A Church Hewn In a Cliff and an Adventure

August 6, 2012 • 2012, europe 2012, Idar-Oberstein

My apologies if you get to this blog in a feed or a reader and the post title is different. I changed it after I published it because the post was getting too long. The other things described in the original title are coming soon.

Our journey next led us down near the giant US air base at Ramstein and the home of some dear family friends. There was fun for all in this busy, happy home filled with 7 kids, a dog and a turtle. We spent a lot of time this week just being together: watching the new season of Sherlock, taking walks and runs around the neighborhood eating Greek sandwiches, playing games, and all that good stuff. I was able to read an actual book, work on my knitting project, and catch up with Amy. Perfect.

There were a still great sights to be seen though, and even a couple of adventures along the way.

Wednesday July 25, we drove about 45 minutes to Idar-Oberstein, which happens to be the gem-cutting capital of Germany. It is also a nice-sized town nestled into green hills and rocky cliffs. The souvenir shops were filled with colorful stones and interesting things made of minerals, including classics like stone flowers and grapes. The uncommon beauty was to be found in the amazing jewelers' shops on the other end of town. There were gorgeous things in every precious and semi-precious stone imaginable. If you like colorful, sparkly things, you would enjoy looking around here.

Above the town is the Felsenkirche, or Crag Church, built right into the stone of a fairly vertical cliff face. There is even a legend to go along with it. We climbed all the way up to marvel at the construction, hear the water dripping through the caverns behind the structure and enjoy the view. It was super-hot this whole week, much different than the cool days of the first two weeks, but we made the best of it.

"In memory of the deported and murdered Jewish citizens of the
city Idar-Oberstein"

The girls take a moment to enjoy the garden

Another castle peeks out high above the town
center

Looking back down the stairs
leading up to the Rock Church

View of the town

It was HOT-in the 90's. Unusual for this area.

The steeple of the church above the town

Someone's courtyard and front door. The efficient use of space
in Europe was a thing of beauty. This little spot was all of about
6 feet on any side.

Our Violinist.

A better view of the church. I didn't get any great shots of
this because I just never found the sweet spot. Fortunately,
there are plenty of good images online. I did make a quick
watercolor sketch, though, so I'll have that at least.

This town also has a lovely Walkplatz, the largely car-free business district, complete with a museum, eateries (our choice was ice cream) and two fun fountains that were the perfect way for the kids to cool off. I will always remember the moment when, as we were sitting on a bench in the flower-filled square, a violinist opened his case and began to serenade the crowd. There was a bit of a breeze, the little children were playing happily in the water while Sara and her pal sat chatting nearby, and I actually think I had not a care in the world for all the minutes that melody twinkled out over the afternoon. I felt utterly calm and refreshed. I can recall it now and my shoulders relax just a little bit.

As we were driving away, considering a stop at an alpine slide, the adventure part of the week officially began. Amy's gearshift went limp in her hand and the engine of her van completely disengaged from the outside world. We were stuck, and on a main road with not even a shoulder to cry on or pull over onto.

We did the resourceful thing and put out the emergency triangle 100 meters behind us and called the autoclub. The cars obediently changed lanes and there were no traffic troubles. Then we waited. And waited. I had time to make that sketch of the church. And walk back to town to get a few groceries. And see the emergency triangle get smashed flat by a white BMW. Then traffic started to snarl up so we got resourceful again and went and started directing traffic ourselves with the shards of the triangle. It was a dream come true, I tell you, to direct traffic on a hot afternoon in a medium-sized German town. It was awesome to see the responses, from grateful acknowledgement to blank stares to angry gestures. After a couple of hours of that, and no auto club, the police did take notice and come and help us with the traffic. They were very nice about the whole thing. Moments after Amy's husband came to rescue us with the neighbor's van, ADAC showed up and fixed the car on the spot and we all went home, tired, hot and gritty from standing in the road, but totally safe and sound. With the exception of the sweet little 18-month old, we were not too worse for the wear. Amy felt terrible of course, but for me, it was all part of the Great German Adventure. I'd seen a show all about ADAC and other organizations like them in Europe on some cable channel, so I thought it was cool that we would see them in action!

It was still a good day, in spite of the long wait for help. The kids were brave and pretty patient considering the circumstances, Amy and I kept each other laughing in the face of ridiculousness, and it all worked out fine.

August 3, 2012 • 2012, europe 2012, germany, netherlands, phil and alex

I'm getting there. If I gauge my journalling progress by how many more folders of photos I need to mine to illustrate our vacation, I'm getting there. Back here in the real world, I was struck down by a nasty little virus for the last day and a half and am just now able to nibble on cheerios and sip gatorade to try and get my strength back. Ugh.

So, as they say, now back to our story...

On Thursday, July 19, the day after we returned from France, Eric flew home to actually work for a living. I know. Bummer. I was grateful he could come and stay as long as he did, though. The rest of us had a flop day and did laundry and accompanied my sister-in-law to the base to visit the commissary and PX, where we got to hand over our passports for fancy clip-on visitor badges. Every base we visited did this process a little differently. I was surprised by this, but I guess it has to do with the purpose of the base, the length of stay and the fact that the security duties at the bases are sometimes outsourced to local companies. Anyway, at the PX, the kids got a couple of things and I found a rockin' long skirt for SIX bucks! It was fun to get a taste of the everyday life my brother and his family are experiencing while living in Germany. They have the mixed blessing of living in a very German/Dutch area, with the bases where they go for services about 30 minutes away in any direction. This means they get to experience more of the culture, but it also means a certain amount of isolation since they don't speak the languages a whole lot yet and there are few other military families nearby. They are making the best of it, though and I am full of admiration for them taking on this adventure.

