1999
Nov 24...
Nov 27...
Nov 30...
Dec 1...
Dec 4...
Dec 7...
Dec 9...
Dec 17a...
Dec 17b...
Dec 21...
Dec 23...
2000
Jan 1...
Jan 6...
Jan 11...
February...
February 13 - Bavaria & Ludwig's castle at Neuschwanstein...
March 16...
March 23...
March 24...
March 25...
April 11- Netherlands...
April 16 - Paris...
April 22...
May 6 - Mosel Valley...
May 10...
We are currently living in the military housing complex, until we find a house/living place. Apartment 18G of our complex - we thought perhaps that meant "ground." Wrong. Fourth floor. It was a long way up for the bags, but we made it. We are on the outskirts of the area, and have a beautiful view from our windows. The snow on the treetops we could reach out and touch yesterday. Beyond are fields and barns and a small village, I
suppose. A large pile of sugar beets to feed the cattle is over the way. Last night we took a ride to a small village to look at a house. (Happily, the man from Larry's office who picked us up at the airport and is helping us around for now speaks fluent German, as his wife is German). It was absolutely the most quaint thing you've ever seen. The town is called St. Leon (long O). Narrow streets, stucco-type buildings with steeps roofs, small shops (the butcher, the baker), snow on the ground. The houses are built up, not out. The one we looked at, which is typical, is four-story. One will walk many steps. It was dusk when we arrived. The children were bundled and pulling each other in wooden sleds with high backs around the little street, under the street light.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. We will be
happy for Larry to have the day off, and we hope to go into town and eat
German food and see some places.
Dear Everybody
It is Saturday morning at the library, and it is so exciting to hear from you!!! I had no idea if you had gotten the e-mail because the library was closed Thursday and Friday due to the holiday.
We had a good day - traveled around a little of Germany on the bus (as we have no car nor an international driver's license - we have looked at a car, and plan on taking the bear-of-a-test next week.) Today we plan to do the same. We have yet to eat German food, but have been doing well at the Little Americas we have found (i.e., McDonalds and Burger Kings). Glad you had a good holiday.
In our temporary quarters on this military complex, we have great cable hook-up, and get the ball games live, it seems. Living on the economy may not be as good a transmission. No, we did not rent the house we looked at Tuesday night, however picturesque. We looked at another on Thursday, which perhaps would be more practical for us, yet is just as nice, though not quite as "deep" into Germany as the first. We have put our bid in on it.
The snow has melted, the sun has come out (many to most days in Germany during the winter are overcast), and we are heading to the castle today, I think. Mark and Larry are at the park throwing the football. We are not hurting for much.
We love you all, and are happy to hear from you. Keep the e-mails coming!!
Liz and all
Dear Everybody,
Tuesday afternoon and here we are at the library again. Thanks for all your correspondence! The mail call here is indeed quite as exciting as at Crestrige!!
There's so much to think about saying in such a short time, I'm quite sure I will not get it all said, but I will say something. Saturday we did indeed go to the castle. What a sight. To get there, we took the bus into downtown Heidelberg, then walked through what they call a "walking zone" here - beautiful shops lining each side of the street, no cars allowed. The
town has decorated for Christmas just as we are arriving, so it is a beautiful sight - greenery and white lights everywhere. A little boys group was playing trumpets down this walking zone, the clock bells were ringing at a hundreds-of-years-old church in the middle of the square, and the Christmas market was in place. Christmas markets are in many towns in Germany at Christmastime. They are simply open-air markets set up for
shopping - everything from pastries to meats and fruits and vegetables, to wooden carvings and candles and hand-made sweaters and children's toys, and on and on and on and on. It was just more than one could take in.
After walking through the walking zone and past the church, one arrives at the foot of the castle. This is a hundreds-of-years-old castle lived in by such kings as Ludwig V, Friedrich II and IV. We saw only part of the castle this day. If walking, which we did, one walks up a path of at least 45 degrees angle, to arrive at the castle.
(There is also a way to drive up). You then walk back in time approximately 400 or so years. Much of the castle still stands as it was, much is in ruins. It was fascinating. There was a moat around this castle; one can see where it was. You can see where the iron gates came down, and the thick wooden doors closed (with a smaller wooden door within this door, I suppose to let a person in if not wishing to allow the whole army through). The
towers are massive at each corner. We walked through the courtyard within the castle walls, where the fountain is, then out into the gardens and terraces. At another time we will take the guided tour into many of the interior rooms which are still intact, and used for plays and dinners. Exquisite, according to the pictures.
After the castle, we took a bus to a streetcar, and rode the streetcar, up and down the line, just to ride a streetcar. That was fun. The German driver wondered about us. He drives at one end of the car while driving in one direction, then simply walks through the car to the other end to drive back the other way.
Then, as we were determined to have real German food before returning "home," we rode the bus past our stop to a little town called Schwetzingen (which is actually the town where Larry works). It was nearly evening by then, getting dusk, again the Christmas greenery and lights were beautiful. This town has a walking zone, and on this zone we found the most wonderful little German restaurant. Of course, the waiter spoke to us in German. We looked blank. He seated us, then brought us a large menu, the first page of
which was a big picture of the Statue of Liberty. The menu was in English!
We had a delightful meal of wiener schnitzel (breaded veal cutlet Viennese style), with chocolate candy at the end. The restaurant, the building probably hundreds of years old, had dark wood finishings, white lace curtains at the windows, flowers and a candle on each table (which Mark, of course, wanted to blow out at the end). Again, it was too much to take in.
By then, it was nightfall, we waited for our bus and returned to Heidelberg. Mark has fun on the buses. All Americans must show their military ID. As Mark is not required to have one at this age, he none-the-less wears a ID card around his neck with his name, address, phone number, etc. He loves to show it to the bus drivers, who look closely, then smile. By that point, they don't even care about looking at Larry's and mine.
I will close for now, as my time is almost up. Thank you for sharing this around to everyone. I love you all!
Liz
Dear Mom,
......Thanks for the letters!...And the pictures were wonderful....Mark has some in his small photo book he carries around...
Did you hear - we are in the process of buying a Mercedes??? It is a relatively old one, 1985, but a good car (though not the color of our dreams.) Larry and I both passed our driver's license tests - PTL!!!
Did you know I am home-schooling Mark for now? It is going very well, though there are things to work through (e.g. his intense desire to get absolutely every question right absolutely every time). He is a smart boy.
Must close for now. Thanks for everything.
Love, Liz
(Yes, isn't modern technology wonderful?)
Dear KK,
Quick message. Thanks for all you do to keep communications going. Thanks for all the newsy letters. Got an e-mail from AB. That baby will be here soon, and you will be a grandmother! What is your name going to be? Have you found transportation?
I am still working on a wish list for Mark, and hope to get it to you soon. One thing that would be wonderful would be a puzzle or two, 100-200 pieces. He loves puzzles, and ours are coming in January or so.
Tell John thanks for all the e-mails, too. We hope to access some of
those web addresses one of these days. Right now I spend all of my hour just receiving and writing letters! Yes, to think that Dad came through Heidelberg on a bicycle. He was younger than I am.
Must go.
Much love. Liz
Dear Everybody,
Greetings from Heidelberg. There is so much to tell and so little time
and I will try to say what I can!
We are now owners of a "new" 1985 Mercedes car!!! Inspection was completed today, money handed over, and I filled it with the first tank of gas (an accomplishment in itself, as I had not yet gotten the military gas ration cards, so had to pay in German marks, did not have the correct change, and the lady started talking to me in German. We made it, though. I got my gas, and I think she got her money). Then we headed to a friend's house near downtown Heidelberg. Now, mind you, the Germans don't necessarily put street signs on all streets and roads, so using the map can be of little to no use. We ended back at our apartment, I called, got more specific directions, and we made it. Mark had a particularly good time, as this friend has little children just his age (almost) - they played and played and played, and took time out for lunch only because we insisted. We hope to "grow old" together with them some during the next three years.
Now let me hurry on to my next bit of news. The first house we looked at in the little town of St. Leon (the night of the snow) is actually still for rent, as the German realtor called me last night. And, as neither of the next two houses worked out (the one overlooking the country probably will be sold rather than rented out), we took this one. So, if all works as planned, we now have a house! We can hardly wait for you to see it! Tomorrow he will come for my typed statement of intent to rent, and then we will sign the contract when Larry returns in two weeks.
Now for my next bit of news before my time runs out - Now that we have a car, Mark and I may (mind you, he is looking over my shoulder right now, and this has been a secret, so I guess it isn't anymore), take a trip to Vilseck Friday to see Larry! The route it pretty direct, so why not?! The town is in the forest, a very beautiful place, and very close to the Czech border. Even if we can't drive over the border, we may just walk over to say we've been there. We will keep you posted, as able.
This will be a busy week - tomorrow night is choir party at church for Mark, Thursday night is basketball meeting (yes, he made it on the team!), and we have wheels now, so no telling where we may go!
We love you all, and hope you get this message.
Liz and Mark, and Larry from Vilseck (And Duke, says Mark!)
Dear Everybody,
Just an early-morning note from us to you, Thursday December 9, 1999.
Yes, happy birthday, Larry!
Mark and I are planning on leaving Heidelberg tomorrow morning to journey to Vilseck. Our car is doing well, and we are set. If all goes as planned, we hope to stay a few days. Larry finishes classes Friday the 17th, and would love to have a ride home, versus the train. We'll see what works out. He will need to find accommodations, as we will not all be able to fit in his present hotel room with another man. So, if you don't hear from us for a week, we're fine.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening with Bev and her family (Tuesday's outing was to see Kevin and his family - Kevin is the five-year-old). It was wonderful. I needed to go out to Larry's office and pick up some mail - Bev drove us there, then by our new house so we could all see it again, then to her house for play and roast beef dinner and to the children's choir party at church (she is the choir director). It was too fun, and Mark was too wound up! Oh well, he earned this one, I think. This is an English-speaking Southern Baptist church, small and quite friendly, and not too far a drive.
