Tuesday, June 26

Following our journey to Krakow, we boarded the rails and headed to Munich. We arrived late on Thursday evening but the city was still very much awake and buzz with activity. Munich is a popular spot for travelers and in particular students. Our hotel was located a couple of blocks from the train station among the many youth hostels. Munich has been extensively rebuilt since WW II but still retains the charm that it had as the capital of Bavaria in the Middle Ages. On Friday, we joined a small tour and visited Salzburg just across the border in Austria. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine setting. It is the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film, "The Sound of Music."

On Saturday, we spent most of the time in the Marketplaza of Munich. Here we visited several cathedrals and enjoyed the street merchants, musicians and stands. No visit to Munich would be complete without a visit to the beer halls and we visited one of the most famous ones, Hofbräuhaus, and while we didn’t sample the local brew, we did enjoy a traditional sausage and sauerkraut dinner.

Munich served as the birthplace for the Nazi party and Dachau, located just 10 miles away was the first Nazi Concentration Camp. Munich was also the home to an anti-Nazi movement in 1942-43. As a result of it’s role and importance, it was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during WW II with over 70 raids on the city. A great deal of damage was done to the city and it has been extensively rebuilt since the end of the war. Munich is also home to some of the most beautiful churches in Europe. Pope Benedict was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Munich. In 1972, Munich was home to the tragic summer Olympics which Israeli athletes were assassinated by Palestinian terrorists, when terrorist gunmen from the Palestinian "Black September" group took hostage members of the Israeli Olympic team

Sunday morning, we left Munich and began our flight home to Waterloo. We encountered a few little snags along the way, and I thought I might have to stay behind but everything worked out and we got home on time. It was sure nice to touch down and see family, green grass, trees, and our home. While we have thoroughly enjoyed our experience this past year and do look forward to returning – there is nothing quite like the great state of Iowa along with all of the freedom and opportunities that we have in the US. Living abroad has taught us many things about other cultures and people, but it also has renewed our appreciation for our country that sometimes we take for granted in our everyday lives.

Tuesday, June 26

Krakow is a charming city. For the most part, it was left untouched by World War II and has become one of the tourist hotspots in Eastern Europe. There is very unique Market Square with street musicians, mimes, carriage rides and numerous parks and green areas. The Market Square dates back to the 1200’s and can accommodate a few thousand people. Two sites, the Cloth Hall and St. Mary’s Basilica dominate the landscape on the Square.

One of our primary reasons for visiting Krakow was the close proximity to Auschwitz – perhaps the most famous of the Nazi Concentration Camps. It was at Auschwitz that Hitler instituted his “Final Solution” for the extermination of the Jewish people. Auschwitz is located approximately 50 km from Krakow in an area that was isolated from major population centers. It has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim. Over the following years, the camp was expanded and consisted of three main parts: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. It also had over 40 sub-camps. At first, Poles were imprisoned and died in the camp. Afterwards, Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, and prisoners of other nationalities were also incarcerated there. Beginning in 1942, the camp became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity, which was committed against the European Jews as part of Hitler's plan for the complete destruction of that people. An estimated 2.5 million people met their death here. It is so hard to picture the brutally that took place here (senseless beatings, medical experiments, random executions, torture). Cells were constructed where prisoners could neither stand nor sit for hours at a time. If one person caused any problems, a dozen or more would be openly beaten or shot. Imagine being under control of sadistic guards who were not held accountable for any of their actions. Families were broken up and in some cases family members were executed in front of other family members. In my earlier teaching career, I taught a unit on the Holocaust. Of all the units that I taught, I really felt this was by far the most important activity that I ever did – it is so hard to believe that such actions could have taken place and yet even today there are those who claim that it did not happen. They obviously have not visited sites such as Auschwitz or Dachau and seen the evidence first hand. Even today, feelings run very deep in Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.

Tuesday, June 26

Saturday evening most of the overseas staff began heading home – we flew out of Alex early Sunday morning at 3:30 with 5 other staff members – as we parted ways in Frankfurt we all hugged knowing that in all likelihood we might not see each other again. After arriving in Frankfurt, we had a two hour layover before heading to Nuremburg for the first leg of our holiday before returning to the states.

