Weihnacht im Nuremberg

So, the first weekend that Kim was here I had mentioned that we went to the Christmas markt in Nuremberg. I like Nuremberg, and it was nice to visit again. We found a couple of streets we hadn't been down before, and found a cool fountain. It even had naked people on it. Even though we didn't stay long and we froze our butts off and Dustan got lost and the kids were screaming for more than an hour, it was beautiful. But I think I will leave Dustan and the kids behind from now on, because they're not interested in anything but crying!

Goodbye Aunt Kim

Yesterday morning we said goodbye to Aunt Kim. We had fun while she was here visiting, but it's nice to get back to normalcy. Wait... what am I talking about? We had only 24 hours of it before my in-laws showed up this morning. But, the kids loved Aunt Kim staying with us and being silly, and I had fun taking some daytrips and visits to the bakery. Mmmmm....

Christmas Fun

Christmas. Oh, sweet Christmas day. The joy of our Savior's birth is what I try to teach my children. But the joy of their own presents seems to take the foreground for an hour on sacred Christmas morns. Nonetheless, it is a joyful time, giving gifts in honor of the King.

The kids enjoyed unstuffing their stockings and finding all the goodies that Santa brought for them. In the excitement was Ariel screaming each time she opened a gift, and Nathaniel saying he would play with each thing "tomorrow". As each gift was opened, the previous one was tossed aside in anticipation that the currently opening gift would be something better than the last.

By and by every last gift was opened and smiles were on all faces. Cleanup ensued and the new toys kept them busy all day while Aunt Kim and I cooked and prepared for dinner.


It was a nice holiday, despite the rollercoaster ride of emotions that always fills our days, and it turns out that the children do know the real Christmas story. This special day is to celebrate the most in important birth of all- Christ Jesus!

Visiting Heidelberg Altstadt

I lost my heart in Heidelberg. This is the catch phrase for the city, and it is true for me. I love

Heidelberg and its' history, the old buildings and beautiful castle ruins that sit above the city nestled near the Neckar river. I took Kim here this past week to shop and to enjoy the Christmas Markt and investigate some nooks and crannies in this university town.

Losing Teeth

Who would've guessed it? We came home on Friday to find little Miss Ariel missing her first front tooth. Yup, sure enough her bottom right tooth came out. She was so excited about it and had to show it off immediately. I cannot believe that she's old enough to lose her front teeth already, and indeed she is still quite young for it to happen. The tooth fairy left a dollar, along with Spongebob toothpaste and toothbrush. She couldn't have been happier.

Merry Christmas!

To all our friends and family, we wish you a very merry Christmas! We love you and miss you all!

Strasbourg

Christmas in Rothenburg odT

Rothenburg is a fabulous daytrip, no matter what time of year you go. This was my first Christmas visit, and I took Kim along with me. It was a lot of fun, although we froze our nubs off. Such a romantic town. We got there around lunch time and first climbed the stairs to the medieval wall to get a view of the town. We then attempted to view the inside of the biggest church there, but to no avail. You had to pay to get inside, which is total nonsense, and so we didn't. But, we had fun exploring the rest of the streets and shops.

Friends Lost

On Friday, Kim and I were out and about and she said she had some anxiety about something, but didn't know what. When we arrived at home, we learned that our friend, Kelli Wood had passed away.

I think of Kelli every year on her birthday, which is on December 4th. I don't know why I always remember this, because I don't really remember anyone else's. But I always think of it, and say a little prayer for her. Well, this year, I thought of her the day before her birthday. The day of her birthday. The day after her birthday... by this time I am feeling suspiscious that something was going on with her and so began to pray. She was brought again to mind the following day. Another prayer. And then nothing. And so, all though I knew something bad was happening in her life, I never suspected the end of it to come so soon. She was 28 years old.

Kelli was a very fun person to be with. Always thoughtful and kind, extremely nice person. You know, the kind of person that makes you want to be a better person yourself. She seemed to always be happy, even when she wasn't and her smile alone would lift your spirits. She was a single mom, and loved her baby very much. She was so very close to her family, and my heart goes out to them. We continue to be in a state of shock over this and are praying for the family, especially her son, Taten. Although he is no longer a baby, and we haven't spoken to the family in many years, they will always remain special to us, a warm, fond memory of times past, a smile from the shadows of a strange time, a comfort to us that life, or rather God, is kind, loving, giving.

