Hartmannsdorf, Schwarzeberg and Beierfeld, Germany
We started Wednesday the 24th with the mother and children’s club. There were about 50 mothers and preschoolers, including babies. It was a challenge to give a program that would include the kids but we did. We first had coffee and tea then went into the sancuary for songs and the string program. The mothers got very involved. They loved the mosquito. it was much better than I expected when i arrived.
We went back to Lutz’ home for lunch of baked potato wedges with spices on them and cream cheese or yougert with fedda cheese or tuna in sour cream. They also made a good cobbler of currents from their own garden that they had frozen. I was also able to work on the computer and get caught up with emails and my blog.
I went back for a nap then we went driving through the forrest to the Free Republic of Schwarzeberg…where after the war the Russians stopped on one side and the Americans stopped on the other side and left this independant area. They set up a Republic that lasted for 21 days. They have a celebration each year. There were many shops with traditional wood carvers making the little figures and table ornaments that go around with the heat of a candle.
There is also a castle there that we walked to. It was a beautiful village set in the hills/mountains We were about 15 miles from the Czech Republic. Then we drove on to Beierfeld, another small town along the river. There is a string of small towns along the river that used to be mining towns. We had childern and youth workers from the area along with a few of the older people of the chruch who wanted to see what this string stuff was all about.
What a good time. The volunteer youth coordinator from the church was most interested and had a lot of fun learning the things.At each of these meetings thay take up a collection to use for a future trip. They are so kind to me. They had set up sandwiches and cakes and tea for us to have afterward. It was a nice way to end the evening. The drive back took about an hour and i went straight to bed. It was a busy day.
Dave