"Gott ist schon da."

Quote from a homily this past week: "Wherever you go, whoever you meet, God is already there."

I feel like so much happens within a week that I can’t possibly remember it all. Thankfully, I am documenting it all in pictures and in my journal so I can share the stories, but it is so hard to believe that such a vast amount of experiences can occur every seven days (which is roughly the time I try to leave between blogging).

Last week, I went to an art museum with Sarah and Jess (fellow EMU students). The evening we went the entrance fee was free. There was an exhibit there that had all sorts of wires and inflatable orbs that people could walk around on. It was 75 meters above the ground. It was a lot of fun! We also got to see an interesting variety of artwork.

Thursday was another Catholic holiday. We celebrated Corpus Christi (auf deutsch: Fronleichnam). It is so incredible to me that the whole country shuts down to celebrate Christ in the Eucharist. I’m curious to know how many of them know that they have the day off for this reason. Mass was celebrated in the town square followed by a Eucharistic processional. Let me repeat that: I got to walk the streets of Düsseldorf with Jesus, and (probably?) a thousand Catholics. The crowd was huge. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by fellow Catholics proclaiming our love for Jesus, and His love for us by being present in the Eucharist. Every day I am reminded how good it is to be Catholic, and how joyful I am for being able to celebrate my Catholic faith even across the ocean.

After celebrating Fronlecihnam, (aka Corpus Christi) my EMU friends and I went on an adventure to find Nordpark. We ended up in a cemetery. While I felt a little like I was trespassing, I do have to say, German cemeteries are gorgeous. It looks as though each grave has its own little garden over it. We eventually made it to Nordpark. There was a huge fountain in part of it that we were able to stick or feet in, walk in, and have a chance to cool down in after a long day in the hot sun. We walked a little further into this giant park and saw some Japanese gardens.

On Saturday, the program I’m going to school through (IIK) held an excursion to Cologne.  Cologne is a beautiful city about 30 minutes from Düsseldorf. There is a giant Cathedral there. Seeing the Cathedral as I stepped out of the train station made me feel so small, and words can’t describe how miniature I felt when I walked through the front door. The architecture of the building contains so much detail, there is always something to see. The holy images and relics inside are beyond words. The bones of the three wise men are in this Cathedral. The Cathedral is 157 meters tall, 87 wide, and 100 long. Giant. 

St. Christopher, Patron of Travelers

Relics of the Three Wise Kings

Relic of St. John Paul II

After the Cathedral, we had a tour of the city. We learned that it was once ruled by the Roman empire. It is right on the Rhine River, and boats stop there before other major cities, which allowed it to have first pick of all of the goods that came by ship. This gave it an advantage that helped it become rich quickly and efficiently. We saw the old city and learned about its important role in the fish market. We also stopped at a little perfume market that is supposedly famous, called 4711.

Our tour led us to the Cologne City Museum. We spent a long time in there learning about the history of Cologne. Ford Automobiles played a role in the history of Cologne, so there were some displays of Ford cars. There also were some displays of Nazi Germany. The tour guide did a great job explaining the importance of learning about this dark time in history. Cologne has a rich history from the Middle Ages. The city was very Catholic, and that is reflected in the museum. There are relics there of St. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins who were martyred on their way back into Cologne. There also were some holy statues from the Middle Ages on display. Among all of these Middle Ages were the knights and their various weapons and armor. I even got to try on a suit of armor!

Relics of the 11,000 Virgins

Podium that JFK gave his speech on in Cologne

St. Christopher

St. Ursula

After museum, we got a much needed lunch. (It was 3:30pm, hot out, and we had been on our feet all day). We ate at Früh, a restaurant with typical German food.  I had Fleischkäse (basically a couple slabs of meat) with potatoes, gravy, and fried onions on top. We also had a couple rounds of Kölsch, the typical beer of Cologne. Tastey and Fun.

How the waiter kept the tab (don't worry, there were a lot of us.)

After our lunch, we exercised a bit by climbing the 533 stairs to the top of the tower of the Cologne Cathedral. I did this once before in 2010, but am happy I got to do it again. It is a great view! (The sense of accomplishment afterwards is also pretty great).

After the train ride home, I decided to get of the Tram early and walk the last 10 minutes since it was so nice out. As I was walking home, I saw some people dressed nicely carrying instruments walking towards my church. I decided I would hang around and see what happened. I still don’t know exactly what happened, but there was some sort of ceremony thing followed by a parade.  Either way, I got to see some German Marching Bands.

Sunday there was another Eucharistic processional after mass. This time is was through the part of the city I live in, Gerresheim. Again, it was incredible to be surrounded by so many Catholics. It also was fun to see parts of town that I had never seen before.

In case you were wondering, I am still going to class. The grammar part of this class is new for me, so it is a little more challenging. We have been discussing our different cultures a lot which is absolutely fascinating for me.

Bis Später!