A Trip to Germany

We are lucky enough to work in a school district that has a week long Spring Break built in to the academic year.  We decided to spend this week traveling abroad in Germany to visit Micah's younger sister, eat great food and drink tasty drinks. 
In the process of planning our trip some dear friends of ours expressed interest in going with us.  We were excited to have some traveling companions since we would be traveling without the majority of Micah's family.  This was Aaron and Nichole's first time to Europe and we could not have been luckier to travel with them. We endured a lot together in one week and shared many, many fun moments. We were truly blessed to have shared this experience with them.  

Micah and Aaron attempting to stuff our luggage, all 6 pieces, into a luggage locker in Hamburg so we wouldn't have to carry it around with us.  We all held our breath as they closed the door, locked it up and pulled out the key. And the good news is, IT WORKED!

During our week abroad we were able to travel to many different areas of Germany.  After spending some time in Cologne and Oldenburg, where Jessie currently lives, we traveled to Hamburg for a day trip.  While in Hamburg we visited a church, the St. Nikolai church, that had been bombed during World War II. Rather than rebuilding, they have turned the church into a memorial. There were several memorial sculptures - all of which had an impact on us.  The one shown above is Earth Angels. The inscription said, "Take my hand and let me lead you back to yourself." The sculpture below is titled Examination.  With the statement by D. Bonhoeffer "No person in the whole world can change the truth. You can only search, and they find it.  The truth is in every place."
We left Hamburg on an overnight train and arrived in Munich, where we stayed for several days.  During our time in Munich we traveled to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  This was the first concentration camp established in Germany.  Each prisoner arrived and would have to walk through the gate shown below.  The words listed on the gate translate to say, "Work shall set you free." Much like the church memorial, this proved to be a powerful and reflective moment within our trip. We took another day trip while staying in Munich and traveled to Fussen.  The purpose of this trip was to visit the famous castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein.  The Neuschwanstein castle is shown below (you could probably find better pictures on the web).  This is what the Walt Disney castle is modeled after.  We were overwhelmed with the "innards" of this castle, a beautiful concert hall, a fake cave, a bed that took 9 years to build. King Ludwig II was a very interesting fella.  

The famous Glockenspiel clock in Munich.

Aaron and Micah enjoying a Hofbrau Original from the Hofbrauhaus.  

From Munich you can ride a train out to the small town of Herrsching.  Nestled within the town of Herrsching between two lakes is a beautiful little monastery.  The Andechs monastery is also know for having some of the best beer in the region, which was once brewed by the monks.  Once again Micah and Aaron were able to enjoy some regional beer and of course it wouldn't be complete without some huge pretzels.  The monastery had an elaborate chapel and a beautiful view of the Bavarian region.  We were grateful to experience Andechs since it is a little off the beaten path. 

We ended our trip by traveling to the Mosel Valley and spending some time in Cochem.  Cochem is located in the wine region, nestled along the Mosel River.  It was a gorgeous area and we all commented many times how much we enjoyed being here. SaraJane was happy to be in an area where wine was a little more prevalent... but don't worry there was still plenty of beer to be found.  It seemed as if there were castles sprinkled along the Mosel River, providing one for each town that we passed.  How the locals must long to see a bungalow!

The town of Cochem

The castle found within the town of Cochem.

We were sad to end our time in Germany, but happy to get home to our own beds and finish living out of a backpack.  We enjoyed experiencing the German culture, seeing the sights, eating good food, and attempting to communicate in another language. We were the most grateful to see Jessie and spend a few days with Jon.  We have missed Jessie a great deal and look forward to her return home. 

SaraJane, Jessie, Micah, and Jon in Hamburg along a water channel.