Deutschverderber's Weblog

On a Sunday Morning Sidewalk

deutschverderber — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:29:48 +0000

If there is a day in which I think about home, it would have to be Sunday. Here in Bonn, our Sundays are very different from home. Firstly, there is no church service like at home and one can’t help but miss hearing the Word of God or spending time in worship.

This morning, I set out to find a local evangelical church that was offering Sunday services. Just as I stepped outside, I heard church bells ringing in the distance. I followed the sound for about 10 minutes until I finally came to the Johanneskirche. The Johanneskirche, as I found out, is one of the largest in Bonn with about 5,000 members. It is one of about 10 churches in the Rheinau area and operate on a rotating basis. This means that Sunday morning service is always in a different church. The reason they operate this way, is that they have too many churches and not enough people.

I thought it interesting that the message this morning was about the Early Church in Jerusalem. In particular, the minister talked about the Early Church as described in Acts 2:42, 44

“Sie alle blieben standing beisammen; sie liessn sich von den Aposteln unterweisen und teilten alles miteinander, feierten das Mahl des Herrn und beteten gemeinsam”.

“Alle, die zum Glauben gekommen waren, taten ihren ganzen Besitz zusammen.”

The minister then went on to talk about how strife entered into the Early Church, but also how it was solved. The apostles called a meeting at Jerusalem and made sure everybody knew what the problem was. Also, when they finally came up with a solution, they wrote letters to all the churches so that everybody knew what the Church had decided.

Afterward, we were all invited to share a coffee and talk with each other. I talked with a couple of people who naturally wanted to know where I was from, as I was a stranger in their church. So, using the text from the morning message, I was able to explain about who I was and what a Hutterite is doing living in Bonn. They were very interested in Hutterites and had actually heard about Hutterites and Mennonites.

One thing I noticed, there weren’t many young people in this church. One of the other people mentioned that as well. I must say, that is one of the things you can’t help but notice, is the lack of religion among the younger generation of Germans.

One evening, over a couple of beers, we had a lengthy, and interesting discussion among our group about religion. In our group, we had nominal Roman Catholics, we had Calvinists, Lutherans, Hutterites (Anabaptist), and agnostics. Everybody shared a little about what they believed (or didn’t believe) and then we discussed similarities and differences. Of course, they couldn’t believe their ears when I explained how our communities back home function. One area where we differed significantly was regarding morality. I’ll suffice it to say that this area took up most of the evening and I’ll defer from sharing the contents of this discussion!

Anyway, our Sunday here is rather peaceful. After I came back from church, I attended a classical brass concert in the park. There usually are concerts here everyday, but not all of them are free.

Jordi drove to Diesseldorf with some Russian friends. They left this morning at 9:00 and should be back this evening.

Bonn Flohmarkt

deutschverderber — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:51:16 +0000

I’ve heard about these things, but never really thought I’d experience one. And yes, when the Germans say that the Flohmark is “Sehr Gross”, they actually mean it. This morning our group of students from Goethe University made our way down to the bus station for a nine minute ride to Rheinaue Park. When we arrived, the place was already swarming with people and vendors. There were over 1000 vendors and they stretched from one end of the park to the other. Think GIANT garage sale, no, more like a mutant garage sale. It was simple amazing how big it was . The stuff you could buy also varied, but in most cases was no different from the stuff we can buy at our Garage Sales. Mind you, there was also a lot of exotic stuff that you wouldn’t find at home.

Egor, and I spend about two hours walking around the Park. We didn’t get to visit every vendor because they were spread out so much, you never were quite sure if you’d already seen this area or not. It was also very hot! Of course, being a German event, all the food stations were set up in one place (well organized), but in the opposite direction that we chose to walk. Therefore, we were finally forced to turn around and go look for some food and drinks.

Tonight, we are planning on going to the Bonner Kinomathek show. The Kinomathek is a huge outdoor screen where they show, of all things, silent films. You know, Charlie Chaplin and the likes. We saw one show already, and want to see the second one. These events, because they are outdoor, are free. However, you need to come early to find seating. Another nice thing about the Kinomathek shows, is that they feature live music.

Cortina to Grossglockner

deutschverderber — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:32:29 +0000

Today, we left the flat and fertile plains of Venetia and journeyed into the splendid scenery of the Dolomites. The Dolomites are a section of the Alps which are located in the north-east part of Italy. They run as far south as the Puster Valley from which area our ancestors moved many years ago.

The name “Dolomites” comes from a French scientist, Deodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who was the first one to describe these strange rock formations. The unique feature that these rocks posses is that they seem to change colour as the day progresses. Also, the Dolomites have a very unique shape: somewhat like a gothic cathedral. The tops of the mountains were always very jagged and covered with clouds.

