First Post of the New Year, Part I

It's a happy new year and there's much to tell, but there's also still a good deal of activities from the old year that I have yet to relate.  Time for a captioned photo reel, I'd say!

Thanksgiving in Oberursel with the other Americans on campus, Matthew and Halle; a couple that spent a year in America; a couple that will be spending next year in America; and a Canadian.

Not bad, huh?  I made the mashies.

A trip to Stuttgart with Thomas (left, from South Africa) and Jeremy (right, from Canada)

Impressive-looking church in Stuttgart.  Sort of a mixture of old and modern, but I actually really liked it.

What an organ!

Back in Oberursel - brass choir playing Advent hymns from the downtown church's bell tower.  I got to go up in the tower with them.  Beautiful Advent chorales and a beautiful view of the surrounding area (we could see the Frankfurt skyline).

My sem pals Chris and Mag, who are currently doing a foreign exchange year at Westfield House in Cambridge, England, came to visit as they traveled through Germany on their winter break.  They brought two other Americans from Westfield House with them, too.  It was a good time.

Sweet building in downtown Frankfurt

Frankfurt Christmas Market

Worms - large Romanesque cathedral

Worms Cathedral... and Chris

Fun with the Pope.

"Here stood, before Kaiser and Kingdom, Martin Luther, 1521."

"Here stood, before a camera, 6 theology students, 2011."

Worms: Luther and his homeboys.

On our way from Speyer to Heidelberg we got ourselves a little lost at one point.  No big deal - we just had to wait half an hour for the next train.  Exercise is always a good time-passer.

I think Mag won the pull-up contest...

Heidelberg Castle - we got there just as the sun was setting.

There we are.  The view from here was amazing, but my camera didn't capture it very well.

Have you seen this wine vat?  It's ginormous!

Christmas market in Heidelberg - definitely the best one I got to visit this Christmas season.

One of the most scrumtrillescent pieces of food of my life!   

Back on campus with a nice fire, glühwein, and beer.  Pastor Wenz even joined us!

Gentleman's scotch-tasting event in honor of Roland Johannes (second from the left) whose first child Noah was recently born.

We tasted some high-quality scotch, let me tell you.  One of them is missing from the photo...
For those of you who might be interested, here's what we drank:
1) Ben Nevis (W. Highlands, 12 yrs, 40%)
2) Braeval (Speyside, 12 yrs, 40%)
3) Bowmore (Islay, 12 yrs(?), 40%)
4) A rum from Guyana (17 yrs, 45%)
5) HIGHLAND PARK (Orkney, 24 yrs, 47.7%)
6) Caol Isla (Islay, 27 yrs, 43%)
Highland Park was the favorite!

Weekend trip to the SELK's Mission Headquarters in Bleckmar, Germany
It was lots of fun and also very informative.

Mission Museum in Hermannsburg near Bleckmar.
An interesting crucifix from Malawi in southeast Africa.  It represents simultaneously the death and resurrection of Jesus, using imagery of a corn seed being planted and coming to fruition as a full grown ear of corn.

An African triptych portraying the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Pentecost.  

More from the Mission Museum

Back at the Mission House in Bleckmar playing Doppelkopf (a game similar to Sheephead and Skat that I picked up in Oberursel)

Lovely country view from my room in the Bleckmar Mission House

Tune in again later this weekend for more from my exciting Christmas and New Years travels!

Tschüß!