Munich, Oberammergau, Heidelberg updates coming

Munich, Oberammergau, Heidelberg updates are coming --

We're all back from the Luther Tour Germany trip now. The plane brought us back to Mpls airport on Saturday night, Sept 22, and then the bus back to Zumbro by about 8:30pm.

We were unable to post blog updates the last 4 days because we couldn't get to the internet with our busy schedule. If only there were a wireless connection on the bus.

Rest of the postings will be done by Wednesday.

Who is responsible for all this

Pastor Carol wants you all to know that most of the posts so far have been SteveS's fault. The mis-spellings and missed facts are entirely his. She will review the blog and correct everything at a future time.

Selah.

The holocaust memorial in Berlin.

Luther Tour -- what a great day to be alive, out and about.

Luther Tour planning committee.

Pretty picture from the zoo. We're here and you aren't.....

Yes, the white wolves actually put on a howling display for us. It was really quite spooky.

We went to the Berlin Zoo today. The one in the middle is not one of our tour members.

Day 7 -- Berlin -- Museums, the Berlin Zoo, and SHOPPING!

Day 7 -- Berlin -- Museums, the Berlin Zoo, and SHOPPING!
A late breakfast at the hotel, then our busride to the Kaiser Wilhelm Cathedral on the westside of Berlin (Mitte.) The cathedral was largely destroyed during wartime bombing, and the main steeple and foundation have been preserved in it's damaged form as a reminder of those years and events. The 10am chapel organ recital did not happen, so we were on our way to the KaDaWe Department Store, museums, and the Berlin Zoo.

After a light lunch the bus took us to Potzdamer Platz for more shopping at the Sony Center, and another chance to visit the Brandenburg gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag, the Kennedy Years Museum, and of course, a Starbucks.

The downside of our Monday time is that the larger Berlin museums are all closed on Monday. But we found plenty to occupy our time.

Our last day in Berlin. Tomorrow we leave for Munich!

THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED --
"Knut the cute" is a tiny baby polar bear, a new addition to the Berlin Zoo just this year. We found out that Knut is still cute, but no longer tiny. But you can tell he is still a little one the way he plays in the water.

I have not found a light or hollow core door anywhere in Germany. Anywhere. Every door we've used could withstand any type of forced entry. They are SOLID. And they all seem to have handles, not knobs.

Our bus driver to downtown Berlin today was named Jenghis Khan. Really. We half expected to see him in the driver's seat with helmut and horns. (But no, he was very nice....)

We have been told that we can only bring a Smart Car home with us on this trip if we can fit it in the overhead storage compartment. We're working on that.

Zumbro celebrants that evening at dinner.

We had group devotions in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's backyard. Actually, his parent's house. But he visited there quite often through his adult life.

Luther Tour at the Bonhoeffer House, participating in a detailed Dietrich Bonhoeffer seminar.

Luther Tour heading towards our visit to the Bonhoeffer House.

Headquarters for the "Trabi Tours" of downtown Berlin. All done with caravans for Trabant cars. Each family gets to drive their own car!

Yes, these are bullet holes on the side of one of the Berlin administration buildings.

Luther Tour visiting the "Topography of Terror" outdoor display in Berlin.

Kaiser Wilhelm Cathedral -- bombed and severly damaged at the end of WWII. The church's severely damaged core and steeple have been preserved as a memorial to future generations. A new bell tower stands near it.

Day 6 -- Berlin and Bonhoeffer House

Day 6 -- Berlin and Bonhoeffer House --
We picked up our tourguide at the Berlin Zoo area. He lead us on a spirited trip through many of the busiest sites in Berlin, including lots of Embassy Buildings. There are over 150 embassies here. We only have 6 more to see tomorrow to complete the list.

After lunch at the Marche, we bussed to the west side of town near the 1936 Olympics Stadium. The Bonhoeffer House is near there. At the house we heard much detail about the wartime history of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his family. We concluded with a devotion in the back yard, with the museum directors.

Tomorrow -- the Wilhelm Cathedral, the Berlin Zoo, KaDaWe Shopping, and Museum Island.

THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED --
"Ich bin Berliner" means "I am a Berliner."
But what President Kennedy said was
"Ich bin ein Berliner" and that means "I am a jelly-filled donut."
Really.....

1 Prussian mile = 7.7 kilometers = 4.5 miles. (Fun facts to know and tell !.....)

There's this thing called "Trabi Tours" here. A Trabi is a Trabant, the 2-cylinder, humorous, all-plastic car that was made in East Germany during the cold war. It does not have a good reputation for reliability. They no longer make them, and some 50,000 remain. After the wall came down there were many tour companies formed. This one bought up a whole lot of these cars extra cheap, and refurbished them. When you go on a tour, you and your family drive your own Trabant, following along in caravan style with many other tour goers in their Trabants. The caravan is lead by the tourguide, who speaks to you in your car through the radio. Cool.

The Olympic Games of 1916 were to be held in Berlin. WWI happened, and the games did not. But then they did come back here in 1936.

