Saying Bye to the Hotel Owners
Castle Closed!
McDonald's for Lunch
St. Peters
That's a stained glass of Luther in St. Peters Church!!! Second from Top and in the Middle. Click on photo to make it larger so you can see it better.
Click on this one too!
It was a lovely day for travel!!!
Our Hotel for the next Two Nights
Hey Kids, here is the bathroom!
The View from Our Window
The Room
Me taking a pic of us!! Below is a pic of Jeff journaling.
Click on this one too!
It was a lovely day for travel!!!
Our Hotel for the next Two Nights
Hey Kids, here is the bathroom!
The View from Our Window
The Room
Me taking a pic of us!! Below is a pic of Jeff journaling.
March 12, 2009 (p.m.)
When Sonya and I went downstairs to eat breakfast this morning Frau Velich already had the table set – three kinds of brotchen (bread), smoked salmon, ham, smoked mystery meat, cheese, strawberry jam, two kinds of yogurt, granola, cereal, fresh orange juice, coffee, milk… Whew! I think that’s all. Oh yeah, and I also ate my traditional two packs of instant oatmeal. Yum, yum, yum! Sonya was like a kid in a candy store. She usually doesn’t eat that much for breakfast, but today was an exception. Please note, however, that she is not fat and this did not affect her gorgeous figure in a negative way whatsoever.
As we checked out, Sonya and I took a couple of pictures of the Velich family, including their son. Oh, and by the way, he was not the chef last night as we originally thought. It was another friend of the family. Before we left, we chatted a while about the shootings in South Alabama. A similar incident happened the same day (I believe) in Stuttgart, Germany. The world seems so small now. Folks in Europe are talking about the shooting spree in Alabama and folks in the U.S. are talking about the shooting spree in Germany. It’s all very disturbing news wherever you are.
Back to our day… We absolutely loved being pampered by this very friendly family in St. Goar. This is definitely not the busy holiday season on the Rhine so we had the place and the hosts all to ourselves. Our attempt to visit two more castles which were open only on the weekends this time of year was more proof that tourism is not booming on the Rhine in March. We were disappointed again, but one thing you have to be while traveling abroad is flexible. Sonya and I also happen to believe that all things happen for a reason, directed by the hand of a sovereign God. The rest of our day was proof of that.
Since we had extra time on our hands, we decided to leave the area earlier than we had planned and travel to Heidelberg, another lovely, but larger, traditional German city on the Rhine. It was also home to a grand old castle which is supposed to be open all year. On the way, however, we noticed an autobahn exit to the city of Worms. For those of you who love church history and/or who regularly sit under the teaching of Pastor Steve Bateman at First Bible Church, you know that there is no way we could can pass up the opportunity to visit this city. This is where, in 1521, Martin Luther stood before Emperor Charles V and the Diet of Worms and refused to recant the things that he had written in his books and his 95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences against the Roman Catholic church (which he had previously nailed to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany). This was a monumental moment in the history of the church. It was the birth of the protestant reformation.
After stopping by a local city museum, a young lady with very good English directed us to the cathedral just up the street – The Cathedral of St. Peter. In 1521 this huge catholic church was surrounded by many buildings which made up the campus of the diocese of Worms, most of which have since fallen down or been destroyed. We toured the church and walked the grounds and found several references to Luther, but nothing seemed significant. And then we found it – a brass plaque in the ground which read, “HIER STAND VOR KAISER UND REICH – MARTIN LUTHER – 1521.” The best we can translate, it means, “Here before Emperor and Empire Stood Martin Luther in 1521.” Wow! We just stood there in silence soaking up the significance of that spot. I don’t want to make too much of a single man or event, but I really felt as though we were standing on hallowed ground. It was a power moment. To think that not too far from that spot, maybe even exactly where we were standing, Martin Luther declared:
"Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures or evident reason (for I believe neither in the Pope nor councils alone, since it has been established that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures adduced by me, and my conscience has been taken captive by the Word of God, and I am neither able nor willing to recant, since it is neither safe nor right to act against conscience. (Here I stand.) God help me. Amen"
Needless to say, we didn’t make to it to Heidelberg. I’m not sure anything else we saw after our visit to Worms we have impacted us much anyway, so we headed to our next destination – Rothenberg ob der Tauber – which will be our home for the next two nights. It’s the best preserved medieval walled town in Germany. Amazingly beautiful!
