Germany Trip through Adventure by Disney

Carol's notes:
This morning we went to a little place that rented bikes. As everyone else was standing in line for a helmet I scoped out a bike that looked like one I could easily handle and had them put on a gel seat. Was that ever a blessing as the morning progressed. Another lady my age and I took off with the slower group and after traveling down the nicely paved road, we said this is going to be fun. Then, we hit the pavers, followed by the gravel and dirt roads. These bike paths are definitely not like ours. We made it to the half-way point which was 5 miles and then thankfully got on the bus. Jaci and Caroline started out with the fast group and Caroline ended up with us. Caroline stopped with me and rode the bus back to the starting place. Janet opted out and went shopping with the driver instead of biking.

After a picnic lunch, the kids and some adults did archery. Caroline may be a future Olympic hopeful in this "sport" (see video). Janet and I walked aroud the village area. We found a little cemetery where each plot is outlined with blocks and then planted like well kept little flower gardens. It was absolutely beautiful.

Last night we went to the Sababurg Castle that is out in the country. It is the castle that inspired the Grimm Brothers to write Sleeping Beauty. In fact, Sleeping Beauty and her Prince greeted us and told us their story while accompanied by a cello. Everyone felt like they were part of the fairytale. All these Princesses are very beautiful young girls so the boys, big and small, are really enjoying the trip as well as the little girls. There are 6 little children on this trip.

Jaci's observations:
Two of my favorite things, American Express and Pepsi, are not popular in Germany. The Pepsi Light I had on Sunday night was the first and last.
I found a new Toyota I want that that is not in the U.S. yet
German Chocolate Cake is not from Germany. It was made by a man with the last name of German in the U.S. So, it could have been called the Johnson Chocolate Cake!

Word of the day:
Marchen (MAR-KEN)
Marchen is the German word for fairytale. Fairytales are a genre of fictional literature involving fantastic characters -- from trolls and witches to giants and talking animals.

Hi, this is Carol now a guest blogger for our trip. I will update you on some highlights from my perspective since Sunday. We left Heidelberg and traveled to the beautiful little village of Alsford. It is the location of a Fairy Tale museum. The Brothers Grimm greeted us and told us about some of their favorite stories that they wrote. We saw a church where Martin Luther came to visit his friend who the Pastor. Dr. Luther was a mentor to the young priest of this church and they became good friends. This church was one of the first to change from Catholic to Lutheran after the Reformation. After walking around this village on a tour, suddenly Red Riding Hood appeared. Then the wolf came and next the hunter chasing the wolf. They ran down some streets with us chasing them, too. We came to a little area where they re-enacted the story of Little Red Riding Hood. After the wolf let Red and Grandma go, they invited us to a picnic lunch. Before leaving Alsford, Janet and I had geletto that was made to look like spaghetti. They put the ice cream through a spaghetti maker, add strawberry syrup for the sauce and grate white chocolate for the paremesan cheese. It was delicious.

Next we went to Trendleberg where Rapunzel was waiting for us in the castle tower. She showed us how she let down her hair and then took us inside the castle. The Trendleberg Castle is around 1,000 years old and has been updated for people to stay overnight. We stayed in a huge bridal suite, but I could detect the smell of mold when the room was closed up. We kept the windows open all day, but I was afraid of bats at night since there are no screens. I didn't want an additional guest in the room, especially not a bat. We've discovered that castles are not hooked up to the internet, nor do they have televisions or phones. It was okay for 2 nights. The hit of the castle for Caroline besides Rapunzel was the castle cat. I think she was there for the mouse hunting. Caroline said she was the long-lost relative of Peek-a-Boo.

Jaci's observations:
If I'm not sure what the food is, I refer to it as "schnitzel," and it's usually correct.
Castles are built for defense with walls around them. Palaces were built after castles and we used for the rich to show off the money.
Summer vacation is only six weeks long.
In Germany, German potato salad is NOT SERVED HOT! I asked our German tour guide and she said that it is always cold, contrary to how Americans prepare it.
A "WC" is a water closet - bathroom.
"Berg" refers to "castle of," so Trendleberg is the "Castle of Trendle."
Canopies over the beds were originally built to keep the bugs on the ceiling from falling on the sleeper.

Word of the day:
das Schloss
(Die schloss)
Castle

Today we spent discovering Heidelberg. We first visited Heidelberg Castle (Heidelberger Schloss). It was built before AD 1214 and consists of two of the most important buildings in Germany architecture. We were led on our tour by a "wash woman." Also, on the video, you will see the largest wine barrel in the world - and as our tour guide said, it is listed in the "World Book of the Records." When I show the houses on the video from the edge of the balcony, the middle one is the home of Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

We walked down 350 stairs from the castle to the main street which was filled with shops, restaurants and pubs. Mom, Janet and I had massages, which are quite different than the ones in the US (see me for details when I get home). Caroline went swimming and I went into the hot tub, which wasn't very hot. We decided to check out the suana and missed the sign that said "nude room." I quickly looked around, realized what I did and covered her eyes and left...and then told my mom that it was really interesting and she should go in there. She returned with huge eyes and laughing - and I pointed to the sign that she missed as well. Kristy - it vaguely reminded me of the whirlpool in Wisconsin Dells.

This evening, we had a "feast" (Caroline's description) at Hotel Zum Ritter (ca. 1542). It is one of the few remaining structures not damaged from the wars. We listened to a clarinet/flute and a bass lute. Caroline and her friend Samantha (Kory - a Jersey girl) danced and entertained us.

Observations:
Traffic lights go from red to yellow to green. Almost like - get ready, get set, go!
It is considered rude for a server to bring your bill to you - you need to ask for it.
When you are inside a bathroom stall, the doors push out instead of in, so we are able to get out easily with all our packages.
Streets are all cobblestones, red tiles on the roofs and flower boxes in the windows.

Special note from Caroline to her friends:
Hi. I want you guys to come and play at my house when I get back home. When I see daddy, Jude and my friends, I will be very surprised. I like Jude. Mommy is a really great typer on the computer. We saw knights in the castle and you might not heard about this and I saw a spooky tunnel with a ghost in it. I also saw beautiful brides getting married to their princes at the church by where we ate lunch outside.

Word of the Day: Sprechen Sie English?
Proununciation: SHPREKEN ZEE ENG-LISH
Meaning: Do you speak English?

PS:
Tomorrow we are traveling to Alsfeld to met Jacob and Wilhelm, the Brothers Grimm, who will introduce us to Hansel and Gretel. Later, our bus will take us to Hotel Burt Trendelburg to see Rapunzel in her tower prison let down her hair. On Monday, we do archery, ride bike and and see where Sleeping Beauty slept for one hundred years until her prince woke her up! Since we are staying in the castles for the next two nights, and I'm told castles don't have wireless (or TVs or phones), so I probably won't be able to write again until Tuesday. Guten Tag!