An Engineer's Dream -- Speyer Technik Museum

A Fokker Tri-wing diving on visitors at the entrance

One of our last weekends with the Jarrards and the Newmans. We drove to Speyer. There is a large cathedral there, but there is also the Technik Museum which is a German version of the Smithsonian for technical things. It's basically a huge display of planes, trains, and automobiles.

I know my sons and son-in-laws would have enjoyed the beautiful old cars, and Cole and Harrison would love the fire engines -- lots of them. Elder Snapp is an engineer, a pilot, and a car lover. He was in heaven.

Waiting with the crowd for an IMAX showing of a National Geographic film about Jerusalem. We are going with the Jarrards in 2018.

Janet went shopping and missed the classic cars, planes, and the double decker carousel.

First car (3 wheels) ever manufactured by the Bayerische Motorwerke (BMW). Sporty. And it was built in 1955. They made motorcycles and airplane engines before getting into cars.

Jeff is not a car guy, but he was drooling a little over these.

How's that for a Caddy? Stands out among the German and European cars.

My brother Brad would look good in this 1969 Jaguar Roadster.

Not a typical color for a Mercedes.

Acres of classic cars

Lots of engine for a small cab for this 1929 Packard Coupe. Straight 8 engine generating 125 HP.

Mercedes-Benz 630

A Borguard -- never heard of this make

1944 Indian Chief. We're putting Sister Kirk in the side car.

This one can be driven at a special event they have at the museum.

Anyone for three wheels?

Love this one. Looks like it was designed by Pixar.

Submarines, too. That's a wing from a Messerschmidt hanging above the sub. It was submerged in a lake in Sweden for 50 years after it made an emergency landing on ice and then fell through as the lake thawed.

Being packed into one of these is no fun. Some of them were designed to be suicide boats. 

Lots of planes inside and out

F-15 -- I feel the need for speed.

Huge Russian Antonov 22 - and there is one that is a lot bigger.

Russian space shuttle that made one orbital flight in the 1980's before Russia went broke and abandoned the project.

Beautiful old Tri-motor

Elder Markle standing on the wing of a Boeing 747 that is suspended above the yard as if in flight.

Nice view from the 747's wing looking toward the Altstadt (old city) and the cathedral.

Cockpit of such a large airliner was pretty cramped

Cool to see the interior structure where seats, carpet and finish have been stripped away.

Standing under the belly of the beast.

Makes a person feel really small

The boy is holding a pretzel. Elder Jarrard claims the pretzel was invented in Speyer.

My friend Greg Jarrard

This was a great restaurant, and we sat right across from these wonderful people.

Speyer Dom

Front of the cathedral

Impressive bronze doors

Interesting architecture in the vaulted ceiling

The nave. The cathedral is surprisingly unadorned.

The frescoes lining the nave are lovely, but hard to photograph or see because of their height and the weak light.

The nave from the front near the high altar

Vast, dizzying empty spaces

A sculptors depiction of the Garden of Gesthemane. We were taken by the depiction of the Savior's suffering and by his sleeping disciples. 

The sculpture is in a large park next to the cathedral

Michelstadt, 10 September 2016

Old City Hall in Michelstadt

We love Michelstadt. This is a small city not too far from Frankfurt in the Odenwald (the Oden Forest). The old city is surrounded by a medieval wall that is nearly intact, and the center of the old city is this city hall which was first built in 1484. One of the large wood posts you can see underneath the structure has the date carved into it. We visited the town with our usual group of senior couple friends. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and cool temperatures. A member of our mission presidency grew up in Michelstadt and loves this place. We were here once before at night for their Christmas market and loved it.

A fitting metaphor for our mission experience which is sprinting past.

Grapes are ready for harvest - these growing on the side of a building

You can visit the castle grounds but all of it is private residence. We would like an apartment here.

Picturesque, quiet place

The ravages of time and weather

He has lost his nose

We need more window boxes in the U. S.

Elder Newman may have scaled a wall to walk on the bridge

Germany is full of walking paths

This house contains a ceramic shop. The owner was emptying the kiln and Elder Snapp was asking questions a mile a minute.

This basilica is now empty, but it was built in 827.

Original ceiling beams. An interesting feeling standing in this empty space that was once a place of worship.

Germans love these models and we find them at most historical sites

The docent at the basilica took our picture. Left to right - Elder and Sister Jarrard, Elder and Sister Markle, the two of us, Elder and Sister Newman, Elder and Sister Snapp, and Elder and Sister Mumm

Part of a dry moat along the old city wall

Diebsturm (Thieves' Tower) used in the middle ages as a jail

Long shot of the moat and wall

Now that's a narrow walkway between two buildings

Love this kind of stained glass

The organ lofts in most churches are beautiful

Flowers are still beautiful in the early fall

The Hotel Three Rabbits

Look closely and you can see the rabbits

An important sign to know and look for

We just never get tired of this

The better half of the companionship