We saw a German nudist colony from the bus today. Noone got a picture. Too busy looking I guess.

Wouldn't "NoBreinner" be a cool German name? You know, "Steve & Carol NoBreinner."

Supper at the hotel. Everyone in a good mood, having a wonderful time.

We went for a walk near the hotel before supper. Found a sandwich shop just 1 block from the hotel that's kind of like a Subway. Sandwiches (and personal pizzas) of many varieties.

Check out the "Leber-Sandwich." I may get a bag of these to go for the busride tomorrow.

I will leave it to you to look up the meaning.

Get your picture taken with a "real" Soviet guard.

Brandenburg Gates. Napoleon marched his armies right through these gates on their way to Moscow. We marched through them too.

Center of Berlin.

Martin and Katie scarves.

"Martin" and "Katie" outside Katie's entrance to Luther Halle.

Luther Tour at LutherHalle in Wittenburg.

Day5 -- Wittenburg LutherHalle, and on to Berlin --
A great morning breakfast, and then back to Wittenburg. We visited Luther Halle on the west end of town, the site of Martin and Katie's home during their married lives. A HUGE cluster of buildings, three full floors and a sub-basement, a former monastery. There they raised a family, adopted children, boarded and tutored students, and hosted any number of Reformation notables during the years.

A quick lunch in Wittenburg, and then on to Berlin! (Luther never got to Berlin...) A short ride there, and a quick tour of the center ("mitte") of town, including the Brandenburg Gates. There was a music festival going on there at the time. Hundreds of visitors and many tours passing through.
Tomorrow we get to see more of the heart of Berlin. Then to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's home in the afternoon.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --
Aldi's, the value supermarket chain, is headquartered out of Berlin.

The German "Smart" car is coming to the US next year. Two seater, 2 doors, 2 cylinders, and all of 8 feet long. Basically a well-appointed, enclosed motorcycle. It gets 80mpg.

The printing press was invented by Guttenburg, and he turns out to be German, Who knew?

I ordered an ice cream cone for Carol in Wittenburg. Wanting to show off my German, I ordered "erdbeer" which is the German word for strawberry. He says "What?" so I try again a little louder, "aaiirred-beeer." Then he says in perfect English, "Oh, you want strawberry?" I said "Ja!"

The Three Wise Men. At the 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

More happy couples, celebrating our Lutheran heritages over lunch.

Happy 50th Wedding anniversary! The happy couple in Wittenburg.

LutherTour in town square. Luther himself nearby, and the twin steeples of Luther's Town Church over the skyline.

Inside Martin Luther's church

Everyone inside Martin Luther's church.

Luther Tour outside the front door of Town Church, LutherStadt-Wittenburg. This was the church that Martin Luther was an active pastor at for many years.

Day4 -- Wittenburg!

Day4 -- Wittenburg! -- After breakfast, we were off to visit Wittenburg, where Luther lived most of his career. This was the town where he preached, baptised, wrote, visited with Reformation notables, and was married. In the morning we went to the Town Church where he was most active. This is the same church where Pastor Carol preached for 2 weeks in 2005. (The sermon was not that long...) Town Church is VERY old, dating back to the 1100's.

Lunch with friends at the town square, and then the afternoon to Castle Church, the other end of the main square. This was the fancier church in town, where Luther actually posted his 95 Theses. It is also the place where Luther and his compatriot Phillip Melanchthon are buried.

Back to the hotel for a 50th wedding anniversary celebration!

Tomorrow we are back to Wittenburg for one more day, and we will visit Martin and Katie's home for all those years.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --
Most everywhere in Germany (and Europe) there are no free toilets, unless you are actually buying something. There are public toilets to use, but you better have your 1/2 Euro ready -- there is a charge.

Practically everything was invented by a German. Including velcro. More on this tomorrow.

Some things are the same wherever you go.

Walking towards St. Thomas Church in Leipzig -- where JS Bach was organist and composer for 27 years.

Luther Tour at Eisleben town square with Luther Statue.

Luther Tour at the baptismal font in St. Paul's. Over 500 years old. (The baptismal font...)

Walking up the hill to St. Paul's, where Luther was baptized. His birth home is on the corner to the right.

Town Square at Eisleben. Martin Luther in his doctorate robes.

Walking to Luther's birth home in Eislelben.

Day 3 -- Eisleben and Leipzig

Day 3 -- Eisleben and Leipzig -- After breakfast we boarded our bus for the ride to nearby Eisleben. This is the small rural town where Luther was born. We visited his home of his birth in the morning, right down the street from St. Paul's Church where he was baptized, baptized the day after he was born.

From Luther's birthplace we then walked to the home where he died some 60+ years later, here in the same town. Even though he was quite ill he had been invited to travel from his home in Wittenburg to come back to Eisleben, to help deal with some legal disputes. And "Oh yes, would you please preach to the townfolk while you are here?" He was preaching at the church across the street from the negotiations when he was taken gravely ill and went on to his reward.

