Mimi, Jared and Wesley Come to Germany!

Our oldest daughter and her two boys at Burg Eltz

This has been a long time coming. Our sweet oldest daughter and her two sons came to visit us and Europe. They spent almost two weeks here around us, and we loved it. What a thrill it was to have them with us and to show them some of the reasons why we love Germany. Here's a picture montage of their visit.

Visiting the Römerdom (Frankfurt Cathedral)

View from the cathedral spire down the Main River

To get to this point, you have to climb lots of steps in a spiral stone staircase

Frankfurt has a really impressive skyline

The view is worth the climb

Der Eiserner Steg

This iron footbridge crosses the Main from near the Römerplatz to Sachsenhausen across the river. It was built in 1868. The Wehrmacht blew it up in the final days of World War II (completely pointless as so many things were), but Frankfurt rebuilt it in 1946. It is a popular spot for people to demonstrate their undying love by locking engraved locks to the bridge railing and tossing the keys in the river. 

Who dares to cross my bridge.

It was hot, and children found one of the old fountains inviting.

How else can you cool off in a country where air conditioning is rare.

Off to Rothenburg ob der Taube

Rothenburg is the most picturesque towns in Germany. The town was mostly spared the ravages of the war. It has a long history and the medieval wall of the old city is intact. You can walk about 2/3 of the wall, and it is a great vantage point looking down into the old city. The houses and buildings are quaint, and there is plenty to see and do. We rode the trains from Frankfurt to Rothenburg and walked from the train station to our hotel just outside the wall. The hotel was a 19th century gem and was a great place to stay. 

Ready to go at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof -- just waiting for the ICE train

A gate for the city

Part of the moat remains

Just inside the wall. Notice the flowers in the window boxes

Now that's a nice yard inside the wall of the old city.

View along the wall

The rain decided to fall while we were walking the parapets and under a roof

One of the bridges over the moat

Circular fortification at one of the city gates.

That's quite a mustache

Everything exudes charm

Ancient city hall - we climbed the steps to visit the top of the white tower

Views away from the city

Anciently one of the main gates

Above the gate - used for pouring hot oil on people you wanted to keep away from the gate

Christmas Store advertising

Those are a variety of geranium

Unfortunately, the nightwatchman had his halberd in the wrong place when Janet and Mimi posed with him.

He has conducted the same evening tour for 25 years. A great walking tour of the old city.

He didn't even look like he had told the same stories 10,000 times before

Our hotel. The open window on the ground floor just below the hotel sign was our room.

Our hotel room

How can you not like a hotel breakfast when they bring you a boiled egg with a smiley face?

View from the top of the city hall tower worth the steep climb (including a short ladder)

Jakobus Kirche (St. James Church) -- built in the 14th and 15th centuries. It became a Lutheran church when Rothenburg became Protestant.

We are just not selfie people, but we had to try on top of the tower

Looking directly down on the large market plaza in front of city hall.

We knew we had found the right place for the boys

Guilty!

Especially guilty -- of being good.

Lots of interesting things in the museum of justice and torture (do those two things go together?). This was a shaming mask. There were several varieties of these. Perpetrators were sentenced to wear these in a public shaming. They are really fanciful.

There is a store where you can buy knives and swords, medieval costumes, and armor. the dungeon is part exhibit and part dressing room for trying on stuff.

Wesley and Jared thought this guy had been waiting a long time for service.

Wesley's friend looked like a character from Lord of the Rings.

A String of Visitors - Come to Germany in August!

We have been blessed with a string of visitors. Wonderful having family and friends stop by.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir toured Europe for the first time in many years, so beginning with their visit, we have had old friends and then family come see us. How wonderful to have this opportunity to share the people and beauty of Germany with those we love.

Our first visitor was Deby Manning Jensen. She sings with the choir. Jeff was her early morning seminary teacher many years ago, and she was a babysitter for our young children occasionally. We were thrilled to reconnect in person. She was kind enough to spend an entire Saturday morning with us just wandering around Frankfurt. We're so proud of her. She is a teacher, a mom, and a singer. She is a delight to be around.