KK mentioned about me writing out a typical day for us. I'm not so sure we have had a typical day yet. Perhaps after the first of the year, or perhaps after we get into the house. At present, we try to do schoolwork in the mornings, and business in the afternoons. Today I decided to forego that schedule, as there is much business to do to prepare for our trip. Once business is taken care of, we will have the afternoons to enjoy. There is so much to see and do. January 15, 2000 is the day the house is ours. Our "hold baggage" may have arrived by that time, but no furniture, so we may have to borrow from the government. Bicycles will come with the furniture (called "household goods"), so we are not as yet able to bicycle around the town. One sees many, many people bicycling, especially in the small towns like St. Leon. And I am talking about everybody, especially the older/senior citizen types. Bicyclists have the same right of ways as motor vehicles.
Just to let you know, I only have one-hour's worth of sitting time at the computer here in the library; that includes reading and writing time, and waiting time until the computer will let me log-on. So, the time goes very quickly. But, there is NO CHARGE. The military obviously has some advantages.
Must go. Mark and I have many things to do, and he is patiently waiting.
Much love to you all. Liz
Dear KK, Peg and Mom,
We're home! It's Friday afternoon, and I could not stand not getting to the library to check the mail. Thanks for it all!! This is only going to be a short note to the three of you. I will get my letter telling about the week started later.
KK, great idea about printing off my mail and reading it later to save time on my one-hour allotment. However, we're not allowed to print from the Internet.... No, we haven't made it to the Heidelberg Cathedral, but we will plan on it when you come, if not before. In my letter later about the week in Amberg (next to Vilseck), you will hear about the Medieval church we went to last Sunday. .....
Peg, KK, and Mom - the boxes were here when we dropped by Larry's office this afternoon. Boy, was Mark excited. Good thing it's only eight days til Christmas. I don't know if I could have stood it any longer. Peg, we'll open what is to be opened now. Fun! The cookies seemed to arrive fine. On the nylon pants, yes I guess most I've seen and the ones he has have elastic at the ankles, but these sound fine. Mom, you're doing great on the e-mail. I'm proud of you!!! Don't worry about the mistakes. I'm just tickled to be talking to you! .....
EVERYBODY - How about a pre-Christmas phone call? We will go to my friend Bev's house - they have some kind of a set-up for a great price. Let's not do it on Christmas day, however, maybe a few days before. What about the middle of the week sometime? Where will you (KK and Peggy) be, and what is your phone number? (presuming you will be at Anne-Britton's). Mom, what is your schedule? Remember, we are 7 hours ahead of Tulsa time, 6 hours ahead of Lou. time. Let me know some options, and I'll talk to Bev about her schedule. Thanks.
I have 20 minutes left, so I'm going to do some other typing.
Love you all!!! Liz
Dear Everybody,
Greetings! This is a day-by-day journal of our adventure of going to see Larry in Vilseck, Germany the week of December 10-17, 1999. I will start this letter, and continue as I am able. Larry is TDY (temporary duty) to attend classes to learn how to teach the classes he will be teaching on sports and fitness beginning in January. Here is a chronicle of our adventures.
Friday, December 10,
Liz and Mark set out in our trusty Mercedes down the autobahn toward Vilseck - a small town in northeastern Bavaria [about 45 miles NE of Nuremberg; see link - jwa]. We make only two wrong turns, which are easily corrected. I drive 120 on the average (kph, that is, which is about 72 mph) and find no trouble using the passing lane, as long as I carefully gauge the speed of the upcoming car behind me. Driving is intense and I sometimes get behind a truck (trucks do have speed limits on the autobahn, and they are relatively low) just so I can relax and enjoy the scenery for awhile. We need to make one stop for gas. All you really need to be able to say is the number of the gas pump you are using ("Ein" for one), and "Danke" (thank you) after paying with your gas coupons (certain stations will accept these). We took snacks in the car so as to not have to deal with ordering food.
The countryside is beautiful! We passed many small towns and villages, the houses with red-tiled roofs and clustered close together . The church steeple was the highest point in the village. As we drove into eastern Bavaria, there were more forests (not the Black Forest, as that is in southern Bavaria). So there would be patches of fields, then forest, then fields, then forest. The forests were towering pine trees, very dense.
We arrived safely in Vilseck well before dark, met Larry, and headed for our hotel in Amberg, a nearby and larger town. They gave us the best hotel in Germany (now called Europa Congress Hotel, previously a Ramada Inn). Quite nice. The comforters on the bed are the kind with sheet and comforter all in one - so cozy. We settle into the hotel, then head next door for some German dining - wienerschnitzel und salat und pommel fritz. It was good. Then we headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
That's all for now - my time is up. I will talk to you later!
Love, Liz
Dear Everybody,
Merry Christmas, or Frohliche Weihnachten, as they say in Germany!
This is part 2 of our trip to Vilseck/Amberg.
Saturday morning, December 11,
we were ready to explore (after enjoying some Saturay morning cartoons. . . in German, of course). We headed north on the autobahn (now Larry is enjoying driving his new Mercedes!) to the town of Hof. Again, we drive through much forest and by beautifully cultivated fields. The towns, as the fields, are well-kept. Germany is a very clean country. The sky is blue today, which makes it a perfect day for driving. We pass along the way, high on a hill, some present-day windmills - huge white structures, each with three long narrow arms going round and round. Indeed, these are windmills, generating electricity. they were fascinating to watch.
After Hof (a friend of ours back home is from here - we wanted to drive through), we drove to the border town of Selb, Germany. Then we began to see the signs: Zoll Douane, meaning Customs Control ahead. We were nearing the Czech border. Perhaps because we've read so much of Brother Andrew and his experiences of smuggling Bibles into the iron curtain countries, I had butterflies. There was quite a long line of cars waiting, moving slowly through the checkpoint. When we arrived, we did no more than show our passports and we were waved through. No car searches at all!
Now to drive into the Czech border town of As was to experience a different world. Immediately, we could see that this is a very poor place. There were many vacant, dilapidated buildings, lower windows boarded up with bricks. The streets were dirty, there were many signs pointing to bars and such. It gave us an uneasy feeling. Such a stark contrast to Germany. Someday we will come back and spend more time, but today is not the day.
It was good to cross the border back again. We are beginning to be able to read and understand the German signs along the road. It seemed a relief to be back in Germany, as the Czech language and signs we definitely could not read. In the town of Selb, we stopped at a crystal shop, "Bohemia Cristal,", made in Czechoslovakia. it is very nice and very inexpensive, mostly. Then we headed back to Amberg - on the backroads this time. Beautiful country, as always. Looking out over a valley, you could see four or five small villages dotting the countryside. We got off the larger backroad and drove through some of these very small villages. The roads were quite narrow. Through the little village of Niederarndt (you won't find it on the map), we passed only a few yards from the open door of a barn where a farmer had his cows, a dozen or so on each side of the barn, in the stalls ready to milk. They were contentedly chewing their hay piled in front of them - that is, until we passed so close by them. One by one they raised their heads to look at us. Then I guess continued on munching after we left. Coming out of another little village, at the corner of a field, was a very, very small chapel (it looked like that is what it was), as there was a cross on the top. It would have held no more than two or three people at most. That would have been interesting to find out about.
As we were low on gas and it was dusk and we were well off the beaten path, we headed back to our hotel.
That's all for now. We love you. Larry, Liz and Mark
P.S. [from part of another letter of 1221:] We had snow Sunday [12-20], about 5 inches, built the best snowforts you have ever seen - fun to have Mark a little older to love this kind of play. - Liz
Dear Everyone,
Sunday morning December 12, 1999,
It is Sunday morning December 12, 1999, as I am writing this. We are in our car driving to Nurnberg to the Christmas Market which is so famous. We have just been to the medieval Church of St.Georg in Amberg. The church is called Pfarrkirche St. Georg. There were two churches we could see in the Stadtmitte (town center). The church bells were ringing in the steeple at St. Georg Church, so we walked there. The town center is walled, with a moat surrounding it. Within are the churches, shops, and winding narrow
stone streets. It dates from medieval times; the people and ruler had their homes within the wall, too. It is called the "old city." To walk up the street to the church was a step back in time. The church bells had stopped ringing when we arrived at church, and we could hear strains of the pipe organ through the walls of the church. To open the heavy wooden door and step in reminded me of the Salzberg Cathedral in the Sound of Music.
The inside of the church was very ornate - towering white columns and arches, bas relief figures high on the wallsl, ornately carved wooden pews with kneeling benches, and an elaborate altar area at the front of the church with a large painting of St. Georg and the angels, surrounded by columns and gold. The altar itself was of gold, and there were many candlesl, and much incense. The service was in German, of course, and, as it was a Catholic church, we rose and kneeled and sat a lot. There was responsive singing (we followed in the hymnbook), a sermon, an offering (Mark put in some German marks and pfennigs) and communion (we did not partake). The altar boy swung a flask heavy with incense. Most of the worshipers were adults, although we saw a few children. At the end of the service the organ played again - and the church bells rang.
Now it is late afternoon and we are back at our hotel in Amberg. The Christmas Mark (Christkindlesmarkt) in Nurnberg was wonderful. It was in the old town center (downtown). There were small open air shops everywhere, and gaily decorated with greenery and lights. As the morning was gray, the lights were more beautiful. There were people everywhere, and the sights and sounds and aromas were more than one could take in. We passed accordion players, small bands of different instruments, an organ grinder. There were many food stalls. Bratwurst and lebkuchen were favorites. Lebkuchen is a delicious German cookie. We have had it twice. One stall today said "Lebkuchen-Schmidt"! At the Heidelberg Christmas Market were bratwurst one-half meter in length! There were nativity scenes here and there. There were beautiful, huge, very old churches. One had a glockenspiel - it was chiming on the hour when we came - a procession of priests marched around, out of and in the tower. Simply walking along the streets leading to the shops was a wonder in and of itself. A small brook flows through the town (the Pegnitz), so we passed across the old bridge, over to the market area, and back. A restaurant spans part of the river. Swans and ducks were swimming in the brook. In the children's market area were children's rides - Mark rode the two-story carousel - top story. Big fun.
