New Beginnings

These were just some of the actual suitcases and steamer trunks that the Germans had utilized to bring their possessions to their New World.  Typical cost for the trip was $200.  Once checked in at Ellis Island the new immigrant had to provide proof of sponsorship and pass a medical exam to be allowed to stay.

Depiction of what the side banks would look like as people were saying their goodbyes.

Here we are outsideof the beautiful museum.  We wished we had more time to explore more of our individual family lineage.  What a fantastic experience we had!

Doesn't the hotel look like the one in Dubai?  Maybe we need to go there on our next adventure and compare the two! 

After a long drive and 2 museums, it was a great treat to eat a delicious Italian meal in Pinocchio's Restaurant.  Fairy Tales and stories are always close by :)

We sped along the Autobahn and felt more connected to the people in Germany than ever.  We finally have gotten to the point where we understand how to read the roadsigns and communicate in the most basic fashion.  Too bad that our time is quickly coming to a close.  We woke up and drove to the Bremerhaven History Museum.  We wanted to connect with the history of the people that were telling the tales that we had been studying. 

The museum was modern and sleek.  Ready for today's laugh?  As we were walking through the museum I (Wanda) noticed a sleek serpentine pattern on the floor.  It looked shiny and smooth.  I thought it was a plexiglass display of a water route.  SPLASH!  As it turns out, it was really water.  A guard came and yelled, "No! NO!"  But at this point I could do nothing but drag my leg out of the water as I splashed and dripped.  I gave sincere apologies and explained that I hadn't thought it was real water.  I then ran to a corner of the museum and laughed for a good while.  Laughter makes every day better:)

After touring the rest of the museum without incident, we traveled to the border of the North Sea.  It was COLD and WINDY.  As luck would have it, there was a great large boat festival happening and we got to indulge in many yummy foods and enjoy the carnival atmosphere. 

We then toured the Bremerhaven Emigration Museum.  It was a fascinating museum.  We were each assigned to a real person that had emigrated from Germany.  As we went through the museum we were able to stop at different kiosks and listen to what had happened to "our" person.  There were many actual momentos and artifacts to support the story as well.  At the end of the museum we got to see how the person's life turned out and learn more about their families...all the way to current great grandchildren.  It was moving, touching, and will stay with us forever.  Best of all, Dave was able to actually print out information from his own family tree.  He is excited to share the documents with his own family, and we are all inspired to begin talking with our relatives and gaining more information on our families.  This is exactly the inspiration that we hope to plant with our students.  Communicating, thinking, and learning. 

Thank you FFT!

Lured by the Pied Piper

We found the Pied Piper of Hamelin and were lulled by his music...good thing we were able to break free from his magic spell!

Another spotting of the Pied Piper.  Our magic FFT bag saved us this time!

What did you say?  You love Germany?  So do we!

Every town has had a beautiful fountain (or two), great cobblestones, and a grand town house (rat house).  We have figured out the lay of the land and are enjoying ourselves very much!

Bremen Town Musicians...and Two Talented Teachers

Cute pigs  :)

Can't wait to share the Bremen Town Musicians with our students.

Today we had another busy day...filled with mishaps and laughs (of course)!  Highlights include traveling from beautiful Trendelberg and going to Brakel.  Brakel had some adorable statues and quaint street shops and markets.  We learned that shopkeepers do NOT like their shops video taped.  Got it!  Cameras away :)  From Brakel we drove to Hamelin.  We are finally understanding the lay of the land and how to use the GPS in the car.  In Hamelin we found the Pied Piper and enjoyed his music as well as a few photo opportunities.  Several Germans warned us to not follow too closely or we might disappear!
From Hamelin we drove to Bremen and were instantly charmed by the gorgeous city!  This is a bustling metropolis compared to the sleepy villages we have been visiting.  We toured the center square both during the daytime and night.  Majestic and spectacular do not adequately describe how lovely the city and the buildings truly are. 

Hugs and joy to our family and friends that are following us!  A million thanks again to FFT!  We look forward to putting all of these experiences to work in our classrooms!

Watch Out for That Train!

Smiling from a balcony in Fritzlar, Germany.  We want to always remember how the beautiful flowers brightened every part of every city we visited.

Today we traveled through Marburg (Can you say traffic???)....then on to Schwalmstadt~known as the home of Little Red Riding Hood.  Following that we spent a lot of time in Fritzlar and from there we trundled to Trendelberg and settled in for the night at Hotel Trendelburg which is where Rapunzel was recorded. 

Our big travel adventure of the day was settling onto some railroad tracks with 4 lanes of traffic.  Guess what happened to come down the road at us??  If you guessed the train, you are correct.  This time the car filled with screams that were followed by nervous laughter.  Yikes!

We are having an amazing time and have noted the following differences in Germany vs. the USA so far:  nothing is really open before 9:30 AM, restaurants are closed from 2 PM-5 PM...so we have had ice cream (gelatto) for lunch for the last 2 days.  We just can't get the timing correct!  If you need to use the bathroom, you'll find the door to the bathroom in the far corner of the establishment you are in.  Then you will go down some winding stairs to find the bathroom in the basement.  Toilets have big flappers to flush.  You can flush a little or a lot depending on what you need to get rid of.  Drinking water comes in small glass bottles and is always sparkling.  We are missing our boring old flat water a bit.  And the last big difference is that stores almost always request you pay with cash...you don't get a receipt unless you ask for one, and the money typically goes into the shopkeeper's small purse and not a cash register. 

Following the Brothers!!!!

By the City Square near a statue of Roland.  He is thought to protect many cities from harm and is often shown in fountains and statues in many of the small villages.

Enjoying a delicisous dinner at Hotel Burg Trendelburg!  We'll be calling for Rapunzel to let down her golden hair after dinner is completed!

We are still having an amazing time and can't wait to share with our future students how similar our world and the great people in it really are!  Thank you FFT for making these dreams a reality.

Lost in Translation

 Here are what half-timbered homes look like.  They are common in many of the old towns and villages in Germany.  These are from the city of Alsfeld.  Every step we take seems to be a living postcard!

Here is the "Witches Tower" in Gelnhausen.  About 39 men, women, and children were wrongly accused of being witches.  They were tortured and then lost their lives.  It is thought to be blamed on a long period of bad weather and terrible living conditions.  The townspeople demanded an explanation as to why things were so bad.

This statue was placed outside of the Witches Tower to honor the poor victims of the persecution.

 Jodie and Wanda excited to be outside the home of the Grimm Brothers in Steinau.  Behind them is a statue depicting the Frog Prince.

 This medallion shows the Grimm Brothers.  It is located in a large castle in Steinau.

Jodie and Wanda pose with the girl from The Frog Prince.

Every day has brought us new adventures with communication.  Yesterday we were in the GORGEOUS city of Gelnhausen which was filled with half-timbered houses.  We toured a "Witches Tower" which was very sad as we heard how women, men and children were blamed for weather problems and crop failures and then lost their lives as a result.  The tour was quite informative and interesting (again it was a private tour for just us), BUT we mistakenly thought we had arranged it for 5 euros when it fact it was 57 euros.  Oh well!  Following that we headed to Steinau where the Grimm Brothers lived as boys.  We visited their family home and ate at a restaurant which served a meal from the original recipe of the Grimm Brothers' mother!!  We then drove to Alsfeld and zipped around as a lightning and thunder storm was approaching.  We visited a version of a Dollar Store :)  Struggled to find a little village outside of Marburg and finally called it a night.

Luxembourg Learning

Patton was killed a month after the war ended.  He was in a minor traffic accident and bumped his head~which unfortunately paralyed him.  He died from a blood clot to his lungs a few weeks after that.  He is celebrated in Luxembourg as a great liberator for their freedom.

Inside this beautiful monument is a shrine to pray for the lost soldiers and families.

Thank you FFT for allowing us to learn more about the Grimm Brothers plus pay our respects to our soldiers while in the process.  These gates are opened for us because you opened your belief for us!  Thank you!

3 bus loads of Chinese tourists visited and left these flowers.  The Chinese teach about General Patton's bravery, valor, and intelligence/strategy in their schools.

 We did get to tour the American cemetary dedicated to WWII veterans.  A lady by the name of Joy gave us a private tour of the cemetary and shared information about a few soldiers that are buried there.  We felt honored to learn of their stories and share their heroism with others.  Veterans Day will now have one more added dimension of emotion as we celebrate our Heroes!

Lovely Luxembourg

Above is a wall of the Palace in Luxembourg.  During World War II the Nazis took up living there and held festivals and musical concerts in the rooms inside.  No Luxembourg citizens would go there.

This lovely bridge is slated for demolition.  A new one will be built in a few years to replicate it.  It looked quite lovely from a distance in the sunshine.

This monument is a testament to strength and devotion.  At the top is the Greek god of Victory~ Nike. The figures on the statue depict a soldier comforting his fallen friend.  The Luxembourgers have great respect for Americans and consider General Patton to be their hero and liberator.

 Here are the gates into the World War II cemetary.  We left with changed hearts and a somber tone.  General Patton is buried in this cemetary and his granddaughter visits his grave regularly...as well as many, many other people.  The first few years brought well over 200,000 visitors a year coming to pay their respects and to thank the Americans for saving their lives.

 Here is Wanda and her husband Mike after completing their tour in the cemetary.

Here is Jodie and her husband Dave reflecting upon what they had learned while at the American cemetary.

Luxembourg was a beautiful city filled with dogs.  We counted over 25 dogs and we're sure we missed some!  We toured the Palace~which was a treat because visitation is only allowed for a few weeks in the summer when the Duke and Duchess are out of the city on vacation.  No photos were allowed there.  After the palace we toured the Casements.  These underground tunnels were where many people hid during WWI and WWII to hide from the bombs.  Our tour of Luxemboug ended with visiting and paying our respects at the American cemetary.  God Bless all of the brave soldiers that sacrificed all they had for our country.

Hanau Adventures!

 Here Jodie and Wanda are sporting their FFT bag!  Thanks to FFT...they are experiencing an unbeliavable journey!

 At long last.  This statue has served as a screen saver on our laptop for four months...to see the statue in real life brought tears to our eye!

 This litte teeny-tiny town taught us that many little villages in Germany close down between the hours of 2:00PM-5:00PM...so if you are hungry, too bad for you!  :)

This sign is for one of our favorite teachers:  Cindy Bauer!



You might not realize this, but sometimes the streets don't appear to be much wider than the sidewalks in Germany.  In Hanau we made a wrong turn and actually drove down several long blocks of sidewalks.  The really funny thing was that noone really paid much attention to us.  Lots of Germans walked by eating snacks and enjoying ice cream cones...but not one shook a finger at us or gave us an unusual look.  We were so very glad to exit off of the sidewalk and to get back on the narrow road again.  The laughter in the car filled it to the brim!  We were thrilled to find the statue of the Grimm brothers and begin our journey.  We also dined at the Grimm restaurant where we enjoyed the Hanau local dish of a pork sausage served with a green sauce that was made from 17 different types of "green" herbs.  It tasted like dill and cucumber.

Humbled by the Beauty of Hanau!

Hanau is quite famous for a number of things, but to us it is important for being the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm! 

What a joy to be here! 

Hanau has a long history of gold and silver making that dates back as early as 1303.   It has a nickname of the Gold and Silver City.  We just might have to buy some jewelry as a momento.  We see beauty and heritage everywhere and are so excited to begin this leg of our journey!

 

This palace was built  as a summer residence for Graf Philipp Reinhard von Hanau-Lichtenberg, based on French models.

Schloss Philippsruhe is one of the most important architectural and cultural monuments in Hessen. We wouldn't mind staying inside and living here for a while...but the journey continues!

Luxembourg     (Monday 25th)

 It was advised that this would be a great starting point for our trip as the traffic is not as heavy as it will be in Frankfurt,  and we can get our bearings about us before "hitting it" hard in Germany.  

Luxembourg is fairy-tale stuff…complete with the happy ending!

The story of this land’s history includes counts and dynasties, wars and victories,  and yes...castles!   Luxembourgers are a proud people whose national motto, Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin (‘We want to remain what we are’), sums up their independent spirit.

We will enjoy a quick rest here and will pay our respects to American Heroes at the American US Cemetary.   Here lie more than 5000 US war dead, including famous general George S Patton jr.

Most of those buried or remembered here were killed during the US's WWII liberation of Luxembourg and the subsequent Battle of the Ardennes. Patton's headstone is easily identified among the rows of white crosses and stars, each marked with flags from the US and Luxembourg. White-stone pylons commemorate the soldiers whose bodies were never found, and enormous wall maps detail the main events from the 1944-45 battles.