Ironically, the first one we went to was called Lichetenstein castle. It was small with some cool grounds and was unique because it's so old and is built directly into the face of a cliff.
The second one was a lot bigger and much more of a destination point, and it was easy to see why- it looked like it was straight out of Harry Potter. Luckily for us, the sun decided to come out when we arrived at the castle, so the stone looked warm and brilliant while illuminated by the sun.
After Lisa successfully bought a car (a silver manual diesel Volkswagen golf) the three of us went to a nearby college town called Tubingen, where we had fun messing around with panorama pictures and then ate some eis (your German word of the day- it means ice cream).
Castle number two:
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
We were allowed to go inside some of the rooms but we had to wear these neat slippers in order to preserve the floors. No photography was allowed inside, unfortunately.
Around the castle they had lots of figures of serious looking gentlemen looking nobly into the distance. As a group, they had the most admirable collection of mustaches every beheld on statues.
On our way to Tubingen we somehow managed to get onto this country road which I'm pretty sure cars are not allowed to drive on (blame it on the GPS!!) Anyway, legal or not, we got an awesome view of this little town.
The streets in Tubingen are lined by canals with bicycles and flowers.
The big race
The twin
The purse snatchers
After the weekend finished and Lisa went home, the week skipped along at a normal and genial rate. I gave Tyler a haircut, my first time ever wielding the trimming scissors and it turned out rather ok, surprisingly.
I also made musli and simultaneously made a big mess in the kitchen (it was a super good batch though, so it was worth it)
And then.. Thursday. The morning passed pleasantly at Telegartner, and all was fine and dandy. Tyler Rienhard and I were riding our bikes home for lunch when disaster struck. Tyler and I were riding next to each other and Reinhard was behind us. Somehow, our handlebars got locked together and we crashed, falling hard to the left (my side). It was crazy how fast it happened. One second we were chatting away, the next second I was lying on the ground, stunned, while blood from my head pooled on the pavement. It was quite surreal. A bunch of people saw what happened because everyone was leaving for their lunch break so someone called the ambulance while some others tried to keep me talking to them even though they didn't speak much English. Throughout it all, I felt remarkably calm. It was like my inner nurse was speaking, diagnosing what was happening, like "You probably have a minor concussion, given how you hit the sidewalk. The cut probably isn't as bad as it seems, head injuries always bleed a lot.." or "Oh, my arms and legs are shaking, that must be my body going into shock." On the way to the hospital in the ambulance I kept running tests on my brain, reviewing all the names of the little German villages nearby, trying to assess myself for brain damage. All the while, I berated myself for not wearing a helmet. Aside from my head, the left side of my body was rather bruised and battered. Dad- it turns out you were right; the pavement always wins.
At the hospital, I got a few stitches, a fashionable gauze headband, and was sent on my way with instructions to not run for 10 days (boo) and to get the stitches removed in a little over a week. All in all, my Thursday did not quite go the way I thought it would. Then again, life is unpredictable.
It just so happened that John Van Den Berg was going to be at Putten convention in Holland over the weekend and he reallly really wanted Lisa to come. So naturally, Tyler and I went along too as a surprise for him. The Dutch friends are some of the warmest, most welcoming people. We didn't get in until 11:30 at night, but the people who met us there were so gracious and kind. We also got to wear clogs which was quite fun actually. I thought they were pretty comfy, considering they are made of wood. Good arch support. It's key.
I love this picture. Uncle Johnny looks so happy, marching down the street of this little Dutch town with a windmill in the background
Look at this cutie! He was running around in his clogs like any other toddler would run around in their bare feet
This is Lise, my Norwegian twin. She met John at a convention earlier in the year and they became good friends. She basically came to Putten to see him and meet Lisa, and she's super cool.
On Saturday between meetings, we went to this little village half an hour away. This is a very special village because it's where the VanDenBerg family comes from originally. We walked through the cobblestone streets, admired the harbor, and climbed to the top of the church tower and got some amazing views
This is Stompot. It's basically potatoes, vegetables, meat, ect all mashed together into one dish. It looks like baby food but it tastes quite good actually. Someone told me it's what farmers eat because it's easy to consume quickly, as it defines the all-in-one meal. They can eat fast and then get back to work.
Whew! I think you're mostly caught up now on what's been happening on this side of the globe. This weekend, Lisa comes to pick up her car then we will dive to Liechtenstein to visit her for the weekend. It's their independence day and we're hoping to catch a fireworks show off the castle. That's all for now! Ta-ra!