Now it is evening. We have been outside - there is a small park behind the hotel. I walked. Larry and Mark threw the football. Then... more big fun. Right next to our hotel is a huge indoor water park. We went. There were pools, whirlpools, waterfalls to walk under, fountains coming up out of the water, and. . . a three-story high wasserrutsche (waterslide). We did it - all of us! Of course, mark was the most excited, but indeed it was quite fun. (Do you know how far you sink in the pool when you hit the bottom of the slide?!) We topped it off by a brisk, fast swim/walk through the outdoor pool area where many people were swimmming and playing (mind you, the temperature here is not much above freezing). The water was quite warm - the only problem was the head above water getting cold. We are now tucked snugly back in our hotel room - Mark working on artwork, Larry studying for his class, and me writing. Good night to all. Tomorrow will
be another day.
It is Monday evening, December 13, now.
I certainly cannot do such a detailed account of every day that we are here in Germany - it will be a book!
Today was much more routine. Larry was in class all day, and Mark and I had school from 8 til 4. We needed this day to settle down and work on special sounds, word problems, and arithmetic families. It was a productive day. Morning, noon and afternoon recesses were fun. We walked outside. Beyond the park is a small brook which we followed... under a bridge and over to the old city. There were dozens and dozens of mallard ducks, and a few swans in the brook. The wall of the city is intriguing - stone arches where the brook/canal flows in and through the city, towers with high, small windows, buildings built into the wall. Tonight we all walked over in to the city. And there to our surprise was another Christmas market! White Christmas lights everywhere, a huge lighted Christmas tree in the middle of the square, shops and people and food. We shared a half-meter wurst tonight - it was delicious. Lebkukchen cookies later. These few days have been quite "German."
Tuesday, December 14, 1999
Today after school Mark and I did the water park. Ten times up and down the water slide. Do you know how many flights of climbing that is?!
Wednesday, December 15, 1999
Today after school, Mark and I walked over to the "Old City." We stopped in the church we went to on Sunday. The children's choir was practicing at the front of the church with the organ. It sounded like the Vienna Boy's Choir.
We walked through the streets, both this afternoon, and this evening all three of us. It is almost too much to take in. The shops and buildings are so "German"! There was a horse-drawn carriage taking children on rides through the old city. It was cold, and the children were all bundled. We found the library (stadtbibliothek) this afternoon - children's section. It was fund to look through the books. Mark played with the blocks. In the evening the three of us ate pizza at a quaint little restaurant. Mark and I have been eating at a nearby restaurant each noon, and have become friends with the waitress. We practice our German on her; she practices her English on us. She gave Mark little gifts today, as we were leaving her for the last time this week. We had an afternoon pastry snack on our eouting in the old city. We are doing well figuring out marks and pfennigs.
Thursday, December 16, 1999
Snow during the night, just enough to cover the ground, made a beautiful sight this morning. For lunch, we walked to the Old City and ate at. . . McDonald's. Oh well, so everyone was happy. Their playland slide was in the design of a castle - quite fitting. While Mark played, I read all the signs in German. On the way back to the hotel Mark fed the ducks in the river. After Larry got home, we walked to the old city again, ate at a
beautiful old monastic-looking restaurant, wood benches, small arched windows, a candle on the table, crucifix on the wall. Walking along the streets, you are surprised by courtyards set back beyond large arched wooden doorways. The courtyards have a second-story balcony around them, one with a life-sized figure of what looked like St. Fracncis of Assissi or some other monk, I suppose.
Friday, December 17, 1999
We head back to Heidelberg. There is a light snow on the ground, making the forests even more beautiful. We have enjoyed this "very German" week, and are sad to leave it behind.
But now it is Christmas week, and we can hardly wait for all the fun and wonder of this week.
We love you!
2000
Dear Everyone,
Today is January 1, 2000. Happy New Millennium! Very uncharacteristically for us, we stayed up last night to welcome in the new year. From high atop our fourth story quarters, we could see the fireworks for miles. (There was a big fireworks display at the Castle; we did not go.) Our apartment faces [west-southwest**] away from the castle toward the neighboring towns of Schwetzingen, Plankstadt and Oftersheim. The horizon there was lit up for nearly half an hour after midnight with brilliant fireworks. We had no trouble hearing them as well. We retired about 1 a.m., quite satisfied that no Y2K catastrophe was upon us. [**The Castle and most of Heidelberg are on the south bank of the Nekar River]
Today we drove to France for lunch! We drove to the town of Strasbourg*, just [southwest] across the French border, across the Rhine River. Passing customs into France was uneventful. I think they were closed for the day, as no one came out to see us, so we drove on through. No one followed after us, either, so I guess we were okay. We drove to the old city downtown, where the old buildings are huge and many-storied. Through the town runs the Ill (iLL) River. We took a boat ride! The ride wound through both the old city, and part of the new, so we saw many sites. There was the oldest French protestant church - Albert Schweitzer pastored there. The building for the European Parliament sits on this river also - the Conseil de L'Europe; it is quite big. To ride up the river (and back down again), we passed through a lock - that was quite fun, especially for Mark.
We walked through the streets a bit after this - went to the Cathedral of Strasbourg, dating from the 13th century [1284]. The cathedral made the Church of St. George in Amberg seem small by comparison! It was beautiful Gothic architecture - massive arches [spire is 466 ft high] and intricate stained glass windows high in the cathedral. Inside toward the front of the cathedral on the sides are small "chapels" for prayer. On one wall is an inscription honoring the American servicement who helped to free Alsace 1944-45.
We stopped then for lunch in a little cafe along the city's walking zone. We ordered hog dogs. As we are in France, the hog dogs (there were two of them in each sandwich with melted cheese and tomatoes) are served in a half-loaf of French bread. Yummy. Poor Mark - he has a front top tooth loose, and found it difficult to bite into that hard loaf of bread.
Pleased to find our car again after walking through the streets of the town, we are on our way back home now.
So sorry, this letter must continue later. The library is closing, and so
must I.
I love you all!!!
Liz and boys
[some notes in brackets by jwa] [* Strasborg in the Alsace region of France has been fought over much of the past four hundred years. "It was a German free town until 1681, when it was united with France. During the French Revolution in 1792, 'The Marseillaise,' the French national Anthem, was written in Strasborg. After the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, France ceded Strasborg to Germany. The city became French again after the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. German troops occupied Strasborg in 1940, and Allied troopd freed the city in 1944." -- World Book]
Just a quick note to say hi, and we are doing fine. We are into a busy routine now, and it is fun. Mark is doing well with school - had a big phonics test today, and he did well. Big news on him is - he lost his front tooth! The gap it left is definitely the size of TWO front teeth, leaving us with pictures we will never forget. He is cute! He has gotten started with extra-curricular activities - his favorite kind. Tuesday and Thursday evenings is basketball practice, and Saturdays (starting 1/15) are games. Wednesday evenings are children's choir at the church (my friend Bev is the choir leader). And Thursday afternoons is AWANAs ("Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - a Bible club; today is our first day. This weekend we hope to visit Augsburg, where Larry was stationed 25 years ago - he says it's beautiful. We hope to be in Schweinfurt on Sunday to visit a friend of the Ryuns. That will be a fun weekend.
Now, here is the remainder of our "New Year's Letter" :
After the stop in Strasbourg, we headed back home. In the woods along the autobahn are many uprooted trees. Sunday before last, high winds tore through much of Europe, causing much damage and loss of life. 6,000 or more trees in the garden in Versailles were uprooted, and the roof and windows of Notre Dame damaged. In Southern Germany, winds reached 124 mph.
Very soon we will be moving into our house. Our first shipment of belongings has arrived; we will have them taken directly to our house. At about the same time, Larry will be teaching his first classes (these are 40-hour classes - no small deal), so we will have some busy days. This week he is moving into new offices and. . . we are buying our second car - a 1983 white with black interior . . . Porsche! We realize it sounds awesome to own a Mercedes and a Porsche - it's just that one gets some very good deals around here, with people moving back to the States. We can hardly wait to get you here to take you for a drive!
We also hope to be speaking some German by the time you arrive, too, as we have purchased the "Berlitz Basic German" course, and have begun studying it. Mark is of course learning some German words already. He will learn more when he plays with the German children in our neighborhood!
Must close for now. We love you! Liz, Larry and Mark
January 8-9, 2000
Dear Everybody,
We left this morning the 8th to drive to Augsburg, Germany where Larry was stationed 25 years ago. Augsburg is in southern Bavaria, close to the Alps, and the drive through the early morning fog in the forests was beautiful. The city of Augsburg is 250,000 in population. . . and has changed a lot in the past 25 years. With some looking, we found the Bahnhof (train station), then with the help of a postman (good person to ask to find
places) were able to find Reese Kaserne. This kaserne, along with all other American facilities in Augsburg, was given back to the Germans in 1996-97 when the U.S. pulled out of that area. Some of the kasernes are simply vacant. Reese was open. One of the barracks housed the German Post Office.
Larry's barracks looked like it had some offices in it, maybe a church meets on one wing. Anyway, the front door was open, so we went in and did some reminiscing. It was fun. Saw the softball field where Larry used to play, the theater where he sat through more movies than he cares to remember, and the "American hotel" where he and two buddies (Bud Rohrer and Bill Harvey) waved good-bye to the rest of his Charlie Battery (as the
battery was leaving for the field on their tanks, and Larry, Bud and Bill were leaving for home). When their discharge was to be soon, soldiers were allowed to answer "Short!" at roll call. To best his buddy (as Larry would be out a day earlier than he), Larry loved to call out, "Shorter!"
After Larry and Mark played some football outside the barracks, we drove downtown to the old city. Augsburg was a walled city; only portions of the wall remain. We visited one of Larry's old hang-outs, and tried to find another but couldn't. So we walked around and had a pastry at a backerei (bakery) downtown. We passed a statue of a wealthy banker named Fugger; his family started the "Fuggeri", a settlement of retirement homes in Augsburg for the elderly, costing $1.00 per year. Augsburg was also the home of Mozart's father [Leonard]; we walked by what we think was his home.
