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My series on Oktoberfest wouldn’t be complete without highlighting some of the people we met.

Renate was the best beer waitress anyone could ask for. Friendly, fast, and German. She signed Hofbräu coasters for us to commemorate our first day at Oktoberfest.

Christof, a German guy we met in the Hofbräu-Festzelt, taught us the lyrics to Ein Prosit.

Verena and I met in the Augustiner-Festhalle, and after a bet to see who could win the Hau den Lukas (the game where you use a mallet to hit the weight and ring the bell), we exchanged e-mails. We traded e-mails with lots of people, but Verena was the only person to e-mail back, and I’m very thankful she did! You’ll hear more about her after Eurotrip II – she visited the Netherlands, and we toured Delft, Den Haag, Brussels, and Amsterdam. By the way, she won the Hau den Lukas; I contribute that to her being Bavarian. 😉

Finally, Oktoberfest wouldn’t have been what it was without the countless others we met – they helped make it an incredible, unforgettable experience.

I returned from Eurotrip II on Saturday, and on the walk back to the apartment, I noticed that fall had officially arrived. The trees have all changed colors, the streets are covered in leaves, the temperatures average around the upper 40s to mid 50s, and as of today, the second quarter has begun.

I have four classes this quarter: Systems Engineering, Measurement Techniques, Electrical and Information Systems, and last but certainly not least, Ethics. These courses are the main reason I came to Delft (besides the opportunity to travel), so I’m really looking forward to the next few months.

Regarding my website, I plan to finish blogging about Eurotrip I and continuing with Eurotrip II. Since there are a lot of stories to tell and pictures to share, the website is going to turn into a sort of “river blog,” with new posts coming every few days or so.

The story continues in Switzerland…

On Sunday, I joined a number of students on an impromptu trip to Amsterdam, being sure to take advantage of the pefect weather. We spent the day on a walking tour of the city, enjoying the sights of the canals and parks.

Every Wednesday night the international students gather at a De Ruif for a night of relaxing and socializing. On the way to De Ruif we pass through the city center, and there always seems to be something going on – this particular Wednesday brought us a carnival.

The weather here changes very rapidly – most of the time it’s mostly cloudy, and getting rained on while biking to class isn’t that uncommon. When the weather’s good you learn to take advantage of it, so Sunday afternoon was spent on the banks of the lake in Delft’s largest park: Delftse Hout.