Who let two 19-year-old roommates run around Europe?
When I was a senior in high school, scrolling through the University of Connecticut 2028 Instagram page and messaging potential roommates, my only hope was to escape the freshman year roommate horror stories. Never did I think I would find a bestie for life. So when she asked me if I wanted to go to Germany and France with her for spring break, I was already packing.
Being a young adult is truly an interesting stage of life. I don’t feel like a true adult yet. I don’t have any bills or a mortgage to worry about, but I still went on a trip across the Atlantic Ocean by myself. The whole trip, it felt like two children getting to run around a playground (except this playground was very expensive).
Our itinerary for the trip was Frankfurt, Germany and Strasbourg, France, with a few stops along the way.
Departing Boston
Our flight to Frankfurt, Germany, departed from Logan Airport in Boston at six in the evening on Monday, March 16, 2026. Which, in my mind, meant we had to leave the UConn campus no later than 11:30 a.m. As an anxious girlie, I would rather spend hours at the airport than almost miss boarding, especially with the chaos that has been going on with the TSA lines recently. So we got to the airport at 2 p.m., right on time according to the schedule in my head.
Then tragedy struck. The bag check was not open until 3:15 p.m.
After waiting for an hour and 15 minutes, we finally checked in our bags, got our boarding passes, and made our way to TSA, which was shockingly very quick. We got through security and starting searching for food because the past two hours had drained us.
My roommate (shout out Kirsten) and I have a lot in common, one thing being our love for sandwiches. There are countless times where we will be about to go to sleep and one of us says, “I am really craving a sandwich,” and that becomes all we can talk about for the next few days. So it was shocking to us when we saw Potbelly’s and weren’t really feeling it.
However, we have a bone to pick with Terminal C in Logan Airport. Why was there no fast food at all? No McDonald’s. No Chick-fil-A. We were truly in disbelief.
So we got sandwiches, and to no one’s surprise, we loved them.
We were happy as can be on our way to our layover in Dublin, Ireland on St. Paddy’s Day.
Unfortunately, the layover in Dublin seems cooler than it was. We got to the airport around 2-3 a.m. so nothing was open, but we still walked around the Guinness Store and got some face masks for the next flight to hopefully land in Frankfurt, Germany looking our best.
Frankfurt, Germany
After landing in Germany, I quickly realized I absolutely did not understand German. Thankfully the airport signs also had English and my roommate knew some conversational phrases. Her pronunciation was amazing because she frequently sings German classical art songs for her music major (she is literally so cool).
On our first day, we went to the famous old town area in Frankfurt, Römerberg. Even on a cloudy, rainy day, the traditional German buildings were beautiful. We took some photos to send to our families, even though we both still had our airport fits on.
We walked around for a bit and stumbled upon something magical: a Dunkin’. We found New England in Germany on night one.
We also stopped by a German McDonald’s, since we had to see the differences. First, the German McDonald’s had wings. Umm hello? That was crazy.
They also had a Korean BBQ cheeseburger, a Philly cheesesteak burger, a vegetarian burger, and more sweet treats (the McPops were delicious). I got the Philly cheesesteak burger, which was delicious, but had fried onions, which I personally have not seen on a cheesesteak before. Germany also had “ranch,” which I put in quotations because it was not ranch. There was tomato in the sauce? Germany, please do some research on ranch and get back to me.
The next day, we really started to explore. We went back to Römerberg to see the beauty in clear skies and went into a market nearby, Kleinmarkthalle, where I truly realized how little I understand German.
Imagine a time when everyone in a group was in on an inside joke, except you. And when you ask them to explain, they just say, “You had to be there.” That’s what it felt like. I was so scared to interact with people, to the point where I would have my roommate speak even if I was paying.
Me multiple times during the trip: “Okay I’ll pay, but you have to do all the talking.”
I think the funniest, and most embarrassing, moment was when we went into a used bookstore. After looking through the store and constantly asking my roommate to translate words she didn’t know, we found some cool picture books that we can put on our coffee table next year (so pretentious of us) and headed to check out.
She goes first. Everything goes smoothly.
But oh no, it’s my turn.
Everything goes fine until she asks me if I want my receipt (in German). I had thought she already asked that and was asking if I wanted a bag.
This made it very clear I was American. She was honestly offended I thought she didn’t speak English and I just laughed, thanked her, and left.
My roommate thought this was hilarious. I did not.
Trying to recover from that whole interaction, we found a real German Aldi, a college girl’s dream. They had kilogram-sized bottles of Nutella.
The entire time I was in Frankfurt, I had one mission: find German Nutella for my dad. This guy raves about German Nutella, I mean, goes on full rants. The main difference between German and American Nutella is that the German version is less sweet and more hazelnutty.
