Rowan University Discovers Europe

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I am about to go wake the group up. We will have breakfast at 7 a.m. and a departure from Kirnbach at 7:30. My goal is to get to Frankfurt airport 3 hours before departure. Our flight USairways 703 is departing at 12:45 p.m. You should check the airline website for possible delays. I look forward to seeing you all at Rowan U. later today.

Dr. L.

Today we were happy to have an extra hour of sleep. After breakfast and a short drive, we visited Schiltach, a 16th century town. We were asked by Dr. Lemaire to find the oldest building in town which was the Town Hall. It was built in 1365. We found the architecture and structure of the buildings very fascinating. The buildings were beautifully constructed with half timber. Michelle enjoyed wading in the narrow clear cold river and feeding the ducks. We soaked up the sun as our inner child came out while we played on the playground. The site of the town is related to the Roman road built in 75 a.d. along the Kinzig River and the power the river provided for flour and lumber mills.

Soon after, we departed and went to a scenic peaceful courtyard in Oberwolfach where we enjoyed an ice cold beverage. Then we were off to Kirnbach where we had lunch. Early in the afternoon we drove to Sankt Roman through the Black Forest. Upon arrival, we immediately noticed the majectic trees and amazing mountain side resort. We took a brisk hike through the forest as ominous clouds surprisingly approached. Fortunately, thanks to a swift shortcut through a meadow of tall grass and wild flowers led by Dr. Lemaire, we were able to avoid the rain while taking in the nature around us.  We proceeded down the mountain to Hotel Adler where we enjoyed a delicious Black Forest cake. Some had blueberry or strawberry cake but all were satisfied with a delectable reward. We went back to our hotel where we ate dinner and watched the last two powerpoint presentations on the Euro and the Common Market performed by Michelle and Lynnel. We are all anxious to get back home tomorrow but we are happy to have the memories we made together to last a lifetime. 

Note from Dr. L.:

I should let you know that your children have behaved perfectly during our trip to Europe. I did not have to use my skills as a mother and grand mother even once in the last two weeks. This is a first. I believe you deserve my congratulations for raising such delightful children.

Dr. Lemaire

After a leisurely drive through the beautiful landscape of Alsace, we entered Strasbourg. Strasbourg pedestrians are very agressive and we dodged them frequently as we drove through the town.

Leaving Strasbourg, we drove into western Germany with quite mountainous terrain and small, picturesque villages. An excellent day on the road with a comfortable bed and another wonderful meal at the end.

Wayne Rives

Today we woke up in Switzerland around 6:30 a.m. and had the usual hotel breakfast (2 types of bread, 3 types of cornflakes, 2 of juice, milk, yogurt, fruit, muesli, 6 different jams, honey, tea, hot chocolate, or coffee). After eating we made our way outside only to find the thickest layer of fog surrounding us. Dr. Lemaire explained that due to our hotel altitude (over 4,000 feet above sea level) we were technically in the clouds. It is amazing to think people actually wake up to that sight every day! When we left the hotel we stopped by a field of solar panels and a wind farm to learn about Switzerland’s movement toward clean energy. It  is inspiring to see how other countries are leaning away from fossil fuels to independent and renewable clean energy.

We then stopped by Lake Neuchatel to discuss the Jura Mountains formation and alpine glaciers effects on landscape. Finally we headed back towards France. After lunch of sandwiches and fresh strawberries from Alsace, we visited the otter-stork park in Hunavihr. This is where storks and otters are raised to be released into the wild to increase their population. While visiting the park, we got to see the feeding of the baby storks, along with the fishing animal show. The animals that were included in the show were the cormoran, otter, blackfooted penguins, and finally the Byronia sea lion. It was interesting to see these animals swim around and gulp down their preys (small trout, eel, and other live fish). Thanks to the effort of this park, there are now thousands of storks and otters living in Alsace.

