When the third week wrapped up and came to an end we were on the road to Essen! I was really excited to see and explore a whole new part of Germany, but also at the same time sentimental to leave Berlin. I had an amazing time in Berlin and knew I was not going to be back there for a long time, if not, ever. However I kept my head high was being optimistic to exploring new parts of Germany. The train ride from Berlin to Essen was around 4 hours long. I find it astonishing that even though Berlin and Essen are on opposites ends of Germany, it only takes 4 hours transport. It just goes to show you how big United States really is.
When we finally arrived in Essen it was already late afternoon, so we as a class just walked around and explored the town for an hour and then had a big group dinner. Dinners as a group are very night and made the evening really special. After the dinner I was all worn out and had no energy left, so I got in my bed and called it a day.
The next two days we went to a park called Landschaftspark in Duisburg. This park was famous and world known because its an example of an old industrial factory being transformed into a park. Landschaftspark used to be an old coal and steel plant. Now the space integrates the old steel and coal factory remains into the park, making it one of the most unique parks I have ever seen. As a landscape architect study abroad program, of course we had to check this place out. However, unfortunately, I did not particularly like this place. I was really excited to visit it but when I arrived I was really disappointed. For me it was not that aesthetically pleasing. My personal preference in parks is a space that is open in green with a lot of diverse vegetation. Even though I was disappointed, I still had a nice day with the people in my class. Here is pictures of what the park looked like.
The next day we analyzed and visited more good storm water management technique examples. We visited two places to analyze these techniques which was Geslenkirchen and Nordsternpark. Geslenkirchen was a little unique neighborhood that had a wonderful centerpiece using storm water as a design piece. I personally thought this space was really nice. Here is a picture of what it looked like.
Wednesday this week was probably one of the best days on this trip because my mom had came to visit me! By this point I was starting to get really homesick so having her come to visit me made me really happy. My professors allowed us to do our own thing so me and my mom got to explore around Essen on our own and see things we were really excited about seeing. The first place we visited was Villa Hugel, which was a historic mansion that the Krump family used to live in. The outside was absolutely breathtaking as you can see from the picture below. What was even more neat about this place is that we also had the accessibility to explore the inside of the mansion as well. After Villa Hugel, we visited a traditional German downtown called Kettwig. This place made me feel like I went back in time and stepped into Germany in the 1900’s. I absolutely loved this place because it truly felt like I was in Germany. You can not find a town like Kettwig in the United States. If you are ever in Germany, I 10/10 recommend you visiting there.
The next day me and my mom went on another adventure, this was to Grugapark. Grugapark was a massive botanical garden filled with many exhibits. The picture below is a space I personally like the most in this park. It was a room made out of only ivy. It was nice to walk around and relax in a garden with my mom all day. Even though I enjoyed this day, I really wanted it to end and have the next day come. That was because the next day I was going to PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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