The second snow

Our last week in Oberweissenbrunn was insanely short due to the amount of travelling we did.  We felt we merely came home to sleep and wash clothes, all to turn around and pack again.

We did, however, experience the region's second snowfall this season, in all its beauty.  We found as we were taking the bus towards the train that would eventually lead us to a plane back home that we would greatly miss the beauty of the place.  Yes, it was really far from the train, and there was no grocery store within our town's limits, and we spent so many days under a foggy cloud cover, but it was a lovely place.

Hiking through Freezing Fog

We have been experiencing quite a bit of frost this past week.  Not only are we already up in the clouds at this elevation, but the colder temperatures have pushed the moisture down towards the earth.  The result has been freezing fog, which leaves a beautiful icy layer over everything.  Oh, and it's very cold.

John and I have enjoyed hiking around in this countryside.  We hike to sight-see, exercise, and often, to gather our groceries.  You've never felt so connected to your food as when you hike a mile and a half to get it and then carry it all back.  It leads you to buy little and often.  Food is also a lot less expensive here than in the states.  It has been a great way of life thus far and keeps us from over buying, which we often do in the states.  I'm currently imagining our pantry full of food back home, completely untouched for two months.

This particular hike took us to Gersfeld, about 7 km away from our town of Oberweissenbrunn.  It was a new hike for us and proved to be quite beautiful.  However, it was pretty far and quite cold, so we ended up taking the bus back rather than hiking another 7 km through the freezing fog.  It just didn't sound like fun once we got a beer in us.  Sometime soon, once my arthritis calms down in my right foot, we will plan to hike there and back, all 14 km in total.

Is it not so beautiful, still, and lovely?

Rothenburg ob die Tauber

We had John's mother and sister with us for a week and a half over here in Germany.  It was a good excuse to do all of the tourist-y things that John and I might not otherwise have gotten to do.  Armed with a black Opel car with suicide doors, we braved the autobahn for a trip down "Castle Road" to the Medieval city of Rothenburg.

It was much more tourist laden than I would have thought.  Tourism here increases your chances of English speaking, so we found communication a little easier than in our tiny mountain village.

Their regional specialty pastry is called the Schneeball, or snowball.  It consists of pastry strips rolled up into the shape of a ball around a chocolate mousse, then covered in a flavored frosting.  We found it hard, and therefore, not that great.  But whatever floats their boat.

We stumbles upon a fabulous Christmas Shoppe full of so many wonders.  It was so big it even had it's own museum (which we did not warrant paying admission for more shopping).  I'm talking about a multi-layered, jaw-dropping, maze-like display of the finest craftsmanship of the area.  It was really quite mesmerizing, making you feel like a kid all over again.

As beautiful as it was, Rothenburg is definitely just a day trip.  So we got our Schneeballs and drove on back to the Rhön.

Fall in Thüringen, Germany

Taken in Meiningen, Thüringen, Deutschland.

Deutschland

Ich bin im Deutschland!

After a very trying travel (think 2 planes, 2 trains, and 2 buses), John and I are in our rented flat in Germany. It is quite chilly here, as expected, but gorgeous.  The country is in the heart of Fall, or herbst, and the colors are gorgeous!  We are located in the Rhön region of Germany, which is nestled in a valley among the mountains, in the small town of Oberweissbrun.

We took a walking path to the nearby town of Bischofsheim, which is where we get our groceries.  This seems an older town, as the architecture is distinctly German, and old.  I'm a sucker for traditional architecture.

More soon!

Europe Revisited: Munich

Just a day trip!

The Englischer Garden has beautiful mixes of modern, baroque garden, and cultural areas.  A river that runs through it swirls in such a way that surfers can ride the swells.