Rubber boat day

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Okay...so I admit, I was a little bit apprehensive about the rubber boat ride that Ralf's dad and Martina had planned during our visit here. I mean really, 10 adults in a rubber boat...doesn't sound completely safe, right? However, it ended up to be a super fun day and thankfully the rubber boat was much sturdier and more bouyant than the blow-up rubber boats of my youth! We met Johannes and Martina, 4 of thier firiends, Jens (his brother) and Yudena (sp?) in Wechselburg at the River Mulde to begin our two hour boat ride to Rochlitz. Even at 10am in the morning, we were greeted with champagne, wine, shots, and of course beer. Once again, this is all before I actually saw the boat and accompanying life jackets! But once aboard, all was good and I enjoyed a few hours of sunshine and fun. I have mentioned this in an earlier blog but it's a really neat feeling when you feel a connection with people despite two different languages. After the boat ride, which ended in Rochlitz, a quaint little village with another beautiful castle, we took a shuttle back to Wechselburg where we enjoyed a nice lunch in a sunny beirgarten. I tried Schnitzel for the first time...another delicious discovery and then shared a biig piece of strawberry cake for dessert. Yum..hello workout plan in another few weeks when we are back in Florida where dessert is not a daily occurance! After lunch, we visited the Wechselburg Priory, a 12th century Benedictine Monastery where most of these pictures were taken.

Last night a visit with Ralf's friend Friedeman, his wife Ana, and baby Fabian. I am pretty sure I just butchered those names 😞 I am also including some pictures of Ralf's vacation bungalow where we are staying for most of the trip. It is very cozy and in a new country very nice to have a place to come home to most evenings that feels comfortable and familiar. I went back and added some additional photos from the dancing and bowling night out in the last entry and even though they are kind of dark you have to check them out because they show what a lot of the restuarants we've visited in some of these smaller towns have been like...very rustic.

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Photos

Wechselburg
This was a long jump pit to see which local animal could jump as far as you could. I was a fox!

River Mulde
Arrivig at Rochlitz

Wechselburg
The crew!

River Mulde
This tasted like cough syrup! Jamie, do you recognize the name from our conversation while you were in Florida?

Wechselburg
Preparing for take off! One of the friends brought matching hats for all of us for the boat ride!