On Thursday we took the train from Hamburg to Lüneberg to see a town that was largely untouched by WWII. Much of the architecture and structures there remain from upwards of 700 years ago! We also had lunch at a restaurant where all of the students enjoyed a traditional German schnitzel. After lunch we made our way to the salt museum in Lüneberg to learn about how starting as early as the 12th century, Lüneberg was pumping extremely salty water (26% salt content vs. about 3% for earth’s oceans) up to the surface and boiling it in order to extract the salt. At the time, salt was the only means of food preservation and, as such, extremely valuable.
On Friday, students at Kirchwerder were celebrating the end of the year by playing music on campus and marking their faces with lipstick. The best analogy for us is maybe a school-wide senior prank. We stayed at school for only about an hour before going into nearby Bergedorf to examine the differences between German and American architecture and then do some shopping.
This weekend all of the host families have things planned and I will post whatever pictures they send me when I have them (fingers crossed for Sunday night!) Then on Monday we leave for Berlin!
Hamburg Sightseeing!
Today Frau Connolly, the students and I took the train to Hamburg where we saw (and walked to the top of) St. Michael’s Church, toured some historic homes, had a picnic lunch in the park, did some shopping, and took a tour of the harbor on a ship. Everyone is having a great time!
June 18, 2017:
Hallo von Deutschland!!!
We made it!!! The hardest part is over. All students are with their host families and this part of the country is absolutely gorgeous. Frau Connolly and I asked around at the barbecue tonight and it sounds like everyone kept busy this weekend. Parades, beaches, shopping, and sports filled the weekend. Tomorrow will be their first day in the schools and on Tuesday we’re going sightseeing in Hamburg. More updates and photos to come at this address. The next post will hopefully be Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.