For a little while we roam this earth, learning pieces of God's truth, and instead of embracing what we know to be true, we hold on to our own foolish, stubborn and ignorant ways, only to find that what we hold dear is but dust, our efforts are forgotten in the space of time and our righteousness as rags before the one High God. He is our righteousness. Our Savior. Our Creator. Our Protector. Our Father. The One who calls us home to Himself when He desires. Let us run with open arms to Him and the comfort He gives there.

He knows us best, as He is the One who created us and designed us to fulfill His plan on earth. Everyday spent here is ordained by God, and none are taken away too early. Each thing that happens in life, both big and small, are pointing us to the Savior. The all-knowing God desires that we should know Him in all of His glory. And we know this; we know His sacrifice; we see his creation; we marvel at the complexity of our selves alone and wonder what kind of God creates such complicated beings? We experience His mercy in every breath that we take. For who gives life? Only God. And what do we do to earn it? Absolutely nothing. All we can offer to Him is our broken, disfunctional selves, and in return he clothes us in Christ's beauty and righteousness. It is the only way to see God. For we are not holy. We cannot obtain holiness from anywhere or any other than Christ's blood alone.

Allerheiligen Again

Last Sunday Kim and I hit the road and south we flew to the Allerheiligen waterfall in the Black Forest. It was a cold, windy day and we were instantly chilled when we climbed out of the car. We hiked a ways up, marvelling at the ice covered grasses and trees, and enjoying the water falling. Half way up we had to stop, as the cement stairs were covered in too much ice. So, we drove to the top of the mountain and hiked back to that same point. Afterwards we drove on down the highway to discover the Mummelsee. Within 2 minutes we were climbing the highway upwards into the slopes of the Black forest. There was snow everywhere but the road, which is my kind of perfect winter circumstance, and the views were beautiful.

After so much time in the car and being thoroughly chilled to the bone, we had to go for a walk and see for ourselves the famed Mummelsee. It turned out to be merely a large pond, but we walked a bit down the path, and here is the result of our slippy- slidy adventure in the powdery German snow.

Allerheiligen Wasserfall and the Black Forest is always a perfect daytrip.

updating schedules

And so, this week has flown by already. We are pooped out, and we have another week of busyness to go. After seeing the Heidelberg Castle, we went to visit our dear friend, Denise. Saturday we left her house after breakfast and took a brief detour to Nuremberg on a chilly, yet sunny day. I love Nuremberg, and the Weihnacht Markt was busy as usual. Sunday soon came 'round, and Kim and I went south to the Black Forest, namely to see the Allerheiligen Wasserfall near Oppenau. It was beautiful, as only a waterfall can be, and the icicles adorning the tall grasses and fallen trees aligning the banks and even in the midst of the falling, rushing stream bore the dripping, slowly freezing splashes of water spraying upwards onto the objects in its' path.

Monday, it seems we did a quick cleanup job and then hastily saw what? I cannot remember. Yet another thing to wake Kim from her sleep on the couch to recap. Tuesday was yesterday. Already so far away. We drove around in Mannheim, lost and looking for a Museum that did not show up correctly on our navigation system. And so, with only an hour left to do something, we shopped a bit for Christmas. The afternoon was spent doing a bit of homework with the kids and then going to a birthday party for Jesus. That was quite fun. The kids got to make some ornaments, have snacks, play a game and listen to the Christmas story. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had cake too. Then bedtime came, and the kids were still up. So, late they went and they were sleepy heads this morning.

Today, we managed to find the elusive Reiss-Engelhorn museum and we visited the Mummy exhibit. Ewww... and so disrespectful. But, it was still interesting to see. Then we spent an hour walking thru the Weihnacht Markt and window shopping near the Zentrum, where the wasserturm is located, hustling past all the stores, in a hurry to get back to our expired parking permit and the children waiting to be picked up from school.

Tomorrow we have plans. Or do we? We never quite decide until we're in the car. But, I think shopping is priority, probably in Heidelberg. Then Friday, off we'll go to Rothenberg ob der Tauber for the day. Saturday we have high hopes to visit Strasbourg, just so we can say we've been to France. ; ) Wish us luck with the French!

Heidelberg Schloss Again

Here, another day of my life was spent visiting the beautiful Heidelberg Castle remains. This day I enjoyed the surroundings with my sister, Kim. It was a cold and lovely December day, and after getting lost for a bit on the roads, we managed to find the castle in time for the English tour.

