Trip to Seligenstadt

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One more road trip this time to the village of Seligenstadt only about 30 kilometers away. It was a pretty drive through the country and by a lake. We wished we would have known about the lake earlier in our stay, we could have ridden our bikes there. Oh well, you always should leave something for the next time. As we neared the town suddenly the road came to a stop right at the river's edge. Ohhhh there is a small ferry to take you the rest of the way. Funny we didn't see any signs about a ferry.

So we wandered through the town which had many more half timber houses and a very large Abbey. Apparently the monks make bread on Thursday to sell to visitors--today was Wednesday, darn! The abbey has a beautiful peaceful garden, but not as large as our friend, Paul's (in Belgium).

So today's list: Challenges of the trip
1. Driving without getting lost. Navigating with a map that doesn't have road names or the map has names but the roads do not. And not being able to understand roadside signs. You can imagine the frustration on the driver and the navigator!

2. Operating household appliances, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Some tasks seem so simple until just those few words on the machines are written in a foreign language. Dryers were the easiest because most homes use drying racks (they don't have an electric dryers). I can figure out a drying rack, no words needed for that-ha!

3. Driving in Italy. Narrow windy roads, cars going fast, cars tailgating, cars in your lane. Jerry describes it as aggressive-defensive driving with the emphasis on aggressive.

4. Grocery shopping. Not just foreign words but foreign food!

5. Bicycling in downtown Amsterdam. There are at least twice as many bikes as cars in the city. Everyone from 7 year olds to their great-grandparents ride bikes. You must follow the rules or you will get nasty stares, get yelled at, cause an accident, or worst of all someone will ring their bike bell at you.

6. Learning the transportation system in each location. Europe's public transportation system is excellent but it takes awhile in each place to figure out your routes and stops.

7. Foreign Holidays. We were caught three times by holidays we were unaware of. Grocery stores closed, different bus schedules, and unavailable taxis make for a challenging day that could be avoided by checking to see when holidays are in the country you are in.

We took the challenges with a good attitude (mostly) and feel like we have learned a few things for the next time.

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Photos

Street of half wood houses
Built in the 1500s

Remodel in progress
This shows an interior wall of a half wood house. Thosr timbers are approx 8x8