautiful churches and, of course, a stop at the Marzipan factory and shop. I got some marzipan in the shape of a cow.
Friday, I got to revisit the amusement park of my childhood — the Hansa Park. We were there from 10:30 in the morning to 5:30 p.m. No ride was safe from us. From terrifying roller coasters that had dress codes — no open toed shoes, nothing in pockets and no glasses — and dropped you straight down in a dark tower without warning, to child friendly yet deceiving water slides that got buckets of water poured on you on the smallest drop. I showed them the favorite rides of everyone in my family.
The best part of the vacation was that I had no laptop, no internet, nothing. Just my good friends, a notebook for writing in the evening, and a deck of cards. We were left to our own devices. Never once did I feel the need to go online — although I did check Facebook once a day with my data.
So essentially, what I'm saying is, take the plunge. Be spontaneous. Go on a road trip with your friends, jam out to music and attempt to have conversations with the people that you're stuck with in a traffic jam for over an hour. Leave behind the responsibilities, the stress and the wifi. Make it Future You's problem.
