{"id":50258,"date":"2019-08-30T10:37:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T10:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/?p=50258"},"modified":"2022-11-09T15:15:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T15:15:37","slug":"grus-gott-augsburg-travel-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/2019\/08\/30\/grus-gott-augsburg-travel-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGr\u00fc\u00df Gott!\u201d – Augsburg Travel Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are only 8 spots still available for this 11-day trip! Please contact Katie Code (codek@augsburg.edu<\/a>) if you’re interested in learning more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>
The alps above Berchtesgaden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bavaria is known for many things, including soaring peaks, very large mugs of beer, and \u201cGr\u00fc\u00df Gott!\u201d Mountains and beer you can get in many other destinations, but \u201cGr\u00fc\u00df Gott\u201d you\u2019ll only get in the German-speaking regions that surround the Bavarian Alps. (The odd-looking \u201c\u00df\u201d is actually a double-\u201cs\u201d.) If you want to try greeting someone with Gr\u00fc<\/em>\u00df Gott<\/em> you\u2019ll want to say it like this: GrooS GoT<\/em>\u2014landing hard on both the \u201cS\u201d and the \u201cT\u201d.<\/p>\n

Gr\u00fc<\/em>\u00df Gott<\/em> is shortened from \u201cGr\u00fc<\/em>\u00df dich Gott<\/em>,\u201d an old way of saying \u201cGod bless you\u201d in German. The phrase is more religious than \u201cGuten Tag\u201d so it\u2019s a phrase befitting Germany\u2019s most religious and most Roman Catholic region. The closer you get to Bavaria\u2019s majestic mountains, the more you\u2019ll be greeted with Gr\u00fc<\/em>\u00df Gott<\/em> instead of Guten Tag. <\/em>It\u2019s as if those dramatic elevations naturally give rise to spiritual yearnings.<\/p>\n

Bavaria is Germany\u2019s largest state, covering one-fifth of the country. It may not be obvious from looking at a map, but our tour\u2019s wide-ranging itinerary falls entirely within Bavaria (not including our dip into Salzburg, Austria). From the Castle Coburg (where Martin Luther resided during the time of the \u201cAugsburg Confession\u201d) to Berchtesgaden\/Obersalzburg (where the Third Reich constructed its infamous mountain fortress), we\u2019ll span a land filled with great natural beauty and complicated human history.<\/p>\n

Still, you may wonder: What does Augsburg University\u2014a school with deep roots in the heritage of Norwegian Lutheran immigrants\u2014have to do with the most Roman Catholic region of Germany? Only a lot!<\/p>\n