East of Frankfurt (under construction)

Our Beautiful Neighborhood-Eckenheim

Lately the weather has been warm and rainy. I have been going out early in the morning to get in a walk most mornings. The flowers are so beautiful, and I enjoy taking my camera along to capture the secret gardens. Frankfurt is an interesting place. It is very industrial with lots of noisy equipment, cranes, trains, and traffic. But once you get off the beaten path, you see how much German people value nature and their little patios and spaces of sanctuary. I have grown to love the weeds and the wildflowers. They do not use weed killer here, and there are no manicured lawns. Nature is very beautiful in its natural state.

Missionaries and Missionary Work

We are so excited because our sweet friend Monika Lippert, that we take to Church every week, has chosen to be baptized. The amazing thing is that she has been so excited about the Gospel, that she shared it with her friend in her apartment complex. Now her friend and her friend's husband will be baptized the same day--July 14! She has asked Bob to baptize her, and I will help her dress. The work is moving forward!

We enjoyed going to Daniel's baptism at the Chapel  in Offenbach.  




"God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again"

We can never sing that song without getting tears in our eyes. We sing it to every Senior Couple who leaves the Frankfurt Mission. There are many changes happening in our area with our Senior Missionaries going and coming. About one third (six) of our Senior Missionary couples in our Area Office are going home. Our friends, the Jarretts, are changing assignments. Brother Ron Jarrett just got called as the new Tabernacle Choir President. We will miss Ron and Lucie, but we are excited that Elaine and Martin Craven, friends from Holladay, are coming to replace them in the Public Affairs Office. 

Idstein Jazz Festival and Our 42nd Wedding Anniversary

On Saturday to celebrate our anniversary, the Dearings took us out for an afternoon in Idstein for a Jazz Festival. Idstein is a quaint little city in Hesse, about a half an hour drive from Frankfurt. From the late 18th  to the mid 20th century, Idstein was the center of an important leather industry. 

The town's landmark is the Hexenturm ("Witches' Tower"), a castle keep from the 12th century.

For the Jazz Festival, four sound stages were set up in different parts of the Old Town, and we enjoyed walking from one performance to another, even in the rain. I especially enjoyed the Oldies (i.e. Sentimental Journey) sung in English. It was kind of like a European mini Utah Arts Festival with a few craft booths for children, music, and wonderful food.

Of course, I had to get in on the fun!

We found a charming jewelry shop that had these charms made from paper that were modge-podged onto a wooden bead.

We visited the Unionskirche that dates back to the 14th century. Its interior was changed in the 17th century. It is a unique Baroque monument that includes 38 paintings of the Dutch Golden Age School of Rubens. 

The interior was very dramatic and different from most of the churches we have seen in Germany.  

The Dearings treated us to a delicious anniversary dinner at Restaurante La Fattoria.

Bruschetta! Yum!

Lasagna! Ummm!

What a wonderful anniversary! Couldn't have been better! Loved it!

New Missionary Tool and Stake Relief Society Creativity Workshop

Several months ago, I met with Elder Fingerle, one of the seventies, and presented this idea to further missionary work--a digital pass along card. I was excited to see that missionaries are now using it in England. Check it out:

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c80c50d3dd74bde45568def96&id=fddd9c0276&e=eeead2f9fd

STAKE RELIEF SOCIETY CREATIVITY DAY

Sisters gathered from many miles and mingled in conversations mostly in German with some English. Several fun workshops were ongoing. I chose to attend this paper cutting workshop.  

 Then I went to this music workshop.

This sister made her instrument. In the 1950's violins were scarce and expensive. This was a less expensive instrument designed to be used in the schools.

This is an ocarina and has a beautiful flute-like sound.

Many lovely crafts were on display.

We had a lovely luncheon. Everyone was asked to "please bring something." We never know exactly how these buffets are going to turn out, but it was fun sampling many different German foods that I haven't tasted before.

Sunday evening, we had a "Linger Longer" after Church. This time we did have food assignments, such as "Those with last names beginning with A-H, please bring either bread or a beverage," etc. Again, it was fun to see how the food came together on the serving table. Unfortunately, the Bishop, who was last in line, and didn't get much. The children sitting on the floor had piles of food on their plates that they didn't eat.

A new man was introduced that will soon be baptized. Our sweet Monica that we bring to Church each Sunday told us that she and her friend (that she, herself, introduced to the missionaries) would like to be baptized on the same day--July 14. We continue to pray for them to understand the Gospel and receive testimonies of its truthfulness.

The Bavarian Countryside

Since we have heard that our time is limited in having our own car here, we have been traveling on our P-days to see as much of the country as possible. We headed with the Dearings for Southeast Germany to the Bavarian countryside. It was a rainy day, but the green fields with their growing crops were refreshing. Everything seems to grow fast in Germany’s climate with its abundant rainfall intermixed with sunshine and clouds. Even our tomato plants on our patio are doing well. 

