Travels and life in Germany

Sunday morning I awoke for coffee, croissants, toast and a beautiful morning with Dietrich and Christine. They own the third floor of their building, the "penthouse". Two balconies overlook the valley surrounding them, with the church steeple rising off in the distance. Dietrich plays saxophone in a local band of about 25 members, and today was their time playing for a couple hours at their regular fundraiser. We picked up some of the band and went to near the banks of the Rhine River where they played. I drank a light German wheat beer, and ate a fried pork steak with pommes frites. German french fries, believed locally to have been "created" in Belgium, not France, are fried, drained, and fried a second time. Crunchy! I walked to the banks of the Rhine, and watched water skiers, motor boaters and large barges make their way around the river. Except for barges as long as a football field, it reminded me of Flathead Lake.
An older couple across from me tried to speak with me, but neither of us spoke the others language. When Dietrich took a break, he translated, and then they tried harder to speak with me. I drew a map and said Amsterdam, they nodded Yes! and then I drew the ocean to the west. I motioned that I'd gone swimming, and they looked puzzled, then smiled abd shrugged. She has a cousin in Louisiana who doesn't speak German and wondered, would I look up this cousin and tell them we'd met? She wrote down her address, and in German, wished for my continued safety and happy travels.
In the evening we went to a barbeque at a friends house. We ate barbequed shrimo, chicken, and sausages. Some sausage had herbs in it, and Christine had skewered them into a round and they were cooked. Very tasty. Their little chicuahua, Martini, was about 8 pounds, black with large ears, 5 months old and quite playful. He arrived at Christine's Monday morning for babysitting for the morning.
Monday I bicycled north and west to Heidelberg, about 20 kilometers away. I found several bike shops and bought my own helmet, then set out for book shops. I found several, one with books along the front window ledge outside. The sign read "1 book
3 euros, 4 books 10 euros. There were many interesting books and some in the window were expensive British books on gardens. I had coffee and a custard filled rhubarb struedel on the sidewalk, and it rained briefly, warm rain. I traveled up the hill to Heidelberg castle, and was caught in a torrential downpour. Rain followed me down the steps and ran over my shoes as it spilled further down the hill and into the Neckar river, which is as wide and large as the Clark Fork and very muddy green and brown. I bicycled my way back along it and up over the hill above Mauer. It continued to rain, and a hot shower and coffee was waiting for me at the house. We enjoyed flat ribbon noodles with tomato sauce, and fresh salad from the balcony garden for supper. The family visiting was sweet and reminded me of home.
A hour on the "phone" through Skype with the kids- I l-o-v-e technology!- and off to sleep. Tomorrow it's a Bible exhibit and a palace.