March 26th, 2017 (I started this post right before we left for our Spring Break trip last week to Italy but didn’t get a chance to wrap it up until now.)
We welcomed our first visitor for 2017 on March 10th. Grace, Mein Mann’s sister, had business in Paris. She flew in a few days early, took the train to Germany and spent the weekend with us. Grace was an INCREDIBLY, easy house guest, fitting right into our family rhythm. Shortly after arriving she joined us at S’s soccer practice, cheering him on and playing with his big brother and some of his friends!
On Saturday, we drove to Bingen. We walked along the Rhine for a while before catching the ferry across the river to Rüdesheim where we spent the afternoon.
Though it was still chilly, signs of Spring were all around and the sun was OUT! Yippee!!!!
We sat outside for lunch at a Weingarten. The food was delicious! Red blankets were draped over the chairs to provide some extra warmth. S wrapped himself up after he was done eating.
This little music machine was outside a music museum. It quickly drew a small crowd once we put a coin in!
As we walked off our lunch, we stumbled across a trail entrance into the vineyards atop the hillside. The network of trails is extensive and many folks were out enjoying different sections. The boys found walking sticks from pruning piles alongside the paths. The views were beautiful!
On our way back through the town, we stopped at a cafe that had captured our attention earlier with these displayed in their window…
They are called Baumstriezels or Chimney Cakes. They are hollow and flavored with powdered sugar, cinnamon, nuts and other toppings. You eat them by tearing off strips. Yum!
The place itself was rather eclectic with fun art and sculptures on display. It was our last stopping point before we headed back to catch the ferry across.
The ticket man on the ferry invited the boys and two other children up to the top-level of the ferry to see the captain sitting at the control panel. Very fun! Once we made it back to the Bingen side, we s…l…o…w…l…y walked back to the car with an extended detour at a great kid’s park!
We enjoyed village life with Grace for her last full day with us. For the ease of the morning, we opted for home church. We all picked different musical instruments to “play” while we sang along to worship music. We looked at passages from both the Old and the New Testaments that shared about hearing God’s voice and how Jesus told his disciples to pray. It was a sweet way to start off our day together.
Afterwards, we headed out on foot from our house to enjoy a long walk and picnic lunch up at the labyrinth. It’s very typical to see German families out together on Sundays hiking, riding bikes, walking, etc.. Shops and grocery stores are all closed on Sundays encouraging folks to relax and spend time together. We love this!
Thankfully, our favorite Eis Cafe is open on Sundays. Ice cream and coffee drinks added to the enjoyment of our last day together with Grace. How grateful we were to have these few days to enjoy Grace’s company!!
Our B&B Calendar has an amazing number of guests signed up through Spring and Summer! Grace kicked things off. Five days later, my parents arrived for a week! Starting next week, we have two, beloved friends (Peggy and Audra) visiting back-to-back followed by a long anticipated visit from our niece and her hubby. We also hope to see S’s godfather in May. In June, we are expecting our nephew and his lovely wife and baby. July holds another visit with one of Mein Mann’s sisters and then a reunion with our friend Kevin, his girls and his new bride. Wow!!! It will be super busy but so good to see these faces we love and adore! Since the boys will be in school through mid-June, our guests will get glimpses into our regular lives here in Germany as we attempt to keep some sort of routine alongside the excitement of their visits. We already have some fun trips planned too. I often take travel books with me now to sneak in a few minutes of reading here and there. Carpe Diem, eh?!
Schönen Tag! (“Have a good day”)
