Ulm Germany: 1200 Years of History & Charm
Continuing from where I left off in the last post, there are a few more adventure tales to tell . . .
After such a long day to get to Ofterdingen and back to Blaubeuren, Germany, I decided that some self-care was needed on the following day. (Thursday, July 30th)
I slept in. I did a small load of laundry in my little German washer - which took 2.5 hours for some reason. I hung my damp clothing over some chairs and other props around the apartment to dry. I watched a movie on my laptop. I went for a walk. And at the end of the afternoon, I met up with Nell and Mike to get a slice of cake at a nearby bakery - something Nell loves to do whenever she travels. She is an exceptional baker, and she loves to sample signature cakes from each region she's in.
I chose the Black Forest Cake - an essential and traditional cake from Germany . . .
Video of the cake here: (5 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/WASk2ba3iBBUaBBj6
A few other bakery items behind the glass windows . . .
Sheepie meringues . . . and yes, there are 2 yellowjackets crawling on them.
Everything was artsy and edible on these "Danke" (thank you) cookies . . .
It was a nice break in the day to hang out with Nell and Mike and to have a treat. I had been busy planning my outing for the following day to Ulm.
There were four pitstops I wanted to make (marked on the map of central Ulm below),
Starting from the train station on the far left - my route formed a nice long loop.
- Fisherman's Quarter (Fischerviertel Ulm)
- Einstein-Brunnen (statue of Einstein)
- Metzgerei Kleiber (butchery/food cafe)
- Ulmer Munster (the *almost* tallest church in the world)
Nell and Mike wanted to catch a train to meet up with some longtime friends who were also in Germany, so we coordinated to ride a bus to Ulm together in the morning. (Friday, July 31) We didn't have any issues GETTING to Ulm, so hooray for that! The bus ride was just a few euros each and took about 35-40 minutes. We got off at the train station and parted ways - they had a train to catch and I had a walkabout to do.
It was just a few minutes walk to get over to the Fisherman's Quarter of Ulm. What a SUPER CUTE neighborhood. I would 100% happily live there, if given the choice. (Except for the no kill law,)
Canals cut through the streets, with cascades and other water features that offer calming sounds and bring a lot of joy.
Video of a small area of the Fisherman's Quarter : (8 seconds)
I'm glad I arrived in Ulm first thing in the morning, when the world still felt quiet and somehow like I was the only person around. I had this charming area all to myself, and I relished in the stillness and the opportunities for photos everywhere.
The Fisherman's Quarter has been around for centuries, connected by the River Blau and the Danube. The first official mention of Ulm was in 854 AD. Over the centuries, this settlement grew into a specialized guild quarter. Because certain medieval trades required massive amounts of flowing water, craftsmen flocked here. The key professions included: fishermen, shipbuilders, millers, and soap boilers.
Tanners were also equally represented in this historic quarter. Back in the olden days, it wouldn't have been as romantic a scene as it is today, though. As animals were butchered, their hides were washed in the river and hung to dry from the wooden balconies above. It wouldn't have smelled very nice.
Cute floral arrangements in front of this gated property . . . And the cat mail slot . . .
"Since 1717, it has featured a plaque depicting the city of Belgrade. The guild master Johann W. Matthaus Scheiffele had the plaque erected in remembrance of the Ulm boatmen's voyages on the Danube during the Age of Surfing (1664 - 1718)."
He and his son Johann Jakob Scheiffele, were both carvers. There is also a traditional flat-bottomed boat on display in front of the "Haus".
Just to the left of the black and white boat is an enchanting collection of potted plants and painted containers . . .
The plaque above translates to: "City Wall. Built in 1480 in the middle of the rushing waters of the Danube."
Today, there is an opening that allows for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy the lengthy trails and green space that line the banks of the Danube River.
Funny story: I literally only got this ONE photo of the river. There was a semi-agressive wasp that wanted to get way too close to my face. I thought he was just another annoying yellowjacket at first and I waved my hand to gently get him out of my personal bubble. I made subtle contact with him, and then I got a better look at him . . . Yikes. He was not a yellowjacket, and now things just got elevated because I made physical contact. I took the one photo as fast as I could, and then I had to dash away so he wouldn't try to sting me.
