Wörnitz: Rothenburg & WM

What an amazing day today was! Wow! Essentially I did two things: Uwe and I visited a historic town nearby Wörnitz, called Rothenburg. We walked all around the city and as usual, I took many pictures. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (see below).

The other thing we did was watch the first game of the Weltmeisterschaft (affectionately known as "WM" here). It was the opening game, between Deutschland & Costa Rica, and it was a great opening game. We watched it at a community hall in Rothenburg. They'd set up two massive Leinwände (jumbo screens), and about 200 people filled the town hall to the max. The roar of the crowd whenever Germany scored was absolutely amazing...!

It was so festive, it was great. The WM is the best event on planet earth, and it's on for the next month.

I'm cheering for Paraguay, Argentina, and Brasil. Deutschland is a "backup" team to cheer for too. I predict a Germany-Brasil final. Brasil will win.

Today's score was Deutschland 4 - Costa Rica 2.

Tomorrow I'm going to Paraguay - England. We're going to smoke the English... I love the World Cup!

OK, here are pictures of Rothenburg.

Town Entrance:


Town Centre:


Alley:


Rothenburg Through a Window:


Rooftops:


Cub in Rothenburg:

Wörnitz: Uwe & Linda

Today was a special day, as I went to Wörnitz to visit with my childhood friend Uwe and his wife Linda. It was a great day meeting up with them both.

Uwe picked me up at the Würzburg train station just before noon, before we drove on the Autobahn for an hour towards Wörnitz. Wörnitz is a small country-town, situated smack halfway between Nüremberg & Frankfurt. I highly recommend driving on the Autobahn at 170km per hour. It's a liberating - verging on spiritual - experience. I think we drive like mamby-pamby sissies in North America.

Anyways, I digress. Once in Wörnitz, we ate a good lunch, and spent the rest of the day catching up. I love the country-life here. It's quiet and peaceful.

Uwe (at construction-site of his new house):


View from Uwe & Linda's new house (top floor):

Frankfurt: Karmeliterkloster

Today I visited an ex-Carmelite cloister in Frankfurt. The Carmelites emerged in 12th century Europe as a church renewal movement, in the form of monasteries and cloisters. In the 17th and 18th centuries, as Europe became more and more secularized and influenced by rationalistic enlightenment thought, many monasteries and cloisters were shut down or secularized.

The kloster I visited was a perfect example of secularization, as today it houses government offices, and the Archäologisches Museum (Archeological Museum) of Frankfurt. I didn't take many pictures of the cloister, because very few picture-worthy remnants remain. Besides the typical big structure of the buildings, and the austere/serene feel of the cloister, the wall-murals were the only things worth noting. Many of the murals are now being re-done, in order to preserve history.

Karmeliterkloster:


Wall Mural:


Midieval Architecture:

Frankfurt: Pause

Today I took a break from vacationing. Well, not really. I'm still vacationing, but I took a break from the touristy vacationing.

I've tired myself out, and haven't been sleeping well, so I decided to just hang around at my cousin's place.

In the evening I went out for a little walk around his neighbourhood. He lives in quite a lovely little neighbourhood.

Frankfurt: Ikonen-Museum, Liebfrauenkirche, Dom

I walked around today until my feet practically fell off. But it was a worthy walk nonetheless, because I took in some great sights.

Morning - the morning was disappointing. I meant to go to the Pfingsten (Pentecost) church service at the Dreikönigs-Kirche, but I slept in. I still haven't adjusted to the time-change. I woke up at 10am, to the sound of church bells all around me. I learned yesterday that all the city churches have an agreement to ring their bells in unison at 10am, 5pm, and 9pm, three times a year: Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas.

It was lovely waking up to the public "proclamation by bells" that indeed, the Holy Spirit has descended upon us, Jesus has ascended to heaven, and He sits at the right side of the Father. I like it. More please....

Afternoon - Having wasted the morning, I made very good use of the afternoon.

First I visited the Ikonen-Museum. This was a very small museum, not worth the €5 price of admission, but it had some interesting icons nonetheless. I arrived at 3pm, and joined a Führung (tour). The tour leader was Russian, very appropriate, because most of the icons were of Russian origin. I love icons. They transport us from this world to the world to come. They provide us with a "glimpse", a "peak" into heaven. I like it. More please....

