Greetings fellow Wartburgers!

For the past month our home has been Marburg, Germany!! This university town, with 75,000 inhabitants is nestled in a mountainous region. Marburg is characterized by timber houses and crooked cobble stone streets. It also has a river that runs through it and a castle that sits atop one of the mountains. J I call this my “fairy-tale” town because the Grimm brothers studied here. These two are responsible for the roots of our modern fairy-tales like Cinderella, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, The Frog Prince, etc.

There is lots to do in Marburg. Our group has class Monday- Friday 8:30 AM til 1:00PM. Then, we have free time in the afternoon. We generally like to go exploring, whether it's "Wald wandern" (wandering through the woods) or through the Oberstadt. The Oberstadt “over city” is one of our fave hangout spots. It has many shops containing just about anything you can imagine… chocolate of course!... pottery, wine, and European clothing.

Our tour of the city was really educational. We went inside the St. Elizabeth’s Kirche. We learned the church was the first Gothic style church built in all of Europe (in the 13^th century)… Impressive!! 

After World War I, a school was founded here in Marburg for veterans that were blinded during the war. The school has expanded since and not only blind veterans attend the school. The city is geared for the blind. The street lights beep and have audio, and also there are special ridges on the sidewalk for the blind.

I love this place. The transportation systems are very practical and efficient. Interestedly, dogs are allowed almost everywhere… buses, trains, even some restaurants. J Anywho, our group travels on the weekends to places such as Berlin and Munich!!!  

-April Magneson