Hiking with the Conlins

We're combining two weekend trips with the Conlins. April 25th we went to Kurpark. 

Kurpark is a beautiful park  in the middle of Bad Homburg and we enjoyed a great walk with the Conlins who will be leaving to return home soon.  She is a fitness advocate and as a couple they bike, run and walk a lot.  Dangerous people to hang out with.

The colors were extraordinary, especially since it was Spring, not Fall. This park was enormous.

We weren't supposed to be in groups larger than two people without proper distancing. We couldn't ride in the same car together and kept our distance while walking around the park. This was one of the largest groups of people we had been around on two months.

As we looked at this cross, Geri got very emotional and shared how she was filled with emotion as she thought about the Savior being crucified on a cross very similar to this. 

Even though Geri and Scott are very fitness minded, they are always the first to suggest we find and Eis Cafe. 

A couple of weeks later, May 9th, we drove about an hour West to the Taunus mountains for a beautiful hike.

It was so peaceful and we saw very few people as we enjoyed the afternoon.

Today is was a Backerei instead of an Eis Cafe. We can always find a place to satisfy our cravings.

Weilburg and Braunfels

On the way to the town of Weilburg we passed beautiful fields of yellow flowers.  This day trip was with one of the few fellow couples in the Area office still in Germany, Sister Maureen and Elder Bruce Allcott.  It rained a ton on the way and then was quite nice once we arrived.

"Social distancing" even while sightseeing.

This palace was huge and amazing.  The German word for a place like this is a Schloss.

The gardens were well manicured and beautiful.

Near Weilburg is the town of Braunfels which has a castle that was closed due to the virus.  That didn't keep us from exploring the town and enjoying its architecture. 

Aschoffenburg

The restrictions in Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic have closed borders between countries.  We still cannot be with anyone but our immediate family in our car, so Joanne and I took off on an adventure to Aschoffenburg about an hour away.  There is a large Schloss which is German for "palace" on the Main River.

 The Main River (pronounced "mine") was a trade route and also flows through Frankfurt.

 This wall borders the river and on the side of the gate you can see carved into the stone the levels at which flood waters have risen in bad floods in years past.  Note the dates in the close-up picture.

Inside the courtyard of the palace we took this panoramic picture.

We have a growing fascination with amazing doors we find in our journeys,
this one did not disappoint.

A beautiful terraced garden.

We are not very good at selfies, but we are trying to improve. 
We had a picnic in the neighboring park.

This is basically telling us that the museum at the schloss is closed to the virus.  Too bad.

As we were preparing to leave, Joanne spotted someone with an ice cream cone walking by us in the otherwise deserted city square.  We want to do ALL we can to support local businesses of course, so we made a beeline to the ice cream shop and there just happened to be a bakery next door as well.

This is called Dinkle bread, a favorite in Germany from a kind of wheat called Spelt or Dinkel Wheat.  Yumm.

Smitten we were, with the little town of Schmitten

Just a 45-minute drive through the Taunus mountains put us on this quiet walking path.

It was the first time we had ventured out since COVID-19 restrictions had been put into place. 

The fresh air and sunshine was just what we needed.

When we turned the corner and saw all the mole hills, I immediately thought of our pastures in North Bend. Those moles were good at avoiding most of our efforts to eliminate them from the property!

   

A natural fence keeps everyone safely on their own side.

Welcome to Schmitten. Former village of the nail forge.

The artwork on the wall of this house was inspiring.

This little village has so many photo opps ... from the gated estate to the tiny canal running through town. Although most of the stores have been closed because of the pandemic, we totally enjoyed our afternoon in Schmitten.

The building of their church is not deterred by a few rocks.

 

 

 

The view from the church looking across to the quaint village is so lovely.