Continuing on my walk past a few more canals, I began heading to my next destination: The Einstein statue. This was the cutest back patio ever, with its appealing lights, a hammock swing, and the sound of water trickling by . . .
I passed behind the Ulm Minster Cathedral . . .
This is where every year on the second to last Monday of July, Schwormontag is celebrated (Oath Monday). This is when the Mayor of Ulm steps out onto the balcony to deliver an annual accountability report to the citizens. He (or she) follows the speech with reciting a centuries-old, mandatory, and historic oath that was originally established in Ulm's 1345 Constitution.
The translation of what the mayor recites in the oath is this: "To be a common [just] man to both rich and poor in all equal, common, and honest things, without any reservation."
The building used to be a royal palace, but today it serves as a historical museum. It has been rebuilt twice: once after a major fire in 1765, and the second time after WWII damages were incurred in 1944.
Okay . . . this is the interesting Einstein statue that I walked across town to see . . . LOL
I think it was intended to be a working fountain, but no water was flowing when I was there. There was some construction going on nearby, so it's possible the water was shut off because of that.
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. (Pi Day!!) However, he only lived there for a short 15 months. His father, Hermann Einstein, worked in a local feather-bedding merchant firm. When Albert was just over a year old, his uncle Jakob convinced Hermann to relocate to Munich to establish an electrical engineering company. (So obviously some smart genes were part of Albert's family.)
Even though Albert grew up in Munich, and later lived in Switzerland and the U.S., he was always fond of his birthplace in Ulm. Several members of his extended family stayed in Ulm for many years, which proved to be tragic for some. They were all Jewish, though his own parents were non-observant Jews. They were secular and did not follow traditional religious practices or dietary laws. In Munich, Albert was enrolled in a Catholic elementary school, and later attended a secular high school.
Other members of the Einstein family had a much deeper turmoil to deal with . . . With the rise of the Nazi regime, Albert, who was safely in the United States by this time, tried desperately to secure a Visa for his German cousin, Lina Einstein - who still lived in Ulm. Tragically, his efforts failed. Lina was arrested by the Nazis in 1940 and murdered in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Another cousin, Siegbert Einstein, survived the camps and later returned to Ulm to serve as a factory director, eventually being laid to rest in Ulm's Jewish Cemetery.
Per Gemini (AI) with references: While Einstein did not believe in a personal God, he was deeply proud of his Jewish heritage. As anti-Semitism surged in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s, he became a passionate supporter of the Jewish people and Zionism. His cultural identity was so well-respected globally that in 1952, he was officially offered the presidency of the State of Israel, though he politely declined the position. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
During the Allied bombings in December 1944, the original home of Albert and his family was completely destroyed on Bahnhofstrasse (Bus Station Street). But the city of Ulm has honored his legacy through the making of several distinct public monuments:
How fascinating to learn a little bit of the background for Albert Einstein and his extended family!! If it weren't so darn hot that day, I would have walked even further to find the other two monuments and even paid a visit to the Einstein Museum. I hope to go back to Ulm again someday. It was really a gem. I would just make sure that I have my own CAR to get there . . . not public transportation . . .
Do you remember some places that I have written about where the German artist, Guntar Demnig, has laid these "tripping stones"? I've seen a few in both Amsterdam and Venice, and now a few more in Ulm. The word Guntar Demnig uses to describe his creations is "Stolpersteine", which translates to "stumbling stones" or "stumbling blocks".
Per Gemini (AI) - with references: Demnig started the project in 1992 to counter the abstract nature of large, centralized Holocaust monuments. He wanted to bring the memory of the victims right back to the neighborhoods where they once belonged. [1, 2]
The concept plays on an old German idiom about tripping over something, but the "stumbling" is spiritual and mental rather than physical. Because the plaques are flat on the ground, a passerby must physically bow down to read the text. Demnig notes that this bowing action forces the pedestrian to inadvertently show respect to the victim. [1, 3]
He was also deeply inspired by a passage in the Talmud (a sacred Jewish text) which states that "a person is only forgotten when their name is forgotten." By hand-stamping each individual name onto a brass plaque, he restores identity to those the Nazi regime tried to turn into nameless numbers. [1, 2]
I love everything about what he has done. So much thought has gone into his efforts. Unbelievable amounts of effort.
