Meanville

The village elder went out to welcome an approaching stranger. "Welcome, friend. What brings you to Meanville?"

"I come in search of a new home," said the stranger, "having left my home in desperation. My neighbors were the most terrible people you can imagine: ignorant busy bodies, constantly making false accusations."

"That is terrible," replied the elder, "My heart goes out to you but I am sure you will find the people of Meanville are much the same as the people you left behind, perhaps even worse. The very name of our village is a testament to its people. Life is difficult here but it is all I have ever known. Farewell and best wishes that you may find a place that suits you."

The next day another stranger approached the village and the elder spoke the same welcome and asked the same question.

"I come in search of a new home," said the stranger, "having left my home in desperation. My neighbors were the most wonderful people you can imagine but the famine was so terrible that I volunteered to leave so that others might stay."

"That is terrible," replied the elder. "My heart goes out to you. I'm sure you will find the people of Meanville are much the same as the people you left behind. We mean to welcome you to our village with open arms."

Fifty Cents!

"Fifty cents!" exclaimed the pixie as she offered three small stones at our front door. I called to my wife "This is for you..." as I pulled some coins from my pocket. I carefully extracted two pennies from the pile but the generous one took a dime and bought the stones. The pixie ran off to join her older brother, silent partner, instigator. So the stones took their place on a shelf in the kitchen, the story told to neighbors and friends. Many laughs! And now the stones have moved into a small Waterford bowl, where they positively shine, the center of attention. These are not just common stones but our best investment ever.

Sadness and Compassion

As we were finishing a nice dinner at a restaurant in Görlitz, a begger came to us from the rear part of the restaurant. I tried to wave him off but he did not withdraw. Instead, he stared intensely at our food with the most profound and genuine sadness I have ever seen. It was as though we were eating his food, as though all hope were gone. Other diners noticed and clearly commiserated with him and it seemed as though we all might descend together into some terrible pit of sadness.

Thankfully, the head waiter noticed the beggar and spoke to him by name. Approaching our table he apologized but Margaret suggested that we would gladly give the man our abundant leftovers if that would be OK. Seeming to accept this suggestion, the waiter went to the kitchen. Waiting, I nodded to the man, indicating that something good was going to happen. He nodded vigorously in response. Then we waited a little longer until the owner or manager came from the kitchen. He, too, apologized and said, "We take care of him. He receives from us every day" and directed the man toward the rear of the restaurant.

After a while, the man came out into the restaurant again, having finished his meal, carrying his dishes to the kitchen.

And so I cannot help but wonder: how would an American restaurant deal with such a beggar? Feed him every day?

I think of a friend and classmate from elementary school: Oscar could swing higher and hit the ball farther than anyone else, mainly because he had been held back several times. He understood so little of what was taught that he left school after eighth grade, glad to be done with it. Many years ago, I asked mother what had become of Oscar. He was in prison for stealing a car, she said. He could not understand why other people could have cars and he could not. And we did not take care of him.

Scenes of Germany (and one from Prague)

Snapshots of Germany.

Numerous roadside stands. Payment is on the honor system.

One of many green overpasses.

If you can't weave past these barriers, we don't want you in our town!

Let's meet down at the Jesus bakery.

Solar panels everywhere. How many solar panels can you find in this picture? (Click on the picture to make it larger.) Does the German government subsidize them?

The cock crowed three times? We saw many roadside shrines but this one has an unusual element.

Beautiful berry bushes.

Decorated doorways.

Margaret loves the kind of baby buggies that Germans use.

Famer's market. You can buy a slice of squash or pumpkin.

Many villages have a sign like this, each with its own distinctive design.

Flowers on houses.

More flowers.

Roadside flower garden. Cut your own and pay on the honor system.

Can you find a McDonalds here?

Everyone hikes.

Sigmund Freud hanging out in Prague.

The Black Forest

The Black Forest is all about scenery.

Our first Sunday in the Black Forest we drove through the beautiful Jostal Valley to the small village of St. Peter for Mass.

The church at St. Peter, a former monastery. The Mass was long: long sermon and a play about St. Francis.

Margaret politely asked for permission to take this picture of women in traditional dress. Only about six elderly women were dressed traditionally.

A walk through the cemetery.

The entrance to Löffingen, the first village where we stayed in the Black Forest.

The village of Löffingen.

Another picture of the Jostal valley.

When we returned from France, the Fall colors were much stronger. This was the view we had after a long climb up a steep mountain. There is a ski lift nearby.

Driving on through the Black Forest.

A man raking hay by hand. Remember that Germany, a country with many very small businesses, is the most prosperous and efficient country in Europe!

Yesterday we visited the Freilichtmuseum (open air museum) near Gutach. This house dates back to 1599.

Another house from the early 1600s.

The village of Schiltach, home of many half-timbered houses.

More of the same village.

Our current B and B.

Around Füssen

A blog posting from earlier travels. These are pictures from around Füssen, Germany.

The Plansee, just across the border into Austria.

Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein. We toured this castle 31 years ago so we didn't bother to do it again.

We booked all of our accommodations online. This does lead to an occasional surprise, such as happened here. Once we got past all the toys and junk in the yard, the room was ok.

We would have done better to stay at Hotel Chrisine, where we stayed 31 years ago.

Linderhof Palace

Post from earlier travel. While in Füssen, we visited Linderhof, King Ludwig's hunting palace.

Beautiful grounds, huge. Smaller than his other palaces. This was the only palace in which he actually lived.

From above, looking down at the palace.

Margaret discovered this unusual sign above the toilet in a restroom. It says "Please do not use the toilet in this way!" Margaret was amazed to realize that she has those same sandals at home!

Another blog from earlier in our trip. On our way from Ramsau to Füssen, we visited Herren Chiemsee, the royal palace of King Ludwig. After some initial confusion about ferries, we headed for the palace, which is on an island in the Chiemsee.

After reaching the island we tried to purchase tickets for an English language guided tour but the cashier told us that the next tour would be at 12:00; no, 1:30; no, there will be no more tours in English. Suspicious about the reliability of this information, Margaret went to another cashier and bought tickets for an English language tour without difficulty. Apparently the confusion was caused by Hollywood. The palace was being closed early because of the filming of a movie.

Ludwig greatly admired Versailles, so he used it as a model for his own palace.

On the far side of the fountain there was a red carpet, perhaps 100 yards in length that had been laid out for the movie. The tour guide later told us that the movie was Three Musketeers.

The fountains were beautiful and elaborate.

The St. Nicolas Church in Prague has some interesting statues, such as one that seems to be holding handcuffs up in the air. But this one, located at the front of the church, on the left side, is especially striking.

Here we see a bishop who seems to be having a good day.

And a heretic who is having a bad day.

This statue, situated at the front of the church, on the left side, was surely intended as a lesson and a warning to the faithful, reminding them that they should adhere to the truth, as defined by the bishop. If the bishop says that the sun revolves around the earth, that is the way it is.