Happy to find our car again (as we had walked some distance), we drove on to Schweinfurt that evening. Schweinfurt is in central Germany, on the River Main. It is mostly an industrial city now. We were headed there to visit a friend of the Ryun's named Fran Erwin. Fran teaches at the DoDds (Department of Defense) schools in Schweinfurt - math and science at the middle school - and is a runner. He goes to Kansas in the summers to help with the Ryun's running camp. Anyway, we arrived in Schweinfurt late, well past dark, and found a small German hotel called "Hotel am Bergl" (am meaning "near the," and Bergl is the name of a nearby town, I think). It was a very nice little hotel - three floors of rooms above the main floor. We were on the top floor and, as German buildings have high sloped roofs, we had to watch the ceiling when walking over by the window side of the room (i.e., it slopes too). The beds were cozy with that comforter and sheet all-in-one style like in Amberg, and the shower hot. There are metal "blinds" which are raised and lowered on the outside of windows in Germany, primarily to protect against the cold, but also for privacy. When we were driving through the many little villages on our way to Schweinfurt tonight (after dark), everything in the towns seemed closed up tight because of these blinds being down. Only the street lights shone. Anyway, we closed our blinds and were off for a good night's sleep.
Sunday morning the church bells were ringing. We ate downstairs at the hotel. Continental breakfasts in Germany are quaint. They consist of hard rolls and pastries and cookies, thin-sliced meats and cheeses, yogurt, juice and milk and coffee, and many types of jams and toppings for the bread. (Mark and I love the chocolate; of course on Mark's roll, he not only spread the chocolate but also some kind of berry jam, then added his meat and cheese slices - hmmm). The quaint part of the breakfast is that the breads
and pastries and other items are set out in baskets. Baskets, baskets everywhere. German ladies love baskets, at least they use them a lot - carry baskets down the street or hve them on their bicycles for carrying groceries, etc. You'll have to get a German basket when you get here!
After breakfast we rested a bit, then headed out to find Fran's church. It is a Baptist church in the European Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist affiliation) which meets in a German church building after the German service is over. So... Sunday School is at 11:45 (there is one class for the entire church), and the service at 12:45. We arrived at Sunday School a bit late (touble finding the church), and the three of us nearly doubled the size of the class (there were five, so we made eight). There were a few more for the service, probably 17 or 18 including babies and children. . . makes our church in Heidelberg/Sandhausen seem BIG. The service was wonderful, the fellowship close, then we enjoyed a Taco Bell lunch at the PX area with Fran. He and Larry enjoyed talking running and ryuns and other topics.
On our drive home we listened to Berlitz Basic German. It will take awhile to learn.
Love to all. Larry, Liz and Mark
Dear Everybody,
Greetings!!!!! It has been soooo long since I've written. It's "wunderbar" to be sitting here sending greetings. Guten tag!!!
For those of you who knew that our two neighbors were coming today, the tea went wonderfully. Thank you for praying! We talked German, drank tea and had coffee cake, looked at pictures, and saw the house. Everything couldn't have been more wonderful. They brought us a potted plant ( as is customary in Germany), and chocolates for Mark!
I will have to send you a narrative of our conversation (as I, of course, had diligently written it out beforehand). Someday...
I am going to try to get as much typing as possible into this hour, as I do have some time. Here's to catch you up on the news of the last few weeks
January 28, 2000
Dear Everybody,
I'm writing this Friday afternoon January 28, sitting on the bleachers at the gym near Larry's work, watching Larry and Mark play basketball. Tomorrow Mark has his third game. He will be up at 5:55, he says, so he will be ready by 6:00. The game is at noon.
Life at Rennweg 7 is wonderful! It was two weeks ago today we moved. What a BIG two weeks.
Moving day itself was exciting (though thankfully uneventful). The movers and van arrived by 9 or 9:30 a.m. and worked straight through til about 3:30 or 4:00. Very little was damaged, as best we can tell now (poor Grandma's dining room furniture - a chair broke a leg; but at least it wasn't the table that broke a leg, like last time). We have had a big two weeks of unpacking (and continuing to sort). By no means are we close to finishing, but we are farther along than not. The unpacking is a little here and a little there. I started with the main floor (kitchen primarily) and it looks basically beautiful, if I can keep it that way. Getting Mark's room settled was high on the priority list, too, and he is quite settled and LOVES playing in his room. It is big, has wooden floors and bright windows.
The sun shines much more in St. Leon than Heidelberg (the mountains by Heidelberg "catch" the clouds, keeping the weather quite gray in the winter). Our room is fairly well put together - you've got to check out this closet of ours - it's definitely American, not German. We will not get Mark a shrunk, as he can share our closet. The school room on the third floor is wonderful, wonderful, wunderbar! Big window looks out over our street. Mark has his desk, I have Larry's little one from his growing up days. We have a little bookcase for our schoolbooks and supplies (yes, the crates from Brazil). The coffee table is a nice low change of place for certain activities. The file cabinets are there for ready access. And... the wonderful classroom easel. It feels like a real schoolroom! This week's project for me (sandwiched between school, games and practices, AWANAs, and sundry other things) has been setting up the "reading room". . . the other main room on the third floor. In it are Grandma's brown overstuffed chair, the brown couch, the cedar chest with stereo, my desk, and books. Whoever sleeps up there will love it. The second floor bathroom is delightful. Floor heating (tiles) and a towel warming rack on the wall, two sinks, a bath tub big enough for Mark to swim in, and hot water in the shower. Main floor has a half-bath, with commodes and a sink. The living room is big and roomy with a heated floor. Fun to sit on the FLOOR to play games. Big windows here - floor to ceiling, with one that opens out onto the patio and garden (Mr. Stegmuller wants to keep up the garden. . . fine with us). The windows have rolladens on the outside - sort of like big metal blinds, which are rolled down in the evenings and up in the mornings. They are for protection from the cold. And also for privacy. (The perfect answer to day-sleeping for night shift workers!) The kitchen is delightful - new, beautiful cabinets, modern stove and oven and refrigerator and dishwasher (all small, but that's the way they are here), and beautiful bright airy windows. Both the kitchen and living/dining areas are floor-heated - sooo nice in the winter. In the basement is Mark's playroom (smaller than before but quite adequate), the storeroom (DISASTER - soooo many boxes - what could they all be?), and the wash room with (German) washer and dryer. Again, the Germans make appliances smaller, so we wash a lot. The dryer is a condenser-type dryer - no vent outside - the water from the clothes is condensed into a contained which you empty after each load. It is distilled, they say, so you can use it in you r iron. (I would love to find my iron) (probably in one of those boxes). And sadly, the directions for this new kind of dryer for me were all in German. So. . . having used my dictionary as much as I could to translate, and still getting flashing lights, I went and got our landlord's dad (who lives just around the corner and is VERY GERMAN and speaks ONLY GERMAN). Trust me, it was a challenge communicating. I used the dictionary, then he used the dictionary, we used sign language, pointed, wrote down numbers (they look basically the same but don't sound the same), and nodded and shook our heads a lot. Anyway;, bottom line is, we got it figured out, and now I do right well drying clothes. I think he got a kick out of it.
We are enjoying the neighbors. As soon as I get things a little more settled, I want to have them over. Mark has had an invitations to "play legoes" across the cul-de-sac. Birgit, the mom, speaks English fairly well, and has three boys (aged kindergarten and below). Ellen, the neighbor in the other side of our duplex is the sister of our landlord - they have one small boy Yanik, and she speaks English only a little. The neighbor on our right is an (almost) no English-speaking lady. Her two children, Anya and Yents, are adorable and Yents, who is not quite three, just chatters and chatters (and probably wonders why I don't answer back).
February 12, 2000
It is now two weeks later. Time has gone quickly, and we are making progress. The boxes are all unpacked, though there is much "settling in" to do. The pictures are on the walls. The computer is working (though we are not yet connected on e-mail). Our TV (new - American TVs don't work over here) brings us AFN (Armed Forces Network - including news and sports) with the possibility of hookups to other stations. . . all via satellite. And the phone connections are wonderful!
In addition to school and all of his extra-curricular activities, Mark's basketball goal is up at home, and he plays and plays. The neighborhood children watch and watch. He will have to teach them to play. This week Mark and Mom visited Birgit and her three boys one afternoon. While the boys played, we had tea and little waffles and cake and cookies and apfelsaft. And after two hours, she asked why we had to go so soon. It is
very German when going for a visit to stay two or three hours. Ellen next door and her mother, Mrs. Stegmuller (who knows NO English) are coming to our house for tea week after next. I must learn a bit more German between now and then to have enough conversation to last that long! The house is almost ready (Mr. Stegmuller, Ellen's husband Uwe pronounced "Oova", and Gert our landlord built the house, so I want to have it looking well. Germans keep their houses so neat, clean and tidy. It will be a challenge, keeping up with the Jones - er, Stegmullers.
Back to the visit at Birgit's house - After Mark had played awhile there, he and Sebastian ( the kindergartner) went to the neighbors across the way to play awhile. The boy's name there is Daniel, and Daniel's grandfather is a farmer. We see him going in and out past our house on his tractor. He has a very old house, small barn and stable, and stone courtyard. In the stable are three horses, a large bin full of carrots outside (to feed the horses, I guess), and a barrel full of corn. There were four or five neighbor boys playing soccer in the courtyard, with the opa (Grandpa) looking on. Absolutely the picture of Germany - a step back in time. Mark fit right in.
Each Saturday morning (with the exception of the weekend we moved) Larry and/or Larry and Mark and/or Larry, Mark and I have walked to one of the bakeries and brought home tasty delicious German pastries. Definitely a "must" when you come! The German people go to the bakery, then the butcher's. We see the neighbors returning home on their bikes from the market with bread and all in the basket on the back. The neighbors on our street pass by our house each day (or so it seems) with their basket on the way to the market. I have been to the market here, but just to look so far. The people here also love to be out when it is sunny, and love to enjoy their Sunday afternoons. Many people can be seen walking, strolling, or biking on the paths through the fields outside of town. Their pace is slow - they are just out to enjoy. At mittag (midday) each day, all shops close here in town, until two or three in the afternoon. When we first walked to town one day around 1:30, we thought it must be a German holiday. You can always hear the church bells ringing, many times throughout the day. It's beautiful.