At 5 p.m. we had an appointment to visit the “Domaine de l’Oriel” in Niedermorshwihr a few kilometers from Colmar. This domaine is a vineyard owned by Claude Weinzorn. His family has owned the vineyard for over 380 years. Claude taught us the inner-workings of his business. He brought us among the actual grapevines and despite the language barrier, sent us away with the knowledge of what it takes to run a successfull vineyard and wine cellar. Coming in from the vineyard, he offered us a tasting in which 5 different types of wines were tasted (Cremant, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Riesling Grand Cru, and Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru). Naturally Claude opened his cellar to us and some of our families will be getting some delicious gifts.

Melanie, Lindsey, and Lauren

We started our morning with a two-hour drive from La Rochepot to the Arc et Senans salt factory and museum. This factory built by architect Nicolas Ledoux under the order of Louis XV from 1775 to 1779 was to be a model of social organization where the workers and their families lived withing the factory high walls with the managers and their families. Salt was extracted from brine brought from 22 km away using wooden pipes. The brine was then boiled to evaporate the water and concentrate the salt. Salt was primarily used to preserve food since they didn’t have refrigerators at the time but it was also used for medical conditions. Today 80% of the salt mined in the area is used by chemical industries in the making of plastic, chlorine, pyrex glass, and detergents.

Lunch was a baguette sandwich at a cute and quaint restaurant next to the Loue resurgence. We got to eat by the fireplace. After lunch we could go down the trail to see the Loue River that cuts through the mountain and becomes a waterfall. It was beautiful, the water was clear and the rocks were mossy.

After lunch we headed to a cheese factory but the GPS took us on a adventure through the woods. This drive on dirt roads gave everyone a good laugh. When we found the cheese factory, we got a tour through the building. They make three different kinds of cheeses and receive fresh milk every night by going from farm to farm. In a year they transform 6 million liters of milk in Comte, Morbier, and Raclette cheeses. The tour guide provided wine and cheese to sample. We arrived to our hotel in Switzerland before 5 p.m. and we were excited that we are staying at a ski lodge (without snow). Some of us did a hike up the ski mountain before dinner (which was cheese fondue).

Everyone is settling into our bunk-bedded sky-lighted rooms and taking turns in the communal bathroom.

This morning George and Casey woke us up at 6:30 a.m. We were all down at breakfast by 7:30 then on the road to Beaune. Along the way we stopped in Autun to see the ruins of Augustodinum, a Roman city built under emperor Augustus at the end of the first century A.D. It was amazing to see so many ruins still standing today even as a theater and an entry gate. We were able to observe archaeologists digging a new site, a university. We learned unfortunately that these ruins will probably be covered by a new library. After we stopped for sandwiches which we ate in the car driving to Beaune. We took a guided tour of hospital built in the 1400s. This hospital was still in use as a hospital until the 1970s. We learned interesting medical remedies such as swallowing slug slime to cure a sore throat. We were given a lesson from Dr. L. about terroir, a French concept encompassing the key elements of grape growing: soil, slope orientation, insolation, vine, climate, and wine making. We then visited Fouquerand Vineyards and learned how they make traditional Burgundy wine. We then had a tasting of several wines which were delicious. Dinner was at the hotel and we are now ready for another long traveling day tomorrow to go to Switzerland.

P.S.:  Miss you mom and dad, love, Hannah

P.P.S: Love you mom and dad! Bought a bottle of wine for us to share! Love Alexis

P.P.P.S: I ate escargot and got you some good wine. Love you mom and dad and X and Guido:    Love, Katemeister.

Good evening from Bourges!

We began today by visiting the gorgeous castle of Chenonceaux. This castle was different from all the others we have seen, not only because it was meant for King Henri II’s mistresses, but because our visit was guided by iPod touches! We took lots of pictures in the gardens and maze and ended our short time there in the gift shop. From Chenonceaux, we traveled to a mushroom farm called Champivabres, where we learned that mushrooms grow out of both straw and horse manure. Travelling through the pitch black caves with only a few flashlights was quite an experience. After getting a chance to sample some mushrooms, we went to Thesee, where we toured some Roman ruins from the second century A.D.