Our first stop was at Cortina d’Ampezzo (or just Cortina). This is a summer resort. During the winter, most of the people leave as the weather here can be very severe. However, I do believe it is open during some parts of the winter for skiing and snowshoeing. Our guide said that if you came back in winter, you would find the streets mostly deserted. All the locals leave, and only the brave tourists remain. That, however, was not how we found the . They were rather crowed with tourists who were walking around enjoying the breathtaking beauty of the town and the landscape.

Odd trivia: The film “For your Eyes Only” (James Bond) was filmed in Cortina. Also, the 1956 Olympics were held in Cortina.

In the afternoon, we crossed into Austria. I was a little disappointed at this point because I had hoped we would drive though the Puster Valley, but instead we drove in the opposite direction and ascended a gut wrenching, twisting, turning road to the Grossglockner.

The Grossglockner stands at 3,798 meters above the sea level and is . The Grossglockner on the border between Carinthia and the East Tirol. I couldn’t help put wonder if some of my ancient ancestors had been standing in the same place we were standing and looking at the same scenery. The landscape was extremely rugged and I again gained more respect for the men and women who pioneered this landscape many hundreds if not thousands of years before. I’m sure it was no small feat.

When we finally reached the summit, our bus driver pulled into a parking lot which was sitting on the edge of a precipice which plunged into a distant valley. The clouds were so close, you felt that you should be able to reach out and gather them with one sweep of your hand. It was truly an amazing and breathtaking view. Most of the time, we were actually walking above the clouds. You would look down and there would be some lazy cloud drifting by.

Another interesting feature about the Grossglockner is its glacier. The glacier is called Pasterze and is the longest glacier in Austria and in the Eastern Alps and is about 9 km in length. Of course, like most glaciers in the world, this one is rapidly melting. Chris, one of our English tourists, was here in 1990 and was amazed how far down the glacier had gone. There is a lift chair you can take down to the glacier, or rather to where the glacier was when they build the lift. Chris said that last time he was here, he took the lift down and then only had to walk a short distance to the glacier. Now, the lift took you only half way to the glacier. You still had a good climb to the bottom. You could also follow a path down to the glacier. I decided to do this instead of paying for a ride down with the lift. It was supposed to take about ¾ hours but I managed it in 20 minutes. However, by the time I got back up, I was soaking wet and had to go change!

Oh, there were also lots of beautiful flowers growing all over the place. Here is a picture of the famous Edelweiss.

After we left the Grossglockner, we drove to the Salzburg area for the night. We stayed in a lovely little country Gasthaus. Our hotel windows looked out over a beautiful valley and the sweet smell of silage and dairy cows really added to the “country” atmosphere of the hotel. The hotel, like all in this area, was family owned and operated. For many of the locals, it is one of their main sources of income.

Update from Bonn

deutschverderber — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:56:06 +0000

Sorry, if I’m a little behind with my posts. For the last week, we’ve been in Bonn at the University. Things are going well and we’ve settled in rather nicely. We fit in about as much as everybody else, which isn’t saying much. I don’t know if I’ve ever bin in a company of people from such a variety of different languages. We have students from almost every part of the world! It truly is an amazing experience. I think we all feel about as equally out of place. Because we all come from such varied walks-of-life, the only connections we have is the thin thread of German language which we all know. Sometimes it’s very funny trying to communicate with others. Both parties try to explain something to the other but eventually both stand there with a quizzical look on their face, not quite sure what the other was trying to say. In such a case, everybody just has a good laugh and you try again! Oh well, laughter is a great communicator that spans all cultures and languages.

I’ll try to post the last two days of our trip at some other time. I’m rather busy at the time, so that might be a great incentive for me to keep my posts shorter. I apologize if they are lengthy, but we’ve really experience so much on this trip that I’m really not even scratching the surface.

Take care all you at home. Thinking of you all as you start the harvest!

Lake Lugano and Venice

deutschverderber — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:41:32 +0000

I’m not going to say a lot about the town of Lugano, other then that it was another beautiful city. One interesting thing about Lugano, is that it is an Italian speaking town. This might not sound strange if the town wasn’t located in Switzerland. The climate in Lugano is Mediterranean and so you see palmtrees all other the place. Also, the other trees that you see are huge!

Something else that we saw in Lugano were the shops. For instance, take a look at these delicious shrimp and different types of cheese that were on display! I had to restrain myself from jumping into the storage bin!

We left Lugano at 7 this morning. We had to get up at 6:00, baggage out by 6:30. Outside, a beautiful mist was rising over the entire landscape. Our hotel was situated on a hill overlooking Lake Lugano and parts of the city.

