Germany Day 10

We got up and headed to the airport to board our plane back to the United States.  The plane ride was much more uneventful (Thank goodness. I had taken medicine and was prepared this time). I watched some movies and slept a very little bit.  It was nice to arrive in Charlotte where everything was in English, and my parents and grandmother were waiting for me!  I only got to see them for a few minutes, so I'm going home this weekend, but it was still nice to be welcomed back to America.  We got on our bus and stopped at Concord Mills for dinner. My first meal back in the States-Chinese food haha. We got back to Chapel Hill around 9 and were all so worn out.  Last week was hard getting over jet lag, but I'm back in the swing of things, well except for missing Germany everyday and remembering all the amazing, fun times we had!

Germany Day 9

We spent a lot of time on the bus today, so we were able to get some sleep (well oddly contorted and uncomfortable sleep).  We left Berlin around 7:45 and drove 4 hours to Eisenach for a quick lunch.  Luther lived here for a few years, and Bach was born here.  We then headed to Wartburg Castle which overlooks Eisenach.  This is where Luther hid for ten months after the Diet of Wormz.  We took a tour through the castle and got to see the room where Luther translated the Bible into German.  The views from the castle were great.  We got back on the bus and drove 3 hours to Darmstadt, which is 20 minutes from the Frankfurt airport.  We walked into the city for our last dinner.  I had spaghetti because I've been craving it.  Tomorrow our flight leaves at 11:40 German time and we should get back to Chapel Hill around 8.  I'm not ready to go back to doing schoolwork though.

Some random thoughts I've had:
-Germany seems much more eco-friendly than America.  We have seen hundreds of solar panels, wind turbines, and many stores charge for plastic bags to encourage using reusable ones. 
-I love how tip and tax are included at restaurants.  It makes it easier to pay.  That being said, the servers don't have to work for their tips, which can sometimes make them not super friendly.  Overall we have gotten really nice waiters/waitresses.
-German meals are much more slow-paced.  They weren't giving us the check and hurrying us out the door; we actually had to ask for the bill most places because we had places to be (or were getting impatient).
-If you say you're from America, many people assume you're from Florida, New York, California, or Texas.
-Things I miss about the U.S.
       -Free refills.  I've really learned how to conserve my drink until the food arrives.  I guess it's actually a good idea, you drink less soda this way.
       -Ice. I haven't had ice all this week.
       -Free water-I really miss free water at restaurants.  I definitely didn't drink enough water because I figured if I was paying I might as well get something else.
       -Free bathrooms-This got on my nerves a little bit, especially at the rest areas, but I guess it's how they maintain them.
       -Beef.  I really want a burger. Made from cow. Everything seems to be pig here and I'm not a huge pig eater. (As I type this, I am now sick of beef. I have had at least three burgers this past week and don't want another one for a while :) ).

Germany Day 8

Today has been one of the busiest days of the trip, at least in terms of all I've seen.  We left Wittenberg and drove to Berlin.  We had a bus tour of the city and saw lots of sights.  We got out and went in one church that was really pretty.  It was bombed horribly during the war but rebuilt.  Many churches that were affected by bombings now have reconciliation crosses showing that Germany and the Allies have made peace.  We also stopped at Checkpoint Charlie and saw parts of the wall.  A brick path follows the path of the wall and there are parts all over the city, so no one will forget the division.  After seeing a lot of the city by bus, we dropped our stuff off at the hostel.  By this point it was around 2, so we headed out for lunch.  Some of us ate American food at the mall/train station (I was missing it and am still craving a burger). We then went to see the sites by foot.  We saw the beautiful Reichtstag (Parliament building) and then headed to the Holocaust memorial.  I encourage everyone to look at my pictures of this as it is hard to explain.  It is a square courtyard with giant concrete slabs, hundreds of them.  They range in height to up to 15 feet.  The ground lowers as you walk through them, so you are surrounded by a maze of tall towers.  It was very interesting.  Underground of the memorial was a very well-done exhibit on the Holocaust.  We spent some time going through, and they had lots of good information.  We did some souvenier shopping and walked through the Sony Center.  A few of us headed to the Music Museum, but it was closing so we did some more walking around.  We then decided to try out the subway system since it's such a big city.  We figured out how to buy tickes and where to get off to go to the Hard Rock Cafe.  The wait was too long, so we found a nice German restaurant.  We got back on the subway and found our way back to the hostel.  We are getting ready for devotions and are getting up early for our last day in Germany.

