Oh Luneburg, I love you

From the time we arrived I could tell I was going to love this city, and I was not wrong. It is so beautiful and I felt so comfortable walking around the city. From the start I decided I was going to love it and wouldn't want to leave. And I wasn't wrong. My hosts for this stay are Dr. Matthias and Susanna (I am really hoping I've spelled that correctly)Lapatschek. I can honestly say there couldn't have been a better match for me, but more on that later! After our arrival, we returned with our hosts to the homes, had time to clean up, and then Susanna and I walked into town to the Ballet Studio run by her friend Nina Stowe. Besides our first stay in Soltau this has been the only other stay where I can walk into the town center. At the Ballet Studio we observed per-school ballet class. Too Cute! It made me really miss my days of being a teacher's assistant for that age group. After an hour there we met with the rest of the group for dinner and our presentation. Torben, from the Germany team that came to Illinois was also at this meeting. Following the dinner,Torben, my host family, and I went to Debby's host and relaxed. It was such fun to catch up with Torben, talk to him about his visit to Illinois compared to ours, and I think he really enjoyed hearing about our experiences thus far with the program. I am so glad he joined us tonight Friday, June 8 - My day of dance! My morning began with a tour of a local gym. I'm beginning to learn that 'gym' is not the right word to describe these facilities. They're more like Wellness Centers. Yes, most have the typical gym machines, fitness equipment, classes, but they also have spas, massages, saunas, everything you can imagine. And this one is no exception! They had a built in Circuit station in the fitness part of the gym, meaning that if you are unsure of what to do for your workout, go to this area, pick a machine, when the light turns green start, and when the light turns red stop and move to the next machine. This particular facility also had 5 different saunas. Five! 3 normal ones at 3 varying warm temperatures, one Japaneese sauna, and one ice sauna (which to me is the opposite of a sauna!). They also had a resting room, a resting garden, an outdoor aerobics space with proper flooring, and a HUGE kids area. And I mean HUGE! Think old school Chuck E. Cheese with ball pits, slides, climbing areas and a giant climbing cone that you climb up and slide down. This place was Amazing! It's meant as a day care area for parents to bring their children while they work out, but it often gets rented out for personal parties. No children are allowed over the age of 12, but I know plenty of adults who would love to play here, myself included. After the tour I had Pilates class. This is my second Pilates class here in Germany and it's not getting any easier. :( I probably need to be doing it more often, but still learned some great core moves to incorporate into class or with clients. After class we went home to clean up and then went into town for lunch and sight seeing. Susanna suggested a Sushi place called Sushi Bar. I love sushi so it sounded great to me! I've been very conscious to try new things on this trip, and even tho I know I like sushi there is such a variety that I got two I usually don't get. The first was a California roll (which is common), but I had some kind of fish with it. The second I got was called Mako, and it was duck. And it was the best sushi of my life! I wish I could get it back home! At dinner I was still so excited about my sushi, and when I told Tim he said, 'I had that for lunch too!' Great minds. But back to my day of dance! At 3pm I met with 4 local Zumba Instructors. I guess the previous weekend they held a Zumba event that had 2,500 people in attendance. AMAZING! Good work Luneburg Zumba! At this meeting we took turns leading songs and had our own little class. We had so much fun we went almost two hours straight. It was great to be able to share my choreography, learn some of theirs, and to be honest, to take part in Zumba and not have to think! I just had to be a student, follow the instructor, let loose and have fun. Afterwards, we were talking about Zumba and the specialties and they asked me to show them some Zumba Toning. They said Zumba Toning is very difficult to get here in Germany. The licensing is not offered frequently and when it is offered it sells out in less than a day - in 10 hours or so. Also, one of the instructors, Cindy, will be visiting a friend in Illinois next year - I told her to let me know when she is around and she should come guest instruct for some of my classes. She said she'd love to. After Zumba, it was clean up time and then back to Nina's studio for Jaaz class followed by Modern dance class. I definitely miss being a student in a dance class. Once again, I learned some great choreography to utilize in my classes. The night ended with a group dinner, and although Matthias and Susanna and I had discussed going out tonight we decided we had already had a long day and went home. Saturday June 9 My day today was basically the same as Sara's, and since she has done a great job posting about it, please refer to her post and pictures for details. How my day differed from hers: I went to the disco at midnight. And it was Matthias and Susanna's idea! They are dancing fools! They go out once a month to do some dancing at the Discoteque and they don't come home until around 6am. 6am!! My night out was not that long, but I can see how it could very easily happen. This particular disco that night was a 30 and up night. Now, I am not quite 30 yet, but those over 20 are allowed in - the 30 part is to detract the younger crowd. Like I said, Matthias and Susanna are dancing fools, especially Matthias! I don't think I saw him leave the dance floor. He was dancing up a storm and the happiness that radiated from his was so contagious. Debby and Tim joined us there, and Debby who swore she wouldn't be doing any dancing was on the floor by the second song. It was fantastic. Like I said, there really coulnd't have been a better host match for me in Luneburg. Sunday, June 10 This morning we had a few hours in Luneburg before heading to our next stop, so I joined Matthias and Susanna for their Tango class. Yes, they take a weekly Tango class. (I love them!) The Tango is a rhythm we use in Zumba, but I have never taken a formal class before, or even seen one really. Once again, I was able to derive some great moves to use in class. And I will now be on a mission to find a Tango class back home. When I first came to Luneburg I knew I would love it and I was not disappointed one bit! I have had great experiences at every stop on this trip, but Luneburg has taken the cake thus far. I loved the city and my hosts - I told them I didn't want to leave and I was going to stay with them forever - they said ok. :) And now, on to Celle!