We pulled off the road at the Kapfenburg Castle so that Karen could do a counseling conference call with one of her missionaries. This castle, built in 1538, overlooks a beautiful valley and is now a private music school. 

Then we drove past Harburg with one of Germany’s best preserved castles, then to Nordlingen, a  beautiful walled city dating back to the 14^th century. It is one of only three towns in Germany that still has a completely established city wall, the other two being Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbuhl. It's history is unique as the city is built in the center of a huge crater where a meteor crashed into the Earth 15 million years ago. Nördlingen is also known for it's Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory fame (1971). It is the town that the glass elevator floats over in the final scenes. We drove around the inside wall of the city and were fascinated to see that when doors opened in the wall, we could see either gardens on the other side or actual homes that had been built into the wall. 

The houses that lined the cobblestone streets were charming.

Timbered houses.

Interesting architecture.

The Old Town.

We went to St. George Church, one of the largest churches in Southern Germany. The exterior is not very ornamental, but it is ornately Gothic inside. The silver on white brought a peaceful feeling.

That evening, we stayed in Irsee at the Irser Klosterbrau Hotel that was once an old brewery that has been renovated into an inn.

This is the view that we woke up to from our bedroom window.

We were greeted in the morning by a fabulous display of food. It was a wonderful experience just to eat there. Germans really know how to do breakfast!

Then we headed off for a wonderful day. As we drove through the southwest Bavarian countryside, we saw wonderful farms, one with a large, old working water wheel. We even saw swans, a cow, and a  few deer along the way, which Jerry assured us would bring us good luck, as his last name is Deering. 

We arrived at the Schloss Linderhof, the third palace that we had not yet seen of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and the only one that he actually saw completed and lived in. Ludwig already knew the area around Linderhof from his youth when he had accompanied his father King Maximillian II of Bavaria on his hunting trips in the Alps. When Ludwig II became king in 1864 he inherited the Königshäuschen from his father and in 1869 began enlarging the building. He added three new rooms and a staircase in the rococo style and a stone façade to the wooden exterior. He spared no expense in this jewel box.

The Entry Hall

A few of the rooms

We wandered around the gorgeous grounds. This is the backyard.

This is the front yard.

We climbed a hill to the Venus Grotto that was built for Ludwig as an illustration of the first act of Wagner's  "Tannhauser." Ludwig liked to be rowed over the lake in his golden swan boat. He also wanted his own blue grotto of Capri, so he had 24 dynamos installed to illuminate the grotto in changing colours.

We walked over to King Ludwig’s Moroccan Kiosk, designed by the Berliner architect Karl von Diebitsch for the International Exhibition in Paris 1867. Ludwig loved this kiosk so much that he bought it and had it reassembled on his property.

We hopped back in the car and headed to Ettal Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ettal close to Oberammergau. 

 This church was magnificent. I loved the live trees potted inside the church.

 

While there, a tour group quietly came inside, sat on the pews, and began singing hymns acapella in harmony. It was kind of a flash mob moment for us. The acoustics in the Church were so fabulous that everyone sat down and reverently listened. They were a choir group on tour of many cathedrals, and they sang in each one.

We then drove to Oberammergau, a city renown for woodcarving. The carvings we liked were extremely expensive, so we just took pictures.

Our next stop found us at the Wieskirche, a gem of Rococo 18^th century German architecture created by the brothers Zimmermann. It stands out in the middle of nowhere and has an intriguing story. In 1732 the figure of the Scourged Saviour was carried in Steingaden in the Good Friday procession and was later put away in the Church’s attic and no longer carried in the procession. In 1738 it was removed to the farmhouse of Maria Lori in the Wies where Maria Lori and her husband reported seeing tears in the eyes of the Scourged Saviour. As word got out, pilgrimages began toward the small chapel that had been built on land donated by local farmers. But because so many people were now coming to visit, the nearby Steingaden monastery decided that a large church must be erected.

The original chapel.

The Wieskirche

I love the horses grazing outside the church.

We drove through picturesque countryside and ended up in Fussen, Germany, a quaint town with beautifully painted buildings.  

We stopped for dinner in an upstairs restaurant, San Marco, ready to rest our feet.

Bob and I shared Pesto Rigatoni and this fabulous Insalata Capresi. With full tummies, we headed back to our hotel.

The next morning, we again enjoyed the breakfast buffet and headed for one last stop--Innsbruck, before driving home.

The Triumphal Arch  

The exquisite Dom St. Jakob 

I love Christ's face in this sculpture.

Great shot, Bob!

City Tower

We had fun shopping in the little street shops and even found an antique sidewalk market for Jerry.

On the way home, we got caught in traffic for about an hour, but with scenery like this to look at, who cares?

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS

Why did the chicken cross the road?