Bringing the Cows Home

It is now November here and the cold weather has settled in for a long stay. We had a beautiful summer and a brief but gorgeous fall- it already feels like winter! We had snow one day in October- there was snow on the colorful flowers in my flowerboxes! Oh well, the Christmas markets are coming and that makes winter something to look forward to.
Oh, and also we have Drew's wedding to anticipate....and friends and family to see, however briefly. We will fly in on Dec. 26 and fly back here on Jan. 3, so it is really a lightning visit.
At the end of September, we drove down to the Alps in Austria, to an area called Alpbachtal. There we witnessed the Almabtrieb, or bringing down from the mountains, of the Austrian cows herds to their winter pastures. It is a big festival in Austria and so unique! The cows of Austria really wear those big cow bells- we woke up on Saturday am to that clanging as the local cows were herded into their barns. The cows coming down from their mountain pastures are led down by the families who own them, and they (the cows) are decorated with brightly-colored headdresses with pictures of the Madonna and other saints. So cool! We would like to go back every year now.
In my last blog, I mentioned wanting to take a motorcycle ride to a gasthaus in Kastl and watching the sun go down- well, we did do that with our friends, Beth and Mark Fitzgerald, and it was great! The ride home was a little cold, but Ben turned on the seat heater so I was fine. Now that the weather has turned colder, Ben may not get too many more good rides in, but he sure will try! Here is a photo of us with Ben's bike.
My job is becoming more challenging- not the library parts, but the managing of people part. I am not a natural manager, I don't think, so I am having to learn some new skillsets and attitudes. But it is good for me...stretching me and growing me. Painful, sometimes, though.
We have a new chaplain at our post chapel who is very different from our first one here. The hard part is that we are so limited as to worship choices here, at least in English. But we are still attending a home group on Monday nights which is very good and provides more opportunity to learn from the Word and fellowship with other believers more intimately. The food is delicious too! We are studying the book of John- very interesting.
We miss you all and hope to see some of you at Drew and Kelsey's wedding in December. For the rest, again, come visit us!

Nan and Ben

Herbst 09

Lots of time since my last post- sorry- but that means there's lots to catch you up on! The best thing is....
Stephen is home from Iraq! He came home in July and we were able to be there in Heidelberg when his brigade arrived. We were joined by many other happy family members, waiting to welcome them back to Germany and home. It was very touching for me to watch my little boy (!) lead his men in formation. Stephen looked so good, even with his funky moustache. I know he is so glad to be back. It's nice to be in the same country with at least one of my children!
In early August, to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary on August 12, we traveled by ICE train to Vienna, Austria, that grand old dame of Europe. That is one beautiful city, with truly majestic architecture. We did not get to visit the Lippizaner Horses, as they were 'on vacation' during our time there. But we visited the Hofburg, one of the palaces in Vienna, as well as the Art Museum. Our last day it was very hot, but we were still able to enjoy a fest near the Rathaus, with jazz music and food from all over the world. Sehr schoen! There is also a great park called the Prater, where one can ride all kinds of crazy dangerous rides, including a huge Ferris wheel with tram cars on it. We didn't ride anything, because it was too hot, but we plan to return at a cooler time. I want to ride the roller coasters!
At the beginning of September, Stephen and Megh came to visit us for a weekend. They wanted to go to Prague, since it is so close to us here. So to Prague we went again, on a gorgeous day with our son and his wife. Great day. We were able to visit the cathedral at the palace, which we missed on our trip with Michele and Dan Buhl, and it was breathtaking. It has some of the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen.
And last time I blogged I had mentioned that Drew was engaged- and now they are getting married in December! New Year's Eve, specifically, on the stage at Triad Theater in Greensboro, where Drew and his fiancee Kelsey both work. So we will be flying back to NC after Christmas for a brief but exciting visit.
Fall is here, the weather is cooling down nicely, and lots of changes are on board for the library here. We are getting a new computer system call Millennium, so all of our records, etc. are being transferred over. At the end of September, we are also getting RFID, which is a new-fangled way to tag the materials in the library. This means all of our materials will need to be newly tagged and logged into the computer. Whew! Changes are exhausting. But hopefully worth it.
Ben is loving his bike still- we have plans today to meet some friends and ride to a gasthaus about an hour away to have dinner and watch the sun go down in the valley below. Should be excellent. Must go- keep in touch!

Sommer ist da!

