Well, I'm going on my 4th try now to upload some pics for you guys. I am in Regensburg, Germany for the remainder of my time here, which means: free internet...and...SLOW internet. The past couple of nights, I've been trying to put some pictures up so you guys can see my visit to Luther's hometown (Wittenberg) and to Berlin, but the internet is so slow, that I end up giving up! Hopefully I can give it a try sometime today, and it'll work...

So far being in Regensburg has been a blast!! We got here Friday afternoon, and the strange thing about this place is, it rains...even when the sun is BLAZING! Very strange thing. I might have mentioned this already, but the hostel we're staying at, is right outside the city (10 minute walk), in the middle of a river!!! So, to get acquainted with the city, my friend, Catherine, and I rented some bikes (that were quite difficult to ride) and rode through downtown. It was not easy! This weekend there is a "citizen's festival" that is going on, so all up and down the river, even down to Austria, there is this festival going on...that means THOUSANDS of drunk people and crowds. So when we got to the main street, it was a little too congested for us to ride our bikes. After locking up our bikes in a little side street, we pushed our way through the crowds and game stands, and came to a square that had a band playing "Sweet Home Alabama." The crowd was shouting the lyrics! It felt like home. So, we decided to hang out there, in a somewhat quiet coffee shop on the corner, so we could get some homework done. It is such a pleasant city! The people here, at least this weekend, haven't been too pleasant, but it's been fun watching them be rowdy and yell German words at us Americans...I have no idea what they're saying, so I just smile...and sometimes mutter, "Danke...?" It's quite an adventure living in a foreign country, especially when the natives think you speak German. I'm picking up on a couple phrases though, and can make my way through a city pretty well. I usually just point when I want something, and when I'm at a restaurant and want something to drink that doesn't cost a fortune, I say, "Littuns Wasser?" And they bring me tap water! So, ya...I can stumble my way through Germany.

This is my last week of my second session of classes! These past two weeks, I've been studying Christianity in Western Culture II. It's been fascinating to learn all about the Reformation, Hitler, and what Christianity has been through throughout it all, AND to actually be IN these places where it all happened! For the Reformation, we kicked off the class by going to Geneva, to see John Calvin's church, and then we made our way up to Wittenberg, where Luther nailed the 95 theses on the church door! While we were in Wittenberg, we made a day trip to Berlin, where we saw Hitler's barracks, and plans for making Berlin the capital of the WORLD (crazy!!). It's been a whirlwind of a trip so far, and I'm excited for this week to end, but it's been so amazing to be here and learn these things! At the end of this week, on Saturday, all of us students have a free week, to travel where ever we want, and can afford. So John and I are hoping on a train and going west to Bonn, Germany, to where his brother Justin lives and goes to school. It's going to be so nice to relax and get away from school and crazy schedules. I also can't wait to meet his brother! It's going to be a blast! We might take a trip or two to surrounding cities and experience Germany together. I can't wait for it! 

But for now, I need to get LOADS of homework done before we leave this weekend...

Love you all,

j

Lessons

I woke up today feeling refreshed from a full night of sleep. This is the first in the past two months. The beds are quite hard in the hostels we are staying in, but for some reason, last night, I was KNOCKED OUT! It may have been from my experiment with sleeping on my stomach, or just from complete exhaustion and lack of sleep. Either way, I have reached an amazing level of energy and attention span today...it's wonderful. 

While being here in Germany for the past 3 1/2 weeks, I have come to realize that people, when not on their best behavior, can be obnoxious. Please do not think that I am excluding myself from this generalization, but, this trip has opened my eyes to the annoyingness of other people, along with myself. Bus rides and touring through cities with a large group of 25 people has made me see this in clear view! The lessons I have learned in the classroom so far are amazing, and something that I am so grateful for that I can get through my education at Moody, but slowly, I am becoming thankful for the people around me that are allowing me to learn these wonderful lessons of patience and tolerance and "sucking it up"! I've never been good at this, and I hope that I can get better at it over the next couple of weeks. 

I don't know why I decided to write this to all of you...I hope you know that I am also having a WONDERFUL time with the people here on this trip! I've made such good friendships and memories...it's just there are those times...ya know?

Anyways. I hope to have some pictures of Wittenberg and Berlin posted for you guys! I pray this post finds you all well and enjoying summer!!

j

Studying Luther...where Luther studied.

