Weekend Recap

Last Friday we were dismissed earlier than usual and after a brief group meeting several of us decided to take a train to Koln (Cologne). It is only an hour and a half from Koblenz and has a large, historical church. One of the undergraduates that attends WHU is from Koln and mentioned the church in passing, telling us we would see it as we came out of the train station. That was quite possibly the understatement of the year. The church was MASSIVE and absolutely gorgeous. The architecture was so detailed it was astounding. There were gargoyles, arches, and even pipe organs suspended from the ceiling. My group enjoyed a recommended restaurant, at which point we ran into a stag party. The bachelor was dressed in lederhosen and a pointy hat! We also found an amazing ice cream parlor with a picture menu we couldn’t refuse. I should mention here that most ice cream parlors are Italian, and the ice cream and gelato are virtually free of additives, making the ice cream notably more delicious. We caught a train back and were home by 11:30 in the evening. The next day we spent the afternoon shopping Koblenz, which is actually quite the fashionable city, before catching our boat tour of the Rhein. The boat tour was a 12-hour round trip journey south on the Rhein that passed several castles along the way, some dating back to the 12th century or even earlier. We stopped in a small town named Bacharach and attended a May Fest. The Rhein region is known for its wine production, so we were able to sample some local wine from the many vineyards located along the Rhein. Even though it was a 12-hour round trip, the time seemed to pass much more quickly.

Other groups from the program went to Berlin, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Amsterdam, and Brussels. The students who went to Amsterdam and Brussels both came back with rave reviews about their destinations. The Amsterdam group said the city was gorgeous, just like a smaller Venice and the Brussels group said the waffles were amazing.