Heidelberg--Home Sweet Home!

Well, after 40 years, I finally returned to Heidelberg, truly a land of enchantment for a 20-year-old, and darned if it wasn't a land of enchantment still. Outwardly it was a dreary and overcast day, but I was so happy that I just took a million pictures of gray skies and an overcast city! So, lucky you...when we return in six months on a sunny summur afternoon, you'll get to see the same pictures 'cause I'm sure I'll be even more shutter happy than I was this trip.

The castle is in pretty sad shape right now. It's covered in scaffolding, as many of the walls have literally slid off, or parts have fallen or decayed. It sometimes looks like water has seeped through the mortar and just destroyed it. Anyhow, there is quite a project going on and will probably take years to complete.

This is just a long-distance shot of the castle from across the river.

Looking across the river from the castle. If you look closely, you can see the beautiful bridge that spans the Neckar River. And, of course, that is where I received my first proposal of marriage!!

One of the many paths to wander.

A closer view of the bridge.

Do I ever get enough of red roofs and steeples?

This is part of the extremely steep path we climbed to get to the top. And this was the easy part. The hard part was slick and cobble-stony. It is much more steep than it looks! We wondered how the king's horses and carriages could possibly have made it up. They must have had a secret tunnel somewhere or a hidden back entrance! (Note Dad's ever-present backpack!)

Just another part of ye olde castle.

Pretty elaborate place.

This picture should have gone after the next. This shows the part of the castle wall that literally slid down from the upper part. See if you can fit it together.

The upper part, left open to the elements when the rest of the wall slid.

I don't know who looks more pompous, this guy or his feathered friend. They are posing on the bridge itself. The bridge is also undergoing repairs. It wouldn't have been near as romantic 40 years ago if it was covered with scaffolding and equipment!

Do I look like a knight in shining armor protecting my king?

Now I ask you, who else would take pictures of the sheep instead of the castle? Dad and I really thought they added to the atmosphere!

And look how fluffy!

With such a fearless leader, I'm sure all those lady sheep were very impressed.

This was my favorite sight of the day. Only in Europe would you find sidewalk cafes open in November, complete with blankets for the customers to sit under while they sip their cappuchinos and eat kuchen!

Quite a walk down memory lane. Thanks for sharing.

Our Lunch Hour Walks Allow us to Breathe and Enjoy!

This lovely picture actually belongs somewhere down in the middle of this blog, but I accidentally deleted it from there so had to re-post it. So, as you read, you'll find where it really belongs and refer back to it, okay? I'm off to a really good start...

As you saw from one of the last blogs, our office is on a really industrial street. There are huge warehouses, a LeGrande Johnson-type sand, rock, and gravel company right next door, etc. But, looking across the street, we are surrounded by a beautiful "forest" and a small stream that meanders nearly all the way into Ober-Erlenbach, which is where we walk every day. Our office is located on the outskirts of Ober-Erlenbach. We've clocked it at a mile each way, so we get a pretty good walk in. This has become our path since the weather has gotten wet and rainy, 'cause it consists of either roads, sidewalks, or paths made of pavers. Rather nice. When the weather dries out, we'll probably wander more in the farmer's fields like we did at first. This is just a close-up of the same thing.

(Insert the first picture here of Hank standing by the pile of "rocks"--) A few weeks ago, we saw in one of the farmer's fields huge piles of "something"!! It looked like rocks at first, but on closer inspection, it looked more like tubers of some sort. Then we got educated and learned they are sugar beets! So, this is for you, Colleen, for spending your childhood in the sugar beet fields! Is this what yours looked like, or do the Germans have a different variety???

Close-ups of our "rocks."

The path we take into town goes through a lovely private club, with tons of tennis courts and a large gymnasium and, naturally, a bar. But when we arrive in the little town, we are met with charming houses, the usual church and steeple, our bank, stores, and a wonderful "eatery" that we will tell you about. Note the grapevines decorating this cute little house!

And this is a real tree! It's trunk starts on the left, and for some reason decided not to grow upward. So, it's being held up by large boards and just keeps on growing!

Here's a close-up of it's needles.

Of course, the majority of the houses have large flower baskets hanging in the windows! Remember this is November, really cold weather, but the flowers just keep blooming!