From the ruins, we drove to a nearby bakery where the baker uses a traditional wood-burning oven and makes all of his bread the traditional way. We would like to quote him as saying “Bread made with yeast should be banned”. He makes his bread with a starter of fermented grapes, apples, and bananas and it is much healthier for you. We had lunch of sandwiches, shredded carrots and celery, and a special apple treat from our baker friend at a little park.

We then drove to Bourges. We had some free time to “shop until we dropped”, had a fabulous dinner, and finally went to our hotel around 8:45 p.m. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Larae and Rebecca 

Our day began promptly at 6 a.m. with a wake-up call, packed our bags, sorted our laundry, and headed downstairs for breakfast. An assortment of cereals, bread, cold cuts, cheese, and croissants were available to eat. After breakfast, we headed to a dairy farm owned by Mr. Lecompagnon, a dairy farmer in Normandy. At his farm he had 80 dairy cows, 80 cows for meat, 40 calves, and fifty males for meat. The dairy cows are milked by a robot which reads a bar code number on a tag on the cow’s ear. If a cow attemps to be milked more than twice a day, the robot won’t milk it. It takes the cow’s temperature and sends a note to the farmer if the cow is sick and will not store that cow’s milk in the main container of milk. Once we finished our tour of the farm, the farmer treated us to coffee, chocolate milk, cake, and apple cider.

Next we visited Mont Saint Michel, a medieval Benedictine monastary, decorated in a Roman and Gothic styles, which is surrounded by a bay and built on top of a mountain of granite. One of the most interesting things about Mont Saint Michel is that at high tide, the entire place is encircled by water which made it very difficult for anyone to invade! (Kasia) 

I loved experiencing the architecture of Mont Saint Michel Abbey because the abbey has a different unique feature about it that lets it apart from all the other ones in Europe. The fact that it was used for a variety of purposes is one aspect that makes me think about it. Previously used as a military fort, prison, and monastary, it was constructed on a large mound of granite surrounded by dangerous tides. This island is located about 0.6 miles from the coast. I felt like I was in a dream of medieval times fantasy such as Harry Potter; although seeing it with my own eyes and touch  made it truely real.

I don’t know much about geology but I have read in Earth Sciences classes about sinking rivers and faults. Seeing a real-life example of what the land looks likd when this happens was so mesmerizing and fascinating. It gave me a knowledgeable sense of connection to the Earth. It taught me how the Earth itself works on its own. The Earth “speaks” to us in many ways even through the tiniest fossils such as the ones we found at the surface of a cornfield located in Jurassic sediments.

Michelle Brown

Today was a beautiful day, to put it simply. The day started out chilly and overcast as we headed out to the beaches of Normandy. We began our day by visiting the Gold Beach and headed over to the American Cemetery early to guarantee ourselves good seats. The ceremony was beyond words, with officers and soldiers from American’s, British’s , and French’s armed forces, including a brief air show by the U.S. Air Force. Afterwards, we departed step for step alongside a handful of French soldiers (you know how we love men in uniform), and visited Omaha Beach. We were able to stand on the same exact spot where D-Day occurred on June 6^th 1944, not to mention where the movie “Saving Private Ryan” was filmed. Directly afterwards, we visited a monument depicting all of our fallen soldiers, as well as crawling through an actual German bunker. The feelings were bittersweet, but after walking through two separate museums, and speaking to two separate survivors of D-Day (Madame Pineau and Monsieur Lecoeur), it has left us all feeling amazing, we honestly never felt this proud to be Americans. The mayor of Sainte-Mere Eglise welcomed us in the town hall and made a point to express how fond the people of Normandy are of Americans because of our actions involved in World War II and the liberation that occurred. “You are always welcome, please share this when you go home with your families” was translated with the help of Dr. Lemaire. The day ended with a delicious meal and a good glass of wine at our new hotel and it looks like it is going to be an early night to prepare for another 6 a.m. wake-up call.Shout outs:Kasey: Mom I miss you, I wish you could have been here today, you would have been in total awe.