Bregenz was my home for a month this summer and I enjoyed every second. It is in Northwest Austria on Lake Constance (or Bodensee as they call it). The town is home to about 28,000 Austrians. I had the privilege of staying in a family’s home while in Bregenz, with one roommate who was also studying. We lived in an apartment above a flower shop with a husband, wife, and 10 year old boy. They were wonderful to us. They made sure we had everything we needed, especially when our luggage had not arrived. Our home was only about a 20 minute walk from our school building. This is where I could always be found between the hours of 8am and 3pm.

After classes and on the weekends, I would explore Bregenz and the surrounding areas. We took trains to nearby towns where we went to a cheese factory, women’s museum, churches, and local markets. Throughout my stay in Bregenz, I was also able to visit some larger cities including Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Venice, and Innsbruck.  I hiked a mountain, found small shops, and went grocery shopping. Grocery shopping was fun because I would always buy something I had never seen before.

Every night for dinner, I was provided a meal at the Hirschen, a restaurant in a main square of Bregenz.  They would feed us a traditional Austrian three course meal with soup, an entrée, and dessert. My favorite meals included soup with pancake like strips, pork and rice, and a crepe with apricot jam. Once dinner was over most things in the town were closed. Therefore, most of the group would go down to the lake to hang out and watch the sunset. I loved being in Bregenz because I was able to really get a feel for the town. It was a very relaxing place to come back to each week after a weekend of travel. I can truly say it felt like home.