When we arrived in Ingolstadt the bus could not get into the "old city" because the entrance was still part of the old city wall that was built in 1385. We got off the bus and walked down the cobblestone street in a single file line of over 40 people. We were a spectacle for all the locals who saw us coming in. When we walked into our hotel the first thing I noticed was a suit of armor in the lobby. We were brought into a different time by being in the hotel. We ended up with our room being on the fourth floor (known to the Europeans as the third floor), but there was no elevator. I lugged my 50-pound bag up the stairs and to my room. Every room in the hotel was a different style, had different art work and was a different size. Another thing that we finally encountered was the fact that two twin beds are often put in the same bed frame. When I was planning some of the hotels for the extended part of my trip it was pretty difficult to find an option where that was not the case.
The next day we had a walking tour to show us around Ingolstadt. It was a very interesting and beautiful tour. We were able to hear about how there is a drinking fountain that gives beer on certain occasions, the huge city church, another church with a huge mural on the ceiling and parts of the wall that surrounded the city. The church that had a mural on the ceiling was amazing. It was adorned with gold on everything and the mural had each corner representing a different continent. There was also a feature that made it so that has you moved throughout the room, it looked as though an arrow was following you anywhere you went. Another day in Ingolstadt we went to the medical history museum. It was under construction when we went, so the main exhibit was not there, but the tour guide was very passionate. We were split into three groups: one that looked at the paintings they had, one that went into the construction area to see where the medical students watched the professors explain how the body worked, and the last where we went to the garden that was used to teach students about plants. That was my favorite part of the tour because it allowed us a chance to hear about how some famous people in history had been poisoned with the plants, and the guide made it interesting.
Dr. Fette (one of the professors for the trip) suggested a restaurant we should go to and it was so cool. There were tons of birds all over the property, like peacocks and other exotic birds, a little river, and the owner was very nice. He got a little overwhelmed the day we went because there were so many of us there, but for the people who stayed longer I heard that they were given a tour of an underground area that used to be used in medieval times and were given mugs.
My favorite part of Ingolstadt was the Frankenstein mystery tour. We all met in the middle of a square and the tour started by the person who was playing Igor (Victor Frankenstein's assistant) jumping out and telling us to follow him. It was a ton of fun, gave us information about the history of Ingolstadt and Frankenstein, and had constant jump scares. It was probably one of my favorite activities from the entire trip.
