If you accidentally fall or step into Freiburg’s Bächle (a beautiful system of gutters throughout the city diverting water from the Dreisam River), you’ll marry a Freiburger. Freiburg is reportedly the sunniest and warmest city in Germany, yet sometimes the weather can be unpredictable, making layering or Zwiebel-Taktick—translated as peeling an onion) key. A farmers’ market takes place in the Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square) every day except Saturday. Freiburg is an eco-city where cycling (try walking a few feet without seeing a bicycle) and recycling reign, and its mayor is a member of the Green Party (Bundinis 90/Die Grunen).

View of Freiburg from atop the Schlossberg

The Bächle

Bikes and recycling abounds in Freiburg.

These are just a few of the particularities you’ll hear or pick up on while visiting or living in Freiburg, like Berklee’s students who are studying for a semester at the Jazz and Rock Schulen. They’re taking advantage of Freiburg’s prime location (it’s very close to the borders of France and Switzerland) and sojourning to Paris, Prague, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

“We’re right in the middle of everything,” says study abroad student Jordan Casty. “I’ve been to 10 or 11 different cities in the last three months, five or six countries …. I’ve seen the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.”

They’re also loving the academic feel of the university city. “There are so many students in such a small area. We’re surrounded all this youth and energy. It’s really great,” says Casty.

During a recent May visit, the weather couldn’t have been warmer and I don’t think it got dark before 10:00 p.m. It was the height of (white) asparagus—spargel—season. It’s prepared about as many ways as—with hollandaise sauce, in soup, for dessert! It’s so popular, it practically rivals kartoffel. Meanwhile, I was quickly given a reality check for my quest for feldsalat (colleagues sung the praises of this tender lettuce); it’s not in season, but the other fare more than made up for it.

It's asparagus season!

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