Germany - End of First Week

I can hardly believe that I have been here a week already. I have called home and have heard that my children are completely happy and most likely don't miss me at all--a blessing if the truth be known. I know they are in the best of hands, and I couldn't leave them under any other circumstance. (And maybe they miss me a teeny, tiny bit and just haven't let on.)

Sigrid and I had a few quieter days at the beginning of this week. We went to the mall twice and tried a few local specialties. There is a bakery and butcher on every corner and though I have seen a number of them by now, they still amaze me. Sigrid is trying to help me learn the language one little phrase (or menu item) at a time. I think she may feel comfortable leaving me on my own at the mall this weekend. We'll see how it goes. I have learned some of the most important phrases for that adventure: "I speak no German," "I don't know," "Excuse me," and "Ein Harfel weisse heisse shokolade, bitte (a mug of white hot chocolate, please)." We had a lot of fun learning that last phrase this afternoon. It was the source of quite a few laughs throughout the rest of the day.

Yesterday, we went to the city of Kelheim to see the monastery, Weltenburg.

The best way to get there is by boat. You go through the narrowest point on the Danube River, through a small gorge, and it is quite beautiful.

It was cloudy, a little cool, and threatening rain while were on the boat the way there. Luckily, the sun came out and it proved to be a beautiful day--nice enough for us to enjoy a warm cup of soup in the outdoor cafe. (Soup sounded appealing to us because Sigrid was coming down with the cold that I am getting over.)

This is a little church we saw from the boat. In front of the house to the left of church you see a wedding post.

I can't remember whether Sigrid told me the name this wedding post. It is a tradition for the wedding guests to put this post in the garden and cover it with baby clothes to wish them luck for the future.

Following the boat drive we went up to the Befriungshalle, another impressive structure built by the same king who built Walhalla (see previous post). This hall sits at the top of a hill. If you look closely at the picture of Sigrid and me, above, you can see it in the background. There is a path that you can climb to the top of the hill, but we were a little pressed for time, so we took the easy way and drove to the top. We were rewarded with a beautiful view overlooking the city of Kelheim.

We arrived in plenty of time for me to see the Regensburg Domspatzen (the boys' choir) practicing. Patrick attended this school for nine years. Rather than being a school that has a choir, it is a choir with a school. There are other cathedrals with boys' choirs, but Regensburg is the only one in Germany that has its own school. Pit gave me a little tour of the school and we sat in on the practice for the youngest boys. Afterwards, Pit said that while he was able to understand the language of the choir director, he wasn't able to understand all of his meaning. I, however, was much better able to understand the musical meaning of his instructions than I was the language. The choir director was fantastic, and it was amazing to watch how these boys who were talking and laughing and joking just minutes earlier turned into serious students making serious music! Absolutely beautiful!

Today, Sigrid and I joined Pit on a drive to Amberg, where he had to go for work. We dropped him off and first made a short visit to Weiden, where Marianne lived with her parents before moving to Trier.

After our visit to Weiden, we went to Amberg. The tourist information center had a fabulous brochure (in English and German) that allowed us to go on a self-guided tour through the city. Our first stop was this wedding fountain, where I saw some of the fattest pigeons.

Can you see why they call this structure "the city spectacles"?

This little, emphasizing "little," house had a cute story behind it. Way back when (I would tell you more, but I don't have my brochure with me), it was a rule that you had to have a home in town before you could get married to prove you were able to provide for your family. The tradition goes that one man found a small courtyard between two homes, built a front wall, a back wall, and put a roof overhead, thereby satisfying the demands of the law. The home was then sold many times over to other couples who found themselves in similar circumstances. The door of this home now pays tribute to this story, and I believe that the home is now a one-room hotel. (The street was too narrow for me to get a full picture to give you an idea of how small it really was.)

On our way home, Pit surprised me by taking us to this Bobsled-type of ride. I have no idea what it is really called, but it was fun. The climb to the top is a little scary, but the second time around I had more courage and was able to fully enjoy the view.

Whee!

Pit and Sigrid's family have a great sense of humor and they love to laugh together. It seems as if they are not the only ones on their street that do. Sometime after Pit and Sigrid trimmed their front hedge with a little wave on top, their neighbor trimmed his in return.

Don't you just love it? Check out the hair!

Thus ends my update. Here's hoping you're smiling too.

Much love!