Friday of that week, we headed to Amsterdam to get a taste of the Big City. My word. Amsterdam really is BIG in all senses of the word. It is vibrant and diverse and yes, there really are sex shops and marijuana all over the place, yippee! But, there were also lots of beautiful old buildings, a harmonious sense of new energy built on a strong history, and completely different side of Europe than we saw in Normandy or the tiny corner of Germany my brother calls home. Amsterdam was all crowds and color and move, move, move! It was actually bewildering until we got our bearings.

We didn't have much time so we took a canal boat ride, which was a fun way to see a lot of the sights of Amsterdam in a short time. There was much of amazement and wonder at the ancient architecture and story of how this city was built on nothing. The land was reclaimed from the water and they made a city. I can hardly even imagine that kind of vision-to look at a stretch of water and swamp and think: "Beautiful city that will last for centuries. Yup. Let's get started!" It's even more astonishing to me when I consider how long it has stood on little more than shifting sands and many piers and pylons.

Here are the photos:

The main rail station. Not a super-old building, but cool,
nonetheless

One of the wonderful old churches in
Amsterdam

People filled the market streets, stepping aside for the
many bikes and scooters to whiz by. We saw everyone
on bikes, from men in elegant
business suits carrying shiny briefcases and women in the
highest heels you can imagine all the way to moms and dads
carrying kids and groceries in ingenius cargo bikes.

One of the many markets in the city.

By the canal.

Bikes and people riding them will remain in my mind as
one of the iconic images of this unique city.

Cool old church from 1600's juxtaposed
with sleek, modern apartments, all in the
same courtyard.

More contrasts: the elegant window grate caught my eye, as
did the exotic guy in the leather jacket.

Love. This. Baby.

The underpass to get to the train from where we parked.
When we came through the first time, there were two hip and
talented buskers playing their guitars. On the way back to
the car, the niece and nephew took the opportunity for some
impromptu graffiti-sliding.

That evening, when we got back home, this was the view we enjoyed across the street from my brother's house. Ahh. Evan commented that he may like small-town Europe better than big-city Europe, and I may agree with him.

Saturday we went to the Farmer's market in Sittard and did some shopping for souvenirs and gifts. Sittard is another town, like Bayeux, that perfectly captures the Europe I have dreamed of all these months, and we had a lovely day picking out bread, fresh produce, scarves and other goodies for eating and taking home.

On Sunday, we went to church in a another small town in the Netherlands and got to hear parts of the service in English and parts in Dutch. That was very interesting. That evening, after a perfect American cook-out courtesy of my brother, we headed south to visit friends. We will be back to Schalbruch before we fly home, but it was a good time for a new adventure. We had so much fun with the family. My kids were absolute STARS with the small ones but I could tell they were hankering for some company their own age after 2 weeks (the near fistfight was a clue). We first stopped at Felicity's house, about 2.5 hours from my brother. It was so very good to see her and the family. Good friends are treasures, whether in the next street over or on the next continent over. She graciously housed us for a perfectly refreshing overnight visit before we headed down further south to Amy's place.

About the autobahns: I was nervous but there was no cause. They are awesome. Fun to drive, perfectly sensible and you do not have to go 150 mph if you don't want to. Many people settle down at about 85-90 mph, which is often the speed of traffic on I-95, so it felt pretty normal. Plus, the unlimited speed had the benefit of stretching the traffic out and leaving lots of open road, so it actually felt safer and more orderly than the crazy roads here. I maxed out at about 100 mph on one stretch of my trip, and it was perfectly peachy.

August 1, 2012 • 2012, europe 2012, france, normandy

We lingered in France. We couldn't help it. Instead of rushing right home, we made plans to head to Caen, the local city and the Castle of William the Conqueror. But before I get to that I want to say more about Bayeux.

As if you couldn't tell, I loved Normandy. Loved the very air. We were so near the sea that the breezes never stopped. It was cool and soft there. Simple beauty was easy to find everywhere among the commonplace. The town of Bayeux enchanted me and is someplace I'd like to go again. Especially since I haven't seen that tapestry yet (It has been communicated to me what a failure this decision was, but I stand by our relaxed attitude toward sightseeing-it was a vacation, not a research assignment, don't you know?).

The city center of Bayeux is a parade of old buildings set so close to the narrow streets that sometimes the sidewalk dwindles to mere inches. A few of those streets allow an American mini-van to go through with only the barest centimeter of clearance on either side, and we watched, amazed, as my brother's tires grazed the curbs.

In Bayeux, the river Aure slips placidly through the center of a town built right on its banks, and I loved being able to walk near it so easily. That is one thing I noticed in many of the places we visited: the preservation of town centers. I saw very little of suburbia in Europe. Instead, many towns have barred cars from the busiest shopping areas or left the streets narrow and you have to get out into the air and INTERACT with the world. So many bicycles. So many outdoor cafes. So much of talking together and walking together. That was special and something that felt right and easy to me. I didn't just see it in the touristy towns, either. It appears to be part of the way of life there, and a part I think is worth preserving.

So, here are a few more images of Bayeux to try and communicate the look and feel of the place and to remind myself again that this was authentic, not a movie set!

On to Caen, and the Chateau de Caen, palace of the Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror. Many people know the date 1066 and this guy is why. Right in the middle of the city, the remains of his impressive compound remain. People relax on the grassy hills outside. It is open to the public, so you can walk the ramparts around the remains of the chemise, exchequer and keep. I really like being in buildings and ruins that have existed for so long and been witnesses to the comings and goings of so many real, human feet. It makes me feel that the world and its vast and complex history are connected to me, rather than only being abstract. It's a fascinating place and I'm glad we went. On the way home, we stopped at a rest stop with a convenience store and I got my last loaf of French bread in FRANCE. Yes, even at the convenience stores, the bread is awesome.