Awww, shucks. If I would have waited two more days, it would have been one full month in between my posts...oh, that's bad...to my blog readers: Sorry I have taken so long to update this. I get so intimidated, thinking I need to give you every little detail. Because I waited so long, I don't remember every detail...so here's what I do remember:
Saturday, September 26th
Well, I made it to France before Anna. I have a slight advantage, being only 20 minutes away. As part of the AYF "orientation," we took a day trip to Alsace. It was a brisk morning with an hour long bus ride, during which we played a game called, "I'm packing my suitcase," or something like that. Then, taking turns, each person would add an additional item repeating the items mentioned before, going alphabetically. On the way to France we used food as our theme. Sounds easy...but we played in German. Our director Ulli's two sons were on the bus with us (along with his American wife). They played along and were funny because their German is a lot better than ours.
Our first stop in France was the Hoh-Königsburg, an imposing medieval castle, fancifully rebuilt in the early 20th century to honor Emperor Wilhelm II. Today it is a French national monument and as such, encapsulates a significant bit of German-French history. Over the years it has switched hands between the two countries. It is built into the rock on top of the highest point in the area, providing fantastic views of the countryside. I just posted pictures on Facebook. I spent the time wandering around the castle with my friend, Derek. He and I kind of like to stay away from the loudness and English-speaking that our group tends to bring with them no matter where we go. We didn't realize how big the complex was, consequently we ran out of time. Derek spent time writing a postcard to his girlfriend while I booked it to the bus...Ulli said if I had been a couple minutes later, they would have been gone! :)
Our next stop was the border city of Colmar. This was a beautiful city. Not too big and definitely French. We were free to wander until a museum visit later in the afternoon. After little success trying to find one or two other Americans who wanted to break off from the larger groups, I fortunately ran into Derek again. After listening to a street performer with an accordion (so French!) we decided to make the most of our venture in France. Namely, we went to a French grocery store, bought some grapes, a baguette (which I asked for in French, hau hau hau), cheese, and wine. We sat in a grassy square in the middle of the city and had ourselves a nice French picnic. It was quite fantastic.
We visited the Musée d'Unterlinden which was full of beautiful religious artwork from a more pious time in French history. Again, we ran out of time here. So much to see, so little time. And all the religious depictions got some of the non-religious AYFers to ask me questions, which evolved into a full-fledged theological discussion. This was a really great day. I hope God continues to use me to reach out to them.
The day was far from over when I got home. At a local club, The Jazzhouse, there is a night called "Summer of Love," during which they play American music from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. So pretty much what I have wanted to hear at every dance I have ever been to. There was a hefty €6 entrance fee, but the four hours we spent there made it incredibly worthwhile. The best part, they do this every couple of weeks! It was a great day. More posts coming soon!
-Nate
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