july 4th and 5th in a nutshell

Ah well the last few days have been hectic and we cannot believe that tonight is our very last night of what has become a long and memorable journey to say the least.

JULY 4th
Happy Independence Day to us Yanks!
After a sad departure from our various host families, the gang reunited at 1pm on the bus. All of us were eager to share stories of our families and the experiences we shared with them; Connie HA's were our favorite by far, and after hearty laughs down the road everything was fine and ducky once again. Our first stop was at Luxembourg WWII American Memorial Cemetery. We learned that 5600 Americans are buried in this cemetery, and even General Patton currently rests there. We were overwhelmed with the staggering number of white cross headstones that were plotted across the lawns. There was also a stone turtle pool/fountain that is supposed to represent the everlasting life. Quieted with reverence, we felt a grave appreciation for all the lives given to our freedom. After that we headed for the hotel and caught a couple z's on the way. The hotel even provided an american style dinner for our 4th of july holiday. The hotel we got to was EPIC, equipped with terraces and spas! We spent most of our time in the pool and sauna with the dairy and livestock kids, and even enjoyed a detoxifying therapeutic foot station and singing showers as well. After getting all pruny we hung out for the rest of the evening and shared a few laughs before our last day.

JULY 5th
After breakfast this morning in the hotel, we headed off to little villages and Boppard where we visited small shops for German crafted souvenirs. The christmas shops and cuckoo clocks were among our favorites and we enjoyed a lunch of brautwurst and fries among other things. The town's architecture was cute and picturesque, in addition to its tiny shops and bakeries. Then we took a boat cruise on the Rhine River where we saw rugged landscapes and architecture. Luckily the air was cool and we enjoyed a relaxed little cruise with our feet pointed out to the water. When we got back on land, we got back in the bus to head to Alzey, for the Hauck wine tasting and barbecue visit. We all enjoyed tasting sips of the home fermented beverages, and then jumped into hearty helpings of pork chops, chicken, potato salad, pasta salad, cucumber salad and more! We came back to the hotel at the best western and our last night with the whole group is coming to a close as we now try to squish all of our clothing back into our crammed bags. Morgan apparently is an expert at this; all of you that are planning on going on a trip should see her to cram your belongings. Additionally, she will provide excellent words of fluff in your postcards. And of course the night ended with a pep talk from Connie Kuhlman, who seemed mildly impressed with our blogging abilities, because while she is a technology retard, she still knows how to put food on the table and take a piss in the morning; that's all that she needs to do.

And now for you and our own personal enjoyment here is some interesting quotes along the way:
-If you can't run with the big dogs you better sit on the porch.
-How nude were you? ...What part of nude beach do you not understand?!?!?!?
-SELF-INFLICTED
-The toilet was so low I had to basically suck my face in it just to use the damn thing.
-I got sailor legs this morning!
(Most of the quotes were semi-inappropriate to post, but we will feel free to share them).

Our early morning tomorrow may be bitter due to its start at 5am, but the memories of this trip will age just as sweetly as the wine.
Thanks to all of our donors, family members, and friends, for your support and for your comments over the last two weeks. We can't wait to see you all again and share even more of our stories and experiences. Our own personal thanks to the people that made this trip beyond memorable: Bruce our organized and comical coordinator, Margot our beloved tour guide and friend, Gordon our source of laughs and smiles, our host families and their hospitality and of course our own Connie the chaperone, for always being a HA.