Our guide was the best so far of all the guides I've had in my four visits here. He was detailed and seemed to take great interest and pride in the history of the grounds and of Heidelberg itself.

Here, we found the bath house made for the young wife, Elizabeth, in the yard of the backside of the castle. A few steps beyond, and we came upon the next view below.



Following the path, it lead to the outer walls and gardens to the estate, and lead to this view from the side, that will continue to the road and woods.

The inner courtyard was quiet and serene when we arrived. They had a Christmas tree displayed, only adorned with simple white Christmas lights. The beautiful facade of the ladies' quarters shown in the morning sun, and I got a fantastic photo of it below. The statues here are of the family members of the Palinate Elector and those who married into the family.

Happy Birthday, Joshie-poo!






Today is my little brother's birthday. Although he is a pain in my butt, and I don't see him often, I still wish the best for him and hope he has a great day! Enjoy the lemon meringue pie!

Countdown to Aunt Kimmy

We have been counting down to the arrival of Aunt Kimmy now for 2 weeks. On the first of December, we placed 12 candy canes on the tree; one for each day 'til the coming of Auntie Kim. So, each day they get to share a treat, which happens to be a good bribe for good behavior. Now, there are only 2 candy canes left. Hooray! The kids are so excited. And, frankly, Mommy & Daddy are excited too. It's gonna be fun to have family in the house again. It is few and far between that we get to share family moments. Only 2 days left!

Christmas Wish List

Trying to get a photograph of my two silly kids is a true effort. But today, they both got cleaned up real nice, and we attempted to get them both in a picture together, and smiling at that. I decided to put it together with their wish list, and this is what we got;

Can you believe that today is the 10th anniversary of Dustan proposing to me? Yup, it truly is.

Being from Battle Creek, the world's Cereal City, and known for its' Festival of Lights, we had planned a romantic evening out, walking thru town to see Christmastime aglow along the streets. We walked along the pathways, sighting the 12 days of Christmas theme and the other displays trailing the beautiful river. We crossed over and continued our walk down towards the waterfall made of lights. Here we paused and talked a moment. It was very lightly snowing, and it was a calm, quiet evening. We seemed to suddenly find ourselves alone, all other passersby had vanished momentarily. Dustan seemed nervous. He kept fidgeting with his hands in his pockets.

I was supicious of the very thing he was about to ask me. What surprised me though, was that after he lamely suggested we sit on the freezing cold, metal bench, he quickly stood again, and then got down on one knee. He then asked me a question in Norweigian. It sounded a bit odd, a bit familiar, and so romantic.

He, in earnest, had taken an extra step to show that he had a sense of what I was all about- family, history, being together, being understood. I just watched his face. All the emotion there, each passing briefly, intensely again and again across his face. He had really worked himself into a frenzy. But I could see the vulnerability, the openness, love, and desire; the quest to earn my affections in return. He then asked me the same question, but in English this time around. Will you marry me?

After seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I paused long enough to make him nervous. I also reflected on the rapid, recent events of the previous season, and I in no doubt wanted to be his wife. And so, I finally looked at the ring he was offering. It was simple and beautiful, a single, oval diamond set just lovely. On a pedastal, and needing nothing else to show that only one love will suffice, and none could be more beautiful.

Obviously, I said yes to him, and we were so excited. Passersby again began to stride by, and they were happy to be witnesses to the end of the event. We decided we would announce the engagement the next day. For the rest of the evening we just enjoyed the newness of our decision and talked through the night.

Tea Party, Anyone?

So my children had themselves a tea party a couple of weeks ago, and Nathaniel was dressed as a vagabond. Not that that was his intention- he just thought it
was cool to wear his new gloves, and gloves go well with a improvised headscarf and skirt. Right? Right.

They spent hours cooking for themselves and enjoying their imagined feast. How much fun is that? Besides, it was their way to celebrate the start of the Christmas season, and the decorating of the tree.

Conjuctivits

Ewww. I hate this stuff! Nathaniel has it now. I first noticed it on Monday after school, and then yesterday he woke up with it pretty pink in one eye. Then this morning it was in the other eye too. I've washed almost everything it seems, and the trick is to get him to stop touching his face. And I'll be washing everything tonight again. I cannot wait til this goes away! I've been trying to prevent Ariel from touching him or any of his things too, and that's a hard thing to do!

