First stop....Germany (Days 1-4)

There’s something wildly humbling about stepping onto an international flight and heading to a totally different part of the world for the very first time. Somewhere between Nate losing his boarding pass in Canada (just briefly thankfully), realizing he couldn’t sleep on planes, and both of us staring bleary‑eyed at a Lufthansa airplane cabin ceiling at 3 a.m., it hit us: this trip was going to change both of us. And that, as it turns out, was the most exciting part.

Brandon trying to sneak in a nap before landing

A Wake‑Up Call in Frankfurt

We arrived in Frankfurt after nearly 20 hours awake, jet‑lagged and confident… until the trains promptly humbled us. Red line? Green line? Wrong station? Even ChatGPT betrayed us. A kind local employee working at the airport train station gently corrected our course (and saved us from what ChatgGPT insisted was a “shortcut”). Lesson number one: travel rewards curiosity, not certainty.

Once we finally made it to our hotel, we happily paid for early check‑in and settled in for a little nap. Five hours of sleep later, we rallied and wandered down to the Rhine River. There, we enjoyed three incredible beers, laughed with the locals, people‑watched, and started to immerse ourselves in this new culture in a new country.

Koblenz, Castles, and Finding Our Group (Tour start)

Our first big scramble came when we overslept and nearly missed our train to Koblenz to meet with our group. We splurged for First‑class train tickets (highly recommend) and took in every moment of the German county side as we made our way to the starting point. We exited the train, grabbed our bags, and hiked across town, arriving just in time… well, almost. We walked into orientation an hour late, sweaty and embarrassed (we misread the schedule)—but instantly welcomed. Carlos, our tour guide, made us feel right at home instantly.

Koblenz surprised us. At the dramatic meeting point of two rivers stood the largest statue I’ve ever seen, symbolizing the reunification of East and West Germany. That night, overlooking the Rhine with a glass of wine and our new travel companions, the trip began to feel real.

Germany, One Castle at a Time

The next days unfolded like pages from a fairy tale: Eltz Castle, owned by the same family for over 30 generations; a village of 150 people where time seemed frozen; and one of Europe’s largest fortresses with walls so thick they laughed at modernity. Every moment was breathtakingly beautiful.

Baden‑Baden: Comfort Zones Are Overrated

If you had told us we would willingly spend three hours naked in a co‑ed Roman bath with strangers, we would have laughed nervously and changed the subject. But Baden‑Baden has a way of dissolving inhibitions.

What started as sheer terror turned into one of the most freeing experiences of the trip. Warm pools, cold plunges, quiet meditation rooms, and whispered conversations with people who were strangers just hours before—it was oddly bonding and deeply relaxing. By that night, after wine, rain, and a spontaneous dinner with a former meteorologist from our group, we slept through the night for the first time since arriving. Turns out, Roman baths were just what the doctor ordered.

Our first attempt at doing laundry in the sink

Click To Move On to Switzerland!