DAY 16 - The Last Hurrah

Today was a bittersweet day; it was our last full day in Germany.  Many of us are looking forward to heading home, sleeping in our own beds, eating American food, etc., but it's also sad to be leaving.

After breakfast in Cologne, we had a 40 minute drive to Dusseldorf where we attended church at Erlöserskirche (Savior Lutheran Church).  Church was an interesting experience because the service was in German.  We were given printed copies of the sermon in English, and the order of service was translated into English, but the actual service was in German.  It was an LCMS service, so that made things a bit easier to follow along, and we took communion.  It was definitely a very neat opportunity.

We spent the rest of the day with members of the congregation.  They grilled brats for us and had a potluck lunch with various salads.  We had 2 options for the afternoon: shopping or sightseeing around the city. All but 2 students chose shopping.  We returned to the church that evening and had a sing-along while one church member played his guitar.  They brought in pizza for us for dinner, and then we went our separate ways with host families.

Savior Lutheran Church (the congregation was wonderful and we appreciate everything they did for us!)

Sights in Dusseldorf (pictures along the Rhine River, shopping area, one of many churches, and city hall)

DAY 15 - An Action-Packed Day

Day 15 was action packed!  After breakfast and loading the bus, we drove to Ruedesheim and boarded a boat for a 2-hour cruise down the Rhine River.  We saw many castles and castle ruins throughout the cruise, and saw Loreley, a rock along the shores of the Rhine River where a supposed mermaid distracted sailors and caused their demise.

We got off the ship in St. Goar and walked up the hills to Burg Rheinfels, a castle where we were able to explore the Castle including the dungeons and underground tunnels.

Following that, we drove about 2 hours to Cologne, where we visited the Cathedral, climbed all 500+ steps to the top to see the view of the city, then checked in at our youth hostel.

After cleaning up, we walked about 10 minutes to a restaurant for dinner.  It was very delicious. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food, and it was a good way to close out the trip.

Rhine River cruise

Views from the boat on the Rhine River

Cologne Cathedral

Delicious Dinner

DAY 14 - Best Breakfast on the Whole Trip

I had an omelet for breakfast!  The hostel we stayed at had your typical meats, cheeses, and breads for breakfast, but had a different specialty item for each day, and Friday was omelet day!  Quite a few students waited in line for an omelet too.

We then boarded the bus and went to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.  Like the Porsche Museum, we each had a self guided audio tour, but the Mercedes Museum even covered big events in world history and how it impacted cars and production.

Following the museum, we drove to Worms, about a 2 1/2 hour drive.  In Worms, we saw the Luther statue and where he said, "Here I stand.  I can do no other.  God help me.  Amen."  We got some ice cream, and then got back on the bus to head to Kaub, a 2 hour drive.

We have been pretty fortunate on the trip so far regarding traffic, but that ended today.  We got stuck in a couple traffic jams due to construction and traffic lights.

The latter part of the drive was along the Rhine River.  We drove our bus onto a ferry and had to cross the river to get to our youth hostel, which was just off the Rhine.  After dinner and devotions, we had free time to explore the town.

Mercedes Museum

Worms - Luther Memorial

Crossing the Rhine River & a picture of the ferry our bus was on

DAY 13 - Climbing in the Trees in the Black Forest

Today was an adventure filled day.  We had breakfast at the youth hostel, loaded the bus, and drove down the hill to the City Center of Triberg.

The morning started off with going to Germany's tallest waterfall.  We hiked up the trail next to the waterfall and walked across the bridge that went over the waterfall.  Then, was more adventure.  We went to the Hochseilgarten, an adventure park.  There were 6 different ropes courses in the trees, each with a different difficulty level and height.  The "orange level" seemed to be the overall favorite, as it contained a lot of ziplines.

We had lunch in Triberg and then walked to a cafe to have Black Forest Cake and coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

Following lunch, we drove about 2 hours to get to Stuttgart, and toured the Porsche Museum.  At the museum, everyone had audio guides to go through the history of Porsche and learn about the different cars on their own.

We then headed to our youth hostel, which seems to be the favorite of the trip so far.  It is more like a hotel than a hostel, and the food for dinner was amazing.

Tallest waterfall in Germany

Adventure Park

Black Forest Cake

Porsche Museum

Stuttgart

DAY 12 - A World Record in Triberg

Today was another big driving day, but we also got to see a lot along the way.  We had breakfast at the youth hostel in Innsbruck, loaded the bus, and we were on our way.  We had to say goodbye to Austria and goodbye to the mountains.

We drove 4 hours out of Austria and back into Germany and stopped for lunch at Lake Constance; we could see Switzerland from across lake.  We found a little restaurant that offered hamburgers, cheeseburgers, schnitzels, currywurst, and fries.  I'd say about 75% of people ordered a hamburger or cheeseburger, myself included, and it was wonderful.  Ice cream was for dessert.

