Zutphen, Arnhem, & Nunspeet

January 27

We left our hotel in Bremen this morning for a four hour drive to Zutphen, Netherlands, where we stopped for a couple hours for lunch. We searched desperately for a Doner Kebab shop but ended up empty, so we had to settle for just a normal restaurant. After lunch we had another hour drive to Arnhem where we stopped at the Airborne museum. It was quite small, but it was one of the coolest museum's I've ever been to because it had so many visuals from the war- an entire case of the different guns used, exhibits of the different military attire worn, the kind of communication used- quite different from what we're used to today! The best part of the museum though was the basement of the building. You started by walking through what their planes looked like and then walked off the platform into setup war scenes... like bunkers with machine guns set up making the noises of war, or a big building with bullet holes and gun fire going off. It's kind of hard to explain what it looked like, but trust me- it was cool!

Next was another hour drive to Nunspeet where we stayed for our final night in the Netherlands and Europe. Ted & I had about 45 minutes to get ready before we met some Buiter family for the first time. They met us at the hotel lobby and we walked together to a delicious Italian restaurant where we met even more family. It was possibly one of my favorite nights on the trip because I thought it was so cool to be meeting people that are really quite closely related to me, and yet they live on the other side of the world! The family we met were three of my dad's cousins: Aunt Heneke van Nus & her husband Martin, and their two sons Maarten & Joost. Heneke's brother, Frank Dijkstra and his daughter Christine, as well as her boyfriend. And also a cousin of Heneke, Frank, and my dad- Aunt Neutsy. I have no idea if I'm spelling the aunt's and uncle's names right but I'm trying! :) We were at the restaurant almost three and a half hours and had great conversation getting to know each other and our families. I hope to see everyone again someday (soon!) either back in Europe or here at home!

When we got back to the hotel about a dozen of us enjoyed the night acting like kids and playing sardines (a form of hide-and-seek) in the hotel. Afterward we had to repack our bags and rest up for a long day of traveling.

January 28

In the morning we had an hour drive to the airport where we arrived at 11a and arrived in GR at 9p (3a in my head). Which made for 16 hours of traveling. It all went very well- I'm ready to board the plane and go right back!

Joost, Christine, me, Ted, & Maarten

Neutsy, Martin, Heneke, Frank, Joost, Christine, me, Ted, & Maarten

Plane ride! Ted & me, Steve & Tyler D

Plane ride. Obvi.

I hope you all enjoyed reading up on what I did for a month, and maybe one day you can enjoy the same experience. It is so worth every penny!

Until next time (there will be another trip! Soon?!)

Pce. & Blessings.
Jessie

Bremen

January 26

Today was an awesome day! Originally there was nothing planned in the morning so we were going to be able to sleep in for the first time! However, the Mercedes-Benz visit got changed from the afternoon to morning, sooo I didn't get to sleep in. But who cares- I love cars and it was worth it! Only 25 of the 55 students got to go, and I was luckily one of them! We got an hour long tour of the production building- we literally saw the cars being built by the robots, painted, and assembled by the workers. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! I kept thinking "my dad would LOVE this!" Maybe one day when I've living here he can come visit and I'll take him around. :) The plant we went to employees 13,000 people and they build 1,400 made-to-order cars each day. Incredible! When I got back to the hotel I went cyber-car shopping! Ha. We also saw the cars being test driven on a track that aren't even in the market yet... cool! The rest of the day was free so I got some Starbucks, shopping, and alot of rest. We had group dinner at a local restaurant called the Schuttinger- it was delicious! It was my last group dinner since tomorrow I will not be there- bittersweet! Then nearly the entire group hung out together in town since it seems like the last night for us- tomorrow we will all be heading to bed early to get rest before our long 17 hours traveling day.

Rachel & I on Mercedes' first vehicle from 1886

They've made alot of changes & improvements!

Safety glasses and radios @ Mercedes. We are cool!

Bremen, Germany

This is a normal shopping street in Bremen- notice the big town hall in the background. Such a cool place to walk around!

