June 6th - Day 5 Germany/Ethiopia 2023... Trains, Biergartens, and Breathtaking Sunsets

The time spent with Sven-Christian and Michelle was priceless.  I'm thankful that we have such an extended family that loves our children, that this family stretches far and wide, and that we have the honor of watching these young people develop bonds and relationships of their own.  

While our time in Erlangen had drawn to an end, our adventures in Germany had not.  This morning we ventured out on our own.  Equipped with specific instructions from Sven-Christian and Michelle along with Siri's expanding German vocabulary, we took a bus to the train station and then the train to Heidelberg.  

It proved to be a difficult day of traveling.  We had our train tickets.  However, there was an accident with a train further down our route.  Everything was rerouted.  With this new itinerary we had an interesting stop at the train station in Osterburken.  An hour to explore all that the small town train platform had to offer.  The building, completed in 1866, had beautiful ornamentation in the pillars and cornerstones.  However, much of the train station was not in use.  It was boarded up and locked down.  At the far end of the platform there was a restaurant, Rajas Curry Haus.  The train being rerouted may have brought more business than the restaurant had seen all week.  Our crew was especially thankful that we could pay a euro to use the bathroom (very common in Europe) and they had a small selection of ice cream.  

As the train wound through the hills and around the lakes quaint villages popped into view.  Each had their own charm, but were often similar in layout.  Typically on a higher piece of ground stood a brick or stone church, the steeple reaching to the clouds.  Homes and small businesses encircled the church building.  A treeline framed out the village.  If the water nearby was still enough all the picturesque beauty was reflected back to the world again.  

When we arrived in Heidelberg it was a bit of a challenge to orient ourselves, buy tram tickets, and figure out which direction our hotel was in.  Once we had all of our ducks (or in this case, suitcases) in a row we waited for the appropriate tram to take us North.  Soon we heard sirens and loud voices.  Police taped off the nearby tram platform as an ambulance arrived.  There was an accident involving one of the trams and a pedestrian.  We don't know the status of the pedestrian and pray that they are able to recover.  

Once again we found ourselves being rerouted in a similar way with the train in Osterburken.  At this point we had been traveling the majority of the day.  Everyone was exhausted, frustrated, and hungry.  After the tram we were supposed to take a bus up to the hotel.  The route didn't bring it by very frequently.  The crew voted to walk uphill on the cobblestone streets to the hotel.  While it was not far... it seemed so with seven people, seven backpacks, and five suitcases in tow.  We all looked pretty pathetic when we walked into the hotel lobby!

Soon all of the exhaustion and frustration melted away.  After leaving the bags in our rooms, the guesthouse host pointed us toward a magical little biergarten that was a very short walk away.  We entered through heavy wooden red doors and a thick stone archway.  Soon we saw a canopy of grapevine that sheltered long tables and chairs.  Each table was adorned with pots of dainty cheerful white flowers.

It was a relief to sit down.  It was refreshing to have some beer.  It was renewing to spend time as a family with most of our children over a delicious meal surrounded by such a relaxing environment.  Topics darted everywhere from other places they wanted to travel to the particulars of university applications that will come soon.  So good.  So very very good.

With full bellies we meandered back up the hill to our guest house.  The streets were quiet aside from the whir of an occasional bicycle rider.  As the sun sank lower in the horizon the peaked roofs and chimneys cast shadows on the opposite side of the street.  Businesses were closed for the day, which was not unusual as evening approached.  There was a sense of peace, of calm, of a more relaxed way of life that the hustle we are used to.  Soothing.  

As we approached the guesthouse this time we all had a completely different demeanor about us.  We dawdled outside soaking up the serenity of this old town.  The details in the old architecture were charming and the dates of buildings always surprised us.  

Despite the age of the building, the rooms were spacious and modern.  The girls definitely enjoyed having the attic level with it's quirky design and high vantage point.  

As it cooled off in the girls room up top we all gathered together to watch the sun set.  A beautiful end to day with such a range of emotions.  It was worth every bit to eventually sit together, enjoying each other's company, laughing, and talking about the adventure for tomorrow.