A Russian Icon: Gottesmutter Glykophilousa (Mother of God, Glykophilousa)

Ikonen Museum:

After the Icons Museum I hit the Zentrum (downtown). I walked through the historic town centre, took in a Mass at the Liebfrauenkirche (Our Lady's Church), visited the peaceful Liebfrauen Klosterhof (Convent), walked around the Römerberg, the excavated Roman and Carolingian ruins, and the stunning Dom (dome), before finishing the day with a dinner at the (you guessed it ... ) Cafe Liebfrauenberg.

Liebfrauenkirche:

Frankfurter Dom:

Cafe Liebfrauenberg:

I got home exhausted at around 9:30pm. I had a headache, my back hurt, and I felt like throwing up. But I didn't. I thought this was going to be easy, but I was wrong. Sightseeing's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.... ;)

Frankfurt: Dreikönigs-Kirche

Today I wandered around downtown Frankfurt quite a bit. There were two highlights to mention, the Dreikönigs-Kirche (Three-kings Church), & the main shopping district of Frankfurt, called Zeil.

Dreikönigs-Kirche am Main:

I will not say much about Zeil, except concur with the Lonely Planet guide in stating that it is an excellent place to shop (apparently it is the busiest shopping district in Europe). It is located between the Hauptwache and the Konstablerwache.

The high point of the day for me however came as I visited the Dreikönigs-Kirche, an Evangelical Lutheran church. I attended a Musikalischer Vespergottesdiesnt (a musical worship service), and was really blessed by it. It was short, only 50 minutes long, but it had all the necessary elements to facilitate union with God: prayer, spoken and sung liturgy, 2 Scripture readings, and a homily. In addition, all of these elements were supported by baroque organ music (this was, after all, a musical Vesper).

The organist played 4 magnificent pieces: Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780, Fantasie und Fugue F-Dur, and Zeuch ein zu deinen Toren), Dietrich Buxtehude (1617-1707, Komm, heiliger Geist, Herr Gott), and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750, Komm, heiliger Geist, Herr Gott). The best piece was by far the final piece, by Bach.

Some more thoughts:

- Only about 40 people attended. The church probably seats 500. Sad.

- Among the attendees were at least a dozen young people. Encouraging.

- The homily was a reading by Karl Barth on Pfingsten (Pentecost). Intellectually stimulating, theologically deep and profound, but perhaps inaccessible to the average parishioner (well, at least the average Canadian parishioner). Also, no practical application given.

- The people at the church were friendly and inviting. I had a nice conversation with a few people, including both parish priests.

- The term Evangelisch (evangelical) seems to have a different meaning in Germany. I think it means what we would call liberal in Canada. Although, a liberal church in Canada would never ever read anything by Karl Barth. I'm confused. I'll have to dig a little to find out more....

- I've had very little exposure to Lutheran liturgy (just a little at Regent), but the sung liturgy is especially beautiful. I wonder whether JS Bach had anything to do with that... It seems to me that spoken liturgy is better in an Anglcan setting though.

- Finally, I was disappointed with the interior of the church. It was "bare, blank, white". If God is creative by nature, and he has given us the same creative talents, why would we create worship centres that give an impression of emptiness rather than fullness?

Here are some pictures of the church:

Frankfurt: Hauptbahnhoff

Today was a long but very pleasant day. Here's what I 'accomplished':

- went to the Hauptbahnhoff (main train station) and did research on train schedules; bought a train passage to Würzburg on June 8th, to visit my friend Uwe; also bought tickets to Berlin on June 11th.
- bought a 7 day transit pass for Frankfurt (€19). Now my travels within the city are fully covered.





- went to the Frankfurter Stadion and picked up tickets for the following World Cup games: Paraguay vs Trinidad & Tobago, Italy vs Czech Republic.
- had a donair and a Sprite at a Turkish Restaurant (€6).

Here are some random pictures I took at the main train station. All of them have the word Frankfurt in it.

