Travel Log ~ Paris!

Leaving Freiburg yesteday was bitter sweet.  My daughter and her friend came to my hotel for breakfast and then we said our good byes.  She is going to have an amazing time with a great group of students!  I then set out on a 2 hour walk to catch a few sights I had missed and then sit in a cafe.  As I was sitting and eating my German pizza slice, my daughter and some classmates walked by with a tour guide.  I resisted the urge to call out and just simply drank in her happy face as they strolled on.  So sweet!  It was not long before I headed off to the train staion and found my track for the fast train north to Mannhiem.  I had a lovely conversation with a German woman who shared some cultual aspects of Germany with me.  She use to be an English teacher.  She said the hardest thing for German's in regards to Americans is that Germans typically make friends for life and they find Americans don't embrace them the same way.  They love Americans anyway :)  She advised in France to say I am Canadian so they are nice to me :)

(My Hotel)

(Breakfast!)

Switching trains to the Paris track in Monnhiem was easy and I settled in behind a grumpy French business woman.  I decided to let it go and just send love vibes her way, although it was hard to repress the negative thoughts!  Before long she was smiling at me and talking to me.  Hmmmm... something to consider doing more of...the love vibes that is!  As we glided through the German hillsides we passed through wine country and then mountain villages.  From one moment to the next the scenery changed to French farms, dairys, and vineyards.  Left behind were the ginger bread houses, spegetti ice cream, german sausages, and smiling faces of Freiburg.  As I watched the French countryside speed by a cluster of about 30 hotair balloons could be seen in the distance.  The sun was setting and the sillouettes were beautiful, then a large wind farm came into view, followed by a spectacular violet sunset and then the lights of Paris.  Grabbing a taxi I arrived to my little hotel and slept like a log.  The hotel is in a wonderful family type neighborhood with beautiful flats.  Most Americans seem to be staying here. 

I set out this morning for a crossant and a walk.  As I turned left down the street of Patisseries I ran right into the Eiffel Tower in all its morning magesty.  Lovely!  I have 4 days to explore some old favorites and some new adventures before heading to Chartres for my conference and class!  Missing my hubs...

~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Last Night in Freiburg!

(Sausage lunch!)

(Market Day!)

(Our Lady of Freiburg Cathedral)

The sun came out in all its beauty in Freiburg!  I got up and met my daughter at her apartment before she headed off to class and then spent the day walking the city.  Found some fun shops and yes, ate my first sausage in honor of my dad!  There was another market at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Freiburg.  The hustle and bustle is great and so many families.  I stopped into the Cathedral for the last time and someone was playing the organ, beautiful.  Four hours later I slipped back to the hotel and rested before meeting my daughter at Ikea with 10 of her friends.  It was a fun time and we finished the shopping list.  Arriving back at the apartment, we walked in and were shocked to find it spotless and beautiful!  We all let out a yelp of gratitude and excitement. I knew I liked those gals!  So my daughter is happy and feeling quite at home!  Love that!

 (One of the many charming shops)

On the way home tonight I got off the tram and found a darling little Italian place...I figured I deserved it after the sausage adventure :)  Gnocci and a glass of wine and now I am ready for bed.  Off to Paris tomorrow! Ohhlala!

 (See you in Paris!)

  ~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Rainy Days and Mondays...

It is a cold and miserable day in Freiburg.  I think the locals are fed up because they were cheated out of their summer.  One taxi driver told me it will come back before leaving for good.  We were up and out early today for breakfast.  It was starting day for my daughter in her fall program. 

Things went very well at the school and quite awful at her IES dorm.  It was 2pm before they found the keys for her room and the common area in the suite she was assigned was filthy dirty, and her room had no bedding (which it should have come with).  I guess the good news is it is better that it didn't if it was going to look like the rest of the place!  By the time she gathered her wits and picked me up, we headed to Ikea for some basics. She met a gal from the program who was a delight and lifted her spirits.  This gal was also shorted bedding and not happy to be paying out of pocket for sheets, pillow and blanket.  However, her suite was clean. I dropped the gals off at the dorm after IKEA and they headed out with their new group for dinner.  Tomorrow, she meets with housing to discuss her options. Wonder if the administrator would be willing to live there?


 ~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Quiet Sunday

(Holocaust Memorial Markers)

It is cold and blustery outside today.  Frieburg roles up the sidewalks on Sundays.  The cafes and churches are open.  We started our morning by jumping the tram to my daughter's new apt.  It was a challenge figuring out where and how to get there and then return.  A nice elderly couple took pity on us and told us exactly how to ride the thing and buy are tickets.

 (Cathedral Mass)

Once back at the hotel I headed over to the 12oclock mass at the cathedral. Along the way I noticed the memorial markers for the Jews who were removed from their homes and shipped to concentration camps.  There is a marker where each Jewish person lived with their name and where they were shipped to. Arriving at the church, I was surprised to see it was packed and this is a huge cathedral!  One of the 4 massive organs was played during the mass with a choral backup, it was very unique and beautiful.  Afterward we sat at a cafe and watched the activity in the square while having a light lunch. 

