So much to see...

Since almost every Saturday we tried hard to "get out of Dodge," I would have way too long a blog if I devoted a post to each excursion.  Therefore, this post will be a combination of a number of picturesque sites we visited over our 18-month stay in Germany.

The typical countryside alone made our drives worth it!

Or try the amazing fields of rapp seed (canola) in the spring!

 

Bern Kastel Kues
This was one of the few cities I remembered visiting in the 1980's when Elder G and I toured Europe in one of those "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" trips.

I distinctly remembered a crooked little house in between two streets 

and was thrilled when we were able to locate it!

  

Awesome town square!

Beautiful riverside location!

Bacharach

This castle, situated on the Rhine River, was the one Erin actually stayed at 

when she toured Europe as a college student!

We loved having dinner below the church ruin above.  And above that is the castle.

Braunfels, 

another one of our favorite castles!  Unfortunately, you don't get this nice, close-up view unless you're a drone; but it's one amazing castle!

We took this trip with Elder & Sister Bausman, dear friends.

Amazing door!  I just love castle doors!

We were delighted to see a group of children thoroughly enjoying a Knight's Birthday Party.

Artwork from 1030 AD

A delightful luncheon with the Bausmans was a perfect end to the outing.

We got a kick out of the nearby "hay statues." 

Awesome Michelstadt town hall 

Nearby Schloss Homburg

Niedderau/Windecken
Since this is our Public Affair's Assistant Director, Ralf Gruenke's hometown, he offered to give
the missionaries a personal tour.  Sisters Nelson and Caracena posed at the entrance.

Ralf was an excellent tour guide, sharing so many details about this area, most of whose buildings were hundreds of years old!

 There was even a witch's tower in this old town!  Apparently (per one tale), if you were charged with being a witch, you were tortured until you admitted it.  Then upon admission, you were usually killed.  Sure would make one want to be friendly with everyone and not create an enemy!

These metal markers, called "stolpersteins" (stumbling stones), are placed outside a home to call to memory the Jewish persons who had lived there and then later died in the holocaust.  The first line states "Here lived..."   They can be found throughout Europe.


We finished the tour eating yummy ice cream desserts and visiting leisurely outdoors for hours!

What a goodlooking group of seniors we made!

Nearby Rudesheim (less than an hour's drive away) was a true favorite!  I doubt we can count the many times we drove there and then continued along the Rhine River, spotting one castle after another.  This time we spent more time in the city, itself, as we treated our BYU intern,
Cara Wade, to a fall Saturday outing.

The biggest shock of all was that Elder G agreed to take the ride 

to the monument on the hill overlooking Rudesheim!

The vineyards' changing colors were amazing!

This impressive monument commemorates the unification of Germany in 1871, when, after centuries of being independent, the many separate kingdoms came together 

to form one united country. 

It was a great afternoon, and Elder G hadn't even minded stopping there to shop at our favorite
Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store.

And I think that ties up a bunch of loose ends regarding little side trips I had yet to post.  Obviously, you can see that we took advantage of weekends and enjoyed our time in Germany very, very much!  Truly, a very amazing country with unlimited opportunities for appreciating its beauty!