Our drive to Venice went very smoothly. We did get stuck in a little rush hour traffic but eventually got clear of it. Today, Friday, Italy has a national holiday. Our guide told us some interesting statistics about Italians. For instance, a very large percentage of Italian men don’t get married until they are about 35 years old. Until then, they live at home with their parents, in particularly, mother (mama). Everyday, each male will try to return home to visit their mother at least once. So this culture seems to have developed a very strong connection to their mothers. They treat their mothers better than their wives (as the story goes)!

On the way to Venice, we past the town of Varona where the story of Romeo and Juliet was set. We didn’t stop, but apparently you can visit Juliet’s veranda and pose beside her statute. It’s a huge attraction for Chinese tourists. There is also a large amphitheater in the town where they hold operas during the summer.

One thing about Venice, is you need to watch out for pickpockets. A couple of people warned us and told us to keep our bags in front of us because they often walk behind you and cut you bag open with a knife. Before you know it, they are gone with all your stuff. Well, we stopped at a little wayside snack bar for a quick break and a snack and somebody from another tour group almost got robbed. The man was walking out of the washroom when he felt a hand in his pocket. He quickly reached back and grabbed the persons hand just as he was about to pull 800 Euro from his back pocket. Needless to say, there was quick a lot of excitement among their group. People were all coming by to congratulate the man on saving his money. You’ve never seen a man with a more relieved look on his face then this man!

Oh, buying something in Italy is a little different from at home. First, you need to make your way towards the cashier. This is not as simple as it might sound. Their lines are very unorganized. There is always a lot of shuffling and jumping in and out of the line. People are yelling back and forth over each other, and your head. Finally, when you get to the cashier, you tell her what you want to buy, you pay for it and they give you a receipt. You take your receipt to the next counter where they then give you your stuff. Of course, the whole time, you are being nudged and crowded from all sides. It’s easy to see why pickpockets have such a nice time working the crowds. You can get a little paranoid every time somebody bumps you.

Wow, Venice is quite the city. First, you drive to the outskirts of Venice and then you have to head to the “bus station” of Venice boats. There, you stand in line, behind the other bus lines, and wait for your boat to arrive. By boat, it took us about 5 minutes to drive to the city center of Venice. All along the way, we passed these huge cruise ships and sailboats. Ancient looking buildings seem to rise out of the water. We arrived at the Venice unloading dock in sweltering heat. Everybody was sweating and wishing they had brought more water!

Our guide first made sure we were oriented. She took us to St. Mark’s Square (the biggest square in Venice). There you find the tall bell tower which you can see from many places in Venice. This was our safety mark. If lost, look up! This is also where you find the world’s largest pigeon population. In Venice, you find 4.5 pigeons for every person! They are everywhere and they are also very aggressive. It wasn’t unusual to have a pigeon fly by so close that it almost brushed your face!

Next, we headed off to meet our Venice tour guide.

Because of all the different tours going on, and the huge crowds, our guide gave us all earplugs and a radio receiver. There were two reasons for this. First, it would be hard listening to our guide while trying to weave through the crowded streets. Secondly, when touring the churches, we are only allowed to whisper.

The guide also carried a stick with tassels attached to the end so we could follow her in the crowd. She did an exceptional job of guiding us though the streets and providing us with a constant stream of information. For instance, she gave us a little history lesson on Venice.

Venice came into existence after the collapse of the Roman empire. The people needed a safe place to hide and protect themselves. So, they decided to go out and build a city in the swamp. After years of experiments, the Venetians hit upon a method which has proved very successful. They found out that if they pressed trees down into the mud (vertically), similar to our house pillars they could add a lot of weight. After this, they simply pressed down trees, and then build huge buildings. But, how come the tree trunks don’t rot away. Well, it is really very simple. The trunks, which are buried in the mud, aren’t exposed to oxygen. In addition, the salt water helps preserve the trunks. When you see the amazing size of most of these buildings, you can’t help put marvel that all they are sitting on is the vertically stumps of trees. Mind you, you can see that some of the buildings have shifted. As a matter of fact, the tall bell tower came crashing down during the night many years ago. Because it didn’t kill anybody, the Merchants of Venice decided it deserved a second change and had a new one built.

Our guide took us down a couple of narrow streets towards St. Mark’s square. As you enter St. Mark square from the waterside, you notice two very tall pillars with strange. One pillar commemorates St. Theodor and the other St. Mark both who are the patron saints of Venice. The begs the question why two saints? The answer, apparently, is simple. Who is St. Theodor? Not a very well known saint. Supposedly, he killed some dragon (evil) and so was sainted. However, the Venetians wanted a more powerful saint. So, they arranged to “borrow” the body of saint Mark who died in Egypt and was buried in Constantinople. Supposedly, a couple of merchants stole his body and hid it in a box with pork on top. This way, they apparently got through the Turkish check stop without any problem.