Must close for now.
Today is a cold, crisp Sunday morning. The sky is gray, and there is snow on the ground. We are at the foot of the Alps outside of a town named Fussen, Germany, at the Konigschloss - castle of the king - Neuschwanstein. While we are waiting for entrance, I am writing.
Yesterday we left Heidelberg and traveled three hours to Fussen - a picturesque German town in southern Bavaria. After finding a hotel, Hotel Hirsch, we walked to and around the old city. The shops were closed but we found a nice eating place and enjoyed a German dinner. The outside of German buildings in southern Bavaria are beautifully painted. The inside of our hotel, as well, had painted staircases and ceilings and decorations on the wall. The room was luxurious - a small alcove overlooking the square outside the hotel, brass framed mirror, brass curtain rods, chandelier, hot water, comforters and BIG pillows (with a candy) on the beds. What a cozy night's sleep. Breakfast at the hotel was hard rolls with toppings (mmm - chocolate), fruit, yogurt, muesli, sliced meat and cheeses, eggs to order. After breakfast, we walked into the old city (walled city) and found a church. The service had ;just begun, we think. We tried to sit inconspicuously on the back row. People kept coming; soon the pews were almost full. We realized that men and boys sat on the right, women and girls on the left. Oops, I was off sides. Looking at the complexion of the people, seemingly middle-Eastern, we think maybe we were in a Greek Orthodox church. The liturgy was almost oppressive (as was the heavy incense). At a hopefully inconspicuous time, we slipped out the back. It was good to walk around in the crisp morning.
We drove then to the castle just outside of town, where we are. It is now afternoon, and we have seen the castle. It was fascinating. King Ludwig II was having Neuschwanstein built for himself - the third such elegant castle. Building of the castle began in 1869. In 1886, King Ludwig was declared insane, imprisoned, and a few days later found mysteriously drowned. The building of Neuschwanstein was never completed. The castle itself is massive, sits high atop a rocky precipice of the mountainside. We took a
horse-drawn carriage ride to get up to the castle, with a ways of walking after that. The inside of the castle is as impressive as the outside. Ludwig spared himself no expense - the elaborate paintings on the walls, ornate throne room with marble stairs leading up to where the throne would have been (it had not yet been made prior to his death, and never was), exquisite wood carvings on the canopy above his bed, small chapel with altar and stained glass window off his bedroom, dressing room with jewelry casket, living room, dining room, elegant singer's hall for plays and performances, even an artificial stalactite cavern between the living room and the study. Hard to grasp the massiveness of it all!
As we walked down the mountain, we were quite close to Schloss Hohenschwangau, the castle where Ludwig spent most of his childhood and youth. It is much smaller and look not as well preserved as Neuschwanstein. Below these castles are the Alp Lake and the Swan Lake (Alpsee and Schwansee). We threw snowballs in the lake; it was frozen. After our visit to the castles, we drove to Garmisch, where we will be skiing this week. The road wove through southern Germany and northern Austria.
Southern Bavaria is absolutely beautiful. The Alps are breath-taking. Huge rocky mountain peaks, snow covered, with towering pines, and clouds resting on the mountaintops - "low-hanging clouds," as Mark likes to call them. In the snow-covered valleys are small wooden sheds dotting the land. These are probably garden sites - the sheds are for farmer's tools and such. You see many of these garden sites on the outskirts of the towns near Heidelberg. The villages we passed through were typical southern Bavarian - wooden balconies, shutters on windows, tiled roofs of course. We passed ski slopes and cable cars and cross-country skiers, too. We ate at a restaurant in Garmisch tonight - best wienerschnitzel Larry has had so far, he said. (He loves southern Bavaria - the scenery, the people, the food). We're settled now into our very American hotel - General Patton Hotel - must be an ID card holder (military or affiliated) to be here, and can hardly wait til tomorrow - cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. Talk to you later!
Well, must go for now. There's more adventures to tell of our trip. But that will have to wait for another day. Wiedersehen!
P.S. This is typed at the library. We still aren't connected at home.
[check out this Bavaria-Swabia website.]
Dear Everybody,
Just a quick note to let you know we are fine, and continue enjoying life
in Germany. Yesterday for lunch, Mark and I went to the woods (just a short
five-minute drive from our house) and took a hike. Actually, we packed his
bike (much funner for him) as well as the lunch, and set out. These are
HUGE, towering pines. So one feels that he is in indeed in the woods. We
walked a ways, then ate, then continued walking and biking. There is a
path/trail. We passed people - some strolling, some sitting, none in a
hurry. One older couple were cutting some wood from a fallen tree (so many
trees down from the wind storm a couple of months ago) - the man with his
Bavarian hat, the woman with her scarf and apron. The only thing that
didn't fit this idyllic scene was that the open-bed wagon into which they
were putting their cut wood was attached to their very sleek late-model car
(probably a BMW or such). So we enjoyed the trees and pinecones and birds
and moss and jumping over trees in the path and RIDING DOWN the hills. It
was an adventure. We will do it when you come.
Then we stopped at the eis shop on the way home. This is Italian eis
I've mentioned before - creamy smooth, a little tart, served on a big tall
cone. We sat out and watched the cars and bikes go by - downtown Rot
(pronounced with a long O), which is the neighbor town to St. Leon. At home
we played soccer with the neighborhood children - some of them are REAL
soccer players. They think Mark's cones are neat.
Must close for now. Larry and Mark will soon be finished with football
practice #2. Yesterday morning (following football practice #1 following
Birgit and the three boys coming over for tea, dirt dessert, and play), Mark
woke up WORN OUT. Sometimes the day gets too full, even if we try not.
Much love to all, Liz and all
Dear Everybody,
Spring is here! Officially Monday, I guess, but in actuality since
Tuesday. The flowers and trees are blooming, the skies are blue, the
weather is warm, and everyone is out. Mark and I just went on a hike/bike
through the woods. It is cool in the trees, the birds are singing, deep
green moss covers the logs and tree roots. Mark's favorite is the
down-hills - on his bike, of course.
Tuesday afternoon mark and I played soccer out front (in the cul-de-sac)
- not hard to get up a brisk game of soccer around here - have a ball,
orange cones for goals, and ask any child who's looking on: "Spiele
fussball?" Boy, the German kids can sure play some soccer. Mark and i
teamed up together against one little boy from down the walkway (who is also
eight and in second "class"), and it was all we could do to hold the score
even. We stopped at zehn to zehn (10 to 10) - fair enough.
Mark is working hard on his schoolwork. His next assignment in language
is to write about his trip to the zoo. So, tomorrow we are going to the
Heidelberg Zoo. Hope it's a beautiful day. The zoo is across the river.
Next Wednesday is dress rehearsal for the children's choir program at church
- they will perform Sunday, April. Mark has a speaking part - says Matthew
28:19-20, which he does well. The children are dressing up as children
around the world. Mark wants to be a cowboy from Texas... not a hard
costume to come up with. The following Friday will be the choir party at
the bowling alley - bowling and pizza. Our friends the Hales (Bev, you know
- she has been the children's choir director) are getting ready to leave and
move back to the states. We will really miss them.
Larry is finishing his second big week-long class he's teaching. It has
been a good week, I think. He has certainly been creative with his ideas
for class. The "students" have enjoyed.
Saturday will be Mark's first football game. Yes, he's #8. No, I don't
know if he will be quarterback that game.
Thought you would enjoy some of the German I've been trying out on some
of our neighbors. Only problem is - even if you don't ask a question, they
assume you know more than you do, and seem to want to start talking - in
German, that is.
The first section of German below (minus the umlauts - the two dots over
some vowels - which this computer won't do) goes along with a little photo
album of pictures from home. So now you can see what I'm telling everyone
about you.
* "Hier sind etwas Bilder von Heim. Wir haben in Kansas gewohnt." Trans:
Here are some pictures of home. We live in Kansas.
*(picture of Mark and Duke) "Hier ist Mark's Hund. Er heisst Duke. Er
bleibt in Kansas." Trans: Here is Mark's dog. He is called Duke. He
stayed in Kansas.
*(picture of our house in Leavenworth) "Hier ist unser haus in Kansas. Es
ist eins Etage und Keller." Trans: Here is our house in Kansas. It is one
story and basement.
*(picture of Grandma and Granddad) "Hier sind Mark's Oma und Opa - Larry's
Eltern. Sie wohnen in Kansas. Er ist jetzt in den Ruhestand treten. Er
arbeitet bei ein Ol Raffinerie." Trans: Here are Mark's Grandmother and
Grandfather - Larry's parents. They live in Kansas. He is now retired. He
worked in an oil refinery.
*(picture of dog Luci) "Hier ist Oma und Opa's Hund. Sie heisst Luci."
Trans: Here is Grandma and Granddad's dog. She is called Luci.
*(picture of Linda) "Hier ist Larry's schwester. Sie heisst Linda." Trans:
Here is Larry's sister. She is called Linda.
*(pictures of Stephanie and Matthew) "Und hier ist ihre Tochter. Und hier
ist ihre Sohn." Trans: And here is her daughter. And here is her son.
*(picture of Mamae) "Hier ist meine Mutter. Sie wohnt in Oklahoma. Mein
Vater ist in neunzehn-hundert-achtzig gestorben. Er war ein Geistliche."
Trans: Here is my mother. She lives in Oklahoma. My father died in 1980.
He was a minister.
*(pictures of KK and Peggy) "Hier ist meine Schwester, Carolyn/Peggy. Sie
wohnt in Kentucky. Ich habe zwei Schwestern." Trans: Here is my sister
Carolyn/Peggy. They live in Kentucky. I have two sisters.
(and about all the family I say): "Sie kommen in dem Sommer, oder dieses
Jahr oder nachstes Jahr." Trans: They will come in the summer, or this
year, or next year.
*(picture of Mark's teacher and classmates and schoolroom and playground)
"Hier ist Mark's Lehrerin und Mitschuler und Klassenzimmer in Kansas. Hier
ist die spielplatz. Mark spielen gern." Trans: Here is Mark's teacher and
classmates and schoolroom in Kansas. Here is the playground. Mark likes to
play.