And that last bit coincides with my family history goals this year - to SAY THEIR NAMES. Speak their name. Revere their name. Share their name. Remember them by knowing something about them and then passing that on.
The artist has created over 126,000 of these bronze plaques, these stumbling stones, in more than 30 European countries to date. Wow.
On a lighter note, sparrows are considered to be Ulm's darling mascots. The legend of the sparrow began in the Middle Ages, when the citizens were trying to construct the enormous Ulm Cathedral, or Minster. They were in the process of trying to transport a giant wooden structural beam to the construction site. The beam was loaded cross-wise onto their horse-drawn cart (I'm sure for balance purposes).
But when they arrived to the city's narrow gate, they could not come up with a reasonable solution to haul the heavy beam through. They were preparing to tear down a section of the fortified wall in order to fit it through, when something happened . . .
I'll let Wikipedia tell the amusing story from here.
Just as they were about to begin the demolition, a worker noticed a tiny house sparrow building a nest in a gap in the city wall. The sparrow was carrying a long piece of straw in its beak. It initially approached the narrow crevice crosswise, but realizing it wouldn't fit, the bird cleverly tilted its head and turned the straw lengthwise to slide it straight in. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The builders slapped their foreheads in realization. They turned their wooden beam lengthwise on the cart and drove effortlessly right through the gate. [1, 3]
The Real History
While the story good-naturedly mocks the builders' intelligence, the true origin of the symbol is a historical mix-up: [1, 2]
The Sparrow TodayInstead of taking offense to a legend that implies they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, the people of Ulm proudly embraced it. Today, the "Ulmer Spatz" is everywhere: [1, 2, 3]
There was a small park and children's play area that I almost missed as I walked from the Einstein fountain toward the Ulm Minster Cathedral . . . It was in a quiet little corner, almost completely hidden.- The original stone bird from the roof is safe inside a glass display case inside Ulm Minster, while a copper replica sits on the roof.
- Colorful, decorated fiberglass sparrow statues are scattered all across the city's parks, plazas, and shops.
- Local bakeries serve sparrow-shaped pastries, and "Spatzen" (Sparrows) has become the official nickname for the citizens of Ulm. [1, 2]
I found a comfortable chair to sit in the shade that the church tower graciously provided, and I sat down for a little while to rest.
Eventually, hunger pangs began to kick in and I went in search of some food and cold water. I had already bookmarked this cafe as Stop #3 on my walking route, and it was right next door to the Cathedral. It's actually quite famous! The name of the butchery/cafe counter is: Metzgerei Kleiber.
~ Rindfleisch: hot roast beef
~ Leberkase: The ultimate German comfort street food. Leber = liver. But there's not liver in the sandwich. Kase = cheese. But there's no cheese in the sandwich, either! It's a unique type of German meatloaf that is made from a mix of finely ground pork, beef, bacon and spices. The thick patty just looks like ham to us ignorant folk.
Whatever meat you choose off the menu is tucked into a large warm Kaiser roll and given a nice thick shmear of German mustard (yum). Some of the customers ahead of me also added in some thinly sliced raw onions, and/or pickles.
Video of the prep for the customer before me: (9 seconds)
Since the Leberkase looked like a thick slab of ham and I wasn't really craving that, I opted to get the standard bratwurst instead. She kindly switched to English for me, asking if I wanted some onions. Just a few, I told her. She gave me the normal amount of mustard, but I think I would have liked a little bit more. She did an excellent job of slicing the brat in half, then in half lengthwise, before tucking them into the corners of the Kaiser roll so that (mostly) every bite had some sausage to go with it.
In the large square, there is a sundial of sorts, but one that you can stand in the center of and see how far you are from some of the biggest cities in the world. I took a photo with my feet pointing in each direction.
For a mere 8 euros, I soon had a ticket in hand to enter the Cathedral. Worth every penny.