Frankfurt

After a lentghy (and delayed!) journey, I arrived in Frankfurt at 8am this morning. My cousin Rudolf picked me up from the airport.



Afterwards, we went back to his place, and had breakfast. His son Artur was there too.

Afterwards, Artur went to school, Rudolf went to work, and I went to bed. I was exhausted. I slept most of the afternoon in fact, which may just make sleeping tonight difficult, as I'll be wide awake.

For dinner, Rudolf's partner Olga cooked a nice dinner: mashed potatoes, meatballs, & salad.

Around 10 in the evening the three of us went out for a drive around Frankfurt. It was rainy, so it was hard to really get out and see much, but it was nice in terms of getting the look and feel of the city. I look forward to exploring more.

Europe Itinerary

Tomorrow morning I leave for Europe. Here's my itinerary:

5.31 --> Vancouver-Montreal (AC150), then Montreal-Frankfurt (AC874)
6.1 --> Arrive in Frankfurt at 6:30am; stay with cousin Rudolf
6.2-7 --> Frankfurt
6.8 --> Frankfurt-Wörnitz; stay with friend Uwe
6.9 --> Wörnitz
6.10 --> Wörnitz-Frankfurt; Paraguay vs England in Frankfurt, 3pm
6.11 --> Frankfurt-Berlin; stay with cousin Jelena
6.12-14 --> Berlin
6.15 --> Paraguay vs Sweden in Berlin, 9pm
6.16-17 --> Berlin
6.18 --> Berlin-Calbe; stay with relatives
6.19 --> Calbe
6.20 --> Calbe-Kaiserslautern; Paraguay vs Trinidad & Tobago in Kaiserlautern, 9pm
6.21 --> Kaiserslautern-Hamburg
6.22 --> Italy vs Czech Republic in Hamburg, 4pm
6.23 --> Hamburg-Leipzig
6.24 --> Leipzig
6.25 --> Leipzig-Köln
6.26 --> 2nd Round Game (probably Switzerland or France vs Ukraine) in Köln, 9pm
6.27 --> Köln
6.28 --> Köln-Florence (Italy)
6.29-7.1 --> Florence
7.2 --> Florence-Rome
7.3-7.5 --> Rome
7.6 --> Rome-Assisi
7.7-8 --> Assisi
7.9 --> Assisi-Milan
7.10 --> Milan-Frankfurt
7.11 --> Frankfurt
7.12 --> Frankfurt-Toronto (AC 9105), then Toronto-Vancouver (AC115); arrive in Vancouver at 7pm

During my stay in Deutschland I plan to visit and get to know relatives (Rudolf, Jelena, the Urbachs), and watch much much futbol with friends (Uwe, Christian, and Paul). I plan to view many historical sites, especially churches. I also plan to eat much schnitzel, cheese, chocolate, and drink good German white wine.

My friend Grace will accompany me to Italia, where we will conquer Florence and Rome for a week. We plan to see Renaissance art in Florence, and in Rome we will visit il Vaticano, the Colloseum, and perhaps the Catachombs. My last few days in Europe will be spent in silence and contemplation, in the peaceful town of Assisi. I plan to travel there alone, and stay at a monastery.

After I'm done with Europe, the continent will never be the same again. And neither will I.

Jesu Redemptor

Jesu redemptor omnium,

Tu lumen et splendor Patris:

Tibi sit gloria;

Tibi Jesu sit gloria.

Veni Lumen!

O veni Creator Spiritus.

O veni lumen cordium,

Veni lumen cordium.

_____

Jesus, Redeemer of the world,

Light and splendour of the Father:

Glory to you;

Glory be to You Jesus.

Come oh Light!

Come oh Holy Spirit,

Oh come englighten my heart,

Come enlighten my heart.

I Need A Vacation

Today was my last day of spring school. I'm tired.

I learned so much the past two weeks, I don't know where it's all going to fit in, because surely it can't fit into my head anymore. That space is already occupied.

I'm inspired to live a life of community. But I want the real thing, I'm not interested in pseudo-Christian community.

Some of the things I've learned about community the past two weeks are so radical to our thinking, we just don't know what to do with it. It's just so counter-cultural. But yet, it's just simple gospel living: full submission to God in Christ by the Spirit, followed by growing closer to others. It calls for relinquishment of those things that come in between God, me, and others.

