Germany

Earlier this month, Zac and I had a quick trip to Germany for a job interview. We didn't get much sight-seeing in, but we did see a few neat things in Ulm. Gerald, Zac's old lab-mate, showed us around and even let me borrow his awesome camera. I really enjoyed the Christmas mart and the Ulm Cathedral. The stained glass windows were awe-inspiring. Last year Zac and I read "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follet. I thought a lot about the book when touring the cathedral (think masonry, flying buttresses, etc). We climbed about 250 stairs to a spot above the bell tower. The stairwell was narrow, round staircase with little windows here and there. You could see for miles! Luckily I'm not terribly afraid of heights.
Ulm was beautiful! We walked along through the streets, along the city wall, next to the Danube and soaked in all of the beautiful architecture. There was also a house that was so old, it was beginning to lean over. It looked as if it would topple over into the nearby canal. Zac was fascinated with the interlocking beams. I took a picture of one to remember the detailed workmanship. A big thanks to Gerald for showing us around. We were lucky we had him there, he ended up being our tour guide and translator.

Warning: picture overload ahead!



Live sheep in their full size nativity just outside the cathedral!!!












We climbed these spiral stairs for what seemed like forever. I felt quite dizzy after awhile, but it is now one of my favorite memories of the trip.
















Eating some traditional German food: Sauerkraut and Bratwurst...yummy!




See! It leans!





These next few pictures came from a little town/village on the way to Stuttgart- Blaubeuren. We walked through the monastery grounds to get to a path around the entrance to an underwater cave entrance. They dive it, wouldn't you know! Zac was fascinated. The picture with the church and the water is my favorite. I'm proud to say I took that picture!





Waiting for our flight home at the Stuttgart airport.