Zoe's first impression

Driving home from the airport was an eye opener. Already I could see the major differences between Australia and Germany. The architecture and colour of the houses, shops and churches are very traditional. The green hills and fields followed by tall, bizarre mountains create a beautiful outlook. The weathering castle on the hill gave a mysterious medieval vibe. People were transported by horses, bicycles and tractors. I saw this from the car window and it made me extremely excited to explore. I’m living in Oberaudorf, a village near the Swiss border. The village is spread into sections because of the large blocks of land most families own. The houses and shops also look very traditional here. My host family owns a decent amount of land. On my first day (the same morning we drove from the airport) Anna (my host sister) and Francis (my host father) showed me their sheep. I was amazed at how friendly the sheep were and how well my family looked after them. The sheep were treated as pets and got a fair rub from Anna and Francis. Later we rode to the primary school where a fire drill was being displayed. The fire fighters had put smoke bombs in the buildings, set the fire truck sirens off, alert the church bells to ring the fire alarm, placed ladders near the windows and organised all the kids and parents to come along. They were making the practise as realistic as possible and teaching the kids at the same time. Every single child was either harnessed and taken out the window or carried out by fire fighters. The kids were taught what to do if they were alone and basic fire safety rules. I was so surprised how much effort the community dedicates towards their animals and their village. So far I’ve seen the Oktoberfest, four castles, specky mountains aDriving home from the airport was an eye opener. Already I could see the major differences between Australia and Germany. The architecture and colour of the houses, shops and churches are very traditional. The green hills and fields followed by tall bazar mountains create a beautiful outlook. The weathering castle on the hill giving of a mysteriously medieval vibe. People were getting around on horses, bicycles and tractors. I saw this from the car window and it made me extremely excited to explore. I’m living in Oberaudorf, a village near the Swedish border. The village is spread into sections because of the large blocks of land most families own. The houses and shops also look very traditional here . My host family own a decent amount of land. On my first day (the same morning we drove from the airport) Anna (my host sister) and Francis (my host father) showed me their sheep. I was amazed at how friendly the sheep were and how well my family looked after them. The sheep were treated as pets and got a fair rub from Anna and Francis. Later we rode to the primary school where a fire drill was being displayed. The fire fighters had put smoke bombs in the buildings, set the fire truck sirens off, alert the church bells to ring the fire alarm, placed ladders near the windows and organised all the kids and parents to come along. They were making the practise as realistic as possible and teaching the kids at the same time. Every single child was either harnessed and taken out the window or carried out by fire fighters. The kids were taught what to do if they were alone and basic fire safety rules. I was so surprised how much effort the community dedicates towards their animals and their village. So far I’ve seen the Oktoberfest, four castles, specky mountains and some impressive hiking ranges. The Oktoberfest was so much more populated than I imagined. There were six or seven enormous tents that we had to line up to get in because they were all completely full. Outside the beer tents are all the rides and stalls, it was extremely hard to walk around. I was very surprised to find rollercoasters at the Oktoberfest. Some of the rides were very extreme and it surprised me that they set and pack them up at the beginning and end of the Oktoberfest. The first castle I saw was in Oberaudorf through the car window, I haven’t had a chance to take a closer look yet. The second castle I saw was built by the Romans. I was able to explore the inside and the small village/shops it surrounded. The castle itself is still in good condition however the small carvings and sculptures are slowly rotting away. The third castle was on the way to the fourth. It was very yellow and looked like it was made of sand. The third and fourth castle was both designed by King Luderick. The fourth castle was based on the Disney castle and is extremely impressive. At first we were very disappointed because we couldn’t see it through the thick fog. However we were able to hike around the fog and get in the walls of the castle. The carvings on the walls and peaks of the castle look amazing. They say the castle is ‘unfinished’, even though the castle itself is finished. There were more plans for buildings outside the castle but when the King died they scrapped them. I find all of these castles amazing and very impressive. We have been hiking often. On all of the long hikes I found there was always a restaurant at the top and bottom of the mountain which I find pretty cool. I feel like a lot more older people go hiking for this reason. The mountains are so much taller than ours in Australia and they seem to be a lot rockier instead of being crowded with trees. I’ll mention the mountain goats’ because there pretty amazing when you see them climb. So far I found Germany to be very energy efficient (solar panels are everywhere), historical, kind (on the roads and in general) and impressive. I having a great time exploring . Zoe