At long last, after canceled trips in 2020 and 2021, years of fundraising and preparation, the Central Catholic German students were finally able to take a trip to Europe in June. For ten days, the group of 50, (27 students and 23 adults) trekked around Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland for an experience of a lifetime. Things started off a bit bumpy with the airlines but we all eventually made it to Vienna, the first city on tour. We met up with our amazing guide Raffaele and driver Dennis and were on our way! We kicked off our first day in Europe with Mass at St. Stephen’s Dom in the heart of the capital city. Everyone explored in their free time and saw many sites visiting Schönbrunn Palace, the Naschmarkt and the famous Prater Amusement Park.
The group continued on to Salzburg, Austria famous for the Sound of Music and the Birthplace of Mozart. From there we made our way to Munich, Germany – the Bavarian Capital of Gemütlichkeit, Oktoberfest and BMW. We started the day outside of the city at Dachau Concentration Camp, the first camp that was built before World War II. Everyone learned so much and will take the experience with them for life. Back in Munich, we had a great tour around the city seeing the sites and for many, riding the subway for the first time.
We traveled deeper into the Alps to visit the fairy tale castles of King Ludwig II, Neuschwanstein (inspiration for a few of Walt Disney’s castles) and Linderhof Palace. After the craziest hail storm, we made a pit stop in Vaduz, Liechtenstein to get our passports stamped on our way to Switzerland. Driving through the mountains and seeing all the lakes and the amazing landscape was an incredible memory for everyone. Switzerland is truly a beautiful place to see!
Everyone’s favorite day was by far our time in Lucerne - A lakeside town, nestled at the foot of one of the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps. We started the day in cable cars reaching the summit of Mt. Pilatus at 7,000 feet, exploring and taking in the unbelievable view from so high up. We had the perfect day with the weather and the visibility was just amazing. We got to descend the mountain in the steepest cogwheel train on earth to board a ship for a 2-hour cruise on the lake. After some shopping, swimming (glacier water is really cold even in the summer!), sightseeing and Mass, we finished the evening with a traditional Swiss Fondue and Music experience. We ate, we sang, we danced, some yodeled and even played an Alphorn! We had to travel through the Black Forest to return to Frankfurt to fly home, making one last stop in Heidelberg, Germany before departure.
It was truly worth the wait for our students and chaperones to spend time together learning and exploring. In our free time we hiked to see some pretty amazing sunsets, played cards in the hotel gathering spaces and enjoyed some wonderful fellowship with one another. I always love seeing the kids come into their own on tour and experience the world through fresh eyes. It is humbling and fills me with so much joy. It is exciting to get to use the German language to communicate and grow as world citizens. I am so very proud of them and will cherish the memories of our time together.
On behalf of the families and the students, I just want to thank everyone who has supported us to prepare, fundraise and pray for this group and the German Program at CC. It truly is an honor to get to teach these kids and be part of this incredible experience with them.
Mit herzlichem Dank! – Frau Weintraut