England to Germany

Our last night in England was spent watching the Morris Dancers at the Black Horse pub in Amberley.  A lovely tradition of dance, music, costumes and pints.  Was warned that if Sid put his hat on your head it was a fertility magic trick - stayed away from Sid.  The costumes were colorful and the dancers wore bells on their bodies - the men at the knees and the women on their shoes.  The tradition dates back to the crusades and was finally written down, thankfully, because during a period of war the dancing ceased and was revived when someone discovered the documents. 

Afterwards we went home to attempt to pack and prepare for our very early flight to Frankfurt, Germany.  Andy and Tracey were so kind to get up that early (in our defense the flight times changed 3x before our departure).  We were able to sleep on the plane since it was not United and we had room!  I was asleep before the wheels left the ground.  Smooth flight, about an hour and a half, no problems.  We were able to clear customs in a fair amount of time and I think the customs agent was hitting on Danielle, but what else is new.  Collected our luggage quickly and began to search for Alison.  Since I had no idea what she looked like I was no help.

We got out of the airport and began the hour plus journey to Prichsenstadt.  Prichsenstadt is on the list of 100 places to see before you die.  It is quaint and lovely and everything you imagine an old world village to be.  Our hosts put us in the guesthouse.  We walked in and on the table were welcome cards attached to bottles of local wine and two wine glasses each.  It is coming home with me!  What a lovely present.  The Glinsboeckel house is 500-years old, three stories high and in the long process of remodel/restoration.  In addition to the guesthouse, Marc's parents live in their own apartment attached to the main house. 

We met their two pigs - Pork Chop and Schnitzel.  Pork Chop is mean and hateful and will be bacon soon.  We also were introduced to Odie the dog they rescued from Poland.  He is adorable and loyal to this family like you wouldn't believe.  The Glinsboeckel family is large and fun.  Two of the children, Ian and Holden gave us a quick tour of the town before the rain started and were excellant tour guides.

We went to a restaurant across the street the first night where I had pork medallions and asparagus with hollandaise sauce for dinner as well as a wine spritzer.  It was very good.  Asparagus is a local product and had been picked from the fields the day before - super fresh.  Germany prides itself on healthly lifestyles, yes it's still possible to eat too much and become fat and lazy, however, there is much encouragement to be active, to eat healthy, fresh food with little preservatives.  That said, yes you can go to a grocery and buy items canned with loads of preservatives but you don't always have to - fresh produce is easily available.

I was impressed by the rolling hills of farmland and vineyards.  I am a big fan of wine and loved seeing the vineyards close up as we did when we drove up to Castell (see pics on Facebook).  My first experience at being this close to an actual vineyard.  The beauty of the hillside and seeing things grow gets me - guess it's those farming roots of mine.

Alison loves to thrift store shop and we went with her to at least three (I lost count) and I have to admit there are some many things I would have been interested in were I living here and had a house.  Alas, I cannot pack everything and bring it home.  Packing to come home will be an issue as it is - I have made many purchases. 

We have seen Wurzburg and learned of the bombings by America in 1945 that destroyed most of the city and nearly killed Marc's dad.  We have seen the Residence where the bishops lived and the Castle on the hill - both lovely but you are not allowed to take pictures :-(  The gardens were picture friendly and it was a lovely day with temps in the upper 70's.

We've dined at the Storch where I had sauerbraten (very good) and potato dumplings (ehhh, too rubbery).  I've had a 1 Euro sandwich while leaving the supermarket named Real (Re-al),  I had bratwurst for lunch with sauerkraut.  I had schnitzel, fries and salad for dinner tonight, very yummy.  Very large German beers, tequilla, Polish vodka and various wines and liquer I can't pronounce.  Drinking is legal here at sixteen, although they can't buy it at that age, 18 is the legal age to purchase it. 

Germans drive on the right side as we do.  They are very practival people and very clean.  Sidewalks are cleaned usually on Saturdays and most places are well kept, just remember the age of some of the places when you look at them. 

The church bells ring every quarter hour but you quickly learn to tune them out.  The Glinsboeckel pigs are quite noisy in the morning when they want their feed and there is an owl that is quite vocal as well, but all-in-all a peaceful place to visit.  We've walked around the town to take photos and it is so easy to get around.  There is a bakery, meat market, bank, general store, etc and no chain or supercenter in sight.  This is an area that Walmart has not taken over - they tried and the laws and customs didn't mesh with the way Walmart treats the employees and locals. 

The guesthouse we are staying in is so adorable and comfortable.  Alison  knows how to make a cozy home.  I've been so lucky to visit both countries and stay with friends and experience these places at a level most tourists won't ever know.  I've had real-life experiences and not what the tourist programs want you to believe is real. 

Now I must rest so that I may be prepared for my last full day in Germany.  We are traveling to Rothenberg  to shop and sight see.  Can't wait!