We do adequately well in head-knowledge, but living it out is just way too costly.

I'm tired. I need a vacation. Or maybe I just wish Jesus would return today.

Making Sense Of Nonsense

I discovered this a few days ago. It's brilliant.

Heading South?

Inevitably, after people find out my background (born and raised in South America, of German ethnicity, educated in Canada), and my current training for church ministry, they always ask the same question: "After you finish school, will you go back to South America and work in the church there?" And inevitably, my answer's always "No."

I was at my spiritual trainer's place tonight for dinner, and his wife asked me that same question again. But today, I answered "Maybe." Where did that come from? What an unusual answer to a rather intriguing question. She went on to explain that there's a sizeable Evangelical / Anglo-Catholic Anglican presence in places like Chile and Argentina.

Hmmm. Maybe I should give it some more serious thought. I like the idea of living in a place like Santiago, and I like the idea of living in Buenos Aires even more.

Then I can say things like "che pibe," or use the informal "vos," and to boot, Argentina has the most insanely beautiful (albeit snobby) women on earth too, so how could I go wrong? They drink mate and play beautiful futbol too, so no problems there.

There I could also do ecumenical work, bringing Catholics and Evangelicals closer together.

Maybe I ought-a rethink my strategy.

On Foot

Yesterday my car insurance ran out. I don't plan to insure my car again until after I return from Europe.

This is an experiment of sorts. I want to see what it's like to live without a car. More and more I'm coming to believe that my future is car-less: more time for people in one particular geographical area, less time for road-rage, higher commitment to particularity (a defined "yes" to some things, and "no" to other things), and less randomness.

I wonder how realistic this is.

Then again, what happens if I ever marry? Yeah I know .. that would be even more miraculous than being car-less, but let me indulge for a moment. Will my wife agree to walking and/or bussing, or will she want to drive a Mercedes while I bust my feet on the pavement? What about mopeds? They're practical in the summer, cheap, and cool, even if unsafe and a pain in the winter. But then again, going to the symphony on a moped would be interesting: dressed up nicely while on a moped sounds very European, but the big bonus would be that ma femme would have to hold on oh so tightly.

Oh well, all these questions. On we go .. one day at a time....

Happy Birthday Missla!

Yesterday was my dear friend Missla's birthday. Hope it was a very special day Miss! Take good care of yourself .. if you need someone to kick some yellow page phone books with, lemme know.

Also, I know a really good trick: next time you drive onto a highway, cut someone off badly. Then, as they try to pass you all pi$$ed off and angry, give them the "hooooohooooooo" whining signal. Add hand motions around the eyes for special effect.

It works like a charm. Try it sometime .... ;)

Happy Birthday!

Lillies

Today was Mother's Day .. a special day. Mom & dad drove out from Abbotsford, and we went to the 11am church service together. Afterwards we went to the Swiss Chalet for lunch. Then we came back to my place and relaxed a little. Well, that's not entirely true. Dad took a nap, I checked my email and began reading a book, while mom slaved away in the kitchen.

Nope .. I cannot be blamed for mom's workaholic tendencies. I'm learning to "let mom be mom." If she wants to wash my dishes .. go ahead. If she wants to do my laundry .. go ahead. If she wants to stuff $50 in my piggybank .. go ahead (actually, next time please leave $100). I'm not going to fight this battle any longer. She won. I think I'm battle-fatigued, or maybe I'm just getting wiser....

How does that saying go: "If you can't fight'em, join'em?"

Anyways, Happy Mother's Day!

Jericho Beach

Today was the first warm day of the year in Vancouver. I think it hit (close to) 20 degrees: sunny, bright, warm, lovely! I spent a good portion of the afternoon at Jericho Beach, practising picture-taking with my new camera. I admit: it's a love affair. I'm in love with my camera. Here's proof:

He Who Dies With The Most Toys

He who dies with the most toys does not win.

He who dies with the most toys is dead. He gets a toetag.

Remember that.

Onion Soup

Today I spent the afternoon with Grace.

