University Groningen, the Netherlands

After five eventful, exciting and absolutely unforgettable months, on 21 December I had to say "tot ziens Groningen, hoi Würzburg". Unsurprisingly, the time until Christmas went by way too fast and I already wish myself back to the unforgettable last summer. I already have to say goodbye to my dear Groningen at the end of January, but a new little adventure for me will start in February as I will travel to London, Riga, Vilnius, Warsaw and Prague.

But before that I still had enough time to stroll around small, cute Christmas markets and to end the last Advent weekend with friends from Würzburg. Especially impressive was the WinterWelVaart market in Groningen, which led along the canals. The moored boats were decorated with holiday lights and we could experience the Dutch magic of Christmas with a cup of mulled wine. Besides all the relaxation we felt the urge for some action and so we decided to do a day trip to Haarlem and Amsterdam (including Christmas shopping).

Maybe some of you have already thought about what it would be like to live on a houseboat. In Groningen this is not uncommon and yet everyone is amazed when meeting someone who really lives on a boat. My two friends rented a room via Airbnb and we were allowed to stay on one of these boats for the weekend. It’s unbelievably relaxing and somehow funny when the boat sometimes starts to sway.

Spending Christmas days at home with my family did me good in any case and yet I felt a huge part was missing when I arrived in Würzburg. I think this is called wanderlust. :)

In order to directly take countermeasures, I travelled with a friend to the city of the love for New Year’s Eve. It was the first time I went to Paris and especially the Eiffel Tower which was illuminated at night has an incomparable flair.

We could admire the typical tourist attractions like the spectacular view from Sacre Coeur, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre and Notre Dame – although I had an uneasy feeling being surrounded by military and police everywhere. Nevertheless, we didn't feel upset and came to know and love Paris in many different ways!

For me it was an unforgettable start into a year that hopefully will be just as crazy and impressive as the last one! :)

Happy New Year!