Our living situation in Germany was different from the way we were accustomed to living in the States. There were long cinder block buildings which were divided by stairwells. Each stairwell had 4 apartments. On one side there were 3 bedroom apartments, and the other side, were four bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. We were fortunate to get a 4 bedroom, and envied by some of the other stairwell residents. Actually, the truth of the matter was that we had 3 children, one of whom is a boy, therefore we qualified and received a "larger" apartment. The larger apartment had a total of 1000 sq. ft. And yes, we were entitled to a second bathroom, thankfully!
Regretfully, at the last minute, our son chose not to accompany us to Europe. He was able to visit, and we enjoyed showing him all of our favorite sights. Needless to say, he also enjoyed many of the German beers. We also talked on the telephone often to keep in touch, and Lee made a couple trips back to the states to check on our son. It was not a ideal situation, but he did stay in touch with us.
We were very fortunate to be able to travel often, most weekends we visited someplace. It could be a weekend in Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Italy, all of these countries were only a short driving distance from Heidelberg. Our first trip to Switzerland was like a "fairy tale" to me. We reserved a campsite in a lovely campground in a village called Lauderbrunnen. (This was one of the gems which a friend passed on after their visit) The campground is nestled in a beautiful valley, and is surrounded by the Swiss Alps. The mountains were snow capped and magnificent, and left us breathless! We all went for a long walk after we finished setting up our travel trailer. The country side is so picturesque, it was a lovely autumn day, the leaves were crunchy under our feet. The brown Swiss cows grazing in the pasture wore a bell around their neck, just like I had seen them in the travel brochures. Lee and I were both taking photography courses at the time, and this was certainly a "shutter bugs' paradise. We have wonderful memories preserved on film from our various sojourns while living in Europe.
The first thing our daughters did after arriving at the campground was to scope out the bathrooms. They were happy to report that the bathrooms were spotlessly clean, AND the bathroom was warm. Probably sounds a little insignificant to some people, but for us it was important and a lovely bonus! I must interject here, the restrooms in most of the countries of Europe are very clean. This was the first of several trips to Switzerland. Lee and I celebrated one of our anniversaries there, which happens to be in late November. The weather was bitter cold with several feet of snow. We still stayed in our camper. At that time we used a catalytic heater which was very efficient. Years later, we heard of people who succumbed as a result of fumes from these heaters. Lee assured me that he always cracked a window to prevent such an accident. Thank God!
There was a beautiful church nearby and we wanted to attend mass. We walked to the church and there was a sign which directed us around the church, and continued on to the school. Lee knocked on the door, we were welcomed by a flurry of children who could not hide their delight, and excitement at seeing American visitors. They were so sweet, as they proceeded to hang our coats up, and then quickly get chairs for us. No one spoke English, but it did not matter, we were gathered there for the same reason. It was an austere classroom, but something beautiful happened there that evening. The communion was stored in a Tupperware container, the first and only time I have ever experienced that. After mass, we shook hands with many of the parishioners. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and will always be very special to me.
There was a little town called Wengen on top of the mountain which could be seen from Lauderbrunnen. The only access to that town was by cog wheel train, or by foot.
Lee and I decided to go to Wengen, and we made the decision to hike up to the town. In those days, we were both very physically fit, so hiking up to Wengen seemed like a "lark." How difficult could it be? Turns out that it was very difficult. Now-a-days people say it was challenging. Whatever adjectives you chose to use, it was grueling. It took several hours for the two of us to climb up that mountain. The pathways were well worn, rocky and scraggly, making it difficult to get a good foot hold. It was starting to get dark and cool on top of the mountain by the time we reached the summit. Our sweaters were soaked with perspiration, and we were exhausted, but we were victorious.
That's it for tonight friends,
Thank You,
Carol
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