Europa Park!

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*Photo's for this post were submitted by Tiana Jacobs

Today was a big day for this exchange. We had the chance to travel with our partners to a distant place two plus hours away. There, we experienced a myriad of different European cultures, traditions, languages and customs. It was a true mix of German, Swiss and French, as our destination lay very near both borders within Germany. We interacted with our fellow travelers, thousands of them, for 8 hours today in a very real and very fun environment. It was a culturally enriching experience to be sure! Oh, and the rides and entertainment were pretty good too!

The charter buses departed for Europa Park with typical German efficiency and punctuality at 7:30 this morning. The excitement and anticipation was tangible. This was going to be a fun and memorable day, and everyone knew it!

The bus ride took us through the Black Forest region of Baden. It was a brilliant scene right out of the storybooks with half timbered houses built into the beautiful green hillsides with cows grazing in the fields. The small streams were shimmering in the morning sunlight as we drove past on the tightly winding two lane road.

We arrived to many "oohs" and "ahhs" as the giant roller coasters were visible from miles away. Once in the park, groups were off to attractions such as the Mercedes Sponsored "Silver Star", the "Blue Fire" or the "Poseidon", which would prove quite popular on this hot and sunny day. The kids were allowed 8 hours to explore the park with their groups. They surely maximized that time in nonstop "go" mode! Here is a link to the park web site: Europa Park

When we returned to the bus at 6pm, stories of exploits filled the air along with tired excitement. Many fell sound asleep on the trip home.

Tomorrow morning, our students will attend classes with their German partners. Some of us will participate in PE, and perhaps teach a little American Football. In the afternoon, students will be free with their partners as the teachers have conferences. I am sure many will make a trek to the on campus pool as it is supposed to be quite hot again.

Below is some ride along footage from some of the roller coasters that the kids rode at the park today. It was an absolute blast to say the least!

Blue Fire (My Favorite!)

Silver Star

Wodan

Euro- Mir (Heidi NEVER Wants to see this one again! Yes, you go backwards at times!)

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