Nuremburg is located in the Bavarian section of Germany. It is a city of over 500,000 but seemingly far fewer people. I think this is due in part to the abundance of mass transportation so there are far fewer autos on the streets. We stayed in the “Old Center” of the city which contains many of the oldest churches in the city including the St. Lorenz church which was built between 1270 and 1350. While many of these were damaged during WW II, they have been rebuilt and look very “original”. The Old Center is very pedestrian friendly, with many streets closed to autos and an abundance of sidewalk cafes and street musicians. During our second day in Nuremburg, we visited the site of the Nazi Party Parade Grounds where the major Nazi Party rallies were held in the 1930’s and 40’s. This was where Hitler introduced his Aryan race and famous Nuremburg Laws depriving Jewish people basic human rights. The grounds are host to a very descriptive museum with a very comprehensive history of the rise and fall of the Nazi Party. Nuremburg is a beautiful city with several green areas and parks. There is quite a bit more diversity in the appearance of young people than we saw in Egypt the past year – tattoos, body piercing and unique hair coloring and styles.

Leaving Nuremburg, we traveled by train to Krakow, Poland through the Czech Republic. When we left, we were told in Nuremburg that traveling by train is very easy, everything is well marked and if we needed any assistance to ask the conductors – this reminded us of what we had been told in Cyprus regarding how easy it was to travel there because everything was so well marked – needless to say, as in Cyprus, this was not the case. Conductors were few and far between and most did not speak English and the train stations in Prague and Krakow were very confusing but somehow we managed. One of the major obstacles to overcome was the variation in currency we encounter. Both Poland and the Czech Republic do not use the Euro and so you have to find currency conversion stations to get money if you want to eat. On the trains we met several interesting people (a couple from Helsinki on the way to Prague and law student from Poland when we were returning through Prague on our way back to Germany. It was interesting to get an insider’s view of life in their country. The law student shared with us of how conditions previously in Poland greatly affected their family. Her father and brother moved to Canada for work and educational opportunities while her mother and her stayed behind. She would never had been able to study law 10 to 15 years ago but things are changing now).

We did notice quite a bit of difference between the countryside in Germany with that of the Czech Republic and Poland. Much of the area in Germany looks very similar to Northeastern Iowa with more forest areas while Eastern Europe looked more economically “depressed”. The 70’s and 80’s were quite difficult times for those two countries and they are now just beginning to recover. The train stations are real “hotspots” of activity. Rail travel is quite a bit cheaper than air travel and for many it is much more convenient. Young people seem to travel extensively by rail. Munich seems to be a gathering place for the young with many youth “hostels” catering to them located near the train stations. Needless to say after traveling through Europe dragging two large suitcases up and down railway stations have taught us to be better trip planners next year!

Monday, June 25

Two couples are going on African Safaris when they leave school on the 17th. Before going on the safaris they need to get a variety of shots. The system here is a little different. We have an excellent government liaison officer who helps us in many different ways (from arranging transportation, getting visas and driver’s licenses to virtually any dealings with the government). It truly is not what you know (although that helps tremendously here) much of it is who you know and she has many contacts in high places. Typically to get these shots, you have to fill out mountains of paperwork, go to a government office for a day to file the papers and then return the following day and you might get lucky and get your shots. But in the case of our people, arrangements were made where they were taken by car to a location and a nurse came out of a building, got into the car with them and administered the shots. All this took probably 15 minutes as our liaison officer had arranged everything in advance. She has proven to be a very valuable resource for all of us. It seems that everyone knows her and shows her great respect.

