2024 - Day 1

All have arrived in Freiburg and are doing well! 

We will publish to our new private Instagram account in lieu of updating this blog daily. 

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2024 Pre-Departure Entry

Welcome to year 11!  We are once again looking forward to taking an exceptional group of students on an exciting and educational trip!  

We generally try to blog each evening during the trip after our scheduled activities have been completed. 

Thank you for sending your kids with us to have this adventure.

For all the parents / guardians that are following our blog and may require our phone numbers in an emergency, please note them below:

Dr. Ed Gatzke:  803-361-1749

Dr. Andi Gatzke:  803-220-6572

Backup devices 1:  839-223-0863 (text/ facetime)

Backup device 2:  839-224-4176 (call/ text)

Our location throughout the trip is as follows:

Day 12 - 5/19/2023 - Therme-Erding

The world’s largest spa did not disappoint!  Students were given an all-day pass and could spend as much or as little time as they wanted there. Sorry there are no pictures as there were no phones allowed inside. All are well. 

Day 11 - 5/18/2023 - Zugspitze

Forgive me it’s was a long, grueling day due to the DB - Holiday issues. However, we made it up and down. We enjoyed the day!  It was the best weather they have had up there in three weeks!

All are hanging in there. 

Day 10 - 5/17/2023 - Ingolstadt

We had a really nice time at the Audi Museum, and really enjoyed the factory tour of the Audi factory. So many robots, conveyance systems, from sheet metal to completed car! We even got to see a masked car - secret stuff! 

Then, we went to the Bavarian Army Museum, in a castle!  

All enjoyed our new adventure and are doing well. 

Day 9 - 5/16/2023 - Munich

Today, we toured at the Institute for Plasma Physics at the Technical University of Munich. We discussed fusion, toured a tokamak facility and enjoyed sliding on slides in the Math building. All are in great spirits.

Day 8 - 5/15/2023 - Munich

Most had time yesterday and today to spend time doing cultural things, ie museums, zoos, etc. We gathered at 4pm for a phenomenal walking tour of Munich. I think they really enjoyed the tour guide we use. All are well and we look forward to an active set of days to finish out the program. 

Day 7 - 5/14/2023 - Stuttgart/ Munich

We all arrived safely to Munich this morning. Most did laundry throughout the day and we were able to check in just before 3pm. Tomorrow, we have a leisurely morning and will proceed with our scheduled walking tour of Munich in the late afternoon. All are doing well. 

Day 6 - 5/13/2023 - Stuttgart

Mercedes-Benz Museum, Porsche Museum, and a major wrench in the plan…

The German trains are striking tomorrow night at 10pm…they cancelled our trip to Munich for Monday. We set aside funds for emergencies and have never had to use it to date in the way we did today. We scheduled an extra night in Munich tomorrow and moved our train ride to tomorrow morning. It is really the best time in our itinerary for this to happen because tomorrow was their free day…and now they will have it in Munich. Phew!  I hope all goes smoothly tomorrow as we execute Plan B.

All are doing well and are ready to move on tomorrow…

Day 5 - 5/12/2023- Freiburg to Stuttgart

We checked out of our hotel and went to the Institute for Solar Energy to learn about their research past and a bit present. Then, we hopped a couple trains to get to Stuttgart. This group is soooo good that we made a 5-track, 2 minute change between trains. TOLL!!! Frühlingsfest (Spring Featival) is happening and rivals Oktoberfest! This has happened only once before in the program over the 9 previous times we have come to Stuttgart.  

Day 4 - 5/11/2024 - Strasbourg, France

We had much success touring Strasbourg. We did a canal boat ride to learn more about the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Then, all had free time for about four hours to explore the Grand Íle area. This is a really cohesive group and it’s nice to see them enjoy the program each day. All are doing well.