Family and Friends,

I am writing to from a hostel connected to the church where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses, in Wittenberg, Germany. It's amazing to walk around in this quaint, little town, full of Gelaterias and souvenir shops, to think that 500 years ago, Martin Luther treaded on the same paths as I am now. Today we toured the town, and made a stop into his house, and saw where most of his writings and "table talks" took place. What a great experience. While we have been here, both John and I have been in class in the morning, learning about the Reformation, and then touring through Wittenberg where the stuff in the text books actually took place! Tomorrow we head out for a day trip to Berlin! Exciting stuff right there!

Im not gonna write much more, because I will probably do another update tomorrow, but I just wanted to add that both John and I miss our family and friends a bunch, and wish that you could all experience this with us. It is fantastic! I hope and pray that all of you are having an enjoyable summer...for my family...enjoying the beach (lucky dogs!)...but just know that we love and miss you all, and can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks! But, as for now, we're gonna go ahead and enjoy Germany for a bit longer. I wish I could upload some pics of Wittenberg, but the internet is beinger REAL slow...but maybe tomorrow I'll be able to.

Good bye for now!

j

Back in the NURN!

So if you guys read my previous post, I told you all that I hadn't had the greatest experience with Zurich. Here is why: FIRST OF ALL, when we arrived, I had come to Zurich hearing stories about how clean of a city it is, etc. etc., but when we got to our hotel, we saw something MUCH different than clean. We stayed in a best western, that didn't have any air conditioning, in a somewhat "ghetto" part of town. SECOND OF ALL, that night, John, Daniel, and I went out on what we thought was the town, but later found out DEFINITELY wasn't, trying to find somewhere to eat. We stumbled upon a place call "New Point." Horrible decision. We walked in, and the place looked pretty classy, so we were thinkin we wouldn't eat there, but RIGHT away, the manager pulled us in, made us feel guilty, and threw menus in our faces (maybe not so dramatic). After looking over the menu, and the prices, we decided that it was not in our best interest to stay and dine at the "New Point," so we wandered to the side of the restaurant, that had a cheaper, carry out, order place. As we were trying to order our food with the man at the counter, we couldn't understand him, and he couldn't understand us, so he had to call over the manager from "New Point," which was the man that threw the menus in our faces. He spoke perfect english, which was nice...but little did we know, that this, some what pleasant seeming man was about to jip us...BIG TIME! We gave him our order, and then expected to wait for our food and then go...but...the manager guy directed us toward a table in the nicer part of the restaurant...we thought he was just being nice to us...letting us eat in the fancy part with our cheaper food...OBVIOUSLY! Because we didn't want to pay that money!...but after we got our check, we saw that he charged us 40 extra swiss francs!!! YA. Awesome. He didn't budge. So that is why I said those things in my previous post. BUT...little did we know that Zurich is a BEAUTIFUL place! After our experience at New Point, we wandered down a river, which we though would lead to the lake...but we were following the wrong river...so we just HATED Zurich. But that next day, we got to experience the clean city of Zurich, go to a church service held in Zwingli's church (which was presented by a woman minister), and go on a bout tour around the lake! GORGEOUS! But now, we are back in the Nurn (Nurnberg, Germany). I love it here. I love staying in a castle...it makes me feel awesome! On Tuesday, we made a trip to a the first concentration camp, Dachau. Walking through the camp grounds was so upsetting. Seeing the pictures of the people who had been tortured and killed made the events of the Holocaust come alive. While being here, I have learned that the German people, are a very insecure people group. Because of their history, they have become crippled, and quite embarrassed by their past. It is a very fascinating country to be living in. 

Daniel left EARRRRRLYYY this morning :(...We had SUCH a great time with him, traveling and seeing Europe with him...so many fantastic memories were made, and Europe will greatly miss the dancing, crazy, Mr. Fawcett. What a great brother. I started my next class, which is Christianity in Western Culture II, and John starts his Reformations class tomorrow. It is a fascinating class to be a part of! Church history is fantastic, and I love the class setting. It is wonderful! Monday we leave for Wittenburg, where we will see the church where Luther posted his 95 theses! We'll be there for five days, doing class, and taking a day trip to Berlin. 

Well, I am VERY distracted right now...I usually am when I'm on the internet, because I'm always in a public place, with loud German people. So, I am sorry if some of my posts are hard to follow...I apologize. But here are some pictures of Zurich and Dachau!!

love you all and miss you all!

j

We had some goooood sausage and German experience 

here!...There was a HUGE dance floor with a bunch

of old German folks dancing with their beer. It was

AWESOME!

