PRACTICING GERMAN WITH GELATO

I had been trying to learn some words in German before my trip so that I would hopefully at least understand a few words while I was there.

We stopped at a gelato shop in Heidelberg and I saw that all of the flavors were listed in German.  This would be a perfect way for me to practice my German.  So, I tried to figure out what the flavors were in German.  Of course, I was aided by the fact that I could see the color of the gelato.

There was the following flavors --

Mandel -- Almond
Zitrone -- Lemon
Maracula -- Passion fruit
Schokolade -- Chocolate
Vanille -- Vanilla
Koffe -- Coffee
Elder Beer -- Elderberry

Okay, maybe that was too easy. I also looked up in my dictionary what other flavors would be in German

Mint -- Minze
Chocolate Chip -- Schokochip
Caramel -- Karamel
Peppermint -- Pfefferminze
Cookie dough -- Platzchenteig
Cookies and cream -- Kekse und Sahne

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

In May of 1961, Grandma Theresa Sherlock visited the city of Heidelberg in Germany.  She stayed at the Hotel Park Haarless Heidelberg.  Theresa and Charlie visited the ruins of the Castle Heidelberg, attended Mass (probably at St. Peter's Church) and visited the University of Heidelberg.

In August of 2015 (less than 2 months ago), I retraced her steps by also visiting the delightful town of Heidelberg and the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle, with its sweeping views of the River Necktar and Alstadt (Old Town).  In the castle, I saw the world's largest wine barrel, which was shaped from 130 oak trees and once held 50,000 gallons of wine.

After touring the castle, we visited the Old Town portion of Heidelberg.  One of my favorite hobbies (after genealogy, of course) is buying Christmas ornaments on my travels.  Well, I wasn't disappointed in Heidelberg.  Kathe Wohlfahrt is a delightful Christmas store where I bought several darling ornaments.

Then it was time for a cappucino mit milsch (with milk) for me.  If you prefer cream, you ask for cappucion mit sahne.  Of course, why just drink cappucino when you can have a delicious pastry with it -- I ordered a slice of a delicious sponge cake that was filled with a peach preserve.  What a delightful day in Heidelberg!

CRUISING DOWN THE RHINE RIVER

After my Grandparents (Charles Sherlock and Theresa Nebgen Sherlock) visited the Cologne Cathedral, they continued their river cruise down the Rhine.  According to Theresa's travel diary, they visited St. Goar [Sankt Goar -- a town on the left bank of the Middle Rhine], Bonn (the capital of Germany) and Heidelberg.  They stayed overnight in Heidelberg and visited the Heidelberg Castle (which has still been only partially re-built), attended Mass since that day was a holy day (Corpus Christi) in Germany and visited the University of Heidelberg.  During my research, I learned that not only is the University of Heidelberg the oldest university in Germany but was the 3rd university founded in the Holy Roman Empire.  Now that is impressive!

On their way to Switzerland, Charlie and Theresa visited Freiburg im Breisgau, a town in southwestern Germany. They then visited the Rhine Falls, which is the largest plain waterfall in Europe.  I believe the photo above has the falls behind Theresa.  From the Rhine Falls, Theresa and Charlie visited the city of Lucerne, Switzerland.  They saw one of the famous landmarks, the Chapel Bridge (a covered wooden footbridge that crosses the river) and Mt. Rigi (also known as Queen of the Mountains).

Theresa wrote in her diary "Switzerland is beautiful so far I don't know which country [Germany or Switzerland] I like the best."