Construction began on the Ulm Minster on 30 June 1377, but due to a variety of issues and delays, it was not declared to be complete until 513 years later in 1890. There were some serious structural problems that were discovered in 1492, including some cracks that appeared in the tower walls and evidence that the entire building was tipping towards the east!! Head architects were fired, new ones were selected, and the foundations began to be strengthened for stability. All was well once again, and the work continued.
A smaller replica of the Ulm Minster . . .
Video walking into the SW corner of the Cathedral: (12 seconds)
There is an interesting story behind the sculpture of Michael the Archangel. First, let me start by saying that I was powerfully drawn to this imposing statue and I could not take my eyes off Michael for several moments. He was beautiful and massive and strong, exuding a sense of power that I could not ignore for some time. He stands almost 20 feet tall, but when you add on the height from where he is mounted within the arched entryway, he seems much, much taller.
The history of this statue is highly controversial, and now that I have researched the background of its origins, I can also better understand those powerful feelings that I had.
To save some time with typing, I decided to copy and paste what I found on the internet.
With the help of Gemini (AI) along with references:
1. Inversion of Religious Imagery
In traditional Christian iconography, the Archangel Michael is depicted holding his sword pointing downward—a symbol of peace, protection, and the triumph over evil. However, this over-lifesize bronze statue by sculptor Ulfert Jansen features an angel with a furious expression and a sword pointing aggressively upward in a striking, battle-ready position. It effectively transformed a figure of spiritual protection into a symbol of war. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Forced Installation by the Nazi Regime
Following World War I, local veterans' associations wanted to erect a war memorial inside the minster. The church leadership fiercely resisted the militarization of their house of worship for years. However, after the Nazi Party took power, the regime overrode the church's objections. The statue was forcibly installed in 1934 alongside a memorial hall for fallen soldiers, intentionally twisting the space to align with National Socialist ideology. [1, 2, 3]
3. The 1934 Nazi Dedication Rally
4. The Decision to Keep It
After World War II, a fierce debate erupted regarding whether the "Nazi art" should be torn down and destroyed. Because the Ulm Minster is historically a Bürgerkirche (a church built and owned by the citizens of the city rather than a sovereign ruler), any structural changes required a civic consensus. A majority could not be reached to dismantle it. [1, 2]
Instead, the community chose to preserve the statue as a stark historical warning (Mahnmal). To balance keeping the artifact without honoring it, the parish permanently barred the main doors. Informational plaques and guided tours now intentionally educate visitors about the dark history of the "Münster-Michael". [1, 2, 3, 4]
A classic case of do we destroy something historical because it is dark and ugly in its intent? Or do we preserve it to be a catalyst for education and change?
Whatever the original intent was for this impressive sculpture of Michael the Archangel, I could not help but FEEL something as I stood there looking up at him. What I felt was his strength and power. He was very captivating! I hope that he will stand as a symbol of using our strength and power for good, in spite of the fascist group mentality that decided to connect him with their own evil agenda.
Speaking of captivating . . . the stained-glass windows in the Minster were absolutely exquisite.
Original fragments of the Cathedral are available for purchase (!). I'm not sure which time frame this piece is leftover from, but on the note it says you can speak with the gift shop assistant if you are interested.
Frescoes underneath the beautiful stained glass . . .
English Translation: "Ulm Sparrow". Made of sandstone and placed on the Minster roof under Minster architect Ferdinand Thrin (1845-1870). It was removed on October 23, 1888, and replaced by a copper-repousse and aged sparrow, which the Ulm Society donated.
The English translation says: "In the year of our Lord 1388, on the Kalends of March [March 1st], this altar was endowed in honor of the Holy Trinity, Saint Anne, and All Martyrs, for the remedy of the souls of the wise doctor John [...] and the wise doctor Conrad, throughout the lives of the brothers of the said [...] von Rodach, for themselves, their ancestors, and their wives."
This text was inscribed just 11 years after the foundation stone of the Ulm Minster was laid in 1377. Wealthy families and master scholars (doctors) paid for individual altars to be built to secure salvation for their lineage. There were several private chapels and altar endowments in the lengthy history of this Cathedral. They believed that as they donated an altar piece, it was a sort of spiritual insurance policy. In this case, the von Rodach family was assured that with their donation, priests would continuously say prayers at this station to speed their loved ones' souls through purgatory.