We love Deby. What a treat.

The same Saturday we spent with Deby, our old friends Ward and Crystal Molen came to town. They were seeing Europe and planning their trip loosely around the Tabernacle Choir's itinerary. It's amazing to have friends that you have known longer than you have been married. Ward and Crystal were in Jeff's church congregation when Jeff first came home from his mission. Crystal gave Jeff a little push when he was mulling over whether he should have the courage to ask this wonderful girl to marry him. They are so easy to be around. We put them up in a vacant apartment we currently have in our building and enjoyed having them with us at church the Sunday after the choir concert in Frankfurt and then again the following weekend when they returned from a trip to Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Great to see dear friends

The concert was held in the Jahrhunderthalle (Century Hall) in a Frankfurt suburb. The concert hall was completely full. We had wonderful seats a few rows from the front. The music was fantastic. We sat next to a woman who had driven 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) to attend the concert with a friend. The public affairs people had arranged for a very nice reception prior to the concert for local religious and community leaders.

Borrowed from Mormon Newsroom:Press Article and Photos

The Sunday evening after the Frankfurt concert, about 30 members of the choir put on a "Music and the Spoken Word" fireside at our chapel in Offenbach. We went with the Molens and really enjoyed that, too. A former missionary from Germany spoke to the group in German, and Jeff and Elder Jarrard were impressed with his German. The choir closed with "God Be With You Til We Meet Again" -- in German. They closed the evening concert the day before the same way. People were clearly moved hearing this sweet hymn in their own language. At the fireside, Clay Christiansen, one of the Tabernacle organists played a piece and provided other music. Okay, our church house organs are pretty common, and the one in Offenbach is not an exception. It is not a pipe organ and generally is played by someone with good intentions who plays it mostly like a piano. Brother Christiansen made the organ live. It was amazing. So, it really is the touch of the master's hand that makes all the difference. It's not so much about the instrument.

Crystal got this great picture of Clay Christiansen at the organ.

On the heels of the choir, our son-in-law Dave dropped in for a couple of days on his way home from Iraq. We loved having him, and we kind of wore him out. Guess we can still go the distance.

Lavender smells wonderful - and the bees love it

A great day on a Rhine cruise and a late afternoon visit to the Niederwald Denkmal above Rüdesheim - dedicated to German national unity. . . and victory over the French in 1870.

Heroic pieces of sculpture

Amazing frieze and relief on the face of the monument

Dave and Janet enjoying the flea market in Sachenhausen

Tried to talk Dave into telling Ayla he bought her this for prom

Flea market on the bank of the river in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen is every other Saturday. It's a mob.

Also went to Heidelberg

Part of the castle ruin

Some of the castle inner court and portions still intact

Dedicated to sons of the architect who both died

Original builder of the Heidelberg castle

Remainder of the castle built for the daughter of the English king who married in

We had a great tour guide who made the history come alive

Restored portion, but the restorers got it mostly wrong.

Love the ceilings

The church survived

From Königstuhl looking down on Heidelberg

King of the mountain

Good to be together, even with your eyes closed

Dave left for home on a Sunday morning, and our friends the Molens were back the same day. We were able to spend a day with them cruising the Rhine. It was a relaxing enjoyable day full of sight seeing and talk. When you get along with someone well and you share a common love for the Savior and His restored gospel, you can talk about a lot of things.

Jeff wants to travel down the Rhine this way.

Hat and umbrella. Lots of sun and warm temperatures.

St Goar boasts this giant cuckoo clock

Ward had the breezy spot and was staring at a castle

Castle Rheinstein

Rheinstein at a better angle

Disembarking at Assmanshausen

Passing the barge

At the end of the day

Then more family! Mimi, Jared, and Wesley showed up on Monday morning for 12 days (August 1-12). We feel so lucky. More about their visit in the next post since it isn't over yet.