Welcome to Germany and Sightseeing

The GSE team arrived in Germany on Tuesday morning, May 29 after 17 hours of travel. We were welcomed by members of the German Rotary clubs.

Right away, we were taken to Soltau for our first German lunch and meeting. We had a very traditional german meal, seen below.

After a brief presentation, we were off to our host family homes for some much needed rest and showers! My host family is Dr. Peter Pohls and his wife, Sabine. They live in a small village called Neuenkirchen (New Church). Peter and I went for a bike ride through his village and then we joined Sabine for dinner and a great conversation about birds! After that, it was off to bed to catch up on sleep before some sightseeing the next day.

Yesterday we visited the cities of Soltau and Hamburg for sightseeing. We walked around Soltau, enjoying the markets and the village. It was a cold day, but walking around helped keep us warm.

After lunch in Soltau, we drove to Hamburg. There, we went on a bus tour of the city, followed by a visit to St. Michaels church. The view of Hamburg from the top of the church was beautiful! And of course, before leaving, I had to eat a hamburger in Hamburg (note: German hamburgers are not the same as American hamburgers!).

We arrived back in Soltau for a barbecue with our host families to wrap up the day.

 

Today, we will be doing our first vocational visit. I will be going to a chemical industry plant. More later!

-Sara