*(pictures of Kansas) "Dast ist Kansas. Es sind sehr viele weizen Felder.
Es sind Hugel, kein Berge." Trans: That is Kansas. There are very many
wheat fields. There are hills, no mountains.
Then I take them on a tour of the house and say:
Kommen sie und sehen die Haus. Wir mogen die grosse Fenster und
Sonnescheinen. Mark mag das gross Spielen Zimmer...Legos, puzzles und
Spielsachen. Das Schulezimmer ist wunderbar. Wir horen die Kirche Glocken
gern. Hier ist das Lesen Zimmer. Es ist gemutlich.
Trans of above: Come and see the house. We love the big windows and
sunshine. Mark loves the big playroom - legos, puzzles and toys. The
schoolroom is wonderful. We love to hear the church bells. Here is the
reading room. It is comfortable. etc., etc.
I also try to write out a few sentences of pints of interest to each
visiting friend, for example:
"Arbeiten sie fur Zahnarzt?" Trans: Do you work for a dentist?
"Wo ist der Zahnarzt?" Trans: Where is the dentist?
"Putzen sie Zahne?" Trans: Do you clean teeth?
"Spielen sie tennis?" Trans: Do you play tennis?
"Wo spielen sie tennis?" Trans: Where do you play tennis?
"Tennis ist ein gutes Spiel." Trans: Tennis is a good game.
"Das ist wie ich spielen tennis!" Trans: That is how I play tennis! (and
here I hold up the needlepint picture of the tennis player you made for me,
Mom, framed in the old tennis racuqethead. The Stegmuller family is big on
playing tennis. They laugh.)
Some general conversation which is nice is:
"Wir freuen uns uber wohnen in Deutschland. Sie haben ein schon Land...die
Felder, die Stadte, die Berge. Dort kann man soviel machen und sehen...ski
laufen, Schlosser sehen, Backerei gehen, und Deutsch lernen!
Trans: We are happy to live in Germany. You have a beautiful land...the
fields, the towns, the mountains. There are so many things to do and to
see...ski, see castles, go to the bakery, and learn German!
And especially to the Stegmullers we say:
"Wir freuen uns uber Sie sind unsere Nachbarinen. Bitte kommen Sie jedesmal
wenn Sie konnen. Die Haus ist schon...kein Problem fur eine lange Zeit! Es
ist sehr freundlich von Ihnen zu teilen dieses Haus. Vielen Dank.
Trans: We are happy we are your neighbors. Please come whenever you can.
The house is beautiful...no problems for a long time! It is very kind of
you to share this house. Thank you very much. (Joke: Mr. Stegmuller was
always having to come over and help us with SOMETHING when we first moved
in....the dryer, the electricity, the lights, etc., etc. Now he probably
wonders if nothing is wrong.
Must close for now. We love you all. Enjoy, and
BITTE KOMMEN SIE JEDESMAL WENN SIE KONNEN! (please come whenever you can!)
Liz and all
Dear Everybody,
What a fun day! The trip to the zoo was wonderful. Spring day - it
couldn't have been better. As for the animals, we saw them all: Die
Elefanten, Die Affen, Die Lowen, Die Zebras, Die Kamele, Die Rose Flamingos.
. . Mark will write a story on Monday in class about his trip to the zoo.
He says the "wildest" were the Bengal tigers, the "funniest" were the
monkeys (who were swinging and putting on quite a funny show), and the
"strangest-looking" were the African-crowned cranes, who have these wild
head feathers sticking out everywhere..."Nice hairdo", says Mark.
After seeing plenty of animals and playing on the playground, Mom tried a
new road home (hmmm), Mark was exhausted and fell asleep, but woke up just
in time for the eis cafe in Rot - double dip of mint chocolate chip for
Mark, and chocolate and something for Mom. Then we headed hom for an
afternoon bike ride through the fields - what aperfectly beautiful
afternoon. You can see for miles. As I've said before, the sky is so big
out there, and beautiful. We were riding into a stiff headwind on the
return trip home, but Mark found it a fun challenge (Mom found it an aerobic
exercise). We stopped by the flower shop down the street then and brought
home some spring flowers - rred and yellow pansy-type. Then for dinner
after Larry got home, we walked downtown to the stand-up hamburger shop.
Mark had the hamburger, Larry had curry wurst (spicy bratwurst), I had grill
wurst (plain). And yummy fried. German do fries very well. Larry's class
went well this week. A big week. Ask him about it!
Big football game! Mark was up at 5:00 this morning, disappointed that Dad
told him he had to stay in bed til 6:00, went ahead and put on his uniform
and laid in bed that way, and told Dad "This is boring", when Dad checked on
him a little before 6. I suppose his energy will putter out sometime later
today. Anyway, the game was great. Mark threw the first touchdown pass
(yes, he got to be quarterback for awhile), for 25 yards, tight spiral,
right on the money. The other coach's mouth hit the ground when she saw
that. Cade (Mark wears #8 in honor of him) would have been proud of that
pass. We were ahead the first half 6-0. The only play we ran in the first
half was this touchdown pass.
Must close for now. Hope this finds you well. We love you all.
Larry, Liz and Mark
Dear Everyone,
What a weekend! Friday evening we headed out for a trip to the
Netherlands. We made it as far as Aachen, Germany Friday night, stopping
along the way for bratwurst/currywurst at a fast food stop on the
autobahn...cooked while you wait. In Aachen we found a small cozy third
floorhotel room for a quick night's sleep before heading on the road again.
Saturday we traveled along the northern border of Belgium, then on into
the Netherlands. What a beautiful country we found. Holland is a flat
land, the fields quite green now, many canals and irrigation ditches
everywhere, thatched roofs, and of course, windmills! Some are the modern
steel-looking, stream-lined variety, but a number are the old wooden ones
you see in the books. We drove up the western coast of Holland directly to
Haarlem (west of Amsterdam) to see the home where Corrie ten Boom and her
family lived. We found it (19 Barteljorisstraat) on the walking zone
downtown, a very busy place, especially for a Saturday afternoon. There is
still a clock and watch shop in the storefront bearing the ten Boom name.
It was a beautiful, modern shop. In the back of the shop were the narrow
winding stairs leading up to the living quarters. Here is where we stepped
back in time.
We started out in a living room, the place where the ten Booms had their
prayer meetinggs and other meetings. Out the front window you can see the
ten Boom clock shop sign still. On the walls are many pictures from the
home. And a wall clock, found again and bought at an auction years later
when restoring the home, thought to be similar to the ten Boom's original
clock...only to discover via an inscription on the back that this indeed was
the original clock. Under this clock, on the mantle, is a a clock given by
Corrie to Brother Andrew.
We sat in this room and listened to stories about the ten Booms and their
lives and their imprisonment. It was overwhelming to be sitting in their
home hearing these accounts of events which really, almost unbelievably,
happened.
Off from this room was a tiny room which was Betsie's bedroom. In it
was a sewing machine. During the time the ten Booms were helping the Jews
escape during the German occupation, Betsie would take the men's clothes and
re-make them into women's clothes. The men would dress as women then, to
make their escape easier and less noticeable.
Then we went farther up the winding staircase to the hiding place. It was
in Corrie's bedroom, again such a small room. The hiding place was a small
enclosure behind the far wall. It was a brick wall, so the hiding place was
very difficult to detect. There was no hollow sound when the wall was
knocked on, as with other hiding places behind wooden walls. The brick wall
gave the illusion of being the outside wall. In a small shelved closet at
one end of the wall, a portion of the back of the closet (wood, it appeared)
slid up partways to allow entrance to the hiding place.
On the day that the ten Booms were arrested, there were six people hiding
in this extremely small space. Corrie was sick in bed that day, so was in
the room to help them quickly into hiding when German guards came in. Four
of these were Jews, and two were underground workers. The ten Booms were
taken downstairs to be questioned, and the house was searched. No evidence
was found of those hiding. (The only evidence found against the ten Booms
was hidden food coupons - extra coupons, more than were allotted for the
three who were to have been living in this house. These were found at the
base of one of the stairways in a hollow part of the stair - a common hiding
place). The German police, however, knew that Jews had to be in the house,
and after arresting the ten Booms because of the food coupons, left two
guards in the house, day and night, stating they wanted those Jews dead or
alive. After three days and two nights, the Dutch police arranged that two
Dutch police were assigned to watch the house together for a time. These
police were friendly toward the cause. When able, one of the Dutch police,
who knew the real names of the underground workers (due to informers, people
used false names so that it was less easy for someone to betray them),
called to the workers that it was safe to come out, and helped them escape
out a top floor window, across the rooftops.
Back to the day of the ten Boom's arrest...While the ten Booms were being
questioned by police, sadly a number of Jews walked unsuspectingly into the
house and were arrested. A small sign (an Alpine watch sign) was placed in
the window of a lower floor living area when all was safe for the Jews to
enter the house. During the interrogation, Betsie attempted to take the
sign out of the window but in her nervousness dropped it on the floor. One
of the German guards, suspecting that this must mean something, replaced it
in the window, leading to the arrest of many unsuspecting Jews who entered
the shop.
Lastly we stood in this living area, on a floor below the one where the
prayer meetings were held. Here we saw the tapestry Corrie loved to tell
about... the one where, when looking at the underside, one can see only a
mess of threads, dark as well as light - and we see only the
underside...until the tapestry is turned, and then we see a crown...the
beautiful tapestry God is making of each of our lives. Interwoven is
sorrow, the dark threads, but all needful to make this beautiful tapestry.
Though we see only the underside, God sees the crown. At the lower portion
of the crown are small pearsl woven in, which Corrie loved to think of as
being the prayers which we pray.
Also in this room is the ten Boom family Bible - heavy, thick, hardbound,
with two metal latchets to close the Bible. What an experience to see this
Bible opened - the Bible around which the ten Booms gathered for reading,
and over which Father ten Boom spent countless hours, reading and praying.
On a wall in the home is a copy of Lamentations 4:18:
"Men stalked us at every step
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come."
