Germany

After a fairly quick flight from Egypt, we arrived in Germany in the morning.  We took a train to the main Frankfurt station and then switched to another train that took us to Wurzburg.  We had a few hours to kill until his parents could come get us (they had an appointment) so we hopped on our razor scooters and strolled the town.  There was a cathedral on almost every block and they were really ornate and beautiful.  We went inside a few and got to see some really old tombs as well as the beautiful artwork.

 After we met his parents, they took us to see the church, meet the missionaries, and do some shopping.  They showed us the nifty shopping carts there, coolest idea ever.  The shopping carts are attached together in the stall and you can't get one out unless you put a euro in it.  When you return the cart, you get your euro back and WhaLa, no shopping carts left all over in the parking lot. Genius!  They then took us to their apartment in Rimpar where we ate some bratwursts and cheese for dinner and then Brett and I promptly fell asleep after being awake for approximately 24 hours.

The view from Chandler and Cheryl's apartment in Rimpar

We woke up late the next day, but still had plenty of time to go tour a castle and meet some members.  We drove to Wurtheim and parked nearby the picturesque little town with a castle towering above.  We climbed loads of stairs to get up to the castle, paid our euro to enter, then explored the day away.  This castle was in ruins and was really cool!  Parts of it were overgrown, but we were still able to see the underlying structure and picture it in it's prime.  We went up and down a ton of stairs and Brett's Mom (being a math teacher and having a passion for numbers) counted just exactly how many. I forgot the exact number though unfortunately, because it was a lot!

After touring the castle, we went down and explored the town of Wurtheim.  It was a classic small German town with narrow cobblestone streets, cathedrals, plenty of great food, and plenty of shopping.  I absolutely loved it.  We went to visit some members that live not too far from Wurtheim and they were a delight.  It was fun to be able to meet the people Chandler and Cheryl write home about.

 We had a traditional German dinner that evening at Chandler and Cheryl's castle in Rimpar where they live.  It was small in comparison to the castle we toured earlier, but still really neat.  Pretty much every town has a castle in Germany.  I can't remember the name of my dinner, but it was similar to chicken cordon bleu.  Brett had potato dumplings, red cabbage, and some sort of beef.  They were both yummy.

The next day we decided to tour some places in Wurzburg that Brett and I didn't get around to the first day.  We first took a tour of The Residence which is a huge mansion where all the Bishops used to live.  It was so beautiful inside.  The paintings and artwork were the most ornate I have ever seen, but we weren't allowed to take any photographs inside :( .  The Residence was surrounded by acres and acres of beautifully landscaped gardens which we had a good time exploring.

We then toured the castle above Wurzburg.  People actually still live in this one, which was a little different.  It was surrounded by vineyards on all the steep hillsides.  In all the castles , there were so many entrances to tunnels that were blocked off, I just wish I could go through them and explore them all! I was thouroughly intrigued and would just stare into the blackness through the gates trying to imagine where they led.  This castle offered a beautiful birds eye view of Wurzburg.

 After a long day of walking, we ate dinner at a chicken place in Wurzuburg that one of the members manages.  We got to meet him, and eat some delicious fried chicken.  This chicken place is actually located on one of the streets where Hitler marched his troops during the war.

 We proceeded to drive to Frankfurt this afternoon where we did some sight seeing.  On the drive into Frankfurt we had to take a Ferry at one point across the river.  We were lucky enough to get an ice cream truck on the ferry with us and took full advantage of it.  We took some pictures of the Frankfurt Cathedral, listened to part of the mass, walked through a street fair, and ate some bratwursts.   At the end of the night Chandler and Cheryl dropped us off at a hotel so we could fly out early in the morning back home.

 We had so much fun in Germany and had a great time visiting with Brett's parents and meeting all the people they write home about.  All of the little towns were picturesque, tucked in small valleys, with a river flowing through it, and a castle towering above.  Loved it.