MONMOUTH, Ill. — While Monmouth College’s baseball and softball teams traveled to Ft. Myers, Fla., over spring break and other MC students headed to the warmer climes of Cancun and San Padre Island, a group of three students spent their break in Duesseldorf, Germany.

The group, led by Monmouth College professor William Urban, included Brittany Hasselberg of Peoria, Wendy Thomas of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and Christine Regnell of Monmouth, as well as one faculty member and two students from Western Illinois University. Assisting in the program was Mathias Betyna, who has worked with the college’s theater department and played a major role in making last year’s trip to Berlin a success.

“Mathias prepared a scrumptious meal for our group’s first supper – varieties of wurst, sauerkraut, potatoes, breads and beverages,” said Urban, who is the Lee L. Morgan Professor of History and International Studies. “He arranged for a tour of the huge West German Radio studios, a highly appreciated afternoon of coffee and tortes on the rotating tower overlooking the Rhine and a tour of the underground Roman ruins in Cologne. He was there to guide the group around Duesseldorf on the first day and he was there at 4:30 a.m. on the day of departure to see them off.”

The group visited Xanten on the Dutch border, where archeologists have rebuilt part of the Roman city, and Cologne’s Roman-German museum and its impressive cathedral were another day’s focus.

“There was so much to see in Cologne that the group came back once again, and two members chose to return for yet one more day,” said Urban. “Duesseldorf is rather overwhelmed by Cologne, but everyone liked the city, especially those who chose to eat in the old-fashioned beer hall outside the tourist circles. The food was great wherever the group went, and those who sampled the wines and beer came away thoroughly satisfied.”

“I loved Cologne and the Cologne Cathedral,” said Hasselberg, who returned to the city on her own time. “I was able to climb one of the towers in the cathedral, and the view was spectacular. I also found out that the cathedral survived seven bombings aimed towards it in World War II, and I was able to get pictures of the destruction around it while it still stood.”

With some more of her free time, Hasselberg, an art minor, reported that she went to see paintings by Salvador Dali at the Kunst Museum in Duesseldorf.

“I was absolutely stunned by the cathedral,” said Thomas. “When we went there for the first time and came up from the subway tunnels, I was absolutely dumbfounded by the site. I had never seen anything so amazingly beautiful in my life. I ended up going back to Cologne three times over the course of the week, all as a result of that first impression.”

Touring Aachen was another’s day itinerary, with a visit to Charlemagne’s cathedral and treasury.

“By this time, the students were seasoned travelers, ready to take on the complicated transportation systems, somewhat unusual foods (particularly at breakfast) and figuring out what instructions in German said,” reported Urban.

The last day included a long train ride through the Eifel mountains to Trier, with its ancient baths, amphitheater, intact city gate and basilica and thoroughly modernized museum.

“Politics was almost invisible,” reported Urban. “The German government may have disagreed with the Bush proposals to deal with Saddam Hussein, but there were no demonstrations. In fact, many of the newspaper editorials supported the American government’s position. Still, security was tight, especially at the Frankfurt airport.”

Professor Urban’s next trip will be six weeks with Eastern Michigan University’s summer cultural program. His group will tour England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.

But even more important to Urban in the near future is the world premiere of his play, “Founders’ Days,” which will, he says, “be performed on Broadway” in the newly-remodeled Dahl Chapel and Auditorium on the MC campus at the corner of East Broadway and North Seventh St. The play was written to help the college celebrate its sesquicentennial.