Anyway, I made it to the meeting point at the right time and we all started walking down the street, then through a marshy area, then up a small hill, down the hill, up some stairs, along a trail, up through a forest, passed a church, and up the rest of a hill to where a stand waited for us with sausages, bread, and a type of wine that's served hot and sort of tastes like hot apple cider until you swallow it and realize there's alcohol. This hike took about 1 1/2 hours, and was mostly uphill, but the view of the city below us was spectacular. It was also rather nice out today, fluctuating between 8-10 degrees Celsius (40-50 degrees Fahrenheit) and the sun was out. On this hike, we saw bridges crossing deep ravines in the midst of the forest and houses on an incline of over 45 degrees. It was so amazing to look out and see so much nature and vibrant greenness on our rout.
Yes, those are turkeys in the trees
In the suburbs at the top of a hill
The tallest point of our hike
At the top of the hill that we were eating on was this cute little church that had the most beautiful artworks on it that I've ever seen in person. There was a small nativity scene at the front that everyone could see, and it was stunning. However, nothing compared to the amount of intricate artwork that resided inside the church. It was amazing to glance up and see so many different paintings, many of them including gold leaf, but others just relying on the colors and skill that the artist used.
Nativity scene
Looking at the alter
The painted ceiling
Better view of the alter
This is the back of the church, see the organs?
Leaving the church, we all started our 1 1/2 hour walk back to Bonn through the forest and across roads. There was a point where the trees broke along the path, allowing the city to be seen in the far off distance. There was a shrine and a cemetery, and quite a few creeks crossed before we found ourselves back in Bonn city. Then it was back to AIB for the groups to present and some food for the students. I know it's odd, but the first 3 hours weren't that bad on my legs, but once we knew we only had a 15 min walk back, my legs started screaming at me for the amount of abuse that I've subjected it through both yesterday and today.
Break in the trees to the city
Shrine to a famous guy
At AIB, all the students filed into the large room where a lot of tables were set up and picked up little cakes and tea or coffee to bring back to one of the tables to mingle with others and their host families. I sat with two people I had never met before and it turns out they were both program directors that were working at AIB. We talked a while, but soon they had to leave to make sure the event was going as planned, so I went to some people that weree a part of my program and sat with them.
Then came the presentations. Now, I may be biased, but I think that my groups presentation was by far the best one to come out of the various programs. We did the parody of thrift shopping while others just did a cheer or something from their school. I think we did well. After the schools presented, the host families and the people from Germany sang a song from Karnival about how Germans all love God, but are always a little bit thirsty for their beer. It was fun.
After that, I went home and had a conversation with Annette who was the only one home at the time because Sophie and Marie were at their dad's house. Later tonight I'm going back out to some club the others have found and have some fun with them there. Maybe they'll be another post about that, but if not, just assume that I had a great time dancing
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