The bunks in Dachau. There were

rows and rows.

The famous statue of the Dachau Concentration Camp

Daniel and John just relaxing on the boat

The river in Zurich. Beautiful right??

Pictures Pictures Pictures!

Greetings from Zurich!

We arrived here in Zurich, Switzerland...via coach bus... about 3 hours ago. We will be staying here for two nights. So far, I haven't had the best experience with Zurich...I like Geneva WAYYYY better...but maybe I should give it a second chance. Basically the people in Geneva are a lot nicer and pleasant than the people here in Zurich. It's a pretty city though!

SO. As I said, we have made our journeys, starting when we met up with my brother in Rome, all the way up the coast of Italy, through the alps through France, and now, Switzerland. What a beautiful trip! The Alps are just amazing! The air through the Alps and in Switzerland is so clear and fresh...it's wonderful! So in Italy, we had our fill of AMAZING Gelatto! I miss that stuff. Daniel had his fair share of Gelatto, that's for sure ;)... But we had a tiring past couple of days, touring, walking around in the heat of Rome...but all together we've seen some amazing sites! My favorite part of this little trip so far has been going to Geneva. Such a beautiful place... quite expensive though :/

ANYWAYS! I promised you all some photos. I've been taking a LOT! There's just SO much to see over here in Europe!

Hope you enjoy the photos

Love you all

j

Sistine Chapel...look familiar??

This took me a while to take...There were 

HUNDREDS of people bumping into me, and

I had to keep my head extremely straight. My 

neck hurts.

Sistine Chapel again 

Picture at the Colosseum 

Journey through the Alps from Italy to 

Switzerland. BEAUTIFUL!

Aerial view of Lake Geneva

from John Calvin's Church

Quick Greetings

Hello friends and family!

Right now I am with my brother and John in a Mac store in Geneva, Switzerland (trying to figure out these foreign keyboards). We just got here last night. This morning we went out with the crew, to explore John Calvins church and museum! Its so beautiful here in Geneva. (P.S. Dad-we got an aerial view of your old high school from the cathedral!) Anyways, hopefully i will get some time soon to update you all with some pictures of Italy, and now, Switzerland. After staying in Rome for a few nights (which was AMAZING) we headed up to Tuscany, and then Bologne! It was so beautiful to see the Italian country side, and the amazing mosaics in the cathedrals. Today, after visiting John Calvin, my brother and John and I went to a little Sandwicherie down by lake Geneva, and got some swiss chocolate to go, and ate it in a park across from the huge fountain, overlooking the port! BEAUTIFUL! This has been such a wonderful journey so far...and a little break from school for 10 days is always nice!...I got to spend my birthday in Rome in the morning, and then Tuscany in the evening...I will post some pics when I get a chance. But as for now, Salut!

I hope you all are doing well.

(John and Daniel say hi to their friends and family)

Love you all.

j

Italy Journey:Rome/John's B-Day/Father's Day/BROTHER!

Greetings from Rome everyone!

I have had a full day and a half so far hanging out and roaming around Rome! It has been a blast...but before I tell you all about it, I wanted to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my wonderful dad, Daniel says it as well, and for John's dad, if he reads this, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to you as well, from John and I! You fathers are wonderful!

ANYWAYS! John and I arrived in Rome Saturday night, from Germany...quite a change of pace, going from a quaint little medieval town, to the rowdy, riotous Rome! Crazy, but awesome. Rome isn't a very clean city. Like most other big cities, it's covered in graffiti and litter, but once we got our stuff put away at the hotel, and I hugged my brother for a couple minutes, we got to go out and explore the wonderful and historic, ancient city. All in one night, we made a trip to the Colosseum, to the Pantheon, to some graveyard, and all over town, until our feet were too tired. Whenever I'm walking down the sidewalk and look up to see an old historic basilica, or ruins, it makes me think of 2,000 years ago, when this was just built, right after the time of Christ. It is unbelievable. It's incredible learning about these places, and the history behind it, and then coming here and seeing it up close. 

