Tuesday in konstanz

22 August 2006

Today is Tuesday and it is raining and gloomy. It does not look like the sun will break through but who knows? Throughout our trip, we have only had rain on our traveling days. This may be a day for sightseeing in the car or perhaps shopping with Amy.

Last night I fell into bed exhausted. We spent the day walking all over Konstanz with Christian, Gabi and Josef. There is so much history in this little town that was spared from destruction during the war due to its close proximity to the Swiss border. In fact, Christian warned us that it is very easy to cross over to the Swiss side so we should carry our passports with us.

So many homes in Konstanz are historical landmarks and have the dates either painted or inscribed in stone with the family name. This city is rich in history, both historical and ecumenical. They are so proud that the Ecumenical council of 1414-1418 which was the only time a pope was elected in Germany…and it happened here. This is the land of Baroque art and we enjoyed visiting many historical sites and churches of Konstantz. My favorite is the church where Gabi made her first communion…It is a cathedral church with so many historical styles: Gothic spires, Baroque altars, Rococo ornamentation, a Renaissance entrance…but my favorite part was the areas under the altar where the original church from 900-1000 remains…pure, simple, awesome….St. Conrad was the first bishop of Konstanz and there is a beautiful shrine in his memory.

Jeff, Amy and Christian climbed the 240 steps up to the narrow observation area where they took pictures of the city. It was a beautiful day…

We had a late lunch and then headed to the Mainau Island (also called the flower island) where we walked around the 125 acres…the flowers and plants were beautiful in the late afternoon light. We tried hard to keep up the pace with Christian…he was so funny as our tour guide always on the lookout for a biergarten….He is very knowledegable about Konstanz history as well as European history….We loved his stories and his way of speaking…When Josef dropped us off in Konstanz and was driving away, Christian said: ”Ah father, it is not so wise to follow a policeman down a pedestrian walkway…” You had to be here to hear his droll, deep voice…Tomorrow, he said that we could look at just the ugly churches!

In the evening, Gabi insisted we return to have a little supper of bread and ham…and her little face indicated to Jeff “You do not want to come to us now?” I was ready to go home since I had trekked all over Konstanz in my sandals and my feet hurt…but we could not resist her sweet plea and we went back to their home. Ursula and Peter had arrived and we could visit with the kids a little before they went to bed. Ramona instantly bonded with Amy and she insisted that Amy take her to bed, change her nappie and put her to bed. She is adorable. Thomas had already been put to bed…

We sat around the table and while Gabi, Jeff and I had tea, Amy joined Christian, Peter and Ursula in a beer. They had fun laughing with Amy and teasing her with more beer. Amy loved it! We returned home and fell into bed, exhausted…but happy! Today we plan to go to Merrsburg….but who knows what today will bring, since the rain has moved in… http://www.gaestehaus-holzer.de/