Day 3: Buchenwald and Weimar (Danielle Istock)

I’ve never been out of the country before, so being here has been such a culture shock for me. Starting this morning, when I was working out on the treadmill, I was measuring my speed in kilometers per hour! I am loving both the complete differences, and the similarities I am finding here in Germany. 

So we went to Weimar this morning, and it was a completely beautiful town! I love the many colors and the architecture of the different buildings. There was a large square with vendors selling crafts and food, where our lunch group got bratwursts for lunch. It was what I considered a very German experience, and I loved every minute of it! We spent about three hours touring around Weimar, though we could have looked around the town for days. One thing I thought was particularly striking was this large bridge over a river and connected to a large park. Our travel group went down the stairs on the bridge and walked through the park, where we saw many German families playing with their children and throwing sticks to their dogs. Another neat thing we saw was the Church of Peter and Paul, where we were able to closely observe one of Cranach’s paintings. All the churches here are so beautiful, and we tried to see as many as we can.

 After seeing as much as we could of Weimar, we boarded the bus on the way to Buchenwald. Upon arriving, we were shown a video, and then broke into pairs to go on an audio tour. We were given a map and an ipod, and given an hour or so to see whatever we wanted. It was a sobering experience from the very moment we walked onto the grounds, but very much so when we walked through the gates. Seeing where the barracks used to be, the depot and museum, and the site of the “little camp”, was very moving. We ended this tour by gathering around the memorial and praying, and boarding the bus back to Erfurt.

 Back in Erfurt, we were able to rest for a while (I took a nap, and it felt amazing!) before going to dinner. I went to a restaurant called Steinhaus, where I got a yummy sandwich and beer. I am having a good time trying the different food and drinks, often choosing something off the menu at random. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner and made our way back for devotions, where we talked about “God chills” we were experiencing.

 Immediately after devotions, a small group of us decided to go out on the town, and headed to a local bar. Despite the language differences, we all managed to have an amazing time. We had some great beer, drank at a place Martin Luther probably went to, and even listened to Katy Perry in the last place! However, we definitely made sure to be back by 2 am, so we could watch the UNC/Duke game. Though we had some technical difficulties, and ended up just watching game tracker at the end, it was a great experience to be able to know what was going on. AND WE WON!! However, staying up until 4 in the morning would prove to be not as much fun the next day.

-Danielle Istock