Hi...I think I can begin talking about my travels this last month...don't know how long it will take me, but i'll get there. (I'll keep posting as I go)
To begin...at the beginning (or the end if you catch my under milkwood allusion *See Wales)

Germany: My favorite country. I know i've talked a bit about Berlin. It was great going around with three good friends from Capernwray and one's little brother. Berlin was an awesome city. Very clean and diverse--by atmosphere, ethnically (i.e. the bomb food like doners which we ate every day), varied history etc. I don't remember the name, but there was a really cool, giant church near Alex the radio tower featured in the 2nd Bourne movie. It had some cool statues (well, A LOT--it's Germany). my favorite was the reformers circling the pews, even upstaging the 12 apostles a bit. CALVIN, LUTHER, ZWINGLI all serious, holding books and stuff, and then there was this one i've never heard of smiling at the congregation. very funny. that's how i want to be portrayed when i'm a reformer. this church had a cool dome and we could walk around it outside, seeing the whole city by day. Later in the week we did the same thing in the Reichstag dome at night, seeing everything we'd seen the last four days. It was excellent.
After Berlin we went to a small village outside of Ansbach in Bavaria (actually it was Franconia if your eager to catch me in a historically charged technicality). That was great. It was where my German friend Phil lives, in a huge farm house with his family and other jolly German borders. We ATE so well. all sorts of schnitzels and sauerkraut glowing golden, beckoning me to partake. Some highlights were eating with an old german lady phil knew who spoke english well enough to call me "Jack the Ripper" and talk about poetry and elementary school teaching in Boston. (I would love to live in Boston, even just to be able to ride subways...i love subways.)
We also went to Dachao, one of the first concentration camps, and longest lasting. I was very impressed and moved by the holocaust memorial in berlin, and it was good to go deeper and learn more. I also enjoyed, well, loved the youth group at a local church i went too. Only Germans would spend three hours pouring over scripture, discussing the holy spirit, and then stay till 1:30 in the morning to laugh and hang out together. I met my long lost relatives the Thiel sisters...(one was named Katherin Thiel...which is my sister's name) they pronounce it Teel. I would really like to go back to Franconia and see them and Phil again. It was sad to leave, but I would not trade my time there for anything (in addition to doing a lot more cliche things that sound travel booky and such)....more on the rest of germany following...