Germany,  page 2

 

 

 

Back in Germany, we had a chance to explore the local area for a few days with Ed and Dorothy.  It seemed that each bend in the road offered another surprise; a small town, a view which commanded photographing, or something very old contrasting with something sheik and modern.  

It was raining the day we traveled into the Black Hills to see the town where Ed grew up, but even the low mist seemed to add an appropriate melancholy to the deep woods and rounded hills.   

 

Stream in Kandern

 

Church in Ed's home town in the Black Forest.

 

Storks in Tannenkirch.

 

Another trip took us into France to the the WWI battle scene of Hartmannswillerkopf.  It was here that the German Army and the French Army dug in on each side of an important hill, and tried for two years to dislodge one another.  At the crest of the hill, their lines were less than a football field apart.  

On Christmas day, the weary troops unilaterally called a truce for one day.  The German and French soldiers gathered together and sang carols in French and German and shared their meager meals.  The next day, the battle resumed.

 

Don and Marty at the Bunkers of Hartmannswillerkopf, built in 1918.
In our case, the meals were hardly meager.  When Dorothy wasn't cooking bratwurst and red cabbage, or some other irresistible fare, they were taking us to those tucked away restaurants that only the locals know about.  At a butcher shop, run by the same family for over 200 years, we had roast suckling pig, delicious beyond description.  At a restaurant on a hill overlooking the Rhine River with Switzerland and France as a backdrop, we feasted on veal, Jaeger schnitzel, and coc au vin.  Of course, our self control never rose to the point of refusing to sample the incredible German pastries.

Blackberry torte and hot coffee,  served at a hunting lodge in the hills.  Pat, Marty and Ed.

Pastor Ed with a new parishioner. 

 

With Ed and Dorothy at dinner.
Of course, the time went too quickly.  In just a week after arriving, Ed drove us through France to the French entrance of the Basel airport, and we were off.  We thank Leonardo and Ercilia, and Ed and Dorothy for their hospitality.  For those of you reading this, we hope that we were able to bring you along.

Don Webster

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Don Webster:  websterdr@yahoo.com

Don's Home Page-  http://jali.net/