Mines and hills

How many steps have we climbed in the past two days? More than we can count. Today took us to the Zollverein coal and coking facility. The coking part shut down years ago, but they are still removing coal from the area. We took the audio guide and then wandered around the huge facility looking for unlocked doors or gates :-) What can I say, I like exploring abandoned places. Unfortunately, everything was locked, but we still enjoyed the tour.
We then went to Tetraeder in Bottrop. It's a giant pyramid triangle sculpture thingy that sits on a hill. You can then climb 200 steps up to the top for great views. Oh, and we went straight up the side of the hill through the woods to get to the top instead of taking the path. Way more fun, and way more BURN for the leg muscles!

Back at Lilien Strasse now for dinner and then home to repack. I'm taking the 9:00 train to Amsterdam to visit the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum. Then one more night and heading home on Thursday. Looking forward to exchanging this wardrobe for shorts and T-shirts!














That's a blimp flying by.







You walk around the top.







Look at this ginormous gas station!!

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More Koln pics

Beer brewed in Koln.




Up in the tower, 100 meters high.









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Greetings from Germany!

Hello from Essen! A damp and cold Essen, that is. I'm staying with Chris (Peter's second cousin) and his girlfriend, Sonja. Yesterday was a visit to ancient Xanten to see 2000-year-old ruins from Roman times. Then dinner with Chris's family. Today Chris and I visited three castles and then went to Koln to see the cathedral. We climbed 533 steps up to the top of the south tower. Pant pant. The inside is amazing. Just beautiful. Then back to Essen and dinner with the fam. Tomorrow is exploring Essen, and it's supposed to be sunny. Hooray!!














Not much left of this castle.










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Jen's trip: Part Two

It's official --- the 2010 GSE trip has ended. Kevin and Heather and Dick are on a flight back to the States right now, David is on his way to Denmark with friends, and I will soon be on my way to Duisburg, Germany, to meet Chris, Peter's cousin. I actually should be on my way there right now, but we were waiting on the wrong track for the train. D'oh. So now I have an hour to kill before the next train arrives.

So Chris and I will be staying in Essen and traveling to Koln and along the Rhine to see some castles. I plan to stay Wednesday night in Amsterdam to fly out Thursday morning. It's cold and rainy here today and my suitcases each weigh at least 50 pounds. Need to clean out a few more things before Thursday.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone back home!!

Pics from Utrecht

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Friday

Shopping day in Utrecht! Excellent. Tonight is our final night together because David is leaving tomorrow after the district conference. I'll head to Germany Sunday morning and everyone else is flying out that morning as well. It's been an amazing trip!!! Thanks to everyone who made this happen, from our family and friends at home housesitting to our host families and clubs. What an incredible opportunity we've had.

Location:Oudegracht aan de Werf,Utrecht,The Netherlands

Photos

Amsterdam







Apple factory!




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