St. Mark’s church is by far the most elaborate church we’ve visited yet. We weren’t allowed to take pictures on the inside which is too bad. The entire ceiling was covered with the most amazing paintings. Starting from the entrance, you had the entire stories of the old Testament. In addition, the front part of the church was lower and as you want into the church, you rose up higher. This too was symbolic. First, you have to approach the New Testament through the Old. As you progress through the Old into the New, you rise up to higher levels of knowledge and understanding. Another amazing thing about the ceiling was that it was covered in gold leaflet. Thousands and thousands of small gold tiles were added to the paintings so that they sparkled and glowed. This was also symbolic. Heaven is light (knowledge). So you have to look upwards to see the “light of the world”.

When walking through the church, you were so busy looking up, that you could easily miss the wonder under your feet. The floor of St. Mark’s church was stunning as well. Each section was unique and were a mosaic of colour. I’ve never seen this many different colours of marble. It was incredible!! Also, the floor was rounded and heaving in places. This is because some of the tree trunks underneath have shifted over time. So the floor is uneven as you walk. However, they are working at stabilizing everything.

Another interesting thing about St. Mark’s church is that no pillars are the same. In any section, you have at least 3 to 4 different coloured pillars. Why is this, one wonders? It looks good, but does seem strange. Well, the answer lies many centuries back. During the crusades, the Venetians went along as traders. While in the holy land, they apparently “traded” or help themselves to any of the wonderful things they saw. Literally, the stripped the Holy land: pillars, statues, etc. Everything was brought back to Venice and used in the construction of the church. Another instance of this, are the four bronze horses one sees adorning the main entrance to the church. Both of these were also “borrowed” them from Constantinople in 1204. Any guide book will say they were “gifted”, but our guide assured us that the Venetians generally took what they wanted. So, this is why the church is so wonderful, it really is a collection of artifacts from different parts of the world which were masterfully crafted together to create a most amazing monument to man’s ingenuity. I’m not quite sure if it was build to honer God or man. But then, a church is only a building, what counts is the heart you bring into it when you enter its front doors. I would gladly have spent the entire day in the church, but that was not possible. Because of the large number of tourists (4 million each year), you are not allowed to stop within the church. You have to keep moving. There was a slight lull in the traffic, so our wonderful guide allowed us to stop while she pointed out further amazing features of the church. Truly this church should be considered one of the wonders of the world!

Our next stop was a Venetian glass blowing factory. Again, we were not allowed to take any pictures. I would have loved to share some of this amazing work (Internet pictures) with you all, but I was a good tourist and left my camera in my pocket.

Glass Horse

Talk about craftsmanship! Each piece was amazing! The colours and shapes were unbelievable (Internet). That these were blow and not formed is often hard to believe. But, we were able to watch a demonstration where one of their craftsmen made a vase. Absolutely brilliant! I was allowed to take pictures of this and I videoed most of the process. I’ll try to add a video clip, but it has not worked in the past!

Bridge of Sighs

I had a wonderful talk with one of the master craftsmen. He lamented the fact that the art of “Venetian” glassblowing is a dying trade. It takes 30 to 40 years to become a master glassblower. He said that their young men are refusing to take up the apprenticeship. Instead, they want to sit around outside in the shade or drive the gondolas up and down the canals. He was very said about this. Many of the glassware they sell at cost just to try to help spread awareness of the art form. For the first time in centuries, the glassblowing schools are open to anyone who wants to learn. In earlier times, many countries tried to steal the trade by hiring the workers away. In cases like this, the Venetians sent assassins to kill the tradesman. No more! Now they are glad to share the trade with whoever is willing to learn. But, it takes a lot of dedication to learn the trade.

There are many other things I could write about this wonderful city, but the post would be come so long that people would get tired of reading it! So, I’ll stop there.

Oh, one more thing. The hotels on this trip have been wonderful and very fancy. For instance, the last one even had this really wonderful foot washer in the bathroom. Mind you, it was so close to the toilet, that it was hard to use!! lol

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

deutschverderber — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:38:07 +0000

We have spent the last two days in Zermatt. This town is very unique, as no motorized vehicles are allowed in the town. Rather, I should say that no gas vehicles except with special permission from the town council. Electric carts are used to haul baggage and such stuff.

Zermatt, is, a very beautifully and scenic town. Because cars aren’t allowed in the town, the streets are very narrow. Also, all the streets are either going up or down.

