7/23/17:
“Arbeit Macht Frei.” Those are the words that the prisoners saw upon entering the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. That is,“Work makes you free” (translated roughly) was the lie that welcomed those that came to Sachsenhausen at the ever dreaded Tower A.
As you have probably figured out by now, our group visited three cities this past weekend: Heidelberg, Koblenz, and Cologne. It was such a great weekend, filled with laughs, sights, and explorations. One of the highlights of the excursion was worshipping on Sunday morning in the Cologne Cathedral. The congregation was sizeable, and the organ sent chills down my spine.
Since everybody else will be posting about the Cologne Cathedral, I thought I’d take a different route and post some pictures instead. I’ve enjoyed taking pictures for others, and like to look for a good shot.
On a separate note, the photobombing game has been strong.
This may be a little late, but our trip to Sachsenhausen was intense. A large amount of the camp was destroyed and most of the buildings are gone, but still some buildings remain and the history there will never go away. Going through the entrance of the camp at Gate A was powerful. Thinking about how many people saw and entered through that gate who would never leave the camp again caused me to tear up. The barbed wire, or at least the few sections that are still up, was rusted and the signs warning the prisoners to stay away were faded. The medical section of the camp gave some terrible stories. Continue reading “Always Learn From the Past”
The Köln Cathedral is a jaw-dropping place, which is precisely why I would never attend services there regularly. At High Mass in the Köln Cathedral, there are tourists swarming the entire building. Throughout the entire service, I felt as if we were animals in a zoo because of all the eyes watching our every move. Continue reading “Incense and Cologne”
*This blogQ1 is being reposted from the old blog*
Continue reading “Adventure and Opportunity are Just Around the Corner!”
If I had to sum up my worship experience at high mass in the Köln Cathedral, I would choose fascinating. This was the first catholic mass I have attended and it certainly was an interesting first experience. This cathedral is the complete opposite from the church I attend back home, but I enjoyed every minute I spent sitting under the towering ceilings and listing to the organ amplify throughout the massive sanctuary. Continue reading “Mass, Organs, and Stairs ~ Köln Cathedral”
One often does not think of a building as awe-inspiring; however, the Cologne Cathedral can change that in a second. I had seen pictures of the Cologne Cathedral and knew of its sheer size and beauty, but as I came out of the train station and looked upon the church’s spires hundreds of feet in the air, I couldn’t help but have my jaw drop.
I think one of the memories that sticks out in my mind the most when I look back on this week is our first day here. The weather was great, we were all jet-lagged but ready to go, and there was an entire city out there for us to explore. We dropped our bags off in a room at St. Michael’s-Heim, and then ventured off to the downtown. We arrived at Kurfürstendamm, which as far as I can tell is to Berlin as Michigan Avenue is to Chicago. We grabbed lunch, then began heading east, towards the KDW, a huge department store with an upper floor selling food from all over the world. On our way there, we passed Kaiser Wilhelm Church,
a decently sized building that had sustained damage from bombs during the war, but has since become a memorial to Berlin’s past.
This past weekend went by very quickly.
On Friday morning, our sick student Nate flew home with his mom and sister. They made it home in the greater Chicago area safely. Please continue to keep Nate and his family in your prayers.
On Friday morning our group left at 5:30am to head off to our Heidelberg | Koblenz | Köln weekend. We arrived back in Berlin on Sunday night around 9:00pm.
This past weekend marks the transition of the professors. I (DeRooy) am headed home tomorrow (Tuesday). Plaisier and his wife are exploring parts of Germany for this week and are headed home this weekend. This leaves Prof. Nielsen here in Berlin with the students. Today was their first lecture on Dynamics – the second half of the course.
Regards,
Leonard De Rooy