From September 8 to 15, the Drexel University Alumni Association took a group of 20 alumni, family members, friends, and professional staff on a historic journey to Dornbirn, Austria, Drexel University’s homeland and the birthplace of Francis Martin Drexel. Guests explored the culture, people and the culinary delights of the region while gaining a new understanding of Drexel University through the exploration of its founder’s family and town of origin. Mary Henningsen ‘88, accompanied by her mother JoAnn, decided to go on the trip in order to reconnect with the University and the alumni community, to visit an area of Europe she’s always wondered about, and to learn more about the Drexel family. During her travels, Mary kept the journal below, chronicling her adventures in Dornbirn.
Sunday, September 9
We started the day with a trip to the impressive and beautiful Rhine River falls, the mouth of the famous Rhine River, followed by a lunch stop and visit to the St. Gallen Monastery and Library, housing some of the oldest surviving printed books and volumes on the European continent.
Although our alumni group members are all coming from different graduating years, majors, careers, geographies and life experiences, what immediately connects us together is Drexel, whether we’re alumni, parents, spouses or staff. I’m looking forward to a great week getting to know our fellow Drexel alumni community members and staff, learning about the region, and also building new friendships as we learn more about the Drexel family legacy.
Monday, September 10
On Monday, we enjoyed a walking tour of the city of Dornbirn starting off in the main square, then on to the parish church of St. Martin, with a stop at the City Archives, and then continuing on foot past City Hall and through a lovely residential neighborhood housing some of the oldest homes in town.
The highlight of the morning was visiting the City of Dornbirn Archives where we had the chance to see two of the Dornbirn family books containing handwritten entries about the history of the Dornbirn families, including the family of Francis Martin Drexel. It was fascinating to see these books and documents preserving the family history of the Dornbirn residents, and this inspired many conversations throughout the rest of the day among our group about our own personal family stories and the various experiences tracing our own family trees!
We capped-off the day with a wonderful traditional dinner at the historic Rotes Haus Inn with the Mayor of Dornbirn, members of the City Council, the education minister and members of the local university faculty. The mayor gave a speech welcoming our delegation. I could feel that there was already a developing common ground and sense of purpose between the Dornbirn city officials and Drexel University.
Tuesday, September 11
We started the day with a moment of silence, led by Larry Lehmann ‘72, to remember the 11th anniversary of 9/11. It’s hard to believe that 11 years have passed already; for some it still feels like yesterday.
Then it was off to learn about cheese. We headed across the Swiss border to Appenzell to learn about how the famous Appenzeller cheeses are made! Valduz, Liechtenstein was our next stop to get a glimpse of its famous castle and to get our passports stamped with a “tourist stamp.”
Another wonderful dinner (including more cheese!) was waiting for us atop the nearby Karren Mountain, accessible by cable car, at the Panorama Restaurant. The sweeping views of the Rhine Valley across to Lake Constance, which borders Switzerland and Germany, were well worth the trip!
It was a very relaxing day exploring the Alps and spending time with our Drexel colleagues and newfound Dornbirn friends.
Wednesday, September 12
Today was another great day spent in mountains above Dornbirn, visiting a small family farm called Metzler Farm. They make cheese from goat and cow milk and make cosmetic products from the leftover whey from the cheese production.
We were treated to another amazing dinner at the Gϋtle Gasthof restaurant just on the edge of town, which included our group and members of the City Council and Mayor’s Office.
Thursday, September 13
We started our day at Dietrich Farm to hear the story of how its founder, Dr. Richard Dietrich, produces fresh apple juices, schnapps, and fruit jams, as well as the ingredients and tools to make a traditional dish called riebel. It’s quite delicious with blackberry and black currant jams as a breakfast dish!
The second stop was at the Pfanner fruit juice company, one of the largest producers of fresh fruit juices and iced teas in Europe. Here we learned about their 150 year-old history, and we were treated to a tasting of their new line of organic fresh juices.
After lunch, our final stop was to Fenkart Chocolates! We met the chocolatier, Gunther Fenkart, who took us through a tasting of their unique chocolates and gave us an overview of how they are made.
Our day finished with a visit to the Hohenems Palace where, much to our surprise, we were met by the Count Waldburg-Zeil of Hohenems. He gave us a private tour of his 16th Century Renaissance palace, including many public rooms, recently restored rooms, and also parts of his private residence. I wondered what a big commitment it must be to be responsible for the preservation of such an important cultural and historic palace.
For Friday, we’ll visit Lake Constance and Lindau, Germany. It’s hard to believe this will be our last full day of the trip. Dr. Eric Zillmer, Drexel’s athletic director, informed us that he’ll be asking everyone to talk about their favorite experiences from the week at dinner on Friday. It’ll be hard to choose; there have been so many experiences worth remembering!
Mary graduated from Drexel in 1988 with a degree in marketing, and was a member of Drexel’s varsity swim team. In 2007 she moved to Beirut, Lebanon to help found an international Pre-K to Grade12 school which currently serves 400 students. Mary keeps in touch with her Drexel classmates, particularly a small group of alumni who used to be members of the Drexel swim team.
