January 21 

The day began with our now ritualistic early rise to obtain good seats on the bus. It is interesting that a group of college students is willing to get up earlier than they have too, but then again, this isn’t really class. It has gotten so extreme that if you come just ten minutes early, you may be among the last to arrive, and at five minutes early, you may be the last. We left Leipzig and drove to WittenBurg, the site of many activities crucial to the start of the Reformation.  In WittenBurg we took a tour of Martin Luther’s house.  It was interesting to see the rooms where Martin Luther and his wife spent most of their time and to see where some of the first discussions about the reformation occurred.  It was also exciting to see a replica of the original ninety-five theses.  After the visit to Luther’s house, we walked to the Castle Church, and saw where Luther nailed the ninety-five theses.  It was an awe inspiring experience to be at the exact spot where the reformation began.  During our visit at the WittenBurg church we saw Luther’s grave, where Rev. Broekhuizen led us in the singing of Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”  It was inspirational to sing this hymn in the very place where the lyrics were inspired.  Following lunch in WittenBurg we drove to Berlin where we took a brief driving tour and stopped at the Berliner Dome.  Some of us climbed to the top of the dome for a beautiful view of Berlin at night. There is so much history in this beautiful church built over a large crypt.  Following this visit we drove to the hotel, where most of us relaxed for the night. TO, DV

January 20

This morning we attended church at St. Vitus Cathedral which was a traditional Catholic mass in Czech. Although we couldn’t understand the service and it was difficult to follow, it was still inspirational to see how other cultures collect into one place to worship the same God. After church, we drove to Dresden, Germany where we ate lunch and walked around for a while. Dresden was heavily bombed during WWII and is still in the process of reconstruction. It was interesting to see how much of an impact WWII still has on the people over here. It’s not really something that we as Americans think about very often, but for the people in Germany, it still plays a large part in their everyday lives. We then drove to Leipzig where we checked into our hotel and ate dinner. One unique thing about Leipzig was the dividing line of old and new buildings due to bombs from WWII. Upon arrival, we visited the train station which was rebuilt and plays a large role in the economy of this city.
 

January 19

We started out today with a familiarization tour of the city, including famous sites such as the Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Royal Palace. Our guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable but slightly overwhelmed by the size of our group. The tour started at our hotel, which was located at the top of a very large hill, throughout the tour we slowly walked down this hill and ended up in the center of the city. After the tour we had the afternoon free to eat lunch and discover Prague for ourselves.

We met that evening for dinner in a local Czech restaurant that served Czech food. During dinner we had live entertainment in the form of a talented accordion player, a violinist, and two Czech dancers. The entertainers were very interactive with the audience and even managed to get several students involved in the dancing. I think that everyone had a good time eating and laughing.

January 18  

Today we visited Dachau, the infamous World War II concentration camp.  The camp was a horrific sight and really wasn’t a highlight compared to the fun places we have been.  Nonetheless it was a very humbling experience and it helps us appreciate our freedoms we have in the United States.  After we left Dachau it was on to Nurnberg for a quick lunch.  The day was filled with much driving and travels.  We arrived in Prague in the evening where we ate dinner at the hotel and then a quick look at the city light up at night.

January 16 

 After a delicious breakfast at the hotel the group loaded the bus for a short trip to the university city of Heidelberg. We started out with a guided tour through the Heidelberg castle. Next we were taken on a short tour through the city by Professor Nielsen, which lead us through the Alt Stadt to the Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church). We were then given a few hours for lunch and to explore the beautiful city of Heidelberg. Shortly after arriving at our hotel in Erding we were treated to dinner at the hotel. The rest of the night was left up to the students for free time and exploration of the city.

January 15 

The day started us out early to take us through the hilly country side and winding hills to Boppard, Germany.  In Boppard we boarded a two storied steamer and departed up the Rhine River.  Wandering up the river revealed large and small castled framed by ancient roman walls build into the hills dotted with vine yards.
    Afterwards it was lunch and boarding the bus again to head to the company Boehringer-Ingleheim. A problem with one of the transformers provided a surprise causing them to send their fire trucks as we pulled up but once inside everything went completely smoothly.  A tour of the facilities, a presentation and a video were followed by sandwhiches, cake, desserts and beverages and one of our engineer students got to meet his boss for an internship this summer with Boehringer-Ingleheim.
    Once finished we boarded the bus once again for the last leg of the drive as we continued on to Hochenheim where we arrived at the Ramada Hotel.  We had dinner as a group and what remained of the night was free.

January 12

    Today we started out with a trip to the Eiffel Tower.  It was a long and, to some, nerve-racking, ride up to the third platform of the tower.  This gave us an amazing view of the city.  With the sun shining, it was a perfect day for the trip.  Next, we took a subway ride over to the Notre Dame Cathedral where we were able to walk through the church.  This gave us a small taste of the church service that we will experience there tomorrow.  From here we were given the rest of the afternoon to use as we please.  At night we met together once again for a Seine River cruise.  Although it was quite cold, the cruise gave us a beautiful view of the city at night.  I think that everyone would agree that the best part of ride was seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the top of the hour.  After the ride ended we had the rest of the night to ourselves.

 January 11

Today we left the hotel in Brugge early and began our 4 hour journey towards Paris.  Before exploring the city of Paris, we stopped by Versailles, home of the Versailles Palace built by King Louis the XIV and his 22,000 workers.  The gardens and palace were beautiful to walk through despite the dismal weather.
After our knowledgeable bus driver Joop, took us around the city for a tour, we checked into the hotel.  An hour later we were back out in the city heading to our dinner destination.  We all learned French drivers don't wait on pedestrians as many of us had close calls with cars and mopeds.  We had a lovely dinner together that consisted of a salad with shrimp, duck, and apple pie for desert.  We capped off the evening with a trip to the Sacre Coeur Cathedral which overlooks all of Paris.  It was a great introduction to Paris as we will be spending 3 days and nights here.
Bonjour