Now that is truly something to think about. I'm not sure what to say exactly, except that I'm pretty sure our church doesn't teach this doctrine. (!!!) We are taught that we are individually in charge of our exaltation, through the choices we make and to whatever extent we have repented of our shortcomings and sins.
We believe that when we die, we are brought home to our Loving Heavenly Parents and we will have the privilege of seeing our Savior Jesus Christ. We believe that there is an initial Judgment where we are sent to a waiting area known as either Spirit Paradise or Spirit Prison. Within this waiting period, there is a time for learning, understanding, repentance, and even forgiveness. We believe that God is a God of second chances. And third. And 48th. UP UNTIL the Final Judgment, where we will then go to a place in which we will be completely comfortable, somewhere that we WANT TO BE. (Celestial Kingdom, Terrestrial Kingdom, Telestial Kingdom)
As I researched the meaning of purgatory in the context of the altar piece mentioned above, I found some greater perspective in the following (per Gemini, who shared some specific Catholic doctrines):
Purgatory is an intermediate state after death in Roman Catholic theology, where the souls of those who die in a state of grace are purified before entering heaven. The term comes from the Latin verb "purgare", which means "to clean" or "to purify".
The concept developed into official Catholic Doctrine primarily during the Middle Ages. Here is a breakdown.
1. The Theological Purpose: According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nothing unclean or imperfect can enter directly into the presence of God. If a person dies with their major sins forgiven but still carries smaller faults, attachments to sin, or uncompleted penance, they must go through a final cleansing.
2. Destination: Purgatory is NOT a lesser version of Hell; it is an exclusive waiting room for Heaven. Every soul in Purgatory will eventually enter paradise.
3. The Process: It is described as a state of temporary suffering where the soul is "purged" of human imperfections, often symbolized in historical art as a purifying fire.
4. How the Living Intervened (The Medieval Context): In late-medieval Europe - exactly during the time this Ulm Minster altar inscription was carved in 1388 - the belief in Purgatory dictated daily life and church economics. Catholics believed that the living could actively reduce the time their deceased loved ones spent suffering in Purgatory through Intercessory Prayers. This practice was carried out in several ways:
- Altar endowments: Wealthy families paid to build altars (like the photo above) so priests would perform specialized, ongoing masses dedicated to their lineage.
- Indulgences: The Church issued certificates that reduced a soul's temporal punishment in Purgatory, a system that later sparked the Protestant Reformation (Martin Luther) when it became overly commercialized.
I'll add just a few final thoughts on this:
- In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that exaltation is an individual matter. No one can ultimately learn in our behalf the things that we need to learn for ourselves, and no one can become who we need to become - except for each of us alone.
- We cannot buy our way into Heaven. No earthly certificate can be issued to declare us worthy to enter God's presence.
- We do believe in the theology of a heavenly "waiting room" of sorts, where we can continue to learn and grow and become more of what our Father in Heaven wants us to become.
- We do believe in the afterlife, and that families are meant to continue on after death. I haven't really considered praying for someone who just recently passed away, in the hopes that they will feel more peace and joy during the "waiting period". Probably because I expect that they will already feel these things right away once they are free from the shackles of their earthly body - and the problems that it may have inflicted on them in this life. (health problems, addiction, mental turmoil, insecurities, etc)
- The only Intercessory Prayer that I know of that is acceptable is when Jesus Christ Himself prayed (and prays) for us individually. He is our Intercessor with the Father. We cannot duplicate His role in our Salvation. He is our Mediator, our Savior, and our Friend.
This was one of my favorite things that I came across . . . It's called "Man of Sorrows", a statue carved out of sandstone in 1429 by the sculptor Hans Multscher. It is considered to be his definitive masterpiece. Jesus the Christ stands about 5.5 feet tall, and the anatomical details were strikingly lifelike.
This was the old font . . .
Work continues regularly both inside and outside the Minster, and there is bound to be some scaffolding somewhere when you visit . . .
Something I found interesting about this large painting was that there are 13 men gathered with Jesus at the Last Supper . . . I'm not sure who the extra one is. And it was also interesting to see a painting within a painting, too.
