Joyful Travelers

Joyful travelers enjoyed a day in Waterloo. Following devotions by Pastor Coughennower, it was time for the wheels on the bus to go round and round! In typical JT fashion, it didn’t take long for the doughnuts and pastries from Hy-Vee to be enjoyed. By 9:45 we had arrived at the huge John Deere Tractor Assembly Plant. Following a 15-minute video of the history and manufacturing, we boarded the trolley to see first hand the assembly of these huge tractors. It’s  amazing to watch it all come together…and those tires that are taller than Pastor Carlson!

We thoroughly enjoyed lunch at the new restaurant Galleria de Paco. This is the restaurant famous for the painted ceiling – a replica of Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City. It is indeed impressive – and the food is outstanding as well. We even checked out the lower level “The Catacombs” with more of Paco’s original art displayed on the walls. Paco’s father, Jackie, serves as the maitre de. We were privileged to have Paco come to the restaurant to greet us and, of course, have his photo taken!

The Dan Gable Wrestling Museum opened in January 2007 has a wealth of information concerning the sport of wrestling. Dan won three state wrestling championships at West High in Waterloo, two NCAA titles at Iowa State, and an Olympic championship as a competitor. As a university coach he won 15 NCAA titles in 21 seasons at U of Iowa. The museum stresses the value and impact of Gable’s life and many accomplishments, providing inspiration and motivation to younger generations of athletes. Next on the itinerary was the stop at St. Demetrois Greek Orthodox Church. The Greeks settled in Waterloo in 1904, and held services in a remodeled house. The current church was the first Greek church built in Iowa in 1929. Most Eastern Orthodox churches are built in the form of a cross, but this one, due to land constraints of neighboring churches, was built in the form of a rectangle. Our docent explained the icons and and furnishings of the church. It has a very ornate interior.

Trinity Lutheran Church is right next door to St. Demetrois, so it didn’t take long to get there! The Gothic designed church is known for its gorgeous stained glass windows and pipe organ. Of all the churches in the Historic Church Row Neighborhood, Trinity offers Christian education for all ages, community service projects, food pantry and children’s clothing closet. Virginia Miller, a long-time member, gave us a brief history of the church, including the story of their chicken dinners on Saturday night. (The donor of the chickens had actually stolen them.) In typical Lutheran style, we enjoyed coffee, punch and homemade cookies and bars.

Our last stop was at Johnson’s Bakery which is famous for all sort of calorie-loaded baked goods. It was a great day with wonderful friends.

Joyful Travelers usually have two trips a year - spring and fall. Nearly ten years ago Joyful Travelers made their maiden voyage to Kalona. In the ensuing years the group has enjoyed 23 trips, including trips to Kansas City, Minneapolis and an overnight trip to Dubuque and Dyersville. These trips are open to anyone interested in joining us. For more information, contact Ruth Hiddleson, 515-225-1013. Invite a friend to join us!  We always have a “joyful” time!