Through My Eyes, In My Words:

Medieval Architecture in Northern Europe: Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands

Taught by Leonard A. Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and chair of the B.S. engineering/A.B. International Studies program, and Ellouise Van Gulick, visiting part-time instructor, VAST

Jennifer Stone of Newtown, Pa., is a double major in economics & business and art. She is an award-winning, four-year participant in varsity field hockey and lacrosse. She is president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

For the past 20 days, 24 Lafayette students were privileged enough to travel to Northern Europe and study medieval architecture. Our trip both started and ended in Brussels, Belgium. In between however, we traveled to the Netherlands and Germany. While in Brussels, we first looked at various Dutch and Flemish artists and their works in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. We also visited two churches in Brussels: the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, and Our Lady of the Sablon. When we first looked at these churches, most of the people on the trip had no idea what any of the elements of the interior and exterior were; however, this would soon change after weeks of looking at different types of churches and cathedrals.

From Brussels we also made several day trips on the Eurorail. Our first one was to Antwerp, Belgium where we visited Our Lady's Cathedral. Inside this cathedral were works by one of the most famous Flemish painters, Peter Paul Rubens. Other day trips that we took from Brussels included ones to Ghent, Bruges, and Tournai, all of which are in Belgium. We saw churches and cathedrals in all of these cities. However, in Tournai the group climbed its first bell tower. Little did we know what we were getting into. What started out as a rather wide staircase at the bottom, considering that it was a bell tower, ended with an extremely narrow one at the top, with only a single rope used as a hand railing. By the time people had reached the bottom, their legs were shaking!

While in Brussels we also had a free day. Most of the people on the trip used up their extra day on their Eurorail pass and took a three-hour ride to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Others took a high-speed train to Paris, France. Both groups were successful considering that we were all back for breakfast the next morning.

After Brussels, we traveled via bus to Maastricht, Netherlands. Like many of the cities we saw, this one was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Here we saw both the St. Servatius Cathedral and the Church of St. John. Like many of the churches that we saw, they were of the Romanesque form of architecture which meant that they had rounded arches, and thick walls, among other aspects.

After Maastricht, it was back on the bus to head toward Cologne, Germany. On our way to Cologne however we stopped in Aachen, Germany, which was Charlemagne's capital during his reign. Here we saw the Aachen Cathedral, which houses the reliquary that contains the remains of Charlemagne, among other important artifacts.

Cologne was somewhat of a shock because it was certainly the most metropolitan city that we had visited so far. While in Cologne we saw the Cologne Cathedral among other historic areas. This was by far the largest and tallest cathedral we had seen so far. Its High Gothic style was incredible in comparison to the other churches we had visited. One could not help but stand in awe at the base of the building. There were several of us who climbed to the top of this cathedral as well. It was 520 steps to the top, about 200 more than Tournai. There were some, however, who did not make it after their experience in Tournai.

While in Cologne we had our first group dinner. This was by far one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. The restaurant that we went to is known for its large pig's knuckle, so naturally many of us had to experience this. It was quite amusing seeing enormous pieces of meat all lined up next to one another. Only a few were able to come even close to finishing the meat. It was none other than German apple strudel for dessert to finish off the meal.

After Cologne we visited Speyer and Trier, both of which are in Germany. Speyer is home to one of the largest Romanesque cathedrals, and Trier is home to many Roman forms of architecture, such as an amphitheater and Roman baths. After Trier it was back to Brussels via bus, and then off to USA.

This trip was a great experience. Most of the people on the trip had never gone abroad, for various reasons, so this interim period was a great time to explore someplace other than America. Not only was it nice to visit other countries, it was great to do it with people that you knew, and others that you got to know. I would certainly suggest an interim trip for anyone who is interested.