International Student Trips Powered By Discovery Education
South Africa Adventure

From there to here by way of Frankfurt.

Friday, June 5, 2009

We've now arrived in South Africa, and it only took us 2 days! While that may seem like a long journey, and it is, we did have the luxury of taking the scenic route. From the US, we flew in two groups to Frankfurt, Germany. Because of the long layover, we had the opportunity to explore the city for several hours before returning to the airport.

But what can you really do in just a few hours? More than I would have thought possible. One group arrived earlier,so on leaving the airport we heade;into the central part of Frankfurt to meet up with them. A gigantic stage had been erected to showcase gymnasts that would be competing in an international competition within the next few days. The skyline is dominated by towering skyscrapers that reek of wealth, and with good reason. Each skyscraper is named for a different bank, and billions of Euro's are exchanged in transactions every day. Upon meeting up with the early group, we took off to get a birdseye view of the city from the top of one of the massive buildings.

After a surpsingly quick 54 story climb in the elevator, we experienced an amazing view of the entire city of Frankfurt. From there,we could see the stark contrast between the glass and steel spires reaching into the sky and the stone buildings and churches that were literally thousands of years old. On the outer fringes, we could see the Futbol stadium that regularly seats over 60,000 screaming fans, as well as the gentle sloping mountains off in the distance. Our guide pointed out a series of beige buildings that at one time were used to develope lethal gasses used by the Nazis, that were then converted to be the headquarters for US troupes in Europe in the closing years of the war.... and are now serving as University buildings.

We spent the rest of our time in Frankfurt exploring the main square, where royalty used to stay be seen by the public. At one end was a church that dates back about a millenium, and is still being used today. The artwork and archicture were truly awe inspiring. After a short time to visit stores, and explore the area individually, we headed back to the airport to meet up with the rest of the crew.

From there, it;was just another day on a plane to JoBurg and then one final jump over to Cape Town. Hotel check in, a relaxing dinner and then our first bed in what seemed like weeks. And now, we're refreshed and ready to tackle the upcoming day! On the agenda: Township tour, lunch at the Khanyisa Community Church and then a visit to Robben Island!

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Essential Programs Details

Duration 12 days
When June 2nd - 13th, 2009
Focus Wildlife Research/Conservation
Political History
Culture