Last group dinner. My table: Ted, Rachel, Tyler D, Joel, me, Faber

Today could possibly be my last day of internet, so let me tell you a little bit about the rest of our trip: tomorrow Ted & I are meeting family from the Netherlands! I am so excited! My mom e-mailed me on Monday and said that some family contacted my grandma and they would like to meet up with us, so I found them on facebook and have been communicating with them all week. Tomorrow night they are driving two hours to our hotel to pick us up and take us out to dinner- what a way to end the trip! We will be meeting two of my dads cousins and one of their wives, as well as three of their kids- Maarten & Joost van Nus & Christine Dijkstra. It's gonna be great!

As for Saturday, here is our flight itinerary, not that any of you really care. We will arrive at Schipol airport at 10:45a to check in for our 2:45p flight to Detroit, which will be 9 hours! Boo. We will arrive in Detroit at 5:45p but it will feel like 11:45p for me! After a two hour layover we will board in Detroit for GR and land at 9:07p. I'm an not ready to leave Europe, but I will enjoy not living out of a suitcase, and I am ready for a routine again! 

Please pray for safety! Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Hamburg & Bremen

January 25

Basically, we were in the bus today. All day. Boring, but of course it comes with alot of sleep. We loaded after breakfast and checkout at 8a and drove for four hours to our next destination of Hamburg. Here we stayed for three hours to get lunch and do some shopping. I have alot of euros left so I need to spend my money in the last few days, so naturally I bought nothing. I got my first German bratwurst which was soo good, and then roamed the shops of Hamburg and stole some wifi from Starbucks. At 3p we had another two hour drive to our hotel destination of Bremen, Germany for the next two nights. Once we checked in we had a couple hours before group dinner at the hotel, so me and some others did a little walking around the city and hanging out in the hotel rooms. After dinner was the same- see the city, hang out with the group. It's been so much fun meeting all kinds of new people from Calvin I never would have met otherwise- like ed majors, pre-med, engineers, nurses, and others. I have made some great friends here and we have incredible experiences we've shared together! We're already planning reunions for when we're back to the states!

German bratwurst and pommes- no bun. Weird! 

Stephanie & Meghan. They're precious!

I'm taking fewer and fewer pictures. Sorry!

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Berlin

January 24 


No hotel check out this morning- always nice! Our first stop of the day was the Dem Deutschen Volke, a building in Berlin attcked during war. It's a large cement building with patches all over because of bullet shots... Fascinating to see! While walking downtown we also passed the hotel that Michael Jackson pulled his baby stunt from the top floor. Next was the Holocaust Memorial museum. It's alot smaller than the museum in DC but it still held alot of reports from individuals who were caught as prisoners, some of which lived and some died. All of the stories are soo tragic- like the 36 year old mother who lied about her kids' ages so that they could stay with their grandmother and instead the grandmother and children were taken and murdered and the mother survived. There were many others, too. Next was East Side Gallery, the portion of the wall that remains standing and is painted all over, and then Checkpoint Charlie which is the official crossing point between East and West Berlin. We got to go through the museum there, and then we headed back to the hotel.


The rest of the afternoon and evening was free, so we split up for independent lunch- I got my first Doner which was SO GOOD! It's like flat bread stuffed with lamb meat and lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and garlic sauce. It was my first, most of the guys' 10th or 12th or whatever! Then us girls broke off of the guys and went shopping in Berlin. So far this might be my favorite city- it's alot like Paris, with great shopping and amazing stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. But it is so much cleaner than Paris, and not near as hectic. Tonight we'll go out for dinner independently again, and either see the city or lay low at the hotel. 

Dem Deutschen Volke

Leah, me, Lauren, Hilary, Vivianne, & Penny in front of the wall

Aubrey, Becca, & I with our Doners!

To my Calvin friends who traveled abroad- welcome back from wherever you've been. And to those who stayed home- congrats on finishing interim today!


Pce. & Blessings.
Jessie

Wittenberg Pictures

The door containing the theses

The Castle Church

Wittenberg, Germany

Rachel & I. It's cold!

You can't tell at all that we're siblings!

