Rothenberg - Dinkelsbuhl

Driving on German roads is a most satisfying experience for P, who enjoys driving very much. We left Heidelberg for Rothenberg ob der Tauber (eastward) about 1.5 hour and from there to Dinkelsbuhl (southward) 0.45min and final destination Nuremberg 1.5 hour. The short drive with breaks in between make it a pleasant and easy trip.

P has always wanted to drive on the autobahns and found it a delight. The A roads allow for pretty high speed but motorists with great discipline and high road ethics, make it for safe but swift arrival to destinations. The B roads allow us to appreciate the beautiful countryside with its rolling hills covered in bright yellow and green, passing by charming villages.

Dinkelsbuhl

We had read of the Romantique road tour, it covers several old authentic enchanting villages via the B roads from Wurzburg down south to Munich. We decided to visit two on our way to Nuremberg – the towns of Rothenberg o d Tauber and Dinkelsbuhl; their altstadts (old towns) still maintain its historic look. I found Rothenberg much like the Tuscan villages with its narrow streets and cobbled stones. As I walked the cobbled stones, I remembered fellow blogger S, who tripped over uneven cobbles and I especially walked carefully and slowly over them. But I like Dinkelsbuhl more, their quaint houses more colorful and prettier.

Cafe Munster

At Dinkelsbuhl, we stopped for afternoon tea at Café Munster it offered delicious crepes and the light-liest of waffles with a heapful of fresh cream. It is a must-stop for tea and coffee break, and shade on that spring afternoon, the temperature was registering 30C!

As we were leaving, a horde of antique cars drove into the town and they parked aligned outside St. George's Minster. It was a feast for the eyes to see so many beautifully kept, restored grand old dames. Many tourists started to take out their cameras to make shots as keepsakes with the proud drivers looking on.  

I am so happy to be able to share of this delightful day - I had the physical strength (Praise GOD) to walk through these enchanting streets and drive by the glorious countryside. Rejoice with me!

heidelberg

We are in Heidelberg! It is truly a most picturesque old town, most charming to the cobbled-stone streets in the Altstadt (town centre). Staying just across the old bridge, we could easily walk to the old town, traipsed along the Hauptstrasse, their longest shopping street which is closed to traffic.

Heidelberg

Yesterday we went to the Schloss (castle) Heidelberg. It is well preserved with its history documented on the audio commentary, without it, I wouldn't know what the buildings are used for and the stories of its occupants - the wide steps for the horses and carriages, the architect who grieved over the death of his twin sons when they fell off the scaffoldings while playing - he was saddened till he dreamt of them and miraculously the next morning when he awoke he found a bunch of flowers on his bed!

Schloss

In the evening, we walked about 500m across the old bridge to have dinner at Weisser Bock. It was a splendid meal. I have known  German food to be sausages, pork knuckle and sauer kraut but was pleasantly surprised that the restaurant served a very succulent chicken in white wine sauce placed and kept hot in a staub. The first night I had fish with white asparagus (in season) and it was perfectly done.
How wonderful it is to be able to enjoy such tasty meals. I am grateful. I am thankful. I cannot take for granted my appreciation to see, to taste.

Surprised by Joy

Yesterday (that was early Sunday morning .....3am...'twas a dexa night, hence the wakefulnesss at 3am), I ended my post with "Be joyful always...." Indeed I am much surprised and amazed that when we attended the Sunday morning service at  CCBaptist Church, the sermon given by Pastor D, was themed "Living a Spirit-Filled Life: Joy".  Coincidence...it is not, but the rhema word of GOD to imprint this truth in my heart. Oftentimes, (my) emotions and circumstances qualify the presence of joy. Quite naturally, we are affected and discouraged by poor health and can be utterly miserable.

Pastor D explained biblical joy in Galatians 5:22-23a as these 5 truths:
- it is not based on circumstances
- it is based on a real relationship with GOD
- is what energises us to truly live the Christian life
- is indelibly linked with obedience
- it should be shared

And why are we able to have joy despite our circumstances - Psalm 28:7
"The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me,
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise Him."

Psalm 73:26 promises that "my flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Indeed on our own, it is almost impossible to persevere a prolonged life of chronic ill health and poor immunity, frequently beset with infection, fatigue and tiredness.
But we can hold on to the promise that the LORD can and will give us the strength and even more, the joy to accompany us.

Finally, we are to "rejoice with those who rejoice." Romans 12:15. This aspect of rejoicing is frequently shared within the mm community, when one celebrates another year of CR or VGPR or reduced m-spike!! We are truly and genuinely glad for one another.

Spring in Ann Arbor

It has been quite some time since I last post. I reluctantly come back to write -  the start of our 3 weeks vacation in Ann Arbor was disappointing. P came down with flu from day 1 and that took away our first week. Needless to say, I caught the cold and cough bug the second week. We spent most of the time, convalescing!
There were days we could drive out to the mall or supermarkets to pick up necessities. I had needed to make two trips, one to a minute clinic to get a Ventolin inhaler prescribed. I forgot to bring one for the trip. Another time, I had to go to an urgent care clinic for a very upset tummy - bloatedness and diarrhea. But I am very thankful that I have recovered!
Although I am not pleased that a large part of our vacation time in Ann Arbor was "wasted". Yet how to repudiate the reality of mm-ers' vulnerable immunity. Recently I read of Pat K's episode of cold just before a 2-day trip and it was a miserable time when he tried to do everything as everyone but suffered serious fatigue and tiredness after. Well, the same would go for me, if I had not spent most of my time resting and staying indoor. The weather had been cold and chilly and some wet days!  So you can imagine why I did not feel like writing! 

Ahh... having recovered, we made an overnight trip to Toledo, stayed in a B&B presently undergoing restoration. The Casey-Pomeroy house is most charming and historic, with antique furnishings, even the bed, so high, had to be accessed with a step-up.  We went to two attractions - the Toledo Zoo (for the grandsons) and the Toledo Museum of Art. The TMA is a must-see and worth every minute spent there. Best of all, its admission is free.  
The next morning before setting off and after a sumptuous breakfast, we drove around town for a bit and stopped by Paula Brown gift shop. It is such a delightful place with wonderful knick knacks for the home. We bought a white enamel kettle and some silicone covers. 

Today was also blessed. It was cold but we wrapped up warmly and headed to Dearbon, Detroit to the Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. It was the highlight of our trip so far. The village contains replicas of American homesteads, plantation, homes of Wright brothers, Webster, Robert Frost, Henry Ford, village stores, jeweler, milliner etc. We rode in the vintage model T, 1931 AA bus. We ate at the Eagle Tavern offering food of 19th recipes.  It was a fabulous day of 5 hours well spent. I cannot imagine myself being able to spend such considerable time walking, I generally limit myself to 2 to 3 hours at any location. Any tourist to Detroit, must make a visit to Greenfield Village.

I started this post rather poorly but see how the holiday is turning out. One good week out of three is still reason for joy!!! I have been teaching our 3- year old grandson sing a Sunday School song with this lyric. "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances" 1Thess5:16,17,18