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We had lunch in the town square and took a great photo of ALL of us near the commemorative Luther statue.

In the afternoon we drove to Leipzig for a bus tour of the town center. Leipzig is a huge center of commerce, noted for it's annual market fairs, and huge downtown Market "Palaces." We finished the afternoon with a walking tour of downtown, ending at St. Thomas Church. St. Thomas is where J.S. Bach was organist and composer for 27 years!

Tomorrow we go into Wittenburg to see more of Luther's life.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --
German's celebrate St. Nicholas day on Dec 6. We have Martin Luther to thank for a Dec 25 Christmas, and the exchanging of gifts on that day.

The largest concentration of Turks in the world in a single city is Istanbul. The second is Berlin!

Leipzig gets it's name from the German word "linden." Linden trees are lime trees, and the area has lots of them.

Napoleon lost only 3 major battles in his life. First Moscow, then the battle of Leipzig in 1813, and finally his Waterloo. The battle of Leipzig killed 120,000 people, more than died at Gettysburg.

The German word "straße" is not "strabe" but rather "strasse." That odd "ß" is the German symbol for a pair of "S's"

JS Bach got buried three times. (so far...) First in a simple country cemetery with no stone. Then he was moved and re-buried more honorably in a church in Leipzig. That church was bombed into rubble in WWII. Finally he was moved to St. Thomas Church, where he rests today under the floor near the altar.

The rows and rows of fencing and barbed wire -- reminder of the horrors of WWII

After Erfurt we went to Buchenwald concentration camp, just out side Weimar. We were here for several hours.

This building is in the former internment camp, and is the museum.

No, not food served to the monks in the monastery. This is a good, German lunch we had before moving on to our next stop.

Inside the sanctuary at the Augustinian Monastery.

Luther Tour arrives at the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt where Luther took his vows and studied.

Erfurt Cathedral -- Where Luther was ordained.

Luther Tour at Wartburg Castle -- Getting late, and it was rainy.

Wartburg Castle ´-- Where Luther was hidden for years after he refused to recant at Wurms.

Iceland Airport -- Not quite the same weather as Rochester, Mn.

Day 2 – Erfurt & Buchenwald

Day 2 – Erfurt

After breakfast we took the bus to downtown Erfurt. We met our guide and went on a walking tour of this 500 year old town. We saw the university where Luther was studying law, before he changed his major to the ministry. We visited the Augustinian monastery where Luther studied. And also the church where he was later ordained. Luther was born on Nov 10, and Nov 11 is St. Martin's day. Ergo the statue of St Martin in the in main town square that celebrates with both Catholics and Lutherans on Nov 10 and 11 each year.

Buchenwald -- After our lunch break we bused to Buchenwald concentration camp, just a few miles to the north of Weimar. We visited the museum and grounds there. Most of the buildings have been torn down, but a few key structures remain, and the footings of all the original buildings are clearly visible.

After our visit here we were off to Brehna, just outside of Leipzig. We will visit Luther sites there tomorrow.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --

An Erfurt-er is a person from Erfurt, but there are no foods called Erfurt. (that we know of)

In German a ford over a river is a "furt." And "er" means muddy. Which is what happened to the river's waters when many wagons were entering the town via the ford.

A 1400's cure for kidney stones was to eat 7 very salty fish quickly, which then brings on a terrific thirst. So you down a boatload of water -- the combination of which tends to eliminate some of the stones.

Daz 1 – Leaving from Yumbro -- Eisenach & Wartburg

Daz 1 – Leaving from Yumbro -- Eisenach & Wartburg

We all met at Yumbro at 2pm on Mondaz. Bus ride to the Twin Cities without event, nice and sunnz, singing songs along the waz. Iceland Air out of HHH, through Rezkjavik Iceland, to Frankfurt.
Wartburg Castle -- We immediatelz got onto our buses and headed out to Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, the same town where LutherHaus and BachHaus are located.

We were told that the walk from the bus to Wartburg Castle was "onlz 500 feet", which we found to be accurate. It was 500 feet horiyontallz from the bus to the castle, but then it was also 500 feet UP these stairs as well.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED –

A Hamburg-er is a person from Hamburg.
A Frankfurt-er is a person from Frankfurt.
Castles ending in Burg are fortresses.
Castles ending in Schloss are prettz castles.
And the "Z" and the "Y" on German kezboards are reversed.

Most of the other punctuation marks have been moved to random locations as well.
And flush toilets here have 2 buttons – BIG flush and little flush.

Day 0 -- Today is the day -- Leaving Zumbro

Today is the first day of the Luther Tour -- a travel day. We leave from Zumbro church for the Twin Cities this afternoon. We'll be on a plane at 7:30. We travel to Iceland first for a short stopover, then on to Frankfurt. We'll be in Frankfurt early afternoon on Tues.

Last day before leaving

Rally Day at Zumbro -- Our last day to get things ready for the trip. We leave on Monday. A Bluegrass sendoff.