Following lunch, we got back in the bus and headed to Triberg.  It was another 2.5 hours on the bus.  We stopped just outside of town and saw the Worlds Largest Cuckoo Clock.  We had a short tour of the inside of the clock to see how it worked, and then saw/heard it go off at 4pm.

We then checked in at the youth hostel, settled in, ate dinner, then had free time.  We are really close to the Black Forest, so there was an optional hike through the forest at 7pm, an optional walk into the city center at 6:45pm (went to Netto, a discount grocery store), or free time at the youth hostel.  Our youth hostel is on top of a GIANT hill, so the walk down to the city center was a breeze, but climbing back up the hill was definitely a challenge.

As our trip is nearing the end, students are both excited to get home, but also sad to have to leave so soon.

Lunch stop at Lake Constance

Worlds Largest Cuckoo Clock

Triberg

View from the youth hostel

DAY 11 - On Top of the World

Today, we took a cable car to the top of Zugspitze, the highest peak in the German Alps at 2,962 meters.  It was a fun ride going to the top, up, up, and farther up.  We reached the summit, but it was unfortunately very cloudy, so we couldn't see anything.

We took a cable car down a little ways to a glacier that was below some of the clouds so we could see a little more. There was also 5-6 inches of fresh snow from a snowfall yesterday, and all of the students enjoyed playing in it.  There were snowball fights, an area where you could ride a toboggan, and lots of pictures being taken.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the mountain.  Our options were currywurst, white sausage, pork meatloaf, or schnitzel.

Once we were done with lunch and playing in the snow, we took a cog-wheel train down the mountain. It actually went through the mountain, so it was pretty dark almost the entire way down.

After that, we boarded the bus and drove back to Innsbruck (Austria)!  This is our 2nd night at this youth hostel, so some students did some laundry.  A group of students and chaperones went to a nearby mall before dinner, and a group went to the grocery store after dinner.

Zugspitze from ground level

Cable car ride up

Views from the glacier

Cog-wheel train ride down

DAY 10 - The Castle that Inspired Disney

The Hohenschwangau Castle and the Neuschwanstein Castle were not far from our youth hostel. After breakfast, we loaded the bus and had a short drive. We had tickets to tour the Neuschwanstein Castle at 10:25 and arrived in plenty of time.  Due to the extra time, some of us decided to hike up to the Hohenschwangau Castle to see the view, while others started the journey to the Neuschwanstein Castle.

King Maximillian, King Ludwig's dad, lived in the Hohenschwangau Castle and Ludwig was raised here, but decided he wanted a bigger castle when he was older, the Neuschwanstein Castle. The Neuschwanstein Castle inspired the Disney Castle.

The views from the top of each Castle were beautiful.  Pictures and videos were not allowed during the tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle, but the few rooms we were able to see were amazing.

Following the tour we hiked back to the bus, grabbed our picnic lunches, and had lunch alongside the shores of the Alpsee.

After lunch we boarded the bus and were going to visit a church that was built with a Rococo style during the 1750s, but due to construction we could not reach it, so we took the scenic route through the mountains into Austria, about a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Hohenschwangau Castle

Views from the Hohenschwangau Castle (you can see the Neuschwanstein Castle in the bottom left picture, towards the top left of the picture)

Neuschwanstein Castle (inspired the Disney Castle)

Views from the Neuschwanstein Castle  (you can see the Hohenschwangau Castle in the bottom left picture just to the right of the middle)

Alpsee Lake

DAY 9 - On the Road

Today was travel day. We got up and ate breakfast, loaded the bus, and we're on the road by 8am.  It was a 3 hour drive to Rothenburg, a preserved medieval town.  On the bus ride there, we had a church service on the bus led by Pastor Paul.

Once we arrived in Rotheburg, we had a picnic lunch in the grassy area that was once the gallows, then 2 hours to explore the town on our own.

We then drove 3 hours to Füssen along the "Romantic Road," built in the 1st century AD. We arrived at our youth hostel, ate dinner, and had free time.

We were hoping to walk into town and listen to a traditional umpah band or walk to the Hohes Schloss (High Palace), but it is unfortunately raining.  A few of us still decided to venture out, while others stayed at the youth hostel, afterall, the wifi is pretty fast here! :)

We took 8 students into Füssen and walked around, but stores were closed because it is Sunday.  After walking around the city, we went to a restaurant that was open and had some Frittes (fries)!  A couple students also ordered pizza, one ordered a burger, and one ordered a steak.  Despite the rain, it was still a good outing.

Drive from Eisenach to Rothenburg

Long bus rides mean lots of sleeping

Rothenburg: medieval town & wall

Pictures of Rothenburg inside the wall

Drive from Rothenburg to Füssen

German Alps by Füssen

Füssen

DAY 8 - A Royal Day in Eisenach

Today we toured the Wartburg Castle. We hide to hike a little ways to get up to it, but it wasn't too bad. The views from the Castle were beautiful.