I arrived at her place at noon (I was even on time .. well ok, I was 3 minutes late, but that's on time in my dictionary!), and we immediately sat down and had lunch together. She'd made this amazing onion soup, I kid you not, it was the best onion soup I've ever tasted. I slurped two bowls of it down like a boy who'd just been handed a tub of ice cream.

Afterwards we went for a walk along the beach at Locarno and Spanish Banks. We walked for over two hours, and had a good time enjoying one another's company. It was sunny, and the scenery was beautiful, but the wind was still a little chilly.

I want to go back to the beach on Friday with my camera and take some pictures of the beautiful scenery. It's sunny weather such as the kind we'll soon be enjoying more of that makes Vancouver such a great city to live in.

Christmas Came Early!

I visited with my parents today, and it was a real blessing. I arrived at their house in Abbotsford, after a 1 hour drive. I like that drive.






































My parents' house.
















Upon my arrival, (after greetings and hugs and kisses) I immediately went outside and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Fraser Valley and Mount Baker. Gorgeous!

At around 1pm we had lunch, during which we were able to catch up on many things we've experienced or thought about the past few months. Highlights of our discussions include the "wicked" Spanish people (hahaha!), the church and tradition, and various family matters.

After lunch dad went for a nap, and mom brought out a bag of goodies - gifts they brought back from Paraguay. As always, my parents were very generous, bringing back Ao Po'i shirts (traditoinal Paraguayan button shirts), UCB long sleeve t's, and plenty of yerba mate paraphernelia! Thank you!
















In the afternoon we drank mate, at 6pm we ate dinner, after which we again sat down and enjoyed some more conversation. I headed home shortly after 8pm.

Weekend Notes

Friday, May 5

* I went out with Grace in the evening. We went for a Singaporean dinner at Kam's Place. Afterwards we went to Cupcakes on Denman for dessert. Then we sat down on one of the benches along English Bay, and we had a good evening together. She shared some of her life story with me. It was a good evening, but I do not yet have peace about her.

Saturday, May 6
* I went to the airport in the morning to pick up my parents from the airport. I haven't seen them in 4 months, so it's good to have them back home. The rest of the day I read my Bible, and another book I just recently began reading, Thomas Merton's The Sign of Jonas. In the evening I watched a movie on video. It was a waste of 2 hours.

Sunday, May 7
* I went to the 7:30am Service. I really love the simplicity and beauty of the early morning liturgy. In the afternoon my good friends Rudy, Carol, AJ, Mar, Byron, and Jenn came over to watch the Nuremberg F1 race. Afterwards we went to Rasputin for a Russian dinner. I love these friends. They are a gift.

My Favourite Store

I went shopping at my favourite store today. I'd planned to reward myself for all the hard work I put into this past semester.

But alas, upon arriving at the store I was dismayed at all the prices. The cheapest pair of pants was $109. The cheapest t was $39. Most shirts were in the $50 range. The cheapest dress shirt was $99.

I remember the days when spending this kind of money was the norm. I didn't think twice about it. But today as I looked at the clothing items, I just couldn't bring myself to even try them on.

I suppose this is a good sign. I'm finally able to exercise a bit of self-discipline. Then again, maybe I'm just playing mindgames with myself, for I know that my parents arrive from Paraguay this Saturday, and I put an order in from them. And God forbid, if that fails, I am going to Europe this summer, and from what I understand, Benetton has great sales there during summers, especially in July.

Little wonder I'm planning to be in Italy in July. Maybe I should go to Europe with an empty backpack, and stock up on sale items while over there.....

One Step Closer

I received the World Cup tickets for Deutschland 2006 today. In exactly 4 weeks from now I'll be flying to Germany. Can't wait!!!

Back At It Again

Today I hiked the Grouse Grind for the first time this calendar year. I didn't do so well: 1 hour 8 minutes. It looks like over the past few months I've eaten a few too many meals. Well, on the positive side, I still enjoyed the hike. There's something therapeutic about the outdoors.

I've never gone up Grouse this early into the hiking season. In certain sections, the hiking path was still surrounded by up to one metre of snow.

I'll never grow weary of these sights: