The Germany Adventure - Sunday, August 4

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     On Sunday morning we attended church services where Naomi used to worship and where her father still preaches. He took the week off to spend with us. It is non-denominational and held in a meeting room in an apartment complex in Munich. Linda did an amazing job of quietly translating the whole service for us. We sat in the back corner, so we would not distract the others. I enjoyed listening to the hymns. My favorite was sung like a round. The sermon lasted an hour, then there was a 30-minute coffee and cake break, where people could mingle and talk, then another hour sermon.

     After church, we talked about where we should go for lunch. Hans said, “Well, normally I would suggest Kentucky Fried Chicken, but since you are from America….” Stan, Vanita, Logan and I all agreed we would like to see what KFC is like in Germany. We needed some help ordering, because the menu was in German, of course, but there was a young man there who spoke some English. Josie helped me order. After lunch, we went to the Nymphenburg Palace, the summer residence of King Ludwig I, built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. We toured the castle at the bargain price of 6 euros. The rooms were grand and ornate. The Great Hall is a huge room accented with gold and paintings. Above our heads, larger than life fresco paintings depicted Olympian heaven, which research tells me symbolizes the duty of the ruler to bring and receive peace. This room has remained the same since 1758.

     In the queen’s sitting room, soft teal and gold wallpaper gleamed from the walls. Chairs with patterns matching the wallpaper were arranged around the room. We saw the room and bed in which King Ludwig II was born on August 25^th, 1845. 

     Paintings lined the walls in the “Gallery of Beauties” which consisted of 36 paintings of women who King Ludwig I considered to be “perfect” including portraits of a shoemaker’s daughter, an actress, and members of his family, including his daughter, Princess Alexandra of Bavaria.

     Then we walked out into the bright sunshine and the huge park. A beautiful fountain, Greek and Roman god statues, flowers, trees, and walking paths make this an amazing experience. The fountains in front of the palace and in the garden continue to be operated by water powered pumping stations built between 1803 and 1808. 

We returned home, ate a light supper, then we went for a drive through country roads. Hans pointed out a deer farm, where the animals are raised for meat. He also pointed out the wild deer grazing in a field. They are different than ours with only two or three points on their antlers. Fields of asparagus, sunflowers, corn, wheat and soybeans lined the country roads. We drove through pine forests, and I opened my window to breathe in the smell. Logan and Stan were happy to see a John Deere combine cutting wheat. Naomi pointed to the outline the Alps in the distance. It was another amazing day in Germany.