After leaving the ten Boom house, we walked/drove through downtown
Haarlem. There are canals running through the town with many house boats on
them, and drawbridges across them. We could certainly realize realize that
we were in Holland. We drove south then just aways to the town of
Noordwijkerhout, and west from there to see...the North Sea! It was evening
by then. As we drove along, we could tell we were getting close to the Sea,
as the land became hilly grass-covered sand dunes - barren and cold-looking.
The sky was cloudy gray, and when we finally walked up over the last crest
of sand dunes to the Sea, it was hard to see where the gray sky ended and
the gray Sea began. One or two fishing/sailboats were far out on the
distant horizon, seagulls were flying here and there, and the waves washed
up on the short - for miles and miles and miles. A couple of dogs were
running through the waves chasing balls. We walked along the sandy beach,
picked up shells (the tide was slowing coming in; we found a l ot of razor
clams with both shells together still...some with the clam still inside)-
and just stood and listned to the waves. Being still early April, the Sea
is cold, but this did not keep Mark from standing in the water and jumping
in the waves. His cold is not too much worse today.
We drove then to the town of Lisse, where we saw the flowers today. Many
people come to Lisse this time of the year to see the flowers. We found no
hotel room there, but drove to Leiden where we found a DELUXE Holiday Inn
Holidome. We made it just in time for buffet dinner (one table entirely
different kinds of fish and seafood; I splurged on the yogurts, pastries,
meter-long loaf of bread - you slice your own with a huge cleaver - and a
little bit of cheese - it was strong), a swim in the pool for Mark, and a
cozy sleep. In respect for the Europeans, there was one of those one-piece
comforters on the bed with a BIG fluffy pillow. In respect for the
Americans, which most of the guests seemed to be last night, the comforter
was topped with a traditional Holiday Inn bedspread.
After a yummy buffet breakfast today, we headed up the road a short
distance to Lisse. Along the road we saw fields and fields, acres and acres
of flowers - all kinds - tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, all colors -
brilliant yellows, reds, blues. What a sight to behold; it was
breath-taking. Then we visited Keukenhof - 80 acres of flower gardens, just
absolutely beautiful. There is an old Dutch windmill we climbed to look out
over the fields, gigantic pair of wooden shoes to get your picture taken in,
stepping stones across ponds, swans and peacocks and baby lambs to watch,
play area for children, plus flowers, flowers, flowers. We also saw a man
carving...wooden shoes! His blade must have been extremely sharp; his work
seemed almost effortless.
We stopped on the way home at a boat-shaped McDonald's somewhere between
Lisse and Amsterdam. A canal wound around it.
We have just crossed the border back into Germany. Speed on the autobahn
immediatley picked up (Belgium and the Netherlands have a speed limit of 120
kph); it is good to see signs we can read; and we feel like we're coming
"home"...sort of.
We love you and miss you. Liz and all.
Dear Everyone,
We're on our way home from a fun, full weekend in PARIS! It started
midnight Friday night when we met the bus in Mannheim (45-minute drive from
Heidelberg) and rode all night, arriving in Paris 7 a.m. Saturday. We
stopped at a little cafe, Cafe Massena, downtown Paris for a typical French
breakfast. . . croissant, juice, warm milk, etc. Mark had hot chocolate.
Having finished this and asking the time, Mark states, "It's about time they
served breakfast, right?"
Our first stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral. Absolutely beautiful with
it massive structure, flying buttresses, statues, paintings, and gorgeous
rose windows. It sits on the banks of the Seine River which flows through
Paris.
Then to the Eiffel Tower, also on the Seine River...definitely Mark's
favorite. By the time we got there, the weather was drizzly, windy and
cold. No problem for Mark, at least initially. Dur to the high winds, the
third floor of the Eiffel Tower was closed. Apparently the tower MOVES up
there. We took an elevator/lift to the "first floor" where the view of the
city is magnificent. (This is a huge city - of five million...12 million in
"greater Paris.") The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the Worlds
Fair, the French government wanting a monument unlike anything ever seen
before. The tower was to have been demolished in 1909 - it was saved, among
other reasons, for its military use (the interception of coded messages
during the War). Gustave Eiffel was its architect and for a time had a
small apartment at the top of the tower.
Driving around Paris throughout the remainder of the morning and
afternoon, we saw so much art and history>..
* the "original" Statue of Liberty...a small model of the statue in New
York. Bartholdi was the architect. A second somewhat larger model which we
saw as well sits on an island in the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower. Of
course the third and largest statue was given by France as a gift to
America.
* saw the building where the Tomb of Napoleon rests. Originally
constructed as a church for Louis XIV, the huge dome is gold-leafed...pure
gold, that is.
* drove down the Champs Elysees, which is the beautiful wide avenue
leading to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc was completed in 1836, dedicated to
the glory of the imperial armies. The body of the Unknown Soldier from WWI
was buried here in 1920; its flame is rekindled each evening.
* drove by the Palace of the French President, saw a soldier standing
guard in a small open-faced enclosure. He was completely immobile, looked
lifeless.
After lunch on our own at a nice French cafe with yummy chocolate crepes
for dessert (meals for 70 or 80 francs, which sounds outlandish but really
isn't...walked by a department store with a dress in the windows for 990
francs...the exchange rate is odd), we checked in at our hotel for a shower,
nap, and to get ready to the evening. We drove/then walked up to the
Montmartre, a small area of town which is the artist's square high on a
hill. On this hill also is the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur, a beautiful church
(we saw only the outside) which is the highest point in Paris. The outside
of the domed basilica is constructed of chateau-Landon stone, which on
contact with rainwater secretes lime and gives the building is very white,
clean appearance.
We ate dinner with the group then at a small restaurant at the top of this
hill - quiche for appetizer, chicken for dinner, yummy layered cake for
dessert..with piano accompaniment.
A drive downtown followed - drove by the Ritz Hotel, and through the
tunnel where Lady Diana was killed. There is a monument to her on the
bridge above the tunnel.
Now it was time (10 p.m.) for our night boat ride on the Sine. This
was a large boat, mostly enclosed, but of ocuse we sat out back in the open
air...chilly, windy, night air, that is. We cruised up and down the river.
The architecture on the bridges is beautiful and beautifully lit as were the
Notre Dame and other buildings we passed. The Eiffel Tower is beautifully
lit at night also; intermittently lights on the tower sparkle like fireworks
creating quite an illusion. Our hotel room (Novotel LaDefense - 3 star,
very nice hotel) overlooks the Seine and we can see the Eiffel Tower,
Basilica of Sacre-Coeur and the lights of the city.
After a quick but very restful sleep (we were SO tired..all of us), we
had an early breakfast at the hotel - one croissant and one hard roll, plus
applesauce, yogurt (not fruited), and drinks (a bit more filling than
yesterday). Then we headed to an early morning visit to Versailles Palace
and Gardens. Incredible. Built initially by Louis XIII as a hunting lodge,
it was turned into this palace by Louis XIV in an effort to fulfil his
desire to have his court permanently around him. Room after room, drawing
rooms, bedchambers, state apartments, guard room, library, throne room, and
the Hall of Mirrors (the Treaty of Versailles signed here to end WWI).
Absolutely incredible. King Ludwig V, in his palace at Linderhof, modeled
one room after the Versailles Hall of Mirrors...ornate chandeliers with
candles, huge mirrors lining one wall, gold statues, elaborate painted
ceiling, other wall with huge windows overlooking the gardens. We did not
see all of the gardens - they are quite expansive, but the ones we saw were
gorgeously manicured. There was much damage to the gardens during the heavy
winds in December - 10,000 some trees destroyed.
After Versailles came our last main stop: the Louvre. At first a royala
chateau constructed by Philippe Auguste in 1204, it was completely rebuilt
prior to the 19th century. It housed French royalty until Louis XIV moved
the palace to Versailles. Of course it now houses an unbelievable art
collection...actually, 12 miles worth of art collection! Our favorites
(i.e. most famous):
* the Mona Lisa (behind bullet-proof glass now) - it has been stolen (by
a Louvre employee who took it to Italy, where it apparently remained
undetected for two years), her wrists slashed, so now she is well-protected.
* "The Victory of Samothrace" (i.e., Winged Victory) dating to c. 190
BC. She stood on an island at Samothrace to guide sailors. Over the course
of time, she was lost, and rediscovered in 1850 underwater, broken into
pieces. She was mostly recovered and put together again, but her head was
never found.
* Venus de Milo - Greek sculpture dating from late 3rd to 1st century
BC.
The Louvre sits on the Seine River, also, so we enjoyed the river as well
as the art.
Now we had dinner on our own - banana splits and a strawberry crepe (106
franks altogether), and some French pastries and bread from a little shop
(chococlate chip French bread...Mark's choice). And now we're headed home.
It is 9:15 p.m., we have just crossed the border back into Germany, and Mark
is still wound tight. He has been on the go since 6:15 this morning,
following only a six-hour sleep last night, and is currently saying that he
is not sleepy. True, but as soon as it hits, he will be hit hard. No
doubt.
Hope your weekend has been good. We miss you and look forward to having
you here.
Love, Liz, Larry and Mark
P.S. Monday morning, following getting in bed at 2 a.m. after our trip,
Mark awakened us at 6:30 a.m. (as he was told he could) to have a "meeting"
regarding his roller blades, which we bought on Monday. Whew.
Dear Everyone,
Froh Ostern (Happy Easter!). Spring is here in Germany, and tomorrow is
Easter Sunday, so everything speaks of new life. May you each have a Frohe
Ostern!
Mark and I took the day off from school yesterday for Good Friday. In
the afternoon we biked through the fields, then ended up in a part of the
forest we hadn't explored before. Right at the edge was a little restaurant
with tables outdoors, across from which was a small pond and fountain with
ducks. On the trail around the pond were many tall wire enclosures for
birds - birds of all kinds and colors. A sign said something about
Vogelfreunde (bird friends). We enjoyed. The forest is turning so green
these days. Little white wildflowers are growing everywhere. In the
fields, spring planting is coming up. Many fields have been plowed with
deep, deep furrows - maybe two-and-a-half feet deep. We learned that
potatoes are planted like this, or maybe "white asparagus." (After the
asparagus plant begins to shoot up, the top is cropped off, turning the
asparagus white. Schwetzingen has a big asparagus festival). Anyway, we
had a fun bike ride. We followed a horse-drawn cart (two horses) most of
the way home...a man and his two children. I have seen them before driving
through town. They pulled into a house/courtyard a few blocks from us.