Just behind the painting of the Last Supper there are two divisions of wooden choir seats, all made in the 15th century by Jorg Syrlin the Elder and Michel Erhardt. On the south side are choir seats for the women. And on the north side are choir seats for the men. There are 3 tiers of sculpted wooden busts in each section.
On the female side, the lowest row of sculpted busts represent a variety of Sibyls - ancient prophetesses and seers. They are reputed to have prophesied the future and foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, among other important prophecies. The upper tiers (more difficult to see in the photo above) have detailed representations of Christian women from the Bible, including saints and martyrs.
Ancient Thinkers on the bottom tier (including Pythagoras, Virgil, and Secundus the Silent)
Ancient Prophets on the middle tier (including Moses, David, Samson, Joshua, and Job)
Apostles on the upper tier (from the New Testament).
There was one distinct female bust set apart from all the others, in a small area behind the Last Supper painting . . . When I researched who she was, I learned that she was a Sybil named Samian Sybil. The artists broke a couple of rules by placing her here.
1. There always tended to be order in the churches of that day. If there were men on the one side, then women needed to be on the other. Not someone "in between".
2. The special area where she was placed was typically reserved for men in the patriarchal order. It was considered to be a bit forward thinking to place a WOMAN in this area.
3. The artists were not trying to be rebellious, but rather they wished to convey basic humanism. "Divine wisdom and the path to truth didn't care about rigid boundaries - it belonged to both men and women, both Christians and ancient pagans alike." ~ Web Gallery of Art
The Pieta . . . Mary holding her broken Son's body . . .
The current pipe organ consists of 8900 pipes and 100 stops . . .
One final tidbit about the Ulm Minster has to do with its bells. Originally there were 10 bells up in the belfry. One of these, the hour bell, is struck with a hammer mechanism. The 2 oldest bells originally hung just outside the city walls in the old parish church, which was demolished in 1377. They were relocated inside the Minster. The great 14th century Oath Bell is rung once a year - on Oath Monday. It is the only bell still rung by hand.
Five of the Minster bells were melted down for armaments during WWII. They were later replaced in 1956 with the help of donations from the citizens of Ulm.
Can you even imagine living in a time when you have to melt down your church bells to make weapons of mass destruction?
And that concludes my visit to the Ulm Minster. I hope you have enjoyed some of the interesting history bits that I've stuffed into this post!
I failed to mention earlier that while I was wandering around Ulm and finding all the places I had marked to see, Nell had texted to let me know that Mike ended up in the local hospital with a medical emergency!! As they were trying to get to their train platform and had to go up a flight of stairs, Mike was having trouble breathing. He could not get enough air, and didn't have an inhaler with him either. They ended up catching a taxi to get to the hospital, and the taxi driver was wise enough to pause to ask a few discerning questions in order to know which hospital to take them to. When the heart and lungs were a distinct possibility, he said he would take them to ______ Hospital because they have a really good cardiac unit there and they also speak English. What a thoughtful driver!
After some testing and waiting and discussing options with the doctors there, they determined that Mike most likely had DVT (deep vein thrombosis). He had some minor areas of concern on his chest x-ray (2 spots on the lungs), but nothing was considered to be life-threatening. They prescribed some blood thinners and sent him on his way after a few hours.
By this time, I was back at the bus station next to the train station and trying to find my way home to Blaubeuren again. Anything I learned that could be helpful for Nell and Mike to get home more smoothly, I aimed to pass along. But as it turned out, Kevin Parker decided to drive all the way from where the FSY venue was to pick them both up and bring them directly back to Blaubeuren, which was so incredibly kind and helpful.
First, I needed a potty . . . and they are notoriously hard to come by in Europe. I decided to try my luck in a large department store that was more like a small shopping mall. It had 4 floors, but to get up to each next floor you had to ride 2 escalators. The public restroom was on the top floor where the restaurant was located, so that meant riding 8 escalators to get up there.
There was a lady monitoring the bathrooms, and as you exited it was customary to leave a coin or two on the table next to her. Danke schoen, she'd say.