Summer in Bavaria.....thunderboomers, sunshine, more rain, more sunshine, cooler temps, then hot again, all in one day!
It has been a really busy spring and summer here in Germany. We have done a bit of traveling and had visitors and our first party with our German neighbors! Alles gut!
Every season is so beautiful here, but I seem to forget it from season to season, which is cool, since then I am newly delighted and excited about each one. Summer is the season of changeable weather, sitting outside in the beer garden or on the sidewalk, Italian ice cream, listening to the deer mommies across the street from our house as they call to their errant little ones, adventuring off for the first time, watching the sun set on the hills across the valley from our village, more Italian ice cream, relaxing.....
In May we traveled to Berlin for the first time, for 4 days only, so it was a bit rushed. We took the train up, mostly the ICE which is the fastest one and quite comfortable. The weather was cool but clear and we thoroughly enjoyed making our way around the city. It took almost the whole time to figure out the transit system and the best way to get where we wanted to go, so next time we will be able to focus more on the museums and sights than on the transportation. I also want to shop more next time! But we saw the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie and ate at the restaurant on the top of the government building (Bundes-something), and I found a beer I really like, except it is more of a beer mix and it is only available in Berlin. It is called a Berliner Weisse and you get it red or green, depending on the flavoring they add. Sehr gut! I had two.
We have a new family member too- Ben's new BMW motorcycle! It is a beautiful blue with a place for me to sit on the back. So far he is riding it alone, but the plan is for me to join him soon. I am going to be a Biker Babe! Our good friends Beth and Mark Fitzgerald also have a motorcyle (Harley) and so we will be going on rides together. The German countryside is so perfect for a lazy afternoon tour, stopping at a Gasthaus in some small village on the way. Ben is off right now to ride a bit, on this July 4th waning into evening.
We had some visitors too! Our friends from Montana, Michele and Dan Buhl, came to see us in early June. We had a great time showing them around our favorite places, like Prague and Regensburg and Kallmunz and the Alps. We got to go to the Eagle's Nest and we stayed in a great little Gasthaus on the side of a mountain in the Alps, and one morning I actually woke up to the sound of a cuckoo bird! They sound just like the cuckoo clocks! So cool.

Stephen is coming home from Iraq this month and we hope to be able to welcome him back. It has been a long 15 months for him. Thank you all for your prayers for him during his deployment. He and Megh plan to fly back to the States in early August to visit friends and family.
Drew is engaged! He has been dating a lovely young woman named Kelsey who works with him at Triad Stage in Greensboro. We are all excited for them both. No definite plans for a wedding quite yet....
Cait and Jeremy are doing well in Montreat, although they have had their share of financial and job related issues. They hope to be able to do ministry work in Scotland this time next year.
Jake is still in school in Asheville. He just wrapped up a stint as Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Montford Park Players in Asheville. He was of course excellent, by all reports. I hope to see a video of it soon.
So, that catches you up on us so far this year. Please do comment and keep in touch- we miss our US friends!
God bless you,
Love, Ben and Nan

Easter in Bavaria

Happy Easter, or Frohe Ostern, from Bavaria! I know Easter was a week ago, but spring and Easter are synonymous in my mind, so we are still celebrating spring here. Actually, we should celebrate Christ's Resurrection every day. He is risen....He is risen indeed!
The German state of Bayern (Bavaria) is a largely Catholic state, so Easter is a big deal here. They take Good Friday and Easter Monday as holidays, and they go to mass a lot. On Easter Saturday night, the mass is around 3 hours long and involves the blessing of the ham, eggs, bread, and salt which will be eaten on Easter morning (see photo above). Our great German neighbors (Anastasia Kenty and her son and daughter-in-law, Marc and Birgit) brought us over this plate of sanctified food on Easter morning. It was good, if simple.
Another Easter tradition in Bavaria and Switzerland in particular is the Osterbrunnen, or Easter Fountain. Supposedly it has its roots in the importance of water in early rural Germany. The brunnen are made up of eggs, of course, and some are very beautifully decorated. The Osterbrunnen below is from our little dorf of Velburg.
Ben is busy at work, but when he has time he is researching which motorcycle to buy. He is torn between the Harley-Davidson and the BMW, but he is leaning toward the BMW. He plans to buy a larger touring bike so he can make me his Biker Babe!
It is drizzly here today and has been raining since yesterday, but prior to that, we had about 10 days of gorgeous warm sunny weather. Bulbs are bursting out of the ground, ready to bloom, and pansies are already preening and bowing for their debut. German hausfraus love to plant colorful flowers in their window boxes and gardens, much like their American counterparts.
I am traveling again tomorrow, flying into Boston to go to an Army Librarian Training Institute in Southbridge. I will return on the 26th and hope to stay for a while. I hope to be able to see a bit of the Boston area while I am there, or at least try some great seafood.
My dad died last month and I did fly home briefly for his funeral. While it is of course sad to lose my only living parent, I know he was not happy in the nursing home and was fast losing his tenuous grip on reality. Now it's just me and my brother Chuck. I was happy to be able to visit with him and his family while in Asheville, as well as Caitlin and Jake and Drew.
Stephen is still in Iraq, so do continue to pray. He is tired and ready to be done and come home. He said that although his R&R in March was great, it made it that much harder to go back. Please hold him up for strength and perserverance.
Easter weekend Ben and I went to a nearby town called Amberg. We ate at a great restaurant called Schloderer Braueri, with an outdoor courtyard and excellent food. Amberg has a very nice medieval wall and tor or gate (see photo). Delicious Italian Eis (ice cream) was enjoyed there too!
Last night I helped host a post Bunco event- it was really fun. Pretty different from my great Hickory group of Bunko Babes but fun anyway. We had bar drinks (I did not imbibe, as I was on the clock) and fancy sparkly top hats and a feather boa for Bunko winners! The prizes were great too, even if I wasn't eligible this time. This week was National Library Week, so we had several special events planned at the library. All week we had a Book Butterfly Scavenger Hunt, and the kids and adults had fun finding the butterfly in the books. It really flew, right out of the book! I love turning folks on to good books.
Ben and I plan several trips this spring and summer, mostly just weekend trips though. We want to see Prague and Saltzburg in warmer weather, as well as take our first trip to Berlin. We do have friends from Montana coming to visit in June (yea Michele and Dan!) so I am sure we will do some of that with them, if not before.
Do enjoy your spring and keep in touch!
God's blessings,
Ben and Nan

