May 14 blog post

May 14

Today was an exciting day in a new place! We arrived at our hotel in Nürnberg to a nice surprise of huge beds, ensuite bathrooms, free towels, and lots of space in each of our rooms. Two of the hotel rooms had two levels and one even had a full kitchen. Compared to our previous hostel in Munich, this seemed like luxury. As much as we wanted to bask in the overwhelming glory of our new home, we also wanted to explore the city. We didn't want to waste another moment inside because today was a rare day in which we had some free time. Exploration of the city was our first priority.

I broke off from the rest of the group to try to get a new perspective without the security of having my buddies by my side. I'm the one in the group that depends on others for navigation, so trusting myself to not get lost or end up in a different city was difficult. With my ever-developing German skills and a map, I first set out to find food (where else?). 

After a satisfying meal of Döner (I thought that the shop's claim of having the "best Döner in all of Germany" was pretty accurate) I spent some time sitting down and watching people. I took note of the behaviors of people here that differed from large crowds in America. These included: 

1. The quantity and quality of public displays of affection. People are truly not ashamed of hiding their love for each other here. 

2. Dog - owner relationships. Dogs here are better trained than any dog I know back in the states. They trot alongside their owner, wait patiently for them when told to do so, and ignore the rest of the busy world around them like it's their job. 

3. The only loud obnoxious people are under the age of 14. All the adults and young adults that I watched today walked purposely and quietly through the square, talking to each other in hushed tones and politely maneuvering  through others. The flow of foot traffic was incredibly functional and mature.

4. Open alcohol container laws. They don't exist here.

These, among a multitude of others, were just some obvious things that jumped out to me today. 

I continued my adventure through the shopping district, and made my way into an old church (there are so many of those here), a few music stores, a store that sold cute kitchenware, a stand that sold hand crafted pocket watches, and eventually back to the hotel. I don't know how I did it, but I was gone several hours and didn't lose my sense of direction.

The group got back together and we finished off the evening by making a home-cooked meal together in our fancy hotel kitchen. A day well spent! 

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Mary Elizabeth Zinn

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | Residential College '18

Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience

Research Assistant | Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research

Email: mezinn@umich.edu