And then 8 escalators to get all the way down again. (With a short pitstop on the level with the children's clothing section, ha ha . . . I found some cute baby outfits for the new baby coming in December)
Then off to the bus station down the street.
There were something like 12-15 bus stops in the large parking lot, each with its own route and map and list of tiny towns where it would make stops along the way. I started trying to look at each one to find Blaubeuren, but wasn't having any success. At this rate, I figured I'd be there all day just reading the signs!!
I asked a bus driver for help, and he walked me across the parking lot and told me to get on the next bus from this stop. But his explanations were difficult to understand, and his logic didn't make any sense to me.
I asked another driver for help, and he told me something completely different.
I was very hot and sweaty again, and I was starting to get frustrated and annoyed that it wasn't a more simple and straightforward experience.
I hopped on my AI app to see if I could get any additional clarification. But all it told me was that it would be much faster to just take a train!! The bus would be 35-40 minutes, while a train would take 11 minutes from Ulm to Blaubeuren.
Fine. Okay. I'll walk over to the train station and find the next train heading to Blaubeuren. (by looking at the giant goldenrod yellow chart...)
I found the correct platform and sat down to wait.
I waited and waited and waited, until I was the ONLY one still sitting in that area.
The train never came.
I went back to where the giant yellow chart was, and started reading it a little more closely. That's when I noticed in the TINY PRINT that the train to Blaubeuren was not going to come today.
Check out the 12:48 train schedule below. Yep, it says Blaubeuren. But the fine print says that it will only come on M-F from June 15th - July 29th. Today was July 31st. It also said that it would start up again on Sept 14th. Nice. Okay, good to know.
I found a train attendant at another platform and told her my plight. She pulled up my destination in her handy-dandy phone app, only to inform me that my only option was to take a BUS. She kindly allowed me to quickly take a picture of her phone screen, while simultaneously blowing her whistle because the train next to us was ready to depart.
I made my way back over to the bus station area again . . . Another 5-7 minute walk that included stairs, elevators, and hot sunshine.
I saw a lady bus driver sitting in her driver's seat and in no hurry, so I climbed in to ask her for advice. I showed her the photo I had taken from the other lady's phone app, which proved to be very helpful. This bus driver got off the bus to show me exactly where to go and which side to stand on while I waited.
She had the most specific logic and easy to understand directions of anyone thus far. And it worked.
I had to wait a while until my bus came, maybe another 30 minutes or so. One young lady came over to wait with the rest of us and she had an ICE COLD drink from McDonald's in her hand. I tried not to stare as I jealously wished I had an ice cold drink of my own. But to run across the parking lot and wait to order something at the train station McDonald's could mean that I would miss my bus, so I just sat there . . . quietly envious of her ICE COLD drink. All I could think about were all of those beautiful ice cubes just sloshing around in her cup.
As I rode on the bus for the 35-40 minutes back to Blaubeuren, all I could think about was how can I get my hands on an ICE COLD drink. I looked to see if there was a McDonald's in Blaubeuren, but there wasn't. Where else could I get something like that?? I researched all the possibilities and finally settled on a little restaurant that was open in the middle of the afternoon, hoping that I could get some food and an ICE COLD drink.
Once I got back to the Blaubeuren train station, I decided to wait for the next city bus to take me closer to my apartment. It was just so stinkin' hot and I didn't want to walk the 20 minutes in the hot afternoon sun when I was almost out of water again. I ended up waiting for a good long while on the bench under the shelter with several other people. After a full 30 minutes of sitting there, sweating and dreaming about this elusive ICE COLD drink, the city bus finally showed up. Hooray!
Five minutes from where I was supposed to get off the bus, we had a smallish problem. An unattended car had rolled out into the middle of the narrow street and was blocking traffic. A man in the van in front of us came over to talk to our bus driver about what they could do. Our driver had a good sense of humor and a good dose of patience, which was nice. If he were an Italian driver, he would have probably used a lot of hand gestures and a tone of voice in which there was no mistaking about how annoyed he was.
But this driver just chuckled and smiled as he unbuckled and hopped out to help.
