Idar-Oberstein

Visited the German town of Idar-Oberstein today. What a quaint downtown area! There are numerous cafes and places to sit and have a coffee, ice cream or meal, and there were people out everywhere. Today, there was some kind of jewelry market happening on the main street - with tents everywhere selling handmade jewelry. The town has a several hundred year history of mining and gem cutting, and there are many jewelery stores there, testifying to that fact.

Upon arrival, Linda and I decided to grab a bite to eat from a local, outdoor vendor. We had the most delicious pea soup, brattwurst (pork) and mettwurst (beef). The man working in the booth was so friendly and spoke great English. He convinced me to try the pea soup, even though I don't like peas. Since he was so friendly, we asked him to take our picture eating our first brattwurst since arriving in Germany, and he did. He told us that the building in front of which we were sitting was the oldest one in town (from the 1400's), that he had grown up there and that his brother now owns the restaurant that is there. Meeting him was a fun way to start our day.

Felsenkirche, the church we visited at Idar-Oberstein,

was built into a natural niche in the rocks back in 1484. The church sits high above the rest of the town, and is a symbol of the city. You can see the church in the center of the picture to the right.

Finally, we spent 2+ hours in a grocery store, which is much larger than any store here in Baumholder. The upstairs reminded me of a Wal-Mart, but without all of the advertising. The products are just there, not really displayed for marketing the way that things are in America. Anyway, it was tough shopping in a place where you have to dicipher so many things. It gave me a new appreciation for what people who immigrate go through when they go to the U.S. and what those with other kinds of limitations experience. All in all, the people were very patient with us and most spoke at least some English, so that we could communicate with them.