We had a guided tour for the first part of it, and then toured the second half on our own. We saw Luther's room where he translated the New Testament from Latin to German.

Following the tour, we had lunch at the Wartburg Hotel: white table linens, fork in the left hand and knife in the right, napkin in the lap, type of dinner. We ate local potato dumplings, marinated beef, and red cabbage. We then hiked down from the Castle to the city center of Eisenach and had more ice cream!

We walked to our youth hostel and have free time this evening. About half of us have already been to the grocery store and it was a very "American" trip: chips, candy, etc. among the purchases.

Wartburg Castle 

Inside the Wartburg Castle

Lunch! There was a wedding going on outside.

DAY 7 - My Shoes Got Muddy in Eisenach

After waking up in Leipzig, we ate, packed, loaded the bus, and had a 2.5 hour drive to Eisenach. Many students used the long drive to sleep.

We arrived in Eisenach and went on a hike in the Thuringia Forest, or the Drachenschlucht (Dragon Canyon), where Luther was "kidnapped" and taken to the Wartburg Castle. It was very scenic and a great experience, but with the rain, the paths were muddy. No shoes came out clean. We could see the Wartburg Castle at parts of it, and stopped for lunch in the middle of the forest. It was probably about a 5 mile hike total.

Once we got out of the forest, we explored Eisenach. We saw St. Edwards Church, where Bach was baptized, ate some ice cream, then went to our youth hostel outside of town. After dinner and devotions, students enjoyed playing soccer, playing cards, and/or talking to friends and family on WiFi.

We continue to be very fortunate with weather; it rained on us on the drive to Eisenach, but once we arrived at the forest, it quit raining, or was barely drizzling. It has been 50° - 60° outside.

Thuringa Forest

Top: Bach'Bach's house & statue

Bottom: left - Luther's house for 3 years of his life as a child in school; right - city center of Eisenach

St. George Church

DAY 6 - Adventures in Leipzig

Leipzig was bigger than what I thought it would be, plus there was a festival going on, so the city center was crowded with extra people, tents, and food vendors.

We started the day at St. Lukas Church with Pastor Gevers, who talked about the church and his mission. Then Rev. Dr. Ahlman, master organist and musician, talked to us about his work, and even played the organ for us!

We then walked to the Johanna park and had lunch, then went and saw the St. Thomas church where Bach was a cantor for 27 years and is currently buried. After that, Tev. Dr. Ahlman showed us around Leipzig. We met Pastor Gevers at the church again and had a question and answer session with some members. It was a very good experience for everyone.

Following that, we went back to the fellowship hall at the old church location for a cookout, then some students walked to the local park to play, while others played cards. That night at the church, the boys and Mr. Bingham slept in one room, and the girls and Mrs. Bingham stayed in another room. It was a great bonding experience for everyone.

The drive to Leipzig

Pastor Gevers church

Top: lunch at the park (a couple German kids had an American football & our kids joined them)

Middle: left - city center; right - university

Bottom: left - Music Hall; right - opera house

Servant event with Pastor Gevers and snacks

St. Thomas Church

St. Nicholas Church

Playground after dinner

Sleepover at the church

DAY 5 - Wittenberg

After devotions and breakfast at the youth hostel, we went back to Wittenberg and toured Luther's house (Lutherhaus). It wasn't like normal houses as it used to be a monastery where he was a monk and professor in his early life. The Reformation caused it to be dissolved and it was gifted to Luther and his family. There was a lot to learn and a lot to see. It was a great experience.

We had lunch at the Luther Gardens again, which, of course, meant more playing on the playground. Following lunch, we went to a bakery and had cake for Chloe's birthday.

The afternoon was spent around the city center in Wittenberg with free time. There were many shops and restaurants for the students to check out. I have heard 1 group had an ice cream cone eating contest (4 or 5 was the winner), another group went and ate burgers (we are all craving some American food right now... Breakfast over here is assorted meats, cheeses, and breads, and that's what we pack for our lunches, too), while others shopped.

On our way back to our youth hostel we stopped at a grocery store so students could purchase snacks and/or drinks. We had devotions and dinner at the youth hostel, followed by our evening entertainment provided by 1 room of girls because they overslept and were late for devotions and breakfast this morning.

Students are realizing youth hostel life is similar to dorm life. They get to live with their friends, share a bathroom, and the youth hostels so far have had rules that they have to make their beds in the morning, clean and wipe off their tables after meals, and be in their rooms by curfew. Free time this evening has been spent by playing soccer, using wifi, or back on the playground.

Luther's house

City Center in Wittenberg and cake for Chloe's birthday

Youth hostel for 2 nights. It used to be a school, but was converted to a youth hostel in 1989.