The boys leave Schlitz today and head out for Gießen (Giessen). It looks like a short drive of about 50 miles.
Schlitz to Gießen
Gießen is about 75,000 people. It's pretty dense, with a population 10,000 larger than St. Cloud, they're living in an area a little smaller (28 square miles as opposed to St. Cloud's 30 square miles)
From some of the pictures I've been looking at, it looks much closer to what I expect a city here to look like. Modern looking buildings and whatnot. It seems Gießen was a rail and road network hub and was heavily bombed near the end of WWII.
That's not to say there's not some great scenery there as well.
Until recently (2007), there was a U.S. Army Garrison in Giessen. In WWI there was a POW camp there, here's a BBC feature with a memoir from a former prisoner.
The itinerary says the boys will arrive at the "Sammler und Hobbywelt" this afternoon. Google says that translates to "Collectors and Hobby World". It looks to be a place with all sorts of things. Everything from gas lamps to model trains to racecars to airplanes. I'm imagining it something like "The House on the Rock" in Wisconsin maybe? Surely there's something for everyone to enjoy at a place that diverse.
Here's the satellite imagery of the address that's provided for the choir contact.
If you've got time, click the "comments" link below and leave a comment with any news from the letters you've gotten. Stacy and I really got a kick out of reading some of the other letters that have been shared with us. It really helps to give a better picture of what's going on with the boys. So, share if you can, we'd love to hear even the most mundane of details!
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7 comments:
Dominick wrote his letter as they were leaving Strehla almost two weeks ago. John was his "secretary" because of his cast.
They wrote that Dominick hopes his German host families speak only German so "we can play charades!"
It will be interesting to see if he likes potato salads when he returns from tour. They have been served a lot of potato salads according to Roger's updates. He doesn't care for any kind of potatoes.
Billy wrote that they had stayed at a youth hostel, and I think he'd like us to continue with the German breakfast theme of rolls, meat and cheese once he gets home. He also said that it is much more 'natural' in Germany than Minneapolis/St Paul. We can only guess that it might mean quaint, less developed or less-modern in areas? Please share anecdotes and items from your own boy's letters :o) And a big thank you to bob for putting this together. WooHoo to Bob!!
Colter wrote that the flight over was very smooth and the tracking screens were neat. He was having a great time in Strehla playing football (soccer) and basketball, "which is very rare here in Germany". Loved the hard rolls, meats, and cheeses, too!
Nick must have been a bit grouchy when he wrote his letter because he said people were being really stupid and he couldn't wait until they got into tour and people started doing what they were supposed to do. Also, that he was deaf in one ear (probably plugged from the plane ride over). He did say how much he liked the youth hostel - that they had more freedom there and that the beds were comfortable. This was written at the beginning of tour, so I hope things started going better for him.
Caleb wrote that the plane ride was really cool. On the second leg John switched places with him so he got to sit by the window, that was also cool. He also asked: "Are you exsisting without Me? I hope so." Only from a 10 year old. Tschuss-means bye.
Zach wrote that he hoped I wasn't missing him too much and reassured me that he is "happy". He said he had gotten some awesome pictures already and that it is "amazing" there like always. He commented that Roger told him he could post the daily update some day like Jeramiah did. He sat next to Jeramiah while he was writing his and thought it was cool and included everything that's happened. He signed off with a P.S "I love you with all my heart."
Thanks Bob for everything you've been up to! What great information-I could spend a few hours everyday.
Nathan wrote (in true Nathan form) to give us some facts about Dresden....they saw an amazing castle, and the Dresden Cathedral they sang in was AMAZING w/ over 100 ft. high ceiling(this fact remains to be confirmed). The Dresden choir was "excellent", but "most people" said we (the choirboys) were better than them. Thanks Bob for all of your time and effort, it's greatly appreciated! Nancy
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