I love the sights and sounds of this city. The traffic is crazy, and the drivers are rambunctious, so you always have to keep your head up, but looking at all the little Vespas cruising around town just makes being here feel more and more like a dream. Today...being John's 21st Birthday... wooo hooo... we slept in (finally) and made our way to the train station, which took us to the Ostila Antica, which is ruins of an old town. My brother, John, Catherine, and I, prance around the brick walls and ruins, and made our way to the Mediterranean Sea! It was so fun, great weather, and...what a good way to spend a birthday! When we were done adventuring, and our bodies were about wiped out, we met up with the rest of the group to go eat some PIZZA! FANTASTICO! 

Our schedule for tomorrow looks quite tiring, but awesome, so I am gonna go to bed soon...we are off to the catacombs at 8 am, and after that the Colosseum once more, this time with a tour, and then we are off to Rome of the Caesar's! I am so excited! So much history jam packed into one day! Here are some pics for you all of our travels so far!! Keep checking for updates, I should be getting lots of free internet this next week! The pictures will be up soon.

Love,

j

Happy Birthday Johnny!!!

At the Mediterranean 

Organ player at Santa Maria's Basilica

Constantine's Arch by the Colosseum  

The Pantheon. Our first night in Rome

Meeting up with Daniel in Rome...such a blast!

Journeys in Nürnberg

Well hello everyone! I have internet!! woo hoooooo! So that means you all get to see the wonderful place that I am at. How fortunate. Well, before I do that, I just wanna give you guys some update on my second full day here in Germany:

For dinner tonight, we had something other than ham and cheese. That was wonderful! After that was over, I stopped by the bank with John, to pick up some Euros, in hopes that I could go to the store...but...unfortunately, everything closes at 8 in this town. But now we are back, tired, and worn out from a long day of school, homework, and wandering around the castle. This place is beautiful! And it's a hostel! Like I said in my previous post, we are staying in the stables of an old medieval castle, so this afternoon, John and I decided to take a little adventure through the stone walk ways and the gardens that wind around the castle. It's so beautiful. I took a TON of pictures, so I'm gonna post a couple for you all to see so you may share in the experience with me. Well, mom, dad, Daniel, friends, etc. I miss you all so very much! But now here is a little excerpt from the Mr. John Rainey:

Hello all of the readers of Jenna's blog. I am really quite sleepy, so, I may not have much to write. But I suppose I could tell you a little bit of the amazing time I am having in this wonderful country. This is the first time I have left the grand ole' red, white, and blue, so I am very much like a child in a candy shop. I love the architecture that Nurnberg has to offer. Today, while I was looking for a gift for my Father, I had the most interesting, enjoyable, incomprehensible conversation ever. While in this small shop, I was speaking with a man that knew no English. He was an old man, maybe of the age of 72. As we looked at the beer steins, we exchanged smiles and spoke our own languages, knowing that neither of us understood the other. But, I enjoyed making a connection, from American to German. It was splendid. Class has been good. I am exhausted. I have been sleeping well, to say the least. Ok. I think this is all for now. I miss my family. And, I yearn to play the guitar. My time will come soon, hopefully...ok. Good bye. 

Love,

j and j.

Wandering down the main street.

The Catholic Cathedral in town.

Up to the castle!

Journey in the gardens

Overlooking the castle grounds

Doors leading to...the...dungeon?

Just passing through the castle!

Hallo Freunde und Familie von Deutschland!

Well hello everyone!!
Just to make everyone of you jealous, I am sitting in the stables of an old castle, in Nurnberg, Germany. Yes, I know...The journey to get here was quite tiring and adventurous. It all started with a seven hour flight to London, where all 25 of us (students and professors), sat ourselves down on the floors of the airport for about four hours, and then we took a two hour flight to Munich, which led to a two hour bus ride, which led to a meeting in a castle (which I'm not complaining about), which FINALLY led to some exploring. We are in a BEAUTIFUL city here in Nurnberg! Our hostel (which is an old castle) is located towards the middle of the city, and surrounded by beautiful old buildings and cathedrals. On the outskirts of the city, there is a wall that wraps around the circumfrance, which is about three miles, so when we need to go exploring, all we foreigners have to do is follow the wall and we'll NEVER get lost! It's great! So far for meals, we've had ham and cheese, andddd ham and cheese, OH, and a little bit of nutella. But my tastebuds are happy, that's for sure.
Anyways, I have some reading to do for class tonight before bed, but tomorrow, I will hopefully get some internet for my computer so that I can post some pictures of this place! I hope this note finds you all well. If you think of it, keep us in your prayers...we are all REALLY tired from jet lag, and 7 hours of school a day...and some lack of sleep, but your prayers would be appreciated!


Love,
j