And honestly, he was right. There was a difference.
After buying two kilograms of Nutella and some other fun goodies, I realized we had made a serious mistake. We would now have to carry around over two kilos of stuff for the rest of the day. But I was determined to make the most out of my time in Frankfurt.
I carried around the goodies all day. Might even have gained some muscle.
The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, with us walking around and mostly window shopping until it was time to catch the train for Strasbourg, France.
Trying to get to Strasbourg, France
The public transportation throughout Europe is known to be phenomenal. I think Germany, at least Frankfurt, should be the exception. I don’t know if it was just user error, but figuring out the trains was a nightmare. On top of figuring out what station to go to and what direction to go, the trains were barely on time.
Usually, that wasn’t an issue. Until we had a connection train to get to Strasburg. The first train kept getting more and more delayed, until we missed our train.
Once we figured it out, I was taken away with Strasbourg.
Strasbourg, France
Unlike Germany, I had been to France before for the 2024 Paris Olympics (flexing hard right now, I know). I enjoyed Paris, but there was something about Strasbourg that I loved. The city was the perfect combination of being the right size, being walkable, and having so many things to do. On top of all that, it was gorgeous.
I was constantly in awe of everywhere I went.
The best part was being able to wander around aimlessly with my roommate, just talking. All day long.
I think my favorite part of the trip was the simple activity of walking around with one of my favorite people, and getting to see where the day takes us.
No strict schedule, no place to be, just enjoying getting to spend stress-free time together.
My roommate is one of the people that sees me the most stressed, cramming for exams, struggling with assignments, worrying about anything and everything. And I love her for the moments when we can be there for each other to destress. But the time we spent together on this trip felt like girlhood.
I knew I was creating a core memory. Being able to simply laugh, chat, and explore together. I was aware I was experiencing a “good ol’ days” moment.
One of the many topics we were able to thoroughly discuss throughout our time in Strasbourg was the beautiful architecture and how old the buildings were. Specifically, the amount of craftsmanship and time put into them.
A concept we cannot wrap our heads around is the fact that a lot of people who began the construction of buildings like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg never saw it finished. What a privilege for us to see the beauty, and observe all the hard work that so many people put their hard work into.
There is a feeling of being around the extensive history of Europe, since the United States is so young in comparison. And I grew up around Washington, D.C., around a lot of U.S. history.
The feeling is hard to explain. It’s one of being happy to be alive to see the history. It’s the thought of wondering how many people have stood here before and looked at the same building. It’s the admiration of being able to explore the world.
This feeling was also extended to the opera I attended in Strasbourg. Again, shout out to my roommate for literally being a classically trained musician and pursuing such a cool art form.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but the performers were so amazing that I was being put to sleep. They sounded so beautiful, it was like a lullaby. As for the opera itself, I had no clue what was going on since it was all in French, but the music and performance transcended any language barriers.
Colmar, France
Complete 180 vibe switch, but the next day we went on a wine tour in Colmar, France, since France is known for its wine. The best part of this day was our tour guide. She not only made sure we got our money’s worth but was also so funny. She even gave us an extra free glass when our Uber cancelled on us. Talk about the G.O.A.T.
Unfortunately, the wine tour was the last thing on our itinerary for the trip. At least the beauty of the wine country helped me forget my sadness about leaving.
Thankfully, our travels home were safe, even if we were up for over 12 hours because the people around us on our flights made it impossible to sleep.
The beauty of traveling in early adulthood
There is something about a college spring break trip that feels like a time capsule. You don’t really know it’s happening until it is already over.
I think traveling in early adulthood is one of the best times to travel. As a young adult, you have the freedoms of adults with the curiosity and creativity lingering from childhood. But what makes young-adult travel special isn’t just the places, it’s who you go with. Especially if it’s your roommate.
There is something that exists in girlhood that’s specific to living in a tiny space with people who know your routines, your moods, and the weird thoughts you have at 2 a.m. There is something that is built in those moments, like getting ready in the morning. And then, you take that and put it in a brand new place.
Suddenly, you are wandering through unfamiliar streets together, snapping photos of each other as if you are professionals. You might feel a little lost, but somehow it feels like you are meant to be there together. There is something special about loving your roommate in this way. It’s effortless, genuine, and real. No strings, no expectations, just a deep understanding of each other.
I think that is what makes it all so significant. Not the spring break trip itself, but feeling like you are exactly where you are meant to be. That closeness? It doesn’t quite form the same way again.
I know that someday I will look back on this spring break trip with my roommate and think about the amazing memories we made.
Kirsten, I love you.