The houses here are all very similar. It seems that all the houses build, have to be build according to Swiss period style. One thing you’ll find on all Swiss houses is a balcony. Apparently it is a must. However, considering the view, it definitely is a good idea!

Zermatt is really a summer and winter resort. The scenery is absolutely stunning!! Did I mention that it was stunning? In particular, the Matterhorn stands as the majestic king of all mountains. It towers above all the other mountains. At all times, clouds seem to swirl around its summit like a royal crown. Only twice, did I see the clouds pull back and give us a view of the peak. Both times, you could see all the tourists whipping out their cameras and snapping away.

How can one come to the alps and not climb around in them. So, strapping on my GPS monitor, I headed up the mountain. The trail I chose was called the Sunnegga Paradise trail. At the start, the trail started going up slowly. The path was fairly broad. However, this soon changed. The nice trailed disappeared and the trail got a lot tougher. However, the higher I climbed, the more breathtaking the scenery. Sometimes, I just had to stop and sit down and look at this wonder which many, many years ago might well have been the homeland of some of our ancestors. Truly, they must have been a hardy people to be able to survive in this land. It is easy to see how this beautifully, benign landscapecould suddenly change into a raging avalanche of snow or rocks which destroys everything in its path.

As I neared the highest part of the Sunnegga trail, the Matterhorn loomed even more majestic and wonderful in front of me. I think if we would stay another day, I would definitely try to climb up the Matterhorn as far a I could. There are trails that go up, but I’m not sure they’d let a greenhorn, prairie boy try it!

When I finally returned to camp 4.5 hours later, I had covered 21.8 km and ascended a total of 7418 feet. In the afternoon, I hauled Jordi along and we tried out another, shorter trail. Time, we walked only 5.3 km and ascended 893 feet. It looked like it wanted to start raining, so we headed back down to town. When we came to town, we heard the bleating of goats and ringing of bells. We followed the sound and soon were met by a herd of goats which a group of boys were moving to another pasture. As we neared the town center, we heard music playing. A group of Swiss accordion players were playing songs in the center of town. We only got to listen to one song and then they quit playing.

Anyway, that is all I’m going to write today. Wishing you all the best at home. God bless!

Geneva to Chillon Castle to Zermatt

deutschverderber — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:36:01 +0000

Last night, we stayed at the beautiful Alpha Palmier hotel in the city of Lausanne. I must say, that this has been the most interesting city we’ve visited. I don’t think there was anything strait in this city. The streets are all running off in different directions and all going either uphill or downhill. The uphill was very steep. I took an evening run down to Lake Lausanne. The downhill part was really easy, however, coming uphill needed a lot more energy. Really, I think if I had to chose a city to live in for a while, it would be Lausanne. The view was breathtaking.

To get our bus to our hotel required some pretty fancy maneuvering by our expert driver, Wolfgang. However, after driving down the wrong street for a while (one way), we finally arrived at our hotel. The cobblestone street in front of our hotel dropped away rather steeply, but that didn’t stop the local restaurants from setting up outside sitting areas. I think they must use anti-slip material under their dishes.

The people in the Lausanne, speak French and German but primarily, this part of Switzerland is French. All the signs are now in French and when you talk to the locals, they all have beautiful melodic accents. The few times I stopped to talk to people, I found them to be very friendly! All in all, I would give this city and its people a five star rating.

The first stop of the next day was at Geneva. Geneva is one of the birthplaces of the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin did most of his teaching in this city. In the city you can see the reformation wall which commemorates the significant role that Geneva played in the Reformation.

Geneva is also the birthplaces of Swiss watches. The main Swiss banks are located here. From the city center, we walked into town and everywhere you went there were banks. Oh, there were were also stores selling very expansive watches. Something that I saw and would have liked to buy was an old fashioned music box. Some of them could play up to 17 different songs. All you had to do was change the cylinder. But the price was rather steep!

On the way into Geneva, we drove past the United Nations Seat. We saw the alleyway with all the national flags. Also, there was a huge wooden chair which stands as a memorial to all the people killed or injured though land mine use. If you look, you’ll see that the chair is missing on leg.

Of course, we couldn’t get into the United Nations grounds. We simple drove past twice and then moved on to the City Center.