The White Rabbit and me...

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date, no time to say hello, good-bye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"
Sing it, White Rabbit, I'm feeling it!
I know my last post was in mid-December of last year, and I have no excuse whatsoever. I'm not even going to try to excuse it- but maybe I can make up for it.
What a great Christmas time we had with Caitlin and Jeremy! They flew in just before Christmas Day and stayed until the 2nd week of January. They settled into our guest apartment downstairs and were great company and travel partners. We were able to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a great Medieval walled city not too far from us ( and Faye, our Dutch daughter, was able to visit and go with us), Regensberg, Prague, and several other small, picturesque villages nearby. Playing on the Wii was also fun, although Jeremy usually kicked our butts! We bowled and skiied and played tennis too.
Cait and Jeremy also traveled to Heidelberg to visit Megh, our daughter-in-law. The only fly in the ointment was the extreme cold- especially when we visited Prague. Prague is a gorgeous city but we were so very freezingly cold, we had a hard time appreciating it. Since Prague (or Praha as they call it) is so close to us, just a few hours away, Ben and I plan to revisit in the spring.
January was so cold and snowy here that we felt the need for a warmer clime, a small vacation. So, with the help of one of the German ladies who work for me at the library, Ben and I scored a great, inexpensive jaunt to Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain. It was only a 2 hour flight and was 'halb-pension', which means the cost includes not only the hotel room but 2 meals a day as well. While it was not super warm in mid-January (around 50 F), it was MUCH warmer than Bavaria! We had a great time, renting bicycles and riding on the beach road into the town of Playa del Palma. We were able to relax and just enjoy each other's company. It was nice, but I think next time we will wait a few weeks and go when it is a little warmer. It was so funny, because Mallorca is a very popular German vacation spot, so all over the Playa del Palma area, signs were in German and German food, etc. was advertised. It felt like Little Germany! Of course, most of the folks in our hotel were also German, except for one group of British tourists. Not too many Americans... we just tried to blend in. We were only there for about 4 days, but on the last day, we took bus tour with the German tourists up the north coast of Mallorca. It was so beautiful and very Spanish-looking. The village of Valldemossa was so quaint. Each house had a small ceramic tile by the front door of the patron saint of their village, which says "Beata, pray for us."
February was also quite snowy, but we find quiet pleasure in the white landscape which spreads out below our front windows. February also brings the Fasching Festival to Bavaria- similar to Mardi Gras and Carnivale in Rio. Bavaria is predominently Catholic, so the time leading up to Lent is celebrated with various Fasching costume parties and parades. Our small village of Velburg had a nice little parade which we walked down to watch on a Sunday afternoon. They were throwing candy, chips, and liquor from the floats! There was an Obama float and lots of cowboys and Indians. Fun.
Now it is March, Ben is currently in the States visiting his grandmother for her 94th birthday party AND to get his motorcycle license so he can potentially buy a motorcycle over here. We'll see. I talked to him last night and he said it was 70 and sunny there; I woke up this morning to snow! A light snow has been falling all morning, but it is not sticking too much. Kinda nice, but I must admit I am ready for spring and flowers and sitting out at the bistro tables at restaurants. Ok, guys, this is a great time to come visit!
We miss lots of things about the States, not the least of which being our family, but living here is still a great adventure. I am still trying to learn German, but as I don't have lots of opportunity to use it, it is harder than it needs to be. Not giving up, though.
God has blessed us mightily here, with Christian friends and good teaching. Our wonderful Chaplain Mike Wood had to leave us, so we are waiting for his replacement and praying for another anointed teacher. We continue to lift up our friends and families, and we pray that you do the same for us. In this difficult economic time, God is still sovereign. This is the kind of time that draws people to Him, so that is one silver lining to this crisis.
Again, open invitation to visit- we love guests!
AND if you are reading this blog, please comment so I am motivated to continue! Thanks!

Love, Nan