Wittenberg & Berlin

January 23

Breakfast, hotel checkout... the works! We then had an hour and a half bus ride to Wittenberg, Germany, where we had a guided tour of the city. We saw the Castle Church where Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses on the door. I found it cool that although Luther only wrote the theses as topics of discussion as to why the church needed a reformation, nearly 500 years later people come from all over the world (aka me) to see the place. Cool! In the 17th century the church was burned along with the theses but the doors were later rebuilt and now the 95 theses are written in Latin, engraved on bronze doors. As well as seeing the Castle Church, we toured the Parish Church and Martin Luther's home. We got lunch in Wittenberg and then had another hour and a half drive to Berlin, where we toured the city from the bus and then visited the Berlin Dom, a cathedral with a crypt in the basement. Some of the tombs are SO OLD! Dating back to the 1500's- everything from this trip is just incredible! Next was our hotel and dinner there- the best dinner yet. So delish. But I didn't like the dessert- it had raspberries and lemon flavoring, so if you're reading this mom, I would LOVE homemade chocolate cake and hudsonville ice cream on Sunday, as well as some scotcheroos to take to the duplex with me for the week. Oh, and I have no groceries in the house so feel free to pick up a few things for me ;) Juuuust kidding. Kind of. ha

Anyway, I'm sitting at Starbucks enjoying some free internet but it closes soon, so no pictures. Sorry!

I hear it's cold and snowy at home. Please get rid of that before Saturday! Thanks.

Pce. & Blessings.
Jessie

Dresden

January 22

Breakfast, hotel checkout, and then a two hour drive to Dresden, Germany, for a church service at the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). The service was yet another experience, the whole thing was in German and though it was a Protestant service, the structure was very similar to a catholic service- very organized and set in its ways, and the pastor would turn his back on the congregation when praying or reading the bible. It was just very different- I'm looking forward to going to an English speaking church. However, it is pretty cool to meet in a huge cathedral and worship the same God with unfamiliar people, and not understand anything but still know that they are sharing the same faith as me. After lunch we had a few hours to kill in Dresden to get lunch and site see, but it is SOOO cold (apparently warmer than MI, though. Yikes!), so some friends and I got lunch at a cafe then found a coffee shop and literally chilled there for two hours to kill time. I also got my first European Gelato- so good! After our afternoon there we had a two hour drive to Leipzig where we will be staying for the night. Right across the street is an Aldi so I stocked up on candy and also got our favorite European drink (Bessen Genever with Sprite- delish) for girls night in the hotel. We had dinner at the hotel with the group and then a group meeting to share some of the things from the past few days that we've experience. My insight was: walking through Dachau showed me how much the Jews suffered- the work they had to do was meaningless and brutal, their murders were brutal, the way they were starved was brutal, stuffing 2,000 people in a building that is meant to hold 200 people is brutal, but what oddly hit me was what I was experiencing in the camp. I was in two pairs of pants, socks & boots, three shirts, a fleece coat and a shell coat, as well as mittens & a scarf and I was absolutely freezing! The Jews though were just given cotton pajama looking clothing- year round. EVERYTHING about their life was brutal. At least at night I look forward to a warm bed. They never got that. It was just very eye opening. Many of the other kids had great insights, too. After our group meeting I had a solid and much needed bonding with the girls at the hotel.

Sorry for the lack of pictures- it was just honestly a pretty boring day!

The church we worshiped in today. Can you imagine Byron 1st CRC looking like this?! Incredible.

Missing this face!

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Prague

January 21

We had a typical morning, then started off the day with a three hour tour of Prague by a guide. We got to go through Prague castle and see the cathedral and royal palace as well as other parts of Prague. The castles is the largest in central Europe, covering eighteen acres! After the tour we were free for lunch and shopping, so we stayed in town and got food and stopped at souvenir shops and then walked back to the hotel to shower and warm up and change out of our wet clothes (since it is raining and snowing like crazy here). We then took a tram back to town for dinner and entertainment at a restaurant- the entertainment was an accordion player and a couple dancing, naturally I got pulled out of my chair to dance with him. Awk. It was our most fun group dinner we’ve had yet, thought! After dinner almost the entire group stayed in town and enjoyed the night in Prague. It was a grand time!