The one thing about Geneva that I think I’ll remember for a long time will be the convoluted streets. You walk down a street which suddenly turns into an alleyway and then seems to dead end. However, if you walk to the end, you usually find a flight of stairs that take you up or down a level. We were looking for the Cathedral St Pierre which is the oldest church in, I think, Europe. It was built on top of the ruins of a Roman temple. The building was huge! One definitely wonders how on earth they build these huge structures without cranes and lifting devices. The grandeur of the building was more impressive then the art work on the inside (not that it wasn’t wonderful too). What really struck you was the amazing size of the building. It towered tall above any of the other buildings in the area. I think it was considerably taller then even most of the modern buildings! Inside, you had to tilt your head way back to look up at the beautifully arched ceiling. Wonderful stained glass windows adorned the walls. The whole building made one think about Salomon’s temple. The building was so splendid that many of the Jewish people began to think too highly of the temple and forgot about the God that it was built for. I guess, that we can make that same mistake with our churches or our communities.

After we left Geneva, we headed towards Chillon Castle which is located on the shores of Geneva Lake. Chillon Castle is the oldest, undisturbed castle from the 12^th century. It was originally build by the Savoy Dynasty but was only used for about two or three weeks every other year. The reason they didn’t live there permanently was simple. Because of the harsh environments, farmers in the area couldn’t raise many cattle, sheep or pigs. Whenever the king came to the castle, the local people had to feed him. So, if the kings came too often or stayed too long, the farmers would starve to death during the following year. So, the Savoy kings decided it best to only come once a year.

The castle was never really attacked and hence is in almost mint condition. The swiss army were the only ones who ever captured the castle. However, they did it without firing a shot at the castle. The simple marched up the castle and fired a couple of shots in the air and head their soldiers scream and yell. Eventually, the Savoys decided to abandon the castle. They all jumped into their boats and sailed away. You see, the Swiss army had a reputation of being the fiercest army around. Also, once the fighting started, they never took prisoners, only loot!

There were many interesting artifacts in the castle. One of the most interesting, were old chests which had been handed down from father to son or mother to daughter for many years. These chest were beautifully decorated.

Anyway, tomorrow, we will be in the beautifully town of Zermatt. Zermatt is a unique town as it is an entirely automobile free down. Vehicles are allowed only with special permission. They do have a few electric cars, but even those need special permission. The only way in, is by train. We will be driving to the local town and then take the train to Zermatt.

Lake Lucerne to Stans to Bern

deutschverderber — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:35:54 +0000

This morning we left the Lucerne area and drove through some more Switzerland landscape. The land again began to change. On both sides of the road, we passed small fields of wheat. Most of it had already been harvested. The corn were very tall, but still standing. Also, the southern slops were covered with vineyards.

Our first stop was at Stans which is the home of the Stanserhorn. The Stanserhorn reaches up 6,227 feet. We decided not to go up to the Stanserhorn because it cost extra, plus, we needed to go shopping for some necessities. Also, the group took a train ride up the mountain.

Once our shopping was done, we decided to go tour the Cappuccin Monastery. The Cappuccin’s came about when there was a split with the Franciscans. They felt that the Franciscans were to extravagant and so they build their own monastery. However, after seeing the inside, we decided that there was very little differences to Franciscan Monastery. When you look at the buildings from the outside, the Cappuccin Monastery looks simpler, but open the door and I believe, the opposite is true (personal opinion). What I loved about the Cappuccin Monastery was that instead of using only white marble, they had used black. The effect was stunning!

After leaving Stans, we drove for about another 2 hours until we reached Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Bern derived its name from Baern (bears). Apparently, at one time they had lots of bears. Well, today, they only have a small pit with a couple of bears in it. But, the day was blistering hot and so only one bear felt like coming out of the cave.

Here, one of our tour members took a nasty fall and had to be taken to the hospital. The Swiss ambulance was there in know time and picked here up. What happened was that she, Dianne, fell as she was walking towards the bear pit. Thankfully, she and her husband Paul were able to catch up with us later. The doctors thought she might have cracked a few ribs but felt she would be all right. We were all very thankful for that!

While Nancy and Paul went off to the hospital, the rest of us drove to the city center. Bern is a charming town full of arcaded shops, carved fountains, and towers. The bus dropped us off in towns main square right in front of the Bundes Platz (House of Parliament). The building was undergoing renovations and restoration and so we couldn’t get inside.

Just down the street from the Bundes Platz stands the tallest church in Europe, Munster Platz. I won’t bore you any further by reiterating all that I’ve said about the previous churches. All I will say is WOW. OK, I’ll add one little bit. This church had beautiful stain glass windows and a magnificent marble statue of Christ and Mary after Jesus was crucified.

Bern had many other beautiful sights to see. I think that one could just walk and walk for days and just look at this beautiful city. It’s amazing how well kept and neat everything was.

Another thing we noticed was that there were no police to be seen. Yet, people would park their bicycles beside the stores/road and wouldn’t bother to chain them up. Cars were left open, etc. But, who knows, maybe the famous Swiss Guards were watching!