After unpacking, we ate dinner at the hotel. It was without a doubt the best meal of our trip. Sonya had a delicious German garden salad with greens, tomatoes, eggs, kraut, cheese and potatoes then a couple of bratwurst for her main course. I had schnitzel and fries with a small salad and about half of Sonya’s meal. We didn’t talk much except for a bunch of strange noises and grunts like, “mmmm-mmmm” and “maaaaaan” and “oh my goooooodness” and “dad-gum”. We decided to eat there again tomorrow night. I know that will drive a lot of you crazy who love variety when you travel, but I’m not sure we could find anything better anywhere.
Misc. notes for the day…
· Driving on the autobahn can be nerve-wracking! You have to pay attention at all times since there is no speed limit, only suggestions. There can be no texting or dialing the radio or reading a map or driving with your knees. Things happen quickly on the autobahn and can lead to disaster if your attention is diverted for a second. With that said though, I am impressed with how considerate German drivers are. Trucks and slower traffic ALWAYS stay in the right lane (with me) and those wish to take their lives in their own hands drive in the left lane, but there is no confusing the two. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing on the autobahn.
· Sonya actually admitted yesterday that my beard is cute. She hates facial hair, so that was mighty big of her.
· We’ve managed to have internet service everywhere we’ve stayed so far. We hope that continues. I will say, however, that last night our kids looked liked robots moving around in a strobe light as we talked to them via video on Skype. According to their grandmother we didn’t look so well ourselves.
· Speaking of our kids, they are really doing well. Thanks to all of you who have helped out and prayed for them while we’ve been gone.
Tomorrow we will walk to streets of Rothenberg. We hope to visit the Museum of Crime and Punishment, St. Jakob’s Chruch and many local shops. Tomorrow night we will enjoy the Night Watchman’s Tour of the town which we’ve heard from several sources may end up being the highlight of our trip.
Until then, in the tradition of early church reformers… Soli Deo Gloria! To the glory of God alone!
When Sonya and I went downstairs to eat breakfast this morning Frau Velich already had the table set – three kinds of brotchen (bread), smoked salmon, ham, smoked mystery meat, cheese, strawberry jam, two kinds of yogurt, granola, cereal, fresh orange juice, coffee, milk… Whew! I think that’s all. Oh yeah, and I also ate my traditional two packs of instant oatmeal. Yum, yum, yum! Sonya was like a kid in a candy store. She usually doesn’t eat that much for breakfast, but today was an exception. Please note, however, that she is not fat and this did not affect her gorgeous figure in a negative way whatsoever.
As we checked out, Sonya and I took a couple of pictures of the Velich family, including their son. Oh, and by the way, he was not the chef last night as we originally thought. It was another friend of the family. Before we left, we chatted a while about the shootings in South Alabama. A similar incident happened the same day (I believe) in Stuttgart, Germany. The world seems so small now. Folks in Europe are talking about the shooting spree in Alabama and folks in the U.S. are talking about the shooting spree in Germany. It’s all very disturbing news wherever you are.
Back to our day… We absolutely loved being pampered by this very friendly family in St. Goar. This is definitely not the busy holiday season on the Rhine so we had the place and the hosts all to ourselves. Our attempt to visit two more castles which were open only on the weekends this time of year was more proof that tourism is not booming on the Rhine in March. We were disappointed again, but one thing you have to be while traveling abroad is flexible. Sonya and I also happen to believe that all things happen for a reason, directed by the hand of a sovereign God. The rest of our day was proof of that.
