2 videos from Germany

Here are two videos I took in Germany. This first one was taken on my last day in Germany, on my hiking day. I was following a trail that led me to the top of a mountain. The closer I got to the top of the mountain, the more voices I started hearing. Soon I could hear singing and the sounds of clinging glasses and silverware, like you might here in a restaurant. It turned out to be a pub, and it just so happened that the people burst out into a song as I passed by. Oh, and if you ever happen to take that same trail when you’re in Heidelberg, make sure you take a long sip of water from the natural spring just opposite to the pub.

This second video was taken in Munich. There were many street musicians playing. In fact, when I was way up in a church steeple at one point, I could still hear the sounds of the street musicians far below. The musicians in this video caught my attention because they seemed to really be enjoying their music. Unlike some that seemed to play for money, these played because, it seemed, they enjoyed it and wanted you to enjoy it too. Don’t you love the children interacting with them in the video:

Home from Germany

I arrived home last night from my trip. In the next few days I will be posting pictures and reflections from my trip. I do not think that I will post anything from my meetings with the professors, but if you would like to find out about my experiences feel free to talk to me in person or send me an email. Let me say, however, that I am glad I went on this trip and got to meet the professors face-to-face. As a result, I feel very confident about where I would like to study and the direction to take now.

In this post, let me bring you up to speed with an overview of pictures from the trip. Enjoy.

Overlooking Tübingen from Oz’s appartment in the morning. Quite a view! Can you spot the castle in the distance?

A statue in Tübingen’s old botanical gardens

This man was siting outside one of Tübingen’s old cathedrals. When he was done reading the paper, he picked up his chair and carried it away with him.

Inside of Stiftskirche (Tübingen)

An old Bible in Stiftskirche

Overlooking Tübingen’s Neckar

Tübingen’s famous photo spot

A view from Tübingen’s castle, which now houses the university’s archeology department

Inside of St. Johanneskirche (Tübingen)

Good by Tübingen, hello Heidelberg!

Exploring the streets of Heidelberg’s Altstadt

The cities had incredible used book stores. I managed to limit myself to five new-used books. HJ asked me what I got, and she was not surprised when I said, “books.”

Inside of Heidelberg’s Peterskirche


Karlstor, leading into Heidelberg’s Altstadt

The famous Brückentor over the Alte Brücke

overlooking Heidelberg from Heidelberg’s Schloss

Within Heidelberg’s Schloss (castle)


Heidelberg’s Heiliggeistkirche






After my meeting on Saturday morning I spent the whole day hiking. I simply could not take another picture of any more buildings. I needed to get away, spend some time in the woods, and think and pray. There were plenty of woods and trails in the forests surrounding Heidleberg. I especially like hiking in pine forests, such as the one pictured. I was amazed at the types of people I saw one my hikes — 70 and 80 year olds walking and biking and climbing mountains!
The mountain trail I hiked led to this structure. The picture below tells about it.



Good bye Germany, I hope to see you soon!

Munich: first impressions

Hey everyone, I made it safely to Germany and have found access to a computer. Things are going great and I have a lot to report. Rather than tell you about my flight or about the Collegium or about my meeting with Professor du Toit today, I´ll simply share some pictures of Munich and offer a few comments. Enjoy.

Just leaving the Collegium, walking towards the U-Bahn (train).

Many restaurants like the one in this picture have chairs outside on the sidewalks. Yesterday was rainy so nobody was eating outside

There is sooo much old architecture in Munich — this American is amazed!

Amazed and “trigger happy”

There are many archways in the city, such as this one and those that follow





Honestly I have no idea what most of this architecture is. I was simply wandering around downtown in between appointments. If I move here, I will find out what these are and possibly explain the pictures then.


Now this, I beleive, is called St. Joseph´s cathedral. This was right downtown amongst all the other buildings. I curiously wandered in and, to my surprise, the door was not only unlocked, but it was free to wander around inside — no cost!

Munich is a very culturally diverse city, a fact which is displayed by this McDonalds

You see lots of gardens and flowers, and you see them in creative places

I spent the better part of today at Munich university. This picture is one of the main, central buildings of the campus

And this is the Hauptgebäude, which is across the street and which houses the office of Prof. du Toit and the evangelische Faculty. The pictures which follow are all from inside this building (as you will see, the architecture is amazing inside, there are numerous hallways and atriums).

This scene greets you just inside the building




This central atrium with the two statues may look familiar. It was the location of the famous, true story of the “white roses” — the student group who rebelled against the Nazi´s by dropping pamphlets. The dropped them in this atrium, the same atrium shown in the German film about them. It was an eerie feeling to be walking in a place filled with such a past.

This statue graces one of the central hallways





Now we are leaving this huge building to make our way to the tower of Peter´s cathedral, where we will hope to see the alps, since today is such a clear day.


Oops, I forgot to show you this picture, located above a doorway in the main building.

Now we are in the tower, overlooking the city. I only had to pay on Euro to get to the top of this tower, but my sore legs paid a lot more than that with all the stairs climbed (oh, that reminds me, you do a lot of walking in Munich, and get lots of exercise).





The narrow descent from the tower


I told you I was going to sneak my girls along, or at least their pictures.

Melody

While I’m showing off my baby, I may as well share this video with you. It is our most recent video, taken today while I was watching Melody. She starts off a little camera shy in the beginning, but gets pretty talkative by the end. Enjoy!

Melody, 12 weeks

How’s Melody?

(Mel and I talk to my sis Sara on Christmas)

Melster is a snuggler!

Our Christmas snow

We woke up today to 8 inches of snow. Technically it started snowing last night before bed (Christmas night), so you could say we had a white Christmas.

our little abode tucked away in the snow

Some more pics

Melody is here

First thing Wednesday morning with our nurse Luwanda. We’ve just been induced; “labor pains, what labor pains?” We’ve been at the hospital since 11:00PM Teusday night.

6:14 PM, Wednesday night, Melody is born!

Melody is put under the heat lamp. She weighs in at 7 lbs 10 oz and measures 20.5 inches long. Doesn’t she have beautiful skin!

Mommy and baby bonding

And Daddy too!

Can hardly take my eyes off that little girl.

Melody meets her big cousin Samuel and Aunt Kim

Melody and Aunt Sara

Melody and Grandma Little

Melody and Grandma Bowden

Melody and Grandpa Bowden

Melody and Grandpa Little

Melody says, “Dad, will you please quiet down so I can get some sleep?”

Absolute beauty, testimonies of grace.

We leave the hospital this morning at 11:30

So there you have it, Melody is here, we are home. Thanks for all of your prayers, visits, meals, and love. As for the labor itself, HJ was induced at 8 on Weds morning, although she had begun contracting on Teusday evening. Labor started getting intense at about 2 in the afternoon. Contraction after contraction came without a chance for a breather or rest, so we quickly opted for an epidural. HJ got instant relief; such relief that she took a few naps and wanted visitors! At 5:55 Wednesday evening HJ began pushing, and Melody was delivered within twenty minutes, at 6:14 PM.

Snow!

We had a real blizzard here on Saturday (by North Carolinian standards–1.5 inches).

I got up early on Sunday morning so that I could snap some pictures before the snow melted