🦅👜🛥️🌿🧀🐦🔥
Since studying abroad is all about trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone, what better way to do so than by attending a professional networking event, all in German, and stuck on a boat for 4 hours.
When I found out about the opportunity Tourism Bayern was hosting for young hospitality professionals to network and connect, I knew it was something I had to participate in. Tourism Bayern is the destination marketing organization for the state of Bavaria and it is my goal to work for such an organization after graduation, so this event was perfect for my goals and interests. My German skills, however, were a bit lacking, but there’s no better way to improve than by using them in the real world.
The event wasn’t until 4:00 pm Thursday afternoon, but my passion for tourism doesn’t just apply to attending networking events; I was determined to make a day trip out of this opportunity. I woke up early in Munich to hop on a regional train bound for Regensburg and arrived a quick hour and a half later. The local weather of the town was living up to it’s namesake; “regen” means “rain” in German and I arrived to a dreary and drizzly day outside.
My first and really only must see attraction on my to-do list was a visit to Walhalla, a Parthenon style monument honoring famous historical Germans who have contributed to the culture. It was built in 1842 by Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, and overlooks the peaceful Danube River. I took a bus from the city center to Walhalla, and ended up having to make a little hike to the site of the memorial, which I did in my business professional clothes. While anyone can visit the outside of Walhalla, with it’s Greek style columns and views of lush, green farmland below, you do need to purchase a ticket to visit the inside of the memorial. Luckily, I had free entrance with the Bavarian Castle Pass. The inside had busts of these famous Germans and beautiful marble walls, but to be honest I don’t think the inside would have been worth paying for if you don’t have the catle pass.
I walked back to the bus station, winding my way through a small village and their hilltop church, to make my way back to the historic city center of Regensburg. Regensburg has a history which dates back to the Romans and I saw some remains of old fortress walls as I walked through the Old Town. I made a visit to St. Peter’s church, the Gothic cathedral of Regensburg which rivals the cathedral in Cologne (which I have only seen pictures of, but similar style). They were hosting a midday meditation, which I sat in on for the Gregorian chant style music which greatly added to the aesthetic of the church.
After visiting the cathedral, I decided to get a nice German meal next door. In addition to a nice hearty meal which warmed me up on the chilly day, I was joined at my table by a delightful little German Oma (grandma). She was also dining solo and was very eager to strike up a conversation with me. We talked in all in German; she told me she was from northern Germany, but moved to Regensburg in 1948 at the age of 8 when the Russians came. She shared with me how the native citizens of Regensburg were not very welcoming to outsiders, even though she herself is also German, and when I commented on how beautiful I found the city, she said it used to be very ugly but had gone under significant beautification processes. She showed me pictures of her grandchildren and told me her granddaughter was very eager to visit the United States one day. It was a very sweet interaction and not at all what one would expect from the so-called cold and unfriendly Germans.
I spent the rest of the afternoon visiting a few bookstores in the area, one of which had a book on Depeche Mode which I spent some time translating from German. I also stumbled into a vintage record store and flipped through their collection of vinyl and CDs. At last it was time to head to the river dock where the boat for the event was. I didn’t want to be late as the Germans are very punctual and the boat could have left without me!
I was expecting to be able to blend into the background of the event, just sit in the back and observe the presentations. However, the event was a lot more interactive than I expected. Networking can be anxiety inducing for any young professional. Add in a language barrier and the fact that I was on a boat and unable to escape if things got awkward and I was pretty nervous to go. But since my goal is to work in tourism marketing for destinations like Tourism Bayern, and I specifically want to work in international marketing, I figured this event would be greatly beneficial to attend as long as I just showed up.
It helped that the event venue was hosted on the luxurious Kristal Prinzessin, a venue designed and operated by Swarovski, the crystal producer. The boat was very sleek and modern, with crystal accents and decorations throughout the venue. Plus there was an open bar and delicious food; upscale Bavarian classics, which made this free event worth going as a broke, international student to no matter the professional outcome. And while the program of the event was more interactive than I initially anticipated, I was able to make my way through the whole four-hour event speaking only German. Activities included speed-dating rounds of meeting the other young hospitality professionals, five different rounds of five minutes each. I also made friends with the girls sitting at my table. While it was awkward at first to be standing by myself, I am happy I was able to spend the majority of the time conversing with peers in my second language.
After so much German speaking, my brain was fried by the time the event ended and we docked back in Regensburg. I made my way from the boat to the train headed back to Munich. I was exhausted and I had a big day the next day too; touring sustainable hotel properties in Munich as part of a class before heading off to Spain to visit my brother, but that’s why I chose a career in tourism! I was tired, but felt so fulfilled and I was so thankful for this opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and interact with fellow hospitality professionals across the world!
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