Sunday Hike

Sundays are quite different here in Germany. Remember, it's quiet time all day (in our neighborhood, at least), so no mowing the lawn, hammering, vacuuming or yelling in the back yard. Don't even play your TV or radio too loudly. Plus, stores are closed. No running errands today. What's a person to do?

Enjoy the day, apparently. Get up, walk to the bakery before it closes and buy some fresh brötchen (rolls) and a few chocolate croissants for the kids. Then get out into the fresh air and enjoy the day. On Sundays you see people everywhere walking, biking and hiking in the mountains.

We decided to be German today and go hiking up into the hills near Hofheim. As we walked up to the entrance way to the mountain-area, we came upon a playground. You can't go by a playground with four kids and not expect to stop.

I have been noticing that people dress more warmly here. We were in long sleeves and sweatshirts, good for the 65-degree day. There was a preschooler at the park with us dressed in a winter coat, ski pants, woolen hat, scarf and mittens. His parents must have thought we were neglectful.

We climbed the hills for quite a while, passing a monastery and very old church and finally made it to the top. There was a lookout tower to climb with a sign saying that little kids were verboten. Rebecca was too young (OK by me, I needed a rest), but the rest of the family had a good view of the area.