DMLC 1992 Travel Studies Tour Group (Annette Wulff is missing because she took the picture)
Fred is on upper left.
In 1992 Fred enlisted students from DMLC for a 28 day tour of 10 countries of Europe. They could earn four college credits from Dr. Martin Luther College or Washington State University. Annette Wulff who also joined our tour earned post graduate credits from WSU. Janet Kahn's parents were a great addition to our group. Fred conducted the tour and enlisted an educational tour company (EF) to customize a tour for college students.
Pictured right is Old Main (1884) from DMLC campus.
June 11th
Our group met in New Ulm and then drove up to Minneapolis for our Northwest Airlines flight to London on a 747 jet.
June 12th
We flew over Ireland and landed at Gatwick International Airport in London. An EF bus then transferred us to the Hogarth Hotel (later name changed to Kensington Hotel) on Hogarth Road. Typical of European hotels, the rooms were smaller than we were accustomed to, but were very adequate.
Terry, our EF Guide was very knowledgeable about sites on the tour. He spoke many languages that proved to be very valuable in the different countries. To help us recover from jet lag, he took us on a walking tour of historic London. We started with Big Ben.
We saw double decker buses and Bobbies. It took the vision of 41-year old statesman Robert Peel, later a two time Prime Minister of England, to establish the world's first permanent police force. In 1829 Peel sponsored the Metropolitan Police Act which passed Parliament. As the founder of the police force, the men on patrol became known popularly as "peelers" or "bobbies".
We looked over Parliament Houses from the south bank.
Then we walked over to St. Paul’s Cathedral an Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, all having been built on the same site since AD 604. The cathedral is one of London's most famous and most recognizable sights. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world. One of the miracle stories of World War Two: Targeted by the Luftwaffe who succeeded in destroying most of the surrounding buildings but not St Paul’s.
June 13, Saturday
Today we took a city bus tour. The bus stopped at the Tower of London where we could walk about. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. Since at least 1100, the castle has been used as a prison, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence.
Aerial view of the Tower complex
We were fascinated by the Beefeaters. name Beefeater is of uncertain origin, with various proposed derivations. The most likely one is considered to be the Wardens' payment in rations that included beef, as well as mutton and veal, and various historical commentators have noted a preference for beef among the Wardens and the Yeomen of the Guard.
The name Traitors' Gate has been used since the early seventeenth century, prisoners were brought by barge along the Thames, passing under London Bridge, where the heads of recently executed prisoners were displayed on pikes. Queen Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Queen Catherine Howard, all entered the Tower by Traitors' Gate.
The Tower Bridge takes its name from its location, not its design: the name Tower Bridge was in use before the towered design was decided upon.
At the conclusion of our city bus tour, we were left off at the royal route of the royal birthday procession of Queen Elizabeth II en route to Buckingham palace for the color ceremonies.
We were in a good viewing area and arrived early enough to be right in front to the spectators. Many marching units passed by us.
First the Queen Mother came by with Princess Diana. When Queen Elizabeth passed by she was giving her usual formal wave. We were so close it seemed like she waved at us. In another carriage we saw the Queen Mother. We could see Buckingham Palace at the end of the street.
We walked through James Park, London’s oldest park.
We headed for Westminster Abbey where we saw the tomb of Elizabeth I and her sister Bloody Mary ˇTudor. In Henry VII’s Chapel we also viewed the tomb of Henry VII and the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots.
A boys choir was singing in the chapel which added greatly to the atmosphere.
Of particular beauty was the famous pendant vault ceiling.
Here, too, was the historic coronation throne.
Back outside, we took a look at the statue of Winston Churchill on Parliament Square. Our guide said that the top of head was sculpted in a manner to prevent pigeons from perching there.
Some of us took a walk down to Trafalgar Square. Up on top of a high monument was Lord Nelson. Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was an English flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He won several victories, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which he was killed.
The monument was guarded by lions create by Landseer.
We took the subway back to the Hogarth Hotel.
June 14th, Sunday
Sunday morning was started off with a worship service in our hotel conducted by Stephen Raddatz. Some of us then went up to St. Paul’s Cathedral where we observed an Anglican service from the back of the church.
After church we took the tube to the National Art Gallery located off of Trafalgar Square. The National Art Gallery opened up and we immediately went to the exhibit displaying the work Rembrandt. Because photography was not permitted, we stopped later at the gift shop to buy copies for Annette's graduate course requirements.
The National Gallery in London was founded in 1824 and houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.