Oogity, Boogity, badda bing badda bam.

A conversation with Nathaniel

It goes something like this:

"Nathaniel," Mommy said, " how many shirts do you have on?" And he replies, "Ummmm, tree." "Oh really. Are you sure about that Nathaniel?" Mommy asks. Ariel chimes in, "I see four!" A smirk from the little boy. "No, just tree Mommy." he says again.

"Let's see, buddy. Uh, one, two, three, four, five, six, s e v e n! Nathaniel! Good grief! Why are you wearing seven shirts?" Mommy inquires.

"'Cause I like it." A simple, childs' answer, eh? He is so funny.

Red Fest Day

Today was the Rot Fest at Kindergarten. They painted, ate and made everything red. Ariel came home looking very festive and adorable. Nathaniel was excited about everything they did at school.

Later in the afternoon we went shopping for some houseshoes (slippers that don't fall off or make you sweat), and stopped at the bakery on the way home. Nathaniel requested a croissant, his current favorite, and Daddy got him a big one. He was petting it and rubbing it on his cheeks, snuggling it like a kitten or something and saying, "I love croissants..." So, I had to get photo of him with this thing. It was so funny. As soon as I whipped out the camera, he got this goofy cheesy grin on his face. It is his new pose for the camera, and he looks so distressed and even constipated. Funny stuff.

Thanksgiving Celebrations

Our celebrations today included making all the fixin's and having over the Plumleys, Antje, and Luca. Dinner was served a little bit late, but it turned out good. Of course, the 4 littlest ones didn't think it was anything special, and so only ate a couple bites of turkey, jello, carrot cake and some eggnog.

We surprised Antje with the carrot cake for her birthday, which made her completely happy. It was homemade by Stacey, and it turned out great. Afterwards, the kids went crazy again, playing and having fun.

We then finished the evening off with a viewing of Curious George, bedtime for the kids, and football for the daddy. Now we've just finished our 2nd helpings of desserts, and are satisfied. It has been a good, busy day, and we're ready to relax and sleep well tonight.

Today is a special day of giving thanks. We are thankful for so many things, and above all is the saving of our souls by our Lord and Christ, Jesus. We are blessed in so many ways; with a comfortable home to rest in and a job that my dear husband enjoys. A hard working man that provides well for his family is a blessing too. To enjoy good health, and family is fantastic, and many friends surround us, making our days much more interesting. ; )

We are truly blessed, and we are truly grateful to the One who has made us so. The Lord God of all creation. Blessed be His holy name!

Countdown to Turkey Day

I spent the day getting ready for the big turkey day tomorrow. I have yet to do the dusting and vacuuming, showers and cooking. We're having the Plumleys over as well as Antje and her son, Luca. Luca started coming to the Kindergarten about a month ago. Antje is orginally from Nussloch, but they'd been living in New Zealand for the last couple of years. It will be their first Thanksgiving, and so we will get to teach them all about it.

The kids have been so excited about Thanksgiving coming. I had purchased a few books on the topic almost 2 months ago, and have been teaching them all about it. I think by next year Ariel will be a pro at describing the first Thanksgiving and the reason why we celebrate. Nathaniel is just happy to have a party at his house.

Thanksgiving also marks the entryway for Christmas, and we all know how the children anticipate that! The town workers here hoisted the Christmas decor over the streets today and also set in place the 3 Christmas trees- one in the park, one in the market place and one at the library. It is very festive already. The poinsettas are out, and the shops have put decor in their windows. But for us, it is not yet Christmas. As grand and important as it is, it must wait for Thanksgiving Day to pass, and with it we celebrate a day of gratefulness and counting blessings, with our hearts overflowing with joy.

Eventful week in the neighborhood

To bring the blog up to speed on the week here, I saw Laura (one of our neighbor girls) with her friends in town on the way to school yesterday. I saw Laura's dad out on the balcony, smoking, whilst I was walking home from dropping the kids off at school. I smiled and nodded, he did too. This was like 8:30am. Then like 10ish I was out washing the front door, and I saw that there was a Gemeinde Nussloch car in front of my house, a Polizei in front of the house immediately next to ours, and an ambulance behind that. No lights. No sirens. The workers were just standing on the sidewalk chatting like they'd been there awhile. I couldn't figure out which house they were dealing with since no one was moving.

