Trip opens eyes to a different kind of heritage
Molly Hottle
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Opinion
I'm not one of those kids that came to Grand View because all of my Danish family members did before me. I didn't even really think twice when, during my first tour of the campus, the guides told me it was founded by Danish immigrants a long time ago. And I always thought words like "studenterfest" and "julefest" were made up.
Then, I saw the place where Grand View's founders came from with my own eyes.
Rather than traveling somewhere warm or sleeping-in over spring break, I toured with the 24 members of the Grand View choir, director Kathryn Duffy and a handful of chaperones to Denmark and Germany as they took their song to churches and cathedrals in Europe.
I documented our travels and experiences on a blog, which will be indefinitely accessible at thegrandviews.blogspot.com, if anyone would like to have a look.
Standing inside of massive cathedrals took my breath away and eating traditional German dishes were just some of the highlights of this incredible trip, but there was something more lasting that I brought back with me.
My dream destinations in Europe have always been places like Paris and Italy. I don't think Denmark has ever been on that list.
What I found instead is that Denmark is a beautiful and incredible place to visit.
The rolling hills and nearby coast make for some amazing sights to see. The food was wonderful, especially the bread and cheese for breakfast, and the people were more than gracious to our group.
Except for three of the nights, we stayed in the homes of local families who were nice enough to put aside most of their needs for us. They cooked meals for us, drove us where we needed to go and, especially in my case, sought Internet connections for us to use.
Trille Brink Westergaard, the pastor of the church we visited in Lindelse, Denmark, said supporting us during our two-day visit there used up most of the church's funding set aside to bring in performers for the entire year.
Then, I saw the place where Grand View's founders came from with my own eyes.
Rather than traveling somewhere warm or sleeping-in over spring break, I toured with the 24 members of the Grand View choir, director Kathryn Duffy and a handful of chaperones to Denmark and Germany as they took their song to churches and cathedrals in Europe.
I documented our travels and experiences on a blog, which will be indefinitely accessible at thegrandviews.blogspot.com, if anyone would like to have a look.
Standing inside of massive cathedrals took my breath away and eating traditional German dishes were just some of the highlights of this incredible trip, but there was something more lasting that I brought back with me.
My dream destinations in Europe have always been places like Paris and Italy. I don't think Denmark has ever been on that list.
What I found instead is that Denmark is a beautiful and incredible place to visit.
The rolling hills and nearby coast make for some amazing sights to see. The food was wonderful, especially the bread and cheese for breakfast, and the people were more than gracious to our group.
Except for three of the nights, we stayed in the homes of local families who were nice enough to put aside most of their needs for us. They cooked meals for us, drove us where we needed to go and, especially in my case, sought Internet connections for us to use.
Trille Brink Westergaard, the pastor of the church we visited in Lindelse, Denmark, said supporting us during our two-day visit there used up most of the church's funding set aside to bring in performers for the entire year.
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