Learning New Things and More Adventures

Our second week in Germany has been both frustrating and fun at the same time.  Learning new phone systems, new computer systems and the lay of the land has been a bit overwhelming to say the least but we have managed to get thru another week and we are still here!  It rained most of the week and was chilly all week....not great weather (especially for July!)  We just always had our handy umbrella's where ever we went!

 We went out to dinner with friends that are also serving here and on the way home, as we were walking to the train, we say this in a bookstore window. "The History of the Mormon's"....I thought that was interesting, right there in the window! Ha

 One evening, Tony and I decided to take a walk and get some Gelato (ice cream)....it's so good over here!  I took this picture because everywhere you go, you see cars parked right on the side walks!  Yes, that is the sidewalk, the streets are just too narrow for them to park on the street so they just drive right onto the sidewalks!

 On Saturday, we once again, got on our bikes and went with the Stay's for a bike ride!  Becky is like and encyclopedia of information!  I love going places with her because I learn so much.  

This is the old Opera House that was bombed in the war and re-built.  It is actually quite small and they use it more for concerts instead of Opera's.  The new Opera House is just a few blocks from here and much larger and very modern.  After the WWII they had to rebuild most of Frankfurt because it was almost totally destroyed with the bombings.

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Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright.
Ludwig van Beethovan  said that a great poem is more difficult to set to music than a merely good one because the composer must rise higher than the poet - "who can do that in the case of Schiller?  In this respect Goethe is much easier."  wrote Beethoven

 Schiller is probably most familiar to Americans for his writing of the Words to Ludwig van Beethovan's  classical work "Ode to Joy"

 When Europe changed their money to the EURO they are pretty proud of this accomplishment (so much better than all the different money for all the different countries in Europe!  It is much easier to figure out!  This is a statue depicting the "Manhatten" of Europe.  Frankfurt is the capitol of the European banking systems.

 Right around the block from where we live is this "Turkish" restaurant.  Probably the biggest fast food restaurant in Frankfurt and the food is really good!  They have this Pita sandwich that is soooooooo good!

 Margie Burt got a large sum of money donated from her Ward in America from to be used as she saw fit for the refugees.  The first thing we did was buy enough food for 40 families.  Her we are, Margie on the left and then Jill Roberts and myself, (Diane Hacking is taking the photo).....we went to Metro (like Costco) and purchased food for the families.

Above is a picture of us finishing up stuffing the food in these bags to deliver to Rebstock (one of the refugee camp here in Germany.  This is in the "Keller" which means seller of the Area Office building where we work

 Margie also purchased some Micro Waves for their community center. The purpose of these camps is to teach them German and help them become self sustaining so that they may stay in Germany.  It is quite a huge challenge to help these people.  Many of them don't want to learn, but if they don't, they will be shipped back to their homeland.  So we try and help in any way we can.

 This is Jill Robert's and myself heading for the Metro to buy food for the Refugee's....she has been a great friend and mentor since I've been here!


This picture below is Paula Thomas in the front (she would die if she knew I had posted this....but she is a dear friend and my next door neighbor....loading up the car with the food bags to go to Rebstock, the refugee camp.

 Below is Diane Hacking....you can see the bag she is lifting into the car for the refugees

 The picture was taken from our porch at night......it's quite a beautiful sight of Frankfurt at night.

I just had to put this in my blog......this is how our was is dried!  We have a washer but have to hang our clothes to dry!  It reminds me of my mother when I was a young girl.  She had a clothes line and would hang the clothes to dry each time she did the wash!

This is Randy and Rebecca Stay, they work in the church Refugee/Welfare/Emergency Preparedness department and they are just fantastic people.  We have enjoyed them taking us under their wings and showing us around Frankfurt by bike!

This is a typical apartment building in Frankfurt.  I took this on one of our bike rides.  Everyone lives in apartment buildings here.

WHEW, MADE IT THRU THE FIRST WEEK!

 We made it thru our first week......this is outside our office....looks pretty official!!!!

 The above map shows our mission area 

 This is the project that I am specifically over.....the gathering and putting together of 100 baby boxes for the expectant mother's who are refugees

 This home is where Anne Frank was born, it's very close to where we live

 We gathered in the home of Erica Engle, a german woman who is teaching us about the culture of the German's and the language. (she is in the green)

 She is telling us the story of a fabel named Till Eulenshpiegel who was born in 1300.  He was like the town jokester, a "famous fool", the town "jester".  Where ever he goes, he brings misfortune.  They celebrate with a festival every three years.  Except for the stories, there is no proof that he ever lived.  The towns people in every town celebrate him with festivals and parties.  This is Paula Thomas, our next door neighbor sitting next to Erica.

 Erica is showing us her garden which she pays for yearly ($200).  All people live in high rise apartments and pay to have a garden plot that they can use to have their families out to BBQ and enjoy nature.

 Becky Stay on left and Sharee Swenson on rt.......we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant with friends from our mission

 People bring their dogs EVERYWHERE!  They are aloud in the malls and restaurants.  Sharee Swenson saw this one and had to have her picture with him!

 This was visiting Sister Engle's garden and she gave us fresh Zucchini squash

 View from our kitchen window

 Diane Hacking and Sharee Swenson took me to the mall for some shopping and out to lunch

 We see these everywhere, olives and humus bars

 Hard at work.....sharing an office

 Roberts, Goodall's, Stays, and Swenson's went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  When you make reservations at a restaurant, you have the table for the entire evening!

 leaving the restaurant....

 Made new friends from Houston and they are already going home!  Their mission was a 2 year mission....their plans are to go home and sell their home and move to Utah...(tired of the heat)

 Bumped into these cute missionaries....the one on the right is Elder Jones, my girlfriend Nancy Jone's grandson.....

Typical street in Frankfurt

First Evening Out

 Everyone has been so nice This was our first dinner outing with four other couples from the area office.  They decided to take us downtown to dinner on the train and then they made us find our way back.....it was a little confusing and we are glad they were there to correct us if we made a mistake.  In the background is our apartment building, which is about 14 stories high.

 This is directly across the street from our apartment building.  We walked to the end of the block to catch the Ubahn (train)

Sister Lear is on the right, she and her husband do historical recordings, Sister Proctor is on the left and she and her husband are the Zone leaders for the senior missionaries and they work in Public Relations and then the Swenson's work with Young Single Adults throughout Europe.

They were being funny and took us to an American restaurant!  This is the group ..... when we left to get on the train to go get gelato for dessert we bumped into two more sets of missionaries that work for the mission office,....The Markels and the Kirks.  Tony knew Jeff Markel from 1972 when they both served in Munich at 19 years old.  Jeff is now a doctor.

This is a Catholic church that was the only building left standing after the raids in 1944

This was a depiction of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus

Elder Lear telling me I should be taking the picture "over there".  This is the famous square where the "book burning took place!

The square in Frankfurt

This is where the famous Hitler "Book burning" took place.  On the outer edge of the circle it reads:

 "Those who burn all books will then themselves be burned"

And then shortly thereafter Frankfurt was completely demolished .....

Our Group.....

This is the Main River in Frankfurt and this bridge was a gift from Greece to the Germans

Another view of the Main River

 These Gold plates can be found outside homes where Jews once lived but were arrested by Hitlers army.  In the next picture you will see the home where these six people lived before their deaths.

Looking up at the home where 6 Jews lived and were taken to the "camp's"

Went for Gelato after eating dinner.  This is the Swensons who work.  They travel quite a bit for the Young Single Adults all over Europe.  They will be going home in October and another couple will replace them.