Free weekend, day 1

This weekend the study abroad students are free to travel as they please which means the faculty have the same freedom.  The Carpenters went to Prague via Dresden and the Valenzuelas went to Vienna.  Students split into small groups and went everywhere–some to Switzerland, some to Lichtenstein, some to Lake Como, etc.  I decided to take day trips from Schweinfurt and visit some of the Bavarian villages nearby.

My first stop on Thursday afternoon (the weekend starts early when students are involved) was Bad Kissingen, a spa town about 20 minutes north by train.  The mineral springs here are recorded from as early as 823.  The town went through many names and owners throughout history, becoming known as a “spa town” in the 1500s.  I had no map to the area so I just started walking from the train station.  I saw a field in front of me and a sign that said rose garden so I followed a path, with beautiful rose bushes on either side, that led me to a slow moving stream whose name I don’t know.  I walked on a well-worn path along the stream in a large park with old growth trees (each was labeled by its name and description in German) watching birds and butterflies and crossing bridges from one side to the other.  There were benches along the way to rest.  Eventually I crossed a bridge into a small shopping area–beautiful jewelry stores, small boutiques, and cafes.  I shopped for awhile and admired the beautiful buildings in the area before returning to the train station through the rose garden.

My visit to Bad Kissingen was a perfect start to the free weekend.  I felt free to enjoy the things that I find interesting and beautiful in the world and even rumbling thunder and sprinkles did not stop me.