Overlooking the city of Prague

Meg, me, Brian D, & Faber on the tour

Stiff soldier

Prague castle

Statue- they're peeing on the shape of Czech. Ha

I got the moves like Jagger?

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Dachau

January 20

Today started with breakfast and checkout at the hotel like normal, then a thirty minute drive to Dachau, Germany where we visited the concentration camp there for two hours. This was the first camp built by Hitler in 1933. It was a very somber and sobering experience, and made the war come even more alive. We were able to walk through the museum, the barracks, and even the ovens and gas chamber which was disguised as showers for the Jews. It is heartbreaking! There are/were thirty-six barracks at the camp which were all built to house 200 people in each, but by the end of the war they were putting nearly 2,000 people in each barack. It’s something that is good to see in person, but I have no need to see it again! After out stop in Dachau we had a two hour drive to Nurnberg for lunch where we stopped to see a site that Hitler often gave speeches at.  Then it was another four hour drive to Prague, Czech Republic. We got to our hotel then walked to a restaurant for dinner: Strahov Monastic Brewery- it wasn’t that good. The evening was free for us so we just hung out together at the hotel.

Dachau

Dachau

Hitler's territory

Can't believe I'll be home in less than a week! See you all soon.

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Neuschwanstein

January 19


This has been one of the more disappointing days of the trip. We started off the day with breakfast at the hotel then loaded the bus at 8:15a to go to the Neuschwanstein castle, the inspiration for the Disney castle in California. We had to walk up a mountain to get to the castle which took about 25 minutes. The castle was built by a single King who lived by himself in the castle for only a few days before he was taken captive for being mentally ill. He died the next day and the castle was turned into a museum only six weeks later!


The first disappointment of the day came when I was on the bus to Neuschwanstein- natually, I was sleeping, and when I woke up there was snow! However, the alps we were driving through did look absolutely beautiful so I suppose it  was worth the view. Next we found out we weren't going to Austria because of their road weight limits and our bus is too heavy- I should have eaten less Belgian chocolates. Ha It's so sad to say I only visited six countries instead of seven on the trip! :) Third, we didn't have enough time to go to Oberammergau either, and that was my mom's one request! To get Tad a wooden ornament from Oberammergau like she got all seven of us kids one when she went twelve years ago. Bummer!


After the castle visit we got lunch in a little town somewhere, then went on to Wies to see the Wieskirche, a famous masterpiece of the Bavarian Rococo. Then it was back to Munich where we will be having dinner at the Hofbrauhaus and then a free evening. 

The whole group in front of the castle

Hilary & I on the castle porch

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Ulm & Munich

January 18

Today we started out pretty early… we were checked out of the hotel and loaded onto the bus before 8a and went  to Erlenbach, Germany, to visit the Gentex plant at 9a. It was actually pretty interesting, and we got to see a lot of developments that aren’t even on the market or in cars yet. After the visit we had a two hour drive to Ulm, Germany, where we got to climb a cathedral in the town square, which is known to have one of the tallest cathedral spires in the world. It was 768 steps which roughly comes out to be about 55 flights of stairs, which is half of the world trade center. It was pretty tiring and very scary since I don’t like heights, but it was worth it. It took over a half hour to climb, take some pictures on what felt like the top of the world, and go back down. The entire staircase was spiral stairs that were two feet wide, so I was very dizzy, constricted, and freaking out because it was sooo high! After we were on safe ground again we got lunch in Ulm- pizza margherita. Don’t get too excited that I’m trying new things- it’s simply cheese pizza. Ha

Next was another two hour drive to our hotel in Munich, Germany. I have been getting lots of sleep on all these bus rides! J We got dinner in Munich and looked around a little bit. It’s a lot different than other cities in Germany we’ve been in, like Heidelberg, Speyer, or Koblenz. This place reminds me a lot of Amsterdam: it’s very sketchy, with police all over, strip clubs and casino’s every other business, and very dirty. It’s all part of the experience, though!

This is the cathedral I climbed- we were literally on the very top of the spiral!