Germany Days 6 and 7

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a busy day, so I didn't write anything down.  We left the castle and headed to Leipzig which is known as being where Bach worked for many years as a church cantor.  We didn't have a lot of time to explore, but we went to St. Thomas Church where Bach worked.  Luther had preached there as well.  Bach is buried in the church, so it was really awesome to see his grave.  Then my travel group ate at a delicious little bakery before getting back on the bus.  Then we were off to Wittenberg, where the Reformation began.  Here there is a building called Colleg Wittenberg where students can come study abroad.  Right now there are 12 students from Wittenberg (Ohio) here. Some of us are staying in the dorm-type rooms here while others are in a small hotel next door.  After arriving, we had a great presentation by 3 Wittenberg residents on what it was like to live in East Germany as a Christian during the Communist regime.  One of the speakers was even in the Communist Children's Party, but she led another life as a Christian.  It was really interesting to hear their stories as I don't know much about German history and the reunification.  Next we went to the city church, or Stadtkirsche, the first Protestant church ever and where Luther preached over 2,000 times.  We weren't planning on going, but they were having an Ash Wednesday service and were so sweet and had translated the readings and sermon for us.  It was freezing in the church the whole time, but how many people can say they received ashes in Martin Luther's church?  We split up for dinner and then discovered a hippie themed karaoke bar.  It was so much fun!  We kind of took over the karake and had fun dancing and singing.  This morning we got up and went on a great three hour tour of the city.  We had a wonderful tour guide who showed us so much.  We went back to the city church to hear the history, and then we headed to the Luther House in what was the monastery before it became Luther's.  This house holds a Luther museum that you could spend hours in.  We walked through while she talked and saw some cool things, like one of the Wittenberg Bibles Luther had translated.  We then saw the Philip Melanchthon House but couldn't go in because of renovations.  He was the other famous Wittenberg reformer.  I hadn't heard of him before gearing up for this trip, but he really did aid the Reformation greatly and was right by Luther's side.  We passed the town square and the Lucas Cranach house.  Cranach is the most famous Reformation painter.  We have seen his works all over (even in Chapel Hill), and he was also Luther's good friend.  Our tour ended at the Schlosskirsche, or Castle Church.  Here Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door.  It was a pretty church (not that we saw any ugly ones on the trip :) ).  Luther, Melanchthon, and Frederick the Wise are all buried here, and it was really cool to see Luther's grave.  After the tour we ate at a great German restaurant and explored the city a bit more and did some souvenier shopping (besides Luther beer, they don't have much tourist merchandise).  Now I'm getting ready to take a nap before our banquest dinner tonight. 

Later that day...
After a much needed nap, we had a delicious meal here at the Colleg Wittenberg.  Afterwards we went to the Wittenberg Brauhouse, and I'm now getting ready for bed because tomorrow is a busy day in Berlin!

Germany Day 6

Ok I had a few days there where I couldn't sign into the blog, but I think it's all fixed now. Oh and if you haven't seen them already, pictures are up on facebook!

So this was written on the Tuesday of the trip (two weeks ago).