They ended up pushing the car back into its original parking spot, while a passerby ran to fetch some chunks of firewood to place behind the tires so it wouldn't roll into the street again, ha ha.
Video of their heroic efforts here: (13 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fmkb4BzpR4fh1rXA8
A few minutes later, I was off the bus and walking toward the restaurant that I hoped with all my might, mind, and strength would have something with ICE and COLD for a beverage. The name of the restaurant was called "by Nani's", a hamburger joint.
It took a great deal of explaining and hand gesturing to two separate workers inside the restaurant for them to understand that I wanted some ICE. I even pulled up Google Translate at one point. Ahhh, okay, yes we can do that. They even asked what I would be using it for . . . Umm, to put in my cup to keep my drink nice and cold?!
When the young man helping me asked if I wanted 1 cup of ice or 2, I grabbed at the offer for TWO cups of ICE. WOW. I couldn't hardly believe my good fortune!! He walked out the door and across the street to where they store the ice, and soon he came back with two good-sized plastic cups with ice - and LIDS. I had also ordered a hamburger, so once that was ready, I walked back to my apartment with my treasures in hand and a huge smile on my face.
I put the extra cup of ice in the freezer for later, and I sat down to enjoy my burger and an ICE COLD drink of both water AND a Coke Zero. They were absolutely fabulous. I watched a movie and soon felt a whole lot better.
My apartment was stuffy from the increasing temperatures all week, and this was the warmest night of them all. It was also my last night without A/C.
I got all my treasures and loot organized and packed up. I did my best to use up as many grocery items as I could from my tiny little fridge. And I finished watching a movie before going to bed.
Early the next morning, at 07:20, I hauled my luggage downstairs to meet up with Nell and Mike. (He was feeling quite a bit better, so that was good news!) We walked over to the Hotel Ochsen (Oxen) to meet up with the missionary couple from Austria, who then drove us back to the FSY venue.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a familiar silhouette on the opposite side from where we were. I flung open my van door, hollering, "SHERRY HAINES!!" She turned around and spotted me running towards her. Squealing with delight, we were like 2 middle school besties who hadn't seen each other in ages. We hugged and laughed and marveled and hugged some more.
As it turned out, Sherry and her husband Jeff, who are serving their 5th and final mission up in Germany, came down to accompany their youth back home to Kaiserslautern. What a joyous and surprising reunion!!! (They served as missionaries in Vicenza a few years ago, and we have stayed in close contact ever since.)
After a few delays, we finally had all 34 of our youth and could get going on our long bus ride home. Luka, our driver, is in the white shirt and dark pants below.
He told us that when he drove up the day before, it was a nightmare. It took him 11 hours to get up to Blaubeuren!! There is this thing . . . where every August, all the Italians go on a month-long holiday. They usually head up north, to Germany and other northern countries on August 1st. Meanwhile, all the Germans usually head down south for a similar long-term holiday. So there is this giant swap of people from Germany to Italy and vice versa. This means that the roads can be very clogged with all the cars and travelers.
There is also a mountain pass near Brennero and Innsbruck that we took on our way up to FSY, but Luka told us that the pass was only going to be open for a few hours on Saturday, and we wouldn't make it there in time. He had to reroute us a different way, which would add an additional 120 km to our already long drive.
PLUS . . . all the kids from Rome had a set of chaperones waiting for them in Vicenza, ready to get them on a train at 7:00 PM to go back down to Rome that same night. We were running later than we anticipated in leaving FSY, so it was not looking good for this Italian group to make the 7 pm train . . .
I did a lot of networking throughout the whole day, keeping all the Vicenza parents in the loop as to our location and progress, as well as the couple from Rome who were anxiously hoping we would make it in time. A lot of prayers were said in our behalf and they really did help! We made excellent time and ended up pulling into Vicenza just before 6:00 p.m., even though we didn't leave Blaubeuren until 8:40 a.m. Luka is entitled to two 45-minute stops along the way, so if you do the math . . . Yeah, we pulled off a miracle that day.
And that, my friends, is a wrap.
In the next blog post:
I have some catching up to do, with some family updates and a few other "in-betweens".
After that, I'll start writing about our recent trip to Lisbon, Portugal and the solar eclipse.
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