Day 14: Auf Wiedersehen, Hallo!

It’s the beginning of the end! Well, at least for our lovely stay in Troisdorf, Germany. We were greeted once more by family Neufeld and their wonderful dog Lily. We did not want our “Thank You” to be mindless pointing and head nodding, but we needed a little help. Last night we asked Michelle to translate a short thank you letter we had written to the family so that we had little to give them back. It was very nice to at least share a kind word in their native tongue. But, because we wanted to give you proof we cannot speak German, we read that letter for you below. Also in the video is story time with Bryce and the Kern children. Another shining example of German / American relations.

Obviously we nailed it… If you couldn’t follow along with our flawless German pronunciations the translation is below…

Dear Family Neufeld,

Thank you so much for your kindness. You have been a blessing to us. Despite being unable to communicate we have felt your love and generosity. It has made us feel at home in another country. We are so blessed by that. Your dog Lucy is very sweet and made it easier to be away from our dog that we miss very much. Thank you for opening your home to two strangers from Sacramento, California. May God bless you in all that you do. You will be in our prayers and we will think of you fondly as we travel through Europe and return home to our families.

God Bless You,
Bryce & Bethany Cooley

Continuing in our attempt to visit churches across Europe whenever possible we joined Daniel and Michelle at their home church. This church, about 400 in size, was an international church. During each service, though preached in German, we were able to hear the sermon translated live into our ear via headset. This was a very cool experience. Though I didn’t know many of the songs, I muddled my way through the German landing on words like “Majestat”, “Danke”, “Gold”, and “Jesus.” Though not fully understood, the hearts were again felt. Adding to the experience was our translator. Possibly American, she did very well but where she faltered in translation our enjoyment was raised. A few of our favorite quotes are…

“Crap… I missed what he said, sorry!”
“He is telling a joke… (translates) … sorry, I didn’t get the joke. Oh well.”
“Jesus said to Zacheus, ‘Hey dude, get down here I freaking love you!'”
“Jesus said ‘Come on guy…What the heck!?'”

It was a very nice, very international, service. It is great to see that our friends have found a church that they feel challenged and encouraged at.

After we had a delicious lunch at yet another Italian Pizza joint we headed to the Dragon Rock Castle, nestled in the hills above Bonn. Unlike many of the castle you or I may think of, run down and dark, Dragon Rock Castle seemed like something out of a Disney film. We walked off our lunch up a long uphill mile and walked around the grounds and through the castle. Yet again I’m amazed by the detail work that goes into each room, window and molding. There is very little that compares in America. Lucky Europeans! Because we were on a time schedule we didn’t get to see everything, but that’s okay. I visited my European castle and am satisfied!

We then wished one set of friends “Auf Wiedersehen” which means until we see you again. And then another set of friends “Hallo!” when we arrived in Dresden, Germany.

We have known Diana and Freddie for two years since we hosted them as couch surfers on their trip through The United States. Since then we have kept in touch through e-mail and Instagram. When we were planning our trip they were one of the first people we contacted to see if we could meet up. We’re glad it worked out!

Diana picked us up at the airport and we jumped on a bus to meet up with Freddie, who just got off work. Once we got home and settled in by eating a wonderful pizza Diana made, yes more pizza, and a pilsner brewed right here in Dresden. Along with their adorable dog Lemmy, we departed for a walk around Old Dresden. We started with a beautiful view of downtown from a pedestrian bridge and then slowly walked towards downtown. Our tour guide Freddie made sure to take every opportunity to tell us about what we were seeing, he’s very good.

It was a beautiful walk and we look forward to seeing it in action tomorrow. But for now I’m writing this through closed eyelids so I must bid you “Auf Wiedersehen.”

Cheers,
B&B