Blaufelden, or as the locals remind us Blue Field City in English, has been a dream. Ellen’s family has been wonderful hosts and graciously welcomed us at every turn. The village has welcomed us in open arms. When I go about town, it seems that they know that we are americans and are excited to meet us. We truly have made friends with some of the interesting people.
The owner of a local pub has made us feel welcome. He always greeted us with a friendly smile and his broken English. He regularly shared snacks with us. In fact, last night he made me an appetizer of tzakiki dip and sage two gyros. He then provided the recipe for his tzakiki dip, which I will always treasure. Granted, I will have to lower the yield, because 10 kilos might be too much for me at home.
We also have made friends with other locals, who hopefully will come visit Tuscaloosa one day.
Ellen took us to see a pretty house in a neighboring village and walk around the area on Christmas Eve. We also saw a pretty covered bridge in the village at the bottom of the hill. On the way home, we drove through another village and had to stop since JP needed his momma. It was funny to find three gloves just hanging out on the iron decoration surrounding a tree. When we drove through the same village the next day it was still there.
Christmas Day in Germany is not as big of a deal. We ate leftovers and headed to Schwaebisch Hall. Tim drove us through the country side on the way and it was just mesmerizing. We were able to see a bridge that was over 500ft tall. We then arrived in Swaebisch Hall where we wandered around and saw the beautiful buildings and pretty Christmas lights.
On the way back, Tim pulled over to allow Sage to drive on the autobahn. We were driving a small car, so he only got up to 100 mph.
We also went out for our last night in Blaufelden before Aka and sage left. We saw most of our new friends out that night.
Yesterday, Aka and sage left for Paris while the Lemkes and I had a very lazy day due to the blustery weather. I read books, took a short walk, and a nap during the day.