Lichtenstein and Lucern

deutschverderber — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:43:29 +0000

This morning, we pulled out of our hotel parking lot at 8:00 am sharp. Oh, we have to get up at 6:30 everyday. Breakfast is at 7:00. Today, we drove through some more breathtaking Alpine scenery as we headed towards the Principality of Lichtenstein. On the way, we drove though the longest tunnel in Europe called the Arlberg Tunnel which is 14 km long. Actually, we drove through tunnels all day long. It was truly amazing how many tunnels they have around here. The mountains towered ways up above our heads. I always thought the Rockies were high, but I think the Alps would dwarf them. Most of the time, the top of the mountain was hidden by the clouds; or the mountain would go up and disappear only to reaper ontop of the clouds.

Lichtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world. In many regards, it is very similar to Switzerland. It’s famous for its banks and chocolate. Lichtenstein still has a monarch system to this day and they live in a castle overlooking the town of Lichtenstein.

Another thing that made Lichtenstein interesting were the connects we could make with our past. For instance, the Alm Bruderhof was located near the capital of Lichtenstein, Vaduz. Secondly, we were fairly close to Maienfeld where Conrad Grabel served as a priest before he became an Anabaptist. This was also the area in which Conrad Grabel later died when he became sick with the plague. Finally, we past signs directing us towards Chur which was were Jorg Blaurock served as a priest before he became an Anabaptist. Of course, our Chronicle tells quite a few stories about Blaurock. For a long time, we also drove along the Wallensee.

What struck me the most was how rugged and forbidding the landscape was. Our ancestors must have been a lot tougher then we are today. To think of them traveling for days though this mountainous landscape definitely helps to foster new feelings of respect. Also, the country is full of little valleys, hamlets, or hidden corners, that one can well imagine how the Anabaptist were able be sneak away into the forest to have secret church meetings.

After visiting Lichtenstein, we drove onwards towards Lake Lucerne. Fairly rapidly, you could see how the climate was changing. The high tree covered peaks disapeared to be replaced by rolling fields and grape arbours.

Finally we reached our main destination for that day, the lovely city of Lucerne. The city was a wonder just to walk through. The streets were all cobblestone and narrow. Looking down the street, you were never sure if it was a alleyway or a street. But, every-so-often, a small European car would come cruising along. The first place our guide took us to, was a Swiss clock and knife store. However, the prices were steep enough to send you running back out the door. The clocks did look great (some of them), but there was nothing wonderful about the price tag!!

The second place we went to see was the monument of the Lion. This is a large lion carved into the side of a cliff’s face. The lion was was commissioned by the Swiss government to commemorate the Swiss soldiers who died in France while trying to save the life of the King Louis the 16th and his Queen when the Revolutionary army stormed the castle. The Swiss, have, for many years, developed an excellent reputation as superb soldiers and bodyguards. In fact, the first Swiss banks came into existence because the soldiers who were going off to fight as mercenaries were sending home so much money and plunder, that they needed some way of protecting it. Hence, Swiss banking was born!

The lion is a masterful piece of artistic work. It definitely captures the sadness of the moment . Underneath the lion are carved all the names of the soldiers who died in this battle.

Two other wonderful things to see were the old city wall and a long covered wooden bridge . The city wall was about six feet wide at the base and about four feet wide near the top. Every so often, there was a high watch tower. We climbed up the winding staircase of one of these towers and walked a little while along the wall.

The bridge was also a very beautiful addition to the city of Lucerne. Build many, many years ago, the bridge still looks firm today. However, it was partly burned a couple of years ago, and cost the city millions to repair. Apparently there bridge must also posses some romantic properties, because you had to continually walk around couples who were “really” enjoying each others company! lol

After a short stop to buy bread and cheese (our supper), and a nice refreshing beer, we decided to go tour the Church of the Franciscans. The church steeples could be seen from almost any part of Lucerne. The artistic ; however, they did not compare to what the church looked like inside . From the huge domed roof to the gilded murals and railings, the interior was exquisitely designed. While we were there, the priest was putting out stuff for the next service. At the back of the church, was a HUGE pipe organ. The size of the pipes was unbelievable.

The architectural on the inside was absolutely stunning! The floor, walls and pillars were of white marble. Anything metal was gold. I’m not sure if it was real gold or not. Probably not as it was open to the public.

The marble statutes were also wonderfully done. They looked as if they were gilded with gold. I must admit, I thought that monks lived in more “humble” abodes. No wonder our ancestors were so upset with the Church. One only wonders at the cost in human lives as most of the money must have come largely from the poor people.

