We arrived in Frankfurt and are on our way to Rothenburg! Too bad we didn't make it 20 minutes in Germany before we started to fall asleep. 

But once we arrived in Rothenburg we took a tour of the city wall, saw the castle gate, and then got to explore on our own. This was the travelers first taste of how the trip will go and they did AMAZING. They were respectful, on time, and took some great photos. Keep an eye out on our instagram page because starting tomorrow the travelers will be running it!

And our first city trivia winner was... Autumn! She paid close attention to our Tour Director and won herself a souvenir.

We are headed into Munich! 

But before we get there we are going to visit Dachau Concentration camp and get a history lesson. I asked all of the travelers to put their phones away for the morning and just be present in this place of remembrance. So while I don't have any videos or photos to show, we will always have memories of this powerful place.

Once finished we headed into the city center of Munich for a quick tour by our Tour Director, John, and dinner in the city.

But the fun came after we got back to our hotel! Our hotel in is Olympic Park so we set out on a bonus Neve Adventure to explore Olympic park, see the Olympic Stadium, and go up the tower to watch the sunset. It was cold and windy and a little rainy BUT we did leave our mark on the tower in the form of a Neveism sticker!

And then of course all that walking and fighting the wind made us hungry, so we headed back to the hotel for some late-night pizzas and burgers and are now going to bed with happy tummys.

Today we went on an excursion to Southern Germany and then into Austria!

We woke up early in the morning and headed out to Berchtesgaden, Germany where we took a tour of a still operational salt mine called Salzbergwerk. We got to take a train into the mine, two wooden slides to get to the deeper level, and a boat over "mirror lake" which is so clear you can't see the bottom, you actually see the reflection of the ceiling on the water instead.

After filling up on souvenirs we headed across the border to Salzburg, Austria to have lunch before taking a guided tour of the city of Mozart. We ate pretzels and gelato, bought artwork, and explored the city while learning about the history of the area. While taking the tour we found a perfect spot to add our Neveism sticker and leave a little part of our group behind.

The students paid great attention to our tour guide Angelica, and while it was a close call, Riley was our city trivia winner!

On the way back to Munich we stopped at a restaurant for a traditional German dinner of.... well we don't actually know what it was but our best guess is stewed pork and dumplings - which was delicious! The students have all been really amazing at trying all the new foods they have been given.

When we got back to the hotel we packed our things to be ready for our early day tomorrow before heading out on a bonus Neve adventure! This time we took the subway to Karlsplatz, a popular square with cafes and a shopping arcade. But of course, we ended up at McDonalds where Kaylene and I bought some new foods for everyone to try! 

It was a long day but it was GREAT! Off to Lichtenstein and Switzerland tomorrow.

This morning was another early one! We left Munich to make our way to Switzerland but because it was a long journey, we stopped a few places along the way to make it easier.

Our first stop was to Linderhof Palace where we got free time to explore the gardens before taking a guide tour of the inside. We got some great photos and had to recreate our favorite statues.

After that we headed on the road to Vaduz, Liechtenstein where we got to have our passports stamped, picked up some souvenirs, and then played giant foosball under the Vaduz castle. 

And Rachel was our winner of random Liechtenstein trivia that we googled while on the bus.

Then another three hour drive to our hotel in Switzerland. We are getting in late tonight, having dinner, and then settling into bed to be well rested for our Alps experience tomorrow!

This morning we headed into Lucerne where we got to explore and get some delicious Swiss chocolates... some of which may be the size of a small child. We also got to see the Lion of Lucerne and Autumn recreated it FANTASTICALLY.

Then we got to take a boat across Lake Lucerne on our way into the Swiss Alps. During the ride we found out it was Autumn, Angelina, and Mariah's first time EVER on a boat and how cool that it was while in Switzerland with the Alps surrounding you.

After our boat ride we got to take the Cogwheel train, known for its steep railway, up to Mount Pilatus where the views stole our breath away. Or... maybe it was the altitude. 

But before we left we had one last adventure... taking a toboggan down the Alps! Speeding down the track taking in the views of Switzerland from the mountain side is a memory that we will hold forever. Also - a big congratulations to Mariah for winning our Switzerland trivia!

Only one more day before we head home!

This was our last day before we flew home! We visited Freiburg in the Black Forest and then Hildelberg, Germany where we visited the Schloss and saw the world's largest wine barrel. 

As well as FINALLY catching our tour director sleeping on the bus! To his credit, he made it 8 days without us sleeping bombing him.

And finally -  shout out to Riley for getting the most questions correct for our Hildelberg trivia!

This trip has been absolutely amazing and watching each kid have their ah-ha moment was incredible. This is something that will stick with us for a lifetime. 

Thank you to everyone who made this possible, because we all came out of this experience changed for the better.