Germany Day 7

Sept. 16, 2011. If this ends quickly, I apologize in advance! It is after midnight and I have had a few drinks and am really tired. This has been another very full day - another week of this may kill me!

The day began with breakfast with Bernhard, since Birgit had to teach and Alexia and Martin had school. We then drove to the Rude family's house, also in Wendelsheim, so I could ride with Gordy and Sheila and their hostess to Rottenberg. Bernhard had to go to work - he teaches singing to boys for a choir. We met in front of a Gothic fountain and St. Martin Cathedral in the town square. Our guide met, Herman I think (ok, I know I suck with names!) to show us the sights of the city. I have a a ton of notes, but they are downstairs and I don't want to disturb anyone so this is all going to have to be from memory! Lucky you - you are going to get the short version without all the historical details that I find so fascinating!

In addition to St. Martin Cathedral, a recently restored church that is the seat of the Catholic bishop, we visited the the Sülchgau Museum, specializing in Roman influences on the area almost 2,000 years ago. These Roman ruins were found when excavation was being done for a parking garage, and one of its most interesting exhibits is a group toilet, where Roman men and women met to do their business and socialize (men on one side; women on another - hey, they weren't savages!). We walked to a 17th century dungeon and hangman's house, and actually got to go inside the prison cells! Crossing the bridge over the Neckar River, we visited St. Moritz church, a Neo-Gothic Catholic church where they had removed all the bodies from beneath the floor. Dang - that's always the best part of visiting these old churches to know there are dead bodies under you! After our official tour, we strolled back to the city plaza to have lunch and visit a few shops.

Jens and Judy picked us up at the bus station to drive to Tuebingen for a relaxing ride in poled boats on the Neckar River. The boatmen were seminary students, and for an hour we just floated along this tiny river enjoying nature. Oh I have to add before I forget: Tuebingen has the most bad-ass flower boxes and baskets I have ever seen! They are on the bridge, the lamp posts and the homes. It is a glorious sight, and I will have some on my south facing windows next year for sure! The Umbrisch-Provenzalischer Markt is in town this weekend, and we spent some time checking out the booths from Italy and France with their wares of wines, cheeses, breads, honey and jams, cookies, crafts and food of every kind. It was a busy place, and I wanted to spend far more time there than

We met a former Coal Valley resident currently living in Germany (Kelly Parrish) and strolled through town along a different route. Tuebingen is a university city, and students have been studying here since 1477. OMG we didn't even have a settlement in our country at that time! After our walk, we had dinner at the train station. Yes, the train station! They have good restaurants there, and a bakery and florist among we had.other shops. I had breaded baked Feta cheese and salad, bread and beer (just one - beer, not bread. I ate far too much of that!). Just as I finished dinner, Birgit came to pick me up. We intended to visit her parents, but on the way there we got sidetracked and decided to visit a tiny chapel on top of a high hill that is very famous but I don't know the name of so it will have to wait. Anyway, you cannot drive there and the walk is very steep. The 14 stations of the cross (if 14 is not the right number don't bitch at me because you know my religious education is spotty) are represented along the path, and stopping to look at the displays and the vineyards and the sheep and the view are all good reasons to rest a little and get your breath back. Once you arrive at the top, the view of all the surrounding towns is worth the walk! You can see the Black Forest in the distance, and a castle that we will visit tomorrow. The little chapel has a tiny cemetery, which is the first I have seen here. I am glad we decided to suffer a little to go up that hill!

It was too late to visit Birgit's parents, so we went back home to get ready for her brother and sister-in-law and niece to come over. We had Aperol Sprizz again, and bread, cheese, sliced meats and grapes. Birgit had gone to the international market in Tuebingen and brought home several cheeses: truffle cheese, parmesan cheese, goat cheese with honey, a runny, stinky cheese I was afraid to try and several others. We had Chianti, and two kinds of brandy, and visited and laughed and had a lovely time. Soon it was midnight and time to end my day. Ciao until tomorrow!