And, yes, it is cold, but I can't wear a coat to go walking or I get too sweaty and couldn't possibly go back to the office, so I change to a long-sleeve shirt, don my earmuffs and gloves, throw a scarf around my neck, and we're off. I'm sure people wonder what's going on when Hank is in at least his suit jacket (and oftentimes his overcoat) and I'm hanging out in my summer wear, but that's just the way it is, folks! Of extra note...I'm sporting my wonderful walking shoes and socks over my nylons, so I make quite a sight. Glad you're not here to be embarrassed, kids! It's only Dad who has to bear the burden!

Here's the man of the hour who keeps up appearances and tries to make up for mine!!

Now it's time to share our newest find! For several weeks we walked past this little "Hutte" every day, knew it was some sort of eating place, and finally we went in and asked. Well, it's a Turkish place, run by the sweetest guy in the world. So, on Tuesdays, when we have to go directly from work to our German class in Frankfurt, we go to Arda's and buy a Doner for lunch and then eat our usual lunch sandwiches for dinner on the way to Frankfurt at night.

Here's sweet Arda. I will now describe a "Doner." Behind Arda you can see a "hunk" of meat. Don't know what else to call it. It consists of turkey and veal. He shaves off a lovely serving of this, puts it into a heavenly kind of thick bread which has been sliced open part way and then toasted. He then adds shredded red cabbage, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, just a ton of vegies, adds a yogurt sauce-dressing, wraps it up, and off we go. It's sort of like a subway but soooo much better. I guess it's so good 'cause Arda is so great. Doesn't he look like a wonderful branch president? I hope he is one some day. His home is attached to his shop, and we sometimes see little kid toys sitting by the tables, so we know he's a family man! We're so impressed with him!

Well, that's all for now. Sorry for the usual picture mistakes. I'll keep trying! We love you all.

Our Wonderful Lunch Hour Walks

The "Office" (This is for you, Matt)

Well, here we are at the office! This is what it actually looks like from the "front," which is really the back! It looks pretty fancy from here, and inside, it is very nice, but as we go on, you'll see our other surroundings, which are interesting, to say the least.

Now you must meet Wilhelm Shafer, the owner of our building, and the cutest little man ever. He's super friendly and always has a smile and a wave. He has a "machinist" business, and the "back yard" is full of metal shavings. But he runs a really good business, and all the men who work for him seem equally friendly and fun.

Now I'm finally to the picture that was supposed to go first!! This is the driveway we turn down to get to our office. The Shafer business is in the front, and at the end of the driveway, you run into the metal shavings first.

This is Richard Walker, our most interesting and strange American boss. He's married to a German gal who served a mission in the U.S. somewhere. Richard has 2 law degrees and another doctorate in something-or-rather, but we really feel for him, 'cause all his degrees have done nothing for his self-esteem, which colors all his feelings for everything and everyone! He's really got a great heart and a wonderful testimony. He just struggles with people!

And this is sweet Sister Howlett! Naturally her husband's picture is the last one. I'm not getting much better at putting my pictures in order!

This is the Bug! Poor lighting, 'cause of the window in the background. But these are our new desks and chairs, and our boss, Bengt, insisted that we matched the others in the office!!

Here are some of the shavings that pile up. I don't know how they dispose of them, maybe the desert of Utah!

This was a sunset on the way home from work. It was through the bus window and on the road, but it was actually kind of pretty.

Hank talking to the Howlett's.

The really "big" bosses. The one in the red tie is Bengt Sjvedjot from Sweden. He's a genius in his own right. Incredible to talk to and certainly with above-average good feelings about himself, but he's had the most spiritual experiences and tender times being guided by the Spirit, it's just a pleasure and a blessing to be guided by him. The other young man is Jens Jensen, who retires in 26 days (and counting). He's head of finance over our office, but with the church's hiring freeze, he won't be replaced, and our finances will just be handled by accountants in the Distribution Center up the road from us. He's from Denmark but has lived in Germany for 35 years. He's fun and ever-so-interesting.

And, here's cute Thorston. He's just a "kid' with a cute little wife and three kids. He's the office computer guru. He's been blessed with the gift of tongues! He's from Germany, served a Russian mission and speaks Russian, of course, and he speaks beautiful English!

And this is Bro. Howlett! The Calls were in Sweden during the time I took these pictures, so I'll have to catch them this next week.