Heidelberg to Holland in Six Days

Heidelberg to Holland in Six Days

And so, the continuing saga across Europe from Freiberg to Paris, then Holland and finally into Belgium and back again all in only 14 days!

St. George's Church in Eisenach

Eisenach was our first stop. It is a famous historical city both in German history, architecture and especially music. We arrived in town in the early evening hours. Fortunately we pulled over and parked in front of a beautiful church, the Georgenkirche. At the time we didn't even know its name. 

Life-size Bronze of Bach

At the front door was a poster advertising a concert to be held that very evening, in fact it was to begin within a half an hour. The concert would feature music for clavichord, violin and soprano. We felt as if it had been planned around our arrival. The concert was wonderful. We sat right in front of the Trio. Immediately to our right was a baptismal font - those small ones where babies are just baptized with a sprinkle of water. 

We read after the concert that this was the baptismal font for Johann Sebastian Bach. Throughout this evening and through the next day we were to find many other amazing monuments to this great composter: the Bach Haus, a grand life-size bronze statue of the man and the famous church where he and several of his family members were organists through the 17th century. The buildings shown below were on a large poster with buildings and map of important buildings in Eisenach.

The Bach Haus was a fascinating exhibit. It is thought to be Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth home. We were greeted outside by his welcoming more than life-size statue. Inside there are explanations about and performances and demonstrations of many instruments Bach played
as he was composing and then used to showcase his own compositions. His very talented musical family included his father and his uncles. His father was a fine musician and composer and was the court organist for years. He also had many connections which allowed Bach to have very many early learning-while-doing activities. Inside the Bach Haus there is a listening room with headphones, a seating area and the opportunity to listen to as many of his compositions as are of interest to the visitors. 

Some of the Famous Eisenach Buildings to be Seen

Temple Closure Cleaning - Includes for Missionaries

Hallway Up to the Temple

We will be leaving our apartment for two weeks beginning this Sunday, September 10, after attending Sacrament Meeting in our Gemeinde and returning on September 25 traveling all the way from Amsterdam vicinity. 

Each six  months, the Freiberg Temple, as do all temples, closes completely for cleaning and some renovation - our apartments are included in the renovation plans for this closure. When we return I think we will find out apartments changed by hard workers adding wallpaper to our sleeping area - taking the edges off a very sharply sand-stippled paint work right next to our beds - as well as the addition of new reading lights and book shelves over our beds - they will be so appreciated! The missionaries are so well cared for and appreciated. We have come to know so many wonderful people both as we have been meeting on Sundays and as we have been working with many other European members coming to the Tempel from far off countries.

A walking tour here in Rothenburg has helped bring the ancient ramparts alive. For the serious side of Rothenburg’s history, we took the walk overlooking the best view of the town and all of the surrounding countryside. This 1.5-mile stroll atop the wall is at its most medieval before breakfast or at sunset - here the sun was beginning to go to rest for us.

Red-tiled Roofs Accent Ancient Weathered Wood Walls

Ploenlein - No Umlaut on my Computer

Walking around and then again downtown, we came across one of the most often photographed sites in Rothenburg. It is a quaint corner where two cobble-stone lanes, one climbing up and the other leading downhill, meet and are framed by many peaked tile roof lines and angled building walls. 

One of the shop signs, that of the "Trend Shop am Ploenlein" shows a happily watching dog - one of the many shoppers' own - patiently waiting on tether.





Next you will recognize a happy watching - but not shopping tourist below. That doesn't sound possible - someone watching and not shopping and happy???

Walking, Wandering and Wondering

What a spot! We were warned  before coming here that there are so many wonderful things inviting purchase that we must do our best to look and keep our pocketbooks in pocket. Of course, that's not always possible.

However, I wish there were some better way to keep things seen in more than just that day's visual  memory!

We saw a central store for Kaethe Wohlfahrt, one of the very famous designers of German handwork.

We first saw small pieces of her work when we were blessed to be able to visit the Passion Play in Oberammergau in 2010. Today for me was like visiting a LEGO store for some kids I know.

There were so many different and wonderful toy stores with handcrafted design and colors all over them - so creative, so dear, and so expensive!

Art and Imagination in Vibrant Colors and Fanciful Shapes

I wish I could show some of the moving photos of toy stores I have taken with my simple pocket phone. Pyramids spinning up high with their paddles; porcelain dolls smiling and waving; brown, black and white bears turning and playing drums; flowers swaying; even turtles crawling! Of course, I think they are almost appreciated as much if not more so by loving grandmothers as by beloved grandchildren!

How Many More Flights?

We'll be leaving for Heidelberg in the next two days. Before we leave, though, we have taken some amazing photos - Lee taking some of the photos up through the stair-after-stair to the heights of the town tower - I continuing the climb far too high up and then just trying to look down. My mother used to surprise me with her fear of heights - until just lately as I better understand from some of our recent spectacularly high  climbs done at my ancient age here in Germany. Now I completely understand as my stomach wildly churns as I am looking far away, but also far, far down from the top of the recommended as a "must-see" Town Hall tower. Such a sight overlooking the town and the country surrounding this medieval and  yet lived-in 21st century lifestyle town.

From the Very Top

We have felt again the wonderful history surrounding us and the modern citizens of this medieval town all with its remaining wonderful sights into the past.