(Town Square)

 The rest of the day has been homework, German lessons, and strolling the neighborhood.  One aspect continues to surprise me and that is all the graffiti every where we go.  Also, the German phrase book I brought with me has been a huge source of entertainment tonight.  There is a romance section that teaches you to say:

Would you like to come in?
I like you.
Will you take me home?
We'll work it out.
He's just a friend. 

Maybe you have to be here, but there are several pages of this stuff that is just too funny!  So, have a good night and ich glaube, wir passen gut zueinander!


~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Black Forest Fairy Tales

(Lake Cruise Of Titisee, Germany)

As the morning dawned, fog and rain set in on our little village.  We stood on the train platform wondering if this was the best day to head into the forest.  As the train carried us deeper into the forest is was easy to see how some of the Grimmest Fairy Tales were born here.  The fog literally wafted in and out of the densest trees creating a black and mystical appearance.  We arrived at our destination 40 minutes after leaving Freiburg.  Titisee is a lake community filled with elaborate hotels, homes, and eaterys for the German's to vacation at in the warmer months.  August, typically hot here, was one big disappointment for them as we all donned our coats and sweaters while still failing to keep our teeth from chattering.

(Coocoo...Coocoo!)

We hopped a harbor cruise and then set out on our own little paddle boat.  What fun and we were not alone as a half dozen boats glided around the marina end of the lake.  After a hearty German lunch of potatoes and chicken, we browsed several of the KooKoo Clock stores and one fun Christmas store then set out to the off the beaten path neighborhoods.  All the home dressed in lace window covers, flower boxes spilling down their fronts, gingerbread work along the roofs and signs to come in and stay.  By 3pm we were tired and ready to catch the train back.  We planned to stop at one of the ski villages on the way down out of the mountains but opted for another day.

(Puppeteer in Freiburg Square)

Back in Freiburg we enjoyed an hour of shopping for some essentials and then walked back to the hotel.  Everyone bikes or walks here and it creates a wonderful environment.  Because it is Saturday, the squares were full of families and artists and puppeteers for the kids.  Right out of a story book for sure!

As we circled around past the Cathedral in Freiburg the sun came out enough to capture another side of the church of Mary.  It is an impressive sight at any angle.  On the entrance to the church are several records from midevil times that display a record by year for how good or bad the grain crop was and what the standard size and shape for bread should be for the bakers that year to have a fair price.  There was also a tailors measure for a correct elbow to thumb measure and a bushel measure for grain.  Very cool!

~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Freiburg Tour

We took a 3 hour walking tour today with a guide all to ourselves.  What a beautiful and historic city this is.  We focused our outing on old town where my daughter will be hanging out and going to school, about a 3 mile radius.  Freiburg is basically flat, but it is at the base of the Black Forest mountains.  There are about 220,000 people that live here and it is popular with tourists because of its location to France and Switzerland.  Often called the 3 corners.  Katrin, our guide, made sure to tell my daughter that if she fell in the village's water aquifers that run along the street, she has to get married here in Freiburg :)  This was said AFTER we each had a frozen wine from a local wine shop, so we were careful with our footing!  The frozen wine is a local invention by the owner of this shop and it is so refreshing and unique. 

In the main square is the stunning Church of Mary.  There was an outdoor market with food and flowers and the smells were simply to die for!  Sausage, every kind imaginable was roasting away on the open grills!  It made me think of my dad and my husband and how they would try every type if they were here!  As we walked along my daughter asked lots of questions about the area, the culture, night life, history, and climate.  In a couple short days she has really gotten the lay of the land as they say.

 (Frozen Wine!)

Two things that popped out for me as we ducked in and out of beautiful cobblestone lanes were the inlaid symbols on the ground in front of each establishment, which indicated what they offered; and the gargoyles that perched on all the historic builds, especially the church.  The gargoyles acted as functional items that directed the water away from the builds in the middle ages and at the same time the were hideous monsters to scare demons away so they did not enter the building...hmmm, I think I need a couple of these!They are masterpieces and often humorous.  We got a behind the scenes peak at the stone carvers shop.  The sparkling red stone that is used in all the buildings is soft yet durable and lends itself to be carved with intricate designs.

(Stone Carver's Shop)

~ Come Gather Around The Table!

Travel Log ~ Freiburg

Woke up at 2am, but managed to get through the day until the 5pm wall slammed into me.  Taking a sleeping pill and hoping I make it through to morning.  Today we explored our little area of Freiburg.  It is actually a good size town so we are taking it in chunks.  We managed some errands today and went by the school to see where A would be studying.  Very cool and the school head gave us a tour and answered a bunch of our questions.  Again, everyone we meet is so nice.  This photo is the little square behind our hotel and her school.  Everyone bikes and walks here and it is very warm and welcoming.  By 1pm we were a bit HOT with over 80 degrees and high humidity, but it begins to cool tomorrow.  Tomorrow we take a big tour of the area, find a market and buy a bike :). 

~ Come Gather Around The Table!