Since we had extra time on our hands, we decided to leave the area earlier than we had planned and travel to Heidelberg, another lovely, but larger, traditional German city on the Rhine. It was also home to a grand old castle which is supposed to be open all year. On the way, however, we noticed an autobahn exit to the city of Worms. For those of you who love church history and/or who regularly sit under the teaching of Pastor Steve Bateman at First Bible Church, you know that there is no way we could can pass up the opportunity to visit this city. This is where, in 1521, Martin Luther stood before Emperor Charles V and the Diet of Worms and refused to recant the things that he had written in his books and his 95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences against the Roman Catholic church (which he had previously nailed to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany). This was a monumental moment in the history of the church. It was the birth of the protestant reformation.
After stopping by a local city museum, a young lady with very good English directed us to the cathedral just up the street – The Cathedral of St. Peter. In 1521 this huge catholic church was surrounded by many buildings which made up the campus of the diocese of Worms, most of which have since fallen down or been destroyed. We toured the church and walked the grounds and found several references to Luther, but nothing seemed significant. And then we found it – a brass plaque in the ground which read, “HIER STAND VOR KAISER UND REICH – MARTIN LUTHER – 1521.” The best we can translate, it means, “Here before Emperor and Empire Stood Martin Luther in 1521.” Wow! We just stood there in silence soaking up the significance of that spot. I don’t want to make too much of a single man or event, but I really felt as though we were standing on hallowed ground. It was a power moment. To think that not too far from that spot, maybe even exactly where we were standing, Martin Luther declared:
"Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures or evident reason (for I believe neither in the Pope nor councils alone, since it has been established that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures adduced by me, and my conscience has been taken captive by the Word of God, and I am neither able nor willing to recant, since it is neither safe nor right to act against conscience. (Here I stand.) God help me. Amen"
Needless to say, we didn’t make to it to Heidelberg. I’m not sure anything else we saw after our visit to Worms we have impacted us much anyway, so we headed to our next destination – Rothenberg ob der Tauber – which will be our home for the next two nights. It’s the best preserved medieval walled town in Germany. Amazingly beautiful!
After unpacking, we ate dinner at the hotel. It was without a doubt the best meal of our trip. Sonya had a delicious German garden salad with greens, tomatoes, eggs, kraut, cheese and potatoes then a couple of bratwurst for her main course. I had schnitzel and fries with a small salad and about half of Sonya’s meal. We didn’t talk much except for a bunch of strange noises and grunts like, “mmmm-mmmm” and “maaaaaan” and “oh my goooooodness” and “dad-gum”. We decided to eat there again tomorrow night. I know that will drive a lot of you crazy who love variety when you travel, but I’m not sure we could find anything better anywhere.
Misc. notes for the day…
· Driving on the autobahn can be nerve-wracking! You have to pay attention at all times since there is no speed limit, only suggestions. There can be no texting or dialing the radio or reading a map or driving with your knees. Things happen quickly on the autobahn and can lead to disaster if your attention is diverted for a second. With that said though, I am impressed with how considerate German drivers are. Trucks and slower traffic ALWAYS stay in the right lane (with me) and those wish to take their lives in their own hands drive in the left lane, but there is no confusing the two. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing on the autobahn.
· Sonya actually admitted yesterday that my beard is cute. She hates facial hair, so that was mighty big of her.
· We’ve managed to have internet service everywhere we’ve stayed so far. We hope that continues. I will say, however, that last night our kids looked liked robots moving around in a strobe light as we talked to them via video on Skype. According to their grandmother we didn’t look so well ourselves.
· Speaking of our kids, they are really doing well. Thanks to all of you who have helped out and prayed for them while we’ve been gone.
Tomorrow we will walk to streets of Rothenberg. We hope to visit the Museum of Crime and Punishment, St. Jakob’s Chruch and many local shops. Tomorrow night we will enjoy the Night Watchman’s Tour of the town which we’ve heard from several sources may end up being the highlight of our trip.
Until then, in the tradition of early church reformers… Soli Deo Gloria! To the glory of God alone!
1 comment:
What an unbelievable day! The unexpected is sometimes the best. I have goosebumps just reading about it! The stained glass pictures are so lovely. Hope you have beautiful weather for at least some of your trip!
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