Mark is now the proud owner of a new pair of...rollerblades! He's doing
great. We got them Monday. Tuesday morning he was up before breakfast
skating, skated at lunchtime, then out in the fields and through town in the
afternoon, for at least a mile. (Mom is trying to remember how to skate,
too). It is a new world!
Mark is growing to be so big, has lost SO MANY TEETH, you will hardly
recognize him. Football is going well. He has quite a throwing arm, and
Larry is a great coach, so this is quite a highlight of each week (two
practices, plus a game weekly). May 18 is AWANA awards day. Mark is
shining on his AWANAs work. Has memorized an unbelievable amount of
Scripture verses since January (is finishing the kindergarten, first, and
second grade books all since then!), plus done service/patriotism/nature
activities. It is fun.
Living in a different country is, well, different in many ways...for us,
little ways mostly: hearing "Tom Dooley" in German on the radio, seeing
Bill Cosby speaking German on TV (dubbed, of course), finding no 3x5 cards
at the office supply store downtown (they measure in centimeters here),
wondering your real weight when stepping on the hotel bathroom scales
(measured in kilgrams here). Driving is a bit different (in addition to the
speed on the autobahn and the hecticness of the traffic downtown): the red
light turns yellow momentarily before turning green, the stoplights are on
the near sides of the intersections, parking along the street with two (or
all) wheels on the curb is common, "staus" (traffic jams) happen on the
autobahn for no apparent reason other than just a lot of traffic (the
cassette tape you're playing in the car is interrupted for stau
commercials), on highways where there is a speed limit cameras may be
checking your speed and a speeding ticket may arrive in your mailbox, all
motorists must carry a warning triangle and first aid kit and are required
by law to stop and render aid if the first on a scene of accident. Safety
concerns here are not as great as in America: there are no screens or
safety locks on windows in German homes and buildings (not even upper story
windows), there were precious few lifeguards at the big indoor water park we
went to in Amberg, it is an oddity to see an adult wearing a bicycle helmet
(you assume they're Americans if you see one), etc., etc., etc. Everyone
bikes here!! At the church in town, there is no parking lot, but a very
large bike rack. Ladies bike to church in Sunday clothes, older people bike
everywhere. On Sunday afternoon bike rides in the forest, you will see men
dressed in suits biking. If going to the town market, don't forget your
basket (I have yet to remember mine) - there are very few (and very tiny)
baskets for in-store shopping, and of course no bags provided for take-home
groceries. Also, don't forget to weigh and label your fresh produce in the
produce section (mistake number two on my first trip to the St. Leon grocery
to shop). The clerk at the checkout was kind to go back and weigh and label
mine (after trying to explain in German, I'm sure, what I was supposed to
do). Unfortunately, I'm quite sure I did not endear myself to the ten or so
ladies waiting in line behind me.
We look forward to Anne and Catharine Ryun being here May 7-9... and
Mamae being here shortly after that! Our door is always open, and our
schedule very flexible. So come anytime.
We love you and miss you!
Liz, Larry and Mark
Dear Everyone,
Guten Morgen! Es ist ein schon tag hier. Und da?
We are in the car en route to Schweinfurt where we will meet the Ryuns
tomorrow (Anne and Catharine) and bring them back to Heidelberg. Looking
forward to that time.
We started out yesterday morning and drove north and west to Essen where
Larry had a fitness trade show; we all went. You see many fitness centers
around Germany; however, Germans as a whole have not yet gotten the "smoking
can be hazardous to your health" message. The countryside is absolutely
beautiful. Much hillier in this part of the country...woods, fields,
villages all dotting the landscape. There are fields and fields of
beautiful yellow flowers, called rape seed. The flowers are harvested and
used to make fuel for machinery, among other things. We drove through the
Ruhr Valley and the Mosel Valley, where you see many beautifully-cultivated
vineyards.
After the fitness show, we headed south and east. Even in the early
afternoon, there were so many cars. This part of the country is densely
populated. Germany itself has 79 million people, with a land area the size
of Montana. No wonder it seems there are a lot of people and cars. We
stopped at a town along the road for the night. Larry has a way of finding
the best places, and this place was no exception. Melsungen was the name of
the town; it was down in a valley. We stayed at a Pension (pronounced
pahn-zi-ohn), which is a boardinghouse with breakfast, called L'a'rchenhof
Pension. Our little patio in the back looked out over part of the town and
a little wooded area; we enjoyed sitting out. The whole town was very
"green" - houses with yards and trees, little wooded areas along the road.
After a wonderful night's sleep (hope you get to sleep under one of those
German comforters when you're here - so comfy) and a yummy breakfast
(soft-soiled egg in an egg cup, rolls with all kinds of toppings, sliced
meats and cheeses, orangesaft, fruit, milk - choice of warm or kalt - we
took kalt, which was not all that kalt to us), we walked through downtown
Melsungen. What a step back in time! The town square was around the
Rathaus (town hall), and there we found the Saturday morning open air market
- tables of flowers, fruits, meat and eggs. Shops downtown were open, too.
And then there were the homes along the side streets - I wish I could draw
you a picture. I thought the house built in 1803 was old, til we saw one
built in 1681. An old arched bridge spanned the river, for foot traffic and
bicycles only. We stopped at an eis cafe just for fun, and had our first
spaghetti eis - We'll treat you to one when you get here!
Afternoon
Now we are in Schweinfurt. We are staying at the same am Bergl Hotel we
stayed at when we were here this winter. Larry is resting, Mark is reading
and drawing, and I am writing.
So, to catch you up on the last week...Thursday evening mark had his last
football game of the season. He threw a stellar pass, as he has each game
throughout the season. He also did a good job standing still, as
instructed, and letting one of the players on the other team (an autistic
boy who had made no plays yet this year) pull his flags and make the play.
The coaches also arranged for this boy to make the last touchdown of the
game and, thankfully, all our players stayed away and let him run it in.
The parents loved it. After pizza and cupcakes, Larry presented the
trophies to the boys. Then the team presented him with a football signed by
each of them, and a beautiful framed picture of the Heidelberg castle. So
nice. We hung it above the fireplace in the living room.
Last weekend, Liz went to the European Baptist Convention ladies' retreat
in Dorfweil - a small town west of Frankfurt, in the mountains. We had an
absolutely wonderful weekend. There were ladies there from Mowcow,
Bulgaria, Warsaw Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, etc. - nice
countries in all, 180 ladies. The music was wonderful, talks inspiring, and
free time refreshing - walking the trails on the mountain. We ate spargel
three times (the white asparagus I was telling you about ) - fresh spargel
in a salad, cooked spargel, and spargel soup. It was quite tasty. We
learned that it is actually harvested before it shoots up out of the ground
(contrary to what I said before). Workers dig into those mounds and
actually cut the asparagus by hand. Not having reached the sunlight which
would cause the plants to turn green, the asparagus remains white. The
season here lasts about six weeks ro so. The St. Leon/Walldorf area is said
to have the best spargel.
What a fun few days. The Ryuns have come and gone. We had a good time.
We met Sunday at church in Schweinfurt, where we have a mutual friend (whom
we met through the Ryuns). After church, lunch and a long chat, we drove
back to St. Leon to get settled in at home. monday was just a relaxed,
restful day. having been offered the opportunity to sightsee around
Heidelberg, both Anne and Catharine just wanted to take it easy and do
things around here. So, we started the day with a run in the fields (Larry
and the Ryuns ran, Liz walked, Mark rollerbladed), followed by pastries from
the bakery. Then we sat outside and simply chatted with neighbors - they
met Ellen next door and two-year-old Yannik, Mrs. Stegmuller, Klaus on the
other side, and Birgit across the way. In the afternoon we walked
"downtown" - the one main street of St. leon - and visited all the little
shops. To any English-speaking people we met, Anne loved giving one of Mr.
Ryun's "In Quest of Gold" stories. In the evening we drove to the nearby
town of Schwetzingen/Oftersheim and had absolutely the best German dinner,
at a treasure of a restaurant Larry found when he was here TDY in October.
(The spargel soup was wunderbar). A stop at the eis cafe in Rot ended our
evening.
Yesterday (Tuesday), after the bakery stop, we did a run/bike in the
woods this time, followed by a stop to see our friends the Hales. Then we
drove to a nearby town called Heppenheim, on the Bergstrasse. Did I say
that Melsungen was a step back in time?? So let me tell you about
Heppenheim. This was a village with settlements dating to years B.C. This
village, with its surrounding grounds, was given to the monastery at Lorsch
(5 km west of Heppenheim) in 773 A.D. A castle (Starkenburg castle) was
built above Heppenheim in 1065 in order to protect the monastery and monks.
The castle tower still remains, though moved just a bit. During the time of
the Reformation, Heppenheim became Protestant, but later was returned to the
Catholics. St. Peter's Cathedral remains. During the 1600s it is said the
town was probably very prosperous as all the wooden framed buildings around
the market place date from this period. The buildings (homes, Town hall,
shops) are "half-timbered," which makes for a beautiful, quaint setting. We
ate at an open-air restaurant on this marketsquare, surrounded by the Town
Hall, shops and churches chiming the hour. Then took a stroll through the
streets and shops. Somewhere in the village is the largest ice cream factory
in Europe. We must find that sometime! So after this leisurely stop in
Heppenheim, we headed on toward Limbach where we left Anne and Catharine
with friends at their next stop. It was a sad trip home for Mark.
Now Larry has returned to work, Mom and Mark to doing only a little
schoolwork this week, I'm sure, and looking forward to Mamae's visit next
weeks (the beauty of homeschooling: we can always do it later!).
Hope all is well with you all.
We love you!
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