We celebrated Senior Graduation on Friday, June 15th at the famous Alexandria Bibliotheca. Ceremonies were held in one of the large stadium seating auditoriums. Graduation was unlike any that we have ever attended in the states. First of all, it was to start at 8:00 pm but as is typical with everything here, it did not begin until around 8:20. Prominent family members make their entrances and families greet each other prior to the opening procession. Members of the junior class march in carrying flags representing the countries that the seniors come from as their respective national anthems are played. This marked the first time in nearly a year that we heard the Star Spangled Banner -- it was so good to hear it again! Each senior spoke so even though it is a small class (17 seniors), the entire ceremony lasted for over two hours. There were two large video screens flanking the stage so when senior spoke, a camera would show the reaction of their family – kinda like being at an Academy Awards ceremony! Following the graduation a reception was held for the seniors sponsored by the school, individual receptions are not held unless they are for only family members. The school year is now officially over and we were given two workdays to wrap the year before heading home.

Monday, June 04

We arrived back early this morning from our 3 day “holiday” on the island of Cyprus. Cyprus is just a short 1 hour flight from Cairo and is home to fascinating historical sites and a wonderful climate. We stayed at a hotel just a stone’s throw from the Med. We rented a car when we arrived and then set off for 3 days of touring the island. It is a small island but does take some time to navigate because of the mountainous terrain. Cars in Cyprus have the steering wheel located on the right side and the traffic is opposite that of the US (cars drive on the left side of the road). In addition, signs are often confusing as several cities have two English names and sometimes a directional sign would have one name and the next one would have the other. To make it even more exciting, the exit signs are right by the exit with little warning. Highways and several of the busier streets have “roundabouts” rather than exit lanes or turn lanes. Whenever we asked for directions we would hear, “It’s very easy, the signs will guide you”. Somehow we managed to travel around the island without getting lost too many times.

The island is very unique in that the capital (Nicosia or Lefkosia – depending on which sign you are viewing!) is the only divided capital city in the world right now. The northern part is controlled by Turkey and the southern (larger part) is controlled by Cyprus. There is a dividing line between the two that is monitored by the UN. We did not visit the north because we were told that if we did, we might not make it back to the south. The land is very mountainous with little villages spread all throughout the countryside. The major cities (Larnaka, Lemesos and Pafos) are all located on the coasts. We toured the central mountainous region, the coastal cities of Larnaka and Lemesos and the areas around those two cities.

Some of the sites and museums we visited were: Cyprus Wine Museum (along with some samples of the famous dessert wine, Commandaria!), Lemesos District Archaeological Museum, Troodos National Forest Park (where we rode horses up into the mountains), Kolossi Mediaeval Castle, Kourion, Archaeological Site (home of a magnificent Greco-Roman theatre overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, a stadium for athletic contests and the House of Achilles and the House of the Gladiators with beautiful mosaic floors), Sanctuary of Apollo, Limassol Castle (where Richard the Lionhearted was married), Lefkara (where beautiful lace is made, painstakingly by hand – we purchased a framed “Leonardo da Vinici” piece at one of the local shops) and the beautiful Kykkos Monastery considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Some of the areas date back to the early Bronze Age. Wherever you travel you will find ancient monuments and sites, churches and monasteries bearing silent witness to over 9 000 years of civilization and history. Cyprus stands at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe and this mix is well-reflected in Cyprus' cultural history.

Prices in Cyprus were a bit on the expensive side as the USD is worth about 42 cents. So when we ate for 23 CP it was really $53.00! Gas was pretty expensive; a gallon costs approximately $6. Some stations had attendants while others had only automated pumps that accepted cash as well as credit cards. But if you paid cash (prepay only) and it was actually less than you put in, there was no refund.

We really enjoyed traveling through the countryside. Although it is a very dry land (the sun shines over 300 days a year), all along the highways and roads were beautiful flowers and flowery bushes. There is a real concerted effort to keep the land clean. Southern Cyprus is fast becoming an area that is being populated by ex-pats (especially from England). We spoke with one couple who have settled there who told us that over 40,000 Brits who have settled in Cyprus over the past few years. With the warm Mediterranean climate it has become quite popular. It was a very nice little trip – one last hurrah with our good friend Denny. We have great fun with him no matter what we do. Denny will be going home after this year, we will really miss him.