About 3 weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to stay with some family friends, Helmut & Gisela Weidle, at their home in Pirmasens, Germany! It was a very fun and interesting experience! I took the train to Landau, where they picked me up and took me to the Weingut Voegeli where we sampled local wines - and I actually really like one and I don't even like wine! I also got a tour of the small winery by Frau Voegeli and saw how schnapps are brewed and how the grapes are harvested! We then collected chestnuts as we hiked through the forest up to the ruins of Madenburg, a huge fortress on a hill overlooking the German wine valleys! It was beautiful, especially with all the fall colors! Then we drove along the German Wine Route through the beautiful vineyards and into France, where we visited the cute, little town of Wissembourg! They then drove me through the Pfaelzerwald to their home in Pirmasens. Gisela cooked a delicious meal and then we had the chestnuts we had collected for dessert!
The following day, they took me out to see where my great-aunt Hanni lived and then we toured the city, which was really nice. Unfortunately, most of Pirmasens was destroyed in WWII, but it's still a nice city! There were a lot of statues having to do with shoes since Pirmasens was once home to hundreds of shoe factories, which allowed it to grow and prosper! After our city tour, we went to the cemetery to see my Hanni-Tante's grave and then came home for lunch. Their daughter Evi came home and had lunch with us and then we all went to Bitche, France to see the citadel that was a stronghold for the French in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. It was really interesting to go there and learn about all that history, because I had never learned anything about that war before! We came home and had another delicious meal and then played Rummikub!
On Sunday, Helmut drove me around the city and showed me where he used to teach metalwork at a trade school (and he's really talented - their whole is full of his art!) and then we walked through a really nice park. Gisela then prepared another delicious meal for us and it was time to leave. Their daughter Evi drove me to Schwetzingen, since she lives close by, and then I took the bus back to Heidelberg! It was a really fun weekend and I am incredibly appreciative of the generosity and hospitality of the Weidles! VIELEN DANK!
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| Hiking of to Madenburg |
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| View from Madenburg!!! |
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| Church in Wissembourg, France |
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| My wonderful hosts - Gisela & Helmut! |
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| Downtown Pirmasens |
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| Saturday market in Exezierplatz |
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| Happy pumpkin at the Bitche Citadel |
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| View of the Pfaelzerwald |
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| Bitche Citadel |
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