Bixler, Becca, Dave, Rachel, and I just before going up the final flight of stairs in the cathedral

A view from on top

Becca and I made it!

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie

Heidelberg

January 17

This morning we had breakfast atthe hotel like usual. This was by far the worst breakfast so far! There was barely any selection, the eggs tasted wierd, the bread was hard. It was just a fail! We then drove to Speyer, Germany, where we visited the Dom which included some crypts insidethrcathedral. This cathedral is nearly 1,000 years old- incredible! After looking through the Dom  we took the bus to Heidelberg where we got lunch (German pizza- pretty good!) and then toured the Heidelberg castle which is mostly destroyed due to the French. It took 400 years to build the castle. Afer our tour we had four hours to roam Heidelberg which was way too much time. We got independent dinner here and then took the bus back to Schwetzingen where we had free time the rest of the night.

A view of Heidelberg, Germany, from a bridge in town

The Holy Ghost church, where the Heidelberg catechism was written. I thought Ken would appreciate this!

Heidelberg castle

Hilary, Steve, me, & Tyler D in front of a gigantic beer keg inside the castle

A view of Heidelberg from the castle up on the mountain

Dave & I on the deck of the castle

This morning I woke up with an awful sore throat. Immediately it felt like strep and I got really worried, but I have been taking some Tylenol and that has subsided the soreness so hopefully it is nothing. I. Will. Not. Get. Sick! Pray that I will feel better soon, though! Thanks!


Pce. & Blessings.
Jessie

First of Germany

January 16

Today we started out again with breakfast at the hotel in Trier, checked out, and boarded the bus for a two hour drive to Koblenz where we got some pictures of the huge equestrian statue of Kaiser William I. We stayed in the town a couple hours to look around the shops and get lunch. Then we had a short drive to our boat (still in Koblenz) that we rode on the Rhine river for a little over an hour. We got some great views of quite a few castles. Most of them are set up on hills and just beautiful! We also played some fun games on the cruise, in which I lost and had some cruel punishment! After the ride it was back on the bus for a two hour drive to our hotel in Schwetzingen for the next two nights. We had dinner as a group at the hotel then free time afterward to go out in the city.

The weather here has dropped quite a bit- earlier on the trip it had been high 40's and the last couple days we've been flirting with freezing, sometimes even lower! No snow yet though so I'm still doing alright :)

The equestrian statue

Hilary, Rachel, Meghan, Stephanie, Becca, & I on the river cruise

Rachel & I on the deck of the boat. Beautiful mountains behind us!

A castle on the mountain

Germany is truly beautiful!

Pce. & Blessings.
Jessie

Traveling!

January 15

Today we traveled through four countries: France, Luxembourg, America, and Germany. I’ll explain!

We had a pretty early morning- we had to be packed up and on the road by 9a to make 11a church in Reims, France.   Of course we were all able to sleep on the bus, though.   It’s getting pretty tiring having to pack up and check out of the hotel almost daily!  

We attended a Catholic church today… Notre Dame Church of the Lady.   The cathedral was huge and not heated- I could see my breath the whole service.   The benches were also extremely uncomfortable, and the entire service was in French.   Basically it was not an enjoyable experience. J   After church we had some lunch in Reims then loaded the bus again for another three hour ride to Luxembourg.   In Luxembourg is an American cemetery from World War II and this cemetery is American soil.   Crazy!   General Patton is buried here, along with about 5,000 other soldiers and one female nurse.   Then it was back on the bus to Trier- the oldest city in Germany dating back to 16 BC- where our hotel is for the night.   After dinner with the whole group at the hotel we had free time to explore the city.

While we were driving along the road today Prof. Nielsen pointed out some goofy looking trees- tall leafless trees with large moss balls growing on the branches.   They are mistletoe trees which grow in the winter and need sun to grow.   I thought it was kinda neat to actually see mistletoe trees!

The cathedral that we worshiped today (Sunday)

American memorial in Luxembourg

Gen. Patton's grave

That's all I have for today. I hope you are enjoying the posts!

Pce. & Blessings.

Jessie