Today was our service day here at the castle.  After breakfast we split into groups to do various tasks around the castle.  A few of us into the church at the castle (where Luther had preached) and spent a few hours cleaning it.  It was the dustiest place, so we swept, dusted, and wiped everything down.  The dust was so bad we could barely see across the room, but it was awesome to be cleaning such an historic place.  We had lunch and then I joined the groups that was sorting rocks.  There were massive piles of rocks that had been frozen together, and we were trying to break them apart into piles of small and big rocks.  It was hard work but a lot was accomplished.  Later we took the trail into town to buy some snacks and then came back up to listen to the castle owner tell us the amazing history of this place.  We even got to climb the construction scaffolding to get to the top of the castle!  We had dinner and devotions, and then spent the evening playing games and just hanging out.  We had a bonfire, and the sky was amazing.  I don't know if I've ever seen that many stars at once.  Oh on a random note, there is an adorable little dog named Goliath (well the German version but I don't know how to spell it). During the day one of the workers brought his dog Betty, so I enjoyed playing with them.  Tomorrow we're off to Leipzig and Wittenberg!

Germany Day 5

Last night after we all took naps, we split into groups for one last dinner in Erfurt.  A few of us went to an Italian restaurant where we got to try to communicate in yet another language :)  It was fun and really good.  We went to the ice cream place again and told them it would be our last time; they were sad.  We had spaghetti ice cream, which is just ice cream in the form of spaghetti.  After a good devotion on joy, about half the group ended up at a medieval themed pub, and we enjoyed one last night in Erfurt.  This morning we rode about an hour and a half to Eisleben, also known as Lutherstadt.  Our great tour guide met us and we went into Luther's birthplace.  The actual house had burned, but there was a reconstruction along with a great museum  on Luther and his connection to the town.  We saw the church where he was baptized and the Luther monument in the town center.  Next we went to the church where Luther preached his last few sermons before he died in Eisleben.  He was visiting to settle a dispute but happened to die in his hometown.  We had lunch in the city and drove about six miles to Schloss Mansfeld, a castle that has been turned into a Christian retreat center.  We didn't really know what to expect, but it is a beautiful old stone castle.  We all spent a few hours just exploring the grounds, climbing everything, going into tunnels, finding trails.  It was so much fun that it didn't matter that it was cold.  We had dinner and devotions and many people (including me) are going to sleep pretty early.  Tomorrow we are going to do various work around the castle, and we are excited about getting to explore more.  Oh and the view of Mansfeld is sooo amazing from up here on the hill!

Germany Day 4

So last night we went to a place we thought had karaoke.  When we asked the people there if they did, they looked at us like we were crazy.  We found another bar to go to and just had fun hanging out.  This morning we got up and went to the Augustinian Cloister where Luther lived and took his vows as a monk.  An American pastor named Scott works there.  I remembered PJ (my pastor at my home church) saying he knew a pastor in Germany, so I took a chance and asked Scott if he knew him.  Turns out they were in the same class at Gettysburg Seminary.  It's such a small Lutheran world! Anyway we went to church at the cloister.  In the winter they have service in a smaller space because it costs too much to heat the big sanctuary.  We had church in a room where Luther conducted business with the other monks.  It is the only room the whole place not affected at all by bombings, and the floor is the same as when Luther walked on it.  I was nervous that I would fall asleep during church since it was in German, but I was so enthralled.  A sister (kind of like a Lutheran nun I think) led the service, and she broke the stereotype I had of sisters/nuns.  She didn't wear a black robe, had short hair, and even played guitar.  It was very easy to follow along with the service.  We didn't know exactly what was being said, but we generally knew exactly where in the service we were.  They even sang Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ, so we joined in in English.  After church we toured the big sanctuary where Luther led his first service and took his monastic vows.  Scenes from the movie Luther were filmed here.  We toured a small museum there and saw a replica of Luther's cell in the monastery.  The sisters made us coffee and cake as well; they were so welcoming.  Afterwards some of us headed to another church where Luther had preached.  It was supposed to have an amazing organ I wanted to see, but all the doors were locked.  We could hear the organ playing though.  We moved on to the Dome area of Erfurt where the Carnival parade was starting (think German Mardi Gras). We watched the parade for a while, and it was a lot of fun.  Typical floats, bands, and candy, but the major difference from parades I've been to was the alcohol.  Everyone on the floats and in the crowd was drinking, and empty bottles littered the streets.  Stephanie, Caitlyn, and I went to tour the cathedral and another church nearby, and they were so beautiful.  We finally made it through the parade and back to the hotel for a nap.