Since then there has been lots of people visiting. I figured either it was a false alarm, or someone died since there was no rush to do anything. Well, this morning I saw the mom holding the baby on the balcony and talking to someone while crying. Hmmmm... Then later this morning I saw a van with the word Bestattungen on it. Well.... someone did die, and I'm assuming it was Laura's dad. But just my reason of deduction- the only other alternative would be that one of their parents were visiting and died. Inquiring minds want to know! But they speak no English, and my German is virtually non-existant, so perhaps I will never know what happened. But I will hopefully find out one way or another WHO it happened to.

Today I also finally met our American neighbors 2 doors down. They are moving. Yup. Today is their last day in the house, and then they fly out on December 1st. She is super nice and from Alabama, with a sweetheart accent. They apparently moved here the same time as us. Kinda strange that we should actually meet now.

Evening

This is when the house settles down, and only the hum of the fridge and the computers can be heard. Of course, that's assuming that the children have actually nodded off, the kitchen has already been cleaned, and Mommy & Daddy aren't watching a movie. But I like quiet evenings at home, relaxing after a busy day. It gives me time to think. Sometimes thinking upon certain things too much, and others to hash out answers to daily dilemas, whilst still others contemplate things surreal and heavenly.

Tonight's subject on the mind: How many s'mores are too many? Is it when your belly feels as though it will reject the last one you just swallowed? Or after just one, when the melting chocolate combines with the honey graham with the gooey marshmallow in your mouth? You can savor that warm, crunchy, sweet, satisfying treat for months. Sometimes. It is indeed my most favorite summertime/autumn treat, and tonight I have to admit that I indulged in 3 of them. Yikes! So much for working on my waistline. Working on widening it, I guess! lol

I'm listening to the wild wind throw rain around outside and bash it against the house. It is kind of strange, because you can't hear it on the windows, as they are under roofing from the balconies, and the house does not shake because it is made of cement. Now, in the good ole States, you could feel the house swaying in a storm, and the beating of the rain against the windowpane not only makes a good rhyme, but is rhythmic enough to put you to sleep. Goodnight!

This is the result after following one of those moments of "Mommy, take my picture!" Love to, sweetie! She thought it was great that she could fit into her little brother's hunting hat, and that it was corduroy like her dress.

Hurray! We finally received our buffet that we had ordered more than 2 months ago. We had driven 3 hours to Belgium to furniture shop, as that is where good furniture most often comes from around here. We were anticipating purchasing some hardwood furniture, as we wanted something to last a long while, not break down in 5 years. Well, we did find a lot of hardwood furniture, but the styles were always too much- too much decor, too big of a piece, too much money. Then we found this piece that I really love. It has that rustic feel, and is stained a darker shade, but since it is pine, it has wonderful contrast and interest to the piece, topped off with already rusted doorhandles. Yup, just the thing I love. Despite the drawback of Pine furniture (easily nicked, and heat sensitive), I fell in love with this piece and it more suitably fit our pocketbook. So, this is now the newest addition to our household and I love it!

Our Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me and my sweetie! Today we celebrate 8 years already. I can hardly believe it. It has been an exciting journey, and one that I love to be on. Though some days are exhausting, the covenant we have made has been a blessing each and every day. I look forward to many more years with my loving husband.

An Autumn Hike

Today we took a hike in nearby Neckarsteinach. The road winds thru many tiny villages and then starts to follow the Neckar. Here you will find a parkplatz with lots of trails into the mountainside. Although they cut down a chunk of trees that makes a portion of its' face bare, it still is beautifully painted with autumn shades of orange, gold, amber, and browns, with the deep forest green of the pines lined haphazardly.

There are several castles protruding from the rock and we decided to hike up to the highest one. It is called Schadeck, and the year on the castle said 1230. It wasn't very big on the inside; room enough for a family of 8 I should expect, and formal dining room and small garden. But that was about it. The stairs to the towers were daunting once again, and I suspect several people lost their lives building the thing.

The hike up wasn't all that far, although it looked like it might be. But be cautioned: don't fall off the edge! There was a sign there with a picture of a guy falling off head first. It was funny. Almost as funny as the sign in Canada showing a sheep under the wheel of a car with X's for eyes. Creativity is amusing!

It was a very comfortable day, and the colors were mesmorizing. It was very relaxing to sit and enjoy the view with the best company of all- my family.

