absolutely B R E A T H T A K I N G

It was a picture-perfect day here today. It might have even hit seventy {70} degrees. After three or four straight days of nothing but rain, a dark sky and gloominess, the sunshine felt so warm and wonderful.

This evening, Jim and I had a little date of our own. The trails here in Germany are incredible. You can walk, hike, bike or even horse-back ride just about anywhere. They seem to go on forever. The scenery is beautiful, the calm is amazing. Way better than dinner and a movie.

The {paved} bike trails are wonderful. Again, they go on forever- connecting the villages, going in our village from one end, through it and out the other on to the next village. The hiking trails are just as amazing- winding up and down the beautiful countryside. I don't think we'll ever run out of new spots to see just by foot- even if we stayed within walking distance of our house. It's so impressive, my description doesn't come close to doing it justice.

Tonight, with tired little {and big guys} we left them at home set out on our own with Lady. She loves walking about as much as we do and gets so excited. Awesome on her leash, I really enjoy taking her. The hike up {from any trail we pick} is a little bit of work for someone {still} not in shape, but the views from the top are amazing and worth every step. We walk a little bit, then look around, take some pictures then continue on our way. No agenda, no time frame- just quality time alone together to re-charge a little.

I love to watch {and talk to} the sheep, look at the new blossoms, breathe in the air. This evening, we could hear the church bells ringing from not only our village but two others as well. It's all so amazing- absolutely tranquil. These are the simple moments in life that I have been desiring, needing and striving for. 

While driving to our hotel from the airport when we arrived in November, I was in a vehicle with Jim's boss- Sam. He was trying to let me know this is the place to be, we're in the heart of everything, it's great....  Absolutely in shock, I didn't really understand any of it. He also said at one point, "the drive to my house each day is absolutely breathtaking." Breathtaking? Even after a few months, I still didn't get it. I think I'm finally starting to get it. There is no other way to describe it.

This evening, we only ran in to a couple German men. One man was carrying a bucket with fresh fish in it- probably heading home to cook it up for dinner. Not something you see every day. I'm pretty sure there are driveways here with a steeper incline than any hill in the entire state of Kansas. That being said, I do love both. For now, I'll take the hills and views from the top.

Can't wait to see where we end up tomorrow.


Just one view from a spot off the side of the trail looking at the next village over- Reichenbach Steegen. I love the old churches here.