Today, we went on a class excursion to Mainz early in the morning around 8 o’clock. First, we went to the Johannes Gutenberg museum to learn about the history of Johannes Gutenberg, a pioneer in the printing and translation of the bible. We got to see all the interestingly intricate details of how Gutenberg accomplished his prints, including the dyes that were used, the small pictures, and the marks that were made in the prints. It was mind-blowing to see all the steps one had to take to print a book, and even more so having to scribe it by hand. Later, Max even helped in a live presentation of the printing format and got to take the scroll that he printed with him. After the museum, we were given free time to eat and explore Mainz and its Altstadt for around an hour and a half. Many (if not all of us) got pretzels and pizzas from the local Ditsch, a very popular and common food chain in Germany. We enjoyed the well-priced and delicious delicacies while taking in all the vibes of the city. Afterwards, we walked around the city and along the Rhein river while Frau Burgbacher gave us a small tour of the city. Having studied in Mainz for several years, Frau Burgbacher pointed out some mega-cool key locations in Mainz, including one of the first hospitals established in Germany and the remnants of the former city border wall of Mainz. While walking along the Rhein, the group stopped by a popular ice-cream joint called N’Eis (funny play on words) to try out the wide, delectable choice of flavors (raspberry, mango, cinnamon, and more!) as well as to cool off from the unusually hot temperature in Germany. Our stay in Mainz concluded with a look at the Mainz Cathedral, a massive church that was in the heart of the city. The inside of the church was very imposing, and reminded me of the Duke Chapel in North Carolina.
Soon it was time to go back to Oberursel.
On our way back at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, we separated into two groups. Some of us continued back to Oberursel, while Kenny, Philip, Max, Xavier, and I rode the train to Frankfurt to spend some time in the Altstadt. There, we shopped (mostly window-shopped) along the Zeil, the main shopping street in Frankfurt, and continued to enjoy the unvarnished city.
Later Philip had to leave and so took the train back home, but we met with Eva, Matthew, and Sara and their exchange partners and again separated into two groups.
Max, Kenny, and I went on our own way up to the top of St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral to see the city from above. The sight was pretty epic and we could see the whole city! We stared in awe at the immenseness of the city and the barges on the Rhein narrowly missing the bridges. We finally finished up a long day with a small snack at a local restaurant with some of the classic German “green sauce” and Frankfurter Schnitzels, caught the train back to Oberursel, and ended a lovely day trip in our stay here in Germany. ~Ryan C.