Lindsey: Day 17 and 18

On the first day in Munich we went on a walking tour Marian Platz in Munich. We saw really pretty buildings and churches that were built in the 1800's. A lot of the architecture in Germany was built or looked like it was built in the 1800's or built to reflect that style, such as the gothic style of architecture. Madison, Kira and I got a lot of our shopping done in the square, both for us and souveneirs for our family, but mostly a lot of shopping for us. For free time my group has really done a lot of eating, the food in Germany is so unique, fresh, and delicious, that is what I'm going to miss the most about Germany. America doesn't have nearly as good of food as Germany does. The Hofbrauhaus was a cool place was cool, but it wasn't that good of an experience for me personally because you had to be eighteen to drink their beer and I was really looking forward to trying the beer there because I heard it was really good. The castles like Neuschwanstein were very interesting and very beautiful. I was very glad I got to experience that. It felt like I was living in history which was amazing to be able to experience. I am glad I got to experience everything on this trip and I would love to come back again both with my family and on this trip.

Jude: Day 16

Howdy folks, cowboy Jude here to talk to you about Germany! Today started off just right with a 4am wake up call. Supposedly someone pulled the fire alarm! That was awesome. After that was done we had about two more hours of sleep. During that time I had a wicked dream about a komodo dragon which was attacking a bunch of mexican children. I ended up over sleeping because of that really random dream. I was so rushed I forgot my toothbrush but thats okay because my bud Matt Hoskins had a extra brush! So on the bus I slept for most of the time until we stopped at a old medieval town called Rothenburg. It was pretty cool it had a wall and moat around it. In that town we went to a famous Christmas store, which was huge. I didn't buy much just because everything cost so much. After that we went to a restaurant with a medieval feel to it, but it actually sucked because the service was so bad. We spent about two hours there all together. When we left I fell asleep really fast, then all of a sudden we were in Munich! Home of the FC Bayern Munich! Once we got settled in me, the Tan Man, and Rachel decided to walk around and go sight seeing we went to a park and an ATM. That's pretty much it. Overall it was a pretty successful day! Just remember people "WWMFD (What Would Micheal Flowers Do?)" -Joel Pridgen

Anna: Day 14 and 15

I would like to start with explaining the difficulty in which it is to type in this heat, let alone do anything in this heat. Up until Frankfurt, we have had perfect weather; 95 two days in a row is not perfect.
And so the adventure of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Woke up early to enjoy a full breakfast which included stealing extra rolls for the train followed by a two and a half hour train ride following the Rhein River. Throughout the passage, we saw many beautiful mountainside vineyards and castles, both kept together and destroyed. On the train, Cierra, Rachael, Kate and I were lucky to sit at a table. The night before, we went to a grocery store to buy snacks for the train and Cierra bought a huge snack pack that we all enjoyed. After getting off the train, we took a long walk to the hostel... in 95 degree weather. It was paid off by cold showers and the freedom to actually watch television in our rooms. That night, I was able to meet up with a friend of a friend who took me around part of Frankfurt and pointed out all of the museums here and the best ice cream shops. Unfortunately, I was unable to do any of those things, but I am more than willing to come back. The hostel itself is very hot and stale which make the outside area more comfortable because of the breezes, but we will have cool weather soon.

This morning, instead of going on a walking tour in the baking heat, we went swimming. It was wonderful to cool off for a few hours, but also nice to tan/burn. After we came back, we had a "chill" time, in which I was able to Skype my mother and lay down.  Around 6, half of our group went out to a very nice, American dinner where we enjoyed a wonderful steak and garlic mashed potatoes which was eventually followed by ice cream. We were joined by an exchange student that came to stay with the Tritt family in Kansas City a few years ago. He showed us around, in the cooler air, and took us to the Rathaus, city hall, and a small market area. We found out the this week in Frankfurt is America Week and there were flags every where. We felt very special, but I am not too sure many people new we were American, then again, I don't know how obvious we are. Now, after our hot two days, we await a long bus ride to Munich and we relax.

To briefly mention my personal family stay, I would have to say I was lucky to have spent it with such an amazing family. My host sister had two younger siblings, who were so funny and adorable, and two dogs, both of which were very hard to leave. I felt so comfortable there and I didn't want to leave. Once we got to Cologne, I was very homesick because I was going cold-turkey again into not having a complete family atmosphere 24/7.

I love it here in Germany, and I cannot wait to be able to visit again, and to spend more time in certain places. I already have a list started of the museums and sites I want to visit before it's too late. I  am excitedly looking forward to our few days in Munich and I hope they will be just as inspiring as the rest of the trip.

Johanna: Day 13

So, I am supposed to blog about this awsomely cool boat trip! We saw so many castles and cute houses. I'm just joking with you guys. In the morning Scheuerman said there was going to be lots of things to see and take pictures of...... not! We got to see coal refineries and industrial places... I slept on most of the boat ride because the sun made me very warm. Most of us fell asleep. Two and half hours later we arrived at Bonn, the captial of Germany a long time ago. We all got off the boat and went to find food. Everyone was really hungry from that exciting boat ride. We ate around the old market of this town. There was a lot to do in Bonn. From shopping stores to street venders. I ate with Joel, Natasha, Cady, Kate, Rachel Reidel, Cierra, and Anna. We ate at this really cool tea place, All most everyone had this "Eistee Strawberry Dream". It was an amazing strawberry tea. After everyone finished eating we all decided to go to the birthplace of Beethoven. This house was not made for a 6 foot 5 guy. Conner had some encounters with tops of doors and the celling. I am 5 foot 5 inches and I felt like a giant. The house's floor creeked every step you took. You definitely could not sneak out that house. The house was so old that it was warping in so the door ways were very crocked. After we went threw the whole house and saw a weird facial mask of his face when he died. That was weird. We went into a theater room and watched an abstracted interactive version of one of his plays. It was fun. So far my favorite place is Köln and my lest favorite would be Berlin. Berlin is cool and all but the atmosphere and people were not as friendly as it is was in Köln. I hope you guys enjoy my blog tonight or when ever because I never know. Oh temperature update roughly 92 degrees.

Cierra: Day 12

On our second day in Köln, we went to an amusement park called Phantasia Land. We got their around  11 o'clock and stayed until 6:00. Our journey began with a ride called Black Mamba, which is like the Patriot at Worlds of Fun but better. Next, we rode Colorado Adventure and then Mystery Castle. My group and I liked these rides so much that we rode them a second time. After being in the Mexico and African sections of the park, the next stop was the Fantasy section. Here, we rode Winja's Fear and Force and Temple of the Night Hawk, which was in complete darkness. It seemed that every ride I rode today had a section of total darkness. After the exhausting day at the park, all nineteen of us tried to jam pack onto the shuttle bus. But not all of us got on, we had to wait another 30 minutes till the other one came.
To end the day, all of us made our way to the lock bridge. This bridge contains hundreds and hundreds of locks with names and couples names. After our journey across the bridge, we went to go get something to eat. Rachael, Kate, Anna, and I walked around the other side of the Rhine and found a Mexican restaurant and had appetizers and drinks.

It is hard to think that our time here is a little halfway over, but the time here has been amazing. Berlin has been my favorite city and the family stay was much better than I expected. I HATE how many stairs there are and it seem that everyone smokes here. I love the history of Germany and the things I learn everyday. I can't wait to experience Frankfurt and Munich.