Awana

The kids have now been to Awana 3 times and have learned their mottos and verses, and thus received their vests for their respective clubs they're in. A Sparks vest for Ariel, and the Cubbies vest for Nathaniel. They are so proud of themselves that they had to wear to them to school on Friday to show them to their teachers and friends. I promptly took them back home with me though so they wouldn't get ruined at school. Now they want to wear the vests all the time, so we had to implement a new rule; Only wear the vests at Awana. Good grief. They were terribly disappointed, but it does give them more to anticipate every Thursday. Now since we started late in the school year, the kids must learn 2 lessons every week until Christmas. But they like learning their verses and stories so far, so hopefully it will continue to be a fun and educational activity for them.

2 thumbs up for my babies at doing so well at memorizing! I am so proud of them, but I think they are even prouder of themselves, which is a marvelous lesson to learn.

OK, so I am being artsy farsty. But, I thought that it looked cool. This photo captured a sweet mother-daughter moment. I love it.

Rainy Day

The kids were trapped indoors today due to weather and parents' laziness. So, eventually we participated in every indoor activity possible today, including photo opps. Here above was one worth framing.

Nathaniel

This is the way Nathaniel dreams... notice the saliva bubbles? He must be dreaming of food. Mmmm... cheese...

Mr. Rutz & Ginger

Does anyone know who Mr. Rutz is? He must be some exciting person in the imagination of my children, because I certainly never heard of him until Sunday night. Now Nathaniel is very happy to be Mr. Rutz himself, and take orders from Ginger, who is really his bossy sister, Ariel.

Well, the character Ginger you see, is a bossy Brit herself, but is well organized and can think on her feet. She is a chicken. On a movie. Chicken Run, to be exact. But, Mr. Rutz? We have yet to figure that one out. Maybe it will always be a mystery to us. But it is amusing to hear Nathaniel refer to himself as Mr. Rutz, and respond to that name as well, and even more funny to watch Ariel pretending to be Ginger and ride her imaginary pony, Pinto, at the same time. Like chickens would ride a pony. Funny indeed.

Money

Can you believe it? The American dollar has hit an all-time low on the exchange rate charts.



Check out this article;



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297557,00.html



This does not make me happy at all since we are amongst the million Americans on payroll that live outside of the country. Where is our payraise to compensate our loss? We pay our bills in another currency, and all of us signed contracts when the dollar was worth significantly more. At least by 15cents on the dollar. Do you realize that equals almost $17,000/ yr for our contract? Can you imagine your paycheck being cut like that and you being ok with it? Granted, we would have to get the exchange rate of every single day that has past in order to get a more reasonable assessment of what we've actually lost in income for the past year, which is not that much. But the year isn't over yet, and neither are negotiations. We shall see what the future holds soon, I hope.

Schwaebisch Hall

So, on Sunday we spent the day traveling to Ansbach to look at a van for our family. Yipee! Although now it turns out that we're not going to get it, we still had a great day Sunday.

On the way back home, we stopped in Schwaebisch Hall for lunch. It was on our list of places to see, and it was a glorious day. As we entered the town, we saw a sign saying it was Freund Tag, and so we knew something had to be going on. We parked near the river on the lower half of the town, and walked towards the music. The buildings here seem to tower over you as you stroll because the stadt is built into the hillside, which emphasizes their height.

We were all excited to hear the traditional music playing, and happy to see that they had a small fest set up in the marktplatz, including a stage and vendors with all kinds of treats. We decided to have lunch on the sidewalk of a hotel that looks over everything that was going on. We enjoyed the different entertainers very much, excepting the modern, horrible dancing by some pre-teens set to distasteful, lustful modern music. But, beside that bad sideshow, the rest of it was great.

We detoured for a few minutes into the church that overlooks the platz. Follow this link to see pictures of the stairs to this place, as I didn't get any pics. Inside was lovely, with lots of what looked like newly done paintings. Ariel had a good lesson of Christ's sacrifice on the cross because this place had real colors on the statue of Jesus, including the blood. She was upset because she thought that they turned the real Jesus into a statue, and we had to explain that it's just a reminder of what happened, but the real Jesus is in heaven.

Shortly thereafter we left and stopped at the spielplatz on the way back to the car. It was a new one, and the kids had fun on it. It was along the river amongst large shade trees, and very lovely. We had a fun day, and Ariel wants to take Grandpa & Grandma there to play. I'd like to go back because we didn't see any of the upper part of the city. It was a really cool place to see.