Most of the woodwork was done in dark walnut and beautifully contrasted with the white marble. The door were huge oak slabs that were masterfully carved on one side. Really, I don’t think I can adequately describe what it looked like. One really needs to see it oneself!

Innsbruck, Ledern Hosen and a Dreamer’s Castle

deutschverderber — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:58:10 +0000

Today, we were up at six-thirty to head out on our second day of touring. But first, we all gathered downstairs for a quick continental breakfast. And what a breakfast!! I don’t think there was anything quick about that breakfast; and that from somebody who usually inhales his food. The selection was unbelievable! Juices, coffee, tea, fruit juice, fruit, different types of meat, toast with about 10 different jams and jellies to spread on top. Really, it was almost too much and to boot, it was free. Needless to say, I think the hotel lost money on my stay. They were well in the lead (profit wise) until that continental breakfast and then they slipped into the red! Lol

After breakfast, we hit the road. We had two destination today. The first one was Linderhof castle and the second, Innsbruck (2).

Linderhof castle was built by one of Austria’s strangest kings, Ludwig. Apparently he was more of an artist then a king. He inherited the throne when he was 18 years old. In his lifetime, he started numerous castles. The castles were typically very small compared to other palaces of that era but lacked nothing in grandeur. What made this king so strange was his love for art and music (the arts).

In particular, he loved the music of Wagner and invited him to come live at his palace. Again, I’m slightly off topic. What made him so strange was that he didn’t like many people around him. Hence, his palaces were very small (max. of 6 servants). When he ate, he always ate along. Not even the servants were allowed into his presence. So, how did they get the food to this “shy” king? The table stood on top of a section of floor that could be lowered downstairs. Once downstairs, the servants would quickly load on the food and pull the ropes to lift the table back to the top. Maybe this is what inspired the tale “Tischlein deck Dich”!

Another very strange thing about Ludwig was that he loved the arts so much that he would be up all night listening to his own private orchestra. Come morning, the king went to bed.

To further enhance these performances,the king had a large grotto build. On the picture, you can’t really see the entrance because the door is artistically designed to look like it is part of the rock. It swings sideways to let you enter. The grotto looks like a very authentic cave, but is made entirely out of cement and wire mesh (you see the odd piece of rebar sticking up). Inside, he made a small pond on which which he had a floating boat (throne). On one wall, there was a beautiful painting. Also, there was a waterfall that could be turned on and off if watery sounds were wanted. Finally, the whole cave could be heated up by a couple of ovens located underneath.

Back inside the castle, you can find further examples of the kings eccentricity! All the rooms were made in accordance to French style. Ludwig loved everything France! Everything in the room was gilded with gold. Only one room was different and that was the servants waiting room. That room was gilded with silver. Sorry, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the castle (copy right issue)!

There were so many other fascinating things to be seen, that I’m not even going to begin! Just suffice it to say, it was a wonderful tour!

Then, our crazy bus driver hauled us off to Innsbruck. He drove unbelievable fast considering that the roods twisted and turned.

Arriving in Innsbruck, we first went to visit a local jewelry/cystal shop known as Kwarovski. The displays in this store were simply stunning. I particular loved the coloured crystal displays.

After we were done with the jewelry shop, Jordi and I went to look for the “Goldene Dach”. We didn’t really have any trouble finding it. Also, we found the plaque that the Mennonites hung up to commemorate the place where Jacob Hutter was burned at the stake. Afterwards, we walked around and visited the numerous quaint shops that line the cobblestone streets. Everybody was selling souvenirs. Of course, I had to buy an Austrian hat but decided to draw the line with the ladder-hosen! . Also, I found a shop that let you sample snapps and liquors. This was a very “refreshing” store!

This evening we also went out to an evening of Tyrolean singing, dancing and yodeling. The performances was outstanding. The dancers were dressed in the traditional Tyrolean costume; the women with the dress with the apron and the men wearing their leather ledern-hosen. The singing was absolutely outstanding. I talked with some of the singers and could understand most of their dialect, even though there were some differences. Almost all the songs they sang were in the Tyrolean dialect which is very similar, but not the same, as our Kartnisch dialect. One of the things that struck me a little strange was that some of the singers looked familiar, almost as if I’d seen them before. Their facial features and their actions reminded me of some Hutterites I’ve seen. I guess that’s our common ancestry showing through.

Anyway, folks, I would love to be able to post some video clips about the singers and more pictures about some of the places we’ve seen, but we are having difficulty getting on the Internet. The first hotel we were at only allowed us 15 minutes of free time then they wanted 10 EUR/hour. The second hotel didn’t offer any free Internet. Maybe at our next hotel, we will be able to find a local Internet Cafe where I can take my time and post some pictures. Thank you for being so patient!