Next stop was the British Museum. The Department of Prints and Drawings holds the national collection of Western Prints and Drawings. We viewed the special exhibit on Rembrandt. Sketches included his self portrait and some that showed his interest in nature scenes as a child. The room where Karl Marx studied was closed that day.
The Museum’s permanent holdings include the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon of Athens
... and the Rosetta Stone.
June 15th, Monday
Early rising this morning and a quickie breakfast that had been delivered to our rooms. Our bus was waiting to take us to Harwich on the coast.
Our ferry was quite large and modern. Terry entertained us in the lounge by playing the piano and singing. Our group settled down in the comfortable Captain’s Lounge.
Annette took a picture from the front of the ship as we neared the Netherlands.
Our lodging in Holland had been arranged for the Hotel Ibis by the airport.
June 16, Tuesday
After an included breakfast at the hotel ...
... we were taken into Amsterdam by bus to a diamond factory. A diamond cutter was at work shaping diamonds. We were submitted
to a showing which amounted to a sales pitch. The diamonds were
attractive in various mountings.
We looked forward to cruise around the canals on a boat. The group made themselves at home in a glass enclosed boat. First thing we notices was that the water did not appear to be very clean.
Sights we saw along the banks included locks, bridges, houseboats and charming houses with unique gables. Some older houses leaned toward the canal.
After the cruise, our group was divided into two groups -- those who wanted to visit the Van Gogh Museum and those who chose the Rijksmueum. Annette and I chose the later (on the right).
Right off the bat we were facing the famous Rembrandt painting of the Night Watch (right).
On display (and on the videotape) were the great works of Rembrandt,Vermeer and Fran Hals. These were the subjects of Annette’s project for Washington University. Vermeer’s The Milkmaid on right.
Frans Hals Portrait of a Young Couple
After regrouping Terry showed us the way to the Anne Frank House. The line was long, but the wait was worth it.
Anne Frank was one of the Jewish victims of Nazi persecution during the second world war. After Nazi Germany invaded the
Netherlands in 1940, increasingly severe anti-Jewish measures began here as well. The Frank family tried to escape by going into hiding.
On July 1942, Otto Frank, Edith Frank-Hollander and their daughters Margot and Anne hid in this building on the Prinsengracht. They where later joined by Mr. and Mrs Daan, their son Peter and Mr. Dussel. The building consists of two parts : a front house and a back annex. Otto Frank's business was located in the front house.
The uppermost floors of the back annex became the hiding place. After more than two years the group was betrayed and deported. Anne and Margot died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, only a few weeks before this concentration camp was liberated. Otto Frank, the only member of the group to survive, returned after the war.
We were introduced to our Dutch driver Ernst who would be with until we left Italy for Greece. We fell in love with him, as did a group from an Episcopal school who shared our bus. Ernst drove us to the quaint village at Volendam. On the way we stopped at a cheese factory and a wooden shoe factory. It seemed that buying wooden shoes was a must.
Annette and Fred could not resist purchasing a Dutch coffee grinder.
Back in the bus for a short time when Ernst stopped so we could take pictures of a Dutch windmill. He was always good at making special stops. There was a statue of Rembrandt on the site.
When our bus arrived in Volendam, I took video of the quaint fishing village through the bus window.
We walked around on the waterfront.
Our bus driver showed us how the Dutch eat raw fish. To eat the raw herring, the Dutch hold the fish by the tails, tip their heads back and slowly lower the entire fish into their mouths. We could hardly believe our eyes. We did not follow suit.
June 17th,Wednesday
Breakfast at the Ibis and then we climbed aboard our bus heading for Belgium. Our major stop was Brussels. Here we saw the famous Atomium. The Atomium is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 335 ft tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. From left to right: Shelly, Mike, Kathy and Annette
Within the inner city we started at the Grand Place — a monumental medieval marketplace. We were stuck with its unbelievable beauty.
Brussels Town Hall (right)
The Brodhouse or King’s House, though no king ever lived there.
The Guildhalls begun in the 1600s
From here we walked down one of the narrow and cobbled side streets to the Manneken Pis,a 1619 bronze statue of a nude boy relieving himself. We took pictures. There are many legends behind the statue. One legend states that in the 14th century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. The city had held its ground for some time, so the attackers conceived of a plan to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Julianske happened to be spying on them as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city.
A nearby shop displayed linen table cloths. Tempting. Many of our group were swayed to purchase the famous Belgium waffles, served with cream and berries.
The entire group met back at the Grand Place affording us the opportunity to admire the beautiful flowers in the marketplace. Other than a pick-pocket incident, we left Brussels with fond memories.
GO ON TO DMLC TOUR PART II FRANCE....
