We have arrived!

Yesterday we landed, picked up our rental van and were off. We immediately began walking around and shopping. Our first landmark visit was of Checkpoint Charlie.

We stopped at a little Italian restaurant where tax was 19%! Then we went to the Brandenburg Gate. We also saw several of the embassies and a naked cowboy singing "Smoke on the Water" in front of the gate. (Written by Karl Raymond and Christian Hogness)

Here's our team!

Here is our classy ride from Grand Forks to Fargo. Thanks, Dean!!!

Here we are at the Fargo airport waiting for our flight! We are the carry-on team because we have been told that our rental van holds 9-passengers and 8 bags. We are not sure how that works to only hold 8 bags with our 9 people, so we all took it as a challenge to pack light. We only checked 4 bags! Impressive, isn't it! 

Our first leg will take us to Minneapolis and then we go across the pond to Amsterdam and finally in to Berlin. We are scheduled to arrive in Berlin around 1:45 pm local time (6:45 am Grand Forks time). It is supposed to be rather rainy for our first day, but we are prepared!

Dee is getting her things organized!

Susan Zelewski started her book, but got distracted by our visiting.

Christian Hogness, Karl Raymond and Sherry Burg wait patiently. 

Our itinerary

Thursday, May 30 -- fly out of Fargo
Friday, May 31 -- arrive in Berlin, tour sites in Berlin
Saturday, June 1 -- travel to Nurnberg, stopping in Leipzig on the way
Sunday, June 2 -- day trip to Rothenberg ob der Tauber
Monday, June 3 -- touring sites in Nurnberg (including Dokumentation Center, Room 600, Nazi Parade grounds
Tuesday, June 4 -- depart Nurnberg and travel to Eisenach (Wartburg Castle) and Erfurt
Wednesday, June 5 -- Buchenwald Concentration Camp and travel to Wittenberg
Thursday, June 6 -- tour Luther House, Melancthon Museum and spend evening visiting with local Wittenberg residents
Friday, June 7 -- Tour Wittenberg, escaped nuns arrive for the Luther Wedding Festival
Saturday, June 8 -- attend Luther Wedding Festival, travel to Berlin in evening
Sunday, June 9 -- worship at Dom Kirche, depart for home