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Megan's Journal
August 16/17 |
Our trip to Germany got off to a rough start. At first we thought Steve and Tim weren't going to make the plane. Keeping in touch by phone, we learned that they were stuck in a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge for two hours, trying to get to the airport. But, luckily, they met Pam and me at check in, and we made the flight in plenty of time.
Our trip to Frankfurt took seven hours, flying through pitch darkness and over endless Atlantic Ocean. But I was so tired that not even screaming babies could keep me awake.
We arrived in Frankfurt at about eleven in the morning and checked into our quaint little hotel. Not wanting to waste a single minute, we freshened up and were off to tour the beautiful castle of Heidelberg. This castle of red sandstone ruins towers over the old city. It was built between the 14th and 17th. Centuries and was almost destroyed by the French under Louis XV. But enough of the original remains to imagine what medieval life was really like. In the distance we could see the River Neckar glistening in the afternoon sunlight.
Culture greeted us on every corner. The oldest German University is found in Heidelberg,, and many students make it their home after graduating. Heidelberg was the city we would return to time and time again. That night, I had my first German Bratwurst at one of the student pubs in town. A juicy, hot and spicy cousin of the hotdog, we loved them. It was great! We had a great first day!
Love,
Megan
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August 18
Today we went and visited Speyer, which is a Catholic Cathedral. We also visited the site where legend says Lutheranism was first founded by Martin Luther. In the
afternoon, Pam and I realized we were facing one of the most famous waterways in Europe, the Rhine River, how awesome. So we just had to feel the water ourselves
and made our way down the bank. Later, we decided to eat at a
restaurant that sat right behind the River. I tried German pork and noodles, which was
delicious and also had the best bread I have ever tasted. We had
a lot of great times today!
Love,
Megan |
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August 19
Today was the first day of camp. We had the younger girls in the morning who ranged from ages 8-12. They are adorable. They have so much energy and are so enthusiastic. We taught them some cheers, chants, stunts, and dance.
In the afternoon, we had older cheerleaders, who ranged from ages 13-18. We taught them more difficult material and found that they were great listeners, and we really accomplished a lot with them. The staff was so tired after a long day, but we found a Thai restaurant for dinner. Go figure, we are in Germany eating Thai food! But it was delicious all the while, and we got to sit on the ground to eat, which was fun. After dinner we went to check to see what the fuss about German ice cream was all about. Another great day here in Germany!
Love,
Megan
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August 21
Camp went well today. Everyone's muscles were a little sore, but the girls were tough and worked through it. We spent a lot of the time cleaning up all the material, so the girls would look their very best to perform. When we got home from camp, Tim and Steve took a nap while Pam and I went to check out the mall. We were surprised to find that the mall had many of the same stores we have in America. We went into Toys' R' Us, which was cool because they had all the same toys as we do back home, just all the instructions were in German. We shopped for awhile then grabbed a pizza and headed back. It was an early night because we were all tired and wanted to get ready for the big last day of camp.
Love,
Megan |
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August 22
Today was the last day of camp. The younger girls performed in the morning and did a wonderful job. We said our good-byes and took some pictures and then were
off to lunch. In the afternoon, the older girls performed equally as well. We were so proud of what they had accomplished, and the coach was nice enough to give us T-shirts and a mug to remember them by.
We took pictures after camp was done, and it was sad to leave because the girls were so much fun to work with. We got take out for dinner, and then we went out to rehash our experiences and see the German nightlife. We had a great time and met so many great people!
Love,
Megan
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August 24
Today was our last day and we went to see more castles and visited the torture museum, which was somber but very interesting. We also experienced the taste of one of Germany's famous desserts. It was a dough ball with sugar on top. Yummy! For our last night we went out to karaoke night in Heidelberg and had a great time! We then said our good-byes to